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Donald Trump

Donald Trump

45th and 47th U.S. President

Appears in 166 stories

Born: June 14, 1946 (age 79 years), Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, New York, NY
Party: Republican Party
Spouse: Melania Trump (m. 2005), Marla Maples (m. 1993–1999), and Ivana Trump (m. 1977–1990)
Children: Barron Trump, Ivanka Trump, Tiffany Trump, and more
Education: Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (1966–1968), Fordham University (1964–1966), New York Military Academy (1959–1964), and more

Stories

Trump’s birthright citizenship order heads to the Supreme Court

Rule Changes

47th President of the United States - Defending Executive Order 14160 before the Supreme Court

On January 20, 2025, the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14160, "Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship," directing federal agencies to deny automatic U.S. citizenship to children born on U.S. soil if their mother was in the country unlawfully or only on a temporary visa and the father was neither a citizen nor a lawful permanent resident. The order directly challenges more than 125 years of legal consensus, grounded in the 14th Amendment and the Supreme Court's 1898 decision in United States v. Wong Kim Ark, that nearly everyone born in the United States is a citizen at birth regardless of parental status.

Updated Yesterday

America's oil squeeze on Cuba

Force in Play

President of the United States - Signed executive order declaring national emergency over Cuba

The United States has imposed economic pressure on Cuba for 64 years. Now, for the first time, Washington is threatening to punish any country that sells oil to the island. President Trump's January 29 executive order creates a tariff mechanism targeting third countries that supply Cuban fuel—a significant escalation that goes beyond traditional bilateral sanctions to coerce allies and trading partners into joining an energy blockade. Nearly two months later, the UN has warned of a potential humanitarian collapse as oil dwindles, blackouts persist nationwide, and tensions boiled over with Cuban border guards killing four on a US-registered speedboat on February 25.

Updated 2 days ago

U.S. carrier strike groups converge on Persian Gulf

Force in Play

President of the United States - Issued 10-15 day nuclear deal deadline (Feb 20); F-22 deployment signals strike readiness; decision point approaching early March

The USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group has been operational in the Arabian Sea since late January 2026, positioning U.S. forces within striking distance of Iran as President Donald Trump weighs military options over Tehran's crackdown on protests that began December 28, 2025. A second carrier—USS Gerald R. Ford—has joined in the Mediterranean, creating dual-carrier presence. On February 25, the U.S. deployed 12 F-22 Raptor stealth fighters to Ovda Airbase in southern Israel, marking the first F-22 deployment to Israel and signaling strike readiness against heavily defended Iranian targets. Over 85 fuel tankers and 170 cargo planes have surged assets since mid-February in the largest Middle East buildup since 2003.

Updated 3 days ago

The race to lock down Ukraine's peace

Force in Play

President of the United States - Pushing June 2026 peace deadline; envoys Witkoff/Kushner to lead Geneva talks February 17-18

After nearly four years of war, Ukraine's allies continue racing to finalize security commitments amid persistent Russian military pressure and a critical air defense gap. In early January 2026, the Coalition of the Willing's Paris summit produced a declaration from 35 countries for robust guarantees, including US-led ceasefire monitoring and UK-France pledges for 15,000 troops in military hubs post-ceasefire. Trump and Zelenskyy finalized US security terms at Davos, with envoy Witkoff noting territory as the sole remaining issue. At the February 2026 Munich Security Conference, Secretary Rubio stated issues have 'narrowed' though challenges persist, confirming Geneva talks scheduled for February 17-18 with US envoys Witkoff and Kushner.

Updated 3 days ago

Iran turns to Russia to rebuild shattered air defenses after June 2025 war

Force in Play

President of the United States - Setting deadlines for Iran nuclear deal while deploying carriers to the Gulf

In June 2025, Israeli and American strikes destroyed roughly a third of Iran's air defense network in twelve days. Eight months later, leaked Russian documents show Tehran is spending billions to replace what it lost—and then some. A newly revealed €500 million deal for 500 Russian-made Verba shoulder-fired missile launchers and 2,500 missiles, signed secretly in December 2025, is the latest piece of a sweeping rearmament campaign that also includes S-400 long-range batteries and up to 48 Su-35 fighter jets.

Updated 6 days ago

Ukraine’s drone war reaches deeper into Russia as Moscow claims another Kharkiv gain

Force in Play

President of the United States (2025-) - Setting June 2026 deadline for peace settlement; using security guarantees as negotiating leverage; conditioning signing on finalized details

Since early December 2025, the war has featured intensified winter ground operations in Kharkiv and Donetsk alongside massive drone and missile campaigns targeting each side's war economies. Russia's February 16-17 barrage of 425 drones and 29 missiles coincided with Geneva trilateral talks that concluded February 18 with limited military progress but no political breakthroughs on territorial compromises or security guarantees—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy deemed outcomes 'not sufficient' and called for a follow-up meeting later in February. Ukraine responded with deep strikes, including the February 21 hit on Votkinsk missile plant 1,300 km inside Russia using indigenous cruise missiles, while reporting marginal advances in central Kupyansk as of February 19.

Updated 7 days ago

Trump administration dismantles federal climate regulation framework

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Directing climate deregulation campaign

For seventeen years, the Environmental Protection Agency's 2009 endangerment finding—the determination that carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases threaten public health—served as the legal foundation for virtually all federal climate regulation. On February 13, 2026, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin officially revoked it, eliminating the basis for vehicle emissions standards, power plant rules, and regulations on oil and gas facilities in what the administration called 'the largest deregulatory action in American history.'

Updated 7 days ago

US economy decelerates as longest government shutdown drags on growth

Money Moves

President of the United States - Blaming Democrats and the Federal Reserve for weak GDP numbers

The United States economy grew at an annualized rate of just 1.4% in the final quarter of 2025—a steep drop from 4.4% the quarter before and well below the 2.5% that forecasters expected. The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) estimates that the 43-day government shutdown, the longest in American history, subtracted roughly one full percentage point from growth by itself. Federal spending fell at a 16.6% annualized rate during the quarter, dragging headline output down by more than a percentage point even as consumer spending and business investment continued to expand.

Updated Feb 20

Venezuela's power struggle after Maduro

Force in Play

President of the United States - Backing Rodríguez interim government for oil access; skeptical of Machado; sent Energy Secretary to oversee oil privatization

Seven weeks after U.S. special forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on January 3, 2026, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has consolidated interim power through military loyalty pledges, oil privatization, and prisoner releases—while blocking democratic elections. On February 12, the National Assembly unanimously approved a general amnesty law covering political prisoners detained since 1999, which Rodríguez signed into law on February 20, potentially freeing over 600 detainees. However, the law excludes those convicted of inciting foreign military intervention, a provision that could bar opposition leader María Corina Machado from amnesty and prosecution. In an NBC News interview on February 12, Rodríguez pledged 'free and fair' elections but refused to set a timeline, conditioning them on Venezuela being 'free from sanctions' and international pressure. She also warned that Machado would 'have to answer to Venezuela' for calling for military intervention and sanctions—effectively signaling prosecution if Machado returns.

Updated Feb 20

U.S. government moves toward releasing UFO and UAP records

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Issued directive for UAP file release

For nearly eight decades, the United States government has investigated reports of unidentified objects in its airspace while keeping most of its findings classified. On February 19, 2026, President Donald Trump directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other federal agency heads to begin identifying and releasing government files related to unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), unidentified flying objects (UFOs), and extraterrestrial life — the broadest presidential directive on UFO transparency ever issued.

Updated Feb 20

Trump's board of peace: a $1 billion seat at a new world order

Rule Changes

Chairman for Life, Board of Peace - Permanent chairman with veto authority over all decisions

The United Nations has served as the primary venue for international conflict resolution since 1945. On January 22, 2026, President Trump launched an alternative: the Board of Peace, a body he chairs for life, where permanent membership costs $1 billion and he alone holds veto power over all decisions. Nearly a month ago on February 19, member states pledged $5 billion toward Gaza reconstruction and thousands of personnel for security forces at the inaugural meeting held at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in Washington.

Updated Feb 19

Trump's first strike in Nigeria

Force in Play

President of the United States - Ordered airstrikes after months of warnings

On Christmas night 2025, American warplanes struck ISIS-linked camps in northwest Nigeria, killing multiple militants in the first direct U.S. combat action inside the country—now over seven weeks ago. The operation, approved by Nigerian President Bola Tinubu after months of Trump administration threats, targeted Lakurawa/ISSP elements in Sokoto State but alarmed Jabo village residents who reported civilian panic from a missile hitting farmland. By mid-February 2026, escalation deepened as U.S. Africa Command deployed around 200 military personnel, with the initial 100 troops arriving on February 17 at Bauchi Airfield to train and support Nigerian counterterrorism efforts. Nigeria's Defence Headquarters confirmed the deployment was 'planned and deliberate' following a formal Federal Government request for military training, technical support, and intelligence sharing.

Updated Feb 18

Doha draws the blueprint for a Gaza stabilization force—before anyone agrees to send troops

Force in Play

U.S. President; sponsor of the Gaza peace framework - Driving Phase 2 governance-and-security architecture; Board of Peace membership pending

A Gaza force is being designed like it's real—but the December 16 Doha conference exposed how unreal it remains. U.S. Central Command convened more than 40 countries to game out command structure, basing, and rules of engagement for a proposed U.N.-authorized International Stabilization Force, but attendees failed to agree on the force's mandate or composition. Italy is the only country to have formally committed troops. Fifteen invited nations declined to attend, and Turkey was excluded at Israel's insistence—a sign that coalition-building is entangled with regional politics before a single soldier deploys.

Updated Feb 16

Russia escalates strikes on eve of peace talks

Force in Play

President of the United States - Mediating peace negotiations through special envoy

Russia continues massive winter strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure and civilians amid advancing trilateral peace talks. A week after the February 4-5 Abu Dhabi round yielded a 314-POW exchange and US-Russia military dialogue, Russia launched major attacks including 408 drones/39 missiles on February 6-7 targeting energy substations and the February 13 assault with 219 drones/24 missiles killing one in Odesa. Zelenskyy accused Russia of bad faith while confirming a third round of talks for next week.

Updated Feb 13

Alien enemies act deportations face legal reckoning

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Appealing court rulings blocking AEA deportations

The Alien Enemies Act has been invoked only four times in American history—during the War of 1812, World War I, World War II, and now. In March 2025, President Trump became the first president to use the 1798 wartime statute outside of a declared war, targeting alleged members of Venezuela's Tren de Aragua gang and sending 137 men to El Salvador's maximum-security CECOT prison within 24 hours. On February 12, 2026, a federal judge ordered the government to facilitate their return to the United States, ruling they were denied the right to challenge their removal.

Updated Feb 12

NATO shifts warfighting commands to European leadership

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Driving NATO restructuring through burden-sharing demands

Since NATO's founding in 1949, an American four-star general has led every Joint Force Command responsible for warfighting operations on European soil. That 75-year tradition ended on February 6, 2026, when NATO announced that Italy will take command of Joint Force Command Naples, the United Kingdom will lead Joint Force Command Norfolk, and Germany and Poland will share leadership of Joint Force Command Brunssum on a rotating basis.

Updated Feb 12

US-India trade war ends with energy-for-tariffs deal

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Serving second term

India has been the world's second-largest buyer of Russian oil since 2022, snapping up discounted crude while Western nations sanctioned Moscow. On February 2, 2026, President Donald Trump announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed to stop those purchases entirely in exchange for American tariff cuts from 50% to 18%, ending a trade war that had escalated for nearly a year. A US-India Joint Statement released around February 6-9 outlined an Interim Trade Agreement framework, confirming India's intent to purchase $500 billion in US energy, technology, aircraft, and coal over five years; tariff reductions/eliminations on US goods; and US suspension of the additional 25% Russian oil tariff effective February 7 via Executive Order. However, Modi has publicly confirmed only the tariff reduction, Indian refiners received no instructions to halt imports, and the deal lacks full binding enforcement amid shadow logistics risks.

Updated Feb 11

US-Iran nuclear negotiations resume under Israeli pressure

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Leading negotiations with Iran while managing Israeli alliance

Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Washington this week with a single message: any deal with Iran must go beyond uranium. After three hours in the Oval Office on February 11, President Trump emerged saying 'nothing definitive' was reached—but negotiations would continue. Netanyahu signed onto Trump's Board of Peace initiative and extracted a promise of continued talks, though Iran insists its ballistic missiles remain off the table.

Updated Feb 11

US reshapes G20 membership and agenda for Miami summit

Rule Changes

President of the United States, G20 2026 Host - Hosting summit at his own property

The Group of Twenty has operated by consensus since finance ministers created it in 1999. In December 2026, the United States will host the summit at Trump National Doral Miami—and for the first time in the forum's history, a founding member has been barred from attending. South Africa received no invitation. Poland, which recently became the world's twentieth-largest economy, got one instead.

