Key Events (10)
Trump-backed candidate Nasry Asfura was declared the winner of Honduras's presidential election with a margin of 28,000 votes, announced a month late but before a full review of contested ballots was completed. His opponent Salvador Nasralla rejected the results.
The Trump administration has seized oil tankers near Venezuela and made claims to Venezuelan oil resources, actions that legal experts say may set precedents for other countries to seize foreign vessels and challenge maritime rules. Critics compare the offensive to Iraq war tactics involving regime-change rhetoric and oil interests.
Ukraine and the US are moving closer to a joint plan to end the war, with Ukraine accepting the principle of a demilitarized zone in the east while insisting Russia make similar concessions. Moscow's response remains uncertain as Russia continues to advance on the battlefield.
A federal judge blocked the White House's reductions of homeland security funding to states, ruling that the cuts were 'another example' of the Trump administration tying state assistance to its immigration crackdown.
The US State Department banned five European campaigners and activists from entering the US, including a former EU commissioner, accusing them of pressuring tech firms to suppress American viewpoints through online harm regulation. European leaders condemned the visa bans as 'coercion and intimidation.'
A Democratic lawmaker, Joyce Beatty, sued the Trump administration over the Kennedy Center's name change to the 'Trump-Kennedy Center,' seeking to remove the president's name from the venue.
The Department of Energy ordered two coal-burning power plants to remain open, and the Environmental Protection Agency extended deadlines for utilities to address toxic coal ash, providing support to the struggling coal industry.
The Trump administration is engaged in an escalating dispute with Harvard University over its educational policies, with private letters showing intensifying conflict as part of the administration's broader campaign to rein in colleges it views as too liberal.
ICE immigration enforcement operations continue in major US cities, with Boston responding with 'strategized resistance' as federal agents conduct raids at traffic stops, supermarkets, and courthouses. A woman was deported to Guatemala while her husband died in ICE custody at Fort Bliss without getting to say goodbye.
The S&P 500 and Dow Jones hit record highs during a shortened Christmas Eve trading session as stocks continue to rise. The Trump administration attributed strong GDP growth to tariffs, though consumer confidence has declined despite increases in consumer spending, exports, and government spending.