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President Trump announced yesterday that the U.S. Navy will spend billions of taxpayer dollars per ship to build a new class of warships named after him. The press event, where he spoke about the plan, came a few days after a Trump-led board voted to put his name on the Kennedy Center.
A federal judge has ruled that the deportations of over 100 Venezuelans to El Salvador were illegal. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled that the government violated due process and determined that the men are entitled to a hearing. Earlier this year, the U.S. deported numerous men to a prison in El Salvador after Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act. Boasberg's ruling comes as the new head of CBS News, Bari Weiss, stopped the network from broadcasting interviews with former detainees on 60 Minutes over the weekend.
More than a dozen staff members are leaving Heritage Foundation, the influential conservative think tank behind Project 2025. The former staff are joining a group that former Vice President Mike Pence founded. This marks a division within the Republican Party as it works to determine who should represent the political movement and what it should stand for.
Socializing may make you feel awkward, but avoiding awkwardness can hinder your ability to have fun and make connections this holiday season. Psychologists Ali Mattu and Fallon Goodman shared tips with Life Kit on how to level up your small talk game and practice social courage. So, before you bail on your community potluck or office party, check out this comic showcasing their advice.
For more on how to work with your social anxiety, listen to this episode of NPR's Life Kit. Subscribe to the Life Kit newsletter for expert advice on love, money, relationships and more.
After his mom died, Kevin Maillard wondered, "Where did she go?" He wrote about his confusion in his new kids' book, And They Walk On, which Rafael López illustrates. The book follows a little boy whose grandmother has died. The child then wonders where someone goes when they walk on. Perhaps they are in the garden watering herbs or heading to the market to buy melons. The story begins with muted illustrations in neutral colors. Then, as the little boy starts to remember his grandmother, the colors become brighter and more vivid. See how the book's illustrations use color to tell a story. You can also listen to Maillard and López discuss the creative decisions they made or read the transcript here.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.