December 31, 2025
Good morning,
Welcome to the news for independent thinkers
Leading the News . . .
OpenAI Is Paying Employees More Than Any Major Tech Startup in History . . . Investor data shows stock-based compensation averaging $1.5 million per employee across roughly 4,000 workers. That dwarfs pre-IPO payouts at rivals, topping early Google by a wide margin and beating dozens of past tech giants. The numbers highlight an AI gold rush where talent is bought at almost any price. Wall Street Journal
Tech Startups Are Handing Out Free Nicotine Pouches to Boost Productivity
Politics
Daycare fraud probe widens beyond Minnesota . . . Suspected daycare fraud is spreading from Minnesota into Ohio, triggering alarm among state lawmakers. Republican Ohio state Rep. Josh Williams is demanding swift action, urging surprise inspections of childcare centers in the Columbus area. Backed by dozens of legislators, Williams sent a letter to the Ohio Department of Children and Youth calling for unannounced checks, signaling growing concern that public funds are being quietly siphoned off. Daily Signal
Oddsmaker: Tim Walz Is 30x More Likely To Be Charged With A Crime Than Be The Next President . . . Crypto betting site Polymarket is flashing a brutal verdict on Tim Walz. The Minnesota governor is listed as 30 times more likely to face criminal charges than to win the presidency. Markets peg a 23% chance of charges within a year and a 9% chance within 90 days—numbers that signal deep skepticism as Walz's national prospects collide with legal clouds. Daily Wire
Trump Admin Finds Billions Of Dollars In Possible 'Payment Errors' During Biden-Era . . . The Department of Housing and Urban Development disclosed more than $5 billion in potential payment errors tied to rental assistance in the final fiscal year of the Biden administration. An internal report flagged improper payments, process gaps, and material weaknesses across major voucher and project-based housing programs—fresh evidence of loose oversight as taxpayers bankroll a sprawling aid system. Daily Wire
The Incident That Prompted Trump to Ban Epstein From Mar-a-Lago's Spa . . . Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in the late 1990s and early 2000s was sending spa employees—usually young women—to Epstein's nearby mansion for massages, manicures and other spa services, according to former Mar-a-Lago and Epstein employees. This came to a halt in 2003, after an 18-year-old beautician returned to the club from a house call to Epstein and reported to managers that he had pressured her for sex, former employees said. Trump said to kick him out. Wall Street Journal
Swalwell: As CA Gov I Will Charge ICE Agents, Take Away Their Drivers License . . . Eric Swalwell says a run for California governor would come with a hard line against federal immigration enforcement. Appearing on All In, Swalwell vowed to charge ICE agents, strip driver's licenses, and force officers to unmask if they commit crimes. Critics see a state official promising to police federal law enforcement, escalating California's resistance as border chaos and enforcement clashes intensify. Breitbart
Appliance rules under fire from Trump as costs climb . . . Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are dismantling federal energy efficiency mandates, arguing that Washington micromanagement of showerheads, fridges, and other appliances jacks up prices. The fight exposes a familiar partisan split: Democrats and green groups warn of higher emissions and waste, while critics say bloated regulations hit families just as electricity prices surge and demand strains the grid. Washington Examiner
I have a powerful showerhead that is 30 years old and was made before Al Gore ruined the morning shower for millions of Americans. Thank you, Trump.
Culture
San Francisco quietly opens door to $5M reparations . . . San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie slipped through a divisive reparations ordinance days before Christmas, creating a city-backed fund that could one day pay eligible black residents up to $5 million each. The bill sets no funding aside yet, but locks in the framework pushed by the African American Reparations Advisory Committee, leaving taxpayers bracing for what may come next. Daily Mail
Harvard prof bolts, blasts woke lockdown culture . . . After four decades at Harvard University, historian James Hankins is walking away with a scorched-earth farewell. Writing in Compact Magazine, Hankins says pandemic rule-by-decree and ideological conformity poisoned campus life. He likened Harvard's Covid policies to emergency governance run amok, accusing the school of embracing "The Science" as a license for bureaucratic control and invasions of private life. Fox News
International
Taiwan stays on high alert as Chinese ships pull back after massive drills . . . China turned up the pressure on Taiwan with sweeping military exercises dubbed Justice Mission 2025, firing dozens of rockets and massing warships and aircraft around the island. Taiwan kept emergency maritime operations running as it tracked the maneuvers. The show of force unsettled regional allies and underscored Beijing's readiness to intimidate as tensions harden across the strait. Reuters
Money
Bargain coffee giant storms America . . . Chinese chain Mixue Ice Cream & Tea has landed in the US with a shock to the system: dirt-cheap drinks. Bigger than McDonald's and Starbuck by store count, Mixue opened its first American shop in Los Angeles, then New York City, offering teas, coffee, and soft-serve under $5. In cities numb to inflation, the low-price model is turning heads—and raising eyebrows. Daily Mail
I doubt Americans are going to go for the Communist Coffee. Starbucks' successful business model was that people would pay more for coffee that didn't taste like dishwater. Your grandkids have never heard of Maxwell House - ask them.
You should also know
Oz questions flu shot as wellness pitch rises . . . Mehmet Oz, now running the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, called the seasonal flu vaccine controversial while promoting Make America Healthy Again remedies. Speaking on Newsmax, Oz said flu shots often fall short and urged self-care to blunt infection. The comments come amid a tougher flu season, reopening debate over mandates versus personal health responsibility. The Hill
Studies consistently show that flu shots mitigate the disease when it occurs and greatly reduce the chances of hospitalization and death. Of course, that doesn't mean it always works. Please get your flu shot if you haven't already.
Never lose your car: Google Maps and Apple Maps can save your parking spot location automatically
Now if they can locate keys, contact lenses, and wallets . . .
Tatiana Schlossberg, a grandchild of the late President John F. Kennedy, dies at 35 . . . Tatiana Schlossberg, a granddaughter of John F. Kennedy, has died at 35 after a leukemia diagnosis last year. The environmental journalist, daughter of Caroline Kennedy, disclosed terminal cancer in a 2025 essay for The New Yorker. Her death was confirmed by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, marking a somber moment for America's most storied political family. Associated Press
Study shows boiling drinking water can remove microplastics . . . Researchers at Guangzhou Medical University and Jinan University say a low-tech fix may knock out most microplastics in drinking water. Tests found that boiling tap water causes minerals like calcium carbonate to trap plastic particles, which then sink. Filtering afterward removed up to 90% of nano and microplastics—no fancy filters, no billion-dollar mandates, just heat and gravity. The Hill
This study must have been financed by Pepsi and Coke, because who is going to go back to the 19th century and boil water?
Guilty Pleasures
Texas treasurer busted after car break-in is caught on video . . . Carla Wyatt, a Democratic official in Harris County, Texas, was arrested and charged with burglary of a vehicle after being caught on camera entering an unlocked minivan. Investigators report that Wyatt denied any wrongdoing and told them she had permission to be in the Toyota minivan. The owner told investigators she did not know Wyatt and did not give her permission. Eyewitness News 13
This is smart. Why should Democrats waste time with elaborate schemes and high taxes to steal taxpayers' money? Just go ahead and break into cars and take it, for goodness sake. Thank you, Carla.
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