December 24, 2025
Temperatures expected to set record Christmas highs
The Washington Post - On Christmas Day, more than 100 individual high temperature records are forecast to be neared, tied or broken across the nation. While temperatures on one day of the year aren’t a reliable indicator of climate change, winter temperatures are rising countrywide.
Food recalls
Newsweek - A Michigan-based company has recalled holidays cookies due to the possible undeclared presence of allergens, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced. Troemner Farm issued a voluntary recall on Monday for two sizes of its Pfeffernusse Cookies due to the possible presence of milk, wheat and soy, which were not declared on the labels.
Independent UK - Direct Source Seafood LLC is recalling 83,800 bags which could be contaminated with cesium-137, a human-made radioactive isotope, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said.No illnesses linked to the recalled shrimp have been reported to date, the FDA confirmed. The shrimp, imported from Indonesia, was sold under the Market 32 and Waterfront Bistro brand names
Pennsylvania High Court Rules Police Can Access Google Searches Without Warrant
Reclaim the Net - The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has a new definition of “reasonable expectation.” According to the justices, it’s no longer reasonable to assume that what you type into Google is yours to keep.
In a decision that reads like a love letter to the surveillance economy, the court ruled that police were within their rights to access a convicted rapist’s search history without a warrant. The reasoning is that everyone knows they’re being watched anyway.
The opinion, issued Tuesday, leaned on the idea that the public has already surrendered its privacy to Silicon Valley.
In a decision that reads like a love letter to the surveillance economy, the court ruled that police were within their rights to access a convicted rapist’s search history without a warrant. The reasoning is that everyone knows they’re being watched anyway.
The opinion, issued Tuesday, leaned on the idea that the public has already surrendered its privacy to Silicon Valley.
Trump regime bans veterans agency from providing abortions
The Guardian - The Department of Veterans Affairs can no longer provide abortions to veterans, including in cases of rape or incest, following a Department of Justice memo that found last week that the practice was not legally sound.
The ban follows months of efforts by the Trump administration to roll back a Biden-era policy that, for the first time, permitted the VA to counsel veterans and their families about abortion, as well as offer the procedure in cases of rape or incest, or when a veteran’s pregnancy imperiled their health. In August, the administration filed paperwork to officially roll back the policy, which had helped the VA’s network of 1,300-plus healthcare facilities – which treat nearly 10 million veterans each year – expand access to abortion, especially in the wake of the US supreme court’s 2022 overturning of Roe v Wade.
The ban follows months of efforts by the Trump administration to roll back a Biden-era policy that, for the first time, permitted the VA to counsel veterans and their families about abortion, as well as offer the procedure in cases of rape or incest, or when a veteran’s pregnancy imperiled their health. In August, the administration filed paperwork to officially roll back the policy, which had helped the VA’s network of 1,300-plus healthcare facilities – which treat nearly 10 million veterans each year – expand access to abortion, especially in the wake of the US supreme court’s 2022 overturning of Roe v Wade.
Polls
MSN - Donald Trump’s nemesis, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, has registered the highest approval rating among current political leaders, a new poll has revealed.
A Gallup survey shows that Powell—whom Trump has long berated while demanding interest-rate cuts—is more highly regarded by Americans than the president, members of Trump’s Cabinet, and leading Democratic figures.
The poll shows Powell’s approval rating at 44 percent, compared with Trump’s second-term low of 36 percent. The president’s current approval is only slightly above his all-time low of 34 percent, recorded in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol in 2021.
Independent, UK - President Donald Trump’s job approval rating stands at just 36 percent in the latest Gallup poll, the joint-worst rating of any U.S. president at the end of their first year in power of the last 50 years.
The other man? Himself – at the end of the first year of his first term in December 2017 – when he picked up precisely the same score.
For comparison, his predecessor Joe Biden was at 43 percent at the end of his first year in the Oval Office in December 2021.
Looking further back, there is one president with a worse approval rating than Trump at the end of the first year of their second term, Richard Nixon, who scored 30 percent in December 1973
19 States Sue to Block White House Plan to End Gender-Related Care for Minors
NY Times - A coalition of 19 states on Tuesday sued to block the Trump administration’s plan to strip federal funding from hospitals providing gender-related care for minors, a policy that would effectively shut down any health care providers that failed to comply.
