Over a dozen Republican attorneys general warned a leftist climate group that it may be illegally attempting to eliminate fossil fuels from the American economy, according to a letter obtained by The Daily Wire. 
Led by Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, 17 attorneys general sent a letter on Tuesday to the group As You Sow, raising questions about its climate activism. As You Sow is a nonprofit that <a href="https://www.asyousow.org/about-us">works</a> “to change corporations from the inside out” and move the economy away from fossil fuels through shareholder advocacy. 
“As You Sow, a little-known but influential member of the climate cartel, is attempting to eliminate the fossil-fuel industry, which will have a devastating impact on Montanans, especially in the winter when we need fossil fuels to heat our homes,” Knudsen told The Daily Wire. “Their efforts to push their green, woke agenda and box out the fossil-fuel industry appear to be a violation of antitrust and Montana consumer protection laws.”
As You Sow wants to “transition” the economy from being based on “fossil-fuel based energy to clean energy sources” and <a href="https://www.asyousow.org/about-us">wants</a> to “promote environmental and social corporate responsibility through shareholder advocacy.”
“As You Sow&#8217;s efforts to eliminate fossil fuels and transform the American economy are an assault on American families and businesses. It must stop,” the Republican officials wrote in their <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Ag-Letter-to-As-You-Sow.pdf">letter</a>. “As You Sow demands artificial transformations of entire markets and sectors, inevitably impacting the output and quality of the goods and services produced by those sectors. Moreover, As You Sow seeks change that uniformly aligns with its predetermined policy agenda.”
One of the As You Sow initiatives scrutinized by the Republican officials included its “Invest Your Values” <a href="https://www.asyousow.org/invest-your-values">tool</a>. This tool “analyzes the climate and social impact” of mutual funds and 401(k)s. 
The Invest Your Values tool <a href="https://investyourvalues.org/action-center/faqs">says</a> that some retirement funds should “exclude ESG risky companies” like fossil fuels companies and gun manufacturers while incorporating “a gender-lens investment lens.”
The letter was also signed by the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. 
“As Attorneys General, we have a duty to protect the citizens of our States from unlawful business practices, and we are prepared to enforce antitrust laws if necessary to stop any illegal conduct by As You Sow,” they said. 
The letter also raised questions about the relationship between As You Sow and As You Know, a company that <a href="https://asyouknow.com/our-story/">says</a> it harnesses “the power of shareholders to create lasting change and align investments with values.” As You Sow <a href="https://asyouknow.com/disclaimer/">is</a> the majority shareholder of As You Know and has an exclusive license to the ESG data gathered by As You Sow. 
“If companies do what As You Sow demands, they will score more favorably on As You Know’s benchmarks sold to them and to investors, which in turn influence investments and proxy voting,” the officials wrote in their letter. 
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The letter was supported by Will Hild, the executive director of the group Consumers’ Research. 
“For years, activist organization, As You Sow, has been pressuring companies and organizations to adopt a radical climate agenda that would drive up costs, destroy reliable energy, and make things more expensive for consumers,” Hild told The Daily Wire. “Instead of focusing on things like lower energy costs or strengthening the American economy, As You Sow’s only priority is to reshape the energy sector to meet senseless net-zero benchmarks.”

House Homeland Security Committee

Republican Officials Warn Climate Group To Stop Its ‘Assault’ On American Economy

Republican Officials Warn Climate Group To Stop Its 'Assault' On American Economy

Climate Change

Economy

Montana

Oil and Gas

WASHINGTON, Dec 23 (Reuters) &#8211; The U.S. economy grew faster than expected in the third quarter, driven by robust consumer spending.
Gross domestic product increased at a 4.3% annualized rate last quarter, the Commerce Department&#8217;s Bureau of Economic Analysis said in its initial estimate of third-quarter GDP on Tuesday. The economy grew at a 3.8% pace in the second quarter. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast GDP would rise at a 3.3% pace.
Trump credited his wide-ranging tariffs for the third-quarter economic boom.
&#8220;The TARIFFS are responsible for the GREAT USA Economic Numbers JUST ANNOUNCED,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;AND THEY WILL ONLY GET BETTER! Also, NO INFLATION &amp; GREAT NATIONAL SECURITY. Pray for the U.S. Supreme Court!!!&#8221;
The data was delayed by the 43-day government shutdown and is now outdated. Consumer spending increased at a 3.5% rate last quarter after advancing at a 2.5% pace in the second quarter.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday&#8217;s economic report shows that &#8220;doubters, naysayers, panicans, and liberal media have been proven wrong — again.&#8221;
&#8220;Trust in Trump. The President’s pro-growth policies are working, and the best is yet to come!&#8221; she added.
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Much of the consumer spending acceleration resulted from a rush to buy electric vehicles before the September 30 expiration of tax credits. Motor vehicle sales dropped in October and November, while spending elsewhere was mixed.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated the shutdown could slice between 1.0 percentage point and 2.0 percentage points off GDP in the fourth quarter. It projected most of the GDP drop would be recovered, but estimated between $7 billion and $14 billion would not.
Surveys suggest consumer spending is being driven by higher-income households, thanks to a stock market boom that has inflated household wealth.
(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Paul Simao and Chizu Nomiyama)

