Beginning February 1, 2026, passengers aged 18 and older who lack a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or accepted alternative such as a passport will be required to pay the non-refundable fee to verify their identity through a modernized system called TSA Confirm.ID. 

Originally the fee was $18, but the agency increased the fee after determining that costs for the new technology and operational expenses were higher than initially projected.

Passengers will have the option to complete the verification process and pay the fee online through a forthcoming TSA web portal before arriving at the airport. Those who choose to handle the process at the airport can expect it to take 10 to 15 minutes, though TSA officials warn it could take 30 minutes or longer in some cases.​

Once verified, travelers receive a receipt to present to TSA officers at the checkpoint, along with their non-compliant identification. The verification remains valid for 10 days, allowing passengers to complete round trips or multiple flights without paying additional fees.

TSA officials warned that paying the $45 fee does not guarantee successful identity verification. Travelers whose identities cannot be confirmed through the Confirm.ID system may be denied entry to the secure area and unable to board their flights.

According to TSA, more than 94% of travelers already present REAL ID-compliant credentials or other acceptable forms of identification when passing through airport security. 

Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005, establishing federal standards for state-issued identification documents to make them more difficult to counterfeit.

Originally scheduled for implementation in 2008, the deadline was repeatedly delayed due to state pushback over costs, privacy concerns, and practical challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed enforcement back further until the May 7, 2025 deadline was finally enacted.

Since May, travelers have been required to show a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license, passport, or other accepted identification to pass through TSA checkpoints. Until now, those without proper documentation could still fly after undergoing additional screening and receiving a warning.

Travelers can avoid the $45 fee by presenting any of the following TSA-accepted documents:​

• REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or state photo ID (marked with a star symbol)
• U.S. passport or passport card
• State-issued Enhanced Driver’s License
• DHS Trusted Traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
• U.S. military ID, including dependent IDs
• Permanent resident card
• Transportation Worker Identification Credential
• Federally recognized Tribal Nation photo ID
• Foreign government-issued passport

Additionally, TSA now accepts digital IDs through Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, and Samsung Wallet at more than 250 airports across the United States.

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The Consumer Confidence Index declined by 6.8 points to 88.7 in November, down from a revised 95.5 in October.

Key Indicators Signal Growing Recession Risk

The report’s two main components both deteriorated significantly:

• The Expectations Index—which gauges consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions—plunged by 8.6 points to 63.2. This index has now tracked below the critical 80-point threshold, which traditionally signals a recession ahead, for ten consecutive months.
• The Present Situation Index—based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions—also fell by 4.3 points to 126.9, indicating a less sanguine view of the current economic climate.

Consumer pessimism was primarily fueled by ongoing references to prices and inflation, tariffs and trade, and politics. The report noted a specific rise in mentions of the recent federal government shutdown as a factor affecting the economy.

Consumers who believe the economy is already in recession rose for the fourth consecutive month. While views on the current labor market differential dipped, expectations for future household incomes “shrunk dramatically” after months of positive readings.

Confidence on a six-month moving average basis fell for nearly all income cohorts, though consumers under 35 years old showed continued improvement.

The diminished outlook immediately impacted consumers’ plans for major purchases. Plans for buying big-ticket items over the next six months declined across the board in November.

• Car purchasing expectations ticked downward for both new and used vehicles.
• Plans for household appliances and most electronics also edged lower.
• Vacation intentions fell back after a surge in October, consistent with reduced intentions to spend on hotels, motels, and airfare.

Despite persistent economic uncertainty and cautious consumer sentiment leading into the holiday season, Black Friday 2025 shattered online sales records. U.S. consumers spent a record $11.8 billion online, according to Adobe Analytics, marking 9.1% year-over-year growth and surpassing $11 billion for the first time.

