The Nation - A legal fight could restore the state’s power to set its own limits on contributions to super PACs and encourage public financing.
When voters in Maine passed a ballot measure last year to cap donations to super PACs—also known as independent political action committees—it appeared to be another milestone toward fairer elections. In a state known for election reforms such as public campaign financing and ranked-choice voting, the proposal looked like another way to successfully curb the flow of money from corporate and wealthy donors into local races.
Then came the lawsuit. In October, the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit agreed to hear Dinner Table Action v. Schneider, a case that could decide the future of money in American politics.
Fifteen years after the Supreme Court opened the floodgates to dark money and unchecked spending with Citizens United, the Maine initiative has exposed a tension in the movement for clean elections: should advocates pursue state and local reforms, or bet on a high-stakes legal battle that could radically rewrite the rules of campaign finance nationwide?
In the summer of 2023, Maine residents began to think about how to place a question about limiting super PAC contributions on the ballot. Drawing on a legal theory developed by Harvard Law professor Lawrence Lessig, organizer Cara McCormick founded Citizens to End Super PACs, the ballot-question committee formed to lead the campaign.
McCormick, who pushed for Maine to adopt ranked-choice voting in 2016, crafted the initiative to cap donations at $5,000 based on efforts by Lessig’s nonprofit, Equal Citizens, which had pursued similar initiatives in Alaska and Massachusetts—both ultimately blocked in court.
December 11, 2025
States take on AI with their own new laws
New Republic - California’s new AI law is aimed at preventing “catastrophic risk,” which it defines as “serious injury to more than 50 people” or damages of $1 billion. Colloquially discussed as S.B. 53 but formally titled the Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act, the law has already been replicated in New York where, as in California, they’re concerned with an AI model going—let’s say … “semi-sentient”—and “evading the control of its frontier developer or user.” Similar legislation is winding its way through statehouses in Michigan, Massachusetts, and Illinois.
U.S. to require foreign tourists to submit 5 years of social media history
Newsbreak - The Trump administration is proposing to ask visitors from several dozen nations that enjoy visa-free travel to the U.S. to submit additional personal information before entering the country, including five years of their social media history, the Department of Homeland Security said in a notice this week.
Citizens of 42 countries enrolled in the visa waiver program can generally come to the U.S. for up to 90 days for tourism or business travel, without needing to apply for a visa at an American embassy or consulate, a process that can take months or even years.
The list of countries in the visa waiver program includes many European nations like the United Kingdom, Germany and France, as well as some U.S. allies around the world, including Australia, Israel, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea...
The notice said CBP plans to ask visa waiver travelers to share their social media history for the past five years, emails they have used for the past 10 years and the personal information of immediate family members, including phone numbers and residences. The submission of social media history from the last five years will be a mandatory requirement under the proposal, according to the notice.
CBP said the changes, which still have to be reviewed by the White House's budget office, are designed to enforce an executive order President Trump issued earlier this year with the stated objective of denying entry to foreigners who may pose a threat to national security or public safety.
But critics of the proposed changes said they could scare prospective travelers and negatively impact tourism, especially months before the U.S. hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup, alongside Canada and Mexico, next summer.
Citizens of 42 countries enrolled in the visa waiver program can generally come to the U.S. for up to 90 days for tourism or business travel, without needing to apply for a visa at an American embassy or consulate, a process that can take months or even years.
The list of countries in the visa waiver program includes many European nations like the United Kingdom, Germany and France, as well as some U.S. allies around the world, including Australia, Israel, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea...
The notice said CBP plans to ask visa waiver travelers to share their social media history for the past five years, emails they have used for the past 10 years and the personal information of immediate family members, including phone numbers and residences. The submission of social media history from the last five years will be a mandatory requirement under the proposal, according to the notice.
CBP said the changes, which still have to be reviewed by the White House's budget office, are designed to enforce an executive order President Trump issued earlier this year with the stated objective of denying entry to foreigners who may pose a threat to national security or public safety.
But critics of the proposed changes said they could scare prospective travelers and negatively impact tourism, especially months before the U.S. hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup, alongside Canada and Mexico, next summer.
Politics
Bolts - Democrats, buoyed by Trump’s unpopularity and a fired-up base,
flipped 21 percent of all the GOP-held seats that were on the ballot
throughout 2025.
According to Bolts’ analysis, Democrats gained 25 state Senate and House seats that were held by the GOP, out of the 118 that were resolved this year in regular or special elections.
