Roll Call - For months, there were signs that appropriators were not on board with a Trump administration plan to wipe out funding for a decades-old Justice Department program tasked with coordinating major drug-trafficking and transnational-crime investigations.
Republican-led spending proposals rejected the idea. A Senate report said eliminating the program’s appropriations account would be “infeasible” without more consultation, while a House report touted the program’s “demonstrated ability” to share information efficiently to “keep Americans safe.”
During a September markup, veteran House appropriator Harold Rogers put it this way: “Our commitment to the work of the task forces can’t be underestimated or understated.”
The Justice Department disbanded it anyway.
The fate of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces is one example of how the Trump administration has bulldozed past Congress’ appropriations power as it reorganizes the federal government to match the vision of the president, oftentimes with little to no meaningful public pushback from GOP lawmakers.
December 20, 2025
Meanwhile. . .
Coffee prices hit record highs this year, sending the cost of cappuccinos and lattes soaring and pushing consumers toward cheaper options such as drive-through baristas or beans delivered to their door.
Christmas creep
Time - Christmas creep has been with us for a very long time—since the late 1800s, in fact. It has evolved from a late-Victorian habit of early shopping to a socialist attempt to tackle overtime and seasonal child labor, and finally to a strategic tool for retailers looking to cash in.
But it has accelerated significantly in recent years. According to a recent Financial Times article, Christmas in Britain this year arrived three weeks earlier than it did a decade ago. In practical terms, this means that in some shops Christmas displays appeared in August. In my native Greece, Christmas decorations appeared as early as early November for the first time ever. This follows an already established trend in America, where it is not unheard of for Christmas to overtake Halloween; the New York Times recently reported its first “Christmas in July.”
Like with other creeping cultural phenomena, the difficult question is knowing what or who causes the trend. For while it may be straightforward to find the cause of an action by pointing to a particular mind behind it, when a phenomenon is so ubiquitous, where shall we look for the cause?
But it has accelerated significantly in recent years. According to a recent Financial Times article, Christmas in Britain this year arrived three weeks earlier than it did a decade ago. In practical terms, this means that in some shops Christmas displays appeared in August. In my native Greece, Christmas decorations appeared as early as early November for the first time ever. This follows an already established trend in America, where it is not unheard of for Christmas to overtake Halloween; the New York Times recently reported its first “Christmas in July.”
Like with other creeping cultural phenomena, the difficult question is knowing what or who causes the trend. For while it may be straightforward to find the cause of an action by pointing to a particular mind behind it, when a phenomenon is so ubiquitous, where shall we look for the cause?
Jeffrey Epstein case
The Guardian - The Department of Justice on Friday released a long-awaited and huge tranche of documents detailing its investigations into the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a major development in the lengthy saga that turned into one of the biggest political setbacks Donald Trump has suffered since his re-election last year.
While significant portions of the files are redacted, those that were viewable included images of Epstein socializing with an array of prominent figures, including entertainers like Michael Jackson, Chris Tucker and Diana Ross, and the entrepreneur Richard Branson. Bill Clinton appears in several photos, including one in which he is in a swimming pool along with Epstein’s convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. The images also show former British royal Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Another cache of documents showed photos of evidence gathered including drives and computers but did not reveal details as to the contents. There was also a photo of what appeared to be a dog in a garbage bag, placed inside a box.
In a letter to Congress, Todd Blanche said the documents, which date back to 2006, when Epstein was investigated on child prostitution charges, were only the first set of what is planned for release. “The volume of materials to be reviewed … means that the department must publicly produce responsive documents on a rolling basis,” the deputy attorney general wrote in the letter obtained by Fox News.
He also acknowledged an array of redactions, including the identifying details of more than 1,200 victims and their family members.
Congressional Democrats accused the Trump administration of failing to adhere to the letter of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which requires the justice department to release all “unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” in its possession related to the financier’s cases by 19 December. Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges of sex-trafficking minors.
