[CRAIG NIGRELLI]
A NEW PITCH ON PRICES.
PRESIDENT TRUMP HITS PENNSYLVANIA WITH A FULL-COURT PRESS.
SAYING HE’S TURNING THE INFLATION STORY AROUND.
PLUS, THE CLOCK’S ALMOST UP.
HEALTH CARE SUBSIDIES FOR MILLIONS ABOUT TO EXPIRE.
AND WASHINGTON.. NOWHERE CLOSE TO A DEAL.
AND ELON MUSK, UNFILTERED.
LOOKING BACK AT THE DEPARTMENT THAT AXED THOUSANDS —
WOULD HE TAKE THE DOGE GIG AGAIN?
L3: TRUMP: “WE’RE CRUSHING” INFLATION | CLAIMS AFFORDABILITY PUSH IS TOP PRIORITY
PRESIDENT TRUMP IS OFFERING A NEW MESSAGE ON THE ECONOMY THIS MORNING.
AFTER WEEKS OF DISMISSING THE COUNTRY’S AFFORDABILITY PROBLEMS AS A DEMOCRATIC “HOAX,” HE’S NOW SAYING INFLATION IS NO LONGER A PROBLEM AT ALL UNDER HIS WATCH.
AT A RALLY-STYLE EVENT IN MOUNT POCONO, PENNSYLVANIA, THE PRESIDENT STRUCK TWO NOTES AT ONCE — CALLING “AFFORDABILITY” A TERM INVENTED BY DEMOCRATS… WHILE ALSO INSISTING HE HAS “NO HIGHER PRIORITY” THAN MAKING THE COUNTRY MORE AFFORABLE.
“They gave you high prices. They gave you the highest inflation in history, and we’re giving you we’re bringing those prices down rapidly, lower prices, bigger paychecks. You’re getting lower prices, bigger paychecks. We’re getting inflation, we’re crushing it, and you’re getting much higher wages. I mean the only thing that you is it’s really going up big, it’s called the stock market and your 401Ks.”
THE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE COMES AS ECONOMISTS SAY THE OPPOSITE HAS BEEN TRUE IN RECENT MONTHS — POINTING OUT THAT INFLATION PICKED UP AGAIN AFTER HIS SWEEPING GLOBAL TARIFFS TOOK EFFECT IN APRIL.
AND WHILE INFLATION IS FAR BELOW THE 2022 PEAK OF JUST OVER 9%, CONSUMER PRICES WERE STILL RISING — UP 3% YEAR-OVER-YEAR IN SEPTEMBER.
NEW NUMBERS, DELAYED BY THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, ARE NOW EXPECTED AFTER THE FEDERAL RESERVE’S MEETING THAT HAPPENS LATER TODAY.
MEANWHILE — VOTERS APPEAR TO BE GROWING MORE SKEPTICAL.
A C-B-S NEWS/YOU GOV POLL FROM NOVEMBER FOUND NEARLY TWO-THIRDS OF AMERICANS BELIEVE THE PRESIDENT’S POLICIES ARE MAKING GROCERY PRICES GO UP.
L3: FIGHTER JETS FLY NEAR VENEZUELA | U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT CLOSEST TO AIRSPACE IN YEARS
AS TENSIONS BETWEEN THE U.S. AND VENEZUELA CONTINUE TO CLIMB,
AMERICAN FIGHTER JETS JUST MADE THEIR CLOSEST KNOWN APPROACH TO VENEZUELAN AIRSPACE IN YEARS.
THE PENTAGON FLEW TWO F/A-18 FIGHTER JETS OVER THE GULF OF VENEZUELA ON TUESDAY — THE NEAREST U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT HAVE COME TO THE COUNTRY’S AIRSPACE SINCE THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LAUNCHED ITS EXPANDED ANTI-DRUG MISSION IN THE REGION.
A U.S. DEFENSE OFFICIAL TOLD FOX NEWS THE FLIGHT WAS A “ROUTINE TRAINING MISSION,” MEANT TO SHOW HOW FAR THE AIRCRAFT CAN OPERATE — BUT IT COMES AMID A BROADER BUILDUP.