Updated Feb 11

Ukraine-Russia energy infrastructure war

Force in Play

President of the United States - Mediating Ukraine-Russia peace negotiations

Russia began systematically targeting Ukraine's power grid in October 2022. By early February 2026, after a brief U.S.-brokered pause ended on February 2, Russia launched its largest energy strikes of the year—over 70 missiles and 450 drones—hitting thermal plants in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Odesa regions amid temperatures near -20°C, leaving over 1,000 Kyiv buildings without heat and power; strikes continued with a massive February 6-7 barrage (39 missiles, 408 drones) damaging DTEK plants (10th attack since October) and substations critical to nuclear power, blacking out 600,000 in Lviv.

Updated Feb 11

U.S. brokers Armenia-Azerbaijan peace after three decades of conflict

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Brokered the August 2025 peace framework

No sitting U.S. president or vice president had ever visited Armenia—until February 9, 2026. Vice President JD Vance's arrival in Yerevan marks more than a diplomatic first: it signals Washington's deepest-ever engagement in a region long dominated by Russia and Iran. Vance brought $9 billion in potential nuclear investment, advanced Nvidia chips, and surveillance drones—tangible proof that the Trump administration is backing its August 2025 peace framework with economic muscle.

Updated Feb 11

Trump freezes $28 billion in east coast wind farms

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Delivered on campaign promise to end offshore wind

On December 22, 2025, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum paused every major offshore wind farm under construction off the East Coast. Vineyard Wind, Revolution Wind, Sunrise Wind, Empire Wind, and Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind—representing $28 billion in investment and enough power for millions of homes—all stopped work on orders from Washington citing radar interference and national security risks near military installations.

Updated Feb 10

Trump keeps troops in the capital—for now: appeals court freezes order to end D.C. guard deployment

Force in Play

President of the United States - Deployment extended through 2026 pending D.C. Circuit appeal

The troops were supposed to start leaving Washington. Instead, the D.C. Circuit hit pause and let President Trump’s National Guard deployment keep rolling while judges decide who really holds the keys to security in the nation’s capital.

Updated Feb 10

Argentina and United States sign sweeping trade agreement

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Overseeing Latin America trade framework implementation

Argentina has protected its domestic industries with tariffs and import controls since the 1940s. On February 6, 2026, Buenos Aires signed its first bilateral trade agreement with the United States—eliminating barriers on over 200 categories of American goods and securing tariff relief on 1,675 Argentine products in return.

Updated Feb 7

The ACA subsidies cliff

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Initially opposed extension, recently showed flexibility

The House passed a three-year extension of Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies on January 8, 2026, by a 230-196 vote, with 17 Republicans joining Democrats after a discharge petition bypassed Speaker Mike Johnson's opposition. The subsidies had expired December 31, 2025, more than doubling premiums for 22 million Americans—92% of marketplace enrollees. A 60-year-old couple earning $85,000 now faces $22,600 more annually in premiums.

Updated Feb 6

Congress lets ACA subsidy cliff hit, setting up a 2026 premium shock

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Opposes subsidy extension; 17 House Republicans defied him to vote for three-year extension on January 8

The ACA subsidy cliff has delivered the predicted damage. Enhanced premium tax credits expired on January 1, 2026, and by late January, enrollment data confirmed the worst fears: 1.2 to 1.4 million fewer Americans signed up for marketplace coverage compared to the prior year, with total 2026 enrollment falling to 22.8–22.9 million. Average premium payments for subsidized enrollees jumped 114% as projected—from $888 to $1,904 annually—while Trump administration changes to tax credit calculations amplified the shock. State exchanges reported steep declines: California saw new sign-ups fall 32%, Massachusetts lost 13,000 enrollees, and Mississippi expects 200,000 to abandon coverage. The predicted rate shock is no longer a forecast; it is reshaping the individual insurance market in real time.

Updated Feb 6

Nigeria’s northern security crisis pulls in France and a hardline U.S.

Force in Play

President of the United States - Threatening sanctions and possible military action over alleged Christian persecution in Nigeria; ordering contingency planning while broader tools are considered

Since March 2025, jihadist attacks, mass kidnappings, and farmer-herder violence across northern and central Nigeria have persisted, with over 160 killed in a February 4, 2026, jihadist massacre in Kwara State alone. Key incidents include a US-Nigeria joint airstrike on December 25, 2025, targeting Islamic State militants, multiple Boko Haram and ISWAP attacks killing dozens of soldiers in January 2026, and partial rescues of hostages amid unabated banditry.

Updated Feb 6

US hepatitis B birth-dose policy upended by new vaccine advisory panel

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Backing ACIP’s shift and ordering a broader review of childhood vaccines

In December 2025, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)—reconstituted by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—voted 8–3 to end the universal recommendation for hepatitis B vaccination within 24 hours of all US newborns’ birth. On December 16, 2025, Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill formally adopted the recommendation, shifting to individual-based or shared clinical decision-making for infants of mothers testing negative for hepatitis B, with any first dose suggested no earlier than two months old; birth doses remain advised for infants of positive or unknown-status mothers.

Updated Feb 6

Operation Hawkeye Strike: US launches multi-week campaign against ISIS

Force in Play

President of the United States - Directing Syria policy amid competing pressures

On December 13, 2025, a Syrian security officer allegedly affiliated with ISIS opened fire on US troops near Palmyra, killing two Iowa National Guard members—Staff Sgts. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar and William Nathaniel Howard—and a civilian interpreter, Ayad Mansoor Sakat. Six days later, the US unleashed Operation Hawkeye Strike, with 100 precision munitions hitting 70 ISIS targets across central Syria using fighter jets, attack helicopters, and artillery; Jordan sent F-16s. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called it "a declaration of vengeance."

Updated Feb 5

End of nuclear arms control era

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Rejected extension; directing new treaty negotiations including China

For fifty-three years, binding agreements constrained the world's two largest nuclear arsenals. That era ended on February 5, 2026, when the New START treaty expired at midnight without a successor, as confirmed by President Trump who rejected a Russian extension offer and directed work on a new pact including China. The United States and Russia now face no legal limits on their combined stockpile of roughly 10,700 nuclear warheads.

Updated Feb 5

Trump's assault on federal reserve independence

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Plaintiff in Trump v. Cook

No president has fired a sitting Federal Reserve governor in the central bank's 112-year history. Donald Trump is trying to be the first—and to replace the Fed chair with a loyalist. His August 2025 attempt to remove Governor Lisa Cook over unproven mortgage fraud allegations escalated into a Supreme Court showdown that exposed the fragility of Fed independence. In a striking January 21, 2026 hearing, all nine justices—including three Trump appointees—expressed skepticism about Trump's removal claims, with Justice Brett Kavanaugh warning the administration's position "would weaken, if not shatter, the independence of the Federal Reserve." Fed Chair Jerome Powell attended the arguments and later called the case "perhaps the most important legal case in the Fed's 113-year history." Nine days later, Trump nominated Kevin Warsh, a 55-year-old former Fed governor and longtime Trump ally, to replace Powell when his term expires in May 2026.

Updated Feb 5

RBI’s 2025 rate-cut cycle meets a US tariff shock

Money Moves

President of the United States - US reduces India tariffs to 18% from up to 50% via trade deal, softening 2025 protectionist shock

In 2025, under Governor Sanjay Malhotra, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cut its repo rate by a cumulative 125 basis points—from 6.50% in February to 5.25% on December 5—its sharpest easing since 2019, paired with $16 billion in liquidity injections via bond purchases and a dollar-rupee swap to support what Malhotra termed a rare Goldilocks period of sub-target inflation and strong growth. On February 6, 2026, the RBI's Monetary Policy Committee unanimously held the repo rate at 5.25%, marking a pause in the easing cycle as the central bank shifted its focus from rate cuts to liquidity management through open market operations, citing firm government bond yields and persistent currency volatility despite the trade deal relief.

Updated Feb 5

Trump–brokered DRC–Rwanda peace deal tested by renewed fighting

Force in Play

President of the United States - Chief political sponsor of the Washington Accord; under scrutiny as renewed fighting clouds his claimed diplomatic win

In early 2025, a massive offensive by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebellion and its allies seized Goma and Bukavu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, displacing millions and triggering urgent diplomacy. The United States mediated the June 27 Washington Accord between Kinshasa and Kigali, ratified by Presidents Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame with Donald Trump on December 4, 2025, at the Donald J. Trump United States Institute of Peace. The deal promises Rwandan troop withdrawals, an end to Congolese support for anti-Rwanda militias, and a U.S.-linked economic framework centered on critical minerals.

Updated Feb 5

U.S.-China diplomatic reset under Trump's second term

Rule Changes

President of the United States - In office, second term

In April 2025, U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods peaked at 145 percent. Nine months later, President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping describe their relationship as 'extremely good' and are planning four bilateral summits in 2026, including Trump's first visit to Beijing since 2017.

Updated Feb 5

America first global health compacts: rewiring U.S. health aid

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Architect of America First Global Health Strategy and foreign aid overhaul

In 2025 the United States began dismantling its post-Cold War global health architecture: withdrawing from the World Health Organization, freezing most foreign aid, and abolishing USAID’s development role. On this foundation, the Trump administration unveiled an 'America First Global Health Strategy' that replaces large multilateral and NGO-run programs with tightly negotiated bilateral health compacts requiring partner governments to co-finance HIV, TB, malaria and outbreak response programs and gradually assume full responsibility. Kenya signed the first such deal on December 4, 2025, followed by Rwanda on December 5–6 with a $228 million compact; by early 2026, 15 nations had signed agreements committing over $16 billion, with the U.S. covering 100% of commodity costs in FY2026 before tapering support.

Updated Feb 5

Bill Pulte’s FHFA mortgage-fraud crusade faces watchdog scrutiny

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Backs Pulte’s efforts including GSE privatization and bond purchases; political patron of FHFA mortgage-fraud campaign

In early 2025, President Donald Trump installed housing heir Bill Pulte as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), the regulator overseeing Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and more than $8.5 trillion in U.S. mortgage credit. Within months, Pulte began using access to mortgage data to publicly accuse several high-profile Democrats — New York Attorney General Letitia James, Senator Adam Schiff, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook and Congressman Eric Swalwell — of mortgage fraud, referring them to the Justice Department amid concerns of political retribution.

Updated Feb 5

India–Russia strategic partnership in the sanctions era

Built World

President of the United States (current in this timeline) - Pushing trade deal with India potentially easing tariffs in exchange for cutting Russian oil

On December 5, 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met in New Delhi for the 23rd India–Russia Annual Summit and unveiled a 'Programme for Economic Cooperation' through 2030 aiming to boost annual trade to about $100 billion and diversify beyond oil and arms, including joint weapons production, a urea plant, agriculture, health, shipping, labor mobility, and a free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union despite looming US sanctions.

Updated Feb 5

Trump's Kennedy Center overhaul

Rule Changes

President of the United States and Kennedy Center Board Chairman - Announced two-year closure for renovations

For 54 years, the Kennedy Center operated as a bipartisan cultural institution, its governance largely untouched by any president. In February 2025, Donald Trump dismissed most of its board, installed allies who elected him chairman, and renamed it after himself—triggering an artist exodus, a 50% revenue collapse, and a federal lawsuit. Now he's announced a two-year closure starting July 4, 2026, with renovations estimated at $200 million that will retain the building's steel structure and some marble while creating what he calls a 'brand new' facility.

Updated Feb 4

Trump's war on offshore wind

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Lost five consecutive court battles against offshore wind between January 2025 and February 2026 as all five suspended projects cleared to resume; Interior Department facing decision on whether to appeal or shift strategy

Five federal judges delivered consecutive defeats to Trump's offshore wind freeze between January 13 and February 2, 2026. All five suspended East Coast projects—Revolution Wind, Empire Wind, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, Vineyard Wind, and Sunrise Wind—won preliminary injunctions clearing them to resume construction, representing over $25 billion in investment and 6+ gigawatts of capacity. Judge Brian Murphy's January 27 ruling on Vineyard Wind found the government 'failed to provide a reasonable explanation' for halting the 95%-complete project, calling the action 'likely arbitrary and capricious.' Judge Royce Lamberth's February 2 ruling on Sunrise Wind, the final project at 45% completion, completed the legal sweep. All five projects are now operating under court orders while litigation continues.

Updated Feb 4

America's third-country deportation program

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Directing expansion of third-country deportation program

The United States has historically deported people to their countries of origin. Now it's paying African nations to accept deportees who have no connection to those countries whatsoever. Under agreements reached since July 2025, Eswatini, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, and Ghana have collectively agreed to accept hundreds of third-country deportees in exchange for millions of dollars in U.S. payments.

Updated Feb 4

Trump administration's standoff with Harvard

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Escalating demands and threatening criminal investigation

Harvard has received billions in federal research funding for decades without major controversy. Now President Trump is demanding the university pay $1 billion to the government—five times what he sought months earlier—after a year of escalating threats, frozen grants, and failed negotiations. The university has refused to capitulate, and a federal judge has ruled the funding freeze unconstitutional.