The law also requires the justice department to publish any materials from the investigations that relate to Maxwell, who was found guilty in 2021 of aidingEpstein’s sex trafficking of teen girls and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
“Technically they’re not in compliance,” said Democratic congressman Ro Khanna, a leader of the push to get the legislation passed.
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The Guardian - Photographs of the child sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell released by the US justice department appear to show how Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor facilitated their access to British high society.
Epstein and Maxwell are pictured hunting with the former prince at Balmoral and with him in the royal box at Ascot. A separate picture shows Maxwell outside 10 Downing Street.
One image shows Mountbatten-Windsor reclining across the legs of five people, whose faces have been redacted, with his head near a woman’s lap. In this image, Maxwell appears to peer down and smile at him.
The Guardian - Investigative notes describing Jeffrey Epstein’s detailed demands of the people he sent to procure children for his sexual predation are among the documents released by the Department of Justice on Friday.
They cast a grim spotlight on the actions of Epstein and those around him amid their efforts to procure young women and underage girls for the late disgraced financier. They were part of a long-awaited release of documents from Donald Trump’s justice department, which has been slammed for being only a partial release and heavily redacted.
But one document, called EFTA00004179, consists of a formal FBI evidence cover sheet and 13 pages of handwritten investigative notes from an interview conducted on 2 May 2019. The interview subject is redacted, as is some of the content.
Still, themes emerge; recruitment of girls, sexual encounters under the guise of “massages” and Epstein’s specific preferences regarding age and race.
Trump's boat strikes
RB Reich - Trump has now conducted 28 boat strikes, killing over 100 people.
Remember: no judge or jury has found these boats were trafficking drugs. We're simply taking Trump's word for it.
He’s unilaterally acting as judge, jury, and executioner.
This is a danger to us all
December 19, 2025
The Reiner fight the night before the killings
People - Rob Reiner and his son Nick Reiner got into a heated argument at a Saturday night holiday party the night before the director and his wife Michele Singer Reiner were killed on the afternoon of Sunday, Dec. 14, multiple sources at the party tell PEOPLE.
TMZ first reported on Monday that Reiner, 78, and his 32-year-old son got into a "very loud argument" at a Christmas party hosted by Conan O'Brien on Saturday night.
Two sources confirm to PEOPLE that Reiner and his son got into the argument at O'Brien's party.
TMZ first reported on Monday that Reiner, 78, and his 32-year-old son got into a "very loud argument" at a Christmas party hosted by Conan O'Brien on Saturday night.
Two sources confirm to PEOPLE that Reiner and his son got into the argument at O'Brien's party.
At least 33 January 6th insurrectionists have been pardoned by Trump
Jim Smith, Talking Turkey - At least 33 January 6th insurrectionists pardoned by President Trump have been rearrested, charged or sentenced for other crimes, and four pardoned insurrectionists have allegedly reoffended since the attack on the Capitol.
Pardoned January 6th insurrectionists have been charged with:
Pardoned January 6th insurrectionists have been charged with:
- Child sex crimes
- Sexual assault
- Possession of child pornography
- Rape
- Illegal possession of weapons (including at least two who had a previous domestic violence conviction)
- Driving while impaired or under the influence (in two of these cases, the defendant’s reckless driving resulted in a fatality)
Trump DOJ Moves To Treat Leftist Dissent As Criminal
Common Dreams - The Trump administration is about to embark on a massive crackdown on what it describes as a scourge of rampant left-wing “terrorism.”
But the US Department of Justice (DOJ) memo ordering the crackdown has critics fearing it will go far beyond punishing those who plan criminal acts and will instead be used to criminalize anyone who expresses opposition to President Donald Trump and his agenda.
Earlier this month, independent journalist Ken Klippenstein reported that Attorney General Pam Bondi had sent out a memo ordering the FBI to “compile a list of groups or entities engaging in acts that may constitute domestic terrorism.”
As part of this effort, Bondi set Thursday as a deadline for all law enforcement agencies to “coordinate delivery” of intelligence files related to “antifa” or “antifa-related activities” to the FBI.
