Trump Votes by Mail Despite Calling It "Cheating" as Democrat Wins Mar-a-Lago District 
FEMA Reinstates $1 Billion Disaster Prevention Grant Program After Court Order 
Maduro Faces Rare Narcoterrorism Charges in U.S. Court 
Denmark Election 2026: Frederiksen Eyes Third Term Amid Trump-Greenland Tensions 
Russia-Iran Military Alliance Deepens With Drone Shipments Amid Middle East Tensions 
Bachelet Pushes Forward With UN Secretary-General Bid Despite Chile's Withdrawal 
Iran-U.S. Negotiations: Tehran Reviews American Peace Proposal Amid Ongoing Gulf Conflict 
Trump's Overhaul of American History: Museums, Monuments, and Cultural Institutions 
Iran-Israel Missile Strikes Continue Amid Mixed Signals on U.S.-Iran Diplomacy 
Trump Administration Settles Lawsuit Barring Federal Agencies from Pressuring Social Media Censorship 
US-Iran Ceasefire Talks Underway: What You Need to Know 
Trump Administration Opens Two New Investigations Into Harvard Over Discrimination and Antisemitism 
Iran Demands Lebanon Be Part of Any Ceasefire Deal With Israel and the U.S. 
Cuba Receives Humanitarian Aid Convoy Amid U.S. Sanctions 
Denmark Election 2025: Social Democrats Suffer Historic Losses Amid Migration and Cost-of-Living Tensions 
US Accelerates Taiwan Arms Deliveries Amid Rising China Threat 
U.S. Deploys Elite 82nd Airborne Troops to Middle East Amid Iran Tensions 
President-elect Joe Biden is already communicating with foreign leaders as part of reaffirming relations between the US and their respective countries. One of Biden’s most recent calls is with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Aldern, who shared what they discussed.
Aldern shared that Biden is keen on “reinvigorating” ties between the US and New Zealand in their call, which she described as a “warm and positive” conversation. Biden was said to have recalled his memories in the country to her, to which she invited him to come and visit. Aldern also revealed that she sensed that the president-elect was determined to work together in tackling issues such as climate change and even touched on the response to COVID-19, for which New Zealand is also praised for.
“I offered to him and his team access to New Zealand health officials’ in order to share their experience on things we’ve learned on our COVID-19 journey,” said Aldern. The prime minister also revealed that she brought up how important organizations like the World Trade Organization are to the country. Aldern and Biden’s call was a stark contrast to her previous interactions with Donald Trump, who called for a fundamental reset on the organization while sabotaging its ability to settle disputes.
Trump and Aldern’s relationship appeared to be rocky despite the attempt to be diplomatic. When the coronavirus pandemic spread all over the world, Trump claimed that New Zealand experienced a big surge of COVID-19 cases - a cluster of 87 cases after 102 days without infection. It was a claim that Aldern refuted with data, citing how the US has 16,563 cases per million people at the time, while New Zealand only has 269 per million.
Meanwhile, Biden has announced the first names of possible Cabinet members. Alejandro Mayorkas is nominated for the post of Department of Homeland Security and the first Latino to become the head of the said department if confirmed. Avril Haines will be nominated for director of National Intelligence, and will also make history if confirmed by the Senate as the first woman to lead the intelligence community.
Antony Blinken has been confirmed as Biden’s Secretary of State, while Linda Thomas-Greenfield will become the US Ambassador to the United Nations. Jake Sullivan will be joining the Biden administration as National Security Advisor.