Updated Feb 4

Colombia's total peace gambit

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Pursuing aggressive anti-cartel policy

For five months, Colombia's largest drug cartel sat across from government negotiators in Qatar, working toward something unprecedented: a peace deal with an organization the United States had just labeled a terrorist group. On February 4, the Gulf Clan walked away from the table, accusing President Gustavo Petro of betraying the talks by handing their leader's name to the Trump administration as a joint military target.

Updated Feb 4

Congress forces open the Epstein files

Rule Changes

47th U.S. President; signed Epstein Files Transparency Act - President since January 2025; previously publicly linked socially to Epstein

Jeffrey Epstein is dead, but his paper trail has created a constitutional crisis. On January 30, 2026, the Justice Department released more than 3 million pages of documents, 2,000 videos, and 180,000 images—declaring full compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act despite releasing only about half of the 6 million pages it reviewed. Within hours, attorneys representing hundreds of survivors discovered catastrophic failures: at least 43 victims' full names were exposed, including two dozen who were minors when abused, alongside nearly 40 unredacted nude photos; a Wall Street Journal review found some victim names appeared over 100 times. Attorney Brad Edwards, representing about 300 survivors, called it "literally thousands of mistakes" and potentially "the single most egregious violation of victim privacy in one day in United States history."

Updated Feb 4

Global humanitarian funding collapses as UN slashes 2026 appeal

Money Moves

President of the United States - Leading donor retrenchment from multilateral humanitarian and health agencies

In December 2025, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) cut its 2026 humanitarian appeal to roughly $33 billion, down from $47 billion requested for 2025, after governments provided only about $15 billion in 2025 – the lowest level of support in a decade. Just three weeks later, however, the United States pledged a landmark $2 billion to OCHA-managed funds, providing roughly two-thirds of the funding needed to reach 87 million people in the most catastrophic need. The new plan concentrates resources on the worst emergencies, including over $4.1 billion for Palestinian areas, $2.9 billion for Sudan, and $2.8 billion for the regional Syria response. In early February 2026, the World Health Organization launched a separate $1 billion appeal for 36 health emergencies – down one-third from the prior year – after reaching only one-third of its 2025 targets due to collapsed funding.

Updated Feb 4

Trump’s 2025 mass-deportation drive reaches New Orleans with ‘Catahoula crunch’

Force in Play

President of the United States - Architect of 2025 mass-deportation agenda and city-based sweeps

In late 2025, President Donald Trump's second-term immigration agenda brought its mass-deportation push to New Orleans through Operation Catahoula Crunch (also known as 'Swamp Sweep'), a Border Patrol–led sweep targeting 5,000 arrests across southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi. Launched on December 3, 2025, the operation deployed roughly 250 federal agents into the New Orleans metro area, conducting raids at big-box stores, workplaces, and residential neighborhoods while conducting round-the-clock online surveillance of activists, protests, and community organizing. However, the operation fell dramatically short of its stated goals: by early January 2026, federal authorities had arrested only 560 people—just 11% of the target—before abruptly withdrawing agents to redeploy them to Minneapolis. Early arrest data reviewed by the Associated Press showed that fewer than 10% of initial detainees had criminal backgrounds, contradicting the federal narrative of a violent-offender crackdown.

Updated Feb 4

From special counsel to subpoena: the Jack Smith–Trump showdown moves to Congress

Rule Changes

45th and 47th President of the United States - Incumbent president; former federal defendant whose Smith-led prosecutions were dismissed

In November 2022, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed veteran prosecutor Jack Smith as special counsel to oversee two high‑risk investigations into Donald Trump: his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his handling of classified documents at Mar‑a‑Lago. Both probes produced federal indictments in 2023, placing a former president on track to face criminal trials over alleged election subversion and mishandling of national‑security secrets.

Updated Feb 4

Italy takes over Argentina's Caracas embassy as Brazil withdraws

Force in Play

President of the United States - In office since January 2025 (second term)

Brazil protected Argentina's embassy in Caracas for 14 months after Nicolás Maduro expelled Argentine diplomats in July 2024. That arrangement ended on January 16, 2026, when Italy assumed custodianship—a shift triggered by Brazil's opposition to the U.S. military operation that captured Maduro two weeks earlier, and accelerated by Argentine President Javier Milei's sustained social media attacks on Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Updated Feb 3

The US capture of Nicolás Maduro

Force in Play

President of the United States - Ordered and announced Maduro's capture

At 2 a.m. on January 3, Delta Force operators dragged Nicolás Maduro and his wife from their bedroom in Caracas. Seven explosions rocked Venezuela's capital as US special forces helicopters evacuated the captured president to the USS Iwo Jima, bound for New York to face narco-terrorism charges. By Saturday afternoon, Maduro arrived at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn—the first American military capture of a sitting head of state since Manuel Noriega in 1989. Venezuela's Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello announced on January 7 that 100 people were killed in the operation, including Venezuelan military personnel, 32 Cuban forces, and civilians. Two US personnel were injured and one helicopter was hit. On January 5, Maduro and Flores pleaded not guilty before Judge Alvin Hellerstein, declaring 'I am innocent' and 'I am still the president of my country,' with their next court date set for March 17. On January 13, the Justice Department released a previously classified memo concluding the president possessed constitutional authority to order the military operation. By January 29, Venezuela's military and police formally pledged loyalty to interim President Delcy Rodríguez at a ceremony in Caracas.

Updated Jan 31

Gold's historic run: from $2,000 to $4,600 in two years

Money Moves

President of the United States - Suspended European tariffs pending NATO framework negotiations

Gold pulled back sharply to $4,902.85 per ounce on January 31, 2026, after profit-taking triggered a 9% single-day decline on January 30 from the record $5,594.82 high reached January 29. Despite the correction—which saw prices slide more than 7% to below $4,980—gold remains on track for a monthly gain exceeding 15%, its strongest performance since the 1980s. The U.S. dollar continued its freefall, breaking below 97.0 to reach 95.5, a four-year low, after the New York Federal Reserve conducted a rare "rate check" with currency traders that accelerated selling pressure. The dollar's share of global reserves fell to 58.2%, a new low since 1995, with central banks net selling $48 billion in dollar reserves during January alone.

Updated Jan 31

North America's trade war

Rule Changes

President of the United States - In office; driving tariff policy

For three decades, the United States and Canada operated under free trade agreements that made their border the world's busiest commercial crossing, with nearly $2.7 billion in goods flowing between them daily. That era ended on February 1, 2025, when President Trump imposed 25% tariffs on Canadian goods. One year later, America's effective tariff rate has climbed to 16.9%—the highest since the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act deepened the Great Depression in 1932.

Updated Jan 31

US-China struggle for Panama Canal influence

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Leading pressure campaign against Chinese influence in Panama

A Hong Kong firm has operated the ports on either end of the Panama Canal since 1997. That ended on January 31, 2026, when Panama's Supreme Court voided CK Hutchison's concession as unconstitutional, and Denmark's Maersk assumed temporary control of the Balboa and Cristobal facilities.

Updated Jan 31

China's $300 billion chip independence gamble

New Capabilities

President of the United States (2025-2029) - Architect of tariff-based semiconductor export policy targeting China

Biren Technology's shares exploded 76% in their Hong Kong debut on January 2, 2026, raising $717 million—the first GPU chipmaker to list anywhere in the world this year. The company loses $1.6 billion annually and faces US export bans that forced its manufacturer to stop production. Investors piled in anyway, oversubscribing the retail offering 2,348 times. Within weeks, rival GPU makers Moore Threads and MetaX followed with Shanghai IPOs that surged 400% and 700% respectively, demonstrating that Chinese investors will fund chip independence regardless of profitability or US sanctions.

Updated Jan 31

Iran's regime faces its gravest challenge since 1979

Force in Play

President of the United States - Renewed strike threats; 'massive Armada' positioned near Iran

Bazaar merchants bankrolled Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Now they're in the streets demanding its end. What began December 28 as protests over the rial's collapse to record lows escalated into the largest uprising in the Islamic Republic's 46-year history—spreading to all 31 provinces and uniting working-class laborers, students, and merchants in calls for regime change. The death toll remains highly disputed: activist groups have verified at least 6,100 killed, while leaked government documents suggest 27,500-36,500 deaths. By January 17, the regime had reestablished control through unprecedented force, killing an estimated 147 security personnel in the process.

Updated Jan 31

Iran's economic collapse triggers largest uprising since 1979

Force in Play

President of the United States - Called Khamenei a 'sick man' and demanded regime change on January 17; deployed USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group which arrived January 26; threatens strikes 'far worse' than June 2025 if Iran doesn't negotiate nuclear limits

Iran's nationwide uprising, which began when Tehran's bazaaris marched on December 28, 2025, was crushed through what may be the deadliest massacre in the Islamic Republic's history. While early reports during the internet blackout confirmed 572 deaths, evidence emerging after partial internet restoration in late January reveals at least 6,126 people killed according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency—with some estimates ranging from 12,000 to over 36,500. Most deaths occurred during a 48-hour period on January 8-9 when Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Basij forces opened fire on protesters across all 31 provinces. On January 17, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei publicly acknowledged 'several thousand' people had been killed, while President Trump called him a 'sick man' and declared 'it's time to look for new leadership in Iran.' Over 42,000 have been detained, with at least 52 executions already carried out and the judiciary threatening swift trials for thousands more under 'mohareb' (enemy of God) charges.

Updated Jan 31

Intel's 18A gambit: the chip that could save a semiconductor giant

New Capabilities

President of the United States - Publicly backing Intel as U.S. government becomes largest shareholder

Intel just shipped its first client processors built on 18A, the most advanced semiconductor process ever made in America. The Core Ultra Series 3 chips, unveiled January 5 at CES 2026, went on sale globally January 27 with over 200 PC designs promising 60% faster performance and 27-hour battery life. Early reviews praised the Arc B390 integrated graphics reaching 160-220fps in AAA games—performance rivaling discrete Nvidia GPUs in thin laptops. Dell revived its XPS laptop line with Panther Lake chips, HP committed to OMEN gaming laptops, and Asus called its new Zephyrus G14 'the future of gaming laptops.' Intel's stock initially surged 15% in early January on Panther Lake optimism, then spiked another 10% on January 9 when President Trump praised CEO Lip-Bu Tan at the White House, revealing the U.S. government's August 2025 investment had doubled in value to nearly $19 billion—making the federal government Intel's largest shareholder. But the euphoria collapsed January 23 when Intel reported Q4 2025 earnings: despite beating revenue estimates at $13.7 billion, Tan warned of supply shortages and below-target yields. The stock crashed 17% in its worst day since August 2024, erasing the January gains.

Updated Jan 30

Trump's Greenland gambit

Force in Play

President of the United States (2025-present, 2017-2021) - Withdrew tariff threats and ruled out force January 21; pursuing 'framework' on Arctic security, mineral rights, and Golden Dome deployment

President Trump's dramatic January 21 reversal—withdrawing tariff threats and ruling out military force after announcing a "framework" with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte—defused an unprecedented crisis within the Atlantic alliance. The framework centers on Arctic security cooperation, U.S. access to Greenland's rare earth minerals (the world's eighth-largest reserves at 1.5 million metric tons), and deployment of Trump's proposed "Golden Dome" missile defense system—a $175-831 billion multilayered shield against hypersonic threats. NATO clarified Rutte "did not propose any compromise to sovereignty," framing the deal as collective efforts to prevent Russian or Chinese Arctic footholds. By January 29, Secretary of State Rubio announced technical talks through the agreed working group had begun, calling them "a regular process" and expressing optimism: "We've got a little bit of work to do, but I think we're going to wind up in a good place."

Updated Jan 30

Washington keeps two quiet Russia loopholes open: Japan’s Sakhalin-2 oil and the nuclear fuel money pipe

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Signed first Russia sanctions of second term (Rosneft/Lukoil) while simultaneously granting Hungary energy exemption

Sanctions are supposed to close doors. On December 17, the U.S. quietly propped two doors back open—again—even as it slammed others shut. One narrow lane keeps Sakhalin-2 crude flowing to Japan. The other preserves financial channels for civil nuclear projects, even when payments touch sanctioned Russian banks. Both carve-outs now run through June 18, 2026.

Updated Jan 30

Europe takes over Ukraine's eyes in the sky

Force in Play

President of the United States - Leading trilateral peace negotiations through envoys; offering 15-year security guarantee with potential extension

For nearly three years after Russia's 2022 invasion, Ukraine relied on American satellites and signals intelligence for roughly 75-80% of its battlefield awareness. In ten months, France claims to have replaced most of that. President Macron announced on January 15, 2026, that France now provides two-thirds of Ukraine's intelligence—a restructuring forced by Washington's March 2025 decision to suspend most intelligence sharing as leverage in peace negotiations. Yet Macron's assertion contradicts Ukraine's own intelligence officials: the former GUR chief stated in December 2025 that the US remained the key provider. Ukraine's military intelligence declined to comment when asked to confirm France's claim, and concerns about US intelligence leaks to Moscow have reportedly chilled Kyiv's information sharing with Washington.