The memo identifies those who express “opposition to law and immigration enforcement; extreme views in favor of mass migration and open borders; adherence to radical gender ideology,” as well as “anti-Americanism,” “anti-capitalism,” and “anti-Christianity,” as potential targets for investigation.
This language references National Security Presidential Memorandum-7, or NSPM-7, a memo issued by Trump in September, which identified this slate of left-wing beliefs as potential “indicators” of terrorism following the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk in September.
In comments made before the alleged shooter’s identity was revealed, Trump attributed the murder to “those on the radical left [who] have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis,” adding that “this kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country and must stop right now.”
Weeks after Kirk’s shooting, Trump designated “antifa” as a “domestic terrorism organization,” a move that alarmed critics because “antifa,” short for “anti-fascist,” is a loosely defined ideology rather than an organized political group.
But the US Department of Justice (DOJ) memo ordering the crackdown has critics fearing it will go far beyond punishing those who plan criminal acts and will instead be used to criminalize anyone who expresses opposition to President Donald Trump and his agenda.
Earlier this month, independent journalist Ken Klippenstein reported that Attorney General Pam Bondi had sent out a memo ordering the FBI to “compile a list of groups or entities engaging in acts that may constitute domestic terrorism.”
As part of this effort, Bondi set Thursday as a deadline for all law enforcement agencies to “coordinate delivery” of intelligence files related to “antifa” or “antifa-related activities” to the FBI.
The memo identifies those who express “opposition to law and immigration enforcement; extreme views in favor of mass migration and open borders; adherence to radical gender ideology,” as well as “anti-Americanism,” “anti-capitalism,” and “anti-Christianity,” as potential targets for investigation.
This language references National Security Presidential Memorandum-7, or NSPM-7, a memo issued by Trump in September, which identified this slate of left-wing beliefs as potential “indicators” of terrorism following the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk in September.
In comments made before the alleged shooter’s identity was revealed, Trump attributed the murder to “those on the radical left [who] have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis,” adding that “this kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country and must stop right now.”
Weeks after Kirk’s shooting, Trump designated “antifa” as a “domestic terrorism organization,” a move that alarmed critics because “antifa,” short for “anti-fascist,” is a loosely defined ideology rather than an organized political group.
Chance of full war with Venezuela not denied by Trump
NBC News - President Donald Trump says he is leaving the possibility of a war with Venezuela on the table. "I don’t rule it out, no," he told NBC News in a phone interview.
Canada
Edward Luce, Financial Times - In the last year I’ve visited Canada five times. America’s northern neighbour is among the best vantage points to measure the shock of today’s change. There is no doubt among almost every Canadian to whom I’ve spoken that the US is no longer their ally. In Mark Carney, Canada has the west’s most effective contemporary leader. Unlike most of his counterparts across the Atlantic, Carney has a theory of the case. It is very simple. His goal is to sharply reduce Canada’s dependence on the US both economically and in terms of national security.
Carney also has the advantage in that most Canadians understand his theory of the case and agree with it — the “Canadiano” has replaced the Americano in Canada’s coffee shops. Unless you know what you are aiming to do, and that destination is clear to your electorate, you stand no chance of success. To be sure, barring Greenland, Trump hasn’t coveted the sovereign territory of any other western ally. But it is notable that since Carney replaced the somewhat feckless Justin Trudeau last March, we have heard a lot less from Trump about Canada becoming the 51st state.
Carney also has the advantage in that most Canadians understand his theory of the case and agree with it — the “Canadiano” has replaced the Americano in Canada’s coffee shops. Unless you know what you are aiming to do, and that destination is clear to your electorate, you stand no chance of success. To be sure, barring Greenland, Trump hasn’t coveted the sovereign territory of any other western ally. But it is notable that since Carney replaced the somewhat feckless Justin Trudeau last March, we have heard a lot less from Trump about Canada becoming the 51st state.
20 Million Gen Z Are Jobless in Urban China
Newsweek - The unemployment total for young Chinese city-dwellers stood at roughly 20 million, or about 12 percent, according to a Newsweek analysis of the latest statistics from China's statistics bureau.
