Tuesday, 9 December 2025

President Trump called Europe 'weak' and 'decaying' and suggested he could walk away from Ukraine support. Trump pressured Zelenskyy to accept his peace plan, while hinting that military size would determine Ukraine's fate in negotiations with Russia.

The Trump administration announced plans to halt the Biden-era 'Save' student loan repayment program, which critics called 'devastating' for borrowers. The Education Department labeled the program 'illegal' as part of efforts to reverse previous administration policies.

Trump threatened an additional 5% tariff on Mexico over a water-sharing treaty dispute, urging immediate water release. This represents the latest in a series of aggressive tariff actions taken against major U.S. trading partners.

Over 200 former Justice Department civil rights division employees issued a statement criticizing the Trump administration's destruction of the division, stating 'America deserves better.' The criticism focused on alleged purging of civil rights experts.

The Trump administration cleared the way for Nvidia to sell powerful H200 AI chips to China, relaxing strict Biden-era restrictions on advanced chip exports. The Commerce Department finalized the deal as part of a shift in tech trade policy.

The U.S. Supreme Court appeared to signal support for Trump's power to fire independent Federal Trade Commission board members, with conservative justices showing signs of backing the president in a case involving FTC commissioner Rebecca Slaughter. The decision represents a potential major expansion of executive power.

The U.S. civic health rating was downgraded by Civicus, a nonprofit monitoring global civic freedoms, moving the country from the 'narrowed' to 'obstructed' category. The downgrade followed a year of what the organization characterized as 'restrictive' Trump administration actions.

Honduras President Xiomara Castro alleged an 'electoral coup' and U.S. interference in her country's elections, accusing the Trump administration of manipulation and blackmail as preliminary vote counts showed two right-wing candidates closely tied in results.

The Trump administration announced a new National Security Strategy that critics said contained concerning rhetoric about European immigration, recycling far-right tropes and characterizing the continent as weak. The strategy document represents a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy orientation.

A ceasefire brokered by the Trump administration between Thailand and Cambodia collapsed, with fatal clashes spreading along their contested border area and each side blaming the other for breaching the agreement.