Updated Jan 30

China's $1.2 trillion pivot

Money Moves

President of the United States - In office (second term)

China posted a $1.2 trillion trade surplus for 2025—the largest any country has ever recorded. The number is roughly equivalent to the GDP of Indonesia, the world's 16th-largest economy. It comes after seven years of U.S. tariffs designed to shrink that very surplus, and eight days after Canada struck a deal with Beijing that slashed Chinese EV tariffs from 100% to 6.1%, marking a dramatic shift in Western trade policy toward China that prompted Trump to threaten 100% retaliatory tariffs on Canadian goods.

Updated Jan 30

The military pay equation: Congress races to fix recruitment and retention through wallet

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Signed FY2026 NDAA on December 18, 2025

On January 1, 2026, every U.S. service member got a 3.8% pay raise—bringing an E-1's monthly check to $2,407. It's the third consecutive above-inflation increase Congress has delivered, part of a scramble to fix a system where junior troops qualified for food stamps and all branches except the Marines missed recruitment targets in 2023. The Army hit just 77% of its goal that year. Then Congress opened the spigot: 4.6% in 2023, 5.2% in 2024, and a historic 14.5% for junior enlisted in 2025. The strategy worked: fiscal 2025 delivered the strongest recruiting performance in 15 years, with all branches averaging 103% of goals and fiscal 2026 starting equally strong.

Updated Jan 30

Israel recognizes Somaliland, shattering 34-year diplomatic freeze

Rule Changes

President-elect of the United States - Definitively ruled out US recognition of Somaliland

On December 26, 2025, Israel became the first UN member state to recognize Somaliland as independent—34 years after the region broke from Somalia during a brutal civil war. Prime Minister Netanyahu called President Abdullahi to announce full diplomatic ties, framing the move as aligned with the Abraham Accords and citing Somaliland's fight against terrorism. Within days, the diplomatic shockwave intensified: Somalia's parliament unanimously declared the recognition 'null and void,' the UN Security Council convened an emergency session, and 21 Muslim-majority nations issued a joint condemnation—though Abraham Accords signatories conspicuously abstained. By early January 2026, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar became the first Israeli cabinet minister to visit Somaliland, meeting President Abdullahi in Hargeisa on January 6 and announcing plans to 'soon' open embassies and appoint ambassadors. The African Union Peace and Security Council responded with an emergency ministerial session demanding 'immediate revocation,' declaring the recognition 'null, void, and without legal effect under international law.'

Updated Jan 30

America's historic crime drop

Force in Play

US President (2025-Present) - Claims credit for crime decline while implementing aggressive 'tough on crime' policies

America's murder rate plunged to its lowest level since 1900 in 2025, as homicides fell 21%—the largest single-year drop ever recorded, according to Council on Criminal Justice data from 35 major cities. This followed 2024's historic 14.9% decline, creating an unprecedented two-year reversal. The 2025 rate—projected at 4 per 100,000 when FBI releases nationwide data—represents a complete reversal of the 2020 pandemic spike and brings murder 25% below pre-pandemic levels. Denver saw homicides drop 41%, followed by Washington DC and Omaha at 40%. Experts attribute the decline to reduced alcohol consumption, the slowing opioid epidemic, and community violence intervention programs funded through Biden's American Rescue Plan.

Updated Jan 29

The White House ballroom rush hits court: preservationists ask judge to freeze Trump’s build

Built World

President of the United States - Declared project 'too late' to stop on Jan 25 while facing judicial skepticism of his legal authority; construction continues

The legal and procedural challenges intensified in late January as federal Judge Richard Leon signaled deep skepticism of the administration's claim that the president can tear down "an icon that's a national institution" and fund reconstruction with $400 million in private donations. At a January 22 hearing on the National Trust's request for a preliminary injunction, Leon questioned whether Trump has legal authority to proceed and called the private-funding mechanism a "Rube Goldberg contraption." He's expected to rule in February. Three days later, Trump declared on Truth Social that "IT IS TOO LATE" to stop the project, claiming materials including structural steel, marble, and bulletproof glass have already been lined up.

Updated Jan 29

Troops in American cities

Force in Play

President of the United States - Directing deployments despite court rulings

The last time a president invoked the Insurrection Act to deploy federal troops in American cities was 1992, during the Los Angeles riots. President Trump has deployed over 10,000 National Guard troops and active-duty Marines to six cities since June 2025—without invoking that law. The Congressional Budget Office now reports the seven-month operation cost taxpayers $496 million, with ongoing deployments projected to add $93 million monthly.

Updated Jan 29

Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan hits a critical test over who governs and who disarms

Force in Play

President of the United States; Chair-designate of the Board of Peace for Gaza - Principal architect and political guarantor of the Gaza ceasefire and post-war governance plan

After more than two years of devastating war triggered by Hamas's attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that began on October 10, 2025 has paused large-scale hostilities in Gaza but remains deeply fragile, with at least 460 Palestinians killed and over 1,200 injured since the truce took effect. On January 14, 2026, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff announced the launch of phase two of the President's 20‑point peace plan, establishing a 15‑member Palestinian technocratic committee led by Ali Shaath, a former Palestinian Authority deputy minister, to assume day-to-day governance of Gaza. Nickolay Mladenov, former UN Middle East envoy, was appointed director-general of the Board of Peace, the international transitional authority mandated by the UN Security Council to oversee Gaza's demilitarization, reconstruction and political transition. On January 21, the Board announced a concrete 3-5 month timeline for disarmament, with Hamas expected to receive an ultimatum demanding surrender of all weapons. Hamas announced on January 12 that it will dissolve its government once the new Palestinian body takes over, calling the decision 'clear and final,' but has refused to surrender its small arms, stating it will only fully disarm once a Palestinian state is established.

Updated Jan 26

Trump's debanking war with Wall Street

Rule Changes

47th President of the United States; Plaintiff - Sitting president suing JPMorgan while in office

Donald Trump banked with JPMorgan Chase for decades. Seven weeks after the January 6 Capitol attack, the bank gave him 60 days to move hundreds of millions of dollars elsewhere. Now, as a sitting president, Trump is suing America's largest bank and its CEO for $5 billion, alleging political discrimination.

Updated Jan 25

TikTok's American rebirth

Money Moves

President of the United States - Brokered final deal structure

For five years, the world's most popular social media app lived under a death sentence. TikTok, used by 170 million Americans, faced repeated ban threats from two administrations convinced its Chinese ownership posed an unacceptable national security risk. On January 23, 2026, that uncertainty ended: TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC became operational, transferring 80.1% ownership to American and allied investors while ByteDance retained a non-controlling 19.9% stake.

Updated Jan 25

Netflix’s $82.7 billion bid for Warner Bros. rewrites the streaming wars

Money Moves

President of the United States - Key regulatory authority with stated personal involvement in merger review

On December 5, 2025, Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) announced a definitive deal for Netflix to acquire Warner Bros.' film and television studios plus its premium and streaming businesses, including HBO and HBO Max, in a transaction valued at roughly $72 billion in equity and $82.7 billion including debt. On January 20, 2026, the parties amended the agreement to an all-cash structure at the same $27.75 per share price, accelerating the timeline for a shareholder vote now expected by April 2026. The deal follows WBD's June 2025 decision to split into two public companies—Warner Bros. (studios and streaming) and Discovery Global (cable networks)—and caps a months-long auction in which Netflix outbid Paramount Skydance and Comcast. In the weeks following the announcement, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos met personally with President Donald Trump at the White House, while rival Paramount Skydance launched a $108 billion hostile tender offer that WBD's board has repeatedly rejected.

Updated Jan 24

America quits the WHO after 77 years

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Serving second term; initiated withdrawal on first day in office

The United States joined the World Health Organization on June 14, 1948, three years after helping design it. On January 22, 2026, the U.S. became the first country to complete a withdrawal from the agency—walking away from 77 years of leadership in global health. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. jointly announced the withdrawal's completion, citing the WHO's 'failures during the COVID-19 pandemic' and its inability to demonstrate independence from 'inappropriate political influence.' The U.S. departed without paying between $130 million and $278 million in disputed dues, with the administration asserting no obligation to pay prior to exit.

Updated Jan 23

Iran's bloodiest crackdown since 1979

Force in Play

President of the United States - Deployed naval 'armada' to Gulf region after initially backing away from military strikes; maintaining pressure through tariffs and military presence

The Islamic Republic has survived four decades of protests—but never anything like this. What began on December 28 as Tehran bazaar merchants protesting a collapsing currency became Iran's largest uprising since the 1979 revolution, with demonstrations reported in all 31 provinces. The government responded with an internet blackout and live ammunition. On January 21, Iran issued its first official death toll: 3,117 killed. Independent monitors report dramatically higher figures—the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency documented at least 5,002 deaths as of January 23, while a network of Iranian doctors estimates 16,500-18,000 killed and 330,000 injured, making this potentially the deadliest crackdown in modern Iranian history.

Updated Jan 23

The 75-country immigrant visa freeze

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Serving second term, began January 20, 2025

The U.S. has barred immigrants based on economic status since 1882. On January 21, 2026, the State Department suspended immigrant visa processing for 75 countries—more than a third of the world's nations—citing concerns that applicants might someday use public benefits. The pause affects green card applicants from Afghanistan to Uruguay, including spouses and children of U.S. citizens, with no announced end date. The suspension came one month after the administration paused the Diversity Visa lottery entirely following a campus shooting, leaving over 125,000 DV-2026 winners in limbo.

Updated Jan 23

Davos becomes crisis summit as old order declared dead

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Attended Davos, launched Board of Peace, reached Greenland framework

The World Economic Forum has convened annually in Davos for 55 years. This year's gathering—the first without founder Klaus Schwab—transformed into an emergency diplomatic summit when Trump's tariff threats over Greenland collided with record attendance from 60+ heads of state. By week's end, a NATO 'framework deal' had defused the immediate crisis, while Canadian PM Mark Carney delivered a declaration that European and middle-power leaders openly applauded: the U.S.-led rules-based order is over.

Updated Jan 23

TikTok’s U.S. ‘sell-or-ban’ law hits another deadline—but the real clock is now January 2026

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Issuing executive orders to delay enforcement and steer a divestiture framework

The deal closed on January 22, 2026. TikTok's U.S. operations now belong to TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC—a new entity where Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi's MGX each hold 15%, existing ByteDance investor affiliates hold 30.1%, and ByteDance itself retains exactly 19.9%. The ownership math clears the statutory threshold, but the hard work starts now: Oracle must replicate and retrain the recommendation algorithm on U.S. user data alone, while ByteDance loses access to American data flows and direct control over the feed that made TikTok dominant.

Updated Jan 22

Trump's emergency tariff gambit

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Defending IEEPA tariff authority before Supreme Court

President Trump declared national emergencies over fentanyl trafficking and trade deficits, then used a 1977 law never intended for tariffs to slap duties on nearly every country. Federal courts at every level said he exceeded his authority. The tariffs stayed anyway, collecting approximately $150 billion while 301,000 importers waited to see if they'd get refunds. The Supreme Court heard arguments in November 2025, with justices expressing deep skepticism about the government's position, but has yet to issue a ruling as of late January 2026.

Updated Jan 21

NATO allies deploy troops to Greenland against U.S. acquisition demands

Force in Play

President of the United States - Escalated Greenland demands at Davos, declared 'no going back,' linked push to Nobel Prize snub

The United States has operated military bases in Greenland since 1941, under agreements with Denmark. On January 15, 2026, NATO allies deployed troops to the island to counter U.S. pressure after American-Danish talks collapsed. On January 17, President Trump announced 10% tariffs on eight European countries—Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom—rising to 25% by June unless 'a deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.' On January 20, Trump declared on Truth Social that 'there can be no going back' on Greenland, calling it 'imperative for National and World Security.' That same day, Denmark deployed its Army Chief, General Peter Boysen, alongside 58 additional troops to Greenland, bringing total Danish military presence to approximately 178 personnel for Operation Arctic Endurance.

Updated Jan 21

Global economy absorbs trade war shock

Money Moves

President of the United States - In office (second term)

In April 2025, average US tariffs hit their highest level since 1943. Nine months later, the global economy is still growing. The IMF's January 2026 World Economic Outlook projects 3.3% global growth—slightly better than feared—as businesses rerouted supply chains, AI investment surged, and a US-China truce pulled tariffs back from their 145% peak.

