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Trump's End-of-Year Address, '50 State Challenge' & Oscars' New Era - Thursday, December 18, 2025
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Today is Thursday, December 18th. What to know from President Trump's primetime address to the nation last night, how he rates his first year back in office and why some say it was the wrong message. Also why the US Is now suing the US Virgin Islands, who is donating to the so called Trump accounts this time, and what a new version of history at the White House shows. Plus what it could mean now that federal funding has been cut to the American Academy of Pediatrics, why the Academy Awards will look very different in a few years, and how music can be like food for your brain. Those stories and even more news to know next. Welcome to the Newsworthy all the days news in less than 15 minutes. I'm Erica Mandy. Thanks so much for being here. Let's do this. In a rare primetime address from the White House, President Trump gave himself a glowing review of his first year. He spoke about reducing border crossings and bringing down prices of certain items like eggs and Thanksgiving turkey. And as he's been doing for months, the president blamed ongoing problems on former President Biden. Trump also had one big new announcement, that his administration would send out a so called warrior dividend. That's nearly $1,800 going to US service members in the coming week. The president also backed a proposal to send cash directly to Americans to offset the cost of health insurance rather than offering subsidies through the Affordable Care act like Democrats have been pushing for, though at this point it's not clear if either idea has enough support in Congress. Separately, Trump said in the new year he would announce some of the most aggressive housing reform plans in American history without getting into specifics. After the speech, a top Republican said it was clear Americans would notice improvements by this time next year. But Democrats criticized Trump for offering Americans few solutions to their concerns, and some called it not only full of false and misleading statements, but also out of touch at a time when many people are unhappy about the direction the country is going to. Of course, next year is a big one politically, as each party is vying for control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections. Trump didn't actually make the midterms a big central talking point, though he did preview the year ahead, talking about the World cup and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. A measure that greenlights much of President Trump's national security agenda has gotten final approval on Capitol Hill. We're talking about the $901 billion defense policy bill. It codifies more than a dozen of President Trump's executive orders. It boosts Missile defense funding expands cybersecurity measures and reinforces policies meant to counter Chinese and Russian military influence. It lets the US Keep spending on new submarines, fighter jets and drone technology. And it takes away some regulations on military purchasing. It also includes a 3.8% pay raise for military personnel. Plus, there's a ban on DEI programs at the Pentagon and funding cuts for climate related programs. But there are also some parts of this bill that are at odds with what the White House has wanted. For example, it gives Congress a little more oversight. Specifically, this bill says the Pentagon has to be more transparent with lawmakers about boat strikes that are happening in international waters. Separately, the bill keeps the Trump administration from withdrawing American troops from Europe. The bill also authorizes another $800 million in military aid for Ukraine, as well as millions more for Israel, Taiwan, Iraq and other allies. One especially controversial part of the measure allows military helicopters to fly in the crowded airspace around Reagan National Airport, with some tracking software turned off. Supporters say some mission secrecy is necessary for national security. That comes despite the deadly crash earlier this year between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and a commercial jet, also near Reagan. The Senate is now pushing a separate bill to undo that provision. President Trump is expected to sign the broader defense policy bill into law in the coming days. The Trump administration is reportedly ramping up efforts to take citizenship away from naturalized Americans. The New York Times says it got some internal guidance that went to field offices of the agency that oversees the immigration system. It apparently tells them to identify 100 to 200 denaturalization cases a month that could be referred to the Justice Department. And that's a lot considering that between 2017 and now, just about 120 denaturalization cases have been filed. Total federal law says naturalized Americans can only be denaturalized if they committed fraud while applying for citizenship or in a few other narrow circumstances. And now activists fear this kind of campaign could end up targeting people who made honest mistakes on their citizenship paperwork. But the Trump administration says its actions are only meant to make the country safer and preserve American values. President Trump has said before he wants to send people home if they are, quote, not compatible with Western civilization or or undermine domestic tranquility. For now, There are about 26 million naturalized Americans in the country. The Trump administration is now suing the US Virgin Islands police over gun laws. A new lawsuit says the police department has been dragging its feet in approving gun permit applications and has imposed unreasonable conditions before issuing licenses, for example, requiring people to install bolted in gun safes. Applicants also have to show they need a gun to get a permit, for example, that they have a reason to fear for their life or property. The they also have to have two credible people vouch for them and have good moral character. While the U.S. justice Department says the islands are defying the Second Amendment for now, the U.S. virgin Islands just says this case will be addressed in court. Former special counsel Jack Smith is still defending his criminal cases against President Trump. Remember, Smith led a couple of investigations for the Justice Department before Trump was reelected. Then when Trump returned to office, the those cases were dropped. But in testimony to lawmakers yesterday, Smith said that didn't change anything. He still says his team of investigators developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump had criminally conspired to overturn the results of the 2020 election. He also says they gathered powerful evidence that he broke the law by hoarding classified documents and by obstructing government efforts to recover those records. And when asked if he were to do it all over again, Smith said he would decide to prosecute regardless of whether the president was a Republican or a Democrat. This was actually lawmakers first chance to question Smith for hours about his investigations. Now some Democrats are demanding Smith's full investigative reports be made public. Republicans didn't give much reaction to yesterday's testimony, with one just saying there was no real drama. The Trump administration has already fired prosecutors and agents who worked on those cases with Smith and has said his whole team was corrupt and politicized. More investigators could