“The Trump administration will begin to garnish the pay of student loan borrowers in January, the Department of Education said, stepping up a repayment enforcement effort that began this year. Beginning the week of Jan. 7, roughly 1,000 borrowers who are in default will receive notices informing them of their status, according to an email from the department. The number of notices will increase on a monthly basis. The collection activities are ‘conducted only after student and parent borrowers have been provided sufficient notice and opportunity to repay their loans,’ according to the email, which was unsigned.” (12/23/25)
“Yet again, the military community is struck with the death of two outstanding individuals in the midst of unnecessary military involvement in Syria. And yet again, there will not be a single person bearing the burden of this loss other than close family and friends. In the latter half of the Global War on Terror, the American people have largely remained unaffected by continuous years of war and politicians have deferred all responsibility to the office of the President. Our involvement in the Middle East continues regardless of which party holds the Presidency, with virtually no accountability when soldiers are killed in what is perhaps our nation’s most baseless war to date.” (12/23/25)
“Since the beginning of the Trump administration, the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the brainchild of billionaire Elon Musk, has gone through several iterations, leading periodically to claims — most recently from the director of the Office of Personnel Management — that the group doesn’t exist, or has vanished altogether. But DOGE isn’t dead. Many of its original members are in full-time roles at various government agencies …. Even if DOGE doesn’t survive another year, or until the US semiquincentennial — its original expiration date, per the executive order establishing it — the organization’s larger project will continue. DOGE from its inception was used for two things, both of which have continued apace: the destruction of the administrative state and the wholesale consolidation of data in service of concentrating power in the executive branch. It is a pattern that experts say could spill over beyond the Trump administration.” (12/23/25)
“Former GOP Sen. Ben Sasse revealed Tuesday that he has been diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer and does not have long to live. In a lengthy statement on X, the 53-year-old said bluntly: ‘Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and am gonna die.’ ‘Death is a wicked thief, and the bastard pursues us all,’ the former senator from Nebraska added. ‘Still, I’ve got less time than I’d prefer. This is hard for someone wired to work and build, but harder still as a husband and a dad.'” (12/23/25)
“Bronze Age Mindset is distracting book. Distracting is on purpose. Poorly written on purpose too. Editor say no? Writer say fuck you, I write. Book like that. Of course, there was no editor. We know this because its literary devices fail — the literary device called the paragraph break is never attempted — the history is almost entirely garbage, and the metaphysics is even worse. Bronze Age Mindset may also be the most important book in America right now. And it’ll stay important for at least as long as our current Leader draws breath. Our Leader’s followers love this book. Book maybe important in far future too. Author sure hope so.” (12/23/25)
“London police arrested Swedish activist Greta Thunberg on Tuesday at a pro-Palestinian protest, UK-based campaign group Defend Our Juries said. Thunberg was arrested under the Terrorism Act for holding a sign that said she supported prisoners linked to Palestine Action, an organisation which the British government has proscribed as a terrorist group, Defend Our Juries said.” (12/23/25)
“Netflix has learned that Christmas cheer sells even with modest-to-low production value. During their debut weeks this year, Jingle Bell Heist drew 19.3 million views, My Secret Santa reached 18.1 million, and Champagne Problems logged roughly 14.4 million. Those figures aren’t as jaw-dropping as the 59.6 million viewers who tuned in for the premiere of the final season of Stranger Things, but they’re far from insignificant. These ‘slop’ movies have plenty of critics, but they aren’t trying to be Oscar-worthy. And complaining that there are too many of them is akin to complaining that the grocery store has too many deodorants. No one is forcing you to buy the Dove Go Fresh Cucumber & Green Tea spray or Augustinus Bader’s $48 stick. The existence of options you don’t personally enjoy is not a cultural failure; it’s a luxury.” (12/23/25)
“Russell Brand has been charged with two further offences including one count of rape, the Metropolitan Police has said. In a new statement, the police force said the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has authorised an additional charge of rape and a charge of sexual assault relating to two further women. The broadcaster, comedian and actor previously pleaded not guilty to five charges including two counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault in relation to four women. … A trial is set to start at Southwark Crown Court on 16 June 2026 for the five original charges which allegedly took place on dates spanning between 1999 and 2005 in central London and Bournemouth.” (12/23/25)
