The Trump administration is asking U.S. embassies and consulates to prioritize visa applications from foreigners who plan to come to the United States to attend the 2026 World Cup or 2028 Olympics, according to cables obtained by the Associated Press.
News of the new visa guidance arrives nearly a day before President Donald Trump is set to participate in the World Cup draw, which will determine teams for the tournament next year.
The draw is expected to take place Friday afternoon at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum are also expected to attend.
Friday, FIFA President Gianni Infantino is also expected to present a new prize called the “FIFA Peace Prize,” which will be given to someone who has taken “exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace” and “united people” around the world.
Trump is rumored to be the first recipient of the prize – despite the fact that the U.S. president has cracked down on immigration and made it more difficult for many foreigners to seek refuge or asylum in the U.S.
How does the FIFA draw work?Friday, the president will join other heads of state in the 2026 World Cup draw – which will determine groups for the tournament next year.
Next year, 48 nations will be represented via teams. During the draw, they will be divided into 12 groups.
Pot one will contain the three host nations, the United States, Canada and Mexico, plus the nine top countries in the FIFA world ranking.
Already, Mexico has been assigned Group A, Canada to Group B and the USA to Group D.
Pots two, three and four will contain the next 12 best-ranked sides in order.
Teams from the same confederation will be kept apart in the group stage, except for Europe where there are more teams than groups.
Ariana Baio, Associated Press4 December 2025 21:00
Analysis: How Donald Trump’s pardon wave is ‘normalizing corruption’In more than a dozen cases, Trump even issued pardons for people who were prosecuted or convicted within his first and second terms, only to unravel those cases entirely this year. An entertainment executive accused of public corruption was pardoned this week, only four months after he was indicted for conspiracy.
Read more here:
Alex Woodward4 December 2025 20:30
Administration asks embassies to prioritize visas for World Cup attendeesThe Trump administration is asking embassies and consulates to prioritize processing visa applications for foreigners coming to the United States for the 2026 World Cup, according to cables seen by the Associated Press.
Despite Trump’s massive rollback on immigration, asylum and visa applications, the president is making an exception for tourists interested in attending global sporting events.
The U.S. is asking embassies to prioritize visas for those hoping to attend the 2028 Olympics.
Ariana Baio4 December 2025 20:15
Bongino takes victory lap over pipe bomb arrest, despite once sharing theoryFBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino boasted about the Justice Department arresting a man accused of planting pipe bombs outside of political headquarters on the eve of January 6, 2021 – despite, at one point, sharing a theory that it was an “inside job.”
“We were going to track this person to the end of the earth. There was no way he was getting away,” Bongino said at the press conference Thursday.
The Justice Department arrested 30-year-old Brian Cole Jr., from Woodbridge, Virginia – years after the incident occurred.
Officials did not provide details about a potential motive.
Ariana Baio4 December 2025 20:00
White House will submit ballroom plans to planning commissionThe White House is expected to submit its ballroom construction plans to the National Capital Planning Commission later this month, the Trump-appointed head of the commission said Thursday.
“Once plans are submitted, that’s really when the role of this commission, and its professional staff, will begin,” Will Scharf, the chair of the National Capital Planning Commission and White House Staff Secretary, said.
Ariana Baio4 December 2025 19:30
Admiral told lawmakers Hegseth did not give a kill orderAdmiral Bradley made clear to lawmakers Thursday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not give any kill order that led to a second lethal strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean.
“No. Admiral Bradley was very clear that he was given no such order to, to give no quarter or kill them all,” Cotton reiterated to reporters.
Ariana Baio4 December 2025 19:10
Trump hosts signing event with presidents of Rwanda and the DRC President Donald Trump is hosting the president of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in a largely symbolic peace signing event that is also serving as a venue for an economic agreement.
At the US Institute of Peace, which has been renamed for Trump, the president touted that “everybody” would make money from a rare earth deal with the two countries.
“We’re going to take out some of the rare earth,” Trump said. “Everybody’s going to make a lot of money.”
President Donald Trump greets Democratic Republic of the Congo President Felix Tshisekedi (AP)Ariana Baio4 December 2025 19:00
Man accused of planting pipe bomb before January 6 charged with using explosive device The man accused of planting pipe bombs near the Democratic and Republican National Committee headquarters on January 5, 2021, has been charged with using an explosive device, the Justice Department announced Thursday.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the arrest was not made on any new information.
Ariana Baio4 December 2025 18:55
Democrat senator says his ‘worst fears’ about Trump administration were confirmed after boat strike briefing Democratic Senator Jack Reed, a ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, raised alarm bells about the lawfulness of the Trump administration’s strikes on alleged drug boats, claiming his “worst fears” had been “confirmed.”
“I am deeply disturbed by what I saw this morning,” Reed said in a statement released Thursday afternoon after being briefed on the September 2 “double strike.”
Reed called on the Defense Department to release “complete, unedited footage” of the strike.
“ This briefing confirmed my worst fears about the nature of the Trump Administration’s military activities, and demonstrates exactly why the Senate Armed Services Committee has repeatedly requested – and been denied – fundamental information, documents, and facts about this operation.”
Ariana Baio4 December 2025 18:46
Rand Paul calls for the full video of the Venezuela boat strike to be releasedRand Paul told The Independent that he wants the video of the strike in Venezuela released.
“I think you know our military code is pretty clear that when people are wounded or left in a shipwreck, left in the debris of a shipwreck, that they’re considered to be out of combat and are not not to be killed,” Paul said.
Paul said he would take action to release the video
“I’m not sure exactly what yet, but we will be working with anybody that wants to have the video available,” he said.
“And I think if the public sees images of people clinging to boat debris and being blown up, I think that there is a chance that finally, the public will get interested enough in this to stop this.”
Trump has said the US is at war with Venezuela.
Paul also added that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth needed to testify before Congress under oath.
Senator Rand Paul said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth needed to testify before Congress about the boat strikes (REUTERS)Eric Garcia4 December 2025 18:30
