... Explosions were reported in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, at about 2 a.m. local time (0600 GMT), according to images circulating on social media that could not be independently verified. ...
More.
... Soleimani was assassinated on 3 January 2020 around 1:00 a.m. local time (22:00 UTC 2 January),[158] by a U.S. drone strike near Baghdad International Airport.[159]
More.
... [Gold] Bullion surged 64% in 2025, its biggest annual gain since 1979, driven by Fed rate cuts, geopolitical tensions, strong central bank buying, and rising ETF holdings. ...
Spot silver advanced 4.6% to $74.52 per ounce, after hitting an all-time high of $83.62 on Monday, while platinum jumped 4.7% at $2,150.46 per ounce, after rising to an all-time high of $2,478.50 on Monday.
Both metals recorded their best year ever, with silver leading by posting 147% annual gains, driven by its designation as a critical U.S. mineral, supply shortages and low inventories amid rising industrial and investment demand. ...
More.
Meanwhile in more traditional investments in 2025:
VMMSX +35.66% emerging markets fund
VTIAX +32.18% total international stock index fund
VGENX +20.62 energy fund
VFIAX +17.83 Vanguard 500 index fund
VGHCX +17.31 healthcare fund
VTSAX +17.12% total stock market index fund
VFICX +9.53% intermediate term investment grade bond fund
VWESX +7.18% long term investment grade bond fund
VBTLX +7.15% total bond index fund admiral
VBMFX +7.03% total bond index fund investor
VFSTX +6.73% short term investment grade bond fund
VMRXX +4.23% money market fund
VGSLX +3.19 real estate fund.
Trump gives up on National Guard deployments in Chicago, LA, Portland
... The pullback comes a week after the Supreme Court delivered a stark blow to Trump’s push for military troops to patrol U.S. city streets, rejecting his bid to send National Guard members to the Chicago area to protect federal officials enacting his immigration agenda.
In an apparent 6-3 decision, the court explained that federal law generally bars federal troops from participating in civilian law enforcement, and the law Trump used to call up the National Guard likely only applies when the president is unable to execute laws with the regular forces of the military. ...
I missed the December 23 Supreme Court decision story because my cat died the very hour it broke.
I guess I'll always remember her now as the Posse Comitatus Cat.
Supreme Court rejects Trump’s bid to send National Guard to Chicago
... Citing the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits the military from engaging in domestic law enforcement unless explicitly authorized by the Constitution or Congress, the court found Trump lacked the authority to deploy troops to Illinois in this case.
“At this preliminary stage, the Government has failed to identify a source of authority that would allow the military to execute the laws in Illinois,” the unsigned order states. ...
... Spot gold declined 1.4% at $4,470.56 per ounce, after hitting a record high of $4,549.71 on Friday. ...
Spot silver shed 4.8% at $75.32 per ounce, retreating from an all-time high of $83.62 hit earlier in the session. ...
Spot platinum fell 6% to $2,305.15 per ounce, after rising to an all-time high of $2,478.50 earlier in the day, while palladium plunged 13.2% to $1,669.11 per ounce. ...
More.
The U.S. economy grew at a much greater-than-expected pace in the third quarter, boosted by strong consumer spending, a delayed report released Tuesday showed.
U.S. gross domestic product, a sum of all goods and services produced in the sprawling U.S. economy, expanded by 4.3% in the July-September period, the Commerce Department said in its initial reading of third-quarter growth. Economists polled by Dow Jones expect a gain of 3.2%. ...The personal consumption expenditures price index, the Fed’s primary inflation gauge, rose 2.8% during the period, and 2.9% for core which excludes food and energy. Both were above prior respective readings of 2.1% and 2.6% and remain well above the Fed’s 2% inflation gauge. Also, the chain-weighted price index, which accounts for changes in consumer behavior such as switching to less expensive products for pricier items, rose 3.8%, a full percentage point above the forecast. ...
Fifty cents an hour less.
It's as if the weight of wealth accumulation by the top 10% has squished and compressed those beneath them into one giant, undifferentiated blob scooping ice cream alongside this woman.
... When I started working at Lady Moo Moo in Bed-Stuy, I found myself surrounded by people who, like me, had already built careers and are now navigating an unpredictable job market. Some had been laid off just as I had. Others, like my colleague who is a sex educator and public health advocate, lost funding in their fields. A few are juggling multiple part-time roles to stay afloat. ... Every shift, I met people who never imagined they would be picking up part-time work: artists, teachers, nonprofit workers, tech employees, museum curators, and neighbors doing their best to make life work in a difficult economy. ...
... Spot gold was down 0.4% at $4,468.96 per ounce, after marking a record high of $4,525.18 earlier in the session. ...
Silver prices have surged 147% year-to-date on strong fundamentals, outpacing bullion’s gain of over 70% during the same period. ...
Silver hit an all-time high of $72.70 but was last down 0.8% at $70.86 an ounce. ...
More.
"One law for me, another for thee".
Brown and MIT prof shooter suspect Neves Valente is found dead, authorities say
... Authorities said he is believed to have originally been in the United States on a student visa and obtained lawful permanent resident status in 2017.
Trump immediately tries to cover his ass:
U.S. green card lottery suspended after Brown University shooting
... Noem said that Valente entered the U.S. through the DV1 program in 2017 and was granted a green card.
“In 2017, President Trump fought to end this program, following the devastating NYC truck ramming by an ISIS terrorist, who entered under the DV1 program, and murdered eight people,” she wrote on X.
The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV Program) allocates up to 50,000 immigrant visas every year, according to the USCIS website.
The program is a lottery. Visas are randomly allocated to individuals from countries with low rates of immigration to the U.S.
Bush didn't keep us safe on 911, and Trump didn't keep us safe in 2025. A young, talented College Republican is dead because of him.
If Trump can simply suspend the program in 2025, he could have done it in 2017 when he was president the first time, but he didn't.
