December 18, 2025
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Leading the News . . .
Trump showcases turnaround, teases boom ahead . . . President Trump launched the 2026 campaign by rattling off his first-year record, saying his policies have pulled the country back from the brink and set the stage for an economic boom next year. He blamed Biden-era inflation for crushing families, then claimed rapid progress reversing it. The pitch framed Washington as fixed, prices easing, and voters on the cusp of a long-promised payoff. Washington Times
'Stronger Than Ever Before': 4 Highlights From Trump's Speech Showcasing 2025 Accomplishments
Trump announces service members will get $1,776 'warrior dividend' for Christmas
Politics
GOP pushes premium cuts through despite revolt . . . House Republicans muscled through a sweeping health care bill aimed at slashing insurance premiums, quelling a last-minute revolt from moderates. The Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act passed 216–211, with only Rep. Thomas Massie breaking ranks over subsidy concerns. The narrow win hands Speaker Mike Johnson a needed victory, showing party discipline held just long enough to move a marquee policy forward. Daily Signal
Union dues fuel politics over pay . . . America's four biggest public sector unions poured more member dues into politics and activism than into core workplace representation, a new report finds. The NEA, SEUI, AFT, and AFSCME spent about $649 million advancing ideological causes, edging out the $642 million devoted to bargaining, benefits, and member services. The tally suggests unions are acting more like political machines than shop-floor advocates. Daily Signal
Federal unions are leftist advocacy enterprises that are better at shaking down workers than the Mafia.
Shapiro warns of borderless conservatism . . . Ben Shapiro took aim at Tucker Carlson, arguing that conservatism risks collapse without firm ideological boundaries. Speaking at the Heritage Foundation, Shapiro said a movement that welcomes every dissenting voice invites takeover by figures hostile to its core principles. The message was blunt: conservatism needs borders to survive. Without them, it becomes an empty brand, easily hijacked and stripped of meaning. Daily Wire
Minnesota Paying An Indicted Somali Fraudster To Run 'Assisted Living' Homes . . . A defendant in the Feeding Our Future case, the largest COVID fraud scheme in U.S. history, is still billing taxpayers millions while awaiting trial. Minnesota lawmakers say Gandi Yusuf Mohamed, now known as Gandi Abdi Kediye, runs assisted living homes charging the state for questionable services. The case highlights a system that keeps paying suspects even after massive fraud allegations surface. Daily Wire
Stacey Abrams-linked group scooped up huge climate cash haul . . . A climate nonprofit tied to Stacey Abrams quietly pocketed more than $5 million in federal funds before the Trump administration killed a massive Biden-era grant. Tax records show Rewiring America, where Abrams served as senior counsel, received the money as part of a $2 billion EPA award later scrapped amid scrutiny. The documents undercut claims her role was minimal, spotlighting insider access and fast-moving green spending. Washington Free Beacon
'Melania' Documentary Trailer Promises Inside Look At The First Lady's Return To The White House . . .
Culture
House moves to block child sex-change industry . . . The House passed Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene's legislation barring transgender medical procedures for minors, advancing a core Trump campaign promise. The Protect Children's Innocence Act cleared 216–211, with most Democrats opposing and four Republicans defecting. A handful of Democrats crossed party lines to back the bill. The vote spotlights a sharp divide over parental rights and child protection as lawmakers move to curb a fast-growing medical industry targeting kids. Daily Signal
National Security
Border bust finds meth in breakfast bags . . . Customs and Border Protection stopped a major drug run in Texas after officers cracked open a tractor trailer loaded with cereal ingredients and found a hidden stash of meth. The haul was worth more than $10.3 million, stuffed inside bulk food bags. The bust underscores how traffickers exploit routine commerce at the border, slipping deadly drugs through everyday supply chains while enforcement strains to keep pace. Daily Signal
Johnny's been doing so well in school lately!
Bongino to leave FBI next month
International
Eurovision Song Contest Lets Israel in But Allows Booing, Palestinian Flags . . . The broadcaster hosting Eurovision 2026 says all official flags will be allowed and boos will air uncensored, opening the door to pro-Hamas protests at a show meant to be apolitical. The contest, set for Vienna, has been roiled since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Critics warn the decision rewards agitators, turning a unifying music event into a megaphone for political hostility. Breitbart
So they'll allow the Israel's in, but mainly so they'll be booed. And then they can claim being equitable.
Money
All That Cheap Chinese Stuff Is Now Europe's Problem . . . President Trump's import crackdown is shunting waves of cheap Chinese goods into Europe, where a shadow logistics network is booming. Chinese sellers now stash products in immigrants' homes and backyard sheds to bypass barriers and speed delivery. The system has helped push China's trade surplus past $1 trillion, exposing how global markets absorb displaced exports when U.S. doors close and enforcement tightens. Wall Street Journal
You should also know
Feds admit blame in deadly DC air crash . . . The federal government conceded that human error helped cause last year's midair collision between a commercial jet and an Army Black Hawk near Washington, killing 67 people. Legal filings cite an air traffic controller who violated visual separation rules and helicopter pilots who failed to see and avoid the plane. The admission exposes layered failures inside systems meant to safeguard America's skies. Associated Press
Michigan names dozens in clergy abuse probe . . . Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel released a report naming 51 priests accused of sexual abuse tied to the Grand Rapids diocese, with allegations stretching back to 1950. Most were ordained locally, underscoring decades of institutional failure kept out of public view. The disclosure is part of a wider statewide probe, exposing how misconduct festered for generations while authorities and church leadership looked the other way. The Daily Caller
Fani Willis erupts as Trump case collapses . . . Fulton County DA Fani Willis erupted before a Georgia Senate committee probing her failed prosecution of President Donald Trump. The racketeering case was dumped after her own successor urged a judge to pull it off life support. Under questioning, Willis accused lawmakers of years-long intimidation and claimed threats forced her from her home, casting herself as victim while her high-profile case unraveled. Daily Caller
Peter Arnett, war reporter who shaped tv conflict coverage, dies . . . Peter Arnett, the Pulitzer Prize–winning correspondent who brought battlefield reporting into living rooms, has died at 91. He earned acclaim for Vietnam War coverage with the Associated Press and later became a household name during CNN's live broadcasts from the Gulf War. Arnett spent decades embedded in conflicts worldwide, helping define modern war journalism while courting controversy for his proximity to power and combat. Associated Press
Guilty Pleasures
Wes Moore preaches public school equity from a private school . . . Maryland Gov. Wes Moore preached fairness in public education while filming a 2022 campaign ad inside Calvert School, the elite private academy attended by his children. The backdrop featured the school's signature lockers, a detail missed by viewers but rich in irony. With tuition topping $33,000, the setting clashed sharply with Moore's message about neglected public schools and equal opportunity. Washington Free Beacon
Limousine liberalism live on.
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