Trump News for Friday, December 19, 2025

Five key takeaways from US Secretary of State Rubio’s year-end briefing

Al Jazeera Staff, Al Jazeera English

Top US diplomat Marco Rubio reiterates US hard line against Venezuela's Marduro, says Ukraine conflict is 'not our war'.

US carries out 'massive' strike against IS in Syria

BBC News

The US says it is acting in response to last week's deadly Islamic State attack on American forces in Syria.

TikTok Owner Signs Deal To Avoid US Ban

BeauHD, Slashdot.org

TikTok's owner ByteDance has signed a deal creating a U.S.-focused joint venture majority-owned by American and global investors, allowing the app to avoid a U.S. ban while ByteDance retains a minority stake. The BBC reports: Half of the joint venture will be…

WIRED Roundup: The 5 Tech and Politics Trends That Shaped 2025

Zoë Schiffer, Brian Barrett, Wired

In today’s episode of “Uncanny Valley,” we dive into five stories—from AI to DOGE—that encapsulate the year and give us clues as to what might unfold in 2026.

Stefanik suspends campaign for New York governor, won't run for reelection to House

Oren Oppenheim, ABC News

Trump had declined to endorse Stefanik in her bid for governor.

New Epstein Files Pic Shows Bill Clinton Relaxing in a Hot Tub

TMZ Staff, TMZ

With the massive information dump of the Epstein Files from the DOJ Friday, we're getting a close look at the various high-powered figures who surrounded the disgraced financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein … including former presidents.

Next-generation nuclear reactors could get a boost from the National Defense Authorization Act

Justine Calma, The Verge

President Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026 Thursday with measures that further the bipartisan push for next-generation nuclear power plants. The Trump administration has embraced the technology as a new energy so…

WATCH: DOJ begins releasing documents from its Epstein files

ABC News

The Department of Justice has begun releasing what a top DOJ official said would be "several hundred thousand" documents from the investigations into Jeffrey Epstein.

Fact Check: Why false claim Trump was flown to hospital spread online

Aleksandra Wrona, Snopes.com

Posts claimed the White House "live cameras" had been turned off while Trump's helicopter headed to the hospital.

US awards no-bid contract to Denmark scientists studying hepatitis B vaccine in African babies

MIKE STOBBE, Yahoo Entertainment

The Trump administration has awarded a $1.6 million, no-bid contract to a Danish university to study hepatitis B vaccinations on newborns in Africa that is...

Warner Bros Rejects Larry Ellison’s Hostile Takeover Bid, Trump Will Likely Intervene In 2026 To Help Ellison Dominate U.S. Media

Karl Bode, Techdirt

We’ve noted how Larry Ellison, as part of his attempt to control the entirety of media, had launched a $108 million hostile takeover bid for Warner Brothers. Larry, as we’ve seen with CBS and his interest in TikTok, is trying to convert what’s left of U.S. me…

‘Trump-Kennedy Center’: Trump’s name added to venue’s facade

Al Jazeera English

President Trump’s name was put on The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Rep. Elise Stefanik ends her campaign for New York governor and won't seek reelection to House

ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE, Yahoo Entertainment

Rep. Elise Stefanik announced Friday that she is suspending her campaign for New York governor and will not seek reelection to Congress, bowing out of the...

The DOJ's Jeffrey Epstein Files Are Here

Maddy Varner, Wired

Forced by an act of Congress, the Justice Department has released “hundreds of thousands” of pages of documents related to Epstein—but not everything, as is required by law.

Trump announces new deal with pharma companies to cut drug prices

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

So far 14 of the 17 of largest pharmaceutical companies have agreed to lower drug prices in the US.

WATCH: Work begins to rename Kennedy Center as 'Trump-Kennedy Center'

ABC News

Work to rename the Kennedy Center to the “Trump-Kennedy Center” has begun — just one day after the White House announced that the board voted "unanimously" to rename the building.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's daughter calls TSA 'unconstitutional' after pat-down

Associated Press, Yahoo Entertainment

One of U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's daughters said she experienced an “absurdly invasive” pat-down Thursday at an airport security checkpoint...

Senators Want To Hold The Open Internet Hostage, Demand Zuckerberg Write The Ransom Note

Mike Masnick, Techdirt

Not this shit again. A bipartisan group of the most anti-internet Senators around have released their latest version of a plan to “sunset Section 230.” We went over this last year when they floated the same idea: they have no actual plan for how to make sure …

How to consume the Epstein files responsibly

Andrew Prokop, Vox

Hundreds of thousands of pages of the Justice Department’s files related to investigations of Jeffrey Epstein are set to be released Friday, and though all the files won’t be released just yet, this batch is sure to create a frenzy on social media when it dro…

WATCH: Deaf Santa delivers hope to hard of hearing children for the holidays

ABC News

Charles Graves, also known as Deaf Santa, shows his journey of bringing Christmas magic in the new documentary, 'Deaf Santa Claus.'

