NEW: A passenger who was contagious with measles passed through Denver International Airport’s B concourse on Dec. 12. The traveler, on an unspecified airline, arrived at gate B45 at about 7:24 p.m. and departed from gate B84 at about 9:41 p.m. that same night

Putin needs no disinformation campaign of his own. He has the Trump gang.

"Maybe it’s the age, maybe it’s my age; whatever, it’s hard to insist on the importance of movies when your country is sinking into totalitarianism. Yet it’s what I do, so, like most of us who feel caught in the amber of our own powerlessness, I keep on doing it." Here are the year's best films.

Also, Justice Kavanaugh sounds like he really, really wants a second try at his decision authorizing Kavanaugh Stops. He's now insisting that immigration enforcement should not be like EXACTLY WHAT IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT IS LIKE UNDER TRUMP'S THUGGERY.

“.. He asked why she had weighed in at the last minute after not attending five screenings of the segment as it was being completed. “It’s not a part-time job,” Mr. Pelley said.” @nytimes.com $PSKY www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/b...

“Everybody asks me about Will Ferrell .. he’s extraordinarily funny, and he’s quiet between takes. I thought that was interesting. I think a lot of great male comic actors are introspective .. but they are really able to turn it up when the camera’s on.” - Peter Dinklage, on “Elf” (2003)

> @thewrap.com $PSKY www.thewrap.com/commentary-a...

(Miami Herald) - Jeffrey Epstein’s brother, Mark Epstein, told the FBI in 2023 that Epstein was murdered in his jail cell because he was about to “name names.” @miamiherald.com www.miamiherald.com/news/politic...

lol

“.. They are prepositioning forces to take action. .. The question that remains is to accomplish what?” he said. @wsj.com www.wsj.com/politics/nat...

“Best looking” 🤡

Year 1 data on congestion pricing in Manhattan… * Vehicle traffic: -11% * Foot traffic: +3.4% * Storefront vacancy: -0.9% * Pollution: -22% * Revenue for mass transit: $548M So YES this has been a huge success.

“.. some engineers argued for mechanical handles,” but “Musk’s directive was clear: Virtually everything in the new vehicle — including the doors — should be controlled electrically .. “.. 15 people have died in crashes where Tesla doors wouldn’t open ..” www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

oh

Among the newly-released Epstein files. This Justice Dept email from Jan 2020 'I wanted to let you know that the flight records we received yesterday reflect that Donald Trump traveled on Epstein's private jet many more times than previously has been reported"

‘Our President Also Shares Our Love of Young, Nubile Girls.’ Newly released Epstein files reveal a purported letter sent to a fellow sex offender just days before his death.

“.. There’s a couple dozen of us in there against, you know, the thousands and thousands outside, and we just held it as long as we could. It was a brutal fight.” @apnews.com apnews.com/article/capi...

That’s ONE way to get “consumption” up. 🤡 #GDP

$PSKY

Four-byline alert: 🚨 @nytimes.com #DOGE @fahrenthold.bsky.social @sangerkatz.bsky.social @emmbadger.bsky.social @aliciaparlap.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...

"If there’s one clear lesson from the pandemic spending spree, it is that affordability is not something Congress can deliver with a deficit-financed check" www.cato.org/blog/fiscal-...

“.. More than 42 million Americans hold student loans.” @cnbc.com www.cnbc.com/2025/12/23/s...

#GDP 🇺🇸

“.. Q3 #GDP of 4.3% was boosted over a percentage point by the weird trade situation. (See yellow boxes below). Artificially low imports and "high" exports did make GDP look better. But keep in mind: Consumption was strong in Q3 at +3.5%. (see green box below)” @byheatherlong.bsky.social

DOJ briefly uploaded this letter from Jeff Epstein to serial child molester Larry Nassar: "Our president shares our love of young, nubile girls. When a young beauty walked by he loved to 'grab snatch,' whereas we ended up snatching grub in the mess halls of the system."

"this could have been slop, but it's not" is rapidly becoming a surefire signifier of premium-ness

"Someone told the party that Donald Trump had invited them all to a party at Mar a Lago. REDACTED told Villeneuve she wanted to go, but Villeneuve told REDACTED it wasn't that kind of party, it was for prostitutes."

So much for “civility” in travel. 🤡

#GDP 🇺🇸

WASHINGTON (AP) - US consumer confidence falls again in December, sinking to the lowest level since Trump's tariff rollout in April. @apnews.com #ConferenceBoard

$PSKY 🤡

Second-derivative time: #GDP 🇺🇸

".. when all the white collar jobs are going away pretty damn quick .."

USA: Land of Price Controls 🇺🇸

(Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department released a new trove of documents on Tuesday from its investigation into .. Jeffrey Epstein, including an email from a prosecutor indicating President Trump had traveled aboard his private jet "many more times than previously has been reported". @reuters.com

> @berkie1.bsky.social

The Chinese are muscling in on Trump’s peacemaking prowess. Maybe FIFA will give them an award. @reuters.com www.reuters.com/world/china/...

“.. Next to the ship was a picture of Trump raising his fist in the air ..” @bloomberg.com www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Humiliating. @politico.com www.politico.com/news/2025/12...

(Reuters) - China imported no soybeans from the United States for a third straight month in November, as buyers turned to South American supplies amid fears of a shortfall if the trade war with Washington dragged on. @reuters.com www.producer.com/daily/china-...

“.. he’s moved with uncommon speed to change the flow of money in the US. Some strike directly at the financial plumbing of the nation. Others nudge savers toward new investments that will take decades to judge.” @bloomberg.com www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...

* DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE: SOME DOCUMENTS RELEASED CONTAIN UNTRUE AND SENSATIONALIST CLAIMS MADE AGAINST PRESIDENT TRUMP THAT WERE SUBMITTED TO THE FBI RIGHT BEFORE 2020 ELECTION * DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE: TO BE CLEAR CLAIMS AGAINST TRUMP ARE UNFOUNDED AND FALSE @reuters.com

Torsten at Apollo: Long-term interest rates will remain higher for longer, and investors should plan accordingly.

“.. Software relative to the $NDX … while we are at ~5 year low, the pair appears to be trying to bounce at a similar ‘level’ that it did in mid-2024.” - GS desk

The Olivia Nuzzi story and the Bari Weiss at CBS story are the same story, which is that the upper echelons of legacy media are absolutely rife with people who worship power and don't feel burdened by any sense of responsibility to their profession or the public.

This is as easy a test of your belief in the American system as is conceivable: Should this be an acceptable argument from a president?

“.. Semis and AI stocks are set to finish the year up 40%+ …. vs …. Software +6% and Payments down ~10% ..” - GS desk

The full spiked 60 Minutes CECOT package, clean & subtitled. 1/5

GOLDMAN DESK: “.. consensus expectations are calling for notable y/y accelerations in EPS growth everywhere outside of TMT (the NDX) …. is this likely to play out? …. does $MU’s print serve as a reminder of the beat/raise potential in Tech?”