December 29, 2025
Donald Trump
Time - After returning to office, Donald Trump’s net worth jumped to $7.3 billion, up from $3.9 billion in 2024, according to a tally that Forbes published in September. In mid-December, Trump Media and Technology Group announced a planned merger with TAE Technologies, a company working to develop nuclear fusion technology. That merger was the latest move to raise questions about Trump and conflicts of interests, given that his Administration oversees the regulation of the nuclear industry.
Most modern Presidents before Trump put their assets into blind trusts or broadly diversified funds in order to avoid concerns from the public about the White House favoring policy decisions that would benefit a President financially. Trump didn’t do that for his first term, and hasn’t done that for his second. Since his inauguration a year ago, he’s continued to stay involved in his companies while also entering into new ventures that have soared in value.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in May that Trump was abiding by all applicable conflict-of-interest laws. "I think everybody, the American public, believe it's absurd for anyone to insinuate that this president is profiting off of the presidency,"
Critics argue that Trump has created the impression that he might be willing to make decisions as President that benefit himself and his family over the country. Wealthy individuals and sovereign wealth funds are able to invest in stocks and crypto currencies that could increase the President’s wealth and those same investors could launch a fire sale that could reduce their value. “That is a new pressure point on an American President that we’ve not previously seen, and a reason why Presidents divest from their assets to not have even the appearance of being able to be gotten to through their finances,” says Jordan Libowitz, a spokesman for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a left-leaning nonprofit that tracks the influence of money in government.
Meanwhile. . .
Japan now sees 850,000 more funerals than births each year. The gap will soon widen to 1,000,000 more deaths than births.
Chicago’s Mayor Is Caught in a Trap
Jacobin - When labor activist Brandon Johnson upset Paul Vallas in Chicago’s 2023 runoff mayoral election, the Left had good cause for optimism. One of their own, a former Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) activist, had just won the highest elected office in the third largest city in the United States. And, even better, he did so with an explicit commitment to pursuing a racial and economic justice platform. After the Sanders 2020 campaign, it was a much-needed glimmer of hope for the American left.
And for a time it seemed that the hard work of local activists had finally paid off. Johnson’s victory was made possible by support from the United Working Families Party, founded as a coalition between the CTU and Service Employees International Union Health Care Indiana Illinois and now including a range of other progressive unions, along with the impressive get-out-the-vote efforts of community-based organizations. While Johnson’s assembly of a traditional electoral coalition of blacks, Latinos, and lakefront white liberals was certainly formidable, it would be the governing coalition that would determine whether or not he could fulfill his social democratic agenda. Inevitably, this would mean working with real estate developers and the corporate class writ large to feed the growth machine with financial incentives and corporate subsidies.
This conundrum was hardly unique to Chicago. Brandon Johnson, like all progressive mayors, is caught in this contradiction of urban governance in America; he cannot govern without accommodating the financial, insurance, and real estate (FIRE) sectors. But he cannot accommodate the FIRE sectors and build “the safest, most affordable big city in America.” Examining the challenges confronting Brandon Johnson can help to anticipate the kind of governing constraints that Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who lacks the benefit of an activated institutional base such as the CTU, will soon face from the much more powerful FIRE sectors in New York. If Chicago was a battle, then New York will be nothing less than a full-scale war.
Polls
The Guardian - Twice as many Americans believe their financial security is getting worse than better, according to an exclusive new poll conducted for the Guardian, and they are increasingly blaming the White House.
The poll, conducted by Harris, will be a further blow to Donald Trump’s efforts to fight off criticism of his handling of the economy and contains some worrying findings for the president.
Nearly half (45%) of Americans said their financial security is getting worse compared to 20% who said it’s getting better.
57% of Americans said the US economy is undergoing a recession, up 11% from a similar poll that was conducted in February.
The US is not experiencing a recession, which is typically defined as two quarters of negative growth. And last week, the US posted far stronger than expected economic growth figures for the summer months.