Supreme Court sides with immigration judges in speech case for now, rebuffing Trump administration

LINDSAY WHITEHURST, Yahoo Entertainment

The decision is a technical step in a long-running case, but it touches on the effects of a series of high-profile firings under President Donald Trump...

Graham Platner Is Staying in the Race

The New Yorker

On The New Yorker Radio Hour, the Senate candidate from Maine talks about the affordability crisis, his campaign’s controversies, and why he isn’t ashamed about his past offensive comments.

The Summer of Starvation: Amid Trump’s Foreign Aid Cuts, A Mother Struggles To Keep Her Sons Alive

Brett Murphy and Anna Maria Barry-Jester, Techdirt

This story was originally published by ProPublica. Republished under a CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 license. Rose Natabo needs to leave one of her starving sons behind. At dawn, she squeezes her firstborn goodbye, then wraps her youngest, Santo, to her back, his legs akim…

The New Right-Wing Tech Intelligentsia

Jimmy Wu, Bayareacurrent.com

Libs and the far-right ‘link and build’ in the Bay’s tech publication scene.

Palmer Luckey’s Retro Gaming Company Is Selling A Game Boy Made Of The Same Metal As Attack Drones

Kenneth Shepard, Kotaku

The Anduril Chromatic device is made for ‘performance and reliability’ in case you’re playing Tetris in a warzone, I guess? The post Palmer Luckey’s Retro Gaming Company Is Selling A Game Boy Made Of The Same Metal As Attack Drones appeared first on Kotaku.

At Putin’s annual news conference, a Russian journalist pops the question — to his girlfriend

HARRIET MORRIS and KATIE MARIE DAVIES, Yahoo Entertainment

The young journalist in a red bow tie stood during President Vladimir Putin's annual news conference Friday and displayed a sign saying he wanted to get...

Scientists push back on Trump plan to break up a critical climate and weather center

Scott Neuman, NPR

The White House plans to break up a key weather and climate research center in Colorado, a move experts say could jeopardize the accuracy of forecasting and prediction systems.

Don’t expect Trump Media’s nuclear fusion power plant to generate electricity soon

Justine Calma, The Verge

Trump Media - yup, the parent company of Truth Social - is the latest entrant in the near century-long race to develop a nuclear fusion power plant. It announced a merger agreement with fusion company TAE Technologies on Thursday, and a bold plan to break gro…

What will Trump do to protect the Gaza ceasefire deal?

Al Jazeera English

Qatar warns daily Israeli breaches threaten entire agreement put forward by US President Donald Trump.

Trump business network spreads

Nathan Yau, Flowingdata.com

For the Wall Street Journal, David Uberti, Juanje Gómez, and Kara Dapena mapped 268 of the known ventures, holding companies, and products that the president uses to grow his network while in offic…

Federal judge weighs Trump's claim he is immune from civil litigation over Capitol attack

MICHAEL KUNZELMAN, Yahoo Entertainment

Attorneys for President Donald Trump urged a federal judge on Friday to rule that Trump is entitled to presidential immunity from civil claims that he...

Texas judge orders Attorney General Ken Paxton's divorce records unsealed amid heated Senate primary

JAMIE STENGLE and JOEY CAPPELLETTI, Yahoo Entertainment

A Texas judge on Friday ordered the release of court documents detailing the divorce of U.S. Senate candidate and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his...

SD Governor Gets Shitty After Town Announces It Won’t Be Pitching In With Upcoming ICE Raids

Tim Cushing, Techdirt

If there’s anything the GOP/MAGA party can’t stand, it’s people who won’t fall in line. It openly courts fascism while still pretending its ultimate concern is the protection of (certain) civil liberties. It cheers on politically motivated prosecutions while …

This Clip Of Trump Claiming That Venezuela "Took All Of Our Oil" Is Going Viral For Obvious Reasons

Morgan Sloss, Buzzfeed

"Venezuela being in charge of its own oil wealth is considered a form of theft by the US ruling class."View Entire Post ›

A Reddit post helped find MIT and Brown shooting suspect. Here's what we know

Jaclyn Diaz, NPR

Details are beginning to emerge about the life of Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, the gunman who killed two and injured nine others in the attack at Brown University last week. He is also believed to have killed an MIT professor on Monday, police said.