That plan, announced on Thursday by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., would cut off all Medicaid and Medicare payments — which make up a major share of hospital revenue — to any facility that provides minors with gender-related treatments in the country.
Part of the underpinning of that plan is a declaration by Mr. Kennedy that gender-related treatments for minors “fail to meet professional recognized standards of health care.” In the suit, the states argue that the declaration is unlawful and a government overreach.
That plan, announced on Thursday by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., would cut off all Medicaid and Medicare payments — which make up a major share of hospital revenue — to any facility that provides minors with gender-related treatments in the country.
Part of the underpinning of that plan is a declaration by Mr. Kennedy that gender-related treatments for minors “fail to meet professional recognized standards of health care.” In the suit, the states argue that the declaration is unlawful and a government overreach.
South leads in new housing
Newsweek - While the growth in home prices that the country experienced during the pandemic homebuying frenzy, which was fueled by low borrowing costs, has slowed down this year, a home is a much more costly purchase now than it was in 2019.
Between 2019 and 2024, median single-family home prices rose by 48 percent nationally at more than twice the rate of median income, which rose by 22 percent, according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) at Harvard University.
But in a few markets across the country, home prices have been falling this year—and are likely to continue declining in 2026. Most are in the two states that have been building the most new homes over the past few years—Florida and Texas.
Florida and Texas have been experiencing a construction boom during the pandemic, as developers tried to keep up with increased demand. Last year, the two states topped the nation for building permits, totaling 173,326 for Florida and 225,756 for Texas, according to Census Bureau data.
The South alone received authorization to build 805,034 housing units out of the nation’s total 1,478,000 last year. The West followed with 327,256.
Only data from January to August has been made available by the Census Bureau so far this year. But the numbers show that the South and the West once again dominated the country for number of housing permits authorized, respectively at 533,854 and 210,342 respectively.
Meanwhile. . .
NPR - Today, the word "yule" conjures up images of cozy Christmas cheer. But
Yuletide traditions got their start in wild parties and animal
sacrifice. On this week's Word of the Week, dive into the pagan origins of Yule festivals.
High court hands Trump a major loss
The Hill - The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that Trump may not deploy National Guard troops to Chicago amid his push to patrol multiple Democratic-led cities.
After more than two months of consideration, the court, in an apparent 6-3 decision, declined to pause a district court judge’s ruling temporarily halting the National Guard troops from being federalized and deployed in Illinois, The Hill’s Ella Lee reports.
“At this preliminary stage, the Government has failed to identify a source of authority that would allow the military to execute the laws in Illinois,” the unsigned order reads.
This is the first time the court has ruled on the president’s use of National Guard troops domestically.
The court explained that to justify mobilizing the National Guard, a president must be unable to execute laws with the regular forces of the U.S. military, Lee reports. That would require “exceptional” circumstances because of the Posse Comitatus Act, a law that generally bans federal troops from acting as civilian law enforcement.
Trump has sent the National Guard to major cities including Chicago, Portland, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., prompting challenges that could be affected by Tuesday’s decision.
Jeffrey Epstein
Takeaways from the 3rd Epstein files release
The Guardian - A newly released batch of the so-called Epstein files on Tuesday includes many references to Donald Trump, including a claim by a senior US attorney that the US president was on a flight in the 1990s with the now-deceased convicted child sex offender and a 20-year-old woman.
There is no indication of whether the woman was a victim of any crime, and being included in the files does not indicate any criminal wrongdoing.
The latest tranche of files from the justice department follows a similar release last week of a section of the documents detailing its investigations into the billionaire sex offender. The files include more references to Trump, but also more details about Epstein’s relationship with economist Larry Summers. Bizarrely, the Tuesday release includes a letter purported to be from Epstein to the convicted sexual abuser and former Olympics gymnastics coach Larry Nassar – which the DoJ later in the day announced was a fake.
The numerous references to Trump include an email that suggests he travelled onboard Epstein’s private jet with women who would have been possible witnesses to the case against Epstein’s accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.
The email – sent by the US attorney for the southern district of New York on 7 January 2020 – has the subject “Epstein flight records”.
It reads: “For your situational awareness, wanted to let you know that the flight records we received yesterday reflect that Donald Trump travelled on Epstein’s private jet many more times than previously has been reported (or that we were aware), including during the period we would expect to charge in a Maxwell case.