be called to testify soon. The White House has put a new version of history on display that describes former presidents, depending on the current president's opinions of them. A series of plaques were added to what the White House calls the Presidential Walk of Fame for former President Biden. The plaque says, quote, sleepy Joe Biden was by far the worst president in American history, and it accuses him of stealing the 2020 election. The one under former President Obama's picture describes him as, quote, one of the most divisive political figures in American history. The plaque for former President Reagan says he was a fan of Trump. Of course, those are just a few examples. As of this morning, the former presidents have not commented. Meanwhile, a new addition to the US Capitol brought a rare moment of bipartisanship. It's a statue of the late Barbara Rose Johns that's been in the works for five years now. She was a teenage civil rights activist who protested school segregation in the early 1950s, and her statue is replacing one of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, who fought to preserve slavery. Yesterday's ceremony was attended by members of Congress from both parties, as well as more than 200 members of John's family. House Speaker Mike Johnson called it one of the largest audiences he'd ever seen at such an event. Much more news still coming up, but first, a break to talk about our sponsor. This time of year, my skin always needs a little extra care. Between some colder weather and the rush of the holidays, it's easy for skin to start to feel dry and stressed. That's why I've been sticking with One Skin. I love their face moisturizer and I have for a long time and now I'm genuinely loving their brand new Peptide lip mask. A good lip mask is surprisingly hard to find. I've been looking for one for a while and this one is incredible. It's smooth and it's instantly comforting. It even comes with a little metal applicator that makes it feel even more lovely to put on. At the core of One Skin is their patented OS1 peptide, targeting the root cause of wrinkles and loss of elasticity. Oneskin also just launched their limited edition holiday sets, including the Nightly Rewind gift set, which adds the perfect touch of luxury to your gift list. It features that best selling face moisturizer plus that brand new Peptide lip mask that is my new favorite product of theirs, and even a sculpting Gua Sha tool. Each element is designed to work together as your body enters its natural nightly repair mode. For a limited time you can try OneSkin for 15% off using the code Newsworthy at Oneskin Co Newsworthy. After your purchase they'll ask you where you've heard about them. So please support our show and tell them we sent you. Again. Get 15% off using the code Newsworthy at Oneskin Co Newsworthy. Now back to the news. Severe weather knocked out power to more than half a million customers in Oregon and Washington State. Already we've told you about heavy rain and flooding in the Pacific Northwest that's forced tens of thousands of people from their homes and closed several heavily used roads. And yesterday the region was also hit with hurricane force winds. That storm system has now moved east with wind advisories now in effect through much of the middle of the country from Montana to Kansas. Blizzard warnings are in effect in North Dakota. Also, another storm is set to arrive in the Pacific Northwest today, bringing more rain and mountain snow. But help could soon be on the way. President Trump approved Washington's emergency declaration, letting FEMA help with disaster relief. The American Academy of Pediatrics is now losing out on millions of dollars in federal grants. The U.S. health Department confirmed it canceled them. They include grants meant to reduce sudden infant death and early detection of autism. They've also supported mental health services and rural health care access. But the Health Department says they, quote, no longer align with the department's mission or priorities. The American Academy of Pediatrics has clashed with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Throughout the year since they have different guidance on things like vaccines. And in the past, RFK Jr. Has accused the organization of accepting funding from drug and vaccine makers to further their interests, something the AAP says is not true. Now the organization says it's reviewing its options, including possible legal action. The so called Trump accounts are getting another billionaire boost. Hedge fund manager Ray Dalio decided to give about 300,000 children in Connecticut to $250 each, adding up to roughly $75 million. And the Trump administration thinks this could be the start of a 50 state challenge. Basically, the White House wants to rally the country's richest people and philanthropists to contribute funds for each state to add to the original investment from the federal government. Remember, the US treasury has already announced plans to deposit $1,000 into investment accounts for all children born between 2025 and 2028. Then tech entrepreneur Michael Dell and his wife deposited another $250 into accounts, even for kids. BO investment giant BlackRock also said yesterday it would match the government's contribution for any of its employees with kids who are eligible for Trump accounts, and other companies are expected to do the same. The official Trump accounts are expected to start receiving contributions on the 4th of July next year. Hollywood's biggest night is getting a new home. The Academy Awards announced that starting in 2029, the Oscars will stream live on YouTube. That will be the first time in more than 50 years they won't be on ABC. It's seen as a watershed moment for the entertainment business that's becoming dominated by streaming, and not everyone is a fan. As one screenwriter put it, quote, YouTube broadcasting the Oscars is like shaking hands with a guy who's trying to kill you. Of course, YouTube would disagree, saying it encourages filmmakers to honor their artistry and just distribute projects in new ways. Either way, the platform has plenty of time to plan the awards show, since the next three telecasts will still be on abc. That's it for the main news today. So now it's time for Thing to Know Thursday. But first, this episode is sponsored by fatty15. If you've ever taken fish oil, you probably know about the aftertaste. But you might not know that there's another option. Fatty 15 is a clean, vegan and science backed alternative that supports longevity at the cellular level. 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Now back to Think To Know Thursday Music has been around since the earliest days of human society, and still scientists are learning more about its benefits. For example, as Axios reports, a psychiatry expert at Stanford says one of the most significant discoveries has been how music has the power to stimulate the body's reward system similar to warmth, food and social connection. So music can actually produce a physical reaction when someone is anxious or depressed. And it could be useful in other settings too. For example, a recent peer reviewed study found music could actually make medicines more effective in reaching the brain. So far, the theory has only been tested on mice, but researchers say they're hopeful this could eventually be a game changer to help treat neurodegenerative diseases. Thank you so much for listening today. We'll catch you up on more news to know tomorrow. Until then, have a great day.