1/ Trump used an 18-minute prime time address to the nation largely to blame Biden for his own economic performance, insisting that the current inflation and affordability pressures are “not the Republicans’ fault. It’s the Democrats’ fault.” Although Trump claimed that “I am fixing it,” he offered few concrete policy steps, and instead promised that economic conditions would improve next year, predicting “the largest tax refund season of all time” and that “We’re poised for an economic boom the likes of which the world has never seen.” The speech’s central announcement was a $1,776 “warrior dividend” for about 1.45 million service members, which Trump claimed was tied to his tariffs, but in reality the roughly $2.6 billion payout will come from military housing funds Congress already approved. Nevertheless, Trump said “The checks are already on the way.” After the address, Trump turned to the media in the room and said that White House chief of staff Susie Wiles told him to give the speech, which comes amid slipping approval ratings and voter anxiety over inflation and affordability. Trump then added, “You think that’s easy?” (Associated Press / Reuters / Washington Post / New York Times / CNN / NPR / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / Politico / CNBC / NBC News / Axios / Politico)
2/ Inflation unexpectedly eased in November to 2.7% from 3% in September, but economists and the Federal Reserve said the shutdown-delayed CPI report was likely distorted because it missed October’s data and furloughed workers were unable to collect price data for many categories. Nevertheless, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “Inflation continues to fall, wages continue to rise, and America is trending towards a historic economic boom.” Fed Chair Jerome Powell, meanwhile, said the central bank would view the report with a “skeptical eye,” and economists flagged the unusually soft housing readings that effectively assumed little or no October increase in categories like rent and owners’ equivalent rent. The report was the first CPI data in two months after the 43-day shutdown, and forecasters said they will look to the next release for a cleaner signal on inflation. (CNN / Axios / CNBC / NBC News / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / Politico)
3/ House Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released another batch of photos from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate. The new tranche includes photos of “Lolita” passages written on a woman’s body, heavily redacted foreign passports and IDs, and a screenshot of messages discussing sending “girls” for “1000$ per girl.” The images came with no dates, locations, or explanation and the committee said it blacked out faces and identifying details to protect victims. The release came one day before a Dec. 19 deadline for the Justice Department to publish unclassified Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell files. (Associated Press / Reuters / Axios / Politico / CNN / ABC News)
4/ The Department of Health and Human Services cut seven federal grants worth millions of dollars to the American Academy of Pediatrics after the group sued Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over changes to federal vaccine policy, including the rollback of Covid vaccine recommendations for healthy children and pregnant women, and the overhaul of the government’s vaccine advisory panel. The terminated grants funded programs on sudden infant deaths, adolescent and mental health, birth defects, and early autism identification. HHS said the grants “no longer align with the Department’s mission or priorities,” but didn’t point to specific problems with the programs themselves. The academy represents about 67,000 pediatricians nationwide and said the terminated grants supported work reaching children and families in communities across the country, making the funding loss immediate and nationwide in scope. (Washington Post / New York Times / The Guardian / Bloomberg / NBC News)
- The Trump administration proposed rules that would cut off all Medicare and Medicaid funding to hospitals that provide gender-related medical care to minors, effectively forcing hospitals nationwide to stop offering the treatments. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed the care doesn’t meet medical standards and told providers, “This is not medicine. It is malpractice.” (NPR / New York Times)
- Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III, easing some federal limits but leaving cannabis illegal for recreational use under federal law. “It doesn’t legalize marijuana in any way, shape or form,” Trump said. Some Republicans warned that rescheduling “tells our youth that marijuana use is acceptable and safe.” (Washington Post / New York Times)
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5/ The Democratic National Committee won’t publicly release its internal “autopsy” of the 2024 presidential election loss to Trump, despite months of expectations that the review would be made public. DNC Chair Ken Martin said releasing the report would be “a distraction,” asking “does this help us win?” Martin instead argued the party is “already putting our learnings into motion.” The review, based on hundreds of interviews in all 50 states, flagged failures in spending, voter contact, and digital outreach, as well as poor Democratic responses to voter concerns about immigration, public safety, and the economy. (Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / New York Times / NBC News / Associated Press / Politico / The Guardian / CNN)
poll/ 18% of voters said they approve of the way Democrats in Congress are handling their job, while 73% disapprove. 47%, however, said they want Democrats to win control of the House, compared with 43% who preferred Republicans. (Quinnipiac)
poll/ 41% of voters approve of the job Trump is doing as president, while 50% disapprove. On the generic 2026 congressional ballot, 44% of voters support the Democratic candidate and 42% the Republican, while 15% are undecided, and independents favor Democrats 40% to 32%. (Emerson College Polling)