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President Donald Trump’s job approval has climbed back to the 50% level, according to a new InsiderAdvantage survey released Monday, marking his strongest showing in nearly three months.

The poll, conducted among likely voters, asked participants, “What is your opinion of the job performance of President Donald Trump?” The responses showed 50% approving of Trump’s performance, 41% disapproving, and 9% saying they were undecided.

That result represents a notable rebound from InsiderAdvantage’s November survey, which recorded Trump’s approval at 44%. It also gives Trump a nine-point net approval margin, his widest positive spread in the firm’s polling since mid-August, when approval stood at 54% with 44% disapproval.

Pollster Matt Towery, who supervised the survey, attributed the shift to a combination of recent developments, including Trump’s Dec. 17 address to the nation and newly released inflation data. “After months of Trump hovering at or above 50% approval, our November survey showed a dip to 44%. But in recent days, his approval has moved back into the 50% range,” Towery said.

Trump’s prime-time White House speech came at a moment when economic issues, particularly inflation and the cost of living, have remained a consistent concern for voters. The address was widely seen as an attempt to recalibrate his domestic agenda and steady public opinion following several weeks of weaker polling.

Towery also pointed to fresh economic figures released Dec. 18 by the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to the agency, the Chained Consumer Price Index rose 2.6% over the past year, though officials cautioned that some of the most recent monthly readings may still be revised.

The pollster said the improvement in Trump’s numbers was fueled by gains among several demographic groups, including independents, younger voters, and women. At the same time, he warned that a relatively large share of respondents — especially independents — remain undecided, underscoring the potential for shifts as the 2026 midterm elections approach.

“Interestingly, our recent job performance surveys have shown the number of undecided respondents at an unusually high number,” Towery said. “This tells us that some voters, particularly independents, remain unsure as to his accomplishments so far. This suggests he has work to do as he and the GOP enter the midterm season.”

InsiderAdvantage said the survey was conducted Dec. 19–20 among 800 likely voters using cellphone calls and text messages. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

{Matzav.com}

As millions of Americans hit the road to spend time with family and friends, drivers are getting some financial relief at the pump, with gas prices expected to remain lower and more stable than in recent years. GasBuddy projects that the national average gas price this week will be about $2.79 per gallon, down from […]

New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announced the appointment of Sam Levine as head of NYC’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.

A Turning Point USA (TPUSA) AmFest straw poll found that 53.4% of respondents say Israel is a U.S. ally, 33.3% consider it America’s top ally, and 13.3% say Israel is not a U.S. ally.

A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to submit plans to return or provide hearings for more than 200 migrants deported to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said the migrants were deported in March without meaningful notice or a chance to contest being labeled members of Tren de […]

Reports of at least three people killed after a Mexican military medical aircraft crashed into the water near Galveston, according to authorities.

The US Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved a daily pill version of Novo Nordisk’s weight-loss drug Wegovy, introducing a new option for how patients can take medicines in a class of drugs that has revolutionized obesity treatment. The drug, which Novo Nordisk calls simply the Wegovy pill, uses the same active ingredient – […]

A wave of shootings over the weekend left at least 11 people wounded across Chicago, with one of the victims later dying from her injuries, according to multiple reports.

CBS News said those struck by gunfire ranged in age from “18 to 55,” underscoring the broad impact of the violence across the city.

Details of the fatal incident were reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, which said the shooting took place around 8:20 a.m. Shabbos. A gunman in another vehicle opened fire on a car driven by a 22-year-old woman “in the 200 block of East 103rd Street.” As she attempted to flee, her vehicle crashed into a tree. She was transported to a hospital, where she later died.

Police said the shooter was able to escape the scene and has not been taken into custody.

The latest violence follows a deadly pattern seen in recent weeks. Breitbart News reported that the previous weekend saw nine people shot across Chicago from Friday into Sunday morning, with one of those victims dying from gunshot wounds.