President Trump Delivers Remarks In North Carolina

U.S. Economic Growth Blows Past Expectations, Accelerates In Third Quarter

Donald Trump

U.S.

The White House believes Americans will soon start seeing President Trump’s economic policies pad their wallets thanks to the tax cuts passed in the Big Beautiful Bill.
The rules changed mid-year when Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill was signed, making many of its tax cuts retroactive to January 1 &#8212; but because the IRS did not update payroll forms or withholding tables during 2025, employers kept taking out taxes based on the old rules. When Americans file their 2025 taxes next year, the government will make calculations using the new rules, meaning many people will receive larger refund checks than usual. 
“We didn’t pass the Big Beautiful Bill until the middle of the summer, so a lot of the tax changes which affected last year were not in any tax forms filled out in the beginning of the year,” <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6386652620112">said</a> White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett.
Those delayed changes, the White House argues, will result in what it calls the “largest tax refunds in American history,” which officials say will help improve affordability for Americans.
&#8220;I think we&#8217;re going to see $100 billion to $200 billion of refunds, which could be between $1,000 and $2,000 per household,&#8221; stated Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
Financial analysts have also weighed in on the expected impact. JPMorgan <a href="https://am.jpmorgan.com/us/en/asset-management/adv/insights/market-insights/market-updates/notes-on-the-week-ahead/the-investment-implications-of-the-refund-surge/">expects</a> over 100 million Americans will receive a tax refund with an average amount of $3,743.
Several specific provisions of the Big Beautiful Bill will contribute to these record refunds. The bill increased the standard deduction by $750 for single filers and by $1,500 for joint filers, allowing people to subtract a large amount from their income before taxes are calculated. The bill also temporarily increases the State and Local Taxes deduction cap from $10,000 to $40,000. While these adjustments affect all taxpayers, workers who receive tips or overtime pay are expected to see even greater relief. Tip earners can deduct up to $25,000 in tip income, while workers who earn overtime can deduct up to $12,500.
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Other key provisions of the Big Beautiful Bill further expand financial relief. The legislation increased the child tax credit for tens of millions of families, made the paid leave tax credit permanent, raised the death tax exemption, shielded family farms from excessive taxation, and enhanced 529 savings accounts. Trump also helped the country’s youngest Americans by creating Trump Accounts, which are investment accounts for kids where earnings grow tax-free. As it does with children, the bill also helps seniors, who will receive an additional $6,000 standard deduction bonus if over 65 years old.
President Trump said under these cuts, “many families will be saving between $11,000 and $20,000 a year.”
The White House estimates the tax refunds will lead to a strong 2026.
&#8220;They&#8217;ll get a real increase in their wages. So I think 2026 can be a very good year,&#8221; Bessent <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/bessent-expects-taxpayers-see-very-large-tax-refunds-early-next-year">said</a>.
JPMorgan says that the tax refunds could even translate into a strong 2025 Holiday season as well.
&#8220;Moreover, it could even reach back to impact the holiday season this year. If consumers are confident that they will be getting bigger refund checks early in the new year, they may be willing to rack up more credit card debt in December, providing further near-term support to the economy.&#8221;

