Here's What's Happening
Here’s What’s Happening is a daily news show — not to break the news, but to break it down. Each episode puts the day’s biggest stories into context, cuts through the noise, and helps you understand what actually matters. It’s smart, calm, and concise — designed to help you start the day informed, not overwhelmed.
Hey, I Like Sports. Okay.
A tragedy in Ohio leads the news, as Maine Democrats have a decision to make, Hamas makes an announcement, and the World Cup continues.
Tragedy in Ohio
-via CNN
Graham Platner
-via NPR and The Maine Monitor
Update: Gaza
-via The Guardian
World Cuppa
-via NY Times, NBC News, Reuters, and Baseball Almanac
-Project Hop
He Ruins Everything!
A Coney Island shooting leaves officials with no information, while extreme weather continues nationwide; Mallory McMorrow’s campaign is over; a deadly National Guard shooting leaves more questions than answers in Memphis; and when he’s not threatening a “really long speech,” Trump has now decided to ruin the World Cup.
Coney Island Shooting
-via ABC News
New Jersey Heat
-via AP News and NPR
Trump’s 250th Speech – God Tried, at Least
-via Axios, The Hill, and NBC News
...
A Republic, if You Can Keep It
It’s the 250th anniversary of this silly little experiment we’re running. But it’s also my Grandpa’s 99th birthday. So let me tell you some stories, including one about an underground missile, another about a carving of a sun, and most importantly, another about the world’s best grandparents.
-via Home of the Heroes, Armed car stops missile, AMA Journal of Ethics, NPR
-Project Hope
-GoFundMe: I Love Venezuela Foundation
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We Love a Coincidence
In addition to an update on Venezuela, we’re also talking about a really annoying couple and a really annoying fireworks display, plus some financial dealings that were about on the up-and-up as the disclosure of Mitch McConnell’s current status.
Update: Venezuela
-via ABC News and AlJazeera
-Project Hope
-GoFundMe: I Love Venezuela Foundation
Empire State of Mind
-via CBS News and CBS News (proposal stats)
Audi Alteram Partem
As the Supreme Court continues to drop rulings, a deadly heatwave in France will see some relief before things heat up again and the House is out of session (on a whim).
Supreme Court Rulings
-via Axios (birthright citizenship), NBC News (investigation into Trump’s past renting practices), CBS News (spending limits), AP News (trans athlete ban), and The Guardian (Alito)
France’s Heat Wave
-via NY Times, US Soccer, Etymonline, and ABC News
Republicans in Disarray
-via CNN and AP News...
Mildly Sick Burns Hour at Flappers
Fighting resumed around the Strait of Hormuz despite the Iran ceasefire, Venezuela’s earthquake death toll surged past 1,700, the Supreme Court issued major rulings on presidential power, voting rights, and Trump’s legal cases, and Pete Buttigieg revealed his family was subjected to a false CPS investigation.
Update: Iran
-via CBS News
Update: Venezuela
-The Guardian, PBS, and CNN
Project Hope
GoFundMe: I Love Venezuela Foundation
There Are Ways to Help
An update on Venezuela, as well as two ways to help.
-via NPR and BBC
Project Hope
GoFundMe: I Love Venezuela Foundation
Take the pledge to be a voter at raisingvoters.org/beavoter
December.on
Big Loser Energy!
Deadly earthquakes devastated Venezuela, the Supreme Court handed down a series of major immigration, gun, and civil rights rulings, Senate Republicans abruptly reversed course on the Iran war powers resolution, and the Reflecting Pool saga somehow got even stranger.
Venezuela
-via NPR and Project Hope
Supreme Court Hands Down Rulings
-via NPR (asylum seekers), NBC News (TPS), AP News (gun law), Washington Post (RoundUp), and AP News (Louisiana man)
Senate Changes Its Mind
-via PBS
Reflecting Pool<...
435 House Seats. 33 Senate Seats.
As Trump holds a bipartisan housing bill hostage to disenfranchise voters with the SAVE America Act, one person in America has been given a lifesaving drug and no one knows who it is, plus back-to-back earthquakes rocked Venezuela right as I hit record.
Trump Tries to Disenfranchise Voters (Again)
-via AP News, NBC News, NBC News, Brennan Center, Native American Rights Fund, and NPR
Medical Mystery
-via Forbes and STAT News
Venezuela
-via NBC News
Take the...
Down to Clown in Cabo
A deadly shooting at a California library was reportedly inspired by Columbine, the Senate finally passed a symbolic war powers resolution aimed at limiting Trump’s authority in Iran, the Supreme Court expanded the government's ability to deny reentry to some green card holders, and a federal judge blocked ICE from making arrests inside immigration courts.