Over half of Black Friday’s online sales originated from mobile devices, cementing the smartphone as the primary shopping tool for research, deal comparison, and purchasing. Shoppers significantly ramped up their use of “Buy Now, Pay Later” (BNPL) services, which accounted for an estimated $747.5 million in digital sales. This surge indicates that consumers are leveraging flexible payment options to manage cash flow and afford big-ticket purchases like electronics, apparel, and furniture while still chasing discounts.

The attention now shifts to Cyber Monday, which is forecast to be the single largest online shopping day of the year.

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Trump justified the pardon on Truth Social by claiming that “according to many people that I greatly respect,” Hernández was “treated very harshly and unfairly.”

The decision has ignited criticism given the Trump administration’s simultaneous military escalation against drug trafficking in the Caribbean, where the U.S. has deployed its largest carrier strike group in decades and conducted strikes that have killed more than 80 individuals on suspected drug-running vessels. Trump has spent the last year targeting Mexico, Canada and China over drug imports while also targeting immigrants.

Hernández was extradited to the United States in April 2022, weeks after leaving office, and convicted in March 2024 on three counts related to drug trafficking and weapons conspiracy.

The indictment alleged that between 2004 and 2022, Hernández participated in a conspiracy to facilitate the importation of hundreds of thousands of kilograms of cocaine through Honduras and into the United States. Prosecutors alleged he received millions of dollars in bribes from major drug trafficking organizations, including the Sinaloa Cartel, in exchange for using his political power, law enforcement agencies, and the military to protect drug shipments.​

Among the most damning evidence was testimony that Hernández accepted a $1 million bribe from Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán in 2013 while campaigning for president. A confessed former drug trafficker testified he personally witnessed El Chapo present the money, organized in stacks of $50,000 and $100,000, to Hernández’s brother Tony, who delivered it for the campaign. Prosecutors also introduced testimony that Hernández once declared he wanted to “shove the drugs right up the noses of the gringos” while vowing to deceive U.S. officials about his counternarcotics efforts.

Judge P. Kevin Castel, who presided over the case, described Hernández as a “two-faced politician hungry for power” who publicly presented himself as an anti-drug crusader while secretly collaborating with traffickers. Former Attorney General Merrick Garland stated at sentencing that Hernández “abused his presidency to operate the country as a narco-state where violent traffickers operated with near-total impunity.”

Trump has pardoned nine other individuals convicted of federal drug offenses during his second term.

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In a rare joint statement, Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) and Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-Wash.) declared their committee “committed to providing rigorous oversight of the Department of Defense’s military operations in the Caribbean.” The lawmakers cited “serious” reports of subsequent attacks on boats “alleged to be ferrying narcotics in the SOUTHCOM region” and vowed “bipartisan action to gather a full accounting of the operation in question.”

The investigation centers on a September 2 incident first reported by The Washington Post, in which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth allegedly ordered Special Operations forces to ensure no survivors remained after a strike on a vessel suspected of carrying drugs. According to officials with direct knowledge of the operation, an initial missile attack left two men alive in the water, but a commander ordered a second strike after receiving Hegseth’s instructions to “kill everybody.”

The September 2 attack marked the beginning of an intensified campaign that has resulted in more than a dozen strikes on alleged drug-running boats, killing over 80 people in the past three months. The U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) has acknowledged conducting at least 21 such strikes, with the most recent occurring in the eastern Pacific on November 15.​​

President Donald Trump has simultaneously escalated pressure on Venezuela, announcing that Venezuelan airspace is “closed in its entirety” and confirming conversations with President Nicolás Maduro while threatening imminent land operations. The administration has designated the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization, using that designation to justify military action under the law of armed conflict.

The strikes have triggered alarm among international allies and legal experts. The United Kingdom ceased sharing intelligence with the U.S. regarding suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean, citing concerns about complicity in potentially illegal operations. 

The Senate Armed Services Committee has launched a parallel investigation, with Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-R.I.) announcing “vigorous oversight to determine the facts related to these circumstances.”