The swing is even stronger than in 2017, when Democrats flipped 20 percent of all GOP-held legislative seats up for election, per Bolts’ review of data compiled at the time by elections websites Ballotpedia and The Downballot.
Health
Axios - Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may have said he won't take vaccines away from anyone, but that's exactly what the anti-vaccine organization he founded asked the FDA to do in a petition this week.
The formal document — which the agency is required to respond to — is part of a growing call to pull the shots from the market.
And it comes during a week when the agency said it's expanding an investigation of deaths potentially related to the shots, this time in adults.
Driving the news: Children's Health Defense, the organization founded by Kennedy, this week filed a citizen's petition asking FDA commissioner Marty Makary to deem Moderna's and Pfizer's COVID vaccines "misbranded" and revoke their licenses "due to a lack of compliance with FDA regulations."
The argument is based on the fine print surrounding the vaccines' conversion from emergency use early in the pandemic to full approval later on.
It is specifically "not arguing about the safety or efficacy of marketed COVID-19 mRNA vaccines," though Children's Health Defense has also been on the forefront of arguing the vaccines are unsafe.
In other administrations, the petition would be an extreme long shot. But Kennedy's personal ties to Children's Health Defense may improve its prospects.
Other vaccine skeptics with ties to Kennedy — a prominent critic of the shots for years before being tapped as the nation's top health official — have gradually been taking prominent roles in national vaccine discourse. Keep reading
Health.com - Cookie dough from the brand Doughy has been recalled in 15 states due to potential Salmonella contamination, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The product was initially recalled on Nov. 20, and last Friday, the FDA gave the recall the highest risk level—Class I—as Salmonella is one of the leading causes of foodborne illness, hospitalizations, and deaths in the U.S.1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About Salmonella Infection.
Women jailed in Texas allege rampant sexual abuse
The Guardian - Eleven women incarcerated at a federal prison in Texas allege they have been subjected to rampant sexual abuse by staff members in the past seven years. The allegations are the latest accusations of abuse within a federal prison system rife with claims of inhumane conditions.
The allegations at FMC Carswell, a federal medical women’s prison in Fort Worth, Texas, are particularly troubling because the facility has been the focus of sexual abuse investigations for years, with 13 staff members convicted of abuse and misconduct since 1997 and promises of reform at various times.
Now, 11 women have filed fresh lawsuits alleging they have been sexually assaulted by prison staff in recent years.
The lawsuits have been filed since 1 May in federal District of Columbia court and list Beth Reese, the chief of the office of internal affairs for the BoP, and the United States as defendants. The suits each lodge 10 civil claims against the US, including negligence, sexual battery and trafficking victims.
In the lawsuits, the women identify six staff members at the facility as perpetrators, including a doctor, chaplain and three officers. Several women say they have been assaulted by the head of the BioMed office.
The allegations at FMC Carswell, a federal medical women’s prison in Fort Worth, Texas, are particularly troubling because the facility has been the focus of sexual abuse investigations for years, with 13 staff members convicted of abuse and misconduct since 1997 and promises of reform at various times.
Now, 11 women have filed fresh lawsuits alleging they have been sexually assaulted by prison staff in recent years.
The lawsuits have been filed since 1 May in federal District of Columbia court and list Beth Reese, the chief of the office of internal affairs for the BoP, and the United States as defendants. The suits each lodge 10 civil claims against the US, including negligence, sexual battery and trafficking victims.
In the lawsuits, the women identify six staff members at the facility as perpetrators, including a doctor, chaplain and three officers. Several women say they have been assaulted by the head of the BioMed office.
Polls
NBC News - As many as 64% of U.S. teens say they use AI chatbots, with about 28% saying they use them daily, according to survey results released by the Pew Research Center.
Meanwhile. . .
NBC News - The Food and Drug Administration announced a proposal to make another sunscreen ingredient available to U.S. manufacturers. The ingredient — a UV light filter called bemotrizinol — has long been available in Europe, Australia and some Asian countries, and is often seen on social media as skin care enthusiasts share their sunscreen hauls from abroad.
December 10, 2025
Winter is coming. Not all weather offices are ready.
Washington Post - As snow blankets a broadening swath of the United States and meteorological winter sets in, the National Weather Service remains constrained by a severe staffing shortage, despite a Trump administration commitment to refill hundreds of jobs cut by Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service.
