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The NewsWorthy
Ex-President Pardoned, 'Trump Accounts' Boost & Workplace Influencers - Wednesday, December 3, 2025
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Today is Wednesday, December 3rd. We're talking about President Trump's latest controversial pardon, this time for a foreign leader convicted of flooding the US with drugs. Also, we'll tell you where ICE is heading next as the latest immigration crackdown focuses on people from one particular country. Plus, a surprise boost for so called Trump accounts for kids, a first of its kind lawsuit pitting one American city against ultra processed foods, and a Netflix show that's breaking records and moving to the big screen. Those stories and even more news coming up. Welcome. Welcome to the Newsworthy. All the day's news in around 10 minutes. Fast, fair, fun and on the go. I'm Erica. Mandy, thanks so much for being here. You ready? Let's do this. Well, President Trump formally pardoned the former leader of Honduras. And with that, Juan Orlando Hernandez was released from a federal prison in West Virginia, where less than one year into his 45 year sentence, Hernandez led the Central American country from 2014 to 2022. And US officials said he was at the center of one of the largest and most violent drug trafficking conspiracies in the world. Court documents say he abused his position to help import more than 400 tons of cocaine into the United States and that in return, he received millions of dollars in drug money from some of the largest and most violent drug trafficking organizations in the world. Now the pardon of such a high profile convicted drug trafficker has drawn some criticism. Many critics are accusing President Trump of hypocrisy as he continues to escalate a military campaign against drug trafficking out of Venezuela. But President Trump says Hernandez was treated harshly and unfairly by the Biden administration. In a letter requesting the pardon, Hernandez cast himself as the victim of political persecution and praised Trump, even calling the president His Excellency. Meanwhile, Trump is getting involved in the current presidential elections underway in Honduras. He endorsed the candidate who ran under the same right leaning national party ticket as Hernandez. At this point, the election is too close to call, so there's going to be a hand recount of ballots. President Trump has accused the Honduran electoral body of trying to change the results of the vote and wrote on Truth Social, quote, if they do, there will be hell to pay. Trump has actually become increasingly vocal about his allies in Latin America, threatening to cut aid to both Honduras and Argentina if his picks don't win in Argentina. His pick did win in Honduras. Results are expected by the end of the year. Emergency crews in Southeast Asia are starting to get a full picture of the damage done from catastrophic floods last week. The death toll has now topped 1300 in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. It could still rise, too, since nearly 1,000 people are still missing. Crews have had a tough time reaching some of the disaster zones since roads have been washed out and bridges have collapsed. Helicopters and boats have been deployed, but infrastructure damage and enduring bad weather are getting in the way of rescue and recovery efforts. Yesterday, the United Nations Secretary General said the UN Is in close contact with authorities and is ready to respond with relief efforts. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the chances of ending war in his country are now better than ever. Two of President Trump's top advisers, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are expected to meet with Zelenskyy today. Yesterday, they met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his advisers for five hours to try to convince Russia to support the updated peace plan for Ukraine. After the meeting, Putin's foreign policy advisor told reporters the meeting was constructive, but they didn't get into the details of negotiations. Similarly, after Zelensky met with his negotiating team yesterday, he said they talked about things that, quote, cannot be said over the phone. It's believed the biggest issue in these talks is territories, and the US has said it expects Ukraine will have to move its borders somewhat. Exactly how much is likely still up for debate. To be continued, Federal immigration authorities are shifting their attention to Minnesota. They're launching a targeted operation primarily focused on undocumented immigrants from Somalia. Minnesota is home to America's largest Somali community. Somali people have been fleeing their country's long civil war since the 1990s and have been drawn in by Minnesota's generous social programs. Well, during a Cabinet meeting yesterday, President Trump called Somalis garbage. He said they do nothing but complain, so he doesn't want them in the U.S. trump went on to say, quote, their country is no good for a reason. Well, Minneapolis officials pushed back on that criticism, saying Somalis have started businesses and created jobs and have added to the cultural fabric of America. Community leaders accused the Trump administration of profiling, but the Homeland Security Department says what makes someone a target of ICE is not their face or ethnicity, but the fact that they are in the country illegally. Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is suggesting an expanded travel ban. Stay tuned. The so called Trump accounts got a big boost this week. Remember, because of the tax bill President Trump signed earlier this year, the US treasury will deposit $1,000 into investment accounts for all children born between 2025 and 2028. Outside contributions will be allowed, too. And now entrepreneur Michael Dell and his wife, Susan Dell, say they'll deposit another $250 into investment accounts of 25,000 do million more American children. That amounts to a $6.3 billion donation. The Dell's contribution will go to kids even born before 2025. In fact, those eligible are children 10 or younger who live in zip codes where the median family's income is $150,000 or less, though it's not clear yet how families will be able to claim it. The official Trump accounts are expected to open on the 4th of July next year. @ this point, though, there aren't exact details about how they'll work. What we do know is that the money in these investment accounts will become available when the kids turn 18 and can be used toward education, job training, a first home or starting a business. President Trump says he'll also make a personal contribution toward this effort. We have more news for you still coming up. But first, a quick break for our sponsor. 