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Wednesday’s Mini-Report, 12.17.25
December 18 2025, 08:00

Today’s edition of quick hits.

* The latest on the Brown University shooting: “Rhode Island officials on Tuesday released new images and video of a person of interest as the search continued for the shooter who killed two Brown University students and injured nine others Saturday. Like previously released images, the new enhanced photo shows a man with a black mask, a beanie and what appears to be a two-toned jacket.”

* On a related note, Trump is pushing a predictably Trumpian line: “President Trump on Wednesday attacked Brown University over what he claimed was a lack of security cameras after the FBI faced criticism for arresting a person in connection with a fatal shooting who was later released because of insufficient evidence.”

* This was the hearing in which Carr changed his mind about whether the FCC is an independent agency: “Democrats on the Senate Commerce Committee grilled Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr in a hearing on Wednesday, accusing him of ‘weaponizing’ his position to chill free speech.”

* The NDAA passed the Senate with 77 votes: “The Senate on Wednesday gave final approval to a $900 billion defense policy bill, clearing legislation that advances the bulk of President Trump’s national security agenda and modernizes the way the U.S. military buys weapons and supplies, while also seeking to reassert congressional oversight of military operations.”

* At the CDC: “Instead of recommending the hepatitis B vaccine for all newborns, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now officially advises women who test negative for the virus to consult health care providers about whether their babies should get their first doses within 24 hours of birth.”

* The anti-climate administration: “The Trump administration plans to break up Colorado’s National Center for Atmospheric Research, the largest federal climate research lab. Russ Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, announced the plan Tuesday in a statement on X.”

* The prison population that was shrinking is now growing: “The United States has transferred 22 Cuban migrants to its Navy base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, people familiar with the matter said, repopulating its detention site with men it intends to deport for the first time in two months.”

* Newly relevant guidance: “Two nonprofit groups launched an ad campaign Tuesday, offering legal information and confidential advice to help U.S. troops who believe they may have received unlawful orders. The effort will include billboards saying ‘Obey Only Lawful Orders’ and online messages providing links to organizations and information to ensure troops are aware of their rights and informed about their options, organizers told NBC News.”

* Those waiting for the earlier iterations of Lindsey Graham to come back should probably just give up: “Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who once called Joe Biden ‘as good a man as God ever created,’ told Fox News that Biden is to blame for the Australia mass shooting.”

See you tomorrow.

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