The investigation unfolds amid the largest U.S. naval buildup in the Caribbean in decades, involving the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group, at least seven warships, a nuclear submarine, and 4,500 troops. While the Trump administration describes the deployment as counter-narcotics operation “Operation Southern Spear,” experts assess the military posture as preparation for potential action against the Maduro government.​

Venezuela has responded by mobilizing over four million soldiers in its Bolivarian Militia and announcing a “prolonged resistance” strategy involving guerrilla-style tactics from over 280 locations if the U.S. invades.

The Pentagon has not released evidence supporting its claims that all targeted vessels were linked to designated terrorist organizations or that drugs were present on the destroyed boats.

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As of October 2025, the majority of properties have seen their Zestimate — Zillow’s automated home valuation tool — drop below levels recorded 12 months earlier, a level not seen since April 2012.

Despite the widespread cooling, the vast majority of homeowners remain significantly ahead financially. Nationwide, the median home value increase since the property last sold — roughly eight and a half years ago at the median — is 67 percent.

While 53 percent of homes have lost value over the past year, most have also fallen from their individual peaks. The average drawdown from peak value currently stands at 9.7 percent, which has not worsened substantially over the past three years. That marks a larger setback than the 3.6 percent average drawdown in spring 2022, but remains roughly level with pre-pandemic rates and far below the 27 percent average drawdown seen in early 2012.

What matters most to owners’ financial positions is whether they have lost value relative to their purchase price. In October, only 4.1 percent of homes were valued lower than when they last sold. That share is up from 2.4 percent last year, but remains significantly lower than the 11.2 percent of homes in that position before the pandemic.

The continued lack of homes for sale indicates that the overwhelming majority of sellers are not being forced to sell at a discount. Only 3.4 percent of new listings coming to market are priced below their last sale price, up slightly from 2.1 percent a year ago but still just over half the 2019 rate of 5.9 percent.

Markets that overshot during the pandemic-era boom are now seeing sharper corrections, while historically steadier regions are proving more resilient. Many Sun Belt and Western markets that attracted remote workers and investors during the pandemic are now leading the decline in the share of homes losing value. Some Midwestern and Northeastern markets, where appreciation had been more modest, are proving more resilient, with a smaller share of homes registering year-over-year price drops.

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U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly issued a on November 21, granting an injunction in the case Center for Taxpayer Rights v. Internal Revenue Service, finding that plaintiffs demonstrated a substantial likelihood that the IRS acted illegally under the Administrative Procedure Act.

In April 2025, the IRS and ICE entered into a memorandum of understanding that allowed immigration enforcement officials to request taxpayer address information under an exception in Section 6103(i)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code, which permits disclosure of tax data for use in federal criminal investigations.​​

On August 7, 2025, the IRS disclosed the last known addresses of approximately 47,000 taxpayers to ICE in response to a request that originally sought information on 1.28 million individuals. The IRS approved the disclosure based on ICE’s representation that a single Assistant Director was “personally and directly engaged” in more than one million criminal investigations or proceedings related to immigration violations.

Judge Kollar-Kotelly determined the IRS violated federal law on multiple grounds:​

Violation of Internal Revenue Code: The court found that the IRS’s disclosure violated Section 6103(i)(2) requirements. The statute mandates that taxpayer information may only be disclosed to agency officers “personally and directly engaged” in specific criminal investigations, and that the information be used “solely” for those investigations. The court ruled it was legally implausible that one individual could be personally and directly engaged in hundreds of thousands of separate criminal matters.​

Arbitrary and Capricious Agency Action: The ruling found that the IRS failed to acknowledge its departure from decades of strict taxpayer confidentiality policy, failed to consider reliance interests that taxpayers had developed based on privacy protections, and failed to provide a reasoned explanation for the new “Address-Sharing Policy.”​​

Risk of Misuse for Civil Immigration Enforcement: The court concluded that plaintiffs’ members face “an imminent risk that the confidential address information they have provided to the IRS will be impermissibly used by ICE for civil immigration enforcement,” including deportations. Federal law only permits disclosure for criminal investigations, not civil proceedings.