US-POLITICS-TRUMP

White House Says 2026 Will Bring The Largest Tax Refunds In History

2026 Midterms

Politics

Taxes

Trump Administration

White House

On Wednesday night, President Trump attempted a reset of the first year of his presidency. It was an effort to seize the narrative away from the Left, which keeps hammering away about “affordability.”
To set the scene: The president obviously is looking forward to the 2026 midterm elections, but Republicans are not in amazing shape for them. They&#8217;re down on the generic congressional ballot by a significant amount at this point. If the elections were held today, there is a high likelihood that Republicans would lose somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 seats.
With that said, the president is attempting to convince Americans that things are getting better.
It was great that he showed charts, a Reagan-esque move. President Reagan used to do this back in the 80s. He would do a national address, and he would take out actual charts and try to educate the American people about what was happening.
President Trump did that last night. He showed Joe Biden&#8217;s price increases and Trump&#8217;s price decreases in a wide variety of areas, ranging from hotel rates up 37.4% under Joe Biden, down 5.1% under Trump; propane rates 24.9% up under Biden, down 4.2% under Trump; gasoline up nearly 31% under Joe Biden, down 7% under Trump; sporting events up nearly 50% under Joe Biden, down almost 10% under Trump.
Those are all good things to show the American people.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2337-president-trump-pushes-the-affordability-reset-button?elementPosition=6&amp;row=2&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974957" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-300x50.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-768x128.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1536x256.webp 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-2048x341.webp 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
The one problem is that when you look at a chart like that, you think that the baseline price has gone down from where it was before Joe Biden — but that&#8217;s not true. If the price rises 40% under Joe Biden and then comes down 10% under Donald Trump, it&#8217;s still higher than it was before Joe Biden took office.
That&#8217;s the embedded part of the economy that President Trump is not really going to be able to wipe away. Years of inflation cannot be wiped away absent some sort of economic downturn.
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But the president was right to point out real wage increases under his tenure and wage decreases under Joe Biden. The private sector wage growth averaged $1,048 since he returned to the White House, versus losses of almost $3,000 under Joe Biden. The president showed the new yearly mortgage cost increase under Joe Biden was up almost $15,000, versus Trump&#8217;s new yearly mortgage cost decrease, down almost $3,000.
When he referred to Obamacare, he pointed out it&#8217;s not the Republicans’ fault, it&#8217;s the Democrats’ fault. It&#8217;s the Unaffordable Care Act.
And that is true.
So here’s the Big Question: Why aren’t Americans feeling it?
There are a few reasons. One is that Americans expect the amounts they currently pay to actively plunge, not just from where they were last year, but from where they were three or four years ago. But if you radically inflate prices and then decrease them marginally, people are still going to feel priced out.
A second reason is that many of the items the president cited as having dropped in price are not the items that Americans most commonly buy. The number one complaint you will hear from Americans right now about pricing is in the grocery store. If you&#8217;re shopping for a family of four for a week of food, you&#8217;re now paying, in some cases, 30-40% more than you were just three or four years ago. And if the places that you most often shop are the places where you feel the most inflation and the most “unaffordability,” that&#8217;s what&#8217;s going to stick in your mind.
Yes, mortgage rates might be down, but how many people are actually taking out a new mortgage this year in the United States? Not very many.
If the thing you buy most frequently is up in price, you&#8217;re going to feel pressed. If the thing you buy once every 20 years is down in price, you&#8217;re not going to feel that quite as much because your last comp wasn&#8217;t last year, your last comp was probably ten years ago, or 15 or 20 years ago. If your last mortgage was taken out at 2.5% under the George W. Bush administration, and your new mortgage is being taken out at 5.75% under the Trump administration, you&#8217;re going to feel like things are more expensive, even though the mortgage rates are down from where they were a year or two ago.
But I&#8217;ve been saying for a while that “affordability” is a weasel word.
Affordability is vague. Affordability is a feeling. You can&#8217;t ask people, “Are things affordable?” and expect them to say yes. Virtually no one who is not truly wealthy thinks of things as “affordable.” For most of my life, everything felt unaffordable, and then at a certain point, we achieved a certain level of income where things felt more affordable.
But you have to move dramatically up in the income ladder in order for things to feel “affordable.” When you think about whether things are affordable or not, what you mean is, am I thinking about the price of the thing that I am buying?
“Affordability” is a feeling. It&#8217;s not a statistical fact.
Thus, President Trump dove into the facts, which was necessary and good.

