Friday morning news: December 19, 2025

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Trump administration moves to protect children from trans procedures » The Trump administration says it is time for hospitals to stop performing transgender procedures on children.

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary:

MAKARY:  Pushing transgender ideology in children is predatory. It's wrong and it needs to stop.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. signed a declaration stating that procedures meant to change a child’s sex are unsafe.

And he says an overwhelming body of evidence shows these procedures hurt children rather than help them.

Under the plan, hospitals that perform these procedures on minors could lose Medicare and Medicaid funding.

KENNEDY:  So-called gender affirming care has inflicted lasting physical and psychological damage on vulnerable young people. This is not medicine. It is malpractice.

Administration officials argue the move is necessary to protect kids from ideologically driven experimental medical procedures.

Chloe Cole underwent transgender procedures and later took steps to reverse them. She says doctors failed her as a child.

COLE: They affirmed my childish misgivings about my developing body, my belief that I wasn't just a tomboy.

The FDA is also warning companies against marketing chest-binding devices to children. The proposed rules are not final and would still go through public review.

U.S. arms sales to Taiwan » The Trump administration is moving forward with what could be the largest U.S. weapons sale to Taiwan on record. WORLD’s Paul Butler has more.

PAUL BUTLER: The arms package is valued at more than ten billion dollars.

It includes missiles, rocket launchers, artillery systems, drones, and hundreds of long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems … weapons similar to those the U.S. has sent to Ukraine.

The State Department says the sale supports U.S. security interests and helps Taiwan modernize its forces to better defend itself … as the military threat from China grows.

News of the sale angered Beijing, with Chinese officials calling it interference in its internal affairs.

Congress still has to sign off on the sale, but there is strong bipartisan support in Washington.

For WORLD, I’m Paul Butler.

Inflation numbers » Some good news on inflation. … with prices growing slower than expected last month.

New government numbers show prices up 2.7% as compared to one year earlier.

That was down from 3% in early fall … and many economists had expected inflation to remain around 3%.

Some analysts urge caution, though … as the recent government shutdown disrupted normal collection of data … and delayed the report. Still, it offers the first new snapshot of inflation in nearly two months.

Energy costs moved higher last month. But core inflation, which leaves out food and fuel, slowed to 2.6%, its lowest level in nearly four years.

Trump marijuana order » At the White House … President Trump signed an executive order reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug.

TRUMP:  The facts compel the federal government to recognize that marijuana can be, uh, legitimate in terms of medical applications when carefully administered. In some cases, this may include the use as a substitute for addictive and potentially lethal opioid painkillers.

The move reclassifies it from a Schedule One drug, alongside things like heroin … to Schedule Three, alongside drugs like ketamine and anabolic steroids.

But Trump said this does not “legalize marijuana” nationally “in any way, shape, or form.”

TRUMP:  And in no way sanctions its use as a recreational drug has nothing to do with it.

The change comes as numerous states have already moved to legalize marijuana for medical and/or recreational purposes.

Some Republicans urged the president not to reschedule the drug. House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris, argued it "will send the wrong message to America’s children, enable drug cartels, and make our roads more dangerous."

U.S. sanctions ICC / Egypt-Israel oil deal » The Trump administration has expanded sanctions against the International Criminal Court, accusing it of anti-Israel bias. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin reports.

KRISTEN FLAVIN: The new sanctions target two additional judges involved in cases against Israeli leaders over the war in Gaza.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the judges helped advance investigations … that the U.S. views as outside the court’s authority.

The sanctions can freeze any assets under U.S. jurisdiction and bar travel to the United States.

The administration argues the ICC is acting politically and overstepping by pursuing cases involving Israel and the U.S. … neither of which belongs to the court.

Officials say that sets a precedent that could threaten national sovereignty.

The dispute follows last year’s ICC arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, which Israel strongly rejects.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

North Carolina business jet crash » Investigators are still working to determine what caused a private business jet to crash in North Carolina.

The crash occurred at Statesville Regional Airport Thursday.

Airport Manager John Ferguson:

FERGUSON: At approximately 10:15 AM we got a report of a, a corporate jet that crashed off the end of the runway on the east end.

Officials say all seven people on board were killed … including retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina, and their two children.

The Cessna C550 was attempting to land when it went down and burst into flames, sending debris across the runway.

Investigators from the NTSB and FAA have been on the scene.

Authorities say the full report on the cause could take months.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Culture Friday with Katie McCoy. Plus, WordPlay with George Grant and our next Advent reflection.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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