President Trump met with both Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum as well as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday, while on the sidelines of the 2025 FIFA World Cup draw.

The meeting comes at a time when the countries are not only focused on their hosting responsibilities for the World Cup next year, but also on trade and immigration measures.

President Trump has enacted tougher reciprocal trade measures at times against each nation and has taken steps to cut down on illegal border crossings.

"Are you going to be meeting with the president of Mexico today?" A reporter asked on Friday.

I might, yeah. I might do that," President Trump said.

"Will you be discussing immigration?" the reporter asked.

"Yes, we'll be discussing," President Trump said.

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The White House has not yet shared specific details about the topics of the meeting.

This week was also the first public hearing over the USMCA, the landmark trade agreement between the 3 nations brokered under President Trump's first term.

That trade deal is set for another significant review next summer.

President Donald Trump met with the leaders of both the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda Thursday, where those two leaders signed an agreement that will signal the beginning of the end of a long-running conflict in Africa.

The peace deal also involves precious minerals access for the United States.

President Trump celebrated the signing Thursday, saying that he has confidence in both leaders to keep their commitments to the new peace deal.

The Trump administration as well as the Qataris have sought to moderate a negotiation process in the conflict, which dates back decades. Earlier in the year they came to agreement between Congo and M23, a rebel group believed to be backed by Rwanda. Rwanda denies those allegations.

RELATED STORY | Trump says he wont meet Zelenskyy or Putin until peace deal is nearly done

The peace agreement cemented Thursday calls for a peaceful resolution of disputes, disarmament, provisions for refugees and ending support for armed groups. It also calls for the launching of an economic framework that would expand the trade of critical minerals. The United States signed bilateral agreements on that measure with both countries.

But despite the new deals, violence has continued on the ground.

"Very quickly I think you're going to see things happen," President Trump said Thursday. "This is something that was not doable according to a lot of people, and not only is it doable, I think it's going to be a great miracle. These two gentlemen are leaders, they're great leaders. And they're going to prove that in the coming months and years. And I think you're going to see very immediate results."

The White House confirmed there was a second strike on a boat it alleges was trafficking narcotics in international waters back in September and is defending the decision.

The comment follows a Washington Post report alleging that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered forces to kill everyone on the boats, leading to a second strike that killed survivors of the initial attack.

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The White House says the order for the specific strike in September came from Adm. Frank Mitch Bradley, not directly from Hegseth. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt maintained that the admiral acted within his authority and that the follow-up strike was lawful.

"Admiral Bradley worked well within his authority and the law. He directed the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat of narco terrorists to the United States was completely eliminated," Leavitt said.

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Lawmakers have questioned the second strike, concerned it could violate international law. The Senate and House Armed Services committees have both released statements saying they will probe the boat strike.

The Committee is aware of recent news reports and the Department of Defenses initial response regarding alleged follow-on strikes on suspected narcotics vessels in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. The Committee has directed inquiries to the Department, and we will be conducting vigorous oversight to determine the facts related to these circumstances, a joint statement from Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Sen. Jack Reed said.

Leavitt said Hegseth spoke with congressional members over the weekend, rejecting the Washington Post's reporting.

A plan to end Russias war with Ukraine is progressing, according to American and Ukrainian officials, who also acknowledged more work still to do.

On Monday, President Trump teased the potential for peace, posting on Truth Social, Dont believe it until you see it, but something good just may be happening.

It comes after Secretary of State Marco Rubio and top officials, including Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and Sec of the Army Dan Driscoll, met with a Ukrainian delegation over the weekend in Geneva, Switzerland.

On Sunday, Rubio said the day of discussions was probably the best meeting and day weve had so far in this entire process going back to when we first came into office in January, but he noted there was still work to do.

Some of it is semantics or language; others require higher-level decisions and consultation; others, I think, just need more time to work through, Rubio said.

Optimism about the deal was high on Monday at the White House, even as details remained unclear about an updated peace framework.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said she wouldnt detail the technical talks that are happening right now but said the U.S. is confident in its plan, and maintained the initial 28 point peace plan was authored with input from both sides.

Ultimately, the vast majority of these points have been agreed upon. The Ukrainians have worked on language with us together, and you heard that from their delegation directly yesterday. So we feel as though we're in a very good place. Of course, we have to make sure that all of these points are agreed to, and then, of course, we're going to have to make sure the other party in this war, the Russians, agree to them as well, Leavitt said.

RELATED STORY | Senators say Trumps Ukraine peace plan risks ceding territory to Russia

That initial 28-point White House-backed plan revealed last week was criticized by U.S. lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and some European leaders who suggested it favored Russia.

I think the original plan, which we all believe now is sort of gone by was demonstratively a pro Russian approach to ending the war, said retired Gen. Philip Breedlove, the former NATO supreme allied commander, who also noted he believes it has progressed beyond that now.