President Trump Delivers Oval Office Address To The Nation

Trump Pushes The ‘Affordability’ Reset Button 

Affordable

Ben Shapiro

Democrats

Inflation

Joe Biden

Opinion

Inflation cooled in November, coming in lower than what economists predicted, a win for President Donald Trump as he becomes more aggressive in his messaging on the economy.
The consumer price index <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm">report</a> released on Thursday shows that prices rose by 2.7% year-over-year, a drop from the 3% rate shown in the most recent report in September. The 2.7% rate is the lowest overall inflation reading since June and surprised experts who predicted that inflation would jump above 3%.
The Trump administration celebrated Thursday&#8217;s report and pointed to another metric, which shows that key services inflation has fallen to its lowest level since March of 2021. The key services inflation gauge, which takes out housing and energy costs and is closely tracked by the Federal Reserve, also came in at 2.7%.
&#8220;Thanks to @POTUS’ pro-worker economic policies, inflation has fallen to the lowest level since March of 2021,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/SecretaryLCD/status/2001690975052148759">said</a> Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer. &#8220;The facts are clear: President Trump is making progress to fix the affordability crisis caused by Biden and deliver relief for hardworking Americans.&#8221;
Zooming in on specific items in the consumer price index, food increased 2.6% year-over-year, while energy jumped 4.2%. Electricity was up 6.9% over the past year, and natural gas was up 9.1%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. November&#8217;s report comes after the federal government did not release a consumer price index report in October due to the record-breaking government shutdown.
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Harvard Economics and Public Policy Professor Ken Rogoff <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2001652780134732233">told</a> CNN that he was &#8220;surprised&#8221; by the inflation report.
&#8220;It was a better number than anyone was expecting,&#8221; Rogoff said, adding, &#8220;People were expecting it to be above 3%. It was well below 3%. I think the president will take this as good news. The investors will think that interest rates will get cut more. So, it was positive news. There&#8217;s no other way to spin it.&#8221;
The stock market also reacted positively to the news, with the Dow Jones, S&amp;P 500, and Nasdaq all making gains on Thursday.
Trump has been focusing on his economic messaging in recent weeks as the Republican Party gears up for the 2026 midterm elections. The president has blasted Democrats over their focus on the so-called affordability crisis, which he calls a &#8220;hoax&#8221; and argues that his economic policies are fixing the &#8220;mess&#8221; that he was left by former President Joe Biden.
Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/live-updates-president-trump-addresses-nation-from-white-house">addressed</a> the nation from the Oval Office on Wednesday night, touting his economic policies and announcing a &#8220;warrior dividend&#8221; of $1,776 for American service members. During his address, Trump also highlighted his aggressive immigration policies, arguing that the illegal immigrants who flooded the country under Biden had a negative impact on the U.S. economy.
Trump is set to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-targets-battleground-north-carolina-to-spotlight-his-economic-record?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Trump+Targets+Battleground+North+Carolina+To+Spotlight+His+Economic+Record">visit</a> North Carolina, an important battleground state in the upcoming midterms, on Friday for the next stop on his tour, bringing his economic message directly to his supporters. North Carolina will be the second stop on Trump&#8217;s economy tour after he visited Pennsylvania last week.

Inflation Report Surprises Economists As Key Metric Drops To Lowest Level Since 2021

It’s not even 2026 yet, but President Donald Trump is already headed to the swing state of North Carolina on Friday in the next stop in his affordability tour, where he is expected to tout his economic record and work to boost Republicans ahead of next year’s midterms.
The Tar Heel State faces a critical Senate race next year that will likely feature former Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley and former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. North Carolina’s Senate race blew wide open when GOP Sen. Thom Tillis announced he would not seek re-election amid major disagreements with Trump.
“We are extremely excited to welcome President Trump back to North Carolina tomorrow,” Whatley told The Daily Wire on Thursday morning. “Under Joe Biden and Democrats like my opponent, Roy Cooper, inflation skyrocketed in our state and across the country. President Trump has been working tirelessly every single day to bring prices down, rein in out-of-control government spending, and undo the damage caused by Democrats’ reckless economic policies.”
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The Cook Political Report ranks the contest as a “toss-up” along with Senate races in Maine, Michigan, and Georgia.
In a recent interview with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illegal-immigrant-crime-could-tip-the-scales-in-north-carolinas-crucial-senate-race?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=6&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Illegal+Immigrant+Crime+Could+Tip+The+Scales+In+North+Carolina%E2%80%99s+Crucial+Senate+Race" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a>, Whatley said that voters’ wallets will be one of the most significant issues in the midterms.
“We need the economy to be clicking. I think ultimately the economy is the most important factor when people vote, right? We need to create jobs, we need to raise wages, we need to lower costs,” he said earlier this month. “And the American people need to feel like we have a very strong economy. All signs right now are pointing towards us having a very strong, robust economy.”
Cooper’s campaign told The Daily Wire that he “has spent his career fighting for North Carolina families by lowering health care costs and keeping their communities safe,” while accusing Whatley of spending “decades at the beck and call of DC politicians delivering for billionaires and special interests at the expense of the middle class.”
As for the president, the first part of his tour was in Pennsylvania last week, and he also addressed the nation from the White House on Wednesday night with a focus on the economy. Most notably, he announced a $1,776 payout to qualifying American service members.

