Tuesday morning news: December 9, 2025

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Trump announces farm aid » President Trump is giving farmers some $12 billion in aid to help as they struggle to sell their crops while getting hit by rising costs. The move comes after the president raised tariffs on China as part of a broader trade war.

TRUMP:  This relief will provide much needed certainty to farmers as they get this year's harvest to market, and look ahead to next year's crops, and it'll help, uh, them continue their efforts to lower food prices.

China has since agreed to buy more U.S. soybeans, but sales have so far been slow.

Most farmers have backed Trump politically, but some in the industry have voiced concerns over his tariff policies.

Trump says his tariffs will help pay for the new program.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said farmers will get the money by the end of February.

SCOTUS on executive power, Trump firing » The Supreme Court heard arguments Monday in a major case testing how much power a president has to fire leaders of independent federal agencies. The dispute centers on President Trump’s removal of Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter without cause — a move that challenges a 90-year-old precedent limiting when presidents can oust agency board members.

During arguments, Justice Sonia Sotomayor warned the administration’s position could upend long-standing checks on presidential authority.

SOTOMAYOR: If you take away a half of this bargain, you end up with just massive, uncontrolled, unchecked power in the hands of the President, and it's really hard to affect both sides of this bargain because it's already been done.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh pressed Solicitor General D. Dean John Sauer on whether the ruling could also threaten the independence of the Federal Reserve.

KAVANAUGH: The other side says that your position would undermine independence of the Federal Reserve… and I share those concerns. So how would you distinguish the Federal Reserve from agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission?

SAUER: We recognize and acknowledge what this Court said… which is that the Federal Reserve is a quasi-private, uniquely structured entity that follows a distinct historical tradition.

The Court’s conservative majority signaled strong support for the administration’s view, over objections from the three liberal justices.

Israel latest » In the Middle East, Israel is facing renewed criticism after the UN's Palestinian aid agency says it was raided by Israeli troops.

UNWRA—that's the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees—says Israeli troops broke into its East Jerusalem compound. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric says Israeli troops with trucks and forklifts cut communications to the compound, while seizing furniture and electronics.

DUJARRIC: The Secretary-General strongly condemns the unauthorized entry into the United Nations Sheikh Jarrah compound held by UNRWA located in occupied East Jerusalem by Israeli authorities.

But Israel has long accused the organization of having ties to terrorism. Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian:

BEDROSIAN: UNRWA has proven its enormous failures and it's time for it to be dismantled, and it's time for the world to recognize that, including journalists as well.

Meanwhile, Bedrosian says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the United States just days after Christmas.

BEDROSIAN: I can share with you that the prime minister will meet with president Trump on Monday December 29th. They will discuss the future steps and phases and the international stabilization force of the ceasefire plan.

That U.S.-brokered agreement calls for an international governing body in the Gaza Strip, which is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Hegseth, Rubio in Australia » In Washington on Monday, U.S. and Australian officials reaffirmed their security partnership amid rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth sat down with their Australian counterparts, to talk over regional security, and their partnership under AUKUS. That’s short for the Australia, UK, US security pact. Hegseth told reporters:

 HEGSETH: As we move, as was mentioned, full steam ahead on AUKUS we applaud Australia's upcoming delivery of an additional 1 billion to help expand US submarine reduction capacity.

Secretary Rubio said they also talked about supply chains for critical-minerals. Those minerals are key for high-tech manufacturing, both commercial and military, and China controls much of the world’s supply.

RUBIO: We have to have critical, critical mineral supplies and supply chains that are reliable and that are diverse and not overly invested in one place where they can be used as leverage against us or our partners of the world.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed a critical-minerals deal with the US during a recent visit to the White House.

Paramount Warner takeover attempt » Paramount has launched a hostile bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, challenging the earlier offer Warner leaders accepted from Netflix. WORLD’s Benjamin Eicher reports:

BENJAMIN EICHER: Paramount is appealing directly to shareholders with a larger, all-cash offer worth about $108 billion when debt is included. And unlike Netflix, Paramount wants to buy the entire company, including Warner’s cable-network division.

The company says it went hostile after Warner management didn’t meaningfully respond to earlier proposals. Paramount argues its bid offers more cash and may face fewer regulatory hurdles.

Critics of the Netflix proposal warn the merger could raise competition concerns across streaming and theatrical markets. But either deal would face extensive antitrust review before moving forward.

For WORLD, I’m Benjamin Eicher.

DHS bonuses » Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem delivered bonus checks to a number of TSA employees in Tampa on Monday.

She said it was a way of thanking them for coming into work during the recent record-setting 6-week government shutdown.

NOEM: I'm so proud of them and I'm proud of everyone in leadership who inspired them to continue to do their jobs and to do them well. Because of that hard work, I'm here to present each of them that are behind me and many, many more will also receive the $10,000 bonus checks.

She said the checks went to TSA employees nominated by their supervisors for going above and beyond during the shutdown.

Noem praised all TSA employees who she said helped keep Americans safe, even while temporarily not receiving their paychecks. 

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: the legal arguments surrounding the military action on drug boats. Plus, more musical selections for Christmas from Arsenio Orteza.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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