The figure is a sign that the general economic recovery and a raft of stimulus measures have not eased the economic pressure facing China’s young people.
The world’s second-largest economy has had a bumpy ride since the end of its strict COVID-era lockdowns, amid slowing growth, tepid consumer demand and a years-long real estate downturn.
Youth, defined in China as ages 15 to 24, have been particularly hard hit, as job competition intensifies amid record numbers of university graduates—a trend that analysts warn could threaten the Chinese Communist Party’s top priority: social stability.
The figure is a sign that the general economic recovery and a raft of stimulus measures have not eased the economic pressure facing China’s young people.
The world’s second-largest economy has had a bumpy ride since the end of its strict COVID-era lockdowns, amid slowing growth, tepid consumer demand and a years-long real estate downturn.
Youth, defined in China as ages 15 to 24, have been particularly hard hit, as job competition intensifies amid record numbers of university graduates—a trend that analysts warn could threaten the Chinese Communist Party’s top priority: social stability.
Health recalls
Health - A recall is underway for nearly 30,000 bags of herbal tea sold in seven
states and Puerto Rico, according to the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA). The tea, from Celebration Herbals, was initially recalled on Nov.
25 for possible contamination with Salmonella, one of the leading causes of infection, hospitalization, and death from foodborne illness in the U.S.
MIT professor was former clasmate of his killer
NY Times - Federal prosecutors said Thursday that the suspect in the killing of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor was his former classmate. Claudio Manuel Neves Valente had attended the same academic program in Portugal as Nuno F.G. Loureiro, the M.I.T. professor, from 1995 to 2000. Dr. Loureiro, 47, graduated with a degree in physics from the Instituto Superior Técnico in 2000, according to his M.I.T. profile.
Attacks on drug boats
Hayes Brown, MS Now - The Trump administration has killed almost 100 people in a string of military strikes against boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. While officials claim the attacks are to prevent the flow of deadly fentanyl into America, the overall goals of the campaign are muddled at best.
But according to The Washington Post, the “war” against suspected narcotics smugglers, the brainchild of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, began as an effort to curb immigration to the United States. “Miller’s larger vision was to reduce the flow of drugs — and migrants — into the United States,” according to one of the former U.S. officials who spoke to the Post.
Since then, the campaign has morphed into a potential war for regime change in Venezuela. And in a cruel bit of irony, what reportedly began as Miller’s scheme to reduce migration may provoke even more people to flee north toward presumed safety in the United States. War causes refugees. Period. Adding a military campaign on top of Venezuela’s ongoing problems would only force more people to leave. More
But according to The Washington Post, the “war” against suspected narcotics smugglers, the brainchild of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, began as an effort to curb immigration to the United States. “Miller’s larger vision was to reduce the flow of drugs — and migrants — into the United States,” according to one of the former U.S. officials who spoke to the Post.
Since then, the campaign has morphed into a potential war for regime change in Venezuela. And in a cruel bit of irony, what reportedly began as Miller’s scheme to reduce migration may provoke even more people to flee north toward presumed safety in the United States. War causes refugees. Period. Adding a military campaign on top of Venezuela’s ongoing problems would only force more people to leave. More
Meanwhile. . .
The Hill - Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Justice Department would not be releasing the full Epstein files to Congress Friday as required under new legislation, instead sending over a partial batch. Blanche told Fox News that the Justice Department would release “several hundred thousand” documents on Friday, “and then over the next couple weeks, I expect several hundred thousand more.”
Newsworthy News - An out-of-control MTA bus careened through a Bronx neighborhood for five blocks, smashing into multiple vehicles and hospitalizing eight people in a chaotic scene that exposed the dangerous negligence plaguing New York’s crumbling public transit system...
December 18, 2025
Trump signs order reclassifying marijuana as less dangerous
The Guardian - Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to move cannabis out of the most restrictive drug category, a change that would loosen limits on research and certain regulations but stop short of making marijuana legal nationwide.
“I’m pleased to announce that I will be signing an Executive Order to reschedule marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance with legitimate medical uses,” the president said from the Oval Office.