Trump Targets Battleground North Carolina To Spotlight His Economic Record

2026 election

Executive

Michael Whatley

North Carolina

Roy Cooper

Trump

Delayed <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm">reports</a> reveal that while the U.S. economy picked up 64,000 jobs in November, it saw a decline of 105,000 in October following the Trump administration’s cutbacks to federal staff.
A drop of 162,000 federal employees fueled October’s overall job losses, with many resigning on September 30 under mounting pressure from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) project to reduce the federal payroll. The Deferred Resignation Program (DRP), informally known as the “Fork in the Road” and part of the DOGE initiative, gave federal employees the option to resign early with continued pay and benefits through the end of September if they accepted the offer by a set deadline.
Historically, six-figure drops in federal employment have occurred during wartime and in the years following a decennial census. The reductions contributed to a rising unemployment rate, which reached its highest level since 2021 at 4.6%.
The job creation numbers were delayed due to the 43-day government shutdown.
In November, private payrolls expanded by 69,000, building on October’s increase of 52,000 jobs. Gains were recorded in healthcare, construction, and retail, while manufacturing, leisure and hospitality, and transportation and warehousing experienced declines. 
“I think that from the private sector point of view…it’s a solid upward trajectory,” said National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett. “The President’s private sector job creation since he took office is about 700,000 jobs.” 
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The Department of Labor underscored this point.
“Under the Biden administration, most job growth came from government jobs and foreign labor,” its official X account posted on Tuesday. “Now, with (President Trump) at the helm, every single job created has been in the PRIVATE SECTOR for NATIVE-BORN AMERICANS.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Under the Biden administration, most job growth came from government jobs and foreign labor.
Now, with <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> at the helm, every single job created has been in the PRIVATE SECTOR for NATIVE-BORN AMERICANS 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/ylLCfxmcza">pic.twitter.com/ylLCfxmcza</a>
— U.S. Department of Labor (@USDOL) <a href="https://twitter.com/USDOL/status/2000965316428386615?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Although the newly released figures carry some qualifications, the report will shape how investors assess next year’s interest-rate trajectory. The Federal Reserve cut rates for a third consecutive meeting last week to bolster what Chair Jerome Powell described as a “gradually cooling” job market facing “significant” risks of further weakening.
Manhattan Institute Fellow Allison Schraeger <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/video/2025/12/16/watch-cnbcs-full-interview-with-the-squawk-box-jobs-panel.html">says</a> this month’s job reports could lead to a future Federal Reserve rate cut. “If you are looking for an excuse to cut further, you could probably say the labor market is weakening and I’m going to do something about it.”