​​The ruling cites that Congress enacted strict taxpayer privacy protections in 1976 through the Tax Reform Act, passed “in the wake of Watergate and White House efforts to harass those on its ‘enemies list’.” The law established that taxpayer information should receive “essentially the same degree of privacy as those private papers maintained in [the] home.”​​

The IRS has historically maintained that taxpayer information disclosure “must be subjected to strict scrutiny” because each exception “whittles away at the core promise of the voluntary tax system.”

Court documents revealed significant internal opposition to the data-sharing policy within the IRS and Treasury Department. Multiple senior officials—including acting IRS commissioners, the Chief Risk Officer, Chief Privacy Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Information Officer—were excluded from decision-making processes after opposing aspects of the policy.​​

In July 2025, the IRS acting general counsel initially refused to approve ICE’s request for 7.3 million taxpayer addresses, citing multiple legal “deficiencies”. Two days later, De Mello was forced out of his position.

The injunction stays the “Address-Sharing Policy” and provisionally bars the IRS, Treasury Department, and Treasury Secretary from disclosing tax return data to the Department of Homeland Security or its components for immigration enforcement purposes. The court also ordered that the IRS must provide advance notification to the court and plaintiffs of any future transfers it believes are lawful and consistent with applicable statutes.​​

The court granted in part and denied in part the defendants’ motion to dismiss, allowing the case to proceed on the Administrative Procedure Act claims while dismissing the plaintiffs’ ultra vires claim.

The case remains ongoing, with the preliminary injunction in effect while the underlying legal challenges proceed.

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EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the proposal on November 17, positioning it as a regulatory victory that will “cut red tape and provide predictability” for farmers, landowners, and businesses while still protecting America’s waters. But the reality is far more complex, with potentially severe consequences for drinking water quality, flood protection, and ecosystems nationwide.

The proposed “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule fundamentally redefines which water bodies receive federal protection under the Clean Water Act. Following the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Sackett v. EPA, the proposal focuses protection only on “relatively permanent” water bodies—such as large rivers, lakes, and oceans—and wetlands that have a continuous surface connection to those waters and contain surface water “at least during the wet season.”

This interpretation goes beyond what the Supreme Court required, establishing an even narrower definition than the Biden administration’s response to the same ruling. The proposal removes federal jurisdiction over:​

• Seasonal streams and wetlands that only flow or hold water during certain times of the year
• Wetlands separated from navigable waters by natural features like berms or dunes
• Interstate waters as a standalone category
• Most isolated wetlands
• Groundwater

The rule also redefines key terms like “tributary,” requiring that tributaries connect to navigable waters through features with “predictable and consistent flow.”

According to the EPA’s own regulatory impact analysis, only 19 percent of mapped wetlands in the continental United States—approximately 17.4 million acres—would retain federal protection under the proposed rule. That means roughly 70 million acres of wetlands could lose federal safeguards, that’s 85 percent of the nation’s wetlands. ​

The impact varies dramatically by state. In Arizona, only 2.4 percent of wetlands would be protected under the new definition. In Iowa, about 5 percent would be covered. Kentucky would see protections for just 15 percent of its remaining 320,000 acres of wetlands.

The concerns center on several critical functions that wetlands provide:

Drinking Water Protection: Approximately 117 million Americans—one in three people—get drinking water from streams that were vulnerable to pollution before previous clean water rules, and even more rely on wetlands to filter pollutants and recharge aquifers. Without federal oversight, these water sources face increased contamination from industrial discharge, agricultural runoff, and development.​

Flood Mitigation: Wetlands act as natural sponges, absorbing floodwaters and protecting downstream communities. Research published in the American Economic Review found that wetland loss between 2001 and 2016 cost the United States an estimated $600 million or more per year in flood damages. Each hectare of wetland lost costs society an average of $1,840 annually in flood damages, jumping to more than $8,000 in developed areas.​

Water Quality: Wetlands naturally filter pollutants before they reach larger water bodies. The EPA’s own science shows that tributary streams and wetlands directly influence the quality of downstream waters. Removing protections means more pollution can flow into rivers, lakes, and coastal waters with no regulatory oversight.