American forces were ALSO SEEN UNLOADING TRUCKS AND HEAVY EQUIPMENT FROM MILITARY SHIPS IN PUERTO RICO — A VISIBLE EXPANSION OF THE U.S. FOOTPRINT IN THE CARIBBEAN.
PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS SAID LAND OPERATIONS ARE COMING, THOUGH HE’S OFFERED NO TIMELINE ON SPECIFICS.
SINCE SEPTEMBER, THE U-S HAS CARRIED OUT MULTIPLE STRIKES ON WHAT IT SAYS ARE DRUG-SMUGGLING BOATS OFF VENEZUELA’S COAST.
VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT NICOLAS MADURO CLAIMS THE U.S. IS USING THOSE MISSIONS AS COVER TO TRY TO FORCE HIM FROM POWER.
AND NOW — ONE OF THOSE EARLY STRIKES IS FACING SCRUTINY ON CAPITOL HILL… LAWMAKERS ARE DEMANDING DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH RELEASE THE FULL, UNEDITED VIDEO OF A FOLLOW-UP STRIKE THAT KILLED TWO SURVIVORS OF THE INITIAL ATTACK.
HEGSETH SAID TUESDAY HE’S STILL DECIDING WHETHER TO MAKE THAT FOOTAGE PUBLIC.
L3 ZELENSKYY HOLDS THE LINE | PEACE PLAN HEADS TO U.S. AS TRUMP, POPE WEIGH IN
A NEW TURN THIS MORNING IN THE PUSH FOR A UKRAINE TO GET ON BOARD WITH A PEACE DEAL.
PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY NOW SAYS UKRAINE WILL PRESENT ITS UPDATED PLAN TO THE U.S. TODAY, AND HE’S DRAWING A HARD LINE: NO LAND WILL BE GIVEN TO RUSSIA.
AFTER A WHIRLWIND TOUR THOUGH LONDON, ROME, AND MEETINGS WITH EUROPEAN LEADERS, ZELENSKYY MADE IT CLEAR UKRAINE HAS “NO LEGAL OR MORAL RIGHT” TO GIVE UP TERRITORY” — NOT DONBAS, NOT ANY OF IT.
IN A STATEMENT ON X, HE SAYS THE REVISED PEACE FRAMEWORK IS READY FOR WASHINGTON, WRITING “TOGETHER WITH THE AMERICAN SIDE, WE EXPECT TO SWIFTLY MAKE THE POTENTIAL STEPS AS DOABLE AS POSSIBLE.”
THIS COMES AS PRESIDENT TRUMP RAMPS UP PUBLIC PRESSURE — AGAIN SUGGESTING UKRAINE MUST “PLAY BALL” AND ARGUING ZELENSKYY IS “LOSING” THE WAR, AFTER RUSSIA SEIZED LARGE STRETCHES OF TERRITORY YEARS BEFORE TRUMP RETURNED TO OFFICE.
Donald Trump, U.S. President:
“Well he’s gonna have to get on the ball and start accepting things. You know, when you’re losing, cause he’s losing…”
Dasha Burns, Politico:
“Do you think Ukraine has lost this war?”
Donald Trump, U.S. President:
“Well, they’ve lost territory long before I got here. They lost a whole strip of seafront, big seafront.”
Donald Trump, U.S. President:
“But they lost a lot of land and it’s very good land too that they lost.
ON TUESDAY, A RARE AND STRIKING AND REBUKE FROM POPE LEO, AFTER MEETING ZELENSKYY OUTSIDE ROME.
THE POPE CONDEMNED TRUMP’S RECENT REMARKS IN THAT POLITICO INTERVIEW ABOUT EUROPEAN LEADERS BEING WEAK AND THE PRESIDENT SUGGESTING THE U.S. SCALE BACK SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE.
“I think unfortunately some of parts of it that that I have seen make a a huge change in what was for many many years a true alliance between Europe and the United States. The remarks that are made about Europe also in interviews recently I think are trying to break apart what I think needs to be a very important alliance today and in the future.”