I think what we're finding now is that in conversations, folks are beginning to address Ukrainian concerns and now, you know, we're going to have to see where the Russians wind up on the things that are being changed or proposed for change. Because, you know, the Russians will not accept much, Breedlove added.

Monday there appeared to be more allied support coalescing around a revised plan, which Rubio had called a living breathing document over the weekend.

"While work remains to be done, there is now a solid basis for moving forward, said President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. As we do, we must remain united and keep placing Ukraine's best interests at the center of our efforts."

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed a modified plan and said in a statement many of the right elements have been taken into account in this framework, but gave no concrete details.

Right now, we are at a critical moment. And we are working closely with the United States, with European partners, with many, many others to define steps that can end Russias war against us, against Ukraine, and bring real security. And there is a lot of noise in the media, a lot of political pressure, and even greater responsibility for the decisions ahead. Putin wants legal recognition for what he has stolen to break the principle of territorial integrity and sovereignty and thats the main problem, Zelenskyy had said earlier.

But without details, there remain unknowns, including how realistic the proposal is.

Basically we had a horrifically bad proposal from the US which has now morphed and we dont know what the morphed version looks like, there are no details, so its tough to say said Amb. Kurt Volker, a former U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations and current senior fellow with the Center for European Policy Analysis.

Trump has not said anything about the specifics of this he has only gone so far as to say okay its negotiable we are flexible this is not the final deal, Volker said, also noting that Putin hadnt said he would abide by the initial proposal either.

U.S. officials said Russia will need to agree to any plan as well.

Putins foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said that a version of the plan that Russia received before this weekends talks was mostly acceptable but said a modified European plan is completely non-constructive and doesn't suit us.

President Trump said Friday Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will have to approve a proposed plan for peace between Russia and Ukraine before it could take effect. He gave Zelenskyy a Thanksgiving deadline.

But Zelenskyy says Ukraine risks losing its dignity or the support of the U.S. as a key international ally if it signs on to the agreement.

A U.S. official tell Scripps News that it was strongly implied that the U.S. expects Ukraine to agree to peace deal and changes will be decided upon "by the president himself."

The White House says it's been quietly working on over the last month or so. Zelenskyy met Friday with Vice President Vance and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to discuss its details.

"We have a plan. It's horrible what's happening. It's a war that should have never happened and would have never happened if I was president. And it's a shame. I thought they should have acted quicker. We have a way of getting peace. We think we have a way of getting peace. [Zelenskky is] going to have to approve it," President Trump said Friday.

RELATED STORY | Zelenskyy says Ukraine faces choice of losing dignity or risking loss of key partner with US plan

Circulated points of the plan, which have not yet been independently confirmed by Scripps News, indicate Ukraine will be called on to give up some eastern territory, including the Donbas, and areas that it currently controls. It would be required to cap its military size and not seek NATO membership, but instead have security guarantees from the United States.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin says the agreement could represent the "basis" for a peace deal, but denied that Russia had substantive talks ongoing.

Other European allies and NATO members are consulting with Ukraine about the development and are expected to meet on the sidelines of the G20 international summit which President Trump will not attend.

President Trump on Friday ordered carveouts for specific items under his tariff policies in an attempt to stabilize food prices.

The president signed an executive order to exempt specific agricultural products and other food goods from reciprocal tariffs, effective immediately.

The broad list include beef products, beans, nuts, produce like tomatoes and bananas, tea, coffee and spices.

We just did a little bit of a rollback on some foods like coffee, President Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.

President Trump acknowledged Friday that his tariff policies have translated to increased costs for American consumers.

I say they may, in some cases," he said.

But to a large extent theyve been borne by other countries, he said.

The White House said the original tariff rates on foods and other goods were in many cases no longer necessary because of new trade agreements with foreign trading partners.

Those framework agreements will apply to countries including Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador and Argentina.

RELATED STORY | Trump says Americans will get payments of 'at least $2,000' from tariff revenue

The White House also announced a new tariff reduction with Switzerland, where it intends to reduce its rate to 15%. In return, Switzerland is expected to lower duties on certain industrial and agricultural products. Swiss companies are expected to invest about $200 billion in the United States.

We expect by the end of President Trump's term for that trade deficit with Switzerland to be eliminated because of these kinds of moves," said Jamieson Greer, U.S. Trade Representative. "Also more importantly, there's going to be structural opening of Switzerland to the United States. Switzerland on the industrial side already has fairly low tariffs, but they've agreed to remove all industrial tariffs. They've agreed to give us market access for things like poultry, which is really challenging for the U.S. and Europe. So it's actually quite an important development that Switzerland is willing to do that. Of course they'll give us access on pork and beef and seafood and a variety of other products that we make. So it's an exciting opportunity."