The administration gave the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees the Weather Service, permission to post 450 critical roles — seeming to acknowledge that DOGE had gone too far in a push for cuts that resulted in some 550 firings, resignations and early retirements. Back in June, National Weather Service Director Ken Graham called the ability to rehire “fantastic news” that would enable “timely and accurate forecasts and warnings.”
But months later, offices in more than half a dozen states, from Maine to Wyoming, have vacancies, according to Tom Fahy, the legislative director for the National Weather Service Employees Organization (NWSEO), citing the latest figures tracked by the group. The unfilled roles include meteorologists, technical experts and scientists who work to deliver accurate forecasts and warnings to communities around-the-clock.
In some locations, nearly half of the meteorologist roles were left vacant.
The administration gave the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees the Weather Service, permission to post 450 critical roles — seeming to acknowledge that DOGE had gone too far in a push for cuts that resulted in some 550 firings, resignations and early retirements. Back in June, National Weather Service Director Ken Graham called the ability to rehire “fantastic news” that would enable “timely and accurate forecasts and warnings.”
But months later, offices in more than half a dozen states, from Maine to Wyoming, have vacancies, according to Tom Fahy, the legislative director for the National Weather Service Employees Organization (NWSEO), citing the latest figures tracked by the group. The unfilled roles include meteorologists, technical experts and scientists who work to deliver accurate forecasts and warnings to communities around-the-clock.
In some locations, nearly half of the meteorologist roles were left vacant.
Sleeping less than seven hours may cut life length
Study Finds - Americans who regularly sleep fewer than seven hours a night may be cutting their lives short, according to extensive research that examined sleep patterns and life expectancy across every county in the United States. The relationship holds true whether someone lives in a wealthy suburb or a rural town, has access to top-tier healthcare or none at all.
Researchers analyzed data from more than 3,000 counties between 2019 and 2025, comparing reported sleep duration with life expectancy in each area. Counties where more residents slept fewer than seven hours nightly consistently showed lower life expectancies. The pattern appeared in nearly every state, year after year, even when researchers accounted for other major health risks like smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity.
Researchers analyzed data from more than 3,000 counties between 2019 and 2025, comparing reported sleep duration with life expectancy in each area. Counties where more residents slept fewer than seven hours nightly consistently showed lower life expectancies. The pattern appeared in nearly every state, year after year, even when researchers accounted for other major health risks like smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity.
Meanwhile. . .
Newsweek - President Donald Trump has said it is possible to "give up certain products" like "pencils" because of the benefits of steel. This was one of the ideas the president proposed as he gave a wide-ranging speech at the Mount Pocono casino in north-eastern Pennsylvania on Tuesday.
NPR - Santa handles the nice list, but his counterpart, Krampus, scares naughty children into behaving. The terrifying European monster carries a whipping stick instead of toys, and yet people seem to like him. Take a look at these photos of people participating in the tradition.
NPR - Leila's Hair Museum in Independence, Mo., closed in September. Now, the founder's granddaughter is finding new homes for the 3,000-piece human hair wreath collection. (via KCUR)
Polls
Politico - Nearly half of Americans said they find groceries, utility bills, health care, housing and transportation difficult to afford, according to The POLITICO Poll conducted last month by Public First. The results paint a grim portrait of spending constraints: More than a quarter, 27 percent, said they have skipped a medical check-up because of costs within the last two years, and 23 percent said they have skipped a prescription dose for the same reason.
The strain is also reshaping how Americans spend their free time. More than a third — 37 percent — said they could not afford to attend a professional sports event with their family or friends, and almost half — 46 percent — said they could not pay for a vacation that involves air travel.
NBC - The new Yale Youth Poll finds that about two-thirds of voters under 35 years old now disapprove of Trump’s job performance.
How Your Credit Card Debt Compares To Other American
Newsweek - Total U.S. credit card debt rose to $1.23 trillion in the third quarter of 2025, an increase of $24 billion from the previous quarter and up about 50 percent over the past five years, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s latest Household Debt and Credit report.
And a report from the personal finance website WalletHub found that outstanding credit card debt is now about 1 percent below the all-time high reached last year, and that average credit card debt is currently at more than $11,000 per household.
Why It Matters
Rising debt burdens have continued to weigh on Americans’ finances this year, a product, some say, of broad-based economic strains and the inability of consumers' wages to keep pace with rising costs. Student loan delinquencies have surged following the end of pandemic-era assistance, and millions are behind on payments across nearly every type of credit from mortgages to auto loans.
