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.

[SVPete]

Parents Win, California Loses Over Secretive Transing of Kids: Court Ruling

https://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2025/12/23/parents-win-california-loses-over-secretive-trans-ing-of-kids-court-ruling-n4947432

California’s outrageous law hiding “gender transitions” of kids from parents just took a massive hit in a district court ruling.

The California law mandating that teachers hide gender transitions from parents if the parents do not support radical LGBTQ ideology is unconstitutional, as a new U.S. District Court ruling from Judge Roger Benitez found.

Legal expert Jonathan Turley noted that the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly cited inherent parental rights, and that Benitez relied on one such ruling in issuing his own decision. Turley also highlighted the dangerous opinion found among many public school administrators and educators now, not to mention Democrat politicians, as Iowa school board member Rachel Wall expressed: “The purpose of a public ed is to not teach kids what the parents want. It is to teach them what society needs them to know. The client is not the parent, but the community.” And by community, they mean, of course, their own radical political community.

FWIW, Judge Roger Benitez is a GWB appointee. The parent plaintiffs were represented by the Thomas More Society.

Of course, AG Rob Bonta is almost certain to appeal this decision. While the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has earned a reputation for being very liberal, Trump has several appointees on the appeals court, and USSC rulings recognizing parents' rights in their children's education include the 1972 Wisconsin vs. Yoder and 1925 Pierce v. Society of Sisters. There is a significant possibility Bonta could lose in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and have to decide whether to appeal to a probably unsympathetic USSC. If Bonta appeals to and loses at the USSC, this ruling would by definition apply in every US state and territory.