Trump News for Tuesday, December 16, 2025

"There Are Times To Be A Gracious Leader": Even MAGA Voters Are Saying Trump Went Too Far With His Comments On Rob Reiner's Murder

Brian Galindo, Buzzfeed

"His ego makes him think that everyone thinks he needs to comment on every issue, and we don't."View Entire Post ›

As Federal Prisons Run Low On Food And Toilet Paper, Corrections Officers Are Leaving In Droves For ICE

Keri Blakinger, Techdirt

This story was originally published by ProPublica. Republished under a CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 license. After years of struggling to find enough workers for some of the nation’s toughest lockups, the Federal Bureau of Prisons is facing a new challenge: Corrections of…

Mark Carney Criticised For Using British Spellings In Canadian Documents

BeauHD, Slashdot.org

An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Guardian: Mark Carney says that amid a fundamental shift to the nature of globalization, his government will catalyze the growth in both the public and private sector. But Canadian linguists say that's a problem. L…

WATCH: Los Angeles County DA announces 1st-degree murder charges against Nick Reiner

ABC News

Nick Reiner, the son of director Rob Reiner and Michele Singer, will be charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of his parents, officials announced on Tuesday.

WATCH: Stolen Ferrari crashed into utility pole, causing power outage

ABC News

The driver of a stolen Ferrari lost control and slammed into a utility pole during a police chase in Miami, with authorities saying the alleged car thief was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

Trump’s Chief of Staff Reportedly Spouted Off About Elon Musk and Drugs to Vanity Fair

Matt Novak, Gizmodo.com

She calls him "an odd, odd duck" in a newly published article.

Federal judge says he's inclined to deny preservationists' request to halt Trump's ballroom project

DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Yahoo Entertainment

A federal judge said Tuesday he's leaning toward denying a preservationist group's request to temporarily halt President Donald Trump's White House ballroom ...

Trump expands US travel ban to include Syria, Palestine

Al Jazeera Staff, Al Jazeera English

US adds five Arab and African countries to travel ban list as right-wing politicians intensify Islamophobic rhetoric.

Ford Effectively Kills the Biden-Era Dream of All-Electric Trucks

Sasha Lekach, Gizmodo.com

The Ford F-150 Lightning was a symbol of the electric future in pickup truck form. It’s now dead.

No vote coming on extending healthcare subsidies, US House Speaker says

Ana Faguy - on Capitol Hill, BBC News

Healthcare subsidies for millions of Americans are all but certain to expire in the new year as Mike Johnson confirms the US House won't vote on extension.

Sen. Mark Kelly clashes with Hegseth over Pentagon’s investigation into him

ANNE FLAHERTY, ABC News

The Pentagon confirmed Tuesday that it was "escalating" its review into Kelly.

Are You Ready for the Golden Age of Microcinemas?

Alison Foreman, IndieWire

If movie theaters cease to be, cinephiles will build community on a smaller scale or underground. AGFA theatrical sales director Bret Berg interview.

Everything is a mockumentary now, thanks to Rob Reiner

Kyndall Cunningham, Vox

Between the emerging details surrounding the gruesome deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner, and the inflammatory remarks made in response by President Donald Trump, it’s been hard to sit and reflect on the legacy Reiner left behind as a fil…

Trump’s approval rating drops to 39% amid economic concerns: US poll

Brian Osgood, Al Jazeera English

Reuters/Ipsos survey suggests Americans are increasingly unhappy with Trump's handling of the economy.

Is ISIS back?

Joshua Keating, Vox

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese today described the deadly terrorist attack at a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach as being “motivated by Islamic State ideology.” But, this may be an understatement.  The father and son pair who carried o…

Trump expands travel ban, adding 5 more countries and imposing new limits on others

REBECCA SANTANA, Yahoo Entertainment

The Trump administration is expanding its travel ban to include five more countries and impose new limits on others. The decision follows the arrest of an...

The Real Revelation in the Susie Wiles Interviews

Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic

It’s not the crime, but the cover-up.

“The Trump administration’s vision for the United States is one of a...

Jason Kottke, kottke.org

“The Trump administration’s vision for the United States is one of a white Christian nation. And the path to accomplis

Trump to address nation Wednesday night

Isabella Murray, ABC News

"It has been a great year for our Country," he said about the 9 p.m. ET speech.

WATCH: New study shows COVID-19 vaccines benefit pregnant women and newborns

ABC News

ABC News' Dr. Darien Sutton discusses a new study that shows COVID-19 vaccine before or during pregnancy led to better health outcomes for mothers and newborns.

