World, US, Culture, Market, and Sci-Tech News Aggregation from MSM and Independent News
The BBC will file a motion to dismiss U.S. President Donald Trump‘s $10-billion lawsuit over its editing of a speech that made it appear he had directed supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol.
Court documents published late on Monday showed the broadcaster would argue that the court in Florida lacked personal jurisdiction in the case because it did not broadcast the program in the state, and that the president could not prove damages because he was re-elected after it aired.
NEW YORK — Up until this week, Wall Street has generally benefited from the Trump administration’s policies and has been supportive of the president. That relationship has suddenly soured.
When President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill into law in July, it pushed another significant round of tax cuts and also cut the budget of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, at times the banking industry’s nemesis, by nearly half. Trump’s bank regulators have also been pushing a deregulatory agenda that both banks and large corporations have embraced.
But now the president has proposed a one-year, 10% cap on the interest rate on credit cards, a lucrative business for many financial institutions, and his Department of Justice has launched an investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell that many say threatens the institution that is supposed to set interest rates free of political interference.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson voiced skepticism Tuesday on President Donald Trump’s move to temporarily cap credit card interest rates.
“I think that would probably deprive an awful lot of people of access to credit around the country,” Thune told reporters. “Credit cards would probably become debit cards.”
“That’s not something I’m out there advocating for — let’s put it that way,” he added.
Thune’s comments come after Trump posted on Truth Social that he was calling for a one-year cap of 10 percent interest on credit cards starting Jan. 20.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Communist Party’s state propaganda arms railed on Tuesday against President Donald Trump’s imposition of a 25-percent tariff on countries that do business with Iran.
The president announced the policy after two weeks of protests in the country calling for an end to the brutal Islamist regime, which has responded with widespread violence that, some estimates suggest, has killed as many as 3,000 people. The “supreme leader” of Iran, 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has since said in public remarks that it is the democratically elected Trump administration, and not his regime, that is on the verge of collapse, and Khamenei’s underlings have insisted that the regime has the country “under control.”
Trump has since called on Iranian protesters to “TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS” and suggested the White House would support them.
Republicans in so many ways have wasted their majorities in Congress over the past year. But the GOP has an opportunity to amp up its lackluster tenure with a second reconciliation package that its sponsors say will lower costs and cut the deficit by more than $1 trillion.
Of course, the devil is always in the details.
On Tuesday, Republican Study Committee members unveiled the Reconciliation 2.0 Framework, a proposal the lawmakers bill as a “comprehensive conservative roadmap” for the next reconciliation bill. The framework, its sponsors say, is aimed at affordability and codifying much of President Donald’s Trump’s America First agenda.
“There’s three major things that I think are threatening the American dream right now: housing costs, health care costs and energy costs,” said Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger, R-Texas, at a press conference Tuesday.
The ongoing scandal regarding Minnesota’s welfare-industrial complex demonstrates the extent to which government-created graft has “hidden” in front of the nation’s noses for not just years but decades. Another report released just before Christmas illustrates the depths of those fraudulent payments.
Last summer, I wrote here about a report by Louisiana’s legislative auditor highlighting nearly $10 million in Medicaid payments that state made on behalf of deceased beneficiaries between February 2019 and last March. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the most recent report shows that this type of government waste and abuse — or, depending on one’s perspective, fraud by insurance companies, who receive payments for “covering” dead people — occurs with regularity nationwide.
President Trump has made lowering prescription drug prices a clear priority, repeatedly arguing that Americans should not be forced to pay more for medicine than patients in other developed countries. Drugmakers have publicly welcomed that message. But their actions tell a more complicated story.
First reported by Reuters this week, pharmaceutical companies are raising list prices on more than 350 drugs for 2026. Many of the increases were small, but others were not, including sharp hikes on certain hospital-administered and specialty medicines that patients and providers rely on every day.