Updated Jan 21

Davos 2026: record leaders gather as US-Europe rift deepens

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Scheduled to address Davos on January 21 at 2:30 PM CET; agreed to meet NATO's Rutte about Greenland

For 55 years, the World Economic Forum at Davos served as neutral ground where adversaries could broker deals and rivals could find common cause. This year, 65 heads of state and nearly 3,000 leaders are arriving to find that ground shifting beneath them—with President Trump announcing 10% tariffs on eight European allies just 48 hours before the summit opened, escalating to 25% by June unless Denmark agrees to sell Greenland. By January 20, the crisis had intensified as France pushed the EU to activate its never-before-used 'Anti-Coercion Instrument'—a trade bazooka that could shut American companies out of Europe's 500-million-consumer market.

Updated Jan 20

Trump's Greenland push reaches White House talks

Force in Play

President of the United States - Actively pursuing Greenland acquisition

The United States has not acquired sovereign territory since 1917, when it purchased the Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25 million. Now, after President Trump announced on January 17 that he will impose 10% tariffs on eight European nations starting February 1—escalating to 25% by June 1 unless a deal is reached for Greenland—the transatlantic alliance faces its gravest crisis since World War II. In an unprecedented show of unity, the leaders of Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement condemning the tariffs as undermining transatlantic relations and risking a 'dangerous downward spiral.' An estimated 10,000 Danes and 5,000 Greenlanders—nearly 10% of Greenland's population—protested in the streets. On January 19, Trump sent a letter to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre stating he no longer felt an 'obligation to think purely of Peace' after the Norwegian Nobel Committee did not award him the Nobel Peace Prize, explicitly linking his perceived snub to his Greenland demands.

Updated Jan 20

The death of residential solar tax credits

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Signed One Big Beautiful Bill into law July 4, 2025

The 30% federal residential solar tax credit died at midnight on December 31, 2025. For twenty years, Section 25D let homeowners slash $9,000 off a typical $30,000 solar installation. The Inflation Reduction Act had extended it through 2032. Then Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill' accelerated the sunset by seven years, sparking a desperate year-end rush as installers sold out months in advance and homeowners scrambled to beat the deadline.

Updated Jan 15

Trump threatens military strike as Iran protests turn deadly

Force in Play

President of the United States - Threatened 'very strong action' over executions; evacuated Al Udeid base troops ahead of potential strikes

Iran's judiciary chief announced January 14 that detained protesters face fast-track trials and executions despite Trump's warning of "very strong action," as the death toll reached at least 2,571 according to Human Rights Activists News Agency—quadrupling in just two days and exceeding any crackdown since the 1979 revolution. Erfan Soltani, 26, became the first protester sentenced to death after a four-day proceeding without legal representation, though his execution was postponed amid international outcry. The U.S. began evacuating hundreds of troops from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar—home to 10,000 personnel and Central Command's forward headquarters—positioning them out of range should Trump's threatened strikes trigger Iranian missile retaliation.

Updated Jan 14

Iran tariffs threaten to unravel the U.S.-China trade truce

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Issued 25% secondary tariff on Iran trading partners

For three months, the world's two largest economies operated under a fragile ceasefire. The Trump-Xi trade deal struck in South Korea last October reduced U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods from a peak of 145% to 47%, while China suspended its rare earth export controls. On January 12, Trump imposed a 25% tariff on all countries doing business with Iran—a measure that primarily targets China, which purchases over 90% of Iran's oil exports.

Updated Jan 14

Who pays for AI's power appetite?

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Seeking voluntary commitments from tech companies on energy costs

For decades, American households have paid roughly the same share of electricity costs regardless of which industries were expanding. AI data centers have broken that arrangement. In 2025, regions with concentrated data center activity saw wholesale electricity prices rise as much as 267% over five years, with the PJM grid operator—serving 65 million people across 13 states—projecting $100 billion in extra consumer costs through 2033 unless something changes.

Updated Jan 13

Trump demands $1.5 trillion military budget

Force in Play

President of the United States - Proposing historic defense budget increase

Trump wants to spend $1.5 trillion on defense in 2027—a jaw-dropping 66% jump from this year's $901 billion. One day he banned defense contractors from stock buybacks until they deliver weapons on time. The next day he promised them a gold rush. Defense stocks whipsawed, then surged: Northrop up 8.3%, Lockheed 7.9%.

Updated Jan 13

Iran's economic collapse ignites regime crisis

Force in Play

President of the United States - Threatening military strikes while claiming Iran seeks negotiations; imposed 25% tariff on countries trading with Iran

The Iranian rial lost half its value in six months. On December 28, merchants shut down Tehran's Grand Bazaar—the same traders who helped topple the Shah in 1979. Within two weeks, what began as shopkeeper strikes morphed into the largest uprising since the Islamic Revolution. Now, after five days of near-total internet blackout, the death toll has exploded: credible estimates range from 500 to over 3,000 killed as the IRGC fires live ammunition into crowds hidden from the world's view.

Updated Jan 13

The great AI governance war

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Signed executive order establishing AI Litigation Task Force

The DOJ's AI Litigation Task Force began operations on January 10, 2026, with one mission: kill state AI laws in federal court. California, Texas, and Colorado passed comprehensive AI regulations throughout 2025—transparency requirements, discrimination protections, governance mandates. President Trump's December executive order called them unconstitutional burdens on interstate commerce. Now Attorney General Pam Bondi's team will challenge them, consulting with AI czar David Sacks on which laws to target first.

Updated Jan 12

Trump’s envoys push Miami track for Ukraine peace as war rages on

Force in Play

President of the United States - U.S. president driving peace initiative; projects optimism while acknowledging 'thorny issues' remain

By late December 2025, months of intensive U.S.–Ukraine–Russia shuttle diplomacy produced a breakthrough: the controversial 28‑point plan that had alarmed Kyiv and European allies was replaced by a revised 20‑point framework that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said was "90 percent agreed" with Washington, including "100 percent" consensus on U.S.–Ukraine security guarantees. The new framework—hammered out through parallel Miami sessions with Ukrainian officials led by Rustem Umerov and Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, then refined in a December 28 Mar‑a‑Lago summit between Trump and Zelenskyy—offers Ukraine NATO Article 5‑style security guarantees for at least 15 years, maintains Ukraine's 800,000‑strong military, and envisions a demilitarized zone along current battle lines in Donetsk overseen by international monitors. On January 8, 2026, Zelenskyy announced that the bilateral U.S.–Ukraine security guarantee document is now "essentially ready" to be finalized at the highest level with President Trump.

Updated Jan 11

The infrastructure gap: China builds, America debates

Built World

U.S. President (2025-present) - Paused portions of IIJA funding via executive order on first day in office

China just front-loaded $42 billion in infrastructure spending for early 2026—281 projects approved before the calendar even flipped. New airports, cross-sea ferries, reservoirs, and power grids are breaking ground now. Meanwhile, the U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, passed with $1.2 trillion in 2021, has spent just 21% of its funds as of December 2024. The law expires September 2026, and Trump's May 2025 budget proposal seeks to cancel $15.2 billion in unobligated IIJA funding for renewable energy and clean tech. China builds 50,000 kilometers of high-speed rail in 17 years. America debates one line in California.

Updated Jan 11

Operation Spiderweb: Ukraine's $7 billion drone strike

Force in Play

President of the United States - Second term, inaugurated January 2025

At dawn on June 1, 2025, Ukraine's Security Service pulled off the largest covert drone strike in history. One hundred seventeen drones, smuggled into Russia inside fake shipping containers and hidden in truck cabs, launched from five locations spanning five time zones. They hit five Russian air bases simultaneously, destroying or damaging 41 strategic bombers—including irreplaceable Soviet-era Tu-95s and Tu-22M3s—worth $7 billion. The unwitting truck drivers thought they were hauling prefab houses. One died in the explosions. Four were arrested by the FSB.

Updated Jan 11

Trump’s Belarus gambit: prisoners out, potash back in

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Driving a prisoner-first, dealmaking approach toward Belarus

A U.S. envoy went to Minsk to talk about prisoners—and walked out with both a promise and a delivery. After John Coale's December 2025 visit with Alexander Lukashenko, Treasury's OFAC published General License 13 on December 15, authorizing transactions with Belaruskali, Belarusian Potash Company, and Agrorozkvit—no expiration date. Belarus responded by freeing 123 political prisoners, including Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatski and opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova, the regime's most valuable hostages.

Updated Jan 11

The Sahel's diplomatic break from the West

Force in Play

President of the United States - Issued expanded travel ban affecting 39 countries plus Palestinian territories

Three West African nations ruled by military juntas just banned Americans from entering their countries. Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger—the Alliance of Sahel States—announced reciprocal travel restrictions on January 5, directly mirroring Trump's December expansion of the U.S. travel ban. Chad joined them shortly after with its own restrictions. The synchronized response signals how far these countries have drifted from Western influence since seizing power in coups between 2020 and 2023.

Updated Jan 11

Trump’s Tina Peters pardon tests the limits of power over state election crimes

Rule Changes

U.S. president in his second term, wielding expansive clemency power - Has granted more than 1,600 pardons and commutations, heavily focused on 2020 and January 6 cases.

President Trump pardoned former Mesa County, Colorado clerk Tina Peters in December 2025 over her nine-year state prison sentence for letting election conspiracy activists copy voting-machine data. The pardon has no legal effect on her state conviction, yet it triggered an escalating confrontation: Peters' lawyers filed appeals demanding her release, the Trump administration was accused of retaliating against Colorado by withholding federal funds, and in a stunning turn, Democratic Governor Jared Polis called her sentence 'harsh' and signaled he may grant clemency.

Updated Jan 10

Bombers over the Sea of Japan: US–Japan answer China–Russia’s show of force

Force in Play

President of the United States - Publicly quiet on the flare-up while his administration greenlights visible bomber support

What began with Chinese carrier fighters lighting up Japanese jets with radar near Okinawa has mushroomed into a full-spectrum crisis. After China and Russia sent bombers circling Japan, the US flew B-52s with Japanese fighters over the Sea of Japan. Then Beijing struck back economically: on January 6, 2026, China banned all dual-use exports to Japan's military—rare earths, aerospace alloys, advanced electronics—citing Tokyo's "egregious" Taiwan stance. Meanwhile Japanese lawmakers visited Taiwan in droves through December, the Liaoning carrier returned home after six days and 260 sorties, and Japan briefed NATO on what it calls China's deliberate intimidation.

Updated Jan 9

House’s $900 billion defense bill ties troop raise, Ukraine aid and a boat-strike backlash

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Signed the FY2026 NDAA into law, cementing his defense agenda while preserving Ukraine aid he once questioned.

President Trump signed a nearly $901 billion defense bill into law on December 18, 2025, cementing the 65th consecutive year Congress has passed a National Defense Authorization Act. The measure delivers troops a 3.8% pay raise, locks in $800 million in weapons support for Ukraine over two years, sets troop floors in Europe and South Korea that defy Trump's withdrawal instincts, and rewires how the Pentagon buys weapons through sweeping acquisition reforms branded as the SPEED Act. It also repeals the 2002 Iraq War authorization while embedding Trump-era cuts to climate and diversity programs across the military.

Updated Jan 9

Trump’s Gulf lease sale kicks off 30-auction offshore drilling spree

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Driving an "energy dominance" agenda built around mandated Gulf lease sales

Donald Trump's second-term energy agenda has moved from a single Gulf auction to a full-scale offshore transformation. The December 10 Gulf lease sale—81.2 million acres at a 12.5% royalty rate, generating $279.4 million—was just the opening move. By year's end, the administration had proposed a sweeping 2026-2031 leasing plan covering 1.27 billion acres off California, Florida and Alaska, scheduled a second Gulf sale for March 11, 2026, and simultaneously halted all five major East Coast offshore wind projects, claiming national security risks. A major Shell-INEOS oil discovery south of New Orleans in early January underscored the industry bet on deepwater Gulf prospects.

Updated Jan 8

Thailand and Cambodia slide back into border war

Force in Play

President of the United States - Made December phone calls to both leaders; initial ceasefire claim disputed but later diplomacy contributed to December 27 accord

A new ceasefire signed on December 27 has brought an uneasy pause to three weeks of fighting that killed more than 100 people and sent over half a million fleeing from their homes. Thai airstrikes, Cambodian rocket barrages and artillery duels scorched the 817‑kilometer frontier after combat reignited on December 8, shattering Trump‑brokered peace deals from July and October. The December war proved deadlier and more disruptive than July's four‑day clash, with Thai jets hitting deeper into Cambodia and both sides digging in along multiple fronts.

Updated Jan 8

Congress moves to revive secure rural schools after 2023 funding cliff

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Signed SRS extension into law on December 18, 2025

President Donald Trump signed the Secure Rural Schools reauthorization into law on December 18, 2025, ending a two-year funding cliff that had devastated more than 700 forested counties. The bill directs the USDA Forest Service to deliver retroactive payments for FY2024 and FY2025 within 45 days of enactment—by early February 2026—and extends the program through FY2026. Counties that had cut sheriffs' patrols, closed schools, and delayed road repairs are now budgeting for an influx of roughly $280 million per year.

