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Congress races against the clock to avert skyrocketing health care costs for millions

(CNN) Lawmakers are scrambling to address skyrocketing health care costs in the final days before Congress leaves Washington for the holidays, with enhanced tax credits that make insurance premiums more affordable for millions of Americans set to expire at the end of the month. After the Senate failed to advance health care plans spearheaded by each party last week, it’s the House’s turn to take up proposals with similarly uncertain outcomes.

muriel_volestrangler

Trump Officials Celebrated With Cake After Slashing Aid. Then People Died of Cholera.

(ProPublica) Despite the steps to insulate themselves, dire warnings poured in from diplomats and government experts around the world. The cuts would cost countless lives, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the other Trump officials were told repeatedly. The team of aides pressed on, galvanized by two men who did little to hide their disdain for the agency: first Peter Marocco, a blunt-spoken Marine veteran, and then 28-year-old Jeremy Lewin, who, despite having no government or aid experience, often personally decided which programs should be axed.

erronis

"As a conservative, I'm beginning to wonder: Are we the bad guys?"

(Letter to the Washington Post) I served in the Reagan and George W. Bush administrations and would like to believe conservatism wasn’t always thus, but I’m beginning to wonder. Was the virus from which today’s bigotry sprang lying dormant in us back then, like chickenpox leading to shingles? The moral herpes virus? Was it like a recessive gene long buried in our ancestral DNA that suddenly got switched on and has become dominant? Are these new conservatives in fact our descendants? Were we always secretly like this but were pretending we weren’t? I’m hoping these new conservatives are mutants, but I’m not so sure about that anymore.

BumRushDaShow

Hassett says Federal Reserve can reject Trump's views if he is chair

(AP) A leading candidate to be President Donald Trump’s choice for Federal Reserve chair said that he would present the president’s views to Fed officials for their consideration but they could reject them if they chose when making decisions on interest rates. Kevin Hassett, in an interview Sunday on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” said he would continue to speak with Trump if he becomes the Fed chair. But when asked if Trump’s opinions on interest rates would have “equal weighting” with members of the Fed’s interest-rate setting committee, Hassett replied, “No, he would have no weight.”

Wicked Blue

Rob Reiner and His Wife Michele Were Killed by Their Son

(People) Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were killed by their son, Nick, multiple sources confirm to PEOPLE. On Sunday, Dec. 14, at about 3:30 p.m., the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) was called to a home to provide medical aid, the LAFD told PEOPLE. Upon arrival, they found a man, 78, and a woman, 68, dead. Sources confirm the victims were Rob and Michele.

KS Toronado

Monday's Condensed News Cartoons

BumRushDaShow

Democrats Remember Sandy Hook Shooting and Renew Calls for Gun Reform

(Newsweek) As many remember the tragic 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, in which a shooter killed 20 children and six adults on scene, as well as himself and his mother, Democrats are renewing calls for gun reform. The posts come amid news of two horrific mass shootings this weekend, one at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where two people died and another at a Hannukah celebration in Sydney that killed 16 people, and dozens more injured.

BumRushDaShow

Gang of Eight member unsure about US goal in Venezuela: 'I do not know'

(The Hill) Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) is unsure about what President Trump’s endgame is in Venezuela, but he certainly does not want troops on the ground. “I do not know what this president’s goal vis-a-vis Venezuela is,” Warner told host Martha Raddatz on ABC News’s “This Week.” Warner, a member of the Gang of Eight — comprising the House and Senate leaders of both parties and the top GOP and Democratic members of the Intelligence committees — said he has not been briefed on the Trump administration’s intentions with regard to the South American country.

cbabe

US citizen arrested by ICE in Minneapolis because he 'looks Somali'

(The Independent) An American man was dragged out of a restaurant, forcibly arrested, and detained for two hours by masked federal immigration officers, according to reports. The 20-year-old man, who gave MPR News only his first name, Mubashir, moved to the U.S. from Somalia as a child and later became a naturalized citizen. While walking out on the street near 4th Street and Cedar Avenue, Mubashir said he noticed two masked men approach him, to avoid them he went into a nearby restaurant. The two men followed him inside, dragged him outside, and arrested him. Mubashir was also pushed onto his knees in the snow and put into a chokehold, CBS News reported.

