The original ceasefire in July was brokered by Malaysia and pushed through by pressure from Trump, who threatened to withhold trade privileges unless Thailand and Cambodia agreed. It was formalized in more detail in October at a regional meeting in Malaysia that Trump attended.
Despite the deal, a bitter propaganda war and minor cross-border violence continued.
The latest:
Department of Justice asks appeals court to block judge’s contempt inquiry in mass deportation case
The request is regarding the contempt investigation of the Trump administration for failing to turn around planes carrying Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador in March. In a court filing Friday, the DOJ also sought Chief Judge James Boasberg’s removal from the case.
It asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to rule on its requests before Monday, when Boasberg is scheduled hear testimony from a former government attorney who filed a whistleblower complaint.
The judge is trying to determine if administration officials should be prosecuted for willfully defying his March 15 order blocking the migrants’ deportations.
A three-judge panel from the appeals court agreed to temporarily suspend Boasberg’s contempt-related order. It said its administrative stay was not a ruling on the merits of the government’s requests. But it casts some doubt on whether Monday’s hearing will proceed.
▶ Read more about the case
Trump was unable to insult his way to victory in Indiana redistricting battle
If Republican senators in the state had any doubt about what to do with the president’s redistricting proposal, he helped make up their minds the night before this week’s vote.
In a social media screed, Trump accused the top senator of being “a bad guy, or a very stupid one.”
“That kind of language doesn’t help,” said Sen. Travis Holdman, a banker and lawyer from near Fort Wayne who voted against the plan.
He was among 21 Republican senators who dealt Trump one of the most significant political defeats of his second term by rejecting redistricting in Indiana. The decision undermined the president’s national campaign to redraw congressional maps to boost his party’s chances in midterm elections.
In interviews after Thursday’s vote, several senators said they were leaning against the plan from the start because their constituents didn’t like it. But in a Midwest nice rebuttal to America’s increasingly coarse political discourse, some said they simply didn’t like the president’s tone, such as when he called senators “suckers.”
▶ Read more about Indiana senators, Trump and redistricting
Trump administration delays decision on federal protections for monarch butterflies
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced during the waning days of then-President Joe Biden’s term in December 2024 that it planned to add the beloved backyard pollinators to the threatened species list by the end of 2025, calling monarchs “iconic” and “cherished across North America.”
But the Trump administration quietly listed the effort as a “long-term action” in a September report on the status of federal regulatory initiatives from the Office of Management and Budget. The designation does not mean the administration has blocked Fish and Wildlife from making the decision, only that it will not come in the year that began in September.
It’s unclear why.
▶ Read more about Monarchs and the Trump administration
TSA renews push to end collective bargaining agreement for airport security screeners
The Transportation Security Administration is renewing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s push to end the agreement — the second such attempt this year, and one that comes just a month after the longest government shutdown on record.
The agency said the move is based on a September memo from Noem that says TSA screeners “have a primary function of national security” and therefore should not engage in collective bargaining or be represented by a union.
The American Federation of Government Employees swiftly vowed to fight the decision, calling it illegal and a violation of a federal judge’s preliminary injunction blocking Noem’s first attempt to terminate the contract. Emailed requests for comment were sent to TSA and Homeland Security.
TSA said it plans to rescind the current seven-year contract in January and replace it with a new “security-focused framework.” The agreement was supposed to expire in 2031.
Johnson unveils health care plan as divided Republicans scramble for alternative
The Senate failed to get anywhere on health care this week. Now it’s the House’s turn.
Republican Speaker Mike Johnson released a package of proposals late Friday to address growing health care costs.
The House legislation does not include an extension of enhanced tax credits that make health insurance more affordable in the Affordable Care Act marketplace. Those tax breaks are expiring at the end of this year.
Johnson said Republicans’ goal is to reduce premiums for all Americans, not just those enrolled in Obamacare plans. But going Johnson’s route has left vulnerable House Republicans representing key battleground districts in a tough spot.