But the pessimism underscores an economically tumultuous year. Americans have reported feeling shaken by Trump’s tariffs, mass government layoffs and a crackdown on immigration. The Conference Board’s measure of consumer confidence has dropped for five consecutive months.
Trump regime
Charles F. Coleman Jr, MS NOW - . As a civil rights attorney, this year has been even worse than the nightmare I expected.... The speed of the dismantling of this country’s civil rights protections is one reason. Another is the breadth of the administration’s attacks: including on police accountability measures, voting rights protections, guards against workplace discrimination and the concept of environmental racism.
Trump made Harmeet Dhillon, an ultra-conservative opponent of accepted civil rights law, the head of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, and she swiftly withdrew the DOJ from numerous consent decrees with law enforcement agencies across the country. These consent decrees were the result of investigations — and, in some cases, litigation — that the Department of Justice bought on behalf of individuals whose rights were violated by police.
Dhillon’s withdraw from those agreements wasn’t just a disregard for DOJ staff and the Civil Rights Division’s mandate to protect federally guaranteed rights. It also was a dog whistle to police to expect wide latitude and little oversight from a president who signed an executive order this year that he said would “unleash” the country’s police.
Trump, who has continued to push the bogus claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him, signed a March executive order called “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” which, among other things, demands that states implement voting procedures that require an ID proving American citizenship to vote. Voting rights advocates have long resisted that idea because many people have difficulty obtaining the type of identification the executive order requires.
That same order directs federal agencies to share private voter data with states and ties the receipt of federal funds to compliance. Not only do the provisions of this order threaten to disenfranchise millions of American voters — particularly Black people and other people of color, women, low-income voters and naturalized citizens — the measure itself is an unprecedented, and arguably unconstitutional, siphoning of power to the executive branch. More
Trump made Harmeet Dhillon, an ultra-conservative opponent of accepted civil rights law, the head of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, and she swiftly withdrew the DOJ from numerous consent decrees with law enforcement agencies across the country. These consent decrees were the result of investigations — and, in some cases, litigation — that the Department of Justice bought on behalf of individuals whose rights were violated by police.
Dhillon’s withdraw from those agreements wasn’t just a disregard for DOJ staff and the Civil Rights Division’s mandate to protect federally guaranteed rights. It also was a dog whistle to police to expect wide latitude and little oversight from a president who signed an executive order this year that he said would “unleash” the country’s police.
Trump, who has continued to push the bogus claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him, signed a March executive order called “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” which, among other things, demands that states implement voting procedures that require an ID proving American citizenship to vote. Voting rights advocates have long resisted that idea because many people have difficulty obtaining the type of identification the executive order requires.
That same order directs federal agencies to share private voter data with states and ties the receipt of federal funds to compliance. Not only do the provisions of this order threaten to disenfranchise millions of American voters — particularly Black people and other people of color, women, low-income voters and naturalized citizens — the measure itself is an unprecedented, and arguably unconstitutional, siphoning of power to the executive branch. More
Anthony L. Fisher, MS NOW - The first words in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights are “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” Many social conservatives — who otherwise consider themselves “originalists” when it comes to reading the text of the Constitution — have long argued that the Founders didn’t really mean those words and that they actually intended for America to be a Christian nation.
That’s nonsense, of course. No less an authority than Thomas Jefferson spoke of a “wall of separation between the church and state,” and he made the argument in practical, not philosophical terms. Jefferson and James Madison both argued that forcing anyone to pay taxes to a government that was allied with a church or faith they didn’t belong to would deprive them of their religious liberty.
So the separation of church and state actually protects religious liberty and protects us from being compelled by the government to finance someone else’s religion. Sounds pretty American to me!
