Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he directed his ministers not to sign off on a proposed agreement to give the United States access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals because the document was too focused on U.S. interests.

China's relations are starting to improve with Japan, India and other countries that former U.S. President Joe Biden courted, just as Donald Trump brings his more unilateralist approach back to the White House.

Some current and former defense leaders and veterans are questioning whether Pete Hegseth would be able to enforce discipline in the ranks if the Senate confirms him as President-elect Donald Trump's defense secretary.

The city of Jacksonville is setting aside $4 million to help for garbage and recycling services as one city council member proposed raising garbage fees.

Jacksonville City Councilman Matt Carlucci is pushing to raise garbage fees to address a growing financial shortfall in the city’s trash collection services.

Saying her nominee for general counsel is “facing a smear campaign,” Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan held a news conference Wednesday to rally support for Randy DeFoor’s appointment.

Newly-obtained emails from city of Jacksonville employees reveal additional details about the permitting process for an upcoming 5k road race organized by the DONNA Foundation, the non-profit founded years ago by now-mayoral candidate Donna Deegan.

The city of Jacksonville has denied a permit for the DONNA foundation's Mother's Day 5K, which debuted last year in Riverside and was set to take place again May 13.

The city of Jacksonville has denied a permit for the DONNA foundation's Mother's Day 5K, which debuted last year in Riverside and was set to take place again May 13.

On Tuesday night’s City Council agenda is a proposal that would move the Museum of Science and History from its longtime home on Jacksonville’s Southbank to a new home on the Northbank that is yet to be built.

The answers are still few and far between when it comes to a possible University of Florida satellite campus in Jacksonville. But, legislation is in the works to try and bring the high tech financial and medical graduate program here.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office provided an update Tuesday on its computer issues.

The Duval County courtroom where accused criminals make their first appearance before a judge experienced a major decline in appearances Monday morning after access to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office dispatch and jail booking systems was limited because of computer issues over the weekend.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office was experiencing major computer issues on Sunday that were having an effect on its dispatch and jail booking processes, two sources with knowledge of the situation told News4JAX.

An affordable housing rally downtown was disrupted on Sunday when city workers took props from the rally and threw them away.

There is no end in sight for the suspension of curbside recycling pickup in Jacksonville.

The Florida-Georgia game is Oct. 30, and it could be smaller. The city is looking into getting rid of about 6,000 seats for the game.

News4Jax is digging deeper into the cost to remove a Confederate monument from a Jacksonville park.

The estimated cost for the removal of the Confederate monument at Springfield Park could cost more than $1 million, an email sent from the city to Jacksonville City Council members shows.

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry announced he wants the city to invest $100 million in neighborhood parks, pools, libraries and other quality-of-life enhancements over the next two years.

You might think Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry is the highest paid person in the city’s government, but he’s not.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville hospital workers are receiving their second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine as health department officials are still working to ramp up the volume of vaccinations given to the general public. As of Wednesday, more than 16,000 people in Duval County had been vaccinated, according to Florida Department of Health data. Bernadette Belgado, director of pharmacy at UF Health Jacksonville, said Wednesday that the hospital has vaccinated close to 50% of its workforce and planned to administer second doses of the vaccine to 700 of its workers. The state Department of Health in Duval County is leading the effort to vaccinate the general public in Jacksonville at the Prime Osborn Convention Center. A spokesperson for the Duval County agency confirmed two senior centers, Lane Wiley Senior Center and Mandarin Senior Center, have been approved to become vaccination clinics.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The city of Jacksonville is hoping to eventually vaccinate more than 10,000 people each day, but as of Tuesday, it is a long way from that goal. According to Hughes, 1,063 vaccinations were administered to seniors and health care workers at the Prime Osborn Center on Monday, the first day of public vaccinations. “There’s no better pathway for us out of this pandemic than this vaccine,” Hughes said. The Duval County Health Department then began accepting online signups for appointments and slots filled up in just over an hour. The health department said the link will change each week and will be posted on the alerts page on the department’s website: duval.floridahealth.gov.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The City of Jacksonville is attempting to convert COVID-19 testing sites into locations where citizens can receive the vaccine. Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for the city Brian Hughes said Monday morning during a Jacksonville City Council committee meeting that the hope is that at least two of the testing sites will be converted to vaccine sites as soon as next week. “I’m not guaranteeing that because, again, there are several elements of that out of control.”MORE | Jacksonville seniors begin getting COVID-19 vaccinesHe didn’t say which sites would be converted first but added that the testing sites at Regency Square Mall and the Legends Center are in play. “People are very interested in getting this vaccine and I’m glad to hear that,” Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said during an afternoon press conference. “I understand that residents had trouble getting through on the appointment line that the Department of Health set up for this purpose.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Another player in the JEA saga was questioned about what happened during the city-owned utility’s failed sales attempt. Tim Baker, a political consultant for Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, was questioned last month by an attorney for the City Council investigative committee about the role he played in the botched JEA sale. Zahn said that he flew to Atlanta on a plane provided by Conventus, LLC, a company co-managed by Baker. Sam Mousa, who recently retired from that position and is listed in public records as a co-manager of Conventus LLC, was also there. The testimony is being reviewed by a City Council committee looking into JEA and the practices surrounding the potential sale.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. A City Council investigative committee looking into the failed bid to sell JEA revealed new information on Monday about an interview with a former member of the leadership team at the city-owned utility. According to its investigation, crucial information may have been intentionally destroyed on the personal device of the former JEA Chief Operating Officer. Some council members like Rory Diamond said that is criminal. Former JEA Chief Information Officer admits to intentionally putting the wrong password into then-Chief Operating Officer Melissa Dykes tablet destroying all documents there on. The JEA investigative committee plans to issue subpoenas Baker, Mousa, former JEA board member Alan Howard and Michael Munz, an executive at the Dalton Agency, to testify in the investigation.