BumRushDaShow

Trump Vows 'Truckloads' of Evidence the 2020 Election Was 'Rigged' Is Coming Out

(Mediaite) President Donald Trump said his administration has “truckloads” of evidence to show Democrats “rigged” the 2020 election on Sunday. “We have all the ammunition, all the stuff, and you’ll see it come out,” Trump said. “It’s coming out in truckloads.” The president made the remark while hosting a Christmas reception at the White House. Trump said the Democrats are “professionals at cheating,” especially when it comes to elections, and said that was obvious in 2020 when he lost as the incumbent to Joe Biden.

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Michele Singer Reiner Took Picture of Trump on 'Art of the Deal' Cover

3 min ago - Dec 15th, 2025, 1:37 pm (AP Photo/Eric Schultz) President Donald Trump has the late Michele Singer Reiner to thank for helping craft the cover image of his 1987 ghostwritten book, The Art of The Deal, which became a bestseller. Michele and her husba ... (MEDIAite)

Evangelical Leader Says Trump's Rob Reiner Post Represents 'The Shame of our Generation'

3 min ago - Evangelical Leader Says Trump’s Rob Reiner Post Represents ‘The Shame of our Generation’ Alex GriffingDec 15th, 2025, 3:01 pm Christian Today editor in chief Russell Moore pulled no punches in blasting President Donald Trump’s co ... (mediaite)

BREAKING Son arrested after Rob Reiner and his wife found dead in LA home

30 min ago - Son Nick arrested after Rob Reiner and his wife found dead in Los Angeles home, AP source says By CHRISTOPHER WEBER and MIKE BALSAMO, Associated PressUpdated Dec 15, 2025 8:09 a.m. LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rob Reiner’s son, Nick Reiner, was in po ... (SFGate)

Trump signs order classifying fentanyl as 'weapon of mass destruction'

34 min ago - Dec. 15, 2025, 4:14 pm. ET WASHINGTON ‒ President Donald Trump has taken action classifying fentanyl as a "weapon of mass destruction" as his administration escalates efforts to combat the flow of illicit drugs into the United States. Trump sig ... (USA Today)

DeSantis: Florida has 'right' to regulate AI rules despite Trump's order

1 hr ago - 12/15/25 2:21 PM ET Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said on Monday that his state has the right to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) despite President Trump’s executive order last week that seeks to institute a national AI standard by pushing ... (The Hill)

Australia to tighten gun laws after Bondi Beach Hanukkah massacre

1 hr ago - Australian leaders promised Monday to immediately overhaul already-tough gun control laws after a mass shooting targeted a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach. At least 15 people died in the attack, which has fueled criticism that autho ... (AP News)

Exclusive-Tesla board made $3 billion via stock awards that dwarfed tech peers

1 hr ago - Tesla's board of directors has earned more than $3 billion through stock awards that far exceeded the value of those given to peers at the biggest U.S. technology firms at the time they were paid, according to an analysis performed for Reuters by com ... (Reuters)

FDA says it may relax warning label rule for dietary supplements

1 hr ago - Dec. 15, 2025, 1:21 PM EST The Food and Drug Administration is considering a rule change that would cut back on how often dietary supplement warnings must appear on packaging, a move experts say could make them easier to miss. Unlike prescription dr ... (NBC News)

Feds say they foiled New Year's Eve terror plot in L.A., Southern California

2 hrs ago - A plan to attack several Los Angeles-area businesses on New Year's Eve was detailed, dangerous and already in motion, authorities said. But as four people allegedly tied to an anti-government group gathered last week in the Mojave Desert to make and ... (Los Angeles Times)