Chico Library Shooting
-via ABC News
Update: Iran
-via AP News and CBS News
Charges in ICE Center Attack
-via CBS News
$3 Down Payment Ready to Go
Britain’s Prime Minister resigned, the Senate passed a bipartisan housing bill, two federal judges blocked Trump administration initiatives, the Supreme Court declined to hear a Voting Rights Act case, and Lionel Messi became the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history.
Starmer, Out
-via NY Times
Senate Passes Housing Bill
-via CBS News
Judge Blocks Trump
-via The Hill
Reflecting Pool
-via The Guardian
Judge Blocks Trump (Another One)
Pirro, Girl, Have at ‘Em!
As things in Iran continue (and continue to be confusing), Trump’s posting is becoming more confusing, a Los Angeles fire finally gets good news, while the Reflection Pool… doesn’t.
Update: Iran
-via Reuters, NY Times, NPR, NBC News
Camp David
-via The Daily Beast
Boyle Heights Fire
-via CBS News
Reflection Pool
-via The Hill
Take the pledge to be a voter at raisingvoters.org/beavoter
We Have the Power Right Now
There may be other stories in the news, but today I’m only covering two stories: a one-year-old killed by police and Georgia Republicans have pushed back against a redistricting request.
Kohen Wiley
-via NY Times, National Diaper Bank, Michigan Law
Georgia Republicans Push Back
-via AP News
Take the pledge to be a voter at raisingvoters.org/beavoter
December.on Amazon
Super Cool and Normal Vibes
A deadly shooting at a Delaware hospital sparked a manhunt, the Senate once again failed to advance a measure limiting Trump’s war powers, the White House ballroom project will reportedly cost taxpayers hundreds of millions, the FBI disrupted an alleged terror plot targeting Trump’s UFC event, and the administration moved forward with plans to break up the Department of Education.
Delaware Hospital Shooting
-via ABC News
Senate War Powers Fail to Advance
-via AP News
Ballroom Will Cost Tax Dollars
...
All the -Isms and -Obias
A B-52 bomber crash at Edwards Air Force Base killed eight people, Gavin Newsom says federal investigations around people in his orbit are politically motivated while others dispute that characterization, and the U.S. and Iran appear to be nearing a formal peace agreement.
B-52 Bomber Crash
-via ABC News
Gov. Newsom Being Investigated
-via AP News
Update: Iran
-via NPR
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December...
He Is Not the Sun, and We Are Not Without Power
A possible Iran deal could reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a deadly skydiving plane crash in Missouri killed 12 people, Russia struck a major religious site in Kyiv, Elon Musk became the world’s first trillionaire, and the Knicks won their first NBA championship in 53 years.
Update: Iran
-via AP News
Skydiving Plane Crash
-via ABC News
Kyiv Religious Spots Under Attack
-via CNN
Elon Musk – the Trillionaire
-via Hollywood Reporter
Mitch McCo...
We All Need to Chill Out
Trump abruptly called off planned strikes on Iran while claiming a deal is near, the Minnesota man who murdered former House Speaker Melissa Hortman pleaded guilty, forecasters warned of a potentially historic El Niño, and a political protest on the National Mall sparked another round of “8647” controversy.
Update: Iran
-via AP News
Guilty Plea in Minnesota
-via AP News
El Niño Está Aquí
-via The Guardian, LA Times, and ABC 7
8647 (Kind Of)
-via CNN
<...He Was My Friend but I Wasn’t His Friend
The U.S. expanded strikes on Iran while warning attacks could continue, Pentagon officials openly discussed military options for Cuba, and Bill Gates defended his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein during congressional testimony.
Update: Iran
-via AP News and CBS News
Cuba Options
-via AP News
Gates Goes to Congress
-via BBC
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December.on
Unions Baybeeeeee
U.S. strikes on Iran threatened an already fragile ceasefire; House Democrats and a handful of Republicans passed a pro-union labor bill over Mike Johnson’s objections; Congress approved $70 billion in immigration enforcement funding; and primary elections reshaped races in Maine, South Carolina, and California.
Update: Iran
-via AP News and NY Times
House Dems Outmaneuver Johnson
-via CBS News
ICE Funding Heads to Trump
-via CNN
Election Results
-via NY Times
Ya Boi Can’t Levy a Tax
An update on the deadly earthquake in the Philippines that left dozens dead, Iran and Israel appear to be holding a fragile ceasefire, a federal judge blocked Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa fee, the administration launched a major denaturalization effort, and Nithya Raman officially advanced to the Los Angeles mayoral runoff (which I already told you yesterday).
Earthquake News
-via ABC News and AP News
Update: Israel / Iran
-via BBC and CBS News
Judges Voids Trump’s Visa Requirements
-via CNN and...
