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A company called Evercore ISI has been studying the sales of Christmas trees for over 20 years and has found that this is one of the most accurate ways to gauge consumer spending around the holidays. This holiday season, the annual Christmas tree survey suggests that people are spending less than usual.

Tree sales were up just 3% year over year in the three weeks since Thanksgiving, compared to 2024 when sales were up 7% year over year.

Sales of eight-foot and higher trees, typically the most expensive, were flat this year. The smaller six-to-eight-foot trees, ones that cost around 75$, saw a slight drop in sales. In addition, tree sellers note that extras, like wreaths, garland and baskets have been hard to move at all.

Adobe reported online sales were up over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. However, account data analyzed by Bank of America found that any sales growth that happened over that weekend had already died off by the end of November.

https://www.newsnationnow.com/business/your-money/lower-christmas-tree-sales-point-to-consumer-spending-hit-survey/

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U.S. strikes dozens of sites in Syria in retaliation for troops’ deaths
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/12/19/us-strikes-syria/
The U.S. military on Friday night launched a series of strikes against dozens of sites in central Syria, U.S. officials said, following an attack last weekend that killed two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter.
The strikes were ongoing and expected to target Islamic State infrastructure and weapons storage locations, said one of the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the operation. A-10 attack jets, F-15 and F-16 fighter jets, and Apache helicopters were involved along with rocket artillery fired by U.S. forces in the region, the official said.
Friday’s assault followed a Dec. 13 ambush at a military base in the city of Palmyra that killed two members of the Iowa National Guard — Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29 — and Ayad Mansoor Sakat, 54, an Iraq-born interpreter who lived in Michigan. President Donald Trump vowed after their deaths to retaliate.
No one has taken responsibility for the attack, but U.S. officials have said the Islamic State is likely to blame.

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https://finance.yahoo.com/news/president-donald-trump-moves-clear-223007954.html
President Donald Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum on Friday directing federal agencies to begin clearing government-controlled airwaves so private companies can develop next-generation 6G wireless networks, according to a fact sheet released by the White House.

In practical terms, the action is designed to free up portions of the radio spectrum currently used by federal systems so the private sector can begin planning and building faster wireless networks. The administration says the move is intended to help the United States remain competitive as other countries race to develop 6G technology.

The memorandum orders immediate planning to relocate federal systems operating in the 7.125–7.4 gigahertz band, a range the White House describes as prime spectrum for future wireless services. Federal agencies using that band will have 12 months to submit relocation plans that preserve national security operations while allowing the spectrum to be repurposed for commercial use.

The directive also calls for studies of two additional spectrum ranges — 2.69–2.9 GHz and 4.4–4.94 GHz — to determine whether they can also be cleared for full-power commercial 6G networks.

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The Timeline of Republicans Fleeing to Save Themselves from Epstein fallout (So Far):

Wednesday- Dan Bongino announces he's stepping down as Deputy FBI Director
Thursday- Mike Johnson abruptly announces he is adjourning the House for the rest of the year
Friday morning- Trump's DOJ releases a redacted, incomplete trove of Epstein files in violation of a law signed by Donald Trump himself last month
NOW- Performative Trumpist Elise Stefanik abruptly announces she is withdrawing from the New York gubernatorial race and will not seek reelection for her House seat next year

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/gop-rep-elise-stefanik-drops-new-york-governors-race-rcna250154

>Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik said Friday that she is ending her campaign for New York governor and will not run for re-election to her House seat next year.

>In a lengthy post to X, Stefanik, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, wrote that she had "not come to this decision lightly for our family."

>"As we have seen in past elections, while we would have overwhelmingly won this primary, it is not an effective use of our time or your generous resources to spend the first half of next year in an unnecessary and protracted Republican primary, especially in a challenging state like New York. And while many know me as Congresswoman, my most important title is Mom," Stefanik said.


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https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-administration-officials-race-meet-friday-deadline-epstein-files-2025-12-19/
WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department released a new trove of documents from its investigations into the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Friday, bowing to pressure from lawmakers who forced their disclosure with a new law.
The release follows months of political wrangling amid rebellion by some of President Donald Trump's staunchest supporters over his administration's reluctance to make public all records tied to probes into Epstein.
Reuters is in the process of reviewing the latest documents.
The Justice Department added a note to the webpage where it posted links to the documents that said "all reasonable efforts have been made" to redact victims' personal information, but warned that some could be disclosed inadvertently.
The agency's website appeared to be struggling with visitor traffic, telling some that their attempts to view the material had been rejected.

>NOT ALL DOCUMENTS TO BE RELEASED
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News earlier in the day that the department would release hundreds of thousands of documents on Friday but not the entire cache of files relating to Epstein. He said he expected hundreds of thousands more to be released in the coming weeks as the department reviewed them to protect victims' privacy.
Trump had initially urged fellow Republicans in Congress to oppose the new law, warning that releasing potentially sensitive internal investigative records could set a dangerous precedent.
But many Trump voters accused his administration of covering up Epstein’s ties to powerful figures and obscuring details surrounding his 2019 death, which was ruled a suicide, in a Manhattan jail, where he was awaiting trial on charges of trafficking and abusing underage girls.

