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Friday, December 12, 2025

Driving is easily one of the most dangerous tasks in our daily lives. And our own good driving is only half of the equation when it comes to staying safe on the road " the driving habits of those around us also play a pivotal role.


Researchers found that Covid vaccines reduced the risk of emergency room and urgent care visits by 56% to 76%. It comes as some federal health officials have sowed doubt in the shots. read more


Germany accused Russia of repeated hostile actions, including acts of sabotage, cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns aimed at influencing elections.


Thursday, December 11, 2025

Federal tax prosecutions fell to their lowest level in decades this year, declining more than 27% from the year before as the Trump administration cut the ranks of attorneys and agents who pursue those cases, a Reuters examination has found. read more


A sharply divided Federal Reserve cut interest rates on Wednesday but signaled borrowing costs are unlikely to drop further in the near term as it awaits clarity on the direction of a job market showing signs of softening, inflation that "remains somewhat elevated" and an economy it sees picking up steam next year. read more


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More from the article ...

...Some states have better drivers than others. According to LendingTree research, North Dakota has the worst drivers in the U.S., while Michigan has the best. Read on for more on our findings ...

Key findings

North Dakota has the worst drivers in the U.S. In 2025 through September, North Dakota drivers had 64.0 incidents (including accidents, DUIs, speeding and citations) per 1,000 drivers. The next worst drivers are in New Jersey (58.8) and Utah (54.6).

The best drivers in the U.S. are in Michigan. At just 20.9 incidents per 1,000 drivers, Michigan has the lowest rate. Florida (23.1) and Colorado (23.7) follow.

New Jersey has the highest accident rate. In our analyzed period, New Jersey drivers had 31.5 accidents per 1,000 drivers, making it the only state above 30.0. The next highest rates are in Rhode Island (29.0) and California (28.1). Meanwhile, Michigan (10.0) has the lowest rate, below Colorado (11.7) and Florida (11.9).

North Dakota has the highest DUI rate. In 2025, North Dakota drivers recorded 3.7 DUIs per 1,000 drivers, the most of any state. The next highest rates are in California (3.5) and Minnesota (2.8). Conversely, nine states have rates below 1.0, with Florida (0.4) at the bottom. Illinois, Mississippi and West Virginia tie for the next lowest, at 0.6.

North Dakota also has the highest speeding-related incident rate. Through September, North Dakota drivers had 11.9 speeding-related incidents per 1,000 drivers, making it the only state above 10.0. The next highest rates are in Utah (9.4) and Vermont (7.7). Five states have speeding-related incident rates below 1.0, led by New Jersey (0.2), Massachusetts (0.3) and New York (0.4). ...


[the article continues in more detail ...]



www.dhs.gov

... The Trump administration is on pace to shatter historic records and deport nearly 600,000 illegal aliens by the end of President Donald Trump's first year since returning to office. ...

www.migrationpolicy.org

... the 685,000 deportations recorded in fiscal year (FY) 2024 under President Joe Biden. ...


... soybean growers ...

Record Brazil Soy Output Threatens Global Glut and Lower Prices
www.bloomberg.com

... In the world's top soybean exporter Brazil, farmers long accustomed to chasing record harvests are suddenly confronting a new worry: the threat of producing far more than the world can absorb, just as US President Donald Trump is reshaping global trade flows.

A record 177.1 million tons of soybeans is expected to be collected in the harvest that starts early in 2026, Brazil's crop agency Conab
said Thursday -- a minor cut from previous estimates and still a 3.3% boost from last year. That raises the possibility of an escalating oversupply problem that pushes global prices lower. ...



www.ndtvprofit.com

... The value of US exports rose 3% to the second-highest level on record, fueled by non-monetary gold and pharmaceutical preparations. Imports increased a more modest 0.6%. The figures aren't adjusted for inflation. ...

Another view ...

Never going to be pitch perfect': Trump loyalists see an imperfect messenger
www.politico.com

... The MAGA faithful are thrilled President Donald Trump is back on the road.

But some concede he is an imperfect messenger more apt to voice bullishness on his stewardship of the U.S. economy than he is to acknowledge the financial squeeze voters say they're feeling.

Trump stirred up fresh concerns Tuesday at a Pennsylvania rally that was supposed to focus on easing Americans' anxieties over pocketbook pressures. Instead, he veered off script, at one point urging austerity amid the holiday shopping season by resurfacing a line from earlier this year that American kids should be happy with "two or three" dolls.

The speech demonstrated that Trump's return to the trail is a gamble: It's just as likely to provide Democrats campaign fodder as it is to motivate his MAGA base heading into the midterm elections. And, as Trump plans more rallies in the coming months, his Tuesday performance raises new questions about how the White House can best deploy the president to help ensure Republicans win key congressional and gubernatorial races. ...


@#9 ... Since ICE doesn't recognize any law except their own, PLUS they don't have any sense of honor, nor do they have anything resembling a moral compass, how are these "Restrictions" going to be enforced? ...

A good question.

Perhaps, that is why Pres Trump is using ICE against Americans?

To wit ...

Axios Explains: Inside ICE's superpowers (June 2025)
www.axios.com

... The images of masked, heavily armed immigration agents snatching people off the streets and taking them away in unmarked cars have shocked many Americans -- and led to a simple question: Is all of this legal?

It is -- at least for now.

Why it matters: Since Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was created after the 9/11 attacks, its agents have operated with vastly more enforcement power, less transparency and fewer guardrails than local police.

- - - ICE's rules were designed largely to give the agency broad leeway in helping the FBI identify and arrest domestic terror suspects.

- - - Now the Trump administration is using that power to go after unauthorized immigrants -- potentially millions of them " with a frequency and aggressiveness that has sent ripples through communities nationwide.

Zoom in: Under Trump, critics say, ICE has become the closest thing the U.S. has to a secret police force.

- - - ICE agents aren't required to wear body cameras, can cover their faces, don't have to provide badge numbers or identify themselves, can arrive in unmarked cars and don't need a warrant from a judge to detain someone.

- - - Like those with other federal enforcement agencies, they can ignore rules that govern local police departments, particularly those local agencies with histories of abuse or that operate under court-imposed restrictions on racial profiling.

- - - In some cases, ICE agents can even arrest U.S. citizens " but they aren't supposed to place them in immigration detention units. Even so, a few U.S. citizens have been detained in recent ICE raids because of agents' mistakes or negligence. ...



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