December 19, 2025
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Welcome to the news for independent thinkers
Leading the News . . .
Man suspected in Brown University shooting and MIT professor's killing is found dead . . . The man behind last weekend's Brown University massacre was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a New Hampshire storage unit, ending a multi-state manhunt. Authorities say Claudio Neves Valente, a Portuguese national, killed two students, wounded nine others, then allegedly murdered an MIT professor days later. Investigators believe he acted alone, leaving campuses reeling and fresh questions about warning signs missed before the violence escalated. Associated Press
Homeless tipster cracks Ivy League killings . . . A homeless man helped solve the Brown and MIT shooting case after confronting the gunman and flagging his car, authorities say. The tip led investigators to identify Claudio Neves Valente, accused of killing two Brown students and an MIT professor. Federal officials say the man, known only as John, is now entitled to a $50,000 reward for blowing the case wide open. New York Post
Noem pauses immigrant visa lottery that allowed alleged Brown shooter to enter US . . . Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says the Brown University mass shooter entered the U.S. through the diversity visa lottery and later received a green card, reigniting scrutiny of the program. Calling it a dangerous failure, Noem announced an immediate pause on the visas at President Trump's direction. The move revives long-standing warnings that the lottery invites risk while offering little accountability. Fox News
Politics
Tech moguls close to Trump see the midterms as a path to long-term power . . . Silicon Valley is pouring over $100 million into pro-AI political groups to seize control of the public narrative as lawmakers warn the industry is racing ahead unchecked. Flush with Trump-era wins, the super PAC push aims to block state regulations, strong-arm Congress, and clear the runway for faster AI expansion—all while sidelining growing bipartisan concerns about risk, oversight, and accountability. Washington Post
Erika Kirk Endorses 'My Husband's Friend' JD Vance for President . . . At America Fest 2025, Turning Point USA signaled early allegiance to JD Vance for the next presidential cycle. Erika Kirk vowed full organizational muscle behind a 2028 run, saying the group is already locked in for midterms and beyond. Turning Point Action is targeting a rebuilt red wall across Arizona, Nevada, and New Hampshire, brushing past Vance's prior claims that White House talk is premature. Daily Signal
This suggests that the populists are not fooled by Marco Rubio's miraculous MAGA conversion. The chief competitor to Vance will not be a MAGA pretender but someone bearing the banner of old-school conservatism.
Top Mamdani appointee dramatically quits after antisemitic posts resurface . . . Zohran Mamdani's newly named director of appointments abruptly resigned Thursday after resurfaced social media posts showed she made antisemitic remarks, according to reports. Catherine Almonte stepped down after the Anti-Defamation League raised concerns about her past online activity. The posts, reportedly made between 2011 and 2012 on a now-deleted X account, included references to "money hungry Jews" and "rich Jewish peeps" and called a Far Rockaway train "the Jew train." Fox News
You would think Mamdani would have promoted her. He'll rehire her after a period of time has passed.
Trump Announces How America Will Celebrate 250th Birthday
Trump eases pot rules despite GOP warnings . . . President Donald Trump signed an executive order downgrading marijuana from the most dangerous drug category to a lower federal classification, brushing aside concerns from Republican lawmakers. The move shifts pot alongside substances deemed less risky, making research easier and loosening long-standing restrictions. Critics warn it sends a mixed signal to children and undercuts drug prevention, even as the White House hails the change as a boost for medical study and future treatments. Daily Signal
Trump gives federal workers two more days off for the Christmas holiday . . . Despite years of complaining that Washington shuts down too often, President Trump signed an executive order granting federal workers extra paid time off for Christmas. Employees will now get Dec. 24 and Dec. 26 off, on top of the standard Christmas Day holiday. The move delivers a long weekend across the bureaucracy, blending Trump's anti-bloat rhetoric with a seasonal gesture few federal workers will question. Washington Times
More pot and more holidays for federal workers?