US social media requirements for foreign visitors could have 'chilling effect' on travel, industry group says

3 hrs ago - December 15, 2025 10:56 AM EST Updated 2 hours ago WASHINGTON, Dec 15 (Reuters) - A group representing the U.S. travel and tourism industry warned Monday that a proposal to require millions of foreign visitors to provide social media handles used ove ... (Reuters)

Anthony Geary, Who Played Luke Spencer on 'General Hospital,' Dies at 78

3 hrs ago - Anthony Geary, an eight-time Daytime Emmy winner for playing Luke Spencer on the long-running soap opera “General Hospital,” died due to complications from a medical procedure. He was 78. His husband, Claudio Gama, confirmed the news to TV ... (Variety via Yahoo News)

Magaziner: Kash Patel should 'take a lesson' from local law enforcement

3 hrs ago - Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., told CNN News Central Anchor John Berman Dec. 15 that he hopes FBI Director Kash Patel and President Donald Trump "take a lesson" from Rhode Island law enforcement's handling of the investigation and to not "jump the gun" ... (Providence Journal Staff)

Bill and Hillary Clinton are pushing back against 'weaponized' Republican-led Epstein investigation

4 hrs ago - Monday 15 December 2025 10:57 EST Former President Bill Clinton and former First Lady Hillary Clinton have stepped up their fight against the Republican-led investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, with claims it has been “weaponized.” The Clint ... (The Independent)

Brown University shooting victim, Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, graduated from Midlothian High School, Virginia

4 hrs ago - One of the two students killed in the mass shooting at Brown University is Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, a freshman who graduated just a few months ago from Midlothian High School in Chesterfield, Virginia. "Such a profound tragedy for his family and our ... (USA TODAY Network)

Mar-a-Lago judge issues weekend order allowing Trump to oppose release of Jack Smith's report

5 hrs ago - Dec 15th, 2025, 10:16 am After ignoring, for months on end, the reminders from groups interested in shedding sunlight on ex-special counsel Jack Smith's Mar-a-Lago report, the judge who tossed out the prosecution is letting President Donald Trump re ... (Law & Crime)

U.S. Soldiers Killed in Syria Identified as Iowa National Guard Sergeants

5 hrs ago - The two Iowa National Guard soldiers who were killed by a gunman in Syria on Saturday were Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard and Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres Tovar, the Guard said in a statement on Monday. The gunman also killed an American civilian contracto ... (New York Times)

Rob Reiner's son arrested after famed director, wife found stabbed to death in LA home

6 hrs ago - Monday, December 15, 2025 12:49PM LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The son of famed director Rob Reiner is in custody of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department after Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer, were found dead in their L.A. home on Sunday. Nick Re ... (KABC-TV Los Angeles, CA)

Nancy Pelosi calls female US president in her lifetime unlikely: 'Marble ceiling'

6 hrs ago - Mon 15 Dec 2025 05.00 EST Last modified on Mon 15 Dec 2025 08.18 EST Nancy Pelosi, the outgoing congresswoman and former House speaker, has conceded that she may not see a woman be elected US president in her lifetime. The California Democrat said as ... (The Guardian)

Trump Blames Tragic Death of Rob Reiner and Wife on 'TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME'

6 hrs ago - President Donald Trump seized on a shocking and still-developing report about the deaths of filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Reiner, using the moment to settle political scores rather than acknowledge the gravity of the allegations. Accordi ... (Mediaite.com)

Campus Republican Club VP Ella Cook Named as Student Killed in Brown Shooting

7 hrs ago - Dec 15th, 2025, 7:32 am Brown University sophomore Ella Cook, who served as vice-president of the university’s College Republicans club, was confirmed Sunday as one of the students killed in a campus shooting on Saturday. Cook’s identity ... (MEDIAite)