DL Open Thread: Monday, December 22, 2025

$2 Billion Buys You Quite A Lot–From Trump.  Here’s why I keep my NYTimes subscription:

Since President Trump was elected a second time, he and his allies have raised nearly $2 billion for his favored political causes and passion projects. That total, which was confirmed by four people involved in the fund-raising, likely eclipses the amount raised to support his 2024 campaign.

The astounding haul hints at a level of transactionalism for which it is difficult to find obvious comparisons in modern American history. The identities of the donors behind much of the cash are not legally required to be, and have not been, publicly disclosed. In some cases, Mr. Trump’s team has offered donors anonymity.

To shed light on what has been a largely opaque fund-raising apparatus, The New York Times conducted a comprehensive investigation. It relied on previously unreported documents and public campaign finance filings, as well as interviews with dozens of people who are familiar with the solicitations or are involved in the fund-raising. It traced a large portion of the funds raised — more than half a billion dollars’ worth — back to 346 donors who each gave at least $250,000. It also found that more than half of them have benefited, or are involved in an industry that has benefited, from the actions or statements of Mr. Trump, the White House or federal agencies.

Of the 346 donors identified by the Times, at least 197 have benefited, or are in industries that have benefited, from policies or actions of Mr. Trump or his administration.  Those include pardons, favorable regulatory moves, the dropping of legal cases, access to the President and more.

Absolute corruption.

CBS’ Bari Weiss Kneecaps ’60 Minutes’ Segment:

Just a day and a half before it was set to be broadcast, new CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss pulled a planned 60 Minutes investigative segment centering on allegations of abuses at an El Salvador detention center where the Trump administration sent hundreds of Venezuelan migrants last March.

Weiss told colleagues this weekend the piece — planned for Sunday night’s show — could not run without an on-the-record comment from a Trump administration official. That’s according to two people with knowledge of events at the network who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing job security.

Alfonsi wrote that she and her colleagues on the story had sought comments and interviews from the Department of Homeland Security, the White House and the State Department.

“Government silence is a statement, not a VETO,” Alfonsi wrote in the email. “If the administration’s refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story, we have effectively handed them a ‘kill switch” for any reporting they find inconvenient.” (Alfonsi did not respond to an emailed request for comment.)

Michigan Home Health Care Workers Unionize–A Blueprint For Delaware?:

When Ravina Turner, 53, started working for Michigan’s Home Help Program around 2015, she was just grateful to get paid. For years, she’d missed work to care for her daughter, Davina, who has Crohn’s disease and colitis.

At first, the Home Help Program, run by the state’s Department of Health and Human Services, paid her about $300 a month for her work, allowing her to scale back her hours as a nursing assistant. By last year, she had become a full-time caregiver for Davina, and her wages had risen to $15.88 an hour. That is still well below the $35.59 per hour living wage for a single parent in Dearborn Heights, outside Detroit, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator.

“This is a job and we deserve benefits,” said Turner, who’s picked up a gig as a personal care assistant at a nearby assisted living facility. “We deserve health insurance as well as life insurance. We deserve vacation … because if I was punching a clock, I would get all those perks.”

Turner thought she just had to endure low wages, no benefits and no paid time off, she said, until a canvasser knocked on her door and talked to her about how much less Michigan home health aides made compared to aides in states such as Washington, where in 2023 starting rates were set at $21 per hour. She suggested Turner join the Michigan Home Care Workers United campaign, an effort from the Service Employees International Union to get union recognition for home care workers paid through Medicaid. Turner decided to join. (Disclosure: SEIU is a financial supporter of Capital & Main.)

This October, Turner was among 32,000 Michigan home care aides who became union members after 73% of voting home care workers voted to join the union. They are currently working towards negotiating a contract with the state. And their victory, say observers, achieved something politicians increasingly need to pull off: building coalitions across political divides by speaking to material concerns.

Whiskey, Whiskey, All Around.  But Nobody Wants To Drink It.  Perhaps they should introduce raccoons into the distillery:

The maker of Jim Beam bourbon whiskey will halt production at its main site in Kentucky for all of 2026.

The company said in a statement it would close its distillery in Clermont until it took the “opportunity to invest in site enhancements”.

“We are always assessing production levels to best meet consumer demand and recently met with our team to discuss our volumes for 2026,” it said.

It comes as whiskey distillers in the US face uncertainty around Donald Trump’s trade tariffs, as well as declining rates of alcohol consumption.

In October, the Kentucky Distillers’ Association (KDA) trade body said there was a record amount of bourbon in warehouses across the state – more than 16m barrels.

How Can You Not Love The War On Drugs?:

In the spirit of the holiday season, Philadelphia-based rockers The War On Drugs performed intimate shows at Johnny Brenda’s for what was certainly “A Drugcember To Remember.”

The band’s homecoming shows at the 250-capacity venue in the city’s Fishtown neighborhood connected the band not only to its diehard fans, but also to the stomping grounds where the group developed its craft.

For three nights, The War On Drugs packed the house with fans hoping to see one of their favorite bands up close.

The shows served as a fundraiser for The Fund for the School District of Philadelphia, which received proceeds from ticket and merch sales.

“People have just been super generous,” Granduciel said. “Fans of ours from all over the world who can’t come to ‘Drugcember,’ didn’t get a ticket or just can’t travel to Philly at the time or whatever, say ‘Hey, I donated.’”

Granduciel thanked fans for their support during the first night of “Drugcember,” nearly 20 years after being the first band to play upstairs at the venue.

“This bar means a lot to us,” Granduciel said. “This is where we would come after practice and have a couple beers, maybe get kicked out. I don’t remember … We’re happy you’re here with us tonight. We love playing here. We love our city.”