That’s not how the Trump administration appears to see it, though. Apparently still fighting the fictitious “War on Christmas” and continuing its tradition of trampling on the Constitution, the administration broke with the long-standing American government tradition of sticking with secular Santa-and-reindeer or jingle bells imagery in its official Christmas messaging. Instead, several administration figures and agencies posted overtly religious Christian messages from their official government accounts on Christmas Day. More
Workers
Robert Reich - Increase in productivity since 1979: 87% ... Increase in hourly pay since 1979: 32%. Just so happens that ~25% of workers were unionized in 1979. Today? 10%.
Wall Street Journal - Companies are looking to stay lean into 2026 while relying on technology to take on more tasks. Forecasters at jobs site Indeed expect relatively minimal hiring growth, and some firms are already vowing to keep the size of their employee bases roughly flat. At a gathering of CEOs in Midtown Manhattan this month organized by the Yale School of Management, 66% of leaders surveyed said they planned to either fire workers or maintain the size of their existing teams next year. Only a third indicated they planned to hire
December 28, 2025
Trump regime
PBS - The Trump administration says it plans to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the nation’s premier atmospheric science center. It was founded in 1960 and has facilitated generations of breakthroughs in climate and weather science.
Money
RBReich - America's richest 10% now hold 60% of the nation's wealth. The bottom half of America? It holds just 6%.
Increase in productivity since 1979: 87% Increase in hourly pay since 1979: 32% 25% of workers were unionized in 1979. Today? 10%.
Amy_Siskind - At least 717 companies filed for bankruptcy through November, the highest tally since 2010.
KobeissiLetter - Medical costs in the US now account for a record 11.6% of US GDP, with healthcare expenditures doubling since 2012. This comes as consumer spending on healthcare services rose to $3.6 trillion in Q3 2025, an all-time high.
December 27, 2025
Money
Robert Reich - America has 925 billionaires as of this year. Collectively they have a record $6.9 trillion in wealth. The bottom 50% of Americans control $4.2 trillion in wealth.
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| Via The Intellectualist |
Polls
InteractivePolls - Chuck Schumer's job approval trend among Democrats by Gallup
Jan. 2023 Approve: 76% Disapprove: 20%
Dec. 2025 Approve: 39% Disapprove: 56%
14 year old running legally for governor
Daily Mail, UK - He can't vote, can't drive a car, and still needs a permission slip for field trips — but 14-year-old Dean Roy believes he's ready to run Vermont.
While most high school freshmen set their eyes on student council or homecoming king, the teenager is looking to make history with an eye-popping campaign for governor.
'I really hope that this mission of mine leads to more youth getting involved,' Roy told the Daily Mail.
If elected, he'd be the first-ever US governor under the age of 18.
In 2018, 13-year-old Ethan Sonneborn ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic gubernatorial primary in Vermont. The youngest-ever US governor was Democrat Stevens Mason, who had just turned 24 when he began serving his term in Michigan in 1835.
Speaking from his bedroom with an American flag hanging vertically behind him, Roy told the Daily Mail his long-shot campaign all started with an offhand comment. At his 8th-grade graduation, his teacher joked that he wanted the campaign manager job if Roy ever ran for office.
What was likely intended as a throwaway comment struck a moment of curiosity for the youngster, who rushed home and looked up the requirements.
He found that Vermont is the only state with no age restrictions to run for governor. A handful of states allow citizens to apply at 18, but the majority require a candidate to be 30 on the date of the election.
While most high school freshmen set their eyes on student council or homecoming king, the teenager is looking to make history with an eye-popping campaign for governor.
'I really hope that this mission of mine leads to more youth getting involved,' Roy told the Daily Mail.
If elected, he'd be the first-ever US governor under the age of 18.
In 2018, 13-year-old Ethan Sonneborn ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic gubernatorial primary in Vermont. The youngest-ever US governor was Democrat Stevens Mason, who had just turned 24 when he began serving his term in Michigan in 1835.
Speaking from his bedroom with an American flag hanging vertically behind him, Roy told the Daily Mail his long-shot campaign all started with an offhand comment. At his 8th-grade graduation, his teacher joked that he wanted the campaign manager job if Roy ever ran for office.