The proposed rule has been published in the Federal Register and is open for public comment for 45 days. The EPA and Army Corps will host two hybrid public meetings to gather input. 

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U.S. District Judge Jia M. Cobb of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted a preliminary injunction sought by D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, finding that the Trump administration “exceeded the bounds of their authority” in deploying more than 2,000 National Guard members to the nation’s capital for crime deterrence purposes.

The decision stayed the order for 21 days until December 11, 2025, to allow the administration time to appeal.

In August 2025, President Trump issued a presidential memorandum ordering the mobilization of the D.C. National Guard (DCNG) and National Guard units from multiple states to “address the epidemic of crime in our Nation’s capital.” Within a month, over 2,300 National Guard members from eight states—including South Carolina, West Virginia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Ohio, Georgia, Alabama, and South Dakota—were deployed to Washington under the direction of the Secretary of the Army.​​

Guard units have patrolled Metro stations, the National Mall, and neighborhoods throughout the District as part of what officials described as “presence patrols” and “high visibility missions” intended to deter crime. The deployment was initially set to continue through November 30, 2025, but has since been extended through February 28, 2026. An executive order issued in August also directed the creation of a specialized D.C. National Guard unit “dedicated to ensuring public safety and order in the Nation’s capital,” suggesting the deployment could become permanent.

Judge Cobb concluded that the District of Columbia is “likely to succeed on the merits” of its claims that the deployment violates the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) on two grounds.​

First, the court found that the Department of Defense defendants lacked authority under Title 49 of the D.C. Code to deploy the DCNG for “non-military, crime-deterrence missions in the absence of a request from the city’s civil authorities.” While the president serves as commander-in-chief of the D.C. National Guard, Judge Cobb ruled this designation alone does not confer unlimited deployment authority.​​

The judge analyzed D.C. Code Section 49-102, which allows the Commanding General to order Guard units for “drills, inspections, parades, escort, or other duties.” Applying the legal principle of ejusdem generis, Cobb determined that “other duties” refers only to military exercises similar to those specifically listed, not general law enforcement activities. The court rejected the administration’s argument that this provision encompasses crime deterrence operations.​

Second, Judge Cobb ruled that the administration lacked statutory authority under 32 U.S.C. § 502(f) to request assistance from out-of-state National Guard units. The court found that this provision of Title 32 cannot support the deployment because there is no state-law basis for those Guard units to operate in D.C., and the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) was never invoked.​​

Under the EMAC, states can deploy National Guard units to assist each other only through mutual agreement and only after the receiving governor declares an emergency. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser never made such a declaration or requested the assistance.

The court found that the District suffers “irreparable harm” from the unlawful deployment because it usurps the District’s sovereign powers of self-governance granted under the Home Rule Act of 1973.

The judge emphasized that the deployment—comprising over 2,000 troops, roughly two-thirds the size of the Metropolitan Police Department—is a major intrusion into local governance. She noted that the District has a statutory duty under D.C. law to “preserve the public peace,” “prevent crime and arrest offenders,” and “enforce and obey all laws”—responsibilities that are being undermined by the federal government’s unilateral actions.​​

Additionally, Judge Cobb found that the District suffers a distinct constitutional injury from the presence of out-of-state National Guard units. The Constitution placed the District exclusively under Congress’s authority “to prevent individual states from exerting any influence over the nation’s capital,” the judge wrote. The deployment of state Guard forces violates this constitutional design by forcing D.C. to share power with state governors commanding those units.