The final batch of pennies sold for $16.7 million

Brent D. Griffiths, Business Insider

Special collector sets of the final batch of US pennies ever made set a record at a specialized coin auction site.

Trump Has Announced Nine Different Things He’s Going To Spend His Unconstitutional Tariff Tax Revenue On

Mike Masnick, Techdirt

The President of the United States is currently promising to spend the same pot of money on at least nine different things. The pot in question: revenue from all the random and fluctuating tariff duties that are almost certainly unconstitutional, which means …

US Threatens Retaliation Over EU Digital Tax

Bloomberg, Yahoo Entertainment

The Trump administration singled out prominent European companies as possible targets for new restrictions or fees as it threatened to retaliate against the ...

Larry Ellison’s big dumb gift to his large adult son

Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge

Media is a business about dreams, and Larry Ellison's son is dreaming big. This might explain why the case for Paramount Skydance to buy Warner Bros. Discovery is so incoherent. In October, Warner Bros. put itself up for sale, leading to a number of bids. The…

Marjorie Taylor Greene and Brian Glenn are getting married

Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, New York Daily News

NEW YORK — Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is engaged to Right Side Broadcasting Network personality Brian Glenn. The pair announced their impending...

Moment Trump Goons Realized Vanity Fair Shoot Was Career Suicide

Adam Downer, Daily Beast

A Trump administration official knew that Vanity Fair’s bombshell profile was unlikely to land well the moment the magazine’s photographer assembled the top ...

Mick Foley to leave WWE due to company’s relationship with Donald Trump

Yahoo Entertainment

Republican women in Congress are tired of Mike Johnson

Elias Isquith, Vox

Frustrations are mounting in the Republican conference despite the GOP controlling the House, the Senate, and the White House. There is a growing feeling — from women specifically — that they just can’t get anything done. The target of members’ ire? House Spe…

Trump is ‘very strongly’ considering a major move backed by most Americans

Rachel Cohen, nj.com

The president said he is weighing an executive order on the issue.

What 1,000 pages of documents tell us about DOGE

Lauren Feiner, The Verge

Months after staffers from the Department of Government Efficiency were found in the Federal Communications Commission directory, the FCC is being accused of slow-walking demands for information about what they did there. On February 24th, advocacy group Freq…

Family of Bondi hero in Syria says his home country is proud of him

Reuters Videos, Yahoo Entertainment

<body><p>STORY: :: The Syrian family of Bondi Beach hero Ahmed al-Ahmed, who disarmed a gunman, say his home country is proud of him</p><p>:: Nayrab, Syria</...

Susie Wiles calls out Bondi, Vance and Trump in Vanity Fair

Rachel Scott, Isabella Murray, Justin Gomez, ABC News

In strikingly candid interviews with Vanity Fair, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles opened up about Trump and his Cabinet over the first year of his 2nd term.

Trump Declares Fentanyl To Be A ‘Weapon Of Mass Destruction’ So He Can Get Back To Boat Strikes And Martial Law

Tim Cushing, Techdirt

There is no doubt that fentanyl is a dangerous drug. It has long since surpassed heroin on the list of drugs people only do once. That its prevalence has more to do with pharma companies irresponsibly pushing opioids than drug pushers pushing a new drug often…

New report finds the Arctic continues to warm faster than the planet as a whole

Barbara Moran, NPR

This year's Arctic Report Card from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration finds that the northernmost part of the Earth is warming faster than the global average, leading to melting glaciers, shifting fish populations, and rivers running orange.

RFK, Jr.–Backed Lyme Disease Conspiracy Theory May Be Probed under New Bill

Claire Cameron, Scientific American

President Donald Trump is expected to sign a defense bill this week that orders an investigation into whether the U.S. military bioengineered Lyme disease.

Top Trump aide suggests boat strikes aim to topple Venezuela’s Maduro

Ali Harb, Al Jazeera English

White House's Susie wiles appears to contradict the official narrative portraying the attacks as an antidrug campaign.

He Made an Epic Journey to the U.S. to Share Evidence of a Genocide. We're Deporting Him Anyway.

Jim Vorel, Jezebel

Heng Guan risked everything to record evidence of the Uyghur genocide in China, and came to the U.S. to share it. Now he's being deported.

