I still think bachata is underrated. – Underrated 100 percent. Why haven’t we been invited just to perform in Saturday Night Live? – But why has bachata not had its moment in that way that you’re asking for it? Ultimately, you know, – Yeah, that’s fair.
This speech that he gave yesterday was a lame-duck speech. -So quack quack quack. I mean, it’s the kind of almost impotent thing that presidents on their last legs do. And so the thing — I mean, the thing that’s interesting to think about, interesting, ominous, I don’t know, is that there’s still three more years of this. And I think they’re going to try to do the latter, and I just don’t think that that’s sustainable for another year, politically or otherwise.
LOADING ERROR LOADINGWASHINGTON (AP) — The livestream of a YouTube content creator talking about investments mysteriously appeared to take over a White House website, raising questions about whether the site was hacked. The livestream appeared for at least eight minutes late Thursday on whitehouse.gov/live, where the White House usually streams live video of the president speaking. AdvertisementIt’s unclear if the website was breached or the video was linked accidentally by someone in the government. The White House said in a statement that it was “aware and looking into what happened.”The video that appeared on the government-run website featured some of a more than two-hour livestream from Matt Farley, who posts as @RealMattMoney, as he answered financial questions. AdvertisementFILE - The White House is reflected in a puddle, Dec. 2, 2025, in Washington.
“Parents and teachers let students use calculators for math tests, so why not let students use generative AI (GenAI) to write essays? And one of those truths is that AI is not directly comparable to a calculator. Totally Different Skill SetsBy performing different functions, calculators and GenAI can take over for different types of human skill sets. Totally Different OutcomesRelatedly, it’s difficult to think of reasons why calculators might pose significant concerns for human spirituality, psychology, morality, and relationality. Instead, GenAI harnesses a totally different system to process totally different information for totally different uses, affecting totally different skill sets and leading to totally different outcomes than calculators do.
But CNN, now 45 years old, is in a precarious situation as two huge media conglomerates vie for ownership of its parent company, Warner Bros Discovery. and a University of Pennsylvania media policy professor. That arrangement could set up CNN and the others for another sale. The prominent critic of big tech’s dominance of major media platforms wrote recently that anti-trust laws should prohibit both deals. In the world of media ownership, bigger isn’t better.
Through its facial matching technology, TSA claims it can more efficiently and conveniently verify that the person in front of an agent is the person shown on their identification. Theoretically, there should be visible signage that notifies travelers they can proceed through airport security without doing the facial scan. Many travelers may not know this but you can exercise the right to opt of this tool's face scan. Saira Hussain, a senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, declines the face scan every time she travels. AdvertisementYou can simply decline by stating to an agent that you do not want your photo taken and want to opt out of a face scan.
SNL’s Sarah Sherman Tests Gross GiftsSaturday Night Live cast member and human disco ball Sarah Sherman knows gross. So who better to review a selection of very gross gifts, all of them hand-picked by Wirecutter’s gifts team? December 19, 2025
The study approval can be obtained from the Nigerian national partner of the Afrobarometer ninth round survey, NOIPolls Limited. However, we were unable to obtain the continental approval number online from either the Afrobarometer or NOIPoll Limited websites. In Nigeria, fieldwork was conducted by NOIPolls Limited, in accordance with Afrobarometer’s norms and standard procedures for informed consent, confidentiality, and respondent protection. Informed consentThe informed consent was collected from all participants aged 18 and above by the fieldworkers aged 18 and above, between 5 and 31 March 2022, when Round 9 was collected. The introduction of the survey questionnaire also secures the respondents’ informed consent in written/verbal language that is easily understood by the prospective subjects, thereby meeting the ethical standards of Afrobarometer research.
Illustration: HuffPost; Photos: GettyA week after Charlie Kirk was assassinated, Turning Point USA’s chief operating officer made a prediction. “Republicans hope Erika Kirk can bring more young women into the party,” NBC News ran weeks later. They featured interviews with young conservative women and Republican strategists ― many of them suggesting Turning Point could use Erika Kirk as a conduit to reach Gen Z women. Turning Point USA didn’t respond when asked if it had seen more interest from young women since Erika Kirk took over. Pool via Getty Images“What I don’t want to have happen is women, young women, in the city look to the government as a solution,” she said.
Hours before the Rams played the Seahawks, Nacua offered an explanation for the antisemitic gesture he made on Adin Ross' and N3on's show. "I know this guy's heart and for anybody that was offended, terribly sorry about that," Rams coach Sean McVay said. In a short week, the Rams were forced to bar Ross and N3on from entering their building. However, McVay said of Nacua's comments about referees on the livestream, "Yeah, we don't want to do that." Asked if the fallout from Nacua's livestream was a distraction, McVay snapped, "Did you think his play showed that he was distracted?"
It seemed to mark an end for the Reagan Revolution whose ideology Trump has pushed to its brutish conclusion. As it has lost the support of the people, the administration appears to be acting without regard to the law. But when the Mexican government slowed the activities of the cartels, the administration turned to attacking the boats from Venezuela. “This is not the beginning of a war—it is a declaration of vengeance,” Defense Secretary Hegseth posted on social media. “The United States of America, under President Trump’s leadership, will never hesitate and never relent to defend our people.
John F. Kennedy’s niece isn’t happy at the decision to change the name of the Kennedy Center to include Donald Trump ― but she doesn’t think it will last. Three years and one month from today, I’m going to grab a pickax and pull those letters off that building, but I’m going to need help holding the ladder. Three years and one month from today, I’m going to grab a pickax and pull those letters off that building, but I’m going to need help holding the ladder. pic.twitter.com/ZLPhd7fU31 — Kerry Kennedy (@KerryKennedyRFK) December 19, 2025Kennedy’s threat to forcibly remove Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center building was a carryover from other fiery tweets she made on Thursday criticizing the decision. — Kerry Kennedy (@KerryKennedyRFK) December 18, 2025(2/2) President Kennedy proudly stood for justice, peace, equality, dignity, diversity, and compassion for those who suffer.
Friday Squid Blogging: Petting a SquidVideo from Reddit shows what could go wrong when you try to pet a—looks like a Humboldt—squid. As usual, you can also use this squid post to talk about the security stories in the news that I haven’t covered. Blog moderation policy. Posted on December 19, 2025 at 5:06 PM • 11 Comments
Putin maintains stance on Russia-Ukraine conflictRussian President Vladimir Putin held his annual marathon press conference, which lasted more than four hours. He signaled that Russia may be open to a negotiated end to the conflict with Ukraine, saying Russia was “ready and willing to end this conflict peacefully,” but also made it clear that military operations would continue for as long as the Kremlin deems necessary. CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen was in the room and reports on what he heard.
Starting overGreece was recently named the world’s best place to retire for 2026, according to an annual index by International Living. CNN spoke to a few experts who have done it and learned a few hard lessons along the way. “I cried copious tears,” she tells CNN, and she was worried she’d never fit in. She tells CNN that she immediately felt “very comfortable” there and loved the province’s “calm energy.” However, she says she made a lot of “missteps” when it came to finding somewhere to live: Here’s what she learned. Travel better in 2026Running through a packed travel itinerary only increases stress and leaves you exhausted, says travel expert Jake Haupert.