WATCH: NASCAR legend and family killed in fiery plane crash

ABC News

Former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle died when a small plane crashed and caught fire during landing at the Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina on Thursday, family and officials say.

Moon Race Heats Up as New NASA Chief Pits One Billionaire Against Another

Ellyn Lapointe, Gizmodo.com

Whichever company can produce a viable crew lander first will win the Artemis 3 contract, NASA’s new chief says.

Trump officials to release only some Epstein files as midnight deadline looms

BBC News

The Friday deadline was mandated by a bill that got near-unanimous support in Congress, and was later signed into law by President Donald Trump.

Putin: Ukrainians in Russia should vote in Kiev government elections

DPA, Dpa-international.com

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for Ukrainians living in Russia to be able to participate in potential elections in the neighbouring country...

Syria welcomes the permanent repeal of sweeping US sanctions

Associated Press, Yahoo Entertainment

Syria’s government and its allies on Friday welcomed the final lifting of the most draconian sanctions imposed on the country in recent decades. The U.S...

TikTok Finally Strikes a Deal to Be Taken Over by Trump Allies

Bruce Gil, Gizmodo.com

A new U.S.-based joint venture would keep TikTok online while handing oversight of its algorithm and data security to some of America’s wealthiest investors.

Advocates raise alarms after Wisconsin judge Hannah Dugan found guilty of obstruction

TODD RICHMOND and SCOTT BAUER, Yahoo Entertainment

Defenders of a Wisconsin judge found guilty of felony obstruction for helping a Mexican immigrant evade federal officers raised alarms Friday about judicial ...

Dismantling Defenses: Trump 2.0 Cyber Year in Review

BrianKrebs, Krebs on Security

The Trump administration has pursued a staggering range of policy pivots this past year that threaten to weaken the nation’s ability and willingness to address a broad spectrum of technology challenges, from cybersecurity and privacy to countering disinformat…

The 10 Best Reissues of 2025

Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone

David Fricke picks the 10 best reissues of 2025 — must-hear boxes and archival sets from Dylan, Springsteen, Sly Stone, and more

America's new top health diplomat has strong opinions on abortion and gender

Jonathan Lambert, NPR

Bethany Kozma leads a key global health office at the Department of Health and Human Services. In past experience in the public eye, she's campaigned against abortion and gender-affirming care.

The Long-Discussed US TikTok Deal Is Finally Happening

Jeremy Gray, PetaPixel

Chinese company and TikTok owner ByteDance has signed a deal to transfer the majority of its U.S. operations to a group of investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX. This deal arrives after months of stops and starts, deadline extensions, and even fai…

The Epstein files are set to come out today. Here's what could be inside.

Jacob Shamsian, Business Insider

The deadline for the Epstein files is here. The DOJ is obligated to make public its reams of information about Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

MAGA’s Immigration and Pronatalist Goals Are at Odds

Olga Khazan, The Atlantic

When deportations increase, the child-care workforce tends to decrease—which puts pressure on working families.

‘War on terror’ defence of Trump boat strikes doesn’t hold water: Experts

Ali Harb, Brian Osgood, Al Jazeera English

Trump allies liken the bombing of alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific to Obama's drone killing campaign.

Shocker: Despite Trump's Own Order, the DOJ Says It Won't Release All the Epstein Files Today

Jim Vorel, Jezebel

In a move that no one could possibly have seen coming, the Trump DOJ says it won't release all of the Epstein Files today as required by law.

Trump live: US Justice Department faces deadline to release Epstein files

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Trump's administration prepares to release a cache of records tied to convicted sex offender Jeffery Epstein.

WATCH: ABC News talks to Russians about Ukraine war

ABC News

ABC News’ Ian Pannell speaks to Russian citizens on the streets of Moscow to find out what they think about the conflict in Ukraine.

Will the TikTok deal mean the app changes in the US?

BBC News

The app's Chinese owner ByteDance has signed a deal with investors to run its business in the US.

WATCH: Educator goes big with lessons involving a 43-foot whale

ABC News

ABC News' Danny New explains why Jessica Woodend is travelling around her home state of Maine with a giant inflatable whale.

TikTok Deal Done And It’s Somehow The Shittiest Possible Outcome, Making Everything Worse

Karl Bode, Techdirt

There were rumblings about this for a while, but it looks like the Trump TikTok deal is done, and it’s somehow the worst of all possible outcomes, amazingly making all of the biggest criticisms about TikTok significantly worse. Quite an accomplishment. The Ch…

3 Nuclear Power Stocks Set to Flourish in 2026 on AI Data Center Boom

Nalak Das, Yahoo Entertainment

CEG, TLN and D stand to benefit as AI data centers drive soaring power demand, pushing nuclear energy into the spotlight for long-term growth.