“This reclassification order will make it far easier to conduct marijuana-related medical research, allowing us to study benefits, potential dangers and future treatments,” Trump added. “It’s going to have a tremendously positive impact.”
The action allows for a pilot program that reimburses Medicare patients for products containing CBD, a widely used cannabis-derived compound that does not produce a high.
Under the order, marijuana would be shifted from Schedule I, a category that includes heroin, to Schedule III, which also includes ketamine. The move, however, would not legalize marijuana as some states have done, and would not change how law enforcement agencies handle marijuana-related arrests, according to senior administration officials who spoke to the New York Times.
Placing marijuana in Schedule III would align it with certain prescription pain medications, while keeping recreational use illegal at the federal level. The change would still need to go through the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) formal rule-making process. The reclassification could make scientific research easier as well as ease burdens on legal cannabis businesses by reducing strict federal tax penalties and improving access to banking services.
“I’m pleased to announce that I will be signing an Executive Order to reschedule marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance with legitimate medical uses,” the president said from the Oval Office.
“This reclassification order will make it far easier to conduct marijuana-related medical research, allowing us to study benefits, potential dangers and future treatments,” Trump added. “It’s going to have a tremendously positive impact.”
The action allows for a pilot program that reimburses Medicare patients for products containing CBD, a widely used cannabis-derived compound that does not produce a high.
Under the order, marijuana would be shifted from Schedule I, a category that includes heroin, to Schedule III, which also includes ketamine. The move, however, would not legalize marijuana as some states have done, and would not change how law enforcement agencies handle marijuana-related arrests, according to senior administration officials who spoke to the New York Times.
Placing marijuana in Schedule III would align it with certain prescription pain medications, while keeping recreational use illegal at the federal level. The change would still need to go through the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) formal rule-making process. The reclassification could make scientific research easier as well as ease burdens on legal cannabis businesses by reducing strict federal tax penalties and improving access to banking services.
Donald Trump
New York Times - The Kennedy Center board, composed almost entirely of President Trump’s allies, voted on Thursday to change the name of the performing arts center to the Trump-Kennedy Center, the White House press secretary said.
It was not immediately clear what effect the vote would have, but it would not officially change the name of the center, which is by law designated the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, asserted that the board’s vote was unanimous, but Representative Joyce Beatty of Ohio, a Democrat who is one of the lawmakers granted a spot on the board, said on social media that she “was muted on the call and not allowed to speak or voice my opposition.”
The Allen Analysis - President Trump’s announcement that more than 1.45 million service members will receive $1,776 checks before Christmas was framed as a personal reward for troops. In reality, the payments come from existing funds Congress specifically allocated to subsidize military housing, according to a senior administration official who confirmed the details to Defense One.
President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to downgrade cannabis from the most restrictive category of drugs like heroin, which would facilitate medical research. But it did not legalize marijuana, as some states have. Mr. Trump also authorized a pilot program to reimburse Medicare patients for products made with CBD, a popular, non-psychoactive compound of cannabis. Read more ›
Almost Entire East Coast Under Weather Warnings
Newsweek - Weather alerts were in place for nearly the entire U.S. East Coast on Thursday ahead of a windy storm system set to sweep across the region on Friday.
The warnings come amid a bout of stormy weather for the U.S., as NWS meteorologists issued tornado warning and severe thunderstorm warnings in St. Louis, Missouri, and myriad severe weather alerts remain in place across the Pacific Northwest amid another atmospheric river.
In the Northeast, millions of Americans were expecting windy, stormy conditions to begin in the early morning hours on Friday. According to a report by AccuWeather, the same storm responsible for the atmospheric river in the Pacific Northwest earlier in the week is trekking across the country and will hit the Northeast by Friday.
"Along much of the I-95 zone, some of the strongest wind gusts will occur late Thursday night to Friday morning rush hour, right as the storm's cold front approaches and swings through," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Dombek said in the report.
The most widespread issued alert was a wind advisory, in place for coastal Maine south through northern Delaware. Some areas also were under the more severe high wind warnings, such as Bar Harbor, Maine, and Boston, Massachusetts. Wind gusts could reach up to 60 mph in some instances.