Culture
RFK Jr. targets sex-change medicine for kids . . . Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled six actions to rein in what he calls medical malpractice tied to pediatric transgender treatments. He argued the procedures are unsafe, irreversible, and unsupported by evidence, accusing doctors of abandoning basic medical ethics. The moves, announced at HHS headquarters, aim to halt experimental interventions on children diagnosed with gender dysphoria and reassert federal oversight over a fast-growing, lightly scrutinized medical niche. Daily Signal
Kennedy Center renamed to include Trump . . . The Kennedy Center board has unanimously voted to rename the landmark the Trump-Kennedy Center, the White House announced. Officials credit President Trump with rescuing the institution through reconstruction, financial stabilization, and reputational repair. The move signals a dramatic rebranding of a cultural fixture long associated with liberal politics, elevating Trump's influence over an arts institution now touted as revived and future-focused. The Hill
National Security
ICE Agents Burned Out as Administration Pushes for More Deportations . . . Immigration agents are burning out as the administration demands faster removals from an already strained workforce. Officials admit ICE is maxed out while facing pressure to expel an estimated 20 million illegal aliens. More than 600,000 deportations and nearly 2 million self-deportations haven't quelled frustration inside the White House, where expectations remain sky-high despite logistical limits and mounting fatigue on the front lines. Just the News
Judge convicted for blocking ICE arrest . . . A Milwaukee jury found Judge Hannah Dugan guilty of felony obstruction after concluding she interfered with ICE officers trying to arrest an illegal migrant. Prosecutors said Dugan used her position to help Eduardo Flores Ruiz evade federal agents. While she was acquitted on a lesser concealment charge, the conviction underscores growing tensions between activist judges and immigration enforcement—and raises sharp questions about the rule of law inside the courtroom. Daily Signal
Money
Trump defies odds, achieves economic triple play with rate cuts, tariffs and cooling inflation . . . Against loud warnings from economists and Democrats, the Trump administration is pairing lower interest rates with broad tariffs while inflation cools to 2.7 percent. The White House is touting the outcome as another repudiation of elite economic consensus, arguing Trump's policies are again delivering growth, higher wages, and narrowing inequality—leaving critics scrambling to explain why predictions of runaway inflation never materialized. Just the News
This is not a business or economics newsletter. But aren't tariffs just a one-time thing? That is, they raise prices once, and then stop doing so. Why should they continually contribute to inflation?
You should also know
'A Magnet for Fraud': Criminals Flocked to Minnesota to Cash In On 'Easy Money' Fraud Schemes . . . Federal prosecutors say Minnesota's lax oversight has spawned a fraud tourism industry, luring out-of-state scammers eager to tap taxpayer-funded programs. New charges accuse two Philadelphia men of traveling to Minneapolis to set up sham companies, then billing up to $3.5 million in bogus Medicaid claims under a housing assistance program. Prosecutors warn the state's reputation for easy money is attracting professional fraudsters nationwide. Washington Free Beacon
Tim Walz's "Minnesota Miracle": Take a perfectly nice state settled by peaceful Scandanavians and turn into into a swamp of violence and fraud.
Trump fast-tracks moon return, scraps space council . . . President Trump vowed to put Americans back on the moon by 2028 and build a permanent lunar outpost soon after, resetting NASA's mission under the Artemis program. His order dissolves the National Space Council, shifting power to the White House science office. Trump also pushed aggressive timelines for nuclear-powered space systems, signaling a high-risk, high-speed bid to reclaim U.S. dominance beyond Earth. Washington Times
Guilty Pleasures
Pensioner Fined for Littering After Spitting Out Tree Leaf the Wind Blew into His Mouth . . . An English pensioner claims to be the victim of overzealous enforcement officers in his hometown of Skegness, in Lincolnshire, who fined him for allegedly spitting on the pavement, when he had actually spat out a tree leaf that was blown into his mouth by the wind. Despite trying to explain the incident to the officers, the pensioner claims they fined him £250, later reduced to £150. "As I was sitting there, a gale blew a big reed into my mouth. I spat it out and just as I got up to walk away, two guys [enforcement officers] came up to me," Roy Marsh recalled. Oddity Central
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