Updated Jan 8

China's rare earth weapon

Force in Play

President of the United States (2025-present) - Negotiated temporary truce with Xi in October 2025

China controls 70% of rare earth mining and 90% of refining—the 17 obscure elements that power everything from F-35 fighter jets to iPhones. In April 2025, Beijing weaponized that dominance. When Trump announced Liberation Day tariffs, China retaliated by restricting exports of seven rare earth elements. By October, it expanded controls to twelve elements and invoked the foreign direct product rule—the same tool America used to choke China's chip industry—claiming jurisdiction over any product globally that touches Chinese rare earth technology.

Updated Jan 8

US becomes first nation to quit foundational climate treaty

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Directing withdrawal from 66 international organizations

President Trump signed a memorandum on January 7, 2026, directing withdrawal from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change—the 1992 treaty that George H.W. Bush signed and the Senate unanimously ratified. The US becomes the first of 198 parties ever to leave the foundational climate treaty. Unlike the Paris Agreement, which Trump also exited, the UNFCCC is the parent treaty underpinning all international climate negotiations. Withdrawal takes effect one year from notification.

Updated Jan 8

Trump freezes aid, threatens South Africa over land law

Force in Play

President of the United States - Imposed aid freeze and tariffs on South Africa

President Trump cut all US aid to South Africa on February 7, 2025—$440 million annually, most for HIV treatment—over a land law allowing seizure without compensation. He called it discrimination against white farmers. South Africa's President Ramaphosa shot back: "We will not be bullied." Within weeks, 8,000 health workers lost their jobs and 12 HIV clinics shut down.

Updated Jan 7

The dismantlement of USAID

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Signed executive orders freezing aid and initiating USAID dismantlement

Hours after taking office on January 20, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order freezing all U.S. foreign aid for 90 days. What followed was the systematic dismantlement of USAID, the government's humanitarian arm: stop-work orders shuttered HIV clinics in Ivory Coast, refugee camps lost infrastructure support, and 3.8 million women lost access to contraceptive care. By March, the administration had terminated 5,800 contracts, fired over 1,600 employees, and placed nearly all of USAID's 4,700 workers on leave. Secretary of State Marco Rubio took control of the agency, calling it "completely unresponsive" and announcing plans to absorb what remains into the State Department.

Updated Jan 7

Meta's trump pivot

Rule Changes

President-Elect of the United States - Returning to office January 20, 2025

Mark Zuckerberg banned Donald Trump after January 6th, calling the risks of keeping him on Facebook too great. Four years later, on the anniversary of that ban, Zuckerberg killed Meta's entire U.S. fact-checking program. Between those two moments: a Mar-a-Lago dinner, a million-dollar inauguration donation, and the elevation of a Bush-era Republican to Meta's top policy job.

Updated Jan 7

Paramount Skydance’s $108 billion hostile bid ignites a fight for Warner Bros. Discovery

Money Moves

President of the United States - Signaling concern about Netflix–WBD deal; positioned to influence antitrust review

In late 2025, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) put itself in play, triggering a rare open bidding war over a century-old Hollywood studio and one of the world's most valuable content libraries. After months of private and public offers from Netflix, Paramount Skydance and Comcast, WBD's board agreed on December 5, 2025 to sell its studios and streaming arm—including HBO, DC, and the Warner Bros. film and TV operations—to Netflix in a $72 billion cash‑and‑stock deal, leaving its cable networks such as CNN outside the transaction.

Updated Jan 6

From election theft to federal courtroom

Force in Play

President of the United States - Ordered Operation Southern Spear and Maduro capture

Delta Force dragged Nicolás Maduro from his bedroom at 2 AM on January 3, threw him on a helicopter, and flew him to the USS Iwo Jima bound for Manhattan. The Venezuelan president now faces narco-terrorism charges in the same courthouse that convicted El Chapo. His wife Cilia Flores—indicted for the first time—sits in the cell next to him with fractured ribs and head injuries from the raid. On January 5, both pleaded not guilty. Maduro told the judge he remains Venezuela's president and declared himself a 'prisoner of war.'

Updated Jan 5

The $130 billion question: can presidents impose tariffs without Congress?

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Defending tariff authority before Supreme Court

A small wine importer and a toy company are forcing the Supreme Court to answer a question that could redefine presidential power: Can the president slap tariffs on the entire world without Congress? Trump used emergency powers law to impose tariffs collecting $130 billion, courts said he overstepped, and now the justices will decide if emergency powers mean what they've always meant—or something radically new.

Updated Jan 5

North Korea's opening salvo: missiles, summits, and power plays

Force in Play

President of the United States - Dropped denuclearization as policy goal; increased likelihood of Kim summit in 2026

North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles on January 4, 2026, hours before South Korean President Lee Jae Myung departed for Beijing to meet Xi Jinping. The missiles—traveling 900-950 kilometers at 50-kilometer altitudes—were Pyongyang's first weapons test of 2026 and a clear signal to both Seoul and its Chinese patron: don't make deals without us. Just hours before the launch, Kim Jong Un visited a tactical weapons factory and ordered production capacity expanded by 250 percent to meet 2026's "anticipated requirements."

Updated Jan 4

Trump’s 2025 national security strategy revives Monroe Doctrine and pivots U.S. power to the Americas

Force in Play

President of the United States - Architect and signatory of the 2025 National Security Strategy

On December 5, 2025, the Trump administration released a 33‑page National Security Strategy (NSS) that formally revives a 19th‑century idea of the Western Hemisphere as a U.S. sphere of influence, declaring a Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine and promising to reassert American preeminence across the Americas. The document codifies a shift already visible in 2025 military operations: air and missile strikes on alleged drug‑trafficking boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific that had killed at least 115 people in 35 strikes by year‑end, the designation of major cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, and naval deployments around Venezuela. This campaign, formally named Operation Southern Spear on November 13, 2025, culminated on January 3, 2026, when U.S. forces launched Operation Absolute Resolve, a large‑scale military strike on Caracas that captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, placing them in U.S. custody on narco‑terrorism charges—the first forcible regime change under the Trump Corollary.

Updated Jan 4

The US-China semiconductor cold war

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Second term, escalating tech controls against China

Trump just blocked a $2.9 million chip deal that had already closed 20 months ago. On January 2, 2026, he ordered HieFo Corporation—a Delaware company controlled by Chinese national Genzao Zhang—to unwind its acquisition of EMCORE's indium phosphide semiconductor business and divest completely within 180 days. The transaction wasn't even on CFIUS radar when it closed in April 2024. But the chips HieFo acquired power navigation systems in missiles, submarines, and autonomous weapons—exactly the technology Washington is desperate to keep out of Beijing's hands.

Updated Jan 3

Trump’s 2025 fuel economy reset reignites the U.S. auto emissions battle

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Driving rollback of Biden‑era auto fuel economy and emissions rules

On December 3, 2025, President Donald Trump unveiled a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposal to slash Biden‑era Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, cutting the projected 2031 light‑duty fleet target from about 50.4 miles per gallon to roughly 34.5 mpg and phasing in only 0.25–0.5% annual increases instead of the 2% per year previously planned. The rule would also bar automakers from trading efficiency credits after 2028, a change that especially hurts EV‑focused companies that sell credits to gasoline‑heavy manufacturers.

Updated Jan 2

Ukraine's bloody endgame: peace talks advance as assassinations intensify

Force in Play

President of the United States - Leading peace negotiations through special envoys

On December 28, President Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy projected cautious optimism at Mar-a-Lago, announcing 90% agreement on a revised 20-point peace framework—but the next day Russia claimed Ukraine attacked Putin's residence with drones, a charge Kyiv denies as fabricated to sabotage talks. The alleged attack crystallizes the fragility of negotiations: even as diplomats inch toward compromise, the shadow war continues and Moscow weaponizes accusations to "toughen" its bargaining position. Nearly four years after invasion, the question isn't whether a deal is close—it's whether either side can stop fighting long enough to sign one.

Updated Dec 31, 2025

Operation Southern Spear: Trump's undeclared war in the Caribbean

Force in Play

President of the United States - Authorized Operation Southern Spear and CIA covert operations in Venezuela

The CIA just struck Venezuelan soil. On December 30, President Trump confirmed the first known U.S. land attack inside Venezuela—a drone strike on a coastal dock allegedly used by the Tren de Aragua gang to load drug boats. No one was there when the missiles hit. Meanwhile, in the Pacific that same day, a U.S. strike on another boat killed two more people, bringing total deaths to at least 107 since September.

Updated Dec 30, 2025

China encircles Taiwan with live-fire drills

Force in Play

President of the United States - Downplayed Justice Mission 2025 drills as routine exercises

On December 29-30, 2025, China executed its largest military drills around Taiwan to date—Operation 'Justice Mission 2025'—deploying 130 aircraft, 22 warships, and live-fire exercises across seven zones encircling the island. Over two days, fighter jets crossed the median line, naval vessels simulated port blockades at Keelung and Kaohsiung, and PLA ground forces conducted coordinated long-range strikes both north and south of Taiwan. The drills escalated on December 30 with 10 hours of live-fire activities in designated 'temporary danger zones,' forcing cancellation of 76 domestic flights and delays to 300+ international flights affecting over 106,000 passengers. China framed the exercises as dual punishment: for the record $11 billion U.S. arms package announced December 17, and for Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi's warning that Tokyo could intervene militarily if Beijing blockades Taiwan.

Updated Dec 30, 2025

Iran's currency in free fall

Force in Play

President of the United States - Reimposing 'maximum pressure' sanctions in second term

Iran's Central Bank governor resigned December 29 after the rial collapsed to 1.42 million per dollar—a 70% drop during his tenure—triggering the largest street protests in three years. By December 30, merchants had kept Tehran's historic Grand Bazaar shuttered for three days while crowds in Isfahan, Shiraz, Kermanshah, and Mashhad chanted 'Death to the Dictator' and 'Death to Khamenei' as security forces fired tear gas and live ammunition. Foodstuff prices have jumped 72% year-over-year.

Updated Dec 30, 2025

America abandons the world's hungry

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Driving foreign aid dismantlement in second term

The United States pledged $2 billion for UN humanitarian aid on December 29, down from as much as $17 billion annually—an 88% cut that represents the most dramatic foreign aid contraction in modern American history. Within hours of his January inauguration, Trump froze nearly all foreign assistance, then dismantled USAID entirely by July, warning UN agencies they must 'adapt, shrink or die.' The new funding flows through a single UN office rather than individual agencies, centralizing control as millions lose shelter, food, and medical care. UN experts estimate over 350,000 deaths have resulted from the aid freeze—including more than 200,000 children.

Updated Dec 29, 2025

The end of the H-1B lottery

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Flip-flopped on H-1B policy; now supports program

On December 29, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security formally published its final rule replacing the H-1B lottery with wage-weighted selection in the Federal Register. Starting February 27, 2026, a software engineer offered $150,000 (Level IV wage) gets four entries in the pool; one offered $65,000 (Level I) gets one entry—an 8.5% selection chance versus the prior 25% random odds. The change targets fraud: 758,994 registrations competed for 85,000 slots in FY 2024, with 408,891 duplicate submissions for the same people, up 140% from the year before. Shell companies flooded the system; Disney laid off American IT staff and made them train H-1B replacements paid 40% less. On December 24, a federal judge upheld the separate $100,000 H-1B fee Trump imposed in September, rejecting a U.S. Chamber of Commerce lawsuit.

Updated Dec 29, 2025

Thailand and Cambodia's year of border wars

Force in Play

President of the United States - Leveraged trade threats to broker ceasefires

A Cambodian soldier died in a border firefight on May 28. Within two months, the countries were exchanging artillery fire and airstrikes across a dozen locations. Three ceasefires later—brokered by Malaysia, pressured by Trump, witnessed by ASEAN—over 100 people are dead and a million displaced. The latest truce, signed December 27, holds the same promise as the ones before it.

Updated Dec 28, 2025

Trump's expanding travel ban: from seven countries to thirty-nine

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Serving second non-consecutive term, signed fifth iteration of travel ban

Trump signed his first travel ban seven days into his presidency, blocking entry from seven Muslim-majority countries and igniting protests at airports nationwide. Courts blocked it within a week. Eight years later, after Supreme Court victories, a Biden reversal, and a return to power, Trump's December 2025 expansion restricts entry from 39 countries—affecting one in eight people worldwide and eliminating exemptions that previously protected immediate family members of U.S. citizens.

Updated Dec 28, 2025

Trump forces Honduras back into U.S. orbit

Force in Play

President of the United States - Successfully backed Asfura's candidacy

Two days before Honduras voted, Trump pardoned the country's former president from a 45-year drug trafficking sentence, endorsed his party's candidate, and threatened to cut all U.S. aid if the opposition won. The candidate he backed won by 0.74 percent after a three-week count marred by system crashes, midnight data flips, and fraud allegations. Honduras now pivots back toward Washington after two years of courting Beijing—but the Congress president is refusing to validate the results, calling them an 'electoral coup.'

