• Inflation holds steady: According to this morning’s report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, December’s 2.7% annualized inflation rate matched expectations, buoying hopes that the Federal Reserve’s long-targeted 2% annual inflation rate may be within reach. Core inflation, excluding volatile food and energy, rose at 2.6% annually. One of the leading elements of inflation — shelter costs — rose by 0.4% in December, the largest increase in three months. Food prices also rose, increasing 0.7% on the month. Recreational costs increased by 1.2%, the largest monthly gain ever recorded dating back to 1993. The issue of housing affordability has yet to diminish. In short, the report is a mixed bag as the inflation Democrats created in 2021 persists.

• Credit card interest cap? The current average interest rate on a credit card, according to one study, is 19.65%. President Donald Trump is encouraging credit companies to cap their rates at just 10% for one year, starting on January 20, 2026. The idea has bipartisan congressional support in both the House and Senate, but it’s not without its critics. Advocates point to the massive credit card debt Americans hold, which topped $1.2 trillion in the third quarter of 2025, and to companies’ ability to turn a profit even with lower rates. Critics argue that a rate cut will likely reduce credit availability, especially for risky borrowers and those with credit scores below 600. Government attempts to dictate free-market policies almost never work, yet our credit-based economy has led the average American household to amass over $10,000 in credit card debt.

• Minnesota sues feds: If anyone was still wondering if The Gopher State was complicit in the massive fraud schemes that may exceed $9 billion in stolen taxpayer funds, the fact that the state is now suing to stop the deployment of federal law enforcement may clear up the matter. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison argued that his state was being targeted by a surge of law enforcement for its “diversity,” “democracy,” and “differences of opinion.” No, Mr. Ellison, it’s because of the fraud. The suit names the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul as plaintiffs, with DHS, ICE, and Customs and Border Protection officials named as defendants. As a White House spokesman noted, “This pathetic stunt only proves that Democrats will put illegal criminals over hardworking Americans every time.”

• Renee Good’s family cashes in: Renee Good’s determination to obstruct law enforcement and striking an ICE officer with her car tragically ended in her death. But for Good’s lesbian “wife,” Becca, the story didn’t end there. Moments before Good’s death, Becca can be heard on video screaming, “Drive, baby, drive,” encouraging Renee in the illegal act that led to her death. Now, Becca and Good’s family have received $1.5 million from a GoFundMe fundraiser. A similar fundraiser for ICE agent Jonathan Ross, who acted in self-defense after being struck by Good’s car, has raised only $175,000. The Good family fundraiser triples that of one set up for the family of Iryna Zarutska, who was slain by a homicidal train passenger for no reason at all while she minded her own business.

• Fraud consumes a lot of money: With welfare fraud exposed as a major problem in Minnesota, journalist Christopher Rufo wondered about the cost of fraud to the federal government in a recent interview with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The government estimates that between $300 billion and $600 billion annually is lost to fraud. “That’s not my number, that’s the General Accounting Office,” Bessent noted. “So, it’s about 10% of the federal budget, 1 to 2% of GDP.” He added, “If we can narrow that number, President Trump asks for a $500 billion increase in the defense budget to fortify the 10, 20 years of neglect. … If we can get rid of this fraud, waste, and abuse, we can finance a safer, sounder U.S. without taking on more debt.” President Trump has made cracking down on fraud a primary focus of his administration.

• Democrats finally take a stand against Hamas: When it still seemed possible that Hamas might survive if only Joe Biden could pressure Israel out of fighting back, Democrat denouncements of the terror organization often seemed half-hearted. Now that it’s a moot issue and Hamas is headed the way of the dodo, Democrats have started to sound almost reasonable. “Saying ‘We support Hamas’ is a disgusting and antisemitic thing to do,” said Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over the weekend, and she was far from alone. Last week, protesters in Queens chanted their support for Hamas, and Kirsten Gillibrand, Letitia James, Kathy Hochul, and Zohran Mamdani were among the chorus that strongly denounced the protesters. If only these folks had found their voices during the disgusting pro-Hamas protests on New York campuses when their denouncements might have meant something.

• DOJ charges illegal alien shot in Portland: One of the illegal aliens who was shot in Portland, Oregon, by Border Patrol last week has been charged by the DOJ with assaulting a federal officer. The two illegal aliens, who are both associated with the Tren de Aragua terrorist-designated Venezuelan gang, were in a pickup truck repeatedly ramming a government vehicle when they were shot. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated, “Anyone who crosses the red line of assaulting law enforcement will be met with the full force of this Justice Department.” She noted that these illegal aliens should not have been in the U.S. in the first place. According to the FBI, no body cam footage of the event in question was captured.

• Dem states want to tax driving: Under the guise of combating climate change, a number of Democrat-led states are advancing plans to monitor residents’ vehicle usage, with the eventual goal of limiting the mileage allowed. In Massachusetts, State Sen. Cynthia Creem has sponsored legislation to track a vehicle’s emissions and miles traveled to develop “a reasonable pathway” to a restricted-mileage system. Colorado and Minnesota have passed similar legislation. Minnesota is currently piloting a program that would charge fees or a tax on the number of miles a driver puts on their vehicle. Other states are exploring a similar mileage-driven tax to offset revenue lost from the gas tax as EVs increase on the road. As a Massachusetts resident observed, “This is just a money grab. Massachusetts politicians need a way to fill their and their friends’ pockets.”

• Oregon to remove 800k inactive voters from rolls: Thanks to multiple lawsuits against Oregon in the last few months over the state’s mismanagement of its voter rolls, Democrat Secretary of State Tobias Read announced that the state will “restart” the “routine cleanup of outdated, inactive voter registration records.” That’s 800,000 inactive voters, or 20% of Oregon’s voter rolls. Although Read claims that “none of the individuals associated with these records will receive ballots, and these inactive records have no impact on Oregon elections,” there’s plenty of reason for skepticism. Jason Snead, executive director of the Honest Elections Project, argued that when states don’t keep up with constant changes, such as deaths and out-of-state moves, voter rolls become bloated and outdated, increasing the risk of errors and abuse. When voter rolls aren’t cleaned, it’s more likely that ballots will be automatically mailed to ineligible voters.

• Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams dies after long battle with prostate cancer: Scott Adams, the creator of the long-running Dilbert cartoon, died this morning just before his daily “Real Coffee with Scott Adams” morning video. Adams had been very public about his ongoing battle with prostate cancer after revealing his diagnosis in May 2025. Adams had warned his followers on X that all the news about his illness was bad and that “January will probably be a month of transition.” He had made political comments for years but became much more present in the discourse following an attempted cancellation in 2023. In recent days, Adams had thanked his followers who were encouraging him to find Jesus and announced his intention to convert. We pray that, like the thief on the cross, Adams is even now with his Savior in paradise.

Headlines

• Sen. Kelly sues Hegseth over military pension cuts (Fox News)

• California wealth tax proposal hemorrhages $1 trillion as billionaires flee (Fox Business)

• ACLU unveils ad campaign in support of gender-confused athletes (Washington Times)

• Walz admin ordered fraud unit to stand down early in his term, whistleblowers say (Daily Signal)

• Keir Starmer and NHS promoting first cousin marriages for Muslims (Hot Air)

• Humor: Protesters protest for higher protesting wage (Babylon Bee)

The Executive News Summary is compiled daily by Jordan Candler, Thomas Gallatin, Sterling Henry, and Sophie Starkova. For the archive, click here.