Politics and views in the United States.

Israel and Hezbollah agree to a ceasefire in Lebanon. The Trump-Vance transition team finally signs ethics agreements, and a political expert talks about possibilities for the lame-duck session of Congress.

TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to 2024 Talks, where we're following our democracy in historic times.

Under the deal reached today, effective at 4 a.m. tomorrow local time, the fighting across the Lebanese-Israeli border will end.

This is designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities.

President Joe Biden is announcing Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire, ending one conflict in the region.

Israel will withdraw, and in theory, Hezbollah has agreed to no longer strike across the border.

Israel's army will take more control from the Iran-backed militia, and Hezbollah's infrastructure in south Lebanon will not be rebuilt.

More than 3,000 people have died in the conflict that grew out of the war in Gaza.

The ceasefire resembles previous failed agreements, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says its future will depend on what happens in Lebanon.

Israel's Security Cabinet approved it 10-1, with far-right Minister Ben-Gvir voting no.

As lame-duck presidents tend to do, Biden may use his last weeks to take bold actions on foreign policies.

Plus, the divided Congress leaves most domestic issues in legislative gridlock.

Professor Jordan Cash with Michigan State University says approving long-range missiles for Ukraine's war against Russia is the kind of move Biden can take on his own.

"He's trying to find some way to push Ukraine and Russia to a certain end point in the war, perhaps to get a final foreign policy victory to vindicate his administration at the end."

He adds Biden is probably trying to get ahead of how President-elect Donald Trump will approach the conflict.

Trump has promised to end the war in days, but Ukraine supporters fear his affection for Russia's Vladimir Putin.

President-elect's team has finally signed the necessary standard ethics agreements to let Cabinet nominees start detailed work with their agencies.

But some unconventional picks, like Robert F.

Kennedy Jr., are still drawing scrutiny and even skepticism.

Chris Noble is with Health Access California.

"RFK Jr. will continue to propagate medical conspiracies that further erode trust in evidence-based medicine that will result in preventable death and grave threats to public health if given a seat of power."

The Supreme Court is being asked to review parents protecting our Children v.

Eau Claire Area School District.

The case could decide if parents can sue a school if they feel a district policy infringes on their right to make children's health care decisions.

Haley Archer with the ACLU of Wisconsin says the case's complexity is part of why it's so hotly debated.

"We're balancing the rights of parents, we're balancing the rights of schools, we're balancing the rights of students, and ultimately the safety of the student is, in my opinion, the most important of these rights."

Lower courts dismissed the case, ruling the groups didn't have standing since none of the groups' families were directly impacted.

But the case's return relates to culture war debates over gender in schools.

With millions of Americans preparing for Thanksgiving, the political divide could strain family gatherings.

If the conversation does skid into partisan turf, psychotherapist Emma Nadler advises taking a long pause before things get heated.

"Anyone can say and do things they regret, and it takes at least 20 minutes of non-activating conversation to get back to your baseline regulation.

So it's not two minutes."

I'm Edwin J. Vieira for Pacifica Network and Public News Service.

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.