ABC News will pay a $15 million settlement payment to resolve a defamation lawsuit brought by President-elect Donald Trump, according to court documents filed Saturday. The lawsuit stemmed from on-air comments made by top anchor George Stephanopoulos, who said Trump was found "liable for rape" during an interview with US Representative Nancy Mace that aired in March. The terms of the settlement require ABC News to make a $15 million donation to a fund dedicated to "a presidential foundation and museum" for Trump. The news organization and Stephanopoulos will also issue public apologies saying they "regret statements" made about Trump during the aforementioned interview, and the broadcaster will pay an addition $1 million in attorney fees. The case was settled one day after Judge Lisette M. Reid requested depositions from both Trump and Stephanopoulos. Trump had been found liable for sexual abuse -- a different transgression from rape under New York law -- in a 2023 case filed by writer E. Jean Carroll. The settlement marks the latest victory in Trump's string of legal fortune since winning the November 5 presidential election. Last month, a US appeals court granted the dismissal of charges for Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents upon exiting the White House. US Special Counsel Jack Smith also paused a second federal case regarding Trump's efforts to subvert the 2020 election results, although Trump faces racketeering charges over the same issue in a case out of Georgia. And for Trump's May conviction in the hush money case -- the only criminal charges against him to go to trial -- Judge Juan Merchan has indefinitely postponed sentencing. (Source: BSS)

US President Joe Biden on Sunday issued an official pardon for his son Hunter, who was facing sentencing for two criminal cases, despite assurances that he would not intervene in his legal troubles. "No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter's cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son -- and that is wrong," the president said in a statement. The move is sure to bring about fresh scrutiny over the independence of the US judicial system -- especially at a time when incoming president Donald Trump has moved to appoint loyalists to the FBI and Justice Department himself. The younger Biden was convicted earlier this year of lying about his drug use when he bought a gun -- a felony -- and has also pleaded guilty in a separate tax evasion trial, but had not faced sentencing. Biden had repeatedly said he wouldn't pardon his son. "I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department's decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted," President Biden said in Sunday's statement. "The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election," he added. "I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice." The pardon comes as criminal cases against President-elect Trump have come to a standstill after a sweeping ruling on presidential immunity by the Supreme Court -- all but ensuring Biden's Republican rival will likely never see a jail cell, even after his landmark conviction for falsifying business records in May. Plea deal gone awry US presidents have previously used pardons to help family members and other political allies. Bill Clinton pardoned his half-brother for old cocaine charges and Trump pardoned the father of his son-in-law for tax evasion, though in both cases those men had already served their prison terms. Trump for his part vowed during the election campaign this year to pardon supporters who stormed the US Capitol in a deadly riot on January 6, 2021, in a bid to reverse his 2020 election loss. Hunter Biden pleaded guilty in a tax evasion trial in September, facing up to 17 years in prison. For the separate gun charge, he was facing 25 years in prison. His lawyers have said he was only being brought before the court because he is the son of the president. Hunter has paid the back taxes, as well as penalties levied by authorities, and previously reached a plea deal that would have kept him out of jail -- but that agreement fell apart at the last minute. His case has long been a thorn in the Biden family's side, particularly during this election year when Republicans have charged that Hunter was being treated too leniently. President Biden's withdrawal from the presidential race in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris took much of the zeal out of the Republican drive to make an example out of his son. Still, prosecutors appeared unwilling to cut him any slack, rejecting a so-called "Alford plea," whereby Hunter Biden would admit guilt because of the high probability of conviction, but would maintain his innocence. In a statement to US media, Hunter Biden, who has grappled with drug addiction, said he would "devote the life I have rebuilt to helping those who are still sick and suffering." (Source: BSS)