▶ Read more about Congress and health care
Republicans threaten Clintons with contempt of Congress
The chairman of the House Oversight Committee is threatening contempt of Congress proceedings against Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton if they refuse to appear for depositions as part of the committee’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
Rep. James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, said in a statement that the Clintons have “delayed, obstructed, and largely ignored the Committee staff’s efforts to schedule their testimony” for several months after subpoenas were issued in the probe of how the government handled the Epstein investigation.
Multiple former presidents have voluntarily testified before Congress, but none has been compelled to do so.
Trump won’t detail his plan for establishing a free economic zone in Ukraine’s Donbas
The president declined to provide details about a key provision in the U.S. peace proposal aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war. It calls for creating a free economic zone in the eastern Donbas, which Moscow wants Kyiv to give up entirely.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested that Trump’s negotiating team has been opaque in detailing who would control security under Trump’s proposal for the zone.
“It’s a very complex situation, but it would work. And a lot of people want to see it work,” Trump said.
Trump says he ‘should certainly have a role’ in Federal Reserve’s decisions about key interest rate
The president, who has been hammering the Fed chair and pushing for sharper rate cuts, said he thinks his role should be “a recommending” of the Fed’s key rate.
But if he did make recommendations to the chair, Trump said, “They don’t have to follow what I say.”
Trump, who could name a new chair as soon as this month, said his personal success is a sign he should be weighing in.
“I’ve done great. I’ve made a lot of money and very successful. I think my voice should be heard,” he said. “But I’m not going to make the decision based on that.”
Trump says paying athletes will cripple college sports
The president said the explosion of money in college sports will be disastrous for players, universities and the U.S. Olympic team. As he sees it, competition for players will cripple athletic departments, and the financial strain will force them to cut some sports that funnel talent to U.S. Olympic teams.
“Something ought to be done, and I’m willing to put the federal government behind it,” Trump said. “But if it’s not done, you’re going to wipe out colleges. They’re going to get wiped out, including ones who do well in football.”
He did not elaborate on what more he could do on the matter but said, “Colleges cannot afford to play this game.”
Trump signed an executive order in July mandating that federal authorities clarify whether college athletes can be considered employees of the schools they play for in an attempt to create clearer national standards in the NCAA’s name, image and likeness era.
Trump says Epstein photos are ‘no big deal’
The president said he hadn’t seen the photos from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate released Friday by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee.
“I haven’t seen it, but I mean, everybody knew this man,” Trump said.
He added that Epstein was “all over Palm Beach” and had “photos with everybody.”
“That’s no big deal,” Trump said. “I know nothing about it.”
Trump authorizes coin commemorating the Miracle on Ice Olympic upset
Trump signed legislation authorizing the coin in honor of the USA hockey team’s gold medal victory over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Games in Lake Placid, New York.
One member of the team, Ken Morrow, said the tradition of crowds chanting “USA!” began at those Olympics.
That prompted Trump to quip: “I tried to take credit for that.” The chant is a mainstay at his rallies.
The president called the victory over the Soviet squad, which came in the midst of the Cold War, “one of the greatest comebacks in sports history.”
Defeating the defending gold medalists allowed Team USA to compete for the gold medal, which they won in a 4-2 victory over Finland.
Trump believes he’s sorted out Thailand-Cambodia conflict
“And we got it, I think, straightened out today,” Trump said at the start of the hockey event. “So Thailand and Cambodia is in good shape.”
Trump announced earlier after speaking with the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia that the two countries agreed to return to a ceasefire agreement that the U.S. administration helped mediate this year after several days of intense fighting.
Trump praises Stefanik, stops short of endorsement
The president said Friday that U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, one of his strongest supporters on Capitol Hill, has a “hell of a shot” in her bid for governor of New York.
“She’s doing phenomenally well,” he said during an event to honor the 1980 U.S. men’s hockey team. Stefanik was present at the Oval Office because she represents Lake Placid, New York, the site of the 1980 Olympics and the so-called Miracle on Ice team.
Stefanik is in a GOP primary with Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who is also a Trump ally and announced his campaign this month.