December 23, 2025
Trump denies disaster aid to Colorodo
The Hill - President Trump has denied disaster aid to the state of Colorado in the wake of wildfires and flooding.
The office of Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) announced the denial in a Sunday statement. He accused the president of playing “political games” and urged him to reconsider.
“Coloradans impacted by the Elk and Lee fires and the flooding in Southwestern Colorado deserve better than the political games President Trump is playing,” Polis said in the statement.
“I call on the President’s better angels, and urge him to reconsider these requests. This is about the Coloradans who need this support, and we won’t stop fighting for them to get what they deserve. Colorado will be appealing this decision,” he said.
Under the Stafford Act, a president can unlock additional federal assistance by declaring a major disaster.
The Trump administration, however, has sought to shrink federal disaster assistance to states — and has denied some requests for disaster aid.
While other presidents have turned down some disaster requests, Trump’s denials come as his administration is expected to try to downsize the Federal Emergency Management Agency and spend less federal money on disaster response.
The office of Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) announced the denial in a Sunday statement. He accused the president of playing “political games” and urged him to reconsider.
“Coloradans impacted by the Elk and Lee fires and the flooding in Southwestern Colorado deserve better than the political games President Trump is playing,” Polis said in the statement.
“I call on the President’s better angels, and urge him to reconsider these requests. This is about the Coloradans who need this support, and we won’t stop fighting for them to get what they deserve. Colorado will be appealing this decision,” he said.
Under the Stafford Act, a president can unlock additional federal assistance by declaring a major disaster.
The Trump administration, however, has sought to shrink federal disaster assistance to states — and has denied some requests for disaster aid.
While other presidents have turned down some disaster requests, Trump’s denials come as his administration is expected to try to downsize the Federal Emergency Management Agency and spend less federal money on disaster response.
Jeffrey Epstein
Washington Post - Three days after releasing a large tranche of Jeffrey Epstein documents that contained few mentions of President Donald Trump, the Justice Department disclosed thousands more files that included wide-ranging references to the president.
The documents show that a subpoena was sent to Mar-a-Lago in 2021 for records that pertained to the government’s case against Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s accomplice in sex trafficking. They include notes from an assistant U.S. attorney in New York about the number of times Trump flew on Epstein’s plane, including one flight that included just Trump, Epstein and a 20-year-old woman, according to the notes.
The newly released documents also include several tips that were collected by the FBI about Trump’s involvement with Epstein and parties at their properties in the early 2000s. The documents do not show whether any follow-up investigations took place or whether any of the tips were corroborated....
The documents were available for several hours Monday afternoon and evening on the Justice Department website but appeared to have been taken down around 8 p.m. The Washington Post downloaded the full set of files while they were accessible. The department reposted the files on its website shortly before midnight Monday night. It was not immediately clear whether officials had done any further redactions of the documents before posting.
The department did not immediately respond to questions about why the documents had been posted and then apparently removed. The White House also did not respond to requests for comment about the newly released documents.
Being mentioned in a mass trove of investigatory documents does not demonstrate criminal wrongdoing. Trump has not been accused of being involved in Epstein’s criminal activities. It has long been known that Trump had a years-long friendship with Epstein that ended in the early 2000s.
The president has said he did not know about Epstein’s criminal behavior, and his spokesperson has said he kicked Epstein out of his Mar-a-Lago Club for being a “creep.”
The documents show that a subpoena was sent to Mar-a-Lago in 2021 for records that pertained to the government’s case against Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s accomplice in sex trafficking. They include notes from an assistant U.S. attorney in New York about the number of times Trump flew on Epstein’s plane, including one flight that included just Trump, Epstein and a 20-year-old woman, according to the notes.
The newly released documents also include several tips that were collected by the FBI about Trump’s involvement with Epstein and parties at their properties in the early 2000s. The documents do not show whether any follow-up investigations took place or whether any of the tips were corroborated....
The documents were available for several hours Monday afternoon and evening on the Justice Department website but appeared to have been taken down around 8 p.m. The Washington Post downloaded the full set of files while they were accessible. The department reposted the files on its website shortly before midnight Monday night. It was not immediately clear whether officials had done any further redactions of the documents before posting.
The department did not immediately respond to questions about why the documents had been posted and then apparently removed. The White House also did not respond to requests for comment about the newly released documents.
