NATIONAL NEWS

Trump is proposing a $12B farm aid package to soften blow of his tariffs, White House official says

Dec 8, 2025, 6:22 AM | Updated: 3:50 pm

President Donald Trump walks the red carpet before the 48th Kennedy Center Honors, Sunday, Dec. 7, ...

President Donald Trump walks the red carpet before the 48th Kennedy Center Honors, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is planning a $12 billion aid package for U.S. farmers who have struggled to sell their crops while getting hit by rising costs after the president raised tariffs on China as part of a broader trade war, according to White House official.

According to the official, who was granted anonymity to speak ahead of a planned announcement, Trump will unveil the plan Monday afternoon at the White House.

Farmers have backed Trump politically but his aggressive trade policies and frequently changing tariff rates have come under increasing scrutiny because of the impact on the agricultural sector and because of broader consumer worries.

The aid is the administration’s latest effort to defend Trump’s economic stewardship and answer voter angst about rising costs — even as the president has dismissed concerns about affordability as a Democratic “hoax.”

National News

FILE - Ted Bundy presents a motion during his murder trial in Miami, June 25, 1979. (AP Photo, Pool...

Associated Press

What to know about serial killer Ted Bundy and his rampage of violence

Ted Bundy’s rampage of violence spanned at least four years and left dozens of victims behind, including at least 30 women and girls who were killed — and several others who escaped or survived despite serious injuries. Though the serial killer has been dead for nearly 40 years, the tally of his confirmed victims continues […]

3 minutes ago

The Washington Monument is seen as a golfer takes a swing at East Potomac Park Golf Course, Monday,...

Associated Press

Who should be believed? Trump’s social media post on golf course leads lawyers back to court

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s social media posts on the renovation of a historic golf course in the nation’s capital are putting Justice Department lawyers in the uncomfortable position of explaining whether the president of the United States should be believed or not. U.S. Judge Ana Reyes said Tuesday that the department should clarify “whether […]

11 minutes ago

FILE - Environmental Protection Agency workers survey Leslie Run in East Palestine, Ohio, on June 1...

Associated Press

EPA response to 2023 Ohio derailment will be investigated

The Environmental Protection Agency’s response to the disastrous 2023 East Palestine train derailment will be investigated after local residents of the small town on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border and Vice President JD Vance pressed for the review. The Inspector General of the EPA subsequent health and environmental concerns that have developed despite the EPA’s assurances to […]

38 minutes ago

FILE - A flare burns off methane and other hydrocarbons as oil pumpjacks operate in the Permian Bas...

Associated Press

Trump plans to loosen restrictions on methane emissions from oil drilling

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — President Donald Trump is expected to announce plans Tuesday to loosen a Biden-era rule that aimed to reduce planet-warming emissions of methane from oil and gas drilling. Trump was to deliver the announcement as he campaigned in Texas, according to an administration official speaking on condition of anonymity because they were […]

2 hours ago

Halima Salman shields her face as she leaves federal court in the Brooklyn borough of New York on W...

Associated Press

New York woman is convicted of Islamic State training after becoming a teen bride to a fighter

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York woman whose father took her to Syria as a teenager and arranged her marriage to an Islamic State fighter was convicted Tuesday of receiving weapons training from the militant group. Prosecutors said Halima Salman, a U.S. citizen, pledged loyalty to the extremist group and willingly participated in its […]

2 hours ago

FILE - The U.S. Department of Justice logo is seen on a podium before a news conference, May 4, 202...

Associated Press

Judge to consider whether California should count 20,000 ballots disputed by Trump administration

Los Angeles (AP) — A federal judge in Los Angeles will hear arguments Tuesday afternoon over whether the Department of Justice can bar California from counting the ballots of of some 20,000 people until it can confirm they are U.S. citizens. The hearing before U.S. District Judge David O. Carter comes as voting is underway […]

2 hours ago

Trump is proposing a $12B farm aid package to soften blow of his tariffs, White House official says