GEOFF BENNETT: The day's other headlines begin in the Middle East, where Hamas announced the names of four Israeli hostages it intends to release tomorrow as part of their cease-fire deal.

Daniella Gilboa, Karina Ariev, Liri Albag, and Naama Levy are all soldiers.

They were kidnapped by Hamas from an army base in Southern Israel during the October 7 attacks.

The women are expected to be released in exchange for a group of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

Also today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces might not withdraw from Lebanon by the deadline set in an agreement with Hezbollah.

The cease-fire deal reached in November requires Israeli troops to leave Southern Lebanon by Sunday while Hezbollah militants retreat north of the Litani River.

Lebanese forces agreed to patrol the buffer zone between the two sides with U.N. peacekeepers.

But the prime minister said in a statement today that Lebanon hasn't fully enforced the agreement yet.

The White House said today that an extension to the cease-fire is urgently needed.

Russia and Ukraine traded drone strikes overnight as the war enters its fourth year next month.

Eyewitness video from Russia's Ryazan region about 100 miles outside of Moscow shows people running from a burning oil refinery.

Russia's Defense Ministry says it's shot down 121 Ukrainian drones across the country, one of the largest such attacks of the war.

In an interview, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he's open for talks with the U.S. on the war in Ukraine and on energy prices.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, Russian President (through translator): We would better meet and have a calm conversation all issues of interest to both the United States and Russia based on today's realities.

We are ready.

GEOFF BENNETT: Meantime, Ukraine says at least three people have died following a Russian drone attack overnight that hit an apartment complex Southwest of the capital, Kyiv.

Several homes were also hit.

Such air attacks have become more frequent in Ukraine as Russia launches dozens of drones almost every night.

President Trump has ended the government-funded protection detail for Dr. Anthony Fauci.

The president said today his former adviser during the COVID-19 pandemic could hire his own security, adding that he wouldn't feel any responsibility if Dr. Fauci were ever harmed.

Fauci has received debt threats for his public health guidance during the pandemic.

He has reportedly hired his own private security team.

This week, President Trump also withdrew security protections for his former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former National Security Adviser John Bolton.

They have both been critical of Mr. Trump since serving his first administration.

A federal judge barred the leader of the far right Oath Keepers group, Stewart Rhodes, from entering Washington, D.C., without court approval.

It comes days after President Trump commuted his 18-year prison sentence for coordinating the Capitol attack in 2021.

Rhodes visited the U.S. Capitol earlier this week just after his release.

He met with at least one lawmaker and defended his actions.

The judge's order also applies to seven other people convicted of charges related to January 6 and bars them all from entering the Capitol Building or grounds without the court's permission.

The U.S. Supreme Court said today it would hear a case on whether to allow the nation's first publicly funded religious charter school to open in Oklahoma.

The case centers on a proposal by the Catholic Church in Oklahoma to establish an online school that would incorporate religious teachings into its curriculum.

It comes amid other efforts to insert religion into public schools, including a push in Louisiana to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms.

The case will likely be argued in front of the court this spring, with a decision by early summer.

The world's largest annual migration of humanity is hitting its peak.

It's the travel rush of the Chinese lunar new year, and, quite simply, many people are going home for the holidays.

LIU TAO, China Resident (through translator): Of course I'm happy.

After the whole year, the family's eager to get together and enjoy a good feast.

GEOFF BENNETT: Hundreds of millions of people will be traveling by train, plane and automobile in the run-up to Wednesday, which marks the official start of the new year in the lunar calendar.

China's government estimates that there will be nine billion trips during the 40-day travel period, most of them by car.

Train trips will top 500 million, and another 90 million people will be traveling by air.

On Wall Street today, stocks slipped a bit after recent gains.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell about 140 points on the day.

The Nasdaq lost nearly 100 points, or half-a-percent.

The S&P 500 stepped back from yesterday's all-time high, losing 17 points.

And it was, forgive me, pandamonium at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., today.

More than a year after the capital said farewell to its beloved pandas, zoo officials gave a grand welcome to a new panda pair.

As you can see, there was a brass band, a panda mascot, even a ceremonial countdown before their grand debut.

The two new giant pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao, are on loan from China for the next 10 years.

They continue a tradition that goes back to the early 1970s, when pandas help soften the political edges of the U.S.-China relationship.

Panda Cam is also back, with 40 cameras capturing their daytime activities.

Still to come on the "News Hour": David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart weigh in on the week's political headlines;one family searches for answers 80 years after the liberation of Auschwitz; and a new winter basketball league founded by WNBA players tips off.