Being mentioned in a mass trove of investigatory documents does not demonstrate criminal wrongdoing. Trump has not been accused of being involved in Epstein’s criminal activities. It has long been known that Trump had a years-long friendship with Epstein that ended in the early 2000s.
The president has said he did not know about Epstein’s criminal behavior, and his spokesperson has said he kicked Epstein out of his Mar-a-Lago Club for being a “creep.”
|
December 22, 2025
California Reservoir Water Level Update as Lake Surges 6 Feet in a Day
Newsweek - An atmospheric river is bringing a surge of moisture across California, with excessive rains causing Lake Oroville to rise more than 6 feet in the span of a day.
Atmospheric rivers are a "long, narrow region in the atmosphere—like rivers in the sky—that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The storms brought by atmospheric rivers are known for their heavy snow, heavy rain and strong winds. They more commonly affect the West Coast, particularly during the winter months. Although the storms can bring beneficial snow that helps supplement reservoirs throughout the dry summer season, they can also trigger deadly flooding, mudslides and widespread power outages.
Atmospheric rivers are a "long, narrow region in the atmosphere—like rivers in the sky—that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The storms brought by atmospheric rivers are known for their heavy snow, heavy rain and strong winds. They more commonly affect the West Coast, particularly during the winter months. Although the storms can bring beneficial snow that helps supplement reservoirs throughout the dry summer season, they can also trigger deadly flooding, mudslides and widespread power outages.
U.S. Housing Discrimination Complaints Rise
NY Times - Housing discrimination is on the rise in the United States, according to a new report, but fair housing advocates say the figures understate the scope of the problem.
The report, by the National Fair Housing Alliance, a nonprofit, said there were 32,321 complaints in 2024, drawing on data from fair housing organizations and government agencies. Complaints increased by more than 17 percent from 2014 to 2024 before a small drop. The highest number of complaints in recent years was in 2023, with 34,150.
The number of complaints has grown since 2014 for several reasons, including continuous efforts from nonprofits to educate the public about fair housing issues, said Lisa Rice, the alliance’s president and chief executive.
The report, by the National Fair Housing Alliance, a nonprofit, said there were 32,321 complaints in 2024, drawing on data from fair housing organizations and government agencies. Complaints increased by more than 17 percent from 2014 to 2024 before a small drop. The highest number of complaints in recent years was in 2023, with 34,150.
The number of complaints has grown since 2014 for several reasons, including continuous efforts from nonprofits to educate the public about fair housing issues, said Lisa Rice, the alliance’s president and chief executive.
Boiling lobsters alive may become illegal in England
The Guardian - Boiling lobsters alive will be banned under proposals to improve animal welfare in England. Government ministers say that “live boiling is not an acceptable killing method” for crustaceans and alternative guidance will be published.
The practice is already illegal in Switzerland, Norway and New Zealand. Animal welfare charities say that stunning lobsters with an electric gun or chilling them in cold air or ice before boiling them is more humane.
A ban would build on a law introduced by the Conservatives in 2022 which stated that invertebrates including octopus, crabs and lobsters were sentient and felt pain as much as other animals.
The practice is already illegal in Switzerland, Norway and New Zealand. Animal welfare charities say that stunning lobsters with an electric gun or chilling them in cold air or ice before boiling them is more humane.
A ban would build on a law introduced by the Conservatives in 2022 which stated that invertebrates including octopus, crabs and lobsters were sentient and felt pain as much as other animals.
Jeffrey Epstein
Occupy Democrats - The testimony of Susan Ransome from the trial of Epstein’s girlfriend and chief sex-trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell contains a deeply disturbing glimpse into the deviancy of Donald J. Trump.
In her sworn statement, Ransome says that one of her friends “confided in me about her casual ‘friendship’ with Donald. Mr Trump definitely seemed to have a thing for her and she told me how he kept going on about how he liked her ‘pert nipples.’
“Donald Trump liked flicking and sucking her nipples until they were raw. One evening when we were showering together she showed me her nipples. They looked incredibly painful as they were red and swollen and I remember wincing when I looked at them. I also know she had sexual relations with Trump at Jeffery’s NY mansion on regular occasions as I once met Jen for coffee, just before she was going to meet Trump and Epstein together at his mansion.”
While this testimony was originally released in 2024, it somehow made little noise in the media before resurfacing in Friday’s document drop from the Department of Justice.
