Week of 11/9: America
These two weeks were arguably some of the biggest for America within recent times. For starters, the U.S. penny has stopped being minted. There are multiple reasons for this, but one very important reason is that the U.S. penny just costs more to make than it is worth. For every penny that was minted, four cents were lost. The move to stop minting the penny is estimated to save the U.S. about $60 million a year.
Even more importantly, the government shutdown has finally ended. This was the longest government shutdown in history, lasting over 40 days. Federal layoffs were reversed, and back pay was given to furloughed employees, and an agreement was reached to refund most of the government. A future vote on the Affordable Care Act was also promised.
Additionally, Trump promised on Truth Social a $2,000 tariff relief for most Americans, “not including high income people.” While most Americans would be happy to hear this, the Supreme Court began considering the legality of this promise.
Week of 11/9: The World
Some important action has also been going on around the world. Iraq has had its preliminary elections, with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani being the winner. With a campaign built on improving services, this will be Sudani’s second term.
Italy faces two national strikes. The largest union in Italy, the CGIL, has also announced a strike for December 12th. Protests emerge due to Prime Minister Meloni’s 2026 budget and her support for Israel. Higher salaries, lower retirement ages, and demanded support for Gaza seems to be the main purposes of these protests.
Finally, on a smaller note, President Trump has decided to not participate in the COP30 Climate Summit in Brazil. Countries such as China and India have also decided to not participate in it.
Week of 11/16: America
This week in American politics was arguably less important, but still had some influential aspects. Republican representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has announced her resignation in January from the House of Representatives. This is a result of her falling out with President Trump after she criticized him on foreign policy, healthcare and his stance on the Epstein files. Trump later replied on Truth Social calling Green a traitor.
Additionally, the U.S. Envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, is also leaving his post in January. Trump found him to be too sympathetic to Ukraine, and he was cut out of some discussions to end the war.
While on the topic of Ukraine, Trump announced a new peace plan to end the war. A key part of this plan would include Ukraine having to cede some territory to Russia, a compromise which Zelensky may not be willing to make. It also includes adding limits to the Ukrainian military and also calls for Ukraine to abandon its ambitions to join NATO.
On another issue that had a lot of social attention towards it, Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which started a 30 day clock for information to be released about the sex offender Jeffery Epstein. This was strange to many people, as previously Trump had been opposed to releasing the files.
Finally, as a response to Trump wanting to send the National Guard to Washington D.C., a Federal Judge blocked this order. The Trump Administration was given 21 days to either remove the troops or appeal the decision. This decision is a similar one that has been made to a few of Trump’s deployments in other cities.
Week of 11/16: The World
Finally, this week was a major week for the COP30 Summit in Brazil. Some major focuses during the summit was on funding for forests, having land for indigenous people, and dealing with fossil fuels. The outcomes of this summit included launching the Tropical Forests Forever Facility, funding the protection of forests for indigenous people, and nations agreed to triple adaptation finance, which is used to help limit climate change. Unfortunately, no commitment was made to phase out fossil fuels.
On a smaller note, youth-led anti-corruption protests were sparked in the Philippines, which called for the resignation of President Marcos Jr. and Vice President Duterte. They asked primarily for greater transparency in the government and accountability for corrupt politicians.
Leave a Reply