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https://www.wkyufm.org/news/2025-12-20/available-to-download-friday-some-epstein-files-no-longer-there-saturday-afternoon

The Department of Justice started releasing files related to the life, death and criminal investigations of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein Friday. Files continued to be posted on its "Epstein Library" website on Saturday.

But NPR identified more than a dozen files released by the DOJ on Friday that are no longer available Saturday afternoon, including one that shows President Trump's photo on a desk among several other photographs. The removed files also show various works of art, including those containing nudity.

On its website, the Justice Department directs people to report any files that should not have been posted by notifying the agency using a dedicated email address. A statement at the top of each page of the website said: "In view of the Congressional deadline, all reasonable efforts have been made to review and redact personal information pertaining to victims, other private individuals, and protect sensitive materials from disclosure."

The DOJ acknowledged, though, "because of the volume of information involved, this website may nevertheless contain information that inadvertently includes non-public personally identifiable information or other sensitive content, to include matters of a sexual nature."

The DOJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why the files were no longer available.

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https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/doj-redacted-names-of-politically-exposed-individuals-in-epstein-files-report/
The Department of Justice redacted the names of government officials and “politically exposed individuals” in its latest release of files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The Department of Justice posted documents under the Epstein Files Transparency Act on its website Friday afternoon in accordance with the midnight deadline set by the statute signed into law by President Donald Trump last month.

Many viewers reacted with disgust over the amount of blacked-out information within the almost four thousand files, despite Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s claim that the administration was attempting to protect “every single victim.”

However, a recent report on the document dump from Fox News Digital notes that the redactions were put in place to protect more than just Epstein’s victims and accusers.

“The Justice Department redacted the names and identifiers of victims. Fox News Digital has learned that the same redaction standards were applied to politically exposed individuals and government officials,” read the report.

Fox News Digital also attached a letter from Blanche addressed to members of Congress regarding the review process of files.

Blanche claims that blacked-out information included any evidence that could jeopardize pending investigations and any information deemed to be in the interest of national defense or foreign policy. Further information could be redacted if it fell under legally protected privilege.


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https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/federal-judge-weighs-trumps-claim-of-immunity-from-civil-litigation-over-capitol-attack

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorneys for President Donald Trump urged a federal judge on Friday to rule that Trump is entitled to presidential immunity from civil claims that he instigated a mob’s attack on the U.S. Capitol to stop Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 election.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta didn’t rule from the bench after hearing arguments from Trump attorneys and lawyers for Democratic members of Congress who sued the Republican president and allies over the Jan. 6. 2021, attack.

Trump spoke to a crowd of his supporters at the “Stop the Steal” rally near the White House before the mob’s attack disrupted the joint session of Congress for certifying Democratic President Joe Biden’s electoral victory.

Trump’s attorneys argue that his conduct leading up to Jan. 6 and on the day of the riot is protected by presidential immunity because he was acting in his official capacity.

“The entire point of immunity is to give the president clarity to speak in the moment as the commander-in-chief,” Trump attorney Joshua Halpern told the judge.

The lawmakers’ lawyers argue Trump can’t prove he was acting entirely in his official capacity rather than as an office-seeking private individual. And the U.S. Supreme Court has held that office-seeking conduct falls outside the scope of presidential immunity, they contend.

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https://apnews.com/live/donald-trump-news-updates-12-18-2025

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday unveiled a series of regulatory actions designed to effectively ban gender-affirming care for minors, building on broader Trump administration restrictions on transgender Americans.

The proposals mark the administration’s most significant moves to restrict the use of puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgical interventions for transgender children — running counter to the recommendations of most major U.S. medical organizations.

More than half of U.S. states already ban or restrict gender-affirming care.

The proposed rules also cut off federal Medicaid and Medicare funding from hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to children, imperiling access in nearly two dozen states where drug treatments and surgical procedures remain legal and funded by Medicaid.

Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his deputies announced the moves, which are not final or legally binding and are likely to face legal challenges.

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https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/us-intelligence-indicates-putins-war-aims-ukraine-are-unchanged-2025-12-19/
WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - U.S. intelligence reports continue to warn that Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to capture all of Ukraine and reclaim parts of Europe that belonged to the former Soviet empire, six sources familiar with U.S. intelligence said, even as negotiators seek an end to the war that would leave Russia with far less territory.
The reports present a starkly different picture from that painted by U.S. President Donald Trump and his Ukraine peace negotiators, who have said Putin wants to end the conflict. The most recent of the reports dates from late September, according to one of the sources.

The intelligence also contradicts the Russian leader’s denials that he is a threat to Europe.
The U.S. findings have been consistent since Putin launched his full-scale invasion in 2022. They largely align with the views of European leaders and spy agencies that he covets all of Ukraine and territories of former Soviet bloc states, including members of the NATO alliance, according to the sources.
"The intelligence has always been that Putin wants more," Mike Quigley, a Democratic member of the House Intelligence Committee, said in a Reuters interview. "The Europeans are convinced of it. The Poles are absolutely convinced of it. The Baltics think they're first.”
Russia controls about 20% of Ukraine’s territory, including the bulk of Luhansk and Donetsk, the provinces that comprise the industrial heartland of the Donbas, parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson provinces and Crimea, the strategic Black Sea peninsula.