Trump White House says ballroom construction must continue for national security reasons

Associated Press, Ap.org

The Trump administration said in a court filing Monday that the president’s White House ballroom construction project must continue for unexplained national security reasons and because a preservationists’ organization that wants it stopped has no standing to…

Trump’s Chief of Staff Susie Wiles Says He Has an 'Alcoholic's Personality'

TMZ Staff, TMZ

Donald Trump’s second term keeps sparking serious WTF moments ... now his chief of staff says his erratic behavior boils down to having "an alcoholic’s personality." Trump’s former campaign boss and current chief of staff Susie Wiles spills…

Ford Throws In The Towel On EVs

staff@jalopnik.com (Amber DaSilva), Jalopnik

We're looking at Ford's cowardice on EVs, as well as Elon Musk's record-breaking net worth and more.

Fake Christmas tree prices are up, but Americans keep buying them. Here’s why

Associated Press, Ap.org

On a recent December day, Mark Latino and a handful of his workers spun sheets of vinyl into tinsel for Christmas tree branches. They worked on a custom-made machine that’s nearly a century old, churning out strands of bright silver tinsel along its 35-foot (…

PayPal has applied to become a US bank, offering savings accounts and loans

Ben Lovejoy, 9to5Mac

It looks like we could be seeing the launch of a PayPal Bank in the US after the company took advantage of looser conditions in order to make its application … more…

Russia-Ukraine war: Is a ceasefire deal on the horizon?

Sarah Shamim, Al Jazeera English

Experts say a ceasefire deal is unlikely to be close, as many sticking points remain.

WATCH: What we know about the Reiner family history

ABC News

ABC News’ Chris Connelly reports on the tragedy involving the Hollywood family.

Europe establishes Ukraine reparations commission amid push to end war

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

The International Claims Commission is tasked with assessing reparation claims and determining amounts to be paid.

US job growth beats expectations in November; unemployment rate at 4.6%

By Lucia Mutikani, Yahoo Entertainment

By Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON, Dec 16 (Reuters) - U.S. job growth rebounded in November after nonfarm payrolls declined in October because of government...

Nobody (Including Advertisers) Cared About Bari Weiss’ New CBS ‘Town Hall’

Karl Bode, Techdirt

We’ve already explored at length how Bari Weiss was hired by the billionaire Ellison family to make CBS even more friendly to billionaires and authoritarians after their embarrassing capitulation to (and bribery of) U.S. autocrats. This isn’t really a pivot r…

CNN’s Scott Jennings Has Blunt Reaction to Trump’s Rob Reiner Comments

Martin Holmes, TVInsider

Fiercely pro-MAGA pundit gave his verdict on what president wrote.

Intel hires ex-Trump fixer as Washington whisperer

Joe Fay, Theregister.com

But when will Chipzilla bring back will.i.am? Intel has hired a veteran Republican operator as its head of government affairs, just months after Uncle Sam became the struggling chip vendor's biggest shareholder.…

The Download: why 2025 has been the year of AI hype correction, and fighting GPS jamming

Rhiannon Williams, MIT Technology Review

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. The great AI hype correction of 2025 Some disillusionment was inevitable. When OpenAI released a free web app called Chat…

The State Of PlayStation In 2025

Kenneth Shepard, Kotaku

Sony says the PS5 is its “most successful” console ever, but at what cost? The post The State Of PlayStation In 2025 appeared first on Kotaku.

Thailand demands unilateral ceasefire announcement from Cambodia

Al Jazeera Staff, Al Jazeera English

Bangkok says Phnom Penh must be first to declare a ceasefire and cooperate 'sincerely' on demining the border.

WATCH: Tiny puppy saved by adoptive doggie mom finds forever home

ABC News

ABC News' Danny New has the inspiring story of Gus, a dog born half the size of all his siblings and proof that the best things come to those who wait.

Thomas Piketty: 'The reality is the US is losing control of the world'

Thomas Piketty, Le Monde

The American president wants the 'Pax Americana' to be sustained by tribute payments from the rest of the world in order to endlessly fund US deficits. But with American power already in decline, we must begin to imagine a world without it, the economist writ…

Anti-Abortion Slenderman & Wife Are Going All in on Forced Birth Ballot Measures

Susan Rinkunas, Jezebel

The Missouri Senator took a break from feuding with the FDA commissioner to launch a group supporting constitutional amendments to ban abortion.

'Where Was Any Grown Up?' Morning Joe Crew Rip White House Staff 'Enabling' Trump in 'Double Down' After Rob Reiner Attack

Mediaite, Yahoo Entertainment

On Morning Joe the team reviewed the widespread backlash against the post from the president’s own base, warning jabs like this were hurting Donald Trump.