I’m in the Clear Baybee
Mass attacks in Ohio and New York left at least 18 people injured, a powerful earthquake struck the Philippines, tensions between Iran and Israel threatened a fragile ceasefire, Trump abruptly ended a contentious interview with NBC, and California election results began to take shape.
A Weekend of Mass Attacks
-via ABC News and The Guardian
Earthquake in the Philippines
-via AP News
Update: Iran
...
She's Just So Young...
Not a real episode, but just a couple of quick headlines before a real episode on Monday.
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December.on Amazon
Subscribe to the Substack: kimmoffat.substack.com
All e
They’re Incredibly Immoral Losers
Health officials warned the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo may be worse than reported, Trump and Netanyahu reportedly clashed again, a federal appeals court ruled against the Pentagon’s transgender military ban, and public pressure helped derail the DOJ’s controversial fund for January 6 defendants.
Ebola Outbreak
-via ABC News
Trump and Netanyahu Argue (Again)
-via CNN
Anti-Trans Ban Unconstitutional
-via AP News and NY Times
Slush Fund Falls Apart
-via CBS News...
They Taste Like Pennies
A manhunt ended in Virginia, a deadly explosion in Myanmar left dozens dead, Zelensky accused Russia of abducting Ukrainian children and training some to fight against Ukraine, Israel captured the strategic Beaufort Castle in Lebanon, and protests continued over conditions at New Jersey’s Delaney Hall ICE facility.
Virginia Manhunt
-via ABC News
Myanmar Explosion
-via BBC
Zelensky’s Kidnapping Accusation
-via CBS News
More Boat Strikes
- via AP News
Israe...
Samuel Alito? No Thanks.
A deadly apartment explosion in Dallas left multiple people dead, Blue Origin suffered another rocket explosion on the launch pad, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Black death row inmate challenging jury selection, and new questions emerged about conflicts of interest involving Justice Samuel Alito’s son.
Dallas Apartment Explosion
-via ABC News
Blue Origin Explodes
-via BBC
SCOTUS Sides with Inmate
-via CBS News
Alito Continues to be on Brand
-via Daily Be...
“Can You Believe It??” Yeah… I Can…
The death toll from Washington’s paper mill explosion has risen, Israel issued major evacuation orders in southern Lebanon amid renewed strikes, the DOJ launched a new investigation into E. Jean Carroll, detainees at a New Jersey ICE facility reported inhumane conditions during a hunger strike, and Matthew Perry’s former assistant was sentenced in connection with Perry’s death.
Update on Paper Mill Explosion
-via AP News
Lebanon Evacuation Orders
-via BBC and AP News
E. Jean Carroll
-via CNN
...
I’m Gettin Mad About It Again
A deadly explosion at a Washington paper mill left workers missing and injured, courts in South Carolina and Alabama dealt setbacks to Republican gerrymandering efforts, tensions continued around the fragile Iran ceasefire, and Ken Paxton has won the Texas Senate primary runoff.
Washington State Chemical Explosion
-via ABC News
South Carolina and Alabama Voters
-via NY Times and
Update: Iran
-via CBS News
Texas Primary
-via NY Times
Take the pledge t...
Davinci Facts, Cocktail Recipes, and News
An aerospace chemical leak prompted evacuations in Orange County before officials ruled out an explosion risk, a gunman opened fire outside the White House, Trump tied Iran negotiations to expanding the Abraham Accords, and a crowd stampede in South Carolina injured at least 19 people.
Orange County Aerospace Tanks
-via AP News
White House Shooting
-via Seattle Times
Update: Iran
-via AP News and BBC
South Carolina Stampede
-via ABC News
Take...
She’s Not Bossy, She’s the Boss
House Republicans abruptly recessed to avoid a vote limiting Trump’s war powers in Iran, a proposed Women’s History Museum bill collapsed over anti-trans provisions, and Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime assistant testified before Congress about the abuse and manipulation she says she endured.
Update: Iran
-via AP News
Women’s Museum Future Unknown
-via AP News
Epstein’s Assistant Speaks to House
-via ABC News
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<...But, You Know… Wink Wink…
Raúl Castro was indicted over the 1996 downing of civilian planes, tensions reportedly flared between Trump and Netanyahu over Iran negotiations, a judge ordered the White House to preserve presidential records, insurrectionists reacted to Trump’s controversial payout fund, and a bipartisan housing bill advanced in Congress.
Casto Indicted
-via AP News
Netanyahu and Trump
-via Axios and ABC News
White House Must Keep Records
-via CBS News
Insurrectionists’ Payout
-via CNN and AP News
Per the Constitush, Congress Declares War
The Senate narrowly advanced a war powers resolution aimed at limiting Trump’s authority in Iran, the DOJ settlement with Trump permanently blocked the IRS from pursuing charges against him or his sons for past conduct, and primary elections reshaped key Republican races in Texas, Georgia, and Alabama.