– Pope Leo XIV
ZELENSKYY ALSO MET WITH ITALY’S GIORGIA MELONI, WHO REITERATED EUROPE’S SUPPORT AS TALKS WITH THE U.S. REMAIN BOGGED DOWN OVER THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATON’S PROPOSAL THAT UKRAINE SURRENDER DONBAS — A DEMAND THAT KYIV AND EUROPE HAVE FLATLY REJECT.
L3 HEALTH PLANS GO HEAD-TO-HEAD | GOP, DEMOCRATS PUSH RIVAL FIXES AS SUBSIDIES NEAR EXPIRATION
A HIGH-STAKES HEALTH-CARE FIGHT IS ABOUT TO BREAK OPEN ON CAPITOL HILL…
WITH DUELING PLANS FROM REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS HEADING FOR BACK-TO-BACK VOTES ON THURSDAY.
AND NEITHER SIDE IS EXPECTED TO HIT 60.
REPUBLICANS WALKED OUT OF THEIR LUNCH TUESDAY READY TO PUSH THEIR OWN PROPOSAL — A BILL FROM SENATORS CASSIDY AND CRAPO THAT *DOESN’T* EXTEND THE EXPIRING A-C-A SUBSIDIES… BUT INSTEAD SENDS THAT MONEY STRAIGHT INTO HEALTH-SAVINGS ACCOUNTS FOR PEOPLE ON BRONZE-LEVEL PLANS. HERE’S THE MAJORITY LEADER.
“This is a this is a failed program, and it does nothing but drive premiums up and the increase in premiums, who’s that going to? That’s going to the insurance companies. So the proposal we’ll put out there will bring insurance premiums down, it will be fiscally responsible, and it will get us away from the practice of giving the money all to the insurance companies and put it back in the hands of the patients.”
– Sen. John Thune, Senate Majority Leader
JOHN THUNE SAYS THE GOP PLAN SAVES MONEY AND LOWERS COSTS — WHILE DEMOCRATS, HE ARGUES ARE STAGING A “SHOW VOTE” TO EXTEND THE CURRENT SUBSIDIES FOR THREE MORE YEARS.
THOSE SUBSIDIES ARE SET TO EXPIRE AT THE END OF THE YEAR NOW JUST THREE WEEKS AWAY– A CHANGE THAT COULD MEAN DOUBLE-DIGIT PREMIUM INCREASES FOR MILLIONS OF AMERICANS. HERE’S SENATOR RICHARD BLUMENTHAL.
“The American people are not dumb. They see that these sham proposals for health care savings accounts and tax credits are simply a ruse and a sham by Republicans to disguise the fact that they are blocking the extension of health care subsidies that make insurance affordable.”
– Sen. Richard Blumenthal, (D) Connecticut
DEMOCRATS SAY THEIR PLAN IS THE FASTEST, CLEANEST FIX — NO GIMMICKS, NO STRINGS — AND EVERYONE IN THEIR CAUCUS IS ON BOARD.
REPUBLICANS, MEANWHILE, ARE SCRAMBLING FOR UNITY… EVEN FLOATING SEVERAL COMPETING IDEAS IN RECENT DAYS.
BUT WITH 53 GOP SEATS, NO PROPOSAL — DEMOCRATIC OR REPUBLICAN — IS EXPECTED TO CROSS THE NECESSARY 60-VOTE FINISH LINE FOR PASSAGE.
TOMORROW’ SIDE-BY-SIDE VOTES WILL, HOWEVER, FORCE EVERY SENATOR TO TAKE A POSITION BEFORE PREMIUMS SPIKE.
L3: ELON MUSK TALKS DOGE | SAYS HE WOULDN’T DO IT AGAIN
SIX MONTHS AFTER WALKING AWAY FROM DOGE, THE DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY —
ELON MUSK IS NOW REFLECTING ON HIS TIME RUNNING ONE OF THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL PROJECTS OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AND WHETHER HE WOULD DO IT AGAIN.
ON A PODCAST HOSTED BY FORMER TRUMP AIDE KATIE MILLER, MUSK DESCRIBED DOGE AS “KIND OF A MADE-UP DEPARTMENT” — EVEN SAYING ITS NAME CAME FROM AN INTERNET JOKE.