Jobs report

Federal Workforce Shrinks By 162,000 As Unemployment Spikes To Four-Year High

Jobs

Unemployment

iRobot, the American company that created the robotic vacuum Roomba, filed for bankruptcy on Sunday, sending the company into the arms of its Chinese manufacturer just three years after regulators blocked a proposed sale to Amazon.
Under the <a href="https://media.irobot.com/2025-12-14-iRobot-Announces-Strategic-Transaction-to-Drive-Long-Term-Growth-Plan?utm_source=chatgpt.com">bankruptcy plan</a>, iRobot’s manufacturer, Picea, will take 100% of the company’s equity, shifting ownership from American to Chinese hands. The filing comes after iRobot cited declining sales, increased competition from lower-priced alternatives, and rising supply chain and manufacturing costs. Initially, the company hoped to merge with Amazon to improve its scale and get more competitive pricing for parts and inventory.
While the Federal Trade Commission has not commented on iRobot’s bankruptcy, the commission welcomed the collapse of the Amazon deal in January 2024. “We are pleased that Amazon and iRobot have abandoned their proposed transaction,” the United States Federal Trade Commission <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/01/statement-regarding-termination-amazons-proposed-acquisition-irobot">said</a>. “The Federal Trade Commission will not hesitate to take action in enforcing the antitrust laws to ensure that competition remains robust.”
Three years later, iRobot’s bankruptcy leaves the United States without a major American-owned competitor in the home robotics industry.
With iRobot’s bankruptcy, shareholders are expected to see their equity wiped out &#8212; an outcome that contrasts sharply with the $61 per share cash payout investors would have received had the Amazon acquisition gone through. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who urged regulators to oppose the deal, said at the time that Amazon should not be allowed to use acquisitions to avoid competition.
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“I have serious concerns about Amazon’s deal to buy iRobot,” <a href="https://x.com/SenWarren/status/1575616208417980417">said</a> Warren. “We’re asking the FTC to oppose this proposed deal to protect competition and consumers. Amazon shouldn’t be allowed to just buy their way out of competing.”
After the deal collapsed, iRobot laid off roughly one-third of its workforce and its stock price plummeted. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy later described the company’s struggle as “a sad story.”
“This American company invented this product, invented the category and built a business that was almost $1 billion in revenue,” Jassy said. He argued that successful businesses naturally attract competition, including from Chinese manufacturers, and that iRobot needed scale to survive.
“They needed to scale because scale lets you buy components at the right price and invest in R&amp;D,” Jassy said.
Jassy also addressed privacy concerns, noting that robotic vacuums must map the inside of customers’ homes to avoid running into furniture.
“What Western regulators were saying is that they trust these two large Chinese companies with maps of the inside of U.S. consumers&#8217; homes more than they do Amazon,” he said. “That can’t be what we were going for. I think we&#8217;ve got to try and find a way to be reasonable with what we are doing.”
At the time the deal was blocked, the Federal Trade Commission was chaired by President Joe Biden appointee Lina Khan, who quickly became known for her aggressive approach to antitrust enforcement, particularly toward large technology companies. Khan now <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mamdanis-transition-team-a-reflection-of-his-leftism">serves</a> as New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition team chair.

In this photo illustration, the IRobot logo is seen

Regulators Blocked Amazon-iRobot Deal, Now Bankruptcy Sends Company Back To China

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Democratic attorneys general in 19 states, led by California and Massachusetts, are suing the Trump administration over its $100,000 fee for H-1B visas.
The lawsuit announced on Friday argues that the fee imposed by the administration goes far beyond the actual cost for an H-1B application, and goes against the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act.
“As the world’s fourth largest economy, California knows that when skilled talent from around the world joins our workforce, it drives our state forward. President Trump’s illegal $100,000 H-1B visa fee creates unnecessary — and illegal — financial burdens on California public employers and other providers of vital services, exacerbating labor shortages in key sectors,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement Friday.
“The Trump Administration thinks it can raise costs on a whim, but the law says otherwise,” Bonta continued.
The visa is meant for a limited number of jobs, and there are only 65,000 new ones doled out annually. However, 20,000 more H-1B visas are issued for those who have a “master’s degree or higher” from a college within the United States.
According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website, there have been “enough petitions” sent to the federal government for both caps for fiscal year 2026.
“President Trump promised to put American workers first, and his commonsense action on H-1B visas does just that by discouraging companies from spamming the system and driving down American wages, while providing certainty to employers who need to bring the best talent from overseas,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told The Daily Wire in a statement.
“The Administration’s actions are lawful and are a necessary, initial, incremental step towards necessary reforms to the H-1B program,” she continued.
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A September presidential proclamation stated that the program “has been deliberately exploited to replace, rather than supplement, American workers with lower-paid, lower-skilled labor” and it has veered off from its original intention.
The proclamation added that companies “have abused the H-1B statute and its regulations to artificially suppress wages, resulting in a disadvantageous labor market for American citizens, while at the same time making it more difficult to attract and retain the highest skilled subset of temporary workers, with the largest impact seen in critical science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.”
The lawsuit comes at a major tipping point for immigration nationwide, as the Trump administration recently stopped immigration processes for people from 19 &#8220;high-risk&#8221; countries following the shooting of two National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., by an Afghan national who entered as part of a refugee program following the botched 2021 troop withdrawal from the Middle Eastern nation. In addition, deportation efforts are still underway as the Supreme Court will soon be tackling whether or not birthright citizenship is constitutional.

