White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt answered questions on affordability and inflation during a sometimes contentious press briefing on Thursday. “Every economic metric does in fact show that the economy is getting better and brighter than where it was under the previous administration,” Leavitt noted at the top of the briefing prior to taking questions. Eric Bolling of Real America’s Voice kicked off the questioning, pointing to declining energy prices. “Energy prices have been coming down aggressively since Trump’s second term with $55 per barrel and gas prices under $3 for the first time in the past five years,” Bolling began. “Some people in this room want to call this an affordability crisis right now, seeming to want to forget four years prior when we hit 9% inflation. That’s an affordability crisis, but we weren’t calling it that back then. How will President Trump ensure that the legacy media does not flip the script?” Leavitt responded, calling the media’s coverage of affordability under the Trump administration “a point of frustration” for both herself and the president. “It’s a great question, Eric,” she said. “It is part of the reason I kicked off this briefing today, setting the record straight with facts about the economic mess that the president inherited from his predecessor Joe Biden.” Leavitt called affordability a top priority for President Trump, offering several figures to demonstrate her point. Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships “Inflation has slowed to an average 2.5% pace; real wages are increasing roughly $1,200 for the average worker; gas prices are down in almost every single state across the country, in 22 states, it’s below $2.75; the tax cuts will go into effect next year; the best is yet to come, and the president is digging the country out of the economic hole that the previous administration put us in.” A separate and somewhat heated exchange came during questioning from CNN’s Kaitlin Collins, who asked, “If the economy is as strong as the president has said it is, then why is he telling parents two to three weeks before Christmas that they should only buy two or three dolls for their children?” Leavitt responded, noting the president’s intention to bring manufacturing back to the United States: “Maybe you’ll pay a dollar or two more, but you will get better quality and you’ll be supporting your fellow Americans by buying American.” Collins followed up by challenging Leavitt on inflation — but the press secretary pushed back sharply. “There’s a lot more scrutiny on this issue from this press corps,” responded Leavitt. “My predecessor stood up at this podium and she said inflation doesn’t exist. She said the border was secure, and people like you just took her at her word. Those were two utter lies. Everything I’m telling you is the truth backed by my real, factual data, and you just don’t want to report on it because you want to push untrue narratives about the president.” Leavitt said she wishes “more people would remind the American public of how we got here and why.” “It does not mean the president is discarding the American people’s feelings. The president gets it better than anyone, which is why his entire administration has been focused on the economy and energy prices since day one.” She went on to describe Democrats as “the greatest con artists in history” who are “trying to claim ownership of an issue that they created.” Reporters also asked three separate questions about the selection of the next Federal Reserve Chair. Leavitt did not reveal when the announcement would be made, but reiterated that President Trump has long called for rate cuts. “I think the president has been quite clear about what he believes the Fed should be doing, which is lowering interest rates,” said Leavitt. She added that the president was pleased with the quarter point cut this week, but thinks “more should be done.”

Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI) attempted to scold Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during a Thursday hearing, demanding that she resign — and Noem made it clear that she would not be doing any such thing. Thanedar, who filed articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump in April and against War Secretary Pete Hegseth just days prior to Thursday’s hearing, accused Noem of lying — though he was not clear about what — and asked whether she’d resign in the event that she was not fired from her current post. WATCH: .@Sec_Noem cooks @RepShriThanedar: “America is very happy that, finally, they have a president in the White House that gets up every day to keep them safe.” “I will consider your asking me to resign as an endorsement of my work.” ? pic.twitter.com/uxZpiNvY1Q — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) December 11, 2025 “I am sick of your lies. The American people are sick of these lies. American people demand truth,” Thanedar claimed. A poster behind him read, in all capital letters, “KRISTI NOEM LIES TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.” “America is very happy that, finally, they have a president in the White House that gets up every day to keep them safe,” Noem replied. “Madam Secretary, your incompetence and your inability to truthfully carry out your duties of Secretary of Homeland Security,” Thanedar said then, once again leveling his claims without presenting evidence to support them. “If you’re not fired, will you resign?” Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships “Sir, I will consider your asking me to resign as an endorsement of my work,” Noem replied, adding as an afterthought, “Thank you very much.” Thanedar’s attempt to impeach Trump — accusing the president of abuse of power, defiance of the Constitution, and tyranny — was short-lived as leaders within his own party pressured him to hold off after he initially demanded an immediate vote. His latest attempt, aimed instead at Hegseth, references the recent strikes on narco-terrorists and accuses the War Secretary of “using the United States military to extrajudicially assassinate people without evidence of any crime.” A second article of impeachment asserts that Hegseth is guilty of “reckless and unlawful mishandling of classified information.”

