Trump tries to deflect blame for economic issues
As high costs continue to squeeze U.S. households, Donald Trump held a rally in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, during which he spoke for more than an hour and a half and tried to convince the audience that the economy was fine and if there are problems it’s Joe Biden’s fault. Trump’s new message was that Democrats drove up prices, “and we’re bringing them down.” But he undercut his argument at times by citing false statistics and often veering into insult-ridden tangents. While Trump has dismissed concerns about affordability as a “Democratic hoax,” a Fox News national survey from November found that 76% of voters view the economy negatively.
Federal Reserve expected to cut interest rates today
The Federal Reserve is expected to make another cut in interest rates today. It’s reported that members of the Fed’s Open Market Committee, who decide on interest rates, disagree over whether to prioritize full employment or continue trying to reach the Fed’s target rate of 2% inflation. Job growth this year has been unusually weak and several officials have said the situation could get worse if they don’t continue to lower rates. Other officials, however, say the greater risk is that inflation stays stuck above the Fed’s 2% target as President Trump’s widespread tariffs drive up prices U.S. consumers have to pay for imported goods. Complicating the Fed’s decision making is the Trump administration not releasing key data on employment and inflation as had been routine.
Hegseth refuses to show boat video to congressional leaders
During a briefing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday by Defense Secretary Hegseth and Secretary of State Rubio, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called for Hegseth to show the video in which the U.S. military attacked and killed survivors of the military’s attack on a boat in the Caribbean in early September. Hegseth refused, saying only that his people need to study the recording. Schumer later told reporters that the briefing was unsatisfactory and that Democrats and Republicans have the right to see the video and receive an honest accounting of what happened and why.
Democrat wins Miami mayor’s race
Eileen Higgins will be the next mayor of Miami, breaking a nearly 30-year Republican streak of holding the seat and giving Democrats another strong showing at the ballot box during the first year of Trump’s second term. Higgins, a former county commissioner, beat City Manager Emilio Gonzalez, who was endorsed by Trump. Miami has a large Latino population and residents have been extremely concerned by anti-immigrant policies and operations carried out by the Trump administration and supported by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Ukraine making changes to U.S. peace plan
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said his team is preparing an updated version of the Trump administration’s peace plan and could send it to the U.S. later today. Zelenskyy has been clear that his country will not surrender Russian-occupied territory, even as President Trump pressures him to agree to a peace deal with Moscow. In an interview with Politico taped Monday, Trump once again expressed frustration with Zelenskyy, saying, “He’s going to have to get on the ball and start accepting things, you know, when you’re losing.” Russia has insisted on territorial concessions being part of a settlement to end its war in Ukraine.
Nobel Peace Prize to be awarded today
The Nobel committee will hand out its Peace Prize today, but this year’s winner will not attend the award ceremony in Norway. Under persecution from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s government, opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado has been living in hiding since last year, and her current whereabouts are unknown. Machado received the accolade for tirelessly promoting democratic rights in Venezuela and “for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy,” the Nobel Committee said. Machado’s daughter will accept the prize and deliver a speech on her mother’s behalf. Donald Trump had been campaigning to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