Donald Trump Jr. Is Engaged to Socialite Bettina Anderson

TMZ Staff, TMZ

Congratulations are in order for the Trump family -- Donald Trump Jr. is engaged! The eldest son of Donald Trump popped the question to his girlfriend of over a year Bettina Anderson, which they announced at a recent White House gathering with the…

The Alleged Mistress in the David Harbour/Lily Allen Breakup Gave Us an Instagram Story

Alise Morales, Jezebel

“I was hoping not to speak on this," she wrote the day after Allen's Saturday Night Live performance.

'Best of our country': Australian PM visits Bondi hero in hospital

BBC News

"Your heart is strong", Anthony Albanese tells the father-of-two, calling him "a true Australian hero".

Science Carries On. Here Are Our Top Topics for 2026

The Editors, Scientific American

Whether space, health, technology or environment, here are the issues in science that the editors of Scientific American are focusing on for 2026

These Orcas Are on the Brink—And So Is the Science That Could Save Them

Kelso Harper, Scientific American

Inside the desperate rush to save the southern resident killer whales

Venezuelan opposition leader Machado injured on covert Nobel Prize trip

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Maduro rival hurt as she secretly escaped on boat through choppy waters to reach Oslo ceremony.

The U.S. Killed 8 People on the Pacific Ocean Yesterday. That’s Literally All Our Government Told Us.

Jim Vorel, Jezebel

One wonders why the government tells us about these deadly boat strikes at all, if they're not going to offer ANY supporting evidence.

Trump, 79, Told to Hand Over His Medical Records

Leigh Kimmins, Daily Beast

President Donald Trump is facing a bombshell demand to turn over his medical records as one of his lawsuits against his enemies backfires. The demand was...

Who is Nick Reiner, arrested over death of his filmmaker father Rob Reiner?

Usaid Siddiqui, Al Jazeera English

Nick Reiner has been arrested for the murder of his filmmaker father and mother on Sunday.

Trump-Putin Alaska summit looms large in Kremlin's Ukraine negotiating strategy

David Brennan, ABC News

U.S. President Donald Trump’s August summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, is looming large as the White House presses its peace efforts.

What to expect from the jobs report today

Alicia Wallace, CNN, CNN

The November jobs report is landing at an odd time – on a Tuesday in mid-December, instead of (what’s usually) the first Friday of the month – due to the...

Tech companies want flying taxis on the battlefield

Julia Hornstein, Business Insider

Archer, Beta, and Joby are developing autonomous, gas-electric hybrid air taxis in hopes of clinching defense contracts.

Republicans divided on policy toward Afghan immigrants after shooting

Ximena Bustillo, NPR

The signs of Republican pushback come as President Trump has pursued a campaign of mass deportations and crackdown on migration from certain countries.

PayPal Applies To Become a Bank As US Loosens Regulatory Reins

BeauHD, Slashdot.org

PayPal has applied to become a US bank by forming a Utah-chartered industrial loan company, signaling a push to deepen its financial services "as companies rush to capitalize on a friendly regulatory environment under the Trump administration," reports Reuter…

It Will Be Messy if the Supreme Court Strikes Down Trump’s Tariffs

Ankush Khardori, Politico

Reviving the tariffs will not be as simple as administration officials suggest.

Trump defends his criticism of killed Hollywood director Rob Reiner

BBC News

Reiner was a longtime Democrat, liberal activist and outspoken opponent of the US president.

Nicki Minaj Speedruns MAGA Brain Rot in Flirtatious Online Beef with Gavin Newsom

Casey Epstein-Gross, Jezebel

The pop star entered the culture war, transvestigated the California governor, and auditioned for relevance in the MAGA attention economy.

Seth Meyers Shares Poignant Tribute to Rob Reiner, Calling Him a Man Who ‘Set an Example’

Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone

"And we have to do everything we can to not make setting an example a lost art," the Late Night host said

U.S. military says strikes on 3 boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean kill 8 people

The Associated Press, NPR

The U.S. military said Monday that it attacked three boats accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing a total of eight people as scrutiny is intensifying in Congress.

How Israel’s expansion push deepens Palestinian suffering in West Bank

Nour Odeh, Al Jazeera English

Israel's decision to formalise 19 so-called settlement outposts raises further fears for future of occupied territory.