The U.S. Senate failed to advance two competing health care proposals on Thursday, leaving millions of Americans possibly facing steep insurance premium hikes when enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies expire at year’s end. Both parties offered plans aimed at averting those increases, but neither secured the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. The Republican measure, the Health Care Freedom for Patients Act of 2025, co-sponsored by Sens. Bill Cassidy and Mike Crapo, would have allowed the COVID-era subsidies to sunset on the timeline Democrats originally set. Instead of continuing tax credits to insurers, the bill would have redirected federal funds into health savings accounts (HSAs): $1,000 for adults ages 18–49 and $1,500 for those 50–64, capped at 700% of the federal poverty level. The proposal also would have expanded eligibility for catastrophic plans and restricted federal funds from being used for abortion or gender transition services. Republicans argued the plan sends money “back to patients” rather than insurance companies. Still, it failed 51–48. The Democrat-backed proposal, the Lower Health Care Costs Act, sought a three-year extension of the enhanced ACA subsidies created during the pandemic, at an estimated cost of $83 billion. Democrats warned that without renewal, premiums could double for many families and that the expiring subsidies were crucial to keeping coverage affordable. Republicans countered that claims of widespread doubling were misleading, noting that most enrollees would continue receiving the original ACA subsidies and that only about 1.6 million people would lose enhanced credits entirely. Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships With both bills blocked in the Senate, millions nationwide are expected to face higher premiums. According to KFF, those losing enhanced support could see increases ranging from several hundred dollars to more than $1,500 per person. University of Montana economist Katrina Mullan warned that lower-income individuals not eligible for Medicaid and older adults not yet on Medicare will feel the sharpest impacts. Rising premiums may also push healthier people out of the market, potentially driving costs higher for those who remain insured. Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul, the only Republican to vote against the GOP bill, has his own plan, which he said was not a “watered-down version” of Obamacare. “My plan actually fixes the system. It doesn’t cost taxpayers a dime, and it finally frees Americans to buy insurance across state lines through real co-ops. No bureaucracy, no bloated mandates – just competition, choice, and lower costs,” Paul said. “Basically I would legalize the ability to buy insurance across state lines, through a co-op.” Despite the Senate stalemate, House lawmakers may pursue their own measure, while Republicans continue developing alternative plans, including broader HSA-based proposals and bills to expand insurance competition across state lines.

Cameras will be allowed inside the courtroom during the trial of alleged Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson, Utah Judge Tony Graf, Jr. ruled on Thursday. Robinson appeared in court in person for the first time since his arrest in September. The 22-year-old Utah man is facing a slew of charges related to Kirk’s murder, including aggravated murder, felony use of a firearm, and obstruction of justice. Robinson has not yet entered a plea. The judge said Thursday that cameras will be allowed in the courtroom during the trial, though located away from the table of Robinson and his legal team. “I find that excluding … the cameras from the courtroom would be disproportionate for this hearing. I find that making it very clear, first, that the transmission cannot begin until court is in session and must end as the court ends the session, and cannot be filmed before or after,” the judge said. He emphasized that the court may order the cameras on and off at the court’s discretion. “I simply want to put all parties on notice–to the press, to all parties–that this court takes this very seriously. While the court believes in openness and transparency, it needs to be balanced with the constitutional rights of all parties in this case,” he said. The judge in Tyler Robinson’s case just ruled cameras will be allowed in the courtroom stating that doing otherwise would be “disproportionate for this hearing.” The people will get to see justice in action. pic.twitter.com/hMhOWkLPkA — Chad Prather (@WatchChad) December 11, 2025 Robinson’s attorneys argued against broadcasting the proceedings, voicing concerns that the flood of media attention and access to the courtroom could jeopardize Robinson’s right to a fair trial. Friends and family of Kirk have argued in favor of broadcasting the trial. Kirk’s widow, Erika, said on Fox News last month that cameras are a matter of transparency.“There were cameras all over my husband when he was murdered. There have been cameras all over my friends and family mourning. There have been cameras all over me, analyzing my every move, analyzing my every smile, my every tear,” said Erika. “We deserve to have cameras in there. Why not be transparent?”

The Justice Department’s mortgage fraud case against New York Democratic Attorney General Letitia James was dealt another blow on Thursday when a grand jury in Virginia declined to indict her, according to multiple reports. After prosecutors presented evidence before a grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia, on Thursday, the jury refused to sign off on an indictment. Abbe Lowell, a lawyer for James, said that the grand jury’s decision “makes even clearer that this case should never have seen the light of day.” James has argued that the Justice Department’s case against her is “retribution” for her civil fraud case against President Donald Trump and his company. James was indicted by a federal grand jury in October on felony charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution, but the case against her hit a roadblock last month when a federal judge dismissed it and threw out the initial indictment after finding that the Trump-appointed prosecutor overseeing the case was unlawfully appointed. The federal grand jury’s rejection on Thursday is the second time the Justice Department has been rebuffed after accusing James of fraudulently claiming a house in Virginia as her primary home in 2023 while serving as New York’s attorney general. Last week, after the Justice Department refiled the case against James, a grand jury declined to indict her. Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships The mortgage fraud allegations against James stem from her purchase of a three-bedroom home in Norfolk, Virginia, in 2020. James secured favorable loan terms by claiming that the house was her secondary residence, according to the indictment. However, the indictment states that James did not use the house as a residence, instead renting it out to a family, The Wall Street Journal reported. James allegedly saved nearly $19,000 from the favorable loan rates. The Justice Department could attempt to indict James again, but with a second grand jury rejection, a judge could be skeptical of another push by the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia to bring a case against James. Charges against former FBI Director James Comey were also tossed after the federal judge found that President Donald Trump’s appointment of Lindsey Halligan as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia was unlawful. The Justice Department could also refile charges against Comey after accusing him of giving false statements and obstruction of a congressional proceeding. The charges stemmed from testimony Comey delivered to Congress in 2020 on his handling of the FBI investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.