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And 365 day returns now available in Canada, too. That's Q-U-I-N C E.comnewsworthy to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.comnewsworthy now back to the news. Tennessee voters turned out this week for a special U.S. house race and last night the President Trump backed candidate claimed victory. Republican combat veteran Matt Van Epps will now be replacing Congressman Mark Green, who retired earlier this year. It actually was a closer race than past elections that were even more solidly Republican. Outside groups spent nearly $7 million on the race. Van Epps not only had the endorsement of Trump, but also House Speaker Mike Johnson, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and more, whereas his Democratic challenger had support from high profile Dems like former Vice Presidents Al Gore and Kamala Harris. Now, both sides say they'll be taking lessons from this race as they start preparing for next year's midterms. President Trump is utilizing his social media platform, Truth Social, even more than usual this week. It seems he was doing the most posting late Monday night. From 9pm Monday to 12am Tuesday, he made about 160 posts, meaning he was broadcasting his views at a rate of nearly a post per minute. During the posting spree, he shared messages about what he sees as his accomplishments, videos created with AI, criticism of political rivals and conspiracy theories. For example, he shared the theory that Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi planned the January 6 Capitol riot and the idea that former first lady Michelle Obama was signing presidential pardons on former President Biden's behalf. There's no known evidence of either. The posts continued after midnight, too, and lasted until the morning. This wasn't Trump's record for most posts in a day, but it came close. Just before 6am the president posted about the platform he helped create, saying, quote, truth Social is the best. There is nothing even close. The city of San Francisco is now suing food makers over ultra processed products. This marks the first lawsuit of its kind. Specifically, the city attorney sued 10 companies that make some of the country's most popular foods and drinks think Kraft, Heinz, General Mills, Nestle, Coca Cola, PepsiCo and more. The lawsuit accuses the companies of knowingly sickening people with addictive and harmful products, and it's seeking damages for the costs local governments bear for treating people who have become less healthy because of them. None of the companies have commented about this lawsuit, but a trade group that represents many of them says manufacturers already meet the FDA's rigorous standards. It also pointed out how there's no agreed upon scientific definition of an ultra processed food. Researchers generally apply the term to packaged snack foods, sweets and soft drinks made using processing techniques, additives and industrial ingredients. Though researchers also say not all ultra processed foods are nutritionally equal, as some yogurts and whole grain products might fit the description but still have many health benefits. The luxury fashion house Prada has just completed a takeover of longtime rival Versace. Prada first decided to buy Versace back in April for about one and a half billion dollars, and now regulators have signed off, so it's a done deal. The two Italian brands are actually considered to be opposites, with Prada seen as minimalist, while Versace is more maximalist well, like much of the luxury fashion industry, Versace sales have suffered in recent years while whereas Prada seems to have weathered the shift in demand, now Versace is going through a creative relaunch with Prada's air at the helm. The final season of the show Stranger Things is making history on Netflix. When the first four episodes debuted last week, it was actually so popular that Netflix on TVs crashed for a few minutes. Still, nearly 60 million people ended up watching it. That broke the viewership record for the premiere week of any English language show on Netflix. Stranger Things also became the only English language show to have all five seasons in the top 10 on Netflix. The next three episodes of the final season will be released on Christmas Day. The two hour finale will come out on New Year's Eve not only on the streaming platform but also in 500 theaters nationwide. The creators say getting to see it on the big screen with good sound, high quality picture and fans filling the room feels like the perfect way to end the decade long series. And by the way, there are already plans for a spinoff. Well, that's it for the main news today. So now it's time for Work Wednesday when we break down one interesting career or work related news story every Wednesday. But first, this episode is sponsored by Dose. Let's be honest, modern life can be rough on our bodies. 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Head to DueDaily co Newsworthy or enter Newsworthy to get 35% off your first subscription. Your body does so much for you. Let's do something for it that's dosedaily D O S E D A I L Y co C O slash newsworthy for 35% off your first month subscription. Now back to work Wednesday. A lot more job descriptions now include being a social media influencer. Several companies are recruiting employees to create content about life at work, for example Starbucks, Delta Airlines, Ulta Beauty and Hugo Boss. For employers, the strategy helps them showcase their workplaces as happy ones and get some grassroots like marketing out of their own staffers. For the employees, it's a chance to grow their resumes and access perks like work trips. There's one way in which it can get tricky though. Posts usually have to be pre approved and coordinated with the company's higher ups. At places like Starbucks, baristas are still otherwise not allowed to post on the clock. In fact, some have lost their jobs over posts complaining about their shifts or customers. Corporate advisors say the key to making workplace influencers really work is if the employees don't sound too scripted and unbelievable, since the campaigns are supposed to feel authentic. But at least some of the new workplace influencers say their posts really are genuine and give a good feel of their work life, even if they come from a corporate prop. Well, thank you so much for listening today and for sharing this show. We'll be back tomorrow with the latest news. Until then, have a great day.