Updated Dec 26, 2025

Trump's golden fleet: the battleship returns

New Capabilities

President of the United States - Announced program at Mar-a-Lago December 2025

Trump just announced the United States will build battleships again. The USS Defiant (BBG-1)—lead ship of the Trump-class—will be the largest American surface combatant since World War II at 35,000 tons, armed with nuclear cruise missiles, hypersonic weapons, rail guns, and lasers. Construction starts in 2030. The Navy wants 20 to 25 ships at over $10 billion each. One day after the announcement, the Pentagon released its annual China report revealing Beijing plans to build six more aircraft carriers for a total of nine by 2035—the largest carrier expansion in the Indo-Pacific since World War II.

Updated Dec 25, 2025

The tanker hunt: Trump’s Venezuela “blockade” turns into Coast Guard seizures

Force in Play

U.S. President - Driving a public pressure campaign tying Venezuela’s oil trade to ‘narco-terrorism’

The U.S. Coast Guard is now chasing a third Venezuela-linked tanker in international waters near Venezuela—under a judicial seizure order. Two other tankers have already been stopped in the past 11 days, including one dramatic helicopter boarding that the administration amplified on social media.

Updated Dec 21, 2025

New York’s RAISE Act turns frontier AI safety into a 72-hour countdown

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Signed an executive order pressuring states to halt AI regulation

New York just told the biggest AI labs: if something goes seriously wrong, you don’t get to bury it. Under the RAISE Act, large “frontier AI” developers must publish a safety approach and report “critical harm” incidents to the state within 72 hours after determining one occurred—backed by civil penalties capped at $1M for a first violation and $3M for later violations, far below the bill’s earlier (June) penalty structure cited in subsequent reporting.

Updated Dec 21, 2025

Hawkeye strike: a Palmyra ambush drags the U.S. back into big-ticket warfighting in Syria

Force in Play

President of the United States - Ordered retaliatory strikes; publicly backing Syria’s interim leadership while pledging revenge.

In the first post-strike readout of “Operation Hawkeye Strike,” Jordan confirmed its air force flew alongside U.S. forces in the retaliatory package that hit 70+ ISIS targets across central Syria. While CENTCOM has not released a formal casualty count, multiple reports citing the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and AFP put ISIS losses at at least five, including a cell leader tied to drone activity in the east.

Updated Dec 21, 2025

Jared Isaacman takes NASA: a billionaire astronaut walks into a budget war

Money Moves

President of the United States - Backed Isaacman after withdrawing and renominating him in 2025

One day after his 67–30 confirmation, Jared Isaacman was sworn in on Dec. 18, 2025 as NASA’s 15th administrator—walking directly into a White House-driven acceleration campaign that now has his name on the clock, not just the contracts.

Updated Dec 20, 2025

Trump’s Venezuela “blockade” turns sanctions into a Navy problem

Force in Play

President of the United States - Ordered a blockade targeting U.S.-sanctioned oil tankers tied to Venezuela.

Trump’s Venezuela “blockade” threat is no longer just rhetoric—it’s being scaffolded by fresh Treasury actions and a widening target universe. Since the blockade announcement, Washington has added new Venezuela-linked sanctions and separately hit Iran’s shadow-fleet network, expanding the pool of already-sanctioned vessels that could be swept into real-world stop-and-search enforcement if they touch Venezuela’s trade.

Updated Dec 20, 2025

Record $901 billion US defense bill tests Trump-era military priorities and Ukraine commitment

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Signed the FY2026 NDAA into law on Dec. 18, 2025, despite provisions bolstering Ukraine aid and limiting unilateral force-posture reductions in Europe.

In December 2025, Congress completed work on the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), authorizing a record $901 billion in national security spending. The House passed the final compromise 312–112 on December 10, and President Donald Trump signed the bill into law on December 18 in a low-profile move without an Oval Office ceremony. The enacted package cements a 4% pay raise for service members, provides $800 million for Ukraine over two years through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), advances Trump priorities such as eliminating Pentagon DEI programs and supporting the “Golden Dome” missile-defense effort, and retains policy riders that helped drive intra-party and bipartisan friction.

Updated Dec 20, 2025

SOUTHCOM makes lethal boat strikes a public show: three vessels hit, eight killed in the Eastern Pacific

Force in Play

President of the United States - Driving a militarized counternarcotics strategy; signaling possible land operations

What began as a made-for-video “counterdrug” campaign is now colliding with full-spectrum oversight politics. After SOUTHCOM’s Dec. 16 strike-footage release, the U.S. military publicly acknowledged additional lethal actions that pushed reported deaths past 100 across roughly 28 known strikes since Sept. 2—while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed every member of Congress and signaled the Pentagon will not publicly release the full, unedited video record of the controversial Sept. 2 double-strike episode.

Updated Dec 20, 2025

Trump administration takes Harvard funding-freeze loss to appeals court, betting on a bigger fight over university control

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Administration pursuing appeals and parallel pressure campaigns involving Harvard

Harvard won. A federal judge said the government unlawfully cut off Harvard’s research money—then ordered the taps turned back on. Now the Trump administration is appealing, keeping a cloud over a sprawling research portfolio that runs from medical breakthroughs to national-security science.

Updated Dec 19, 2025

House passes SPEED Act: a hard turn toward faster permits—and a new fight over who gets to build

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Using permitting speed as a governing priority tied to energy and industrial buildout

Washington keeps saying it wants to “build faster.” On December 18, 2025, the House put that promise into a blunt instrument: it passed the SPEED Act, a bill designed to squeeze environmental reviews into tighter boxes and make lawsuits harder to use as a brake.

Updated Dec 19, 2025

Trump orders a fast-track marijuana reschedule to Schedule III—reviving a stalled Biden-era process

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Signed executive order directing expedited completion of marijuana rescheduling and expanded cannabinoid research

Trump’s executive order instructing DOJ to fast-track marijuana’s move to Schedule III immediately triggered a familiar split-screen: public health and industry groups cheered the potential research and tax impacts, while House Republicans organized opposition, urging Trump to keep marijuana in Schedule I.

Updated Dec 18, 2025

The $11.1B Taiwan arms tranche: Washington bets big on long-range firepower, Beijing sees a red line

Force in Play

U.S. President - Directing policy during the tranche’s notification and public rollout

The record Taiwan arms tranche (about $11.1B across eight DSCA notifications) is now in the congressional review lane, but the story has already widened beyond hardware: Taiwan’s Defense Ministry and presidential office emphasized the buys are contingent on legislative funding, with local reporting outlining that five of the eight cases sit inside a pending NT$1.25 trillion special defense budget—meaning the political fight in Taipei is now a direct throttle on how fast the package can move from “possible sale” to signed LOAs.

Updated Dec 18, 2025

Washington vs. The Hague: U.S. sanctions ICC judges to shield Israel case

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Executive authority behind E.O. 14203 and the ICC sanctions architecture

The U.S. just sanctioned two sitting International Criminal Court judges—because they helped keep the Israel-related Gaza case alive. It’s a rare thing in diplomacy: Washington using the same financial weapon it uses on oligarchs and terror networks against a courtroom.

Updated Dec 18, 2025

The Western Arctic rule war: BLM’s 2024 NPR-A protections are officially gone

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Driving a rapid Alaska-focused energy and permitting agenda

BLM’s rollback of the 2024 NPR-A protections isn’t new news—but today is when it becomes real. As of December 17, 2025, the rescission is officially in effect, wiping out the Biden-era rule that tried to hardwire stronger guardrails into how the Western Arctic gets developed.

Updated Dec 17, 2025

Trump takes his media-lawsuit playbook global with a $10B shot at the BBC

Rule Changes

President of the United States; plaintiff - Filed suit in Florida federal court seeking up to $10B

Trump is suing the BBC in Florida for up to $10 billion, accusing the broadcaster of stitching together his Jan. 6 speech to make him sound like he directly called for violence. The BBC already admitted the edit was an “error of judgment,” but Trump is treating the apology like an admission of guilt—and asking a U.S. court to make the BBC pay.

Updated Dec 16, 2025

DHS pulls the plug on family reunification parole—a legal pathway turns into a 30-day countdown

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Driving a second-term immigration crackdown centered on ending categorical protections

DHS just turned a promised “legal pathway” into a ticking clock. A Federal Register notice published December 15, 2025 terminates every Family Reunification Parole program tied to seven countries—and tells people already here that their parole will end on January 14, 2026.

Updated Dec 15, 2025

A commander’s funeral becomes a referendum on Gaza’s ceasefire

Force in Play

President of the United States - Broker and self-described guarantor of the Oct. 2025 ceasefire; pushing stabilization plan

A senior Hamas commander is killed in a targeted Israeli strike. The next day, thousands pack the streets of Gaza for his funeral, coffins hoisted shoulder-high, flags everywhere, chants loud enough to carry the message: Hamas is still here.

Updated Dec 14, 2025

Zelensky puts NATO dream on the table to buy a ceasefire—if the West will sign in ink

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Driving a fast-track diplomatic push to end the war via a U.S.-brokered framework

Zelensky just did something he once treated as untouchable: he offered to drop Ukraine’s NATO bid. Not as surrender, but as a trade—Kyiv gives up the alliance path, and the West gives Ukraine legally binding protection strong enough to scare Moscow off for good.

Updated Dec 14, 2025

Trump reopens China to Nvidia’s H200—now Congress wants the national-security math

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Reversing the practical ban on top-tier U.S. AI chips to China—while excluding Blackwell and Rubin

The Trump administration just did the thing Washington has spent years swearing it wouldn’t do: let China buy a near-top-tier Nvidia AI chip again. Now a key China hawk in Congress is demanding the Commerce Department explain, in detail, why this isn’t a strategic own-goal.

Updated Dec 13, 2025

States vs. Trump’s $100,000 H–1B fee: a courtroom fight over who controls immigration policy

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Policy author; proclamation-based fee faces multiple lawsuits

The Trump administration didn’t just tighten H‑1B visas. It put a $100,000 toll booth on “new” petitions—and dared employers to pay up. Now twenty states are trying to blow up that toll booth in federal court, calling it an illegal end-run around Congress.

Updated Dec 13, 2025

‘Pax Silica’: Washington tries to turn AI supply chains into an allied bloc

Rule Changes

U.S. President - Backing a new coalition model linking trade, security, and AI-industrial policy

The U.S. just tried to name a new era into existence: “Pax Silica.” On December 12, 2025, Washington launched a coalition with key tech allies to lock down the ingredients of AI power—minerals, silicon, energy inputs, and the factories that turn them into chips and data centers.

Updated Dec 12, 2025

Thailand’s wartime snap election

Force in Play

President of the United States - Mediating, or claiming to mediate, ceasefires between Thailand and Cambodia

Thailand’s prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, has dissolved parliament barely three months into his term, triggering a snap election even as Thai troops trade artillery fire with Cambodia along an 800-kilometre border. At least 20 people are dead, hundreds wounded and more than half a million displaced in the worst fighting since July.

Updated Dec 12, 2025

Chicago’s ICE crackdown hits a wall of judges

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Driving aggressive national immigration crackdown in his second term

Federal agents flooded the Chicago area under “Operation Midway Blitz,” arresting thousands in a sweeping immigration crackdown. A little-known consent decree from an earlier ICE raid suddenly roared back to life, and a Chicago judge ordered hundreds of detainees released — until a divided appeals court slammed on the brakes.

Updated Dec 12, 2025

House revolt against Trump’s federal union crackdown

Rule Changes

President of the United States (second term) - Defending executive orders 14251 and 14343 in court and opposing repeal legislation

Donald Trump tried to rewrite federal labor law with a single March executive order, yanking collective bargaining rights from most of the civil service under a sweeping "national security" label. On December 11, the House — powered by a rare discharge petition and 20 Republican defections — voted 231–195 to tear that order up.

Updated Dec 12, 2025

Trump EPA moves to stall and unravel Biden’s auto pollution rules

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Driving broad rollback of Biden‑era climate, EV, and fuel‑economy policies

The EPA isn’t killing Biden’s vehicle pollution rules outright. It’s slow‑walking them to the edge of a cliff. A senior official says the agency plans to keep looser 2026 standards in place for two extra model years instead of enforcing tougher limits on smog‑forming pollution starting in 2027.

Updated Dec 12, 2025

Trump AI order uses federal cash to choke off state tech laws

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Driving a federal-first, deregulatory AI agenda using executive power.

Donald Trump just turned AI regulation into a states’ rights knife fight. His new executive order creates a Justice Department “AI Litigation Task Force” to attack state AI laws and lets Washington threaten $42 billion in broadband funds for states that don’t fall in line.

Updated Dec 12, 2025

Trump turns the southern border into military ground

Force in Play

President of the United States - Driving aggressive military-led immigration crackdown

Donald Trump has quietly turned long stretches of the southern border into de facto military bases. Under a new system of National Defense Areas, soldiers can stop migrants, hold them, and help prosecutors charge them as trespassers on military land.