So far Trump doesn’t appear to be taking sides.
“We could use you in New York,” Trump said. “She’s got a little competition with a very good Republican, but she’s a great Republican. So we’ll see what happens.”
City slicker Trump puts on a cowboy hat
Members of the 1980 Olympic ice hockey team appeared in the Oval Office wearing the white cowboy hats they sported during the opening ceremony for the Games 45 years ago, and they brought one for the president.
Trump, a New York City native who is only photographed dressed in a suit or in golf clothes, looked the hat over and put it on. He posed for the cameras and said, “You’ve gotta take a picture.”
He then made a joke referring to Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis in 1988, who was mocked for the way he looked when he put on a helmet for a ride in a tank while campaigning.
“That was not good,” Trump said.
Trump lists 2 leading candidates for Federal Reserve chair
Trump acknowledged in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that he had pushed Kevin Warsh, a former Fed governor, to cut interest rates if he is made chair.
“He thinks you have to lower interest rates,” Trump told The Wall Street Journal, referring to Warsh. “And so does everybody else that I’ve talked to.”
Right now the Fed is sharply divided over whether further rate cuts are needed, with many officials pointing to inflation at nearly 3% -- above the Fed’s 2% target -- as reason to hold off on further cuts. By demanding further reductions, Trump has broken from decades of precedent under which previous administrations avoided publicly pressuring the central bank.
Trump has previously hinted that he has made his choice to replace the current Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who Trump has sharply criticized for not lowering rates quickly enough. He also has referred to Kevin Hassett, his top economic adviser, as a “potential Fed chair,” seemingly anointing Hassett as the favorite.
But in the Journal interview he suggested Warsh is the front-runner.
“I think the two Kevins are great,” Trump said.
Wounded National Guard member being moved to inpatient rehab
A West Virginia National Guard member who was shot last month in the nation’s capital is being transitioned from hospital acute care to inpatient rehabilitation, a doctor said Friday.
Staff. Sgt. Andrew Wolfe was airlifted to MedStar Washington Hospital Center with a critical gunshot wound to the head on Nov. 26. Wolfe and Spc. Sarah Beckstrom were ambushed as they patrolled a subway station three blocks from the White House. Beckstrom died the next day.
Wolfe has “made extraordinary progress” and can stand with assistance, Dr. Jeffrey Mai, a MedStar neurosurgeon, said in a news release. Wolfe’s family chose not to disclose the location of his rehabilitation.
Beckstrom was buried in a private funeral on Wednesday.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who was also shot during the confrontation, has been charged with murder. He has pleaded not guilty.
Democratic leaders call for public release of boat strike video
Top Democrats in Congress are making it clear they want the public and members of Congress to see video of a Sept. 2 military strike that killed two survivors of an initial attack on a boat allegedly carrying drugs in the Caribbean.
The Democratic leaders in both congressional chambers -- Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries -- as well as the top Democrats on committees on national intelligence -- Sen. Mark Warner and Rep. Jim Himes -- signed a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth calling for members of Congress to see the full, unedited video of the strike. They also say the video should be released publicly, though with precautions to make sure sensitive intelligence information is not revealed.
Hegseth has told lawmakers that he is weighing whether to hand the video over to Congress, including whether that would reveal classified information. The Trump administration has released edited videos of the overall campaign on social media for the last several months.
White House dismisses Epstein photos as ‘Democrat hoax’
Spokesperson Abigail Jackson said House Democrats are “selectively releasing cherry-picked photos with random redactions to try and create a false narrative.”
House Democrats released 19 photos from Epstein’s estate on Friday without captions or context. It included a black-and-white image of Trump alongside six women whose faces were blacked out. The committee did not say why their faces were blacked out.
Jackson said the Trump administration has done more to help Jeffrey Epstein’s victims than Democrats, by releasing thousands of pages of documents.
Trump signed a bill compelling the Justice Department to release case files last month, reversing course after he opposed the bill for months.