Putin claims Crimea and all four provinces as belonging to Russia. Trump is pressuring Kyiv to withdraw its forces from the small part of Donetsk they control as part of a proposed peace deal, according to two sources familiar with the matter, a demand that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and most Ukrainians reject.

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Today’s political consensus crosses all ages, demographics and party lines: 3 out of 4 Americans think the economy is in a slump. It is not just in their heads. Economic growth this year has been practically stagnant, save for one exception, economists say.

Billions of dollars invested by California-based tech giants in artificial intelligence infrastructure accounted for 92% of the nation’s GDP growth this year.

But, so far, little evidence exists that their ventures are expanding opportunities for everyday Americans.

“You have to watch out for AI investments — they may continue to carry the economy or they may slow down or crash, bringing the rest of the economy together with them."

Even in California itself, where 4 of the top 5 AI companies are, the AI boom has yet to translate into tangible pocketbook benefits. Consumer confidence in the state has reached a five-year low. And AI fueled a wave of cuts, cited in 48,000 job losses nationwide this year.

“It is evident that the U.S. economy would have been almost stagnant, absent the capital expenditures by the AI industry,”

The top 10 stocks listed in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index far outperforming the rest of the market. And the few who benefited from dividends fueled much of the rest of this year’s economic growth, with the vast majority of U.S. consumption spending attributed to the richest 10% to 20% of American households.

“There were ripple effects into high-end travel, luxury spending, high-end real estate and other sectors of the economy driven by the financial elite."

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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0kd2d4gj08o
A judge in the US state of Wisconsin has been found guilty of obstruction for trying to help a Mexican man evade immigration officials during an arrest attempt.

Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested in April after ushering Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican national facing misdemeanour battery charges, out of her courtroom through a side door.

An immigration judge had issued a warrant for his arrest.

Her conviction marks a win for the Trump administration and its supporters, who have sought to portray the judge's actions as indicative of a politicised justice system.

Dugan faces up to five years in prison for the obstruction charge, according to US media reports.

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Cambodia based Chinese scam gangs defraud Americans of billions but US won't sanction Cambodia... because Amerimutt retards think they can lure Cambodia to their side against China.

FYI Cambodia voted for China in every ASEAN resolution on the South China SEA.

American senior citizens had their entire retirement savings wiped out and the US refuses to sanction Cambodia which willingly hosts these gangs.

https://dw.com/en/how-the-battle-against-asian-scam-networks-went-global/a-75181724

>Even with the recent announcements of sanctions and criminal investigations, countries like South Korea and even the US appear reluctant to criticize the governments of China or Cambodia and instead target the criminals and their networks directly.

>According to Sims, as long as Phnom Penh performs just enough cooperation to preserve the illusion that it remains strategically "in play," Western capitals have proven reliably willing to tolerate industrial-scale scams targeting their own citizens.

>"Many governments hesitate to confront Cambodia directly because they still view it as a pivotal chess piece in a China-versus-the-West geopolitical game," he said.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgmneem1e89o

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says his government will crack down on hate speech following Sunday's deadly shooting at Bondi Beach that targeted a Jewish festival.

Fifteen people were killed when two gunmen opened fire at an event to mark the first day of Hanukkah.

New laws will target "those who spread hate, division and radicalisation", Albanese told reporters in Canberra.

The home affairs minister will also be given new powers to cancel or refuse visas for those who spread hate and a new taskforce will be set up to ensure the education system "prevents, tackles and properly responds to antisemitism".

The new laws will also include penalties for preachers and leaders who promote violence, a new federal offence of "aggravated hate speech", and the introduction of "hate" as an aggravating factor in sentencing crimes for online threats and harassment.

"Every Jewish Australian has the right to feel safe, valued and respected for the contribution that they make to our great nation," Albanese said.

"The terrorists, inspired by ISIS... sought to turn Australians against each other. Australians have responded to that act of hatred with love and sympathy for those in mourning."

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DOJ won’t meet Friday deadline to release all the Epstein files

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/19/epstein-documents-release-friday-deadline-00699935?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=dlvr.it

The Department of Justice will not be releasing all of its files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein by Friday’s deadline, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Friday morning.

In an interview with Fox News, Blanche said the department would “release several hundred thousand documents today.”

But he acknowledged Friday’s release would not encompass all of the DOJ’s documents for the investigation into the late financier.

“I expect that we’re going to release more documents over the next couple of weeks, so today several hundred thousand and then over the next couple weeks, I expect several hundred thousand more,” Blanche said. “There’s a lot of eyes looking at these and we want to make sure that when we do produce the materials we are producing, that we are protecting every single victim.”

The delay means the White House is in apparent conflict with a law President Donald Trump signed in November that mandated the wholesale release of all of its non-exempt Epstein information within a 30-day period.

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice declined a request to expand on Blanche’s comments, saying they speak for themselves.