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Today — 18 December 2025Main stream

Nearly $900 Million Flowed in Secret to Help Harris and Trump in 2024

The main dark-money group backing Kamala Harris and Joe Biden raised a staggering $613 million last year, while its pro-Trump counterpart brought in $275 million, new filings show.

© Kenny Holston/The New York Times

Both Donald J. Trump and Kamala Harris benefited heavily from so-called dark money in 2024, but Democrats leaned more on the practice of funneling money through nonprofit groups that do not have to disclose their donors.

Brendan Carr Says FCC ‘Isn’t Independent’ Amid Concerns of How Trump Might Use the Agency

18 December 2025 at 03:56
The comment from Brendan Carr, a Republican, raised concerns from lawmakers about how President Trump might use the agency.

© Eric Lee for The New York Times

Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, at a Senate committee hearing on Wednesday.

Venezuelan Navy Escorts Vessels After Trump’s Blockade Threat

The Venezuelan government was said to have ordered the escort, according to two people familiar with the matter. It was not immediately clear whether the vessels were subject to U.S. sanctions.

© Adriana Loureiro Fernandez for The New York Times

An oil tanker anchored near the Cardón Refinery in Punto Fijo, Venezuela, in 2021.

Tankers Under Sanction Are Only a Subset of Fleet Moving Venezuelan Oil

18 December 2025 at 01:48
The scope of President Trump’s blockade against ships carrying oil from Venezuela was not clear on Wednesday.

© Adriana Loureiro Fernandez for The New York Times

An oil tanker docked at Cardón Refinery in Punto Fijo, Venezuela, in 2021. More than 400 tankers have moved Venezuelan oil or related products since 2019, and these vessels are part of a bigger fleet of ships that trade oil illicitly.

Appeals Court Allows National Guard to Remain in D.C., for Now

18 December 2025 at 00:15
A three-judge panel voted unanimously to allow troops to stay in the capital for the duration of the appeal, citing the city’s unique legal status.

© Kenny Holston/The New York Times

National Guard troops in Washington in August. A lower court judge had ordered that the troops be removed from the city, but the appeals court previously stayed the ruling while it considered the matter.

National Center for Atmospheric Research to Be Dismantled, Trump Administration Says

Russell Vought, the White House budget director, called the laboratory a source of “climate alarmism.”

© Caine Delacy for The New York Times

National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., is responsible for many of the biggest scientific advances in humanity’s understanding of weather and climate since its founding in 1960.
Yesterday — 17 December 2025Main stream

Trump Dangles Cash Payments to Assuage Affordability Concerns

17 December 2025 at 18:01
With tariffs unpopular and prices still high, the White House has teased the promise of tariff rebates and large tax refunds next year.

© Eric Lee for The New York Times

The president has repeatedly floated the idea of sending one-time $2,000 rebate checks to many families.

Trump Revised Chevron’s Venezuela Deal. Maduro’s Oil Trader Profited.

A firm controlled by a businessman tied to a seized tanker carrying Venezuelan oil has sold millions of barrels from a Chevron-operated oil field.

© Adriana Loureiro Fernandez for The New York Times

A statue outside Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA headquarters in Caracas.

Next Fed Chair in ‘No-Win Scenario’ as Selection Process Draws to a Close

17 December 2025 at 18:02
The person picked to replace Jerome H. Powell will be thrust into a credibility problem that will be difficult to escape.

© Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg; Eric Lee/The New York Times

Trump Orders Blockade of Some Oil Tankers to and From Venezuela

The move is an escalation of military operations and a pressure campaign against Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s leader. But its scope and economic impact are not clear.

© Adriana Loureiro Fernandez for The New York Times

Oil tankers anchored in Punto Fijo, Venezuela, in 2021. Venezuela relies entirely on tankers to export its oil to world markets.

Trump and Top Aides Publicly Defend Susie Wiles After Explosive Interviews

17 December 2025 at 03:27
President Trump praised his chief of staff as doing “a fantastic job,” and more than a dozen members of his cabinet have posted defenses of her on social media.

© Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

Susie Wiles criticized the article as a “disingenuously framed hit piece” but did not deny the authenticity of the quotes.

Johnson Rules Out House Vote to Extend Health Insurance Subsidies

17 December 2025 at 10:43
The speaker had planned to give moderate Republicans seeking an extension of the tax credits a vote on their proposal, but said on Tuesday it was simply “not to be.”

© Eric Lee for The New York Times

Speaker Mike Johnson had signaled openness to allowing debate on the proposal to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies, but ultimately rejected a bid to do so by politically vulnerable Republicans.

Trump Expands Travel Ban and Restrictions to 20 More Countries

17 December 2025 at 08:49
People from Syria, South Sudan and those with documents issued by the Palestinian Authority are included in the latest restrictions. More than 35 countries are now under U.S. travel restrictions.

© Dakota Santiago for The New York Times

Beyond the travel restrictions, the ban could have major ramifications for nationals of those countries already in the United States.

Remixing Trump’s Economy Speech, Vance Strikes a Different Tone

17 December 2025 at 06:26
Vice President JD Vance pleaded with everybody to just hang in there a little longer, saying the economy would improve.

© Tom Brenner for The New York Times

Vice President JD Vance, on Tuesday in Allentown, Pa., said of the economy, “I know that there is so much more progress to be made.”

Hegseth Declines to Show Lawmakers Boat Strike Video

The defense secretary joined the secretary of state on Capitol Hill to deliver the first classified briefings to include all members of the House and Senate on the maritime attacks.

© Eric Lee for The New York Times

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth briefed lawmakers on Tuesday on the military’s strikes on boats in international waters.
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