Illegal crossings by Indians to US from Canada down 68% since Trump took office India Today
from news.google.com
‘Illegal immigrants cannot be given benefits that are not available to American citizens’ says Virginia AG
Virginia’s outgoing Attorney General Jason Miyares quickly agreed to a consent decree to resolve a Justice Department lawsuit filed against the state in late December challenging laws allowing students in the country illegally to qualify for in-state tuition and financial aid at public colleges and universities.
“In a joint court filing, Miyares and lawyers for the Justice Department asked a federal judge to declare the Virginia Dream Act invalid and bar state authorities from enforcing it. If approved, the joint consent decree order would make Virginia the fourth state to scrap its policies that allow eligible undocumented students to pay the lower in-state tuition rate,” Inside Higher Ed reported Jan. 2.
“The joint agreement came just one day after the Trump administration sued Virginia over its in-state tuition policies—the seventh such lawsuit.”
The U.S. labor market ended 2025 on a soft note, with job creation in December less than expected, according to a report Friday from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Nonfarm payrolls rose a seasonally adjusted 50,000 for the month, lower than the downwardly revised 56,000 in November and short of the Dow Jones estimate for 73,000.
At the same time, the unemployment rate fell to 4.4%, compared to the forecast for 4.5%.
The report presented a muddy view of the labor market, with companies reporting a low level of hiring but households showing employment gains.
In addition, revisions brought totals down for the prior months. The November total saw a slight downward revision of 8,000 to the payrolls number, while October’s loss was even more than originally reported, now at 173,000 compared to the prior estimate of 105,000.
President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that his administration is moving to ban major investors from buying up single-family homes in the U.S. in an attempt to lower housing prices.
Trump claimed in a Truth Social post that former President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats have caused “record high inflation,” which has caused the “American Dream” to become “increasingly out of reach for far too many people.”
Donald J. Trump Truth Social Post 12:45 PM EST 01.07.26 pic.twitter.com/udFmE0FDDB
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) January 7, 2026
“For a very long time, buying and owning a home was considered the pinnacle of the American Dream,” Trump wrote in the social media post. “I am immediately taking steps to ban large institutional investors from buying more single-family homes, and I will be calling on Congress to codify it.”
“People live in homes, not corporations,” the president emphasized.
This week, President Trump sent shockwaves through Wall Street when he announced via Truth Social his plan to ban large corporations and foreign entities from purchasing single-family homes. The proposal targets institutional investors like Blackstone and other real estate investment trusts that have been buying up American homes by the hundreds of thousands — driving up prices and locking out first-time buyers.
Political support came swiftly from both sides of the aisle. Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, announced that he would introduce legislation to codify the ban, saying, “Millions of young Americans have been locked out of the American Dream.” Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.V., called it “huge,” while Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Jim Banks, R-Ind., signaled support. Even Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said she’s been advocating for years to limit Wall Street from buying up America’s homes.
The market reaction was severe. Invitation Homes tumbled 6 percent. Blackstone fell 9 percent. American Homes 4 Rent dropped 6.3 percent. And Wall Street understood completely: Trump means business. But for Main Street families, this proposal offers real hope.
The Department of Health and Human Services will be freezing funding for childcare services in five blue states, the Trump administration announced on Monday.
#BREAKING: Trump admin freezes childcare funding in New York, California, and other states.
— Insider Wire (@InsiderWire) January 5, 2026
The New York Post reported that over $10 billion in childcare funding would be paused for California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York after funds were being funneled to illegal immigrants. Further, all 50 states will be required to provide increased data before releasing funds for childcare.
HHS further announced that it would close a Biden-era loophole that allowed for payouts without verifying attendance. Under the new guidelines, states can require payouts to be granted by attendance rather than enrollment and upfront payouts are no longer required.
“Paying providers upfront based on paper enrollment instead of actual attendance invites abuse,” Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill said in a statement. “In Minnesota, we’ve seen credible and widespread allegations of fraudulent daycare providers who were not caring for children at all. The reforms we are enacting will make fraud harder to perpetrate.”