AND HE MADE ONE THING PRETTY CLEAR: IF HE HAD TO DO IT ALL OVER : HE WOULD NOT TAKE THE JOB… EVEN IF HE THINKS THE MISSION HAD SOME WINS.
ELON MUSK, FORMER DOGE CHAIR
“Would you do DOGE again, knowing what you know now?”
“I mean, the thing is, I think instead of doing DOGE I would’ve basically built, you know, worked on my companies, essentially. And the cars — they wouldn’t have been burning the cars.”
“Do you think you were successful?”
“We were a little bit successful. We were somewhat successful. I mean, we stopped a lot of funding for — that really just made no sense, that was just entirely wasteful. Where like — for example, there was like, probably $100 maybe $200 billion worth of zombie payments per year.”
PRESIDENT TRUMP CREATED DOGE ON DAY ONE OF HIS SECOND TERM… TASKING MUSK WITH SLASHING FEDERAL SPENDING, SHUTTING DOWN WHAT HE CALLED WASTEFUL PROGRAMS, AND DRIVING MASSIVE WORKFORCE CUTS THROUGH LAYOFFS AND BUYOUTS.
IN SOME CASES, ENTIRE AGENCIES WERE ELIMINATED — INCLUDING THE U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
L3 DINOSAUR PRINT TROVE | 16,000 TRACKS UNCOVERED
FINALLY THIS MORNING, A PREHISTORIC SURPRISE OUT OF BOLIVIA.
SCIENTISTS SAY TYRANNOSAURUS REX AND ITS RELATIVES LOVED THIS PART OF SOUTH AMERICA … ABOUT 60 MILLION YEARS AGO.
A TEAM OF PALEONTOLOGISTS HAS DOCUMENTED MORE THAN 16,000 DINOSAUR FOOTPRINTS — THE LARGEST COLLECTION OF THEROPOD TRACKS EVER RECORDED.
THEY ARE BIPEDAL AND MOSTLY MEAT-EATERS, A GROUP THAT INCLUDES THE T-REX.
RESEARCHERS FOUND THE PRINTS ACROSS ANCIENT SHORELINES AND LAKEBEDS NEAR TORO TORO – A VILLAGE AND NATIONAL PARK IN BOLIVIA’S ANDES MOUNTAINS.
THEY ALSO UNCOVERED NEARLY 14-HUNDRED FOOTPRINTS PRESERVED IN MUD, EVIDENCE THAT THESE DINOSAURS WERE WADING AND SPLASHING THROUGH RISING LAKE WATERS.
AND THE SIZE RANGE IS WILD — FROM TRACKS BELONGING TO A CREATURE ROUGHLY 33 FEET TALL. TO PRINTS JUST A SINGLE FOOT LONG, LIKELY FROM SMALLER DINOSAURS TRAVELING WITH THE HERD.
A REMARKABLE WINDOW INTO PREHISTORIC LIFE — AND THE CLOSEST THING WE’LL GET TO WATCHING A T-REX TAKE A MORNING STROLL.
A BUSY DAY IN WASHINGTON, HERE’S WHAT WE’RE TRACKING.
STARTING THIS MORNING AT THE SUPREME COURT, WHERE JUSTICES TAKE UP A MAJOR CASE ON HOW IQ TESTING SHOULD AFFECT DEATH-PENALTY ELIGIBILITY.
LATER, SENATORS DIG INTO AMERICA’S HEALTH CARE PROBLEMS, HEARING FROM INDUSTRY GROUPS AND EVERYDAY A-C-A ENROLLEES.
THIS AFTERNOON, ALL EYES ON THE FED — WRAPPING UP ITS FINAL POLICY MEETING OF THE YEAR, WITH A LIKELY RATE CUT AND NEW SIGNALS ABOUT 2026.
AND IN FLORIDA, A KEY HOUSE REDISTRICTING COMMITTEE MEETS AGAIN AS A NEW MAP TAKES SHAPE.
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FOR ALL OF US HERE AT STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS — I’M CRAIG NIGRELLI.
HAVE A GREAT DAY.