And a report from the personal finance website WalletHub found that outstanding credit card debt is now about 1 percent below the all-time high reached last year, and that average credit card debt is currently at more than $11,000 per household.
Why It Matters
Rising debt burdens have continued to weigh on Americans’ finances this year, a product, some say, of broad-based economic strains and the inability of consumers' wages to keep pace with rising costs. Student loan delinquencies have surged following the end of pandemic-era assistance, and millions are behind on payments across nearly every type of credit from mortgages to auto loans.
Warner Bros. Deal Piles Pressure on Trump’s Justice Department
NY Times - The bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery has seen the titans of Netflix and Paramount courting President Trump at the White House and even at the Kennedy Center.
Every new meeting is ratcheting up the pressure — not just on the deal, but on a little-known government official named Gail Slater.
Ms. Slater, 54, heads the Department of Justice’s antitrust division, which is widely expected to handle the government’s review of the proposed sale of Warner Bros.
The president’s involvement has upended the usual process for reviewing major business deals like this one. It calls into question the legitimacy of Ms. Slater’s inquiry before it even starts, according to antitrust experts and former agency officials. It could force her to make a case based on politics, not merit, or put her at odds with a president who often demands loyalty over everything.
“The notion that the president might have already picked a winner and a loser before any investigation has even begun is highly problematic, and presents her with a formidable challenge,” said Bill Baer, who led the antitrust division during the Obama administration.
Every new meeting is ratcheting up the pressure — not just on the deal, but on a little-known government official named Gail Slater.
Ms. Slater, 54, heads the Department of Justice’s antitrust division, which is widely expected to handle the government’s review of the proposed sale of Warner Bros.
The president’s involvement has upended the usual process for reviewing major business deals like this one. It calls into question the legitimacy of Ms. Slater’s inquiry before it even starts, according to antitrust experts and former agency officials. It could force her to make a case based on politics, not merit, or put her at odds with a president who often demands loyalty over everything.
“The notion that the president might have already picked a winner and a loser before any investigation has even begun is highly problematic, and presents her with a formidable challenge,” said Bill Baer, who led the antitrust division during the Obama administration.
Tomato soup sold in 14 states recalled
Independent UK - Tomato-basil soup sold in 14 U.S. states is being urgently recalled due to concerns about an unlisted allergen. A routine inspection found that the popular product contained milk, despite the ingredient not being listed on the packaging.
Now, a statement from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has revealed that Lil’ Turtles is recalling all of its Grandma Belle’s Tomato Basil Soup products.
“The issue was discovered during a routine inspection conducted by the Ohio Department of Agriculture,” the statement read. “There have been no reports of illness involving the product addressed in this recall, however, people who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk run the risk of a serious allergic reaction if they consume this product.”
The product, sold in 17-oz glass jars, was available for purchase from September 23, 2022, through December 3, 2025.
Now, a statement from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has revealed that Lil’ Turtles is recalling all of its Grandma Belle’s Tomato Basil Soup products.
“The issue was discovered during a routine inspection conducted by the Ohio Department of Agriculture,” the statement read. “There have been no reports of illness involving the product addressed in this recall, however, people who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk run the risk of a serious allergic reaction if they consume this product.”
The product, sold in 17-oz glass jars, was available for purchase from September 23, 2022, through December 3, 2025.
Donald Trump on woman journalists
Occupy Democrats - Nicole Wallace of MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) finally had enough after Trump insulted ABC News’ Rachel Scott to her face, which was at least the sixth such incident in a month. Wallace hammered Trump for his appalling behavior and went in on the rest of the media for meekly standing by and allowing him to bully their fellow reporter.
“He called ABC's Rachel Scott today, quote, obnoxious and terrible.”
“December 6th, he called Caitlin Collins, quote, stupid and nasty.”
“On November 27th, he said, are you stupid? to CBS journalist Nancy Cordes.”
“On November 26th, he called The New York Times Katie Rogers, quote, ugly.”
“On November 18th, he called ABC's Mary Bruce terrible and insubordinate.”
“November 14th, he told a Bloomberg reporter, quote, quiet piggy.”
“He called ABC's Rachel Scott today, quote, obnoxious and terrible.”
“December 6th, he called Caitlin Collins, quote, stupid and nasty.”