Update: Iran
-via ABC News
DOJ Ends IRS Investigation
-via Axios
Election Night
-via NY Times
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...It’s Weird Behavior
A deadly shooting at a San Diego mosque is being investigated as a hate crime, Trump’s planned strikes on Iran were paused, the administration moved forward with a controversial $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” and an ICE officer in Minneapolis was charged after allegedly shooting two immigrants and filing a false report.
San Diego Mosque Shooting
-via AP News
Update: Iran
-via ABC News
Ebola
-via AP News
Presidential Slush Fund
-via CBS News
...
Dollar Dollar Billz
A series of random shootings in Austin left four people injured as the WHO declared an Ebola emergency in Central Africa, Trump escalated rhetoric toward Iran, new questions emerged about a massive DOJ slush fund tied to January 6th rioters, and concerns grew over the administration’s embrace of Christian nationalism.
Austin Shootings
-via CBS News
Ebola
-via BBC
Idaho Crash
-via ABC News
Update: Iran
-via CNN and CBS News
Pa...
Kash Patel – Put Those Thumbs Down, My Guy
Trump’s trip to China raised new questions about Taiwan and Iran, Kash Patel faced backlash over a VIP snorkeling visit at Pearl Harbor, Republican-led states pushed aggressive new gerrymandering efforts, and the Supreme Court preserved access to telehealth abortion pills - for now.
Trump in China
-via ABC News
BPD Leadership Change
-via AP News
Patel’s VIP Snorkel Trip
-via AP News
South Carolina Gov Calls Special Session
-via CBS News
More Fetching – It’s the Law Today
A Massachusetts man wounded two people after firing more than 60 rounds at drivers outside Boston, House Democrats forced a vote on Ukraine aid over Speaker Johnson’s objections, Alex Murdaugh’s murder conviction was overturned, and a counselor connected to Matthew Perry’s ketamine overdose was sentenced to prison
Boston Freeway Shooting
-via AP News
Dems Pass Ukraine Aid
-via Axios
SC Overturns Murdaugh Convictions
-via CBS News
Erik Fleming Sentencing
-via The Guardian
If You Can’t Beat Em, Sweetums
Trump escalated rhetoric around Iran while dismissing Americans’ financial concerns, the Supreme Court temporarily preserved access to Mifepristone by mail, and Alabama has entered the gerrymandering chat while South Carolina is saying no (for now).
Update: Iran
-via CBS News
Supreme Court Allows Mifepristone Access
-via ABC News
SCOTUS v Voting
-via AP News and NY Times
Take the pledge to be a voter at raisingvoters.org/beavoter
December.on
I Don’t Think Ted Lasso Caused COVID
Iran pushed back on the latest U.S. peace proposal, passengers from the Hantavirus cruise ship began evacuating and returning home, a person was killed at Denver International Airport after being struck by a plane, and Virginia’s Supreme Court overturned a voter-approved redistricting measure.
Update: Iran
-via AP News
Hantavirus
-via CNN and NY Times
Death in Denver
-via AP News
Virginia Court
-via The Hill
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Don’t Bring Me Your Games, Your Putz
Iran and the U.S. exchanged strikes in the Strait of Hormuz, a former Ohio deputy was found guilty in the killing of Casey Goodson Jr., courts pushed back on Trump policies again, and John Roberts defended the Supreme Court’s latest voting rights ruling.
Update: Iran
-via AP News and The Guardian
Meade Found Guilty
-via CNN
Tariffs Lose Again
-via Washington Post and Politico
Hegseth Poised to Lose
-via The Hill
<...
To Quote Flo Rida and T-Pain
New reporting suggests Iran’s strikes on U.S. bases caused far more damage than disclosed; Tennessee unveiled a heavily gerrymandered congressional map; questions continue around FBI election investigations; and health officials are tracking a Hantavirus outbreak tied to a cruise ship.
Update: Iran
-via Washington Post
Voting in America
-via ABC News, NY Times, and CBS News
Kewl Dude…
-via The Atlantic
Epstein Suicide Note
-via AP News
Hantavirus
...
I Fear the Brainworm Was Very Well-Fed
A workplace shooting left two dead as Trump paused “Project Freedom,” Republicans pushed $1 billion for Trump’s ballroom security, the EEOC targeted DEI programs, and key primary results rolled in across Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan.
DFW Shooting
-via NBC DFW
Update: Iran
-via AP News
Vaccine Safety Record Pulled
-via ABC News and The Week
Trump’s Ballroom
-via Axios
EEOC Sues NYT
-via Washington Post
Electi...