Hughes said the amount has not been finalized, but that its projected to be $30-$40 million in federal grant money. Answer: I believe it will include language that considers the citys appropriation of federal grant dollars for public safety. Answer: The budget for the city will be made to match the funding authorized by the US Dept of Justice via federal grant. The amount is not yet finalized, although a projection is approximately $30 to $40 million in federal grant money. Our expectation is the federal grant will be conveyed and used by the city to handle public safety expenses.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Mayor Lenny Curry has appointed Jordan Elsbury as the new Chief of Staff of the City of Jacksonville, the city announced Monday. Chief of Staff is an integral part of my administration, said Curry in a press release. Leeann Krieg will take Elsburys former job as the Director of Intergovernmental Affairs. Prior to joining the Intergovernmental Affairs team in 2018, Krieg served as the Executive Council Assistant to Group 4 At-Large Council Member, Greg Anderson. Before joining the City of Jacksonville in 2012, Krieg worked for the State of Florida.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Many city employees, including some of the highest-paid staff at Jacksonvilles mayors office may be earning thousands in extra pay for working during the coronavirus pandemic. We saw firsthand how some city employees worked extra hours, even seven days a week during the crisis that is still not over. Other city offices, including the property appraisers office and the council auditors office, are among those not taking the extra pay -- offering comp time only for employees extra work. The mayors office in Tampa said its employees did not receive hazard pay like Jacksonvilles mayors office did. So, the city of Orlandos final pay is $0 for pandemic response and city employees versus $50 million in Jacksonville.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The city of Jacksonville is considering ending its contract with waste hauler company Republic Services after thousands of reports of trucks not picking up trash, recycling and yard waste, the News4Jax I-TEAM has learned. City records show Republic Services and Waste Pro collectively have more than 14,000 reports of missed trash collection this year. According to city records, Republic Services was fined $15,500 over incomplete routes and hydraulic fuel leaks that damaged roads in nearly a dozen Jacksonville neighborhoods. According to a city map, waste hauler Republic Services serves the Arlington area. In August, according to the city records, the city asked Republic Services to maintain an average fleet age of six years old.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The city of Jacksonville is considering ending its contract with waste hauler company Republic Services after thousands of reports of trucks not picking up trash, recycling and yard waste, the News4Jax I-TEAM has learned. City records show Republic Services and Waste Pro collectively have more than 14,000 reports of missed trash collection this year. According to city records, Republic Services was fined $15,500 over incomplete routes and hydraulic fuel leaks that damaged roads in nearly a dozen Jacksonville neighborhoods. According to a city map, waste hauler Republic Services serves the Arlington area. In August, according to the city records, the city asked Republic Services to maintain an average fleet age of six years old.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - It looks like game over for adult arcades in Jacksonville. The city is getting ready to shut down all of them down following Tuesday night's vote by City Council. "The City Council members who left City Hall last night in their fancy cars and went to their gated community homes. Two council members will meet next week to discuss how to help workers who will be displaced after the adult arcades close. So far no court date has been set.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - City Councilman Garrett Dennis on Monday asked the U.S. Attorney to investigate allegations that staffers in Mayor Lenny Curry's office pressured city department running children's programs to give preferential treatment to groups seeking grants. "It is believed that these are the organizations which were hand-picked by the mayor's office to receive grant money to quiet criticism of Mayor Curry." One exchange on Oct. 16, 2018, seems to show the mayor's office wanted a grant for one church group. Hughes: "They should"Another exchange seems to show Peppers suggesting to Hughes that they move grant funds in response to a critical news report. The mayor's office released this statement Monday about Dennis' request for a federal investigation:As usual, this Councilmember is putting his quest for headlines before the facts.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Sam Mousa, who retired six weeks ago as Mayor Lenny Curry's chief administrative officer, will return to work for the city as a consultant. According to the terms of his deal with the city, Mousa is contracted from Sept. 1, 2019, to Aug, 31, 2020, with three, one-year renewal options. Those terms were what Mousa proposed in a July 26 letter to Marlene Russe, the city's director of organizational effectiveness. While this rate of pay may seem high, Mousa was paid $329,175 in the final year of his employment with the city. His return to City Hall is raising eyebrows, including from City Councilman Garrett Dennis.