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with US President-elect Donald Trump at the latter's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Friday. The meeting came days after Trump said he would slap a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, until both countries clamped down on drugs, particularly fentanyl, and illegal migrants crossing their borders with the US. Trump's threat sparked worries in Canada, whose economy is deeply intertwined with that of the US. Over three-quarters of Canadian exports, worth $423 billion (€400 billion), went to the United States last year. And about two million Canadian jobs are dependent on trade. Economists say imposing hefty tariffs would harm the economies of all countries involved. Tricky time for Trudeau The threat of US tariffs comes at a time when Canada's economy is already slowing. That, coupled with the rising cost of living, has already hit Trudeau's popularity. A general election must be held in the country by late October 2025 and polls show the premier's party is lagging behind the opposition Conservative party. Trudeau this week pledged to stay united against Trump's tariffs threat. He called a meeting with the premiers of all 10 Canadian provinces to discuss US relations. While some say Trump's tariff threat is just a bargaining tactic, Trudeau rejected those views. "It is important to understand that Donald Trump, when he makes statements like that, he plans on carrying them out. There's no question about it," Trudeau said.

US President-elect Donald Trump plans to impose a 25% tariff on all products from Mexico and Canada and an additional 10% tariff on goods from China, citing concerns over illegal immigration and the trade of illicit drugs. "On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. He also criticized China for not doing enough to prevent illegal drugs from entering the US through Mexico. "Until such time as they stop, we will be charging China an additional 10% Tariff, above any additional Tariffs, on all of their many products coming into the United States of America," Trump wrote. Trump is set to be inaugurated next year on January 20. Tariffs part of Trump's economic agenda During the election campaign, he vowed to impose tariffs of 10% on all goods imported into the US and even higher tariffs of 60% on Chinese-made products. Trump believes one way to boost US manufacturing is by imposing tariffs on imported goods.  He has targeted China in particular , vowing to slap tariffs on Chinese imports of over 60% - much higher than those imposed during his first term. Trump's nominee for Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, would oversee the implementation of tariffs if confirmed. He views tariffs as a negotiating tool with other nations. In a Fox News op-ed, Bessent argued that tariffs are "a useful tool for achieving the president's foreign policy objectives. Whether it is getting allies to spend more on their own defense, opening foreign markets to US exports, securing cooperation on ending illegal immigration and interdicting fentanyl trafficking, or deterring military aggression, tariffs can play a central role." Trump to face pushback from trading partners When Trump imposed higher tariffs during his first term in office, other countries, including Canada, responded with retaliatory tariffs of their own. However, Trump brokered the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which came into law in 2020. It meant goods moving between the United States, Canada and Mexico crossed borders largely duty-free. His reference to the fentanyl crisis and illegal immigration suggests he is leveraging national security issues to justify breaking the deal, a move permitted under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. Mexico finance ministry however said, "Mexico is the United States' top trade partner, and the USMCA provides a framework of certainty for national and international investors." In a joint statement from Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Public Safety Minister Dominic Leblanc, emphasized they said they will discuss the border and vast economic ties with the incoming US administration. "Canada places the highest priority on border security and the integrity of our shared border. Our relationship today is balanced and mutually beneficial, particularly for American workers," the statement read. Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy in Washington warned neither the US nor China would win a trade war.

A New York judge on Friday gave Donald Trump permission to seek dismissal of his hush money criminal case after he was found guilty on multiple counts regarding payments to porn star Stormy Daniels. The 78-year-old Trump was due to be sentenced on November 26, less than a month after his victory in the US presidential election. The sentencing was delayed and the judge gave Trump until December 2 to file his motion to dismiss. Prosecutors were given until a week after that to respond. A new sentencing date was not given. What is the Stormy Daniels hush money case? Trump was convicted in May on all 34 counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign. The $130,000 (€125,000) paid by Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen was meant to prevent Daniels from disclosing an alleged affair with Trump a decade earlier. The conviction made Trump the first sitting or former US president to be found guilty of criminal charges. Trump has repeatedly denied having an affair with the porn actress and paying her to stay silent. Big win for Trump Trump spokesperson and incoming White House communications director Steven Cheung hailed it as "a decisive win" for Trump. The Republican leader has been fighting against any effort to sentence him before his return to the White House in January. Lawyers for Trump have argued that the case should be dismissed because having it loom over him while he is president would cause "unconstitutional impediments" to his ability to govern. Prosecutors said they're open to putting the case on hold, perhaps as long as he's in office, but they don't want it to be dismissed altogether. By getting a judge's permission to have the conviction thrown out, Trump could now have several further hearings delayed once he is sworn in. Trump has repeatedly denounced the case as a witch hunt, saying it "should be rightfully terminated." Alongside the hush money case, Trump faces two other federal legal cases. One of them relates to his effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election and the other is connected to classified documents he allegedly mishandled after leaving office.