Citywide homicide figures remain high. Crain’s Chicago Business reported that Chicago recorded 395 murders from January 1, 2025, through December 9, 2025, highlighting the continued toll of violent crime in Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump on Monday delivered a new warning to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as the U.S. Coast Guard steps up efforts to interdict oil tankers in the Caribbean Sea as part of the Republican administration’s escalating pressure campaign on the government in Caracas. Trump was surrounded by his top national security aides, Secretary of State Marco Rubio […]

The U.S. government has signed health deals with at least nine African countries, part of its new approach to global health funding, with agreements that reflect the Trump administration’s interests and priorities and are geared toward providing less aid and more mutual benefits. The agreements signed so far, with Kenya, Nigeria and Rwanda among others, are the […]

A new report by the Anti-Defamation League says a significant minority of New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition appointees have past connections to anti-Zionist activism, prompting sharp debate over the makeup of his incoming administration.

The ADL said its findings are based on a review of more than 400 individuals selected by Mamdani for advisory and administrative roles. According to the report, at least 20 percent of those appointees have online activity or organizational ties linked to anti-Zionist or anti-Israel causes.

Among the groups cited are Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, and Within Our Lifetime, which the ADL describes as a leading hardline activist organization in New York City.

The report states that some appointees publicly expressed support for Palestinian “resistance” against Israel. In one case, an appointee wrote that such resistance was “justified” one day after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. Two appointees were identified as having posted messages endorsing that framing.

The ADL also found that at least four individuals connected to the transition have ties to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, including online posts praising or supporting him.

Campus protest activity also featured prominently in the report. According to the ADL, at least a dozen appointees voiced support for anti-Israel encampments at universities, and at least five personally took part. One individual appointed to the Committee on Youth and Education joined a City University of New York encampment and shared images of herself standing before a banner bearing an inverted red triangle — a symbol associated with Hamas — alongside the words “Long live the resistance.”

The report further alleges that at least one-fifth of Mamdani’s appointees have posted statements characterized as anti-Zionist or anti-Israel. Examples cited include a Committee on Legal Affairs nominee who wrote that “Zionism is racism,” and a Committee on Criminal Legal System appointee who was involved in circulating a statement describing Zionism as a “genocidal ideology.” Another appointee, the report says, shared content claiming that Zionists are worse than Nazis and asserting that “Zionists are never Jews.”

At the same time, the ADL emphasized that many of Mamdani’s selections raised no concerns. The organization noted that at least 25 members of the transition team have prior relationships with the ADL or documented records of support for the Jewish community.

In response to its findings, the ADL announced the launch of a “Mamdani Monitor” initiative aimed at tracking the mayor-elect’s policies and appointments. The move has drawn criticism from progressive activists and from Mamdani himself.

Addressing the report at a press conference, Mamdani said, “I have always spoken out against antisemitism and hatred in any form and have made it clear that the commitment that I have made to protect New Yorkers, to protect Jewish New Yorkers, is one that I will uphold.”

He also pushed back on the ADL’s conclusions, saying, “We must distinguish between antisemitism and criticism of the Israeli government and the ADL’s report oftentimes ignores this distinction, and in doing so, it draws attention away from the very real crisis of antisemitism.”

{Matzav.com}

Thousands of people flooded the streets of the Satmar neighborhood on Sunday evening in a massive and emotional procession marking the release of 15 “Asirei Olam HaTorah” who completed their terms of imprisonment in a military jail. The powerful event was accompanied by spirited dancing, a “Hachnosas Sefer Torah vehicle”, and the singing of “Ashreichem […]

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that any government-backed commission of inquiry into the catastrophic Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023 must examine decisions and developments stretching back decades — including the 1993 Oslo Accords, the 2005 Disengagement from Gaza, and the 2023 protest movement against his government’s judicial overhaul. The remarks, reported by Channel […]

REPORTER: In terms of the mission, do you see these ships as a counter to China? TRUMP: It’s a counter to everybody. It’s not China. We get along great with China.

REPORTER: What are you going to do with the oil seized from Venezuela? TRUMP: We’re gonna keep it.

The Associated Press’ most striking 2025 images from nature include two vultures wings at exact moment they make a heart and a polar bear in front an abandoned research station.

U.S. Pentagon officially enters into an agreement with xAI, building on the “rapid deployment of cutting‑edge AI across the Department’s 3 million military and civilian personnel.

President Trump announces plans to build a new class of U.S. Navy warships as a part of the president’s “Golden Fleet.” “They’ll help maintain American military supremacy, revive the American shipbuilding industry, and inspire fear in America’s enemies all over the world”.