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The NewsWorthy
Trump's Economy Tour, Teen Social Media Ban & TikTok's Retro Hit - Wednesday, December 10, 2025
00:13:43
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- [00:00]
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Today is Wednesday, December 10th. We'll tell you about President Trump's economic message as he returns to rallies, just as Democrats are picking up more political momentum. Also, what to know about the world's first social media ban for kids, how it's supposed to work, and why other countries are taking note. Plus, women's advancement in corporate America seems to be slipping. A popular student loan payment program is ending. And the most popular TikTok song of 2025 actually came out six decades ago. Those stories and even more news coming up.
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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.
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President Trump is working to ease Americans concerns about the economy by visiting voters around the country. Last night, Trump gave a speech in Pennsylvania at the first of a series of rallies he has planned there. The president told supporters Americans are doing well under his administration and that, quote, inflation is stopped. Though we should note the closely watched Consumer Price Index shows prices for many goods and services have actually gone up since Trump returned to the White House. That's not the case for gas prices, though. And Trump mentioned a few times last night about how they are going down. Plus, he pointed out how the stock market is doing well. Trump also went off script to touch on other issues like immigration. At one point, he compared America's sealed borders to North Korea's. And he promised his deportation campaign will mean more jobs and better wages for Americans. President Trump also claimed that under President Biden, 100% of new jobs were going to migrants and that now, under him, 100% are going to American citizens. But no numbers actually support that. It was Trump's first speech outside of Washington in months. As he explained it, he was told to start campaigning again to help protect Republicans in the upcoming midterms. It comes as Democrats have been showing some momentum. Just yesterday, Miami voters elected a Democrat as their next mayor. That will make her Miami's first Democratic mayor in nearly 30 years and its first woman mayor ever. She won despite the fact that President Trump, Florida's governor, and Both of Florida's U.S. senators backed her Republican challenger. It caps off a pretty successful election year for Democrats around the country after last month's statewide victories in Virginia and New Jersey. But Republicans say there's no need to read too much into this one race as they prepare next year's political strategy.
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Federal immigration agents will now face more restrictions. In Illinois yesterday, Governor J.B. pritzker signed a new law that bans immigration enforcement near courthouses, hospitals, university campuses and daycares, and it blocks schools and hospitals from sharing immigrants information. The law takes effect immediately, though some critics believe it will be overturned by the courts. And either way, the White House says it won't have an impact since federal law takes precedent. Already, more than 4,000 people were arrested in ICE's so called Operation Midway Blitz in the Chicago area. Data shows only 15% of them had criminal records. Most of those who did were charged with misdemeanors like traffic offenses. Meanwhile, the Trump administration says it's still focused on the undocumented immigrants who do have criminal records. This week, the Homeland Security Department launched the, quote, worst of the worst webpage. It displays information on some of the people arrested during President Trump's immigration crackdown, like what crimes they've been convicted of, where they're from and where they were caught. DHS says it should be a reminder of why the agents are working hard this holiday season and encourages Americans to say thank you.
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Investigators are now trying to figure out what motivated a shooter to open fire on a college campus during finals week. The shooting happened yesterday afternoon at Kentucky State University in Frankfurt. One person was killed and another critically hurt outside a dorm. Police say they took the suspected gunman into custody just minutes after the shooting. A university spokesperson said it was not a targeted attack and the gunman was not a student. But Kentucky governor Andy Beshear also said it was not random. Without elaborating, Kentucky State University has suspended all classes, exams and activities for the rest of the week.
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Millions of Australian children just lost access to social media. Australia became the first country in the world to ban TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram, Reddit and other platforms for anyone younger than 16. It comes in the face of growing alarm over how social media is impacting adolescents developing brains, though some reports point out how the evidence of actual harm is not definitive either way. The social media companies say they'll comply with the ban by using age verification technology to make sure all active users are 16 or older, and they'll suspend the accounts of those who aren't. But they also say they don't think any of this is going to make kids safer, especially since many kids have already said they're now just going to other platforms that are not covered under the ban. And some youth counselors and support groups say they're worried kids will end up in unregulated digital spaces with even fewer safeguards. The Australian government says it's going to monitor for that kind of thing. There will be an independent evaluation of the ban to measure both short and long term impacts, and government officials say their hope is they find positive effects like the kids start sleeping more or becoming more engaged in the real world. Either way, the policy has attracted worldwide attention and several countries say they're looking into adopting bans of their own. Others say they'll be closely monitoring Australia's approach.
- [05:23]
We have more news for you still coming up. But first, a quick break for our sponsor. This time of year gets busy fast, travel events, eating more and different foods. It all adds up. So I find myself craving simple rituals that make me feel like I'm actually taking care of myself. And for me, one of those rituals is my One Skin routine. Their face moisturizer has become a staple and the new Peptide lip mask is a must have for me as well. Now that's why I'm thrilled to tell you that both are part of One Skin's nightly Rewind gift set. In fact, you can check out all their limited edition holiday sets that help renew skin at the cellular level for a stronger, smoother and more youthful looking complexion. These make great gifts. Of course, the core of all their products is their OS1 peptide, proven to target the root cause of things like wrinkles and loss of elasticity. Plus, OneSkin has been certified safe for sensitive skin. Their products are free from over 1500 harsher, irritating ingredients. They're dermatologists tested and have been awarded the National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance. For a limited time, Try OneSkin for 15% off using the code Newsworthy at Oneskin Co Newsworthy. Again, you can Try OneSkin for 15% off using the code Newsworthy at Oneskin Co Newsworthy. After your purchase, they'll ask you where you heard about them. So please support our show and tell them we sent you. Now back to the news.
- [06:42]
The Nobel Peace Prize ceremony is scheduled for today. In the face of uncertainty and controversy, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado already won for dedicating her life to fighting for democracy. Though there has been debate internationally about whether Machado should actually get the award since she's now condoning military conflict to achieve her goals, supporting efforts to remove Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by force. Either way, it's not clear if she'll be there to accept. Machado was expected to travel to Norway for the celebration. In fact, her family is already there, but at last check, the Nobel Institute said it was in the dark about her whereabouts and it canceled a scheduled news conference with her yesterday. Machado has been in hiding since Venezuela's disputed election last year. Venezuela's government has said she would be considered a fugitive if she left the country. And it's not clear if she'll be able to return without being arrested. Stay tuned.
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President Trump is now doubling down on his criticism of Europe, with a few notable exceptions. In a wide ranging sit down interview with Politico, Trump said Europe is decaying. He said most European leaders, quote, want to be politically correct and it makes them weak. Trump specifically spoke about changes to Paris and London because of immigration. But he praised more authoritarian leaders who enforce strict borders. For example, the presidents of Turkey and Hungary. Now the head of the European Union is calling on Trump to respect the democratic choices of European citizens and to behave like an ally. The US And Europe are already at odds over other issues like tariffs and an end to the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been meeting with European and NATO leaders this week. And now he says he's ready to present a revised peace plan to the White House. The biggest difference between this one and the one the US Proposed. Zelensky's rules out surrendering any land. So to be continued.
- [08:35]
It seems a popular but controversial student loan repayment plan is being canceled. We're talking about what's known as the Save plan that millions of people enrolled in to get generous terms on loans and eventual forgiveness. It started under the Biden administration, but seven Republican led states sued over the policy last year, saying it should not have been enacted without Congress signing off. They also argued it unfairly pinned the cost of too much student loan debt onto American taxpayers, including those who have never been able to go to college themselves. Now, the Department of Education under President Trump says it's reached a settlement. Under the deal, it won't enroll any new borrowers into the plan. It will deny any pending applications, and it will move all current save borrowers into repayment plans. Critics say taking the Save plan away without giving a clear and affordable alternative is reckless and short sighted, causing more financial stress for millions of Americans. Either way, the agreement still has to be approved by a court.
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One of the richest women in the world has given away another big chunk of her fortune. We're talking about Mackenzie Scott, an author who was once married to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. In a year end report, she said she donated $7.1 billion to nonprofits. That marks a big increase in her annual giving from recent years, but overall, it brings her total giving since 2019 to 26.3 billion. A lot of it has gone to groups that promote equity and racial justice, support refugees, work to address climate change, provide scholarships and more. This year, many recipients were also historically black colleges and universities. Her giving is unique in that she doesn't have a public facing office or foundation, and at this point it's not possible to apply for her funding. Organizations are usually notified they're getting a donation from Scott as a total surprise, and she doesn't ask them to report back about how they use the money. At this point, Forbes still reports Scott's net worth at $33 billion, most of which comes from Amazon shares she received after her 2019 divorce.
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It turns out what's popular on TikTok includes a girl group formed just two years ago, as well as a song put out more than 60 years ago. The group Cat's Eye was named the top global artist on the platform. This year, it received more than 30 billion views across 12 million posts using the group's music. A lot of those views came over the summer when the group starred in an ad for Gap jeans, sparking a widely mimicked dance trend. Meanwhile, a classic song from 1962 was the top ranking song both globally and in the US we're talking about Pretty Little Baby by Connie Francis, which TikTok users chose as the soundtrack to videos of their kids or pets. Others posted videos of themselves lip syncing to the song. When it comes to the most saved artist, meaning whose music was most saved to platforms like Spotify, that one was less of a surprise. Pop star Taylor Swift.
- [11:25]
Well, that's it for the Maine 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 Skims. As the holidays near, I try to do even little things around the house to create a little bit of that magical, joyful vibe. And having super cozy, soft and festive pajamas is definitely one of those little things that can make a big difference. I appreciate that. I don't feel like I have to hide away when we take a spontaneous family picture early in the morning. And really, holidays or not, the skim sleep set is my new go to just because of the fabric. It is so soft and nice on my skin and it's cozy without being too warm. I think it actually helps me sleep better. And with women's, men's, kids and even pet pajamas, Skims makes it really easy to check off a lot of people on your holiday list at once. Shop my favorite pajamas@skims.com after you place your order. Be sure to let them know we sent you select podcast in the survey and be sure to select our show the Newsworthy in the dropdown menu that follows. And if you're looking for the perfect gifts for everyone on your list, the Skims Holiday Shop is Now open@skims.com now back to work Wednesday Corporate America's progress on gender equity seems to be on the decline. The new Women in the workplace 2025 report came out from the consulting firm McKinsey & Co. And the women advocacy group Lean In. It found just more than half of companies now say advancing women's careers is a high priority, down sharply from previous years, and more than 20% of companies are placing low or no priority on women's advancement. That rises to nearly 30% for women of color at the top Women in Leadership report record high burnout and more job insecurity than men did. Flexibility is also fading. One in four companies cut back hybrid or remote options this year, and women who do work remotely are far less likely to be promoted or have a sponsor than women on site. All of this seems to have contributed to a so called ambition gap since for the first time ever, women were reported to be less likely than men to apply for promotions and more women say they don't even want to move up the ladder. Anyway.
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Thank you so much for listening today and for sharing the show. We'll be back tomorrow with the latest news. Until then, have a great day.