The roots of the Thai-Cambodian border conflict
The fighting is rooted in a history of enmity over competing territorial claims. These claims largely stem from a 1907 map created while Cambodia was under French colonial rule, which Thailand maintains is inaccurate.
Tensions were exacerbated by a 1962 International Court of Justice ruling that awarded sovereignty to Cambodia, which still riles many Thais.
Thailand has deployed jet fighters to carry out airstrikes on what it says are military targets. Cambodia has deployed BM-21 rocket launchers with a range of 30-40 kilometers (19-25 miles).
According to data collected by public broadcaster ThaiPBS, at least six of the Thai soldiers who were killed were hit by rocket shrapnel.
The Thai army’s northeastern regional command said Thursday that some residential areas and homes near the border were damaged by BM-21 rocket launchers from Cambodian forces.
The Thai army also said it destroyed a tall crane atop a hill held by Cambodia where the centuries-old Preah Vihear temple is located, because it allegedly held electronic and optical devices used for military command and control purposes.
Thai and Cambodian leaders agree to renew a ceasefire after days of deadly clashes
President Donald Trump says Thai and Cambodian leaders have agreed to renew a truce after days of deadly clashes had threatened to undo a ceasefire the U.S. administration had helped broker earlier this year.
Trump announced the agreement to restart the ceasefire in a social media posting on Friday following calls with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet.
The original ceasefire in July was brokered by Malaysia and pushed through by pressure from Trump, who threatened to withhold trade privileges unless Thailand and Cambodia agreed. Despite the deal, the two countries carried on a bitter propaganda war and minor cross-border violence continued.
Administration says sign language services ‘intrude’ on Trump’s ability to control his image
Department of Justice attorneys made that argument in responding to a lawsuit against the White House by the National Association for the Deaf.
Government lawyers haven’t elaborated on how doing so might hamper the portrayal Trump seeks to present to the public. But overturning policies encompassing diversity, equity and inclusion have become a hallmark of his second administration.
The association sued the White House in May, saying not using American Sign Language interpretation at press briefings or when Trump gives remarks prohibits “meaningful access to the White House’s real-time communications” to the Deaf community and hard of hearing.
A White House spokesperson did not immediately comment Friday.
Trump administration ends temporary status for Ethiopia
President Donald Trump’s administration is ending the temporary status that has allowed more than 4,500 Ethiopians to live and work in the United States for more than three years.
The decision announced Friday by the Department of Homeland Security comes as the White House moves to put more immigrants in the U.S. eligible for deportation. Ethiopia is the latest in a string of countries to lose Temporary Protected Status.
DHS said that conditions in Ethiopia have improved and no longer pose a serious threat to the safety of returning Ethiopian nationals.
Ethiopians in the U.S. with no other lawful status have 60 days to voluntarily leave the country, said DHS. After Feb. 13, 2026, DHS may arrest and deport Ethiopians whose TPS has been terminated.
During the Biden administration, the number of people protected by TPS grew significantly. Nearly 1 million Venezuelans and Haitians were protected. President Trump has already ended TPS for Venezuelans, Hondurans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, Ukrainians, and thousands of people from Syria, Afghanistan, Nepal and Cameroon.
Can Trump help lift the GOP to power again in 2026 midterms?
Trump successfully harnessed voter anxiety over the economy, immigration and crime last year to retake the White House — and lift plenty of other Republicans into office with him. But as the party tries to keep its grip on complete control in Washington, that strategy may be harder to replicate.
Republicans have lost a series of elections over the past month, some resoundingly. The latest setbacks came this week when a Democrat won the Miami mayor’s race for the first time in three decades. Democrats also won a special election in a historically Republican district in Georgia.
There are also signs that Trump’s influence over his party has its limits, and he failed Thursday to persuade Indiana state senators to approve a new congressional map that could have helped Republicans pick up two more seats.
Perhaps most concerning for Republicans, Trump is losing ground on the very issues that powered his comeback victory last year, potentially undermining his utility as a surrogate for the party’s candidates in the midterm elections. Only 31% of U.S. adults now approve of how he’s handling the economy, down from 40% in March, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.