End of Trumps First Year: Key Takeaways and Whats Next
January 2, 2026 A lawless grasp for power, a culture war at home, and a reign of untrammeled corruption defined Trump’s first year of his second term. Flood the zone. Move fast and break things. DOGE the civil service. War against woke. Liberation Day tariffs. Big Beautiful Bill. The longest government shutdown in history. The […]
Make 2026 the Year of Thomas Paine
Politics / January 2, 2026 As America celebrates its 250th birthday, remember the founder who rallied the people against British and American oligarchs. The 250th anniversary of the American experiment, which is being celebrated this year, is sure to witness a struggle over the story—and future—of the United States. On one side will stand advocates […]
Zohran Mamdani: Preventing Good Intentions from Being Misconstrued
Politics / January 1, 2026 John Lindsay expanded welfare, civil rights, and public spending—yet left New Yorkers politically disarmed. Zohran Mamdani should learn the lessons of his mayoralty. There are many ways a progressive politician can fail. They can fail to be elected. They can fail to deliver on their platform once in office. And […]
A Year of Resistance—in the Streets, in Elections, and in the Courts
Jon Wiener: From The Nation magazine, this is Start Making Sense. I’m Jon Wiener. This is our year-in-review show: later in the hour, the year in court: David Cole, who stepped down this year as National Legal Director of the ACLU, will comment on the 150 rulings against Trump in federal courts this past year, […]
Retail sales beat estimates heading into holidays
Consumer spending remains strong despite higher interest rates. American consumers continue to spend despite economic headwinds, with retail sales exceeding expectations. The Data Retail sales growth: 0.7% month-over-month (expected 0.3%) Online sales: Up 1.6% Restaurants: Strong 1.0% gain Consumer Resilience Despite higher interest rates and persistent inflation concerns, consumers are opening their wallets: Strong […]
Jefferies Under Scrutiny: First Brands Collapse Sparks SEC Probe
Why a Big Bank’s Trouble Could Affect Your Future Money Coffee Break Summary A major financial company, Jefferies, is being looked into by a government group called the SEC. They are checking if Jefferies gave investors enough honest information about a deal that went wrong with a car parts company. This investigation could mean more […]
Beyond Meat: Triple
Beyond Meat’s Wild Ride: Why This Stock’s Ups and Downs Matter to You A company called Beyond Meat, which makes fake meat, saw its stock price jump dramatically and then fall back down. This happened partly because a special fund that tracks “meme stocks” added Beyond Meat, causing a rush of buying. Even though this […]
Beyond Meat Soars 146%: Your Beginners Guide to Meme Stock Magic
Beyond Meat’s Wild Ride: Why This Stock Surge Could Teach You About Investing So, you’ve probably heard about companies that make plant-based burgers, right? Well, one of them, called Beyond Meat, has been making some serious waves lately in the world of stocks. It’s gone from being a bit of a forgotten name to being […]
Bitcoins First Inning: $1M Potential in 10 Years
Bitcoin’s Wild Ride: Could This Digital Gold Be Worth a Million Bucks? Two brothers who started a crypto company believe Bitcoin could be worth $1 million in the next 10 years. They compare Bitcoin to “digital gold” and think it’s still very early for people to get involved. Their own company, Gemini, is about to […]