Trump’s Xenophobic Outburst, and a Planned Donation to 25 Million U.S. Kids

0:02From the New York Times, it's the headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Wednesday, December 3rd. Here's what we're covering.

0:13It's nice to be with you. Welcome to the final cabinet meeting of 2025, a year that will go down as the most consequential and successful first year of any administration. At the White House yesterday, President Trump took time at the top of his cabinet meeting to push back on recent coverage about his age and stamina. Then I read in the New York Times, is Trump sharp? Trump is sharp, but they're not sharp. There have been questions about how the 79-year-old president, the oldest to ever be elected, is juggling the demands of the job after he appeared to doze off during an event in the Oval Office last month.

0:52An analysis from the Times found that he's been keeping a shorter public schedule and doing fewer public events than he did at this point in his first term. You people are crazy. I'll let you know when there's something wrong. There will be someday. That's going to happen to all of us. During the course of yesterday's two-hour cabinet meeting, as officials went around the room and described their work, Trump again appeared to be fighting sleep at some moments, closing his eyes and seeming to nod off. When asked after if he'd fallen asleep, the White House press secretary pushed back, saying he was listening attentively and running the entire meeting.

1:30Meanwhile. I don't want them in our country, I'll be honest with you. Somebody would say, oh, that's not politically correct. I don't care. I don't want them in our country. Their country's no good for a reason. As the meeting was wrapping up, Trump unleashed a xenophobic tirade railing against immigrants from Somalia. He called Somalis garbage, adding to his long history of insulting Black people, particularly those from African countries. Let them go back to where they came from and fix it. Vice President J.D. Vance banged on the table in encouragement, a kind of hear-hear. The president and his aides have been targeting Somalis in recent days amid coverage of a fraud scandal that's taken place in pockets of the Somali community in Minnesota.

2:18There, almost 60 people have been convicted for schemes that federal prosecutors say diverted more than a billion dollars intended for social services like feeding kids during the pandemic. Many Somali-Americans say the scandal has damaged their reputation and is being used as a pretext to attack their entire community. Trump's rant came as the Times learned that the administration is sending federal agents from around the country to Minnesota to launch an intensive immigration enforcement operation. The focus will be on detaining undocumented Somali immigrants who have final deportation orders, though one official said that others could be swept up as well.

2:59At a press conference yesterday, the mayor of Minneapolis said he was alarmed by the planned crackdown and worried that, quote, American citizens will be detained for no reason other than the fact that they look Somali.

3:19Now, two other quick political updates. What a night. What a night. In Tennessee, Matt Van Epps, the Republican candidate for the U.S. House, won a special election that had drawn a flood of national attention. No matter what the D.C. insiders or liberal media say, this is President Trump's party. I'm proud to be a part of it and can't wait to get to work. The race had been seen as a test of how Americans are feeling about the Trump administration, and Republicans poured millions of dollars into holding off a surprisingly strong Democratic challenge in the historically red district. Last year, Trump won there by over 20 percentage points.

3:59Van Epps won by roughly nine. The relatively slim margin could be a warning about the GOP's vulnerabilities going forward. The Democratic candidate galvanized voters by focusing on affordability issues and blaming Republicans for the rising cost of health care. Also, Susan and I are super excited to announce our$6.25 billion gift to 25 million American children. The tech mogul Michael Dell, think Dell Computers, and his wife Susan said at the White House yesterday that they're making a multi-billion dollar donation to expand the reach of the so-called Trump accounts. The accounts, which the federal government is expected to set up next summer, will give every American baby born in the years 2025 through 2028$1 ,000 that will be invested in the stock market.

4:53The Dell's gift will expand the reach of that program, giving$250 to most kids up to 10 years old. Many details are still being hammered out, but the Dell said that they hope their donation will inspire other philanthropists, corporations, and state and local governments to also pump more money into the accounts.

5:21In Europe over the past few months, there's been an increasing number of small-scale attacks and acts of sabotage. In Poland, authorities say explosives were planted on a rail line. In Denmark and Belgium, mysterious drone sightings at airports have disrupted flights. And in Sweden, navigation systems for aircraft have been jammed. Military officials and experts have long pointed the finger at Russia, while politicians largely avoided publicly assigning blame. But now that's starting to change. Russia's hybrid actions in Europe are increasingly brazen. Russia is committing state-sponsored terrorism.

6:01Officials are calling out Russia more forcefully and more often, leaning into a name-and-shame strategy. They'd stopped short of that before, hoping to not escalate tensions with Moscow. But since the attacks have only continued, they're changing their approach. European leaders are also talking more openly about how to defend themselves, with Poland activating 10 ,000 military personnel to protect infrastructure. And in Italy, the defense minister hopes to open a new command center to protect against the kind of attacks that have been happening across the continent. The wider public accusations about Russian involvement may help get European taxpayers on board with spending more on similar defense projects.

6:49In the last year, Bitcoin has been on a wild ride. I'm right here watching history be made. Last December, the digital currency hit a landmark value where one Bitcoin was worth$100 ,000. setting off huge celebrations in the crypto world. This is the highest it's ever been. It's ridiculous. By October, Bitcoin's value had climbed even higher to$126 ,000. But since then... Bitcoin is in freefall today. Its value has plunged, erasing all of the gains it made over the course of the year. The downturn is notable because under the Trump administration, which has rolled back regulations on crypto, currencies like Bitcoin have reached a new level of mainstream acceptance, with more and more people buying them.

7:36But as crypto has become less niche, its price has started to be affected by broader economic trends. The recent sell-off came just after Trump threatened a major new tariff on China that sent shockwaves through the global economy. Now, with the price of crypto down, many of the dozens of publicly traded companies that bought into the crypto hype this year have been struggling, announcing share buybacks and management reshuffles. The managing director of one financial firm told The Times that the crypto price rollercoaster is a good reminder that the investments aren't, quote, for the faint of heart.

8:20And finally, it's almost the end of the year, which means end-of-year lists. This week, the editors of The Times Book Review revealed their top 10 books of 2025. Some fiction, some nonfiction. There's some horror on the battlefield, romance on a train, sister drama, survival at sea. Of course, making any list means leaving something off of it. Dave Kim from the book's desk shared one novel that he wishes made the cut. The book is The Tokyo Suite by Giovanna Monoloso. It's about two women, a hotshot TV producer named Fernanda and her maid, Maju. And Maju the maid has kidnapped Fernanda's daughter.

9:01And we don't know why she's kidnapping her, but they're on the run. And we get both of their perspectives. We get their internal lives, their histories, their motivations. And it's just a fascinating look at so many themes, motherhood, class, just a great sensitive portrait, but also very, very funny. And it moves. and moves very quickly. I really love that book. For more about the top 10 picks and what else almost made the list, check out the latest episode of the Times Book Review Podcast with Dave and his colleagues on the books team. Those are the headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow.