I've 15 tabs for a moment ...
This sounds like treason https://t.co/u8vAq6MMyN
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 10, 2025
Ed: Not treason, but certainly a violation of Ilhan Omar's oath of office. Even in the most benign interpretation, Omar is committing to carrying out the demands of a foreign government over the interests of the US as a member of Congress. The House Ethics Committee should take this up as a potential disqualification from office.
===
WSJ: Federal Reserve officials cut interest rates at their third consecutive meeting, but signaled little appetite for more amid unusual internal divisions over whether inflation or the job market should be their bigger worry.
The Fed voted 9-3 for the reduction on Wednesday, the first time in six years that three officials cast dissents. Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee and Kansas City Fed President Jeff Schmid thought the reduction wasn’t warranted, while Fed governor Stephen Miran favored a larger, half-point cut.
The decision to reduce the benchmark federal-funds rate by a quarter point—to between 3.5% and 3.75%, a three-year low—is aimed at protecting against a sharper-than-anticipated slowdown in hiring.
Ed: I'm surprised there was this much dissent to a rate cut. The rate of inflation is a little above target, but job creation numbers have been mediocre to poor for months. That's the priority for the economy now. The Fed needs to boost economic activity and deal with inflationary pressures in other ways. The dissent itself is another issue, as Heather Long notes.
===
Wow. Dissent is back a the Federal Reserve.
— Heather Long (@byHeatherLong) December 10, 2025
3 people voted against today's cut. -->The most dissent since 2019.
And check out the "dot plot."
6 people did NOT want to cut today. (Some of those people don't vote at the meetings).
2026 is even more wild.
The bottom line:… pic.twitter.com/vey4jx1zuL
The bottom line: "Stagflation-lite" is a tough and confusing situation for Americans and the Fed.
Ed: Indeed it is. But this problem didn't start in 2025; it started in 2021.
===
Axios: The Trump Administration dramatically escalated its standoff with Venezuela on Wednesday by seizing a large tanker loaded with crude oil bound for Cuba.
Why it matters: President Trump's pressure campaign on Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has now struck at the heart of Venezuela's oil-based economy. ...
The U.S. has sanctioned Venezuela's oil shipments for years, but never before seized an oil-laden tanker of this size departing the country, which has the world's largest proven oil reserves.
Ed: Technically speaking, this is an act of war. The US has had sanctions on Venezuela's oil sales for years, but Trump is escalating now for a reason. He's trying to force Maduro into either a military response, which would be utterly devastating to Maduro as Trump would be free to respond without Congress, or to leave. Trump is leveraging his credibility from the June attack on Iranian nuclear facilities to force the issue.
===
This action was in some ways unfinished business from Trump's first term, sources say, when then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper balked at seizing a Venezuelan tanker
— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) December 10, 2025
But things are very different in Trump 2, including Rubio's influence https://t.co/uOzXpxEVoJ
Ed: Hello, Don-roe Doctrine. Marc's point about a two-fer on Cuba is interesting, because Havana has figured that out too. The days of exporting La Revolucion – and especially of importing it from Beijing, Iran, and Moscow – are over.
===
Deutsche Welle: It is one measure of the battle she continues to fight that Maria Corina Machado was unable to receive her Nobel Peace Prize in person on Wednesday.
The Venezuelan opposition leader was awarded the prize in October for her efforts to move her country towards democracy and away from the disputed rule of President Nicolas Maduro.
Venezuela's attorney general has announced that she would be regarded as a fugitive if she traveled to Oslo, Norway, to pick up the award, which was instead accepted by her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa Machado.
Ed: That's a bigger deal than the seizure of an oil tanker. Or at least, it clarifies why the seizure was necessary – to turn up the heat on the Maduro regime.
===
WE ARE NOT EXTREMISTS. WE ARE ORDINARY VENEZUELANS DREAMING OF DEMOCRACY, FREEDOM, AND RIGHTS. https://t.co/Y8a5LnvAjg
— Germania Rodriguez Poleo (@iamGermania) December 10, 2025
Ed: There's a reason that Machado dedicated her prize to Trump. He's the only one in position and willing to try to deliver these to the Venezuelan people.
===
CNN: Months into a pressure campaign that has seen the US military move thousands of troops and a carrier strike group into the Caribbean and President Donald Trump issue repeated threats against Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, the Trump administration is working on day-after plans in the event Maduro is ousted from power, according to two senior administration officials and another source familiar with the discussions.
The plans are being quietly drafted and closely held at the White House, the sources said.
