Happy Holidays from the TSB family!

NATIONAL

SCOTUS Allows Texas to Use Racially Gerrymandered Map in 2026 Midterm Elections: The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, has granted Texas’ request to stay a lower court ruling blocking it from using a heavily gerrymandered congressional map the state legislature passed at the behest of President Donald Trump. The ruling means Texas’ new map can go into effect for next year’s midterms. DEMOCRACY DOCKET

Job market mixed bag: Jobless claims drop to 3-year low, but employers shed 71,000 jobs in worst November since 2022: The US jobs market received a fresh set of mixed signals on Thursday, with claims for unemployment insurance dropping to a three-year low but employer layoff plans flashing another warning sign. YAHOO FINANCE

Watchdog finds Hegseth risked endangering troops by sharing sensitive war plans on Signal: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth risked compromising sensitive military information, which could have endangered American troops and mission objectives, when he used Signal in March of this year to share highly-sensitive attack plans targeting Houthi rebels in Yemen, according to four sources familiar with the contents of a classified Inspector General report. CNN

US Senate Democrats renew bid to extend Obamacare subsidies: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Thursday that Democrats will force a vote next week on a bill to extend expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits and prevent health insurance premiums from skyrocketing for millions of Americans. NBC

IMMIGRATION

Immigrants kept from Faneuil Hall citizenship ceremony as feds crackdown nationwide: Immigrants approved to be naturalized went to Faneuil Hall Thursday — known as the country’s cradle of liberty — for that long-awaited moment to pledge allegiance to the United States. But instead, as they lined up, some were told by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials that they couldn’t proceed due to their countries of origin. The same situation is playing out at naturalization events across the country. WGBH

CORRUPTION ALERT

Trump Jr.-backed startup receives $620 million Pentagon loan: The Pentagon awarded a contract to Unusual Machines, an obscure drone company that President Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., joined as an advisor in November 2024, despite having no notable experience with drones or military contracting. POPULAR INFO

David Gentile no longer required to pay $15.5M in restitution after Trump’s commutation: Convicted fraudster David Gentile, a former private equity executive whose seven-year sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump shortly after entering prison, will not have to pay the $15.5 million in restitution associated with his conviction, according to a grant of clemency Trump signed. POLITICO

JUST THE HEADLINES

Trump administration plans to end prison rape protections for trans and intersex people

National parks free entrance day program prioritizes Trump birthday over days honoring Black people

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND SAFETY

Trump Administration Lowers Fuel-Economy Rules for Carmakers: The Trump administration is proposing new fuel economy standards for vehicles that would roll back efficiency rules implemented under former President Biden. CBS

FDA withdraws requirements to check for asbestos in makeup: a federal rule that would have required cosmetic companies to test talc-based makeup products for asbestos contamination has been withdrawn under an order signed by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a move doctors say shifts the burden of safety back onto consumers. Talc is a widely used mineral found in hygiene and beauty products, often occurring naturally together with asbestos, a known carcinogen. WTOP

GOOD NEWS FOR AMERICA

Costco sues Trump administration over sweeping emergency tariff powers: “IEEPA grants the president certain power, but they ‘may only be exercised to deal with an unusual and extraordinary threat with respect to which a national emergency has been declared for purposes of this chapter and may not be exercised for any other purposes’,” Costco said in the lawsuit, quoting the law. THE GUARDIAN

ALA welcomes reinstatement of all federal IMLS grants to libraries: the American Library Association (ALA) greeted an announcement by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) that it had reinstated all the agency’s grants, including those to libraries and library organizations across the country. The grant reinstatements come as a direct result of a November 21 federal court decision in a lawsuit brought against President Trump by 21 states. ALA

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