The Bulletin

• Trump's sentencing: Judge Juan Merchan on Friday set President-elect Donald Trump's sentencing in his hush money case for January 10, days before his swearing in as President. Find out how this will impact Trump.

• Weather update: A powerful polar vortex is set to grip much of the United States next week, as seen on a map, with meteorologists predicting plunging temperatures and widespread disruptions. See the map.

• Student loans: President Joe Biden ushered in student loan forgiveness for millions during his presidency, but a new Trump presidency has many borrowers concerned about how their debt could change in 2025. Find out more.

• California's population: California's population is set to reach 41 million by 2030 and remain the largest state, according to the University of Virginia's Cooper Center.

• Housing market shift: Texas saw a surge in people moving to the state during the pandemic, and experts predict the state will see another increase in 2025 as buyers get the upper hand in the housing market.

The rundown: Over the past few weeks, President-elect Donald Trump has ruffled feathers by suggesting the United States should seek to expand its territorial holdings by encouraging Canada to join the Union as the 51st state, purchasing Greenland from Denmark and reclaiming control of the Panama Canal. Find out what this means for Americans.

Why it matters: Following his election victory, Trump announced he plans to impose a new 25 percent tariff on all goods entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico. Later, Trump explicitly called for Canada to join the American Union. He also reiterated his first term suggestion that the U.S. should purchase Greenland. Speaking to Newsweek, Professor Sean Adams, an American history expert at the University of Florida, compared Trump's proposals to 19th-century American imperialism. A second academic who specializes in American imperialism said Trump was seeking an "older form of power projection" that "harks back to the bloody days of Teddy Roosevelt."

Read more in-depth coverage:
Donald Trump Warns USA Is 'Breaking Down'

TL/DR: Speaking to Newsweek, one American history expert said Trump's policies were a "throwback to the 19th century," which saw the U.S. expand westwards across North America and even occupy Cuba and the Philippines.

What happens now? On December 21, Trump also suggested he could demand the return of the Panama Canal to American sovereignty. The canal was funded and constructed by the U.S. but turned over to Panama in 1999 in accordance with a deal signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1978.

Deeper reading Donald Trump's Plan for New US Empire

The rundown: The future may be getting brighter in terms of reducing the threat of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), infectious disease experts told Newsweek.

Why it matters: With new treatments and maybe even a vaccine on the horizon, 2025 could be an important year for improving the lives of people with HIV and preventing more people from getting it. The 2024 breakthrough of the year, according to the journal Science, was with the drug lenacapavir, an antiretroviral medicine that performed very well in scientific trials. Professor Christophe Fraser, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Oxford's Pandemic Sciences Institute, told Newsweek that lenacapavir was "extremely promising" and could drive the HIV epidemic to "lower levels than ever."

Read more in-depth coverage:
HIV Breakthrough as New Injection 89% More Effective Than PrEP

TL/DR: People who use antiretroviral medications can reduce the viral load of HIV in the body to undetectable levels, which can stop them from passing it to others.

What happens now? Dr. Robert Hopkins Jr., medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, said that lenacapavir was expected to be reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2025, with the potential to dramatically reduce HIV infection.

Deeper reading HIV in 2025: 'There Is Hope for the Future,' Say Disease Experts

The rundown: The U.S. is not prepared enough for a possible long-range missile strike from Russia, China or North Korea, a new report seen by Newsweek says, offering one potential road map for President-elect Donald Trump to piece together the American version of Israel's vaunted Iron Dome system he has pledged to build around the U.S.

Why it matters: The report, penned by Robert Soofer, who served as former deputy assistant secretary of defense for nuclear and missile defense policy in the previous Trump administration, says the threat of long-range strikes hitting U.S. territory is "real and growing." Soofer recommends the incoming Trump administration quickly builds up U.S. stocks of specific types of interceptor missiles to knock out a possible incoming attack. In a Phoenix rally in late December, the President-elect said he will "direct our military to begin construction of the great Iron Dome missile defense shield, which will be made all in the USA, much of it right here in Arizona." Russia and China are both building up their own defenses against long-range cruise and ballistic missiles, the report says.

Read more in-depth coverage:
US and Ally Draft Nuclear Weapons Rules Amid China, North Korea Threat

TL/DR: Washington can hit back at another country after they strike the U.S., the report argues, but it can only effectively block a first hit from North Korea and only if it uses a few warheads.

What happens now? Trump will stride back into the Oval Office on January 20 with the world a more dangerous place than during his first term, with nuclear saber-rattling rife and experimental ballistic missiles bringing fresh attention to how Washington plans to protect U.S. soil.

Deeper reading Donald Trump's Iron Dome? Proposal to Counter Nuclear Attack Takes Shape

The rundown: During the coronavirus pandemic, Americans faced economic hardship and instability, sparking the federal government to send out several rounds of stimulus checks. While many may believe the days of pandemics are behind us, a new bird flu epidemic could threaten that assumption, leading to more economic turbulence.

Why it matters: Americans received three rounds of stimulus checks during the coronavirus pandemic, subsequently adding up to $3,200 in direct aid. If the bird flu reached similar prevalence to COVID-19, Americans may be up for an additional round of stimulus checks. At the moment, fewer than 100 cases of bird flu have been diagnosed in the U.S. and the illness appears to be mild to moderate in severity, experts say. If the bird flu moved from a low-risk virus to a real threat to humans and ended up shutting down schools and businesses similar to how COVID-19 did, economists anticipate we might have another stimulus check situation at play.

Read more in-depth coverage:
Bird Flu Update: How Regular Influenza May Help Protect You

TL/DR: The avian flu is considered highly contagious, and humans can be affected after contact with bird saliva, mucus and feces.

What happens now? While the CDC continues to monitor the bird flu and it has now entered all 50 states, the risk of a human epidemic remains low.

Deeper reading Could Bird Flu Epidemic Spark More Stimulus Checks in 2025?

The rundown: Parental leave in the U.S. could be reaching a turning point as major employers revise their provisions for expecting families. Find out more.

Why it matters: Paid parental leave benefits serve to support and retain working parents, especially mothers, after a baby is born. Policy groups, lawmakers and everyday workers have been pushing for increased maternity and paternity benefits for years. Several companies, including Starbucks, Citi Bank, Nike, are offering new and improved paid leave in the postpartum period. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that only about 1 in 4 U.S. workers (24 percent) in the private sector can access paid family leave. Certain states are introducing legislation that requires parents to be paid after a child is born.

Read more in-depth coverage:
New York Becomes First State to Offer Paid Prenatal Leave

TL/DR: According to the JUST Capital report, the U.S. is one of only seven countries in the world without legally mandated paid maternity leave, and one of 83 that does not guarantee paid paternity leave.

What happens now? Whether other private companies will follow suit and make changes to their leave policies remains to be seen, but action is happening at the state level. According to a 2024 report by Forbes, the 13 states and District of Columbia will support paid family and medical leave by 2026.

Deeper reading Parental Leave Is Looking Up for Americans