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What Happened Today – December 23, 2025

Troops are massing near Venezuela while a new envoy promises to “make Greenland part of the U.S.”

All of it was preceded by Trump announcing a battleship class named after himself.

They are hoping you pay no attention to the Monday memo banning abortion for veterans and their families pregnant from rape. Or the wage garnishment starting in January for 5 million student loan borrowers. Or the eight flights Trump took on Epstein’s jet.

The Supreme Court ruled against Trump’s National Guard deployment today, a big win from a Court that usually sides with him. Keep your eyes open this holiday season. Don’t fall for misdirection.

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Today's Quote
And you have these ’60 Minutes’ producers who are living in comfort and security in their West End condos trying to make us feel sympathetic for these monsters? Have you seen the tattoos, the face tattoos, the body tattoos on these killers? Would one ’60 Minutes’ producer or writer agree to spend 30 minutes– I’ll make a deal. We will pick someone at random that we sent to CECOT, just a random lottery drawn, and they will spend one day overnight in your apartment. Who is taking that deal at 60 Minutes? Nobody! Because they know that these are monsters who got exactly what they deserved.
Stephen Miller speaking on Fox News on December 23, 2025.
Yesterday's Most Read

Fifteen Heritage Foundation employees flee to Mike Pence's nonprofit after Project 2025 architect's leader defended Tucker Carlson's interview with white supremacist Nick Fuentes.

Today’s GovBrief News


Foreign Relations 1 of 17

Trump appoints Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as Greenland envoy with explicit mission "to make Greenland a part of the U.S.," drawing sharp rebukes from Denmark and Sweden.

Polls show Greenlanders oppose joining U.S.

Source: Newsweek

December 23, 2025

Human Rights 2 of 17

New Jersey man files second lawsuit seeking NYPD records from Bloomberg-era Muslim surveillance program that infiltrated mosques and student groups but never generated a single terrorism lead.

First Muslim NYC mayor takes office Jan. 1

Source: Wired

December 23, 2025

Human Rights 3 of 17

Trump administration quietly bans VA from providing abortion services or counseling, including for veterans pregnant from rape or incest, effective immediately via internal memo.

Source: The Hill

December 23, 2025

Economy 4 of 17

Trump administration will begin garnishing wages of defaulted student loan borrowers in January, first seizures since pandemic pause began nearly six years ago.

5 million in default, 10 million expected

Source: CNBC

December 23, 2025

Military 5 of 17

Louisiana deploys 350 National Guard troops to New Orleans through February after Gov. Landry requested support Trump first floated in October over crime concerns.

Covers NYE, Sugar Bowl, Mardi Gras

Source: WDSU New Orleans

December 23, 2025

Military 6 of 17

U.S. deploys special operations aircraft and troops to Caribbean this week, bringing military force near Venezuela to more than 15,000 personnel as Trump promises land operations "soon."

10 Osprey aircraft arrived Monday

Source: The Independent

December 23, 2025

Justice Dept 7 of 17

Justice Department releases 30,000 more pages of Epstein files showing Trump took at least eight flights on Epstein's jet between 1993 and 1996, four with Maxwell aboard.

DOJ claims some claims "unfounded", "untrue"

Source: The Guardian

December 23, 2025

Justice Dept 8 of 17

Justice Department's Epstein file redactions can be defeated by copying and pasting text into new document, revealing details meant to be hidden from public.

$400K to "young female models" uncovered

Source: The Verge

December 23, 2025

Courts 9 of 17

Federal judge upholds Trump's $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications, rejecting U.S. Chamber of Commerce lawsuit challenging the September proclamation.

Universities, employer groups also sued

Source: Newsweek

December 23, 2025

Courts 10 of 17

Oregon leads 19 states and DC in suing HHS over Kennedy's declaration threatening to exclude gender-affirming care providers from Medicare and Medicaid.

Declaration issued Dec. 18

Source: KGW Portland

December 23, 2025

Courts 11 of 17

Supreme Court rules against Trump's National Guard deployment in Illinois, finding he failed to show military couldn't execute federal law, with Alito, Thomas, and Gorsuch dissenting.

First SCOTUS ruling on Guard deployments

Source: The Chicago Sun-Times

December 23, 2025

Social Security 12 of 17

Social Security phone wait times nearly four times higher than publicly reported metric, inspector general finds, as agency counts callback requests as zero wait time.

59 minutes actual vs. 15.9 reported

Source: NextGov

December 23, 2025

Immigration 13 of 17

Federally indicted Rep. McIver and two House colleagues visit Newark migrant jail after detainee death, find 950 held with sick inmates waiting weeks for care.

950+ people now detained there

Source: The New Jersey Monitor

December 23, 2025

Education 14 of 17

University of Oklahoma removes graduate teaching assistant who failed student's Bible-based essay responding to gender research article, citing "arbitrary" grading.

Essay had grammatical errors, no citations

Source: WFOR Oklahoma City

December 23, 2025

Media 15 of 17

Trump declares networks airing negative coverage should lose broadcast licenses, calls Stephen Colbert "dead man walking" CBS should "put to sleep."

Posts made early Christmas Eve

Source: Mediaite

December 23, 2025

Grift 16 of 17

Trump administration weighing deal to give SpaceX 775 acres of federal wildlife refuge to expand rocket launch site, trading habitat for two endangered wild cats.

SpaceX offers 692 acres, some 20 miles away

Source: The Texas Tribune

December 23, 2025

Fighting Back 17 of 17

Trump-appointed federal judge orders administration to restore $233 million in disaster funding after 12 attorneys general sued over cuts tied to immigration enforcement.

9 states had funding slashed

Source: The Associated Press

December 23, 2025

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