President Donald Trump is weighing in on key races ahead of the first major election night of his second term in office, as republicans look ahead to the midterms.

In New York City, Trump is endorsing former Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, whos running as an independent, and criticizing Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani.

Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, Mamdani is not! Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump added that it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required, should Mamdani win.

The race could carry future implications for Trump and the Republican Party, according to a GOP operative.

After election night, Republicans say they expect to sharpen their messaging around Mamdani.

Republicans have been missing out on a good foil to contrast with and Mamdani will provide that, a republican operative said.

Messaging will focus, in part, on socialism and Mamdani following election night and Democrats tying themselves to him, according to a republican official.

Mamdani will be the face of the Republican midterm campaign, the operative added.

In New Jersey and Virginia, Trump is pointing to policies his administration frequently touts.

Virginia and New Jersey, VOTE REPUBLICAN IF YOU WANT MASSIVE ENERGY COST AND CRIME REDUCTIONS. The Democrats will double and even triple your Energy Costs, and CRIME will be rampant. A vote for the Democrats is a DEATH WISH! VOTE REPUBLICAN!!! He said on Truth Social.

The president took part in tele-rallies in each state on election eve, but has only endorsed Republican candidate Jack Ciatterelli in New Jersey, rather than Republican candidate Winsome Earle-Sears in Virginia. Some republicans point to a belief in a quality difference between the candidates.

The RNC, meanwhile, has made investments in personnel, digital efforts and election integrity in each state. In both Virginia and New Jersey, an official said it invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in election integrity and provided a first of its kind get-out-the-vote platform called "VotePro" to create websites available to Earle-Sears and utilized by Ciattarelli. Virginia saw seven full-time staffers and nearly 20,000 volunteers, while New Jersey saw five full-time staffers and more than 15,000 volunteer leads, according to the official.

In terms of the machine and operation that we're building, we feel like we're in a good groove heading into next year. We have a lot of staff on the ground. Our election integrity efforts are ramping up, and so we feel like we have built a good base heading into the midterms, a Republican official said.

Republicans are not putting weight in what the outcome means for the midterms, though, according to a source familiar with Republican efforts.

Well pull back the full layers of the onion and look at what the congressional races in these states look like. But we're also taking it all with a grain of salt, an official said.

While some strategists expect Democrats to win in New Jersey and Virginia, some Republican operatives see the competition itself as a positive.

The fact that it's as competitive as it is, we take that as a win like this is a state where Dems should be blowing it out of the water, said the Republican official.

They believe that having conversations about off-cycle elections in deep blue states is a testament to Trumps influence and change in the political landscape, according to the source familiar with republican efforts.

"Only 3 off-off year elections since the 1960s saw one party take both Virginia and New Jersey, then go on to sweep the following midterms 1993, 2005, & 2009. Since 1976, the party that loses the White House has won the Virginia governor's race every time but once. No grand conclusions to draw, said Doug Heye, a longtime GOP strategist.

However, Trump is tying the midterms to his call for Republicans to abolish the filibuster as the government shutdown reaches record lengths.

The Democrats are far more likely to win the Midterms, and the next Presidential Election, if we dont do the Termination of the Filibuster (The Nuclear Option!), because it will be impossible for Republicans to get Common Sense Policies done with these Crazed Democrat Lunatics being able to block everything by withholding their votes., he wrote on Truth Social.

The White House has invited Republican senators to meet with Trump over breakfast on Wednesday, where he intends to discuss ending the filibuster, a White House official confirms.

The White House is clarifying comments from President Donald Trump about the future of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments during the ongoing government shutdown.

On Tuesday morning, Trump said benefits will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government.

That statement appeared to contradict what the government told a federal judge on Monday, when officials said they would begin using contingency funds to continue paying benefits after facing lawsuits from nonprofits and more than two dozen states.

RELATED STORY | USDA says it will drain contingency funds to partially cover November SNAP benefits

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president was referring to future payments, not the ones currently being processed.

The administration is fully complying with the court order. I just spoke to the president about it, Leavitt said. The recipients of the SNAP benefits need to understand its going to take some time to receive this money.

Leavitt continued to blame Democrats for the shutdown, saying the party has put the administration in an untenable position.

RELATED STORY | Judges say Trump administration cant suspend SNAP benefits during shutdown

We are digging into a contingency fund that is supposed to be for emergencies, catastrophes, for war, she said. And the president does not want to have to tap into this fund in the future.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rolling said Tuesday that her department has sent guidance to states on how to access and disburse the funds.

This will be a cumbersome process, including revised eligibility systems, state notification procedures, and ultimately, delayed benefits for weeks, Rolling said. But we will help states navigate those challenges.