“On November 27th, he said, are you stupid? to CBS journalist Nancy Cordes.”
“On November 26th, he called The New York Times Katie Rogers, quote, ugly.”
“On November 18th, he called ABC's Mary Bruce terrible and insubordinate.”
“November 14th, he told a Bloomberg reporter, quote, quiet piggy.”
Just a reminder
Sam Smith - Being in the drug trade is not a capital crime, so killing eleven drug traffickers - as the current controversy is about - is not permissible under our laws.
The Constitution gives Congress - but no one else - the right to declare war although, as Wikipedia points out: "The last time the United States formally declared war, using specific terminology, on any nation was in 1942, when war was declared against Axis-aligned Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania, because President Franklin Roosevelt thought it was improper to engage in hostilities against a country without a formal declaration of war. Since then, every American president has used military force without a declaration of war."
Jeffrey Epstein
NBC News - A New York federal judge granted the Justice Department's request to unseal grand jury records in Jeffrey Epstein’s 2019 sex trafficking case. The move comes just a day after a separate judge ordered the release of grand jury records related to Ghislaine Maxwell.
Judge blocks National Guard going to Los Angeles
The Hill - A federal judge ordered President Trump to end his deployment of the California National Guard in Los Angeles, ruling Wednesday that he must return control to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).
Roughly 100 troops remain in the city, and U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled that Trump illegally kept them deployed months after sending troops to combat immigration protests this summer.
“The Founders designed our government to be a system of checks and balances,” Breyer wrote in his 35-page opinion. “Defendants, however, make clear that the only check they want is a blank one.”
Roughly 100 troops remain in the city, and U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled that Trump illegally kept them deployed months after sending troops to combat immigration protests this summer.
“The Founders designed our government to be a system of checks and balances,” Breyer wrote in his 35-page opinion. “Defendants, however, make clear that the only check they want is a blank one.”
Doctor shortage looming
Axios - The country is projected to face a shortage of 187,130 doctors by 2037.
But while enrollment is up, many medical school students will feel a financial squeeze from caps on student loan borrowing and cuts to other assistance stemming from the Republican tax-and-spending bill.
By the numbers: Medical school applicants for 2025-2026 rose 5.3%, reversing a three-year decline and posting the biggest gain in a decade.
Among historically underrepresented groups, 8.4% identified as Black or African American, 11.5% were Hispanic or Latino, 0.9% identified as American Indian or Alaska Native and 0.4% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.
Higher enrollment could make the U.S. less dependent on immigrant physicians.
But turnover could continue to plague the field, with significant numbers of doctors looking to leave their practice or reduce hours.
Hospitals closing units for children
Axios - Hospitals are closing unprofitable pediatric units and eliminating some surgical services for kids as they grapple with lower Medicaid reimbursements, staffing issues and more complicated cases, a 20-year review in the journal Pediatrics found.
The cuts can erect additional hurdles to getting care in already underserved communities and require families to travel longer distances to regional or urban health centers.
The review of nearly 4,000 facilities from 2003 to 2022 found the proportion of hospitals that researchers identified as having the lowest capabilities for pediatric care more than doubled.
- The most common services shed were appendectomies (50.5% fewer hospitals), hospitalizations for pneumonia (42.3%) and asthma hospitalizations (41.1%).
- In contrast, capabilities like organ transplantation and open-heart surgery for congenital defects showed little to no change.
Hospitalizations for children fell 26% from 2000 to 2019, prompting more hospital operators to take pediatric inpatient units offline, with little incentive to bring them back.
- The resulting regionalization of pediatric care "has not shown signs of slowing, and it remains to be seen whether there is a floor on pediatric capacity," they wrote.
The lack of pediatric inpatient beds doesn't mean that a hospital will not admit a child on an adult ward. Share this
Books
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Co-edited by Christina Clamp and Michael Peck, the book explores the Mondragon cooperative model as a template for worker-owned businesses globally, offering practical guidance for creating more equitable economies. Representing the collective labor and vision of 38 contributors in six countries and three continents, Humanity @Work & Life proves how solidarity, innovation and conviction forge sustaining local and global social economy practices on behalf of the greater common good. |
Politics
Democrat Eileen Higgins won the Miami mayoral race, NBC News projected, giving the party control of the office for the first time in almost three decades in another victory for Democrats ahead of next year's pivotal midterm elections.
The Trump administration announced a deal to officially end a major student loan repayment program implemented under Biden.
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