Despite the ruling, National Guard troops remain stationed in Washington and are expected to continue operations during the 21-day stay period. The Trump administration has three weeks to appeal Judge Cobb’s decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

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The seven-day travel period from Tuesday, November 25 through Monday, December 1 will see 81.8 million people journey at least 50 miles from home, an increase of 1.6 million travelers compared to last Thanksgiving. This makes Thanksgiving the single busiest holiday for travel, surpassing Memorial Day and Independence Day.

Nearly 90 percent of Thanksgiving travelers—approximately 73 million people—will hit the road this year, an additional 1.3 million drivers compared to 2024. Six million U.S. travelers are expected to fly domestically during the holiday period, marking a 2 percent increase from 2024.

According to INRIX traffic data, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons will be the most congested periods before Thanksgiving, with travelers returning home on Sunday facing heavy traffic most of the day. Drivers should hit the road in the morning to avoid the worst backups.​

Best and Worst Driving Times:

• Tuesday, November 25: Worst 12:00-9:00 PM; Best before 12:00 PM
• Wednesday, November 26: Worst 11:00 AM-8:00 PM; Best before 11:00 AM
• Thursday, November 27: Minimal traffic impact expected
• Sunday, November 30: Worst 11:00 AM-8:00 PM; Best before 11:00 AM

Earlier concerns about flight disruptions from a government shutdown that ended November 12 appear to have eased. The FAA lifted all restrictions on commercial flights on November 21, allowing airlines to resume regular schedules. However, AAA notes some travelers may still opt to drive rather than fly due to recent flight disruptions caused by the shutdown.

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The research, led by Dr. John Robert Warren from the University of Minnesota, analyzed data from nearly 27,000 Americans tracked from high school in 1980 through age 60, making it the first large-scale U.S. study to examine fluoride exposure at levels actually encountered through community water fluoridation.

Students consistently exposed to fluoride at the recommended level of 0.7 milligrams per liter throughout childhood performed modestly better on standardized tests of mathematics, reading, and vocabulary in high school compared to peers without fluoride exposure. The cognitive advantage measured approximately 7% of a standard deviation—small but statistically significant and consistent across all three academic measures.

​The research utilized data from the High School and Beyond cohort study, which began tracking a nationally representative sample of U.S. high school students in 1980. Researchers characterized fluoride exposure by examining historical records of municipal water fluoridation practices and naturally occurring fluoride levels in groundwater from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Geological Survey.​

Participants were categorized into three groups: those consistently exposed to sufficient fluoride levels (at or above 0.7 mg/L) throughout childhood, those with partial exposure due to changes in local fluoridation policies, and those never exposed to recommended levels. 

Importantly, fluoride exposure showed no negative effects on cognitive function when participants were reassessed at age 60.

The research is significant given the debate surrounding water fluoridation policy in the United States. Florida and Utah recently became the first states to ban the practice, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has called fluoride “an industrial waste” and advocated for reducing federal fluoridation recommendations.​

Much of the recent concern stems from a National Toxicology Program report that found associations between high fluoride exposure and reduced IQ in children. However, that analysis examined fluoride concentrations at least twice the recommended U.S. level and lacked sufficient data to evaluate effects at the 0.7 mg/L concentration currently recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.​

The National Toxicology Program itself acknowledged that “there were insufficient data to determine if the low fluoride level of 0.7 mg/L currently recommended for U.S. community water supplies has a negative effect on children’s IQ.”

The Warren study’s findings align with other recent research conducted at exposure levels relevant to U.S. policy. A University of Queensland study published in December 2024 found no negative association between early-life fluoride exposure and cognitive neurodevelopment among 357 Australian participants, with those consistently drinking fluoridated water scoring slightly higher on IQ tests.

The research team noted that their observational study cannot definitively establish causality, but their results provide strong evidence that exposure to fluoride benefits adolescent cognition and is not harmful to later-life cognitive functioning.

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