They include multiple options for what US action could look like to fill the power vacuum and stabilize the country if Maduro voluntarily leaves as part of a negotiated departure or is forced into leaving after US strikes on targets inside Venezuela or other direct action, the sources said.
Ed: In other words, Trump is planning to keep ramping up the pressure. At some point, the military might be willing to eject Maduro ... or worse. They have to know what will happen if Maduro insists on allowing a military conflict to ensue.
===
🚨BREAKING: A Grammy-nominated Rhode Island musician was killed while walking his dog after being hit by a car driven by a woman with 100+ arrests.
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) December 9, 2025
Police say Shannon Godbout veered off the road, hit multiple poles and struck 70-year-old Roderick MacLeod. pic.twitter.com/PcCECrDdIz
===
USA Today: President Donald Trump's approval rating ticked up a few points in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, after it dipped last month to the lowest in his second term.
In the survey released Dec. 9, Trump had a 41% approval rating, compared with the Nov. 18 poll that put him at 38%. The most recent poll interviewed 4,434 adults nationwide and had a margin of error of 2 percentage points in either direction. His disapproval rate was 57%.
The slight increase is at least partially attributable to respondents' improved cost-of-living ratings, according to Reuters' analysis of the polling data.
Ed: Trump's new messaging on the economy needs some fine-tuning, but may already be paying some dividends. It's a little early for conclusions, but the media is likely underestimating Trump's ability to campaign on the economy.
===
President Donald Trump said his new “Gold Card” will make it “very hard” for employees from India, China, and France to remain in the U.S., adding that companies “are going to be very happy” with the policy. pic.twitter.com/OCzC4w6TbA
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) December 10, 2025
Ed: I think the point of a gold card is that whoever has the gold will be welcome. That will include people from these countries.
===
Newsweek: The visa program has been a key focus of the Trump administration, aiming to attract highly skilled workers and substantial foreign investment to the United States.
By setting higher financial thresholds, the initiative seeks to encourage significant economic contributions while offering a faster pathway to residency for those who meet the requirements.
While the exact details of the Gold Card that Trump is rolling out Wednesday aren't clear, previous proposals required individual applicants to donate $1 million to the U.S. Treasury, while corporate-sponsored applicants would need to contribute $2 million, in addition to a non-refundable $15,000 processing fee.
Ed: I'm not sure this is a massive improvement in immigration policy, but it does offer a way to ensure that those who come here will contribute to the economy rather than default to drawing benefits from it.
===
Jasmine Crockett: “I challenge somebody to go and find a clip of a Democrat invoking violence.”
— GOP (@GOP) December 10, 2025
Here you go @JasmineForUS pic.twitter.com/zalak7LqJx
Ed: Let's hope the GOP continues to make Jasmine Crockett the face of the Democrat Party for 2026. She's even better than Nancy Pelosi for that role.
===
Free Beacon: The Trump Department of Energy is preparing to finance up to 10 nuclear power plants in an effort to usher in a nuclear energy "renaissance," Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in an exclusive interview with the Washington Free Beacon.
The agency will use its rebranded Office of Energy Dominance Financing to provide low-interest loans for the reactors, Wright said. The financing is designed to provide a "nudge" to an industry that has struggled for decades to get new projects up and running.
Wright's comments came as he toured the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), a government facility that focuses on cutting-edge nuclear energy research, on Monday.
Ed: We need much more focus on the nuclear option, and to make the process and costs for new-generation reactors. The safety of these new designs far outstrips the dangers of earlier designs, and yet it's the issues of obsolete designs that irrationally impede our use of reliable and scalable energy production.
===
Carville predicted Trump would lose to Kamala and Hillary, so there’s that… https://t.co/rFVBC5hs0g
— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) December 10, 2025
Ed: True. But let's also note that Carville is looking at the economic situation, which doesn't look favorable at the moment. I'm not ready to entirely disregard his admittedly biased perspective until we see how Trump can manage the economic outcomes and messaging over the next few years.
===
Evil is non-discriminatory. https://t.co/a2Gle5tb0C
— John Ondrasik (@johnondrasik) December 10, 2025
Editor's note: If we thought our job in pushing back against the Academia/media/Democrat censorship complex was over with the election, think again. This is going to be a long fight. If you're digging these Final Word posts and want to join the conversation in the comments -- and support independent platforms -- why not join our VIP Membership program? Choose VIP to support Hot Air and access our premium content, VIP Gold to extend your access to all Townhall Media platforms and participate in this show, or VIP Platinum to get access to even more content and discounts on merchandise. Use the promo code FIGHT to join or to upgrade your existing membership level today, and get 60% off!
Join the conversation as a VIP Member