Pulte and other Trump loyalists at mortgage regulator clash with Fannie and Freddie staffers

Yahoo Entertainment

Viral Tweets That Were Completely Fake in 2025

Matt Novak, Gizmodo.com

Fake tweets from Rob Reiner, Elon Musk, and Donald Trump all made the rounds this year.

How ICE deports refugees and migrants despite years of good conduct

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

The US Trump Administration says it is deporting 'the worst of the worst' - but how true is that?

The Botched Rollout of Trump’s Autism Miracle Drug

Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic

Parents are desperate to get leucovorin for their children, but the administration has offered little help.

Dr. Oz Says Life-Saving Gender-Affirming Care for Minors Should be 'Prehistoric Relic'

Danielle Han, Jezebel

Similar to how the Big Beautiful Bill pulled Medicaid funding from nonprofits offering abortion services, the administration now wants to pull funding from any hospital offering care for trans kids.

Putin takes aim at Zelenskyy in annual Q&A, says he won’t negotiate on land

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Russian leader underscores Kremlin's hardline stance on peace talks as Trump pushes for deal to end war.

Brown University shooting suspect found dead. And Epstein files release deadline looms

Suzanne Nuyen, NPR

The man suspected of fatally shooting two students at Brown University has been found dead. And, today is the Justice Department's deadline to release files on Jeffrey Epstein.

Fox News Host Turns on Trump Over Childish White House Trolling

Isabel van Brugen, Daily Beast

A Fox News anchor blasted President Donald Trump’s unhinged White House plaques trolling his predecessors, including Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and Bill...

NASA's new boss says the race is on between SpaceX and Blue Origin to build a moon lander

Tom Carter, Business Insider

Jared Isaacman has poured fuel on the new space race between Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, saying NASA will pick whichever lunar lander is ready first.

Republicans risk moderates, US House majority, with no healthcare extension

By David Morgan, Yahoo Entertainment

By David Morgan WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Republican worries about losing their majority in the U.S.

Mama Swift Is the Mastermind

Claire Guinan, Jezebel

In the latest episodes of the Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour documentary, Andrea Swift reveals she was the one who got Taylor to connect with Travis Kelce after learning he loves his mom.

After years of speculation, DOJ faces Friday deadline for release of Epstein files

James Hill, ABC News

After years of speculation, the DOJ on Friday faces a deadline to release the remainder of its investigative files on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In the shadow of U.S. export controls, China rallies its own chip industry

John Ruwitch, NPR

The chip industry in China is hustling to overcome a Western tech choke hold, even as President Trump appears poised to loosen U.S. chip restrictions.

Trump will revisit a North Carolina town, now the focus of a newly redrawn congressional district

Adam Wagner, NPR

While he is directly appealing to Americans that the economy is improving, President Trump will visit a congressional district Republicans are eyeing in their attempts to keep control the U.S. House.

Friday is the deadline to release the Epstein files. Here's what to expect

Stephen Fowler, NPR

Friday is the deadline for the government to release files related to the life and death of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and there are still questions about what will be published and when.

Fraught EU summit backs Ukraine but divisions are clear

BBC News

EU leaders agreed to loan Ukraine €90bn to stay financially afloat for the next two years.

Putin tells his annual news conference that the Kremlin's military goals will be achieved in Ukraine

HARRIET MORRIS, Yahoo Entertainment

President Vladimir Putin emphasized Friday that Moscow’s troops were advancing across the battlefield in Ukraine and voiced confidence the Kremlin would...

Stephen Colbert Takes Aim at ‘Jag Bag’ Donald Trump in Animated Christmas Video

Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone

The holiday-themed clip, narrated by Nick Offerman, sees the president bulldozing Santa's workshop to build a ballroom

Fact check: Trump says the US secured $20 trillion in investments this year

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Trump has claimed varying amounts of investments over the year. They are all unsubstantiated.

US suspends green card lottery scheme after Brown shooting

BBC News

The suspect in the university shooting and the murder of an MIT professor entered the US via the scheme.

Tearful Jimmy Kimmel Thanks Viewers for Getting Him Through a ‘Hard Year’

Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone

Jimmy Kimmel teared up as he thanked 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' viewers for helping to get him through a "hard year."

How much is US support for Israel costing Donald Trump?

Simon Speakman Cordall, Al Jazeera English

US aid to Israel continues under Trump, drawing MAGA criticism over fiscal strain and foreign policy implications.

Trump suspends U.S. green card lottery after Brown University and MIT shootings

The Associated Press, NPR

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a post on the social platform X that, at Trump's direction, she is ordering the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to pause the program.