Jimmy Kimmel Slams Donald Trump’s ‘Loathsome’ Comments About Rob Reiner

Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone

The late-night host's guest Michelle Obama also spoke up in support of the Reiner family, confirming "they are not deranged or crazed"

Turtle Island Liberation Front quartet charged for California NYE bomb plot

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Antigovernment, anti-colonial group accused of targeting immigration agents and companies.

Trump sues BBC for $10 billion, accusing it of defamation over Jan. 6 speech edit

The Associated Press, NPR

The British broadcaster apologized to Trump last month, calling the edit an "error of judgment," but denies its reporting was defamatory.

WATCH: David Muir remembers the life and legacy of award-winning director Rob Reiner

ABC News

The award-winning director behind "The Princess Bride," "When Harry Met Sally," "A Few Good Men" and more, helped shape cinema with stories full of heart and humor. David Muir looks back at his life.

Ford is switching gears from EVs: 'It was really the customer changing their decision'

Aditi Bharade, Business Insider

Ford is scaling back its large electric vehicle production and prioritizing hybrid vehicles, a move that is expected to cost nearly $20 billion.

After a year of Trump, EU leaders begrudgingly learn to live with the reality of an unreliable ally

LORNE COOK, Yahoo Entertainment

Over the course of 2025, a new reality has sunk in for Europe. The United States, long its strongest ally, has chipped away at the European Union's unity...

Donald Trump Jr. engaged to Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson, NYT reports

Reuters, Yahoo Entertainment

Dec 16 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said that his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. is engaged to Bettina Anderson, a Palm Beach socialite, the New...

Military conducts 3 more boat strikes in the Pacific, killing 8: SOUTHCOM

ABC NEWS, ABC News

The U.S. military said on Monday it struck three more alleged drug boats in the Eastern Pacific, leaving eight dead.

US military kills 8 in latest attacks on vessels in eastern Pacific

Lyndal Rowlands, Al Jazeera English

Three more attacks in the eastern Pacific Ocean come as the US increases military presence in Trinidad and Tobago.

Trump sues BBC for $10bn over edited 2021 US Capitol riot speech

David D. Lee, Al Jazeera English

Lawyers for US President Donald Trump say the BBC caused him overwhelming reputational and financial harm.

WATCH: US Coast Guard rescues fisherman stranded at sea after boat catches fire

ABC News

The U.S. Coast Guard has released video showing the moment a fisherman was rescued by helicopter off the coast of Florida after his boat caught fire - leaving him stranded on a life raft.

Trump urges China’s Xi to free jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai

David D. Lee, Al Jazeera English

Trump appeals to Chinese leader Xi Jinping after Jimmy Lai convicted under Hong Kong’s national security law.

Trump designates street fentanyl as WMD, escalating militarization of drug war

Brian Mann, NPR

Trump has already declared the drug cartels terrorist organizations and ordered military strikes against suspected drug boats. Now he's declaring fentanyl a WMD. Experts on street drugs and fentanyl are skeptical these moves will reduce the supply of fentan…

US, UK urge Xi to release Hong Kong's Jimmy Lai

BBC News

Trump says he has asked China's Xi to "consider" releasing the Hong Kong pro-democracy tycoon.

Trump sues BBC for $10 billion, accusing it of defamation over editing of president's Jan. 6 speech

Associated Press, Yahoo Entertainment

President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit Monday seeking $10 billion in damages from the BBC, accusing the British broadcaster of defamation as well as...

MAGA Is Having a Hard Time Defending Trump Mocking Rob Reiner — But It Sure Is Trying

Ryan Bort, Rolling Stone

MAGA commentators are finding inventive ways to defend Donald Trump mocking Rob Reiner's killing, while others are condemning the president's post.

Trump sues the BBC for $5 billion, alleging defamation over January 6 documentary

Katherine Li, Business Insider

The defamation lawsuit's allegations focus on the footage of President Donald Trump's January 6, 2021, speech.

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,391

Lyndal Rowlands, Al Jazeera English

These are the key developments from day 1,391 of Russia's war on Ukraine.

Trump comments on deaths of US filmmaker Rob Reiner and wife cause outrage

Elizabeth Melimopoulos, Al Jazeera English

Reiner and his wife, Michele, were found dead at their home, a discovery that quickly led to widespread reactions.

Trump sues BBC for defamation over Panorama speech edit

BBC News

Trump has requested billions of dollars in damages, according to court documents filed in Florida.

Scientists skip key US meetings — and seize on smaller alternatives

Alexandra Witze, Nature.com

Researchers are devising creative ways to get together as Trump’s policies curb travel to US gatherings.