International
Trump links Mike Johnson’s re-election to meeting his budget requirements
The president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, linked on Thursday the re-election of Republican Mike Johnson as president of the House of Representatives to his compliance with his demands on the budget package and the debt ceiling.
“If the Speaker of the House acts decisively and firmly and gets rid of all the traps that the Democrats are setting for him, which would economically destroy our country, he will easily remain president,” Trump told Fox News Digital.
Trump has a huge influence on the Republican majority in Congress and could thwart Mike Johnson’s plans to continue presiding over the Lower House for the new legislature that will begin on January 3.
The president-elect, who will be invested on January 20, overturned on Wednesday the agreement reached by the Republican majority of the House of Representatives and the Democratic majority of the Senate to provide the Government with new funds and avoid an administrative closure before Saturday.
Trump and his ally, tycoon Elon Musk, in charge of cutting the next government’s spending on bureaucracy, oppose several budget provisions and demand the abolition of the debt ceiling.
Threat of government closure
The White House, through its spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre, accused Trump and his vice president, J.D. Vance, of “ordering the Republicans to close the Government” with their “threat”, said that “basic services” are in danger and demanded that conservative legislators “emay their word.”
The partial budget provides funds to the Government from midnight on Friday to Saturday, when the current ones expire, until March 14, with Trump already installed in the White House.
Trump pointed out some of the provisions that conservatives do not consider essential for the functioning of the Executive and that have generated rejection, such as a salary increase for legislators.
More than $100 billion in aid for victims of Hurricanes Helene and Milton or nearly $10 billion in support for farmers is also in question.
International
Meta Says Russia Seeks to Ban WhatsApp for Defending Secure Communication
U.S. tech giant Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, said that Russia is seeking to ban the messaging app because it “challenges government attempts to violate people’s right to secure communication.”
Russian authorities have encouraged citizens to switch to state-backed applications, and in August they already blocked WhatsApp’s calling feature.
On Friday, the communications regulator Roskomnadzor claimed that the platform was being used to “organize and carry out terrorist acts in the country, recruit perpetrators, and facilitate fraud and other crimes.”
“If the messaging service does not comply with Russian law, it will be completely blocked,” the regulator warned.
WhatsApp remains one of Russia’s most widely used messaging services, alongside Telegram.
Moscow is pressuring both platforms to grant authorities access to user data upon request for investigations into fraud and activities the government labels as “terrorist.”
Human rights advocates fear the demand could be used to target critics of the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin, or the war in Ukraine.
International
Archbishop Wenski criticizes Trump’s deportation policies, calls for stronger push for reform
The Archbishop of Miami, Thomas Wenski, has called for increased pressure on the U.S. Congress to advance comprehensive immigration reform and criticized President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policies, arguing that they “do nothing to help.”
“We need to apply more pressure on Congress so lawmakers can make the necessary changes. It is also important for the Administration to listen to our voice. We do not want to be anyone’s enemy—we are Americans,” Wenski said in an interview with EFE.
The religious leader, who heads one of the dioceses with the largest Latino and Haitian populations in the United States, issued a call to defend the rights of migrants. He also emphasized that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has maintained a strong and public stance in favor of migrants for decades.
International
Trump relaunches diplomatic push to finalize U.S.-Backed peace plan for Ukraine War
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that his diplomatic team will resume meetings with delegations from Russia and Ukraine in an effort to pressure both sides to accept the peace plan proposed by Washington to end the war in Ukraine.
As part of this new round of talks, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will hold discussions with Ukrainian representatives to narrow differences on the remaining points of the agreement.
Trump also confirmed his intention to meet personally with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and with Putin, though he emphasized that such meetings will only take place “when the agreement is fully finalized or in its final stage.”
The president claimed that his administration has made “tremendous progress” toward resolving the conflict and reiterated that the war “never would have started” if he had been in the White House at the onset of the crisis.
The U.S.-backed peace plan consists of 28 points and has been revised following feedback from both sides. According to Trump, only “a few points of disagreement” remain under active discussion.
One of the most controversial aspects of the proposal is the suggestion that Ukraine cede parts of the Donbas region to Russia and limit the size of its armed forces. Kyiv is working closely with Washington to soften these clauses in search of an arrangement that does not compromise its sovereignty or security.
With this diplomatic push, Trump aims to solidify his role as the main mediator in the conflict and steer the war toward a political resolution after years of devastation, humanitarian crisis, and rising global geopolitical tensions.
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