Europe salvages credibility with last-minute $105 billion funding deal on Ukraine

Analysis by Joseph Ataman, Clare Sebastian, CNN, CNN

Europe’s 90-billion-euro interest-free loan to keep Ukraine’s economy and military from a budgetary blackhole through 2027 didn’t come about in the way some ...

Five killed as US military destroys two more vessels in Pacific Ocean

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

US military says 'lethal kinetic strikes on two vessels' killed three people in one craft and two in another.

Trump suspends green card lottery program that let Brown University, MIT shootings suspect into US

ELLIOT SPAGAT and HALLIE GOLDEN, Yahoo Entertainment

President Donald Trump suspended the green card lottery program on Thursday that allowed the suspect in the Brown University and MIT shootings to come to the...

Trump signs the annual defense bill with provisions authorizing the president to screen and restrict US financing of Chinese tech companies (Anvee Bhutani/Wall Street Journal)

Techmeme.com

Anvee Bhutani / Wall Street Journal: Trump signs the annual defense bill with provisions authorizing the president to screen and restrict US financing of Chinese tech companies  —  Trump signs annual National Defense Authorization Act into law with provisions…

RFK Jr. Exacts Revenge On The AAP: Claws Back Millions In Approved HHS Grants

Timothy Geigner, Techdirt

As RFK Jr. continues to dismantle public health in this country policy brick by policy brick, there have fortunately been some consistent sources of sanity for the public to turn to. One of those sources has been the American Academy of Pediatrics, an importa…

The US Senate confirms Trump pick Michael Selig as chairman of the CFTC, as lawmakers consider legislation to give the agency more control over digital assets (Lydia Beyoud/Bloomberg)

Techmeme.com

Lydia Beyoud / Bloomberg: The US Senate confirms Trump pick Michael Selig as chairman of the CFTC, as lawmakers consider legislation to give the agency more control over digital assets  —  The US Senate on Thursday night confirmed Michael Selig as chairman of…

TikTok signs deal to create new US joint venture

Selina Wang, ABC News

TikTok has signed a deal to form a new U.S. joint venture controlled by mostly American investors.

US approving Nvidia H200 exports to China is based on the idea that Huawei is a viable competitor, but data shows the gap between Nvidia and Huawei is widening (Chris McGuire/Council on Foreign ...)

Techmeme.com

Chris McGuire / Council on Foreign Relations: US approving Nvidia H200 exports to China is based on the idea that Huawei is a viable competitor, but data shows the gap between Nvidia and Huawei is widening  —  Executive Summary  —  On December 8, the Trump ad…

WATCH: Car crashes through California hardware store

ABC News

A car crashed through a hardware store wall in Redwood City, CA, narrowly missing employees at the registers and sparking a fire. Officials say the driver likely confused the gas and brake pedals.

ByteDance and U.S. investors form TikTok ownership venture

Mark Moran, UPI.com

The owner of TikTok has agreed to create a joint venture that will make the popular social media app majority-owned by American investors.

TikTok owner signs deal to create U.S. joint venture

NBC, Yahoo Entertainment

TikTok CEO Shou Chew told employees of the app that its owner, China’s ByteDance, has signed binding agreements to create a joint venture for the app in the ...

TikTok U.S. Sale to Oracle-Led Group Set to Close in January

Juli Clover, MacRumors

TikTok has agreed to sell its U.S. operations to an investment group that includes Oracle, Silver Lake, and UAE-based company MGX, reports Axios. The "TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC" that includes the three companies will own 45 percent of TikTok, while ByteDa…

Trump signs sweeping executive order aimed at 'ensuring American space superiority'

mwall@space.com (Mike Wall) , Mike Wall, Space.com

On Thursday (Dec. 18), President Donald Trump issued an executive order designed to ensure American space superiority. It calls for the initial construction of a moon base by 2030, among other goals.

After years of drama, TikTok’s U.S. sale is set to close next month

Marcus Mendes, 9to5Mac

Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but it appears that the TikTok sale odyssey may be about to wrap up. Here are the details. more…

TikTok owner signs deal to sell US business

BBC News

The deal would end years of efforts by Washington to force ByteDance to sell its US operations.

Rescheduling Marijuana Is an Enormous Mistake

Charles Fain Lehman, The Atlantic

Trump’s executive order does little more than offer a tax cut to an industry that profits from addiction.

AI and quantum science take centre stage under Trump — but with little new proposed funding

Jenna Ahart, Nature.com

The US administration is banking on public-private partnerships and an expanded workforce to deliver progress, but critics say that this strategy could be offset by other US policies.