"A high wind warning for the Cape and Islands on Friday," NWS Boston posted on X on Thursday. "Southerly wind gusts to 55 to 65 mph are possible, peaking from mid morning into early afternoon. A Wind Advisory is in effect for the rest of southern New England for gusts to 40 to 55 mph."
The storm has already caused rare weather alerts in areas such as Montana and St. Louis. A "rarely used" Civil Emergency Message was issued for Great Falls, Montana, on Wednesday, NWS warning coordination meteorologist Maura Casey told Newsweek, and on Thursday, a "rare" December tornado warning was issued by the NWS St. Louis office, NWS meteorologist Jayson Gosselin told Newsweek.
The warnings come amid a bout of stormy weather for the U.S., as NWS meteorologists issued tornado warning and severe thunderstorm warnings in St. Louis, Missouri, and myriad severe weather alerts remain in place across the Pacific Northwest amid another atmospheric river.
In the Northeast, millions of Americans were expecting windy, stormy conditions to begin in the early morning hours on Friday. According to a report by AccuWeather, the same storm responsible for the atmospheric river in the Pacific Northwest earlier in the week is trekking across the country and will hit the Northeast by Friday.
"Along much of the I-95 zone, some of the strongest wind gusts will occur late Thursday night to Friday morning rush hour, right as the storm's cold front approaches and swings through," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Dombek said in the report.
The most widespread issued alert was a wind advisory, in place for coastal Maine south through northern Delaware. Some areas also were under the more severe high wind warnings, such as Bar Harbor, Maine, and Boston, Massachusetts. Wind gusts could reach up to 60 mph in some instances.
"A high wind warning for the Cape and Islands on Friday," NWS Boston posted on X on Thursday. "Southerly wind gusts to 55 to 65 mph are possible, peaking from mid morning into early afternoon. A Wind Advisory is in effect for the rest of southern New England for gusts to 40 to 55 mph."
The storm has already caused rare weather alerts in areas such as Montana and St. Louis. A "rarely used" Civil Emergency Message was issued for Great Falls, Montana, on Wednesday, NWS warning coordination meteorologist Maura Casey told Newsweek, and on Thursday, a "rare" December tornado warning was issued by the NWS St. Louis office, NWS meteorologist Jayson Gosselin told Newsweek.
Immigration
New Republic - A federal judge in Kentucky proposed in a judicial opinion this week that the Bill of Rights does not protect more than 50 million immigrants in the United States. Judge Amul Thapar, who serves on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, argued that originalism required him to exclude all noncitizens from the Constitution’s protections.
“Originally understood, neither the First nor Fourth Amendment clearly extends to noncitizens,” he wrote in a concurring and dissenting opinion on Monday. “And, properly read, the Supreme Court’s guidance on these amendments is far from consistent, in part due to the drift of First and Fourth Amendment caselaw from the original public meaning of the text.”
Thapar’s opinion is a train wreck, to put it mildly. Though the case only concerned the scope of the Second Amendment as it applies to undocumented immigrants, the Trump appointee goes far beyond the facts and briefs to forcefully argue that millions of people living lawfully in the United States can be silenced and seized at the government’s whims. To build his case, Thapar commits a series of profound moral and legal errors that disprove his argument altogether.
“Originally understood, neither the First nor Fourth Amendment clearly extends to noncitizens,” he wrote in a concurring and dissenting opinion on Monday. “And, properly read, the Supreme Court’s guidance on these amendments is far from consistent, in part due to the drift of First and Fourth Amendment caselaw from the original public meaning of the text.”
Thapar’s opinion is a train wreck, to put it mildly. Though the case only concerned the scope of the Second Amendment as it applies to undocumented immigrants, the Trump appointee goes far beyond the facts and briefs to forcefully argue that millions of people living lawfully in the United States can be silenced and seized at the government’s whims. To build his case, Thapar commits a series of profound moral and legal errors that disprove his argument altogether.
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