What was likely intended as a throwaway comment struck a moment of curiosity for the youngster, who rushed home and looked up the requirements.
He found that Vermont is the only state with no age restrictions to run for governor. A handful of states allow citizens to apply at 18, but the majority require a candidate to be 30 on the date of the election.
American alcohol drinking at historic low
The Sun - The alcohol industry has faced financial hardship in 2025, leading to several distilleries filing for bankruptcy as Americans are drinking at the lowest levels in history.
Several alcohol makers have been struggling with shifts in consumer behavior, including Jim Beam.
The alcohol industry has been hit with multiple bankruptcy filings, with A.M. Scott Distillery, a distillery in Troy, Ohio, following six other major distilleries seeking bankruptcy protection, according to USA TODAY.
Another filing came in August with Luca Mariano Distillery, located in Danville, Kentucky. Before that, two distilleries, JJ Pfister Distilling Co. of Sacramento, California and Devils River Distillery of San Antonio, Texas filed in May.
House Spirits Distillery of Portland, Oregon, filed for bankruptcy in April.
Two more companies declared bankruptcy in March: Boston Harbor Distillery of Boston, Massachusetts, and Lee Spirits Co. of Monument, Colorado.
Part of the reason behind these filings stems from a shift in consumer behavior as alcohol consumption in the U.S. is on a decline.
An August poll conducted by Gallup found that 54% of adults say they consume alcohol, which was down from 58% in 2024 and 62% in 2023.
Gallup said the 54% finding is “the lowest by one percentage point in Gallup’s nearly 90-year trend.”
Politics
Newsweek - A new Congressional bill seeks to ban the renaming of any federal building, land, or other asset in honor of a sitting President. It comes in the wake of the controversial decision to add President Donald Trump’s name to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Key ballot measures to watch in 2026
Health
NBC News - A major health care divide is coming in 2026. Some Americans may finally catch a break on rising costs, as the first negotiated Medicare drug prices go into effect. Others will end up paying more, as Affordable Care Act tax credits expire and Medicaid coverage becomes more uncertain amid drastic cuts in state funding.
The divide is the result of decisions made by the last two administrations. In 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, which for the first time gave Medicare the authority to negotiate prices on some of its most expensive prescription drugs. And in July, President Donald Trump signed the “big, beautiful bill,” which slashed funding for Medicaid and didn’t extend ACA subsidies.
“If you’re on Medicare, there’s some good news,” said Larry Levitt, executive vice president for health policy at KFF, a nonpartisan research group. “If you’re on the ACA or Medicaid, it may be bad news ahead for you.”
The divide is the result of decisions made by the last two administrations. In 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, which for the first time gave Medicare the authority to negotiate prices on some of its most expensive prescription drugs. And in July, President Donald Trump signed the “big, beautiful bill,” which slashed funding for Medicaid and didn’t extend ACA subsidies.
“If you’re on Medicare, there’s some good news,” said Larry Levitt, executive vice president for health policy at KFF, a nonpartisan research group. “If you’re on the ACA or Medicaid, it may be bad news ahead for you.”
Striking findings from 2025
Pew Research Center - Here’s a look back at 2025 through 12 of Pew Research Center’s most striking research findings.
Trump's whoppers of 2025
Roll Call - Since he entered politics, President Donald Trump has been a regular on our end-of-year list of the most egregious and noteworthy falsehoods and distortions. With Trump back in the White House in 2025, it’s no surprise that he dominates this year’s whoppers.
Trump is known for rhetoric that uses inaccurate and exaggerated claims, which he repeats again and again. In his second term, several such claims were used to justify a whirlwind of policy changes and announcements. Using a method economists said wasn’t legitimate, he calculated “reciprocal tariffs” for goods imported from other countries. In firing the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, he claimed without evidence that low job growth figures were “phony” or “rigged.” In supporting a freeze on foreign aid, Trump said $50 million was being used to buy condoms for Hamas in Gaza, a claim refuted by the contractor identified by the State Department.
