1) What "Affordability Crisis?"

The latest inflation numbers just came out this morning and inflation is now running at 2.7% overall and 2.6% core.

Trump Cuts Bidenflation in Half

That was way below expectations of 3% for the year.  More importantly, real median income is up 4%, which means most families can afford MORE not less goods and services.  

Across Trump's first 10 months of this term, CPI has increased only 2.1%:

Now, if Congress can fix the mess of spiraling health care costs (you know, the problem Obama fixed with the "Affordable Care Act"), we can push inflation down to the Fed target rate of 2% in the months ahead. That compares to an average inflation rate of nearly 5% under Old Joe.

Watch Steve react as the numbers came in by clicking below!

2) Another Antitrust Horror Story

Lina Khan ran the Federal Trade Commission for Joe Biden. Now, she's telling New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani how to set up his administration.

One of the merger deals that trustbuster Khan blocked was a $1.7 billion acquisition by Amazon of Roomba maker iRobot. Now, Roomba has declared bankruptcy.

Amazon cited "disproportionate regulatory hurdles" - meaning "we couldn't get it past Khan" - as a reason to pull out of the deal.

The day Amazon withdrew, iRobot announced it would lay off 350 people. Now, the company is bankrupt.

Congrats, Lina. Now everyone loses: the workers, the Amazon shareholders, the iRobot shareholders, and the American economy.

3) The Grinch Who Taxed Christmas

Everyone is talking about "affordability," and it's certainly true some families will have to put fewer presents under the tree this Christmas.

But one factor that raises prices is the state sales taxes.  Forty five states impose sales taxes as do many cities. The average state sales tax is 7.52%, the highest it's ever been.

California's tax rate is 8.98%, and many counties and cities pile on local taxes that push the rate to some 10%.  Illinois has a tax rate of 8.92%. New York State is at 8.5%, and New York City adds a 0.375% tax on top of that.

If every state were to cut spending, they could cut their sales tax by 1% and affordability would rise.

4) "Trump Accounts" the Greatest Gift of All

Brad Gerstner, the founder and CEO of Altimeter Capital, developed the brilliant idea of the new Trump Accounts - the investment vehicles for young children that were created in the One Big Beautiful Bill.

We believe these accounts will help democratize savings and stock ownership, but they also have a chance to reshape philanthropy. On his podcast, Gerstner explained the changes Trump Accounts could make.

If you want to give away $6 billion, okay and you have to give it away today how do you do it?  You give it to a charity and then the charity somehow gives it to kids. But how much actually makes it to the kids and how do you track what makes it to the kids? ...

So for the first time we have a direct giving platform where these folks can give away billions and billions of dollars at scale. They know it goes directly into the kids' accounts. Nobody's taking a scrape in the middle, and it's going to compound according to the rules that have been promulgated, which means that the kids can't take their money out, right, until they're 18.

And then at 18, they can only use it, a part of it, to buy a home, start a business, go to school, or it rolls into the IRA retirement rules... It's universal ownership, private accounts from birth...

Proving Gerstner's adopt a state scenario, Ray and Barbara Dalio yesterday stepped up to fund accounts for kids in Connecticut:

If this trend takes off, many left-wing financial managers who direct or influence the savings and charitable giving of wealthy entrepreneurs and families may no longer be in the business of spending other people's money on "woke" causes.

5)  The Last Town FINALLY ENDS COVID State of Emergency

On December 17, 2025, Dekalb County, Georgia ended its COVID State of Emergency and ordered county employees to return to work.

6) Even Santa Has His Limits

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