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Dems Sue Trump Admin Over Major Fee For H-1B Visas

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Activist group One Fair Wage is pushing a 2026 ballot effort in Maryland to get a $25 minimum wage, which would be much higher than any other state in the nation – sparking concerns from some economists about the potential impact.
“$25 isn’t radical! It’s survival,” the group posted to X on Friday morning. “One Fair Wage is pushing a 2026 ballot measure to make Maryland the first state with a true living wage for all workers.”
The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, but many states and territories go beyond that, with California at $16.50 an hour and Washington, D.C., at $17.95 an hour. If One Fair Wage’s proposal went into effect, a full-time worker could make a minimum of $52,000 a year.
Maryland-based economist Rachel Greszler, Senior Research Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, said that the proposal could create serious issues because of its drastic nature.
The Old Line State’s minimum wage is currently $15 an hour, with Montgomery County having a minimum wage as high as $17.65 for companies over 51 people.
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“I think it’s insane. Maryland’s already trying to compete, especially with Virginia nearby, and you were losing businesses, especially the small businesses, which are disproportionately affected by high minimum wages, and to do this is just gonna exacerbate the problems that we’re having with the budget, of course, and of having good jobs for people,” she said, noting that “good intentions don’t necessarily lead to good outcomes.&#8221; Virginia&#8217;s minimum wage will go $12.77 an hour starting January 1.
“You need these starting wages to be able to step onto the ladder and then be able to climb it. If that first step is $25 an hour or $52,000 a year, a lot of people would just never be able to step onto it,” she said, noting the risk of youth employment decline even further.
Greszler wrote in September for the <a href="https://epicforamerica.org/education-workforce-retirement/americas-youth-employment-lacking/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Economic Policy Innovation Center</a> that teen employment has gone down 15.6% since 2000 to only 30%.
Non-partisan business groups have also raised concerns about the suggested increase.
&#8220;We understand that many Marylanders are struggling with the cost of living and want better opportunities to get ahead. But Maryland&#8217;s economy is already struggling to create and keep jobs, and raising the minimum wage to $25 would make it even harder,” the Maryland Chamber of Commerce told <a href="https://www.wmar2news.com/local/a-minimum-wage-of-25-an-hour-in-maryland-could-be-put-to-a-vote-in-2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WMAR 2 News Baltimore</a> in November.
If it makes it to the ballot, Greszler is not confident that the measure would pass, despite the hope from activists that it could excite voters, according to WMAR.
“I think it’s such a big jump,” she said. “I could see them going for a smaller one.”
The economist noted that she feels “sympathy” on the issue due to cost-of-living concerns, but added that “there’s no way that that’s gonna be sustainable.”
“Half of people who earn it are under age 24. It’s primarily teenagers. And more than half of the people who are earning the minimum wage are just working part-time,” she noted.

minimum wage

Economist Blasts $25 Minimum Wage Proposal: ‘I Think It’s Insane’

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Minimum Wage

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt answered questions on affordability and inflation during a sometimes contentious press briefing on Thursday.
“Every economic metric does in fact show that the economy is getting better and brighter than where it was under the previous administration,” Leavitt noted at the top of the briefing prior to taking questions.
Eric Bolling of Real America’s Voice kicked off the questioning, pointing to declining energy prices.
“Energy prices have been coming down aggressively since Trump’s second term with $55 per barrel and gas prices under $3 for the first time in the past five years,” Bolling began. “Some people in this room want to call this an affordability crisis right now, seeming to want to forget four years prior when we hit 9% inflation. That’s an affordability crisis, but we weren’t calling it that back then. How will President Trump ensure that the legacy media does not flip the script?”
Leavitt responded, calling the media’s coverage of affordability under the Trump administration “a point of frustration” for both herself and the president.
“It’s a great question, Eric,” she said. “It is part of the reason I kicked off this briefing today, setting the record straight with facts about the economic mess that the president inherited from his predecessor Joe Biden.”
Leavitt called affordability a top priority for President Trump, offering several figures to demonstrate her point.
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“Inflation has slowed to an average 2.5% pace; real wages are increasing roughly $1,200 for the average worker; gas prices are down in almost every single state across the country, in 22 states, it&#8217;s below $2.75; the tax cuts will go into effect next year; the best is yet to come, and the president is digging the country out of the economic hole that the previous administration put us in.”
A separate and somewhat heated exchange came during questioning from CNN’s Kaitlin Collins, who asked, “If the economy is as strong as the president has said it is, then why is he telling parents two to three weeks before Christmas that they should only buy two or three dolls for their children?”
Leavitt responded, noting the president’s intention to bring manufacturing back to the United States: “Maybe you’ll pay a dollar or two more, but you will get better quality and you’ll be supporting your fellow Americans by buying American.”
Collins followed up by challenging Leavitt on inflation — but the press secretary pushed back sharply.
“There’s a lot more scrutiny on this issue from this press corps,” responded Leavitt. “My predecessor stood up at this podium and she said inflation doesn’t exist. She said the border was secure, and people like you just took her at her word. Those were two utter lies. Everything I’m telling you is the truth backed by my real, factual data, and you just don’t want to report on it because you want to push untrue narratives about the president.”
Leavitt said she wishes “more people would remind the American public of how we got here and why.”
“It does not mean the president is discarding the American people’s feelings. The president gets it better than anyone, which is why his entire administration has been focused on the economy and energy prices since day one.”
She went on to describe Democrats as “the greatest con artists in history” who are “trying to claim ownership of an issue that they created.”
Reporters also asked three separate questions about the selection of the next Federal Reserve Chair. Leavitt did not reveal when the announcement would be made, but reiterated that President Trump has long called for rate cuts.
“I think the president has been quite clear about what he believes the Fed should be doing, which is lowering interest rates,” said Leavitt. She added that the president was pleased with the quarter point cut this week, but thinks “more should be done.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Holds Press Briefing