In the presence of newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump, SpaceX conducted a test launch of its next-generation Starship rocket. The launch took place on Tuesday, November 19, at the Boca Chica launchpad in Brownsville, Texas. According to Al Jazeera, this marks the sixth test flight of SpaceX’s Starship rocket. Trump observed the launch from the control room, and SpaceX declared the test a success. The Starship is designed to travel to space and return to Earth, with the goal of landing back on its launchpad. While SpaceX had achieved this feat during the fifth test flight, technical challenges led to a shift in strategy. The AFP reports that SpaceX abandoned plans to catch the booster, opting instead to let it fall into the Gulf of Mexico. After spending about an hour in space, the Starship is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and land in the Indian Ocean. Trump's presence at the launch highlighted the close relationship between him and Elon Musk. Musk openly supported Trump in the recent U.S. election, contributing over $130 million to his campaign.

Joe Biden became the first sitting US president to visit the Amazon rainforest on Sunday, as his successor Donald Trump vowed to scrap measures to fight climate change. Biden traveled from Peru, where he attended his last summit with Asia-Pacific leaders, to the city of Manaus, in Brazil, in the heart of the world's largest jungle. The Amazon, which is about the size of Australia, stores huge amounts of the world's carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that drives climate change when released into the atmosphere. But the rainforest is also vulnerable to environmental degradation that could exacerbate climate change. What's on Biden's agenda during the Amazon trip? The 81-year-old Biden flew over the rainforest by helicopter and was due to visit a museum before meeting with Indigenous and local leaders working to preserve the Amazon. The president's tour included views of the shallowing of Amazon waterways as a result of a two-year drought and inspecting damage from large-scale wildfires and deforestation. He was also due to visit a wildlife refuge. Biden was joined by Carlos Nobre, a Nobel-Prize-winning scientist and expert on how climate change is impacting the Amazon. He was accompanied by White House climate adviser John Podesta. Ahead of the visit, the White House said Washington had hit its target of boosting bilateral climate financing to $11 billion (€10.44 billion) a year. The amount was six times what the US was providing at the start of Biden's term, in 2021, but still behind the funds provided by the EU. Biden promised last year to boost the Brazilian-administered Amazon Fund by $500 million, but Washington has so far delivered on just a tenth of the amount committed. On Sunday, the White House confirmed a second $50 million payment was on track. After his stop in Manaus, Biden will head to Rio de Janeiro for this year's G20 (Group of 20) leaders' summit, which begins Monday. Climate change will be one of the priorities at the talks, along with Brazil's plan for a new tax on the world's richest billionaires, which will help fund climate and poverty alleviation goals. What is Brazil doing to stop Amazon deforestation? A recent study showed that the Amazon has lost an area about the size of Germany and France combined to deforestation in four decades. In the 12 months to July, some 6,288 square kilometers (2,428 square miles) of forest was lost, as a result of  drought, wildfires and land clearing. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has vowed to end deforestation by 2030. His predecessor, the far-right Jair Bolsonaro prioritized agricultural expansion over forest protection, helping deforestation to surge to a 15-year-high. The Amazon is unlikely to get much new support from Donald Trump's second term in the White House. The Republican politician has already called climate change a hoax. The president-elect has also vowed to pull the US — the world's second-largest polluter —  out of the Paris climate agreement for a second time. He has announced plans to boost US oil and gas production and do away with subsidies to help wean US drivers onto electric vehicles. On Saturday, Trump nominated fracking magnate and noted climate change skeptic Chris Wright as his energy secretary.