President Donald Trump delivered a politically charged speech Wednesday carried live in prime time on network television, seeking to pin the blame for economic challenges on Democrats while announcing he is sending a $1,776 bonus check to U.S. troops for Christmas. | AP

The Colosseum metro station in Rome, a long-delayed and complex project to bring a subway line under ancient Roman ruins and through Rome’s historic center, opened to the public for the first time on Tuesday. | AP

President Donald Trump said in a White House speech Wednesday night that he was sending a $1,776 bonus check to U.S. troops for Christmas, indicating that tariffs were funding the payments as he tried to reassure a worried public about the health of the economy. | AP

The U.S. military said Thursday that it had conducted two more strikes against boats it said were smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing five people. | AP

Oklahoma's iconic mascot, the Sooner Schooner, has been running onto the field after Oklahoma scores at home games since 1964. Tonight No. 8 Oklahoma will meet No. 9 Alabama in the first round of the College Football Playoff. #Oklahoma #SoonerSchooner #CollegeFootballPlayoff | AP