In a falsehood-filled press conference, Trump, along with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., touted an unproven link between autism and taking Tylenol during pregnancy. Kennedy, long known for spreading inaccurate information about vaccines, also features prominently in this year’s compilation. In his efforts to change the nation’s vaccine and public health recommendatTions, he pushed unproven therapeutics for treating measles and made false claims about the COVID-19 vaccines. The full list
Trump is known for rhetoric that uses inaccurate and exaggerated claims, which he repeats again and again. In his second term, several such claims were used to justify a whirlwind of policy changes and announcements. Using a method economists said wasn’t legitimate, he calculated “reciprocal tariffs” for goods imported from other countries. In firing the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, he claimed without evidence that low job growth figures were “phony” or “rigged.” In supporting a freeze on foreign aid, Trump said $50 million was being used to buy condoms for Hamas in Gaza, a claim refuted by the contractor identified by the State Department.
In a falsehood-filled press conference, Trump, along with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., touted an unproven link between autism and taking Tylenol during pregnancy. Kennedy, long known for spreading inaccurate information about vaccines, also features prominently in this year’s compilation. In his efforts to change the nation’s vaccine and public health recommendatTions, he pushed unproven therapeutics for treating measles and made false claims about the COVID-19 vaccines. The full list
December 26, 2025
Money
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| NY Times |
Andrew Lokenauth, TheFinanceNewsletter.com - If you're feeling behind, remember:
• The average consumer debt is $23,000
• Only 9% of Americans earn over $150,000
• 67% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck
• 46% of Americans aren't investing for retirement
• 43% of Americans expect to be in debt over the next 1-5 years
• 59% of Americans don't have $1,000 saved for an emergency
• Only 9% of Americans earn over $150,000
• 67% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck
• 46% of Americans aren't investing for retirement
• 43% of Americans expect to be in debt over the next 1-5 years
• 59% of Americans don't have $1,000 saved for an emergency
NPR - Holiday spending exceeded expectations, despite polling that
shows Americans have low confidence in the economy. Black Friday and
Cyber Monday set records, with Mastercard estimating that spending grew
by nearly four percent in November and December.
"More and more, it's the wealthy that are doing much of the spending," NPR's
Alina Selyukh says. Many consumers are switching to more affordable
options, such as T.J. Maxx or thrift stores, but luxury brands like
Ralph Lauren continue to perform well. Growing wages have fueled much of
the country's spending, Selyukh says, and the job market will be a key thing to watch in the year ahead.
Weather
Newsweek - Winter weather-related alerts from the National Weather Service (NWS) span swathes of the U.S. as of early Friday, with the agency expecting up to 3 feet of snow to fall in parts of the country.
Winter storm warnings, issued by the NWS when “a significant combination of hazardous winter weather is occurring or imminent” have been issued for parts of California, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Alaska, and Connecticut.
Mono County in California could see additional snow accumulations of 1 to 3 feet in areas above 8,000 feet, with 4 to 12 inches below 8,000 feet and along US-395, according to the agency.
Communities in the Greater Lake Tahoe Area could receive 8 to 16 inches—with 1 to 3 feet at locations above 7,000 feet, the NWS said in winter storm warnings that are in force until 4 p.m. Friday afternoon as of reporting.
Winter storm warnings, issued by the NWS when “a significant combination of hazardous winter weather is occurring or imminent” have been issued for parts of California, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Alaska, and Connecticut.
Mono County in California could see additional snow accumulations of 1 to 3 feet in areas above 8,000 feet, with 4 to 12 inches below 8,000 feet and along US-395, according to the agency.
Communities in the Greater Lake Tahoe Area could receive 8 to 16 inches—with 1 to 3 feet at locations above 7,000 feet, the NWS said in winter storm warnings that are in force until 4 p.m. Friday afternoon as of reporting.
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