Judge Blocks Trump Admin From Ending Legal Status of 60,000 Migrants Newsweek
from news.google.com
California has delayed its cancellation of thousands of commercial driver’s licenses held by migrants, setting it up for another showdown with Washington.
The Department of Motor Vehicles announced on Tuesday that the 17,000 migrant truck drivers whose licenses had been revoked can now keep them for 60 more days, which could enable the drivers to retake tests and do whatever is necessary to remain legal.
“Commercial drivers are an important part of our economy — our supply chains don’t move, and our communities don’t stay connected without them,” said DMV Director Steve Gordon in a statement after the extension.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy reacted by threatening to cut $160 million in federal funding to California if the state doesn’t meet the Jan. 5 deadline to revoke unvetted foreign trucker licenses.
‘They Won’t Survive’: GOP Lawmakers Reveal 2 New Trump Targets After Maduro Operation
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump launched a sharp attack on Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro, accusing his government of producing and exporting cocaine to the United States.“Colombia is very sick, too, run by a sick man, who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he’s not going to be doing it very long,” Trump said.
President Donald Trump signed a New Year’s Eve proclamation delaying increased tariffs on upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets and vanities for a year, citing ongoing trade talks
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed a New Year’s Eve proclamation delaying increased tariffs on upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets and vanities for a year, citing ongoing trade talks.
Trump’s order signed Wednesday keeps in place a 25% tariff he imposed in September on those goods, but delays for another year a 30% tariff on upholstered furniture and 50% tariff on kitchen cabinets and vanities.
Trump pulls National Guard troops out of major cities after Supreme Court decision Straight Arrow News
from news.google.com
Sweeping tariff increases on imports from China and other countries without free trade agreements (FTAs) with Mexico officially took effect Jan. 1, marking a significant shift in the country’s trade policy aimed at protecting domestic industries and jobs.
The tariff modifications, published in Mexico’s Official Gazette on Dec. 30, affect 1,463 product categories across more than a dozen sectors including automotive, textiles, clothing, steel, plastics, footwear, furniture, toys, aluminum and glass. The new duties range from 5% to 50%, with the highest rates applied to vehicles from China and certain other Asian nations.
President Donald Trump added countries to a list that restricts nationals from traveling to the U.S.
“The United States must exercise extreme vigilance during the visa-issuance and immigration processes to identify, prior to their admission or entry into the United States, foreign nationals who intend to harm Americans or our national interests,” Trump declared. “The United States Government must ensure that admitted aliens do not intend to threaten its citizens; undermine or destabilize its culture, government, institutions, or founding principles; or advocate for, aid, or support designated foreign terrorists or other threats to our national security.”
The move comes days after two terrorists killed 16 people celebrating Hanukkah in Sydney, Australia.
The largest gain in jobs was in the healthcare sector, with 46,000 jobs added.
The US economy added 64,000 jobs in November, beating economists’ expectations. The unemployment rate has remained little changed from September, at 4.6 percent for the year’s penultimate month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed on Tuesday. The release of November’s jobs report was delayed due to the government shutdown that went from October 1 through November 12, and the October jobs report was not released due to the shutdown.
The largest gain in jobs was in the healthcare sector, with 46,000 jobs added. Of that total, 24,000 were in ambulatory health care services, 11,000 were in hospitals, and 11,000 were in nursing and residential care facilities. Construction saw 28,000 jobs added, and 18,000 jobs were added in social assistance. Transportation and warehousing saw a decrease in 18,000 jobs. The BLS noted that the federal government went down by 6,000 jobs, with a total of federal government employment going down by 271,000 since January.
Five months ago, in these pages I expressed concern that Congress was missing the opportunity to restore merit to the military personnel system. To accomplish that task I urged Congress to include a meritocracy provision in the 2026 NDAA that does four things: (1) require all military personnel actions to be based exclusively on merit; (2) forbid race and sex-based preferences; (3) provide for reasonable exceptions when mission success requires sex or race be considered; and (4) define key terms so idealogues in the Pentagon cannot manipulate the language to further their diversity agenda.