While it’s just the testimony of one woman, we also have the allegations of sexual assault and abuse from over two dozen women against Trump completely separate from the Epstein case, not to mention Katie Johnson’s allegations that Donald Trump raped her with Epstein.
Polls
American Research Group: Trump approval
Approve: 35% Disapprove: 62%
Approve: 41% Disapprove 50%
Gallup poll
Approve: 36%
Disapprove: 59%
 |
Christmas note
Sam Smith - Undernews may be unpredictably irregular over the next couple of weeks as your editor celebrates Christmas with his wife, two sons and their wives, and three grandchildren. This gang is a model of what America could be like if run by nice folk rather than the egocentric aggressives now in charge. But they may want to go upstreet just when there are still some unpublished items.
Driverless cars
Bloomberg - In San Francisco on Saturday, Waymo’s driverless cars stalled mid-ride across the city
as traffic lights went dark during a widespread power outage. The cars
became stationary roadblocks as traffic backed up, during one of the
city’s busiest shopping periods. Meanwhile, Uber and Lyft are charging
ahead abroad, teaming up with Baidu to trial robotaxis in the UK, starting in London next year.
US farmers say Trump’s funding not enough to undo damage from tariffs
The Guardian - While the US president has vowed to increase domestic farm production, and even claimed this formed a “big part” of his plan to lower grocery prices for Americans, many US farmers are grappling with mounting financial issues – compounded by Trump’s agenda.
Grain farmers, in particular, have been hit by trade disruptions caused by tariff hikes, and $11bn of the US Department of Agriculture’s Farmer Bridge Assistance Program will go to row-crop farmers. Trump’s trade war with China has hit soya bean farmers the hardest, as China bought 54% of US soya bean exports last year, according to the American Soybean Association.
But the one-time payments do little to assuage the financial stressors that row-crop farmers have faced for the past three years because of rising input costs and lower crop prices. This year alone, US crop farmers have lost $34.6bn, before crop insurance and other government support, according to the American Farm Bureau. Neither row-crop, nor specialty producers, who raise fruits and vegetables, made money in 2025, and the 2026 outlooks are bleak.
While federal aid was welcomed, Dan Wright, president of the Arkansas Farm Bureau, said it falls short of what is needed. He said: “A program that provides roughly $50 an acre will not save the thousands of family farms that will go bankrupt before the end of the year.”
Grain farmers, in particular, have been hit by trade disruptions caused by tariff hikes, and $11bn of the US Department of Agriculture’s Farmer Bridge Assistance Program will go to row-crop farmers. Trump’s trade war with China has hit soya bean farmers the hardest, as China bought 54% of US soya bean exports last year, according to the American Soybean Association.
But the one-time payments do little to assuage the financial stressors that row-crop farmers have faced for the past three years because of rising input costs and lower crop prices. This year alone, US crop farmers have lost $34.6bn, before crop insurance and other government support, according to the American Farm Bureau. Neither row-crop, nor specialty producers, who raise fruits and vegetables, made money in 2025, and the 2026 outlooks are bleak.
While federal aid was welcomed, Dan Wright, president of the Arkansas Farm Bureau, said it falls short of what is needed. He said: “A program that provides roughly $50 an acre will not save the thousands of family farms that will go bankrupt before the end of the year.”
Holiday scams
NPR - In a recent AARP survey of nearly 2,000 U.S. adults, nearly 9 out of 10 reported that someone had targeted them or they had fallen for some type of scam during the holiday season in the past year. Common schemes include fake shipping notifications, stolen packages and fake donation requests. Amy Nofziger, a fraud specialist with AARP, shtips on how to protect yourself.ares with Life Kit the top schemes she's been seeing this season and
🎁 Before using a vendor that is new to you, search their name plus
"scam," "fraud," and "complaint" to see other customers' experiences.
Use this information as a guide.
🎁 Avoid fake gift cards by buying the ones that are close to the front of the store and have more eyes on them. You can also purchase electronic gift cards instead of physical ones.
🎁 If an unexpected text from UPS or FedEx requests your personal information, contact the company’s customer service line separately and confirm that a package is indeed coming your way.
🎁 Avoid fake gift cards by buying the ones that are close to the front of the store and have more eyes on them. You can also purchase electronic gift cards instead of physical ones.
🎁 If an unexpected text from UPS or FedEx requests your personal information, contact the company’s customer service line separately and confirm that a package is indeed coming your way.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)