‘Those Were Two Utter Lies’: White House Press Briefing Turns Contentious Over ‘Affordability’

Karoline Leavitt

President Donald Trump celebrated the Dow Jones Industrial Average hitting an all-time high on Thursday morning, arguing that polls showing a poor approval rating on his handling of the economy are &#8220;fake.&#8221;
The Dow <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/live/stock-market-today-dow-hits-record-high-while-nasdaq-sp-500-slide-as-oracle-earnings-revive-ai-spending-fears-233526385.html">reached</a> 48,661.94 shortly after the opening bell on Thursday, while the Nasdaq Composite and S&amp;P 500 dropped slightly. The Dow has climbed steadily since late April after a dramatic plunge following the rollout of Trump&#8217;s &#8220;Liberation Day&#8221; tariffs. Trump argued the new record high for the Dow is proof that his economic policies are working.
&#8220;STOCK MARKET JUST HIT AN ALL-TIME HIGH!!! When will the Fake Polls show that I am doing a great job on the Economy, and much more??? Thank you!&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115701697468059580">said</a>.
According to recent polls, Trump is losing the approval of many Americans on his handling of the economy. The president&#8217;s approval rating on the economy has fallen to 31%, according to a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-poll-approval-economy-immigration-inflation-crime-9e5bd096964990e040bc4bacd9fcac21">survey</a> the Associated Press released on Thursday. That was down from 40% who approved of his handling of the economy in March. Another <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/699221/trump-approval-rating-drops-new-second-term-low.aspx">poll</a> released by Gallup in November showed Trump&#8217;s approval rating on the economy sitting at just 36%.
Trump has focused much of his attention on boosting the American economy during his second term, including imposing massive tariffs on countries throughout the world and cutting taxes for many Americans through the &#8220;Big, Beautiful Bill.&#8221; Trump has also pressured the Federal Reserve to drastically lower interest rates and give Americans more financial room to buy a house.
Inflation has remained relatively low during Trump&#8217;s second term, hovering around 3%, and the stock market has made strong gains in 2025. Still, many Americans continue to worry about the costs of housing and groceries. Democrats have latched onto &#8220;affordability&#8221; messaging in recent months as leftist candidates in New York, New Jersey, and Virginia saw success running on economic issues in their elections last month.
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As the economy and cost of living jump to the top of the list of issues for voters, Trump is focusing on his economic agenda while arguing that the Democrats&#8217; claims of an &#8220;affordability crisis&#8221; are a &#8220;hoax.&#8221;
&#8220;They use the word &#8216;affordability,&#8217; and that&#8217;s their only word,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://www.wcvb.com/article/hoax-affordability-president-trump-addresses-inflation-pa-rally/69684055">said</a> while speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania on Tuesday.
&#8220;They say, &#8216;Affordability,&#8217; and everyone says, &#8216;Oh, that must mean Trump has high prices.&#8217; No, our prices are coming down tremendously,&#8221; he added. &#8220;They have a new word. They always have a hoax. The new word is &#8216;affordability,&#8217; so they look at the camera and they say this election is all about affordability.&#8221;
Trump&#8217;s stop in Pennsylvania was the first on a planned tour across the United States for the president to deliver his economic messaging directly to his supporters. The White House has pointed to gas prices and rent dropping across the United States, while Trump has also moved to roll back some of his tariffs in an effort to bring down the cost of certain grocery items, such as beef and coffee.
The economy will likely remain a top issue heading into the 2026 midterm elections, and whether Trump&#8217;s controversial tariffs survive a looming Supreme Court decision will have a major impact on how the economy will look heading into the important election season.

Trump Celebrates New All-Time High For Stock Market, Calls Polling On Economy ‘Fake’

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