When the House and Senate passed their versions of the NDAA, it appeared that between the two chambers some progress toward establishing a merit-based personnel system was being made. When the compromise bill resolving the differences between the House and Senate version, S. 1017, was released last week, it was readily apparent that Congress had no intention of requiring merit principles to govern military personnel actions. To make matters worse, the drafters employed smoke and mirrors to put a merit-sounding title on a provision that just reinforces the Biden-era identity preference status quo.
If you’re listening to the mainstream media, you’ll likely hear Kilmar Abrego Garcia referred to as the “Maryland father” — not an illegal alien gang member.
“They’ll leave out the fact that he is, of course, an alleged MS-13 gang member and human trafficker. He’s just a Maryland father. I mean, it’s just that there’s, like, minor details of gang-related activity and minor details of human trafficking,” BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales says sarcastically.
“It’s been a long journey with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, but he of course was released from immigration detention yesterday back into the United States,” she adds.
An Obama-appointed judge, Paula Xinis, said federal authorities had detained him again after his return to the United States “without any legal basis.”
“You mean to tell me, Mrs. Obama-appointed judge, that there is not a legal basis to detain an illegal immigrant?” Gonzales asks.
“That’s the legal basis. He’s here illegally, and we need to detain him so we can remove him. Otherwise why have any laws at all?” she adds.
The Trump administration blasted U.S. District Judge Judith Levy over the weekend for her “truly wicked” praise and deferential treatment of a predator who stole into the United States multiple times and brutalized an American citizen.
Edys Renan Membreño Díaz, a 30-year-old Honduran national, is presently serving between six and 15 years in a Michigan state prison for raping and sodomizing a woman he knew was incapable of giving consent, who has cerebral palsy and cognitive delays. Díaz, who moved to Michigan in 2021, raped the victim on two occasions: on July 15 and July 17, 2022, leaving her with injuries.
‘This isn’t justice; it’s judicial activism prioritizing criminals over citizens.’
Trump tariffs live updates: US suspends tech deal with UK; Trump has said tariff revenues could pay for at least 9 different things Yahoo Finance
from news.google.com
The resurgence of the political right in Latin America and Mexico’s recently approved tariffs were among the issues spoken about at President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Monday morning press conference.
Here is a recap of the president’s Dec. 15 mañanera.
Citing the victory of José Antonio Kast in Chile’s presidential election on Sunday as well as the results of recent elections in Argentina and Bolivia, a reporter asked the president about the shift to the right of “some voters in Latin America.”
Sheinbaum responded that the situation in “each country” would need to be analyzed to determine why voters in some Latin American nations have recently supported right-wing candidates and parties in large numbers.
Why did China’s trade surplus top $1 trillion for the first time despite Trump’s tariffs? Los Angeles Times
from news.google.com
Here is what’s on President Trump’s agenda today:
1:30 PM THE PRESIDENT participates in a Swearing-In Ceremony for the CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and Chairman of EXIM Bank
3:00 PM THE PRESIDENT participates in a Bill Signing Ceremony
News roundup:
TRUMP: ‘WE DON’T WANT TO WASTE A LOT OF TIME’: As senior officials from Ukraine, France, Germany, and the U.K. plan to meet tomorrow in Paris to work on the U.S. proposal to end the war in Ukraine, President Donald Trump is expressing frustration with the process and suggested further discussion may just be a “waste of time.”
“The President is extremely frustrated with both sides of this war, and he is sick of meetings just for the sake of meeting. He doesn’t want any more talk. He wants action,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters yesterday. “It’s still up in the air whether we believe real peace can be accomplished and we can truly move the ball forward.”
“We’ll see whether or not we attend the meeting,” Trump said later in an Oval Office session with reporters, indicating he would only send representatives if there were “a good chance” of progress. He continued to blame Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for not embracing Trump’s plan without reservations. “I thought we were very close with Ukraine to having a deal. In fact, other than President Zelensky, people loved the concept of the deal.”