Worth Knowing, Probably Not Quite Threadworthy 12/23

[SVPete]

New GDP Numbers Just Dropped, and Democrats Should Be Freaking Out

https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2025/12/23/new-gdp-numbers-just-dropped-and-democrats-should-be-freaking-out-n4947430

Democrats just watched economic reality obliterate their favorite doomsday talking point. The U.S. economy grew at an amazing 4.3% annualized rate in the third quarter of 2025, blowing past expectations and handing the Trump administration a massive win heading into 2026.

“The U.S. economy grew at a much greater-than-expected pace in the third quarter, boosted by strong consumer spending, a delayed report released Tuesday showed,” CNBC reported Tuesday morning. “U.S. gross domestic product, a sum of all goods and services produced in the sprawling U.S. economy, expanded by 4.3% in the July-September period, the Commerce Department said in its initial reading of third-quarter growth. Economists polled by Dow Jones expect a gain of 3.2%.”

Maria Bartiromo underscored just how significant the number was on Fox Business. “We’re, we are looking right now at the GDP number at 4.3%,” she said. “This is the actual number, versus an estimate of 3.3%.” She then turned to Mark Tepper, CEO of Strategic Wealth Partners, for his take.

Tepper framed the report as part of a broader economic trend that has consistently surprised to the upside. “So, last week, we talked about inflation coming in lower than expected,” he said. “Now, economic growth is one full percentage point faster than expected. It was supposed to come in at 3.3, came in at 4.3. This is a direct result of everything President Trump has put in place.”

It's weird how the practical meaning of "unexpectedly" has reversed from what it meant during the OhBummer! MalAdministration.

[SVPete]

Toxic fumes on planes blamed for pilot deaths, suicides and brain damage: report

https://nypost.com/2025/12/22/business/toxic-fumes-on-planes-blamed-for-pilot-deaths-suicides-and-brain-damage-report/

Toxic fumes leaking into commercial aircraft cabins are being blamed for catastrophic outcomes among flight crews — including fatal heart attacks, neurodegenerative disease, suicides and life-altering brain injuries, according to a report.

A Wall Street Journal investigation found that hundreds of pilots and flight attendants worldwide have reported serious illnesses linked to toxic “fume events,” with autopsies, medical records and mortality studies tying the exposure to an assortment of maladies up to and including death — even as the aviation industry disputes a direct causal link.

One of the most striking cases involved Ron Weiland, a 54-year-old American Airlines pilot who was in good physical shape when he abruptly lost coordination in late 2016 — just months after reporting an intense smell of engine oil and thick fog inside his Boeing 767 while taxiing at Miami International Airport.