Updated Dec 11, 2025

Mexico builds a tariff wall against Asian imports

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Using broad tariffs on China and threats against Mexico to reshape North American trade

Mexico’s Congress has signed off on a sweeping tariff overhaul: starting in 2026, thousands of imports from China, India and other Asian countries without free trade deals will face duties of up to 50%, with most capped around 35%. The package hits autos, auto parts, steel, textiles, plastics and clothing, and is billed as a way to protect local jobs and raise billions in revenue.

Updated Dec 11, 2025

Trump’s deportation machine turns to threats and indefinite detention

Force in Play

President of the United States - Pursuing an unprecedented mass deportation agenda in his second term

An ICE officer emailed a Colombian couple in Texas a choice no parent should face: board a deportation flight or risk a 10‑year prison sentence and losing their six‑year‑old to federal custody. They abandoned their trafficking victim visa case and were on a plane to Bogotá within weeks.

Updated Dec 11, 2025

Trump’s $1 million ‘gold card’: when U.S. immigration goes pay-to-stay

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Driving an aggressive immigration crackdown while personally branding a pay-to-stay visa program.

Donald Trump is now literally selling a fast track to America. His new Trump Gold Card program lets wealthy foreigners buy expedited U.S. residency for a $1 million “gift” to the government, on top of a $15,000 processing fee, with a corporate option costing $2 million per sponsored worker.

Updated Dec 11, 2025

US tanker raid puts Venezuela’s shadow fleet on notice

Force in Play

President of the United States - Driving a renewed maximum‑pressure campaign on Nicolás Maduro using tariffs, sanctions and military power.

A US Coast Guard team fast-roped from helicopters onto the supertanker Skipper off Venezuela’s coast. Within hours, President Donald Trump was bragging in Washington that the United States had just seized one of the world’s largest tankers and would likely keep the oil.

Updated Dec 11, 2025

Fed’s 2025 rate-cut run: three eases, one new playbook, and a president pushing hard

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Publicly pressuring the Fed for steeper cuts and seeking greater control over its leadership.

In a single year the Fed has gone from peak post‑Covid rates to a clear easing cycle. December’s third 2025 rate cut pushes the federal funds range down to 3.5–3.75% and flips the switch on a new operating regime built around full‑allotment repos and steady Treasury bill buying.

Updated Dec 11, 2025

US sanctions force Lukoil into a $22 billion global fire sale

Money Moves

President of the United States - Overseeing sanctions that forced Lukoil and Rosneft into selling foreign assets

First the US froze Lukoil’s assets. Now it’s effectively forcing Russia’s biggest private oil company to auction off its global business. A fresh Treasury waiver gives buyers until January 17, 2026 to lock in deals for oilfields, refineries and thousands of gas stations worth about $22 billion.

Updated Dec 11, 2025

Trump’s permitting crackdown strands U.S. wind and solar boom

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Driving a pro-fossil, anti-wind-and-solar permitting agenda

Trump promised to “unleash American energy.” Instead, his administration has nearly shut the door on big onshore wind and solar. Since he took office in January 2025, just one major solar project on federal land has been approved, and none at all since Interior Secretary Doug Burgum demanded personal sign-off on every renewable decision.

Updated Dec 11, 2025

U.S. walks away from its flagship FIFA TV bribery case

Rule Changes

President of the United States (second term) - Driving a broad pullback from anti‑corruption and foreign‑bribery enforcement while courting FIFA leadership

U.S. prosecutors spent years proving that Hernan Lopez, a former Fox International Channels CEO, and the sports marketing firm Full Play bribed South American soccer officials to lock down lucrative TV rights. A Brooklyn jury convicted them in 2023, a judge threw those convictions out, an appeals court revived them in July 2025—and now the government is telling the Supreme Court it wants the whole case dismissed in “the interests of justice.”

Updated Dec 11, 2025

Florida and Texas declare CAIR a terror group, setting up a constitutional fight

Rule Changes

U.S. President - Ordered review to designate certain Muslim Brotherhood chapters as terrorist organizations

In less than a month, Texas and Florida governors have branded CAIR, the country’s largest Muslim civil rights group, a “foreign terrorist organization” and ordered their states to cut off contracts, jobs, and funds. CAIR calls it a smear campaign; the governors say they’re targeting Hamas-linked extremists.

Updated Dec 11, 2025

How the SAVE student loan plan was built, frozen, and dismantled

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Overseeing rollback of Biden-era student loan policies, including settlement to end SAVE.

Joe Biden sold the SAVE plan as a fix for a broken student loan system: smaller payments, faster forgiveness, and protection from ballooning interest for millions. Eighteen months, two Supreme Court losses, and a barrage of lawsuits later, Donald Trump’s Education Department has cut a deal with Missouri and other Republican-led states to kill SAVE and shove its 7‑plus million borrowers into more expensive plans.

Updated Dec 11, 2025

Radar lock over Okinawa: Japan–China air clash pulls in the U.S.

Force in Play

President of the United States - Trying to reassure Japan while preserving a fragile trade truce with China.

Chinese J-15 fighter jets flying from the aircraft carrier Liaoning repeatedly locked targeting radar onto Japanese F-15s near Okinawa on December 6, forcing Japan to scramble jets and lodge an emergency protest. Days later, Washington publicly accused Beijing of destabilizing behavior and vowed its commitment to Japan was “unwavering,” turning a dangerous cockpit decision into a trilateral showdown.

Updated Dec 11, 2025

Trump’s Ukraine peace plan meets a wall in Europe

Force in Play

President of the United States - Driving a U.S.-led peace framework seen as favoring Russian positions on territory and NATO

In early 2025, returning U.S. President Donald Trump launched an aggressive push to "end the war" in Ukraine, tying resumed military aid and intelligence sharing to Kyiv’s acceptance of a U.S.-drafted peace framework that includes territorial concessions to Russia and long-term limits on Ukraine’s sovereignty. The plan, revised through months of talks in Jeddah, Geneva and Florida, would effectively trade parts of the Donbas and other occupied areas for security guarantees and a re‑set in U.S.–Russia relations, and has been welcomed in Moscow but met with mounting alarm in Kyiv and across Europe.

Updated Dec 11, 2025

Trump’s unitary-executive showdown with independent agencies

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Driving expansion of presidential removal power over independent agencies

In 2025, President Donald Trump launched an aggressive campaign to assert sweeping authority over independent federal agencies, testing the long‑standing 1935 Supreme Court precedent in Humphrey’s Executor v. United States that limited presidential power to fire members of multi‑member regulatory commissions. After the Supreme Court used its emergency docket to let Trump remove Democratic members of the National Labor Relations Board, the Merit Systems Protection Board, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the conflict escalated when Trump fired Democratic Federal Trade Commission commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter in March 2025 and later attempted to oust Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, both before their fixed terms expired.

Updated Dec 11, 2025

Thailand–Cambodia 2025 border crisis: from landmines and Trump-brokered ceasefire to airstrikes

Force in Play

President of the United States - Primary external broker of the ceasefire; U.S. trade leverage central to negotiations

In 2025, a long-simmering territorial dispute along the 817 km Thailand–Cambodia border reignited into the region’s most serious interstate conflict in years. A fatal clash on May 28 that killed a Cambodian soldier in a disputed area near Preah Vihear was followed by landmine incidents and escalating skirmishes, culminating in a five-day war in July that killed at least 48 people and displaced about 300,000 civilians before a ceasefire was brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump, with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim mediating under ASEAN’s umbrella.

Updated Dec 11, 2025

From trade wars to bailouts: Trump’s tariffs and the farm sector

Money Moves

President of the United States - Driving tariff policy and authorizing repeated farm bailouts

Since 2018, U.S. farmers have been repeatedly caught in the crossfire of Trump-era tariff battles, first in the original U.S.–China trade war and now again under a renewed wave of tariffs on China, Canada, Mexico and others. To blunt the damage from lost export markets and depressed crop prices, successive Trump administrations have turned to large, executive‑driven farm aid programs funded through the Agriculture Department’s Commodity Credit Corporation, starting with a 12 billion dollar package in 2018 and a 16 billion dollar package in 2019.

Updated Dec 11, 2025

Trump’s 2025 national security strategy recasts Russia and rattles the Atlantic alliance

Force in Play

President of the United States - Architect of the 2025 National Security Strategy and ongoing Ukraine peace push

In early December 2025, the Trump administration published a new U.S. National Security Strategy (NSS) that formally abandons the long‑standing framing of Russia as a primary threat and instead emphasizes a doctrine of “flexible realism.” The document calls for reviving the Monroe Doctrine in the Western Hemisphere, ending the perception of NATO as a perpetually expanding alliance, and making it a core U.S. interest to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine while re‑establishing strategic stability with Moscow. Within days, the Kremlin offered rare public praise, saying the strategy “corresponds in many ways” with Russia’s own worldview and welcoming the shift away from treating Russia as a direct adversary.

Updated Dec 11, 2025

Scott Bessent’s farmland divestiture: ethics clash inside Trump’s Treasury

Money Moves

President of the United States - Relies on Bessent to execute tariffs, farm aid and consumer initiatives; administration faces renewed ethics questions in second term

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent entered office in January 2025 with an ethics agreement committing him to sell extensive personal holdings, including up to $25 million in North Dakota soybean and corn farmland that earned as much as $1 million a year in rent. After months of delays and an August 2025 warning from the Office of Government Ethics that he had failed to timely comply, Bessent announced on December 7, 2025, that he had finally divested the soybean farm "this week," completing the most glaring conflict-of-interest obligation.

Updated Dec 11, 2025

Papiri school mass kidnapping and partial release in northern Nigeria

Force in Play

President of the United States - Driving U.S. pressure campaign involving potential sanctions and military action over Christian persecution claims

In the early hours of November 21, 2025, armed men stormed St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, a remote community in Niger State, and abducted 315 people—303 pupils and 12 staff—in one of Nigeria’s largest school kidnappings since Chibok in 2014. Around 50 children later escaped and made their way home, but the mass abduction ignited national outrage, exposed deep security failures, and intensified scrutiny of Abuja as U.S. officials openly weighed sanctions and other measures to pressure Nigeria to better protect Christian communities and other civilians targeted in northern violence.

Updated Dec 11, 2025

Trump’s contentious push to end the Ukraine war

Force in Play

President of the United States - Driving a fast-track peace push, under criticism for perceived pro-Russian terms

In late 2025, the Trump administration’s drive to broker an end to Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine entered a decisive phase. U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg said a peace deal was “really, really close,” with only two core disputes left: the fate of the Donbas region—especially the remaining Ukrainian‑held parts of Donetsk—and the future of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest. Kellogg estimated over 2 million combined Russian and Ukrainian casualties since Russia’s 2022 invasion, as Moscow now holds roughly 19% of Ukraine’s territory, including Crimea and most of Donbas.

Updated Dec 11, 2025

Axon revives police facial recognition on bodycams with Edmonton pilot

New Capabilities

President of the United States - Backing federal efforts to limit state-level AI regulation

In early December 2025, the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) and U.S. vendor Axon activated a month‑long “proof of concept” in which AI-enabled body‑worn cameras scan the faces of people officers encounter against a “high‑risk” watch list of 6,341 individuals with safety flags and a separate list of 724 people wanted on serious warrants. Axon, which in 2019 publicly promised not to put facial recognition on its body cameras after advice from its independent AI Ethics Board, now frames the project as “early‑stage field research” outside the United States that will inform potential future deployments in North America.

Updated Dec 11, 2025

Trump and RFK Jr. launch overhaul of U.S. childhood vaccine schedule

Rule Changes

President of the United States (47th, second nonconsecutive term) - Driving review of U.S. childhood vaccine schedule

In his second term, President Donald Trump has moved to fundamentally recast U.S. childhood vaccination policy, arguing that the country gives too many shots compared with its peers. On December 5, 2025, after a federal vaccine advisory panel voted 8–3 to end the longstanding recommendation that all newborns receive a hepatitis B shot at birth, Trump signed a presidential memorandum ordering the Health and Human Services secretary and the CDC director to review the entire childhood schedule and align it where possible with “best practices from peer, developed countries.”

Updated Dec 11, 2025

Europe’s big tech crackdown under the DSA and DMA

Rule Changes

President of the United States - Threatening trade retaliation and legal action over EU tech enforcement

The European Union is in the middle of an unprecedented crackdown on Big Tech, using a new arsenal of digital laws — the Digital Services Act (DSA), the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and long‑standing competition and privacy rules — to challenge the power and business models of U.S.-based tech giants. Since 2023, Brussels has designated six major platforms as “gatekeepers,” imposed structural obligations on their core services, and begun opening formal proceedings against firms like X, Google, Apple and Meta over monopolistic conduct, opaque algorithms, deceptive interface design and failures to police harmful content.

Updated Dec 11, 2025