President Trump insisted that the U.S. is poised for an economic boom during a prime-time address to the nation yesterday. He said that high prices are decreasing and attributed many of the country’s problems to his predecessors and immigrants. This message comes as Trump’s rating on the economy is historically low, and high prices remain a top concern, according to the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll.

President Trump addresses the nation from the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 17, 2025.

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• 🎧 The president essentially asked people to wait because his policies, which he passed this year, will have benefits in the new year, NPR’s Deepa Shivaram tells Up First. Trump said families will see a larger tax refund next year. He also announced an initiative that would pay service members $1,776 and an upcoming plan to help lower the cost of housing. Shivaram said that overall, it sounded like a pretty typical Trump address, which included a long list of everything he sees as his accomplishments, all tacked together.

The House of Representatives voted yesterday on a Republican-led health care plan that did not include extending enhanced health care subsidies. Over 20 million Americans rely on the subsidies that are set to expire at the end of this month. Several Republicans went against party leadership and joined Democrats to force a vote on a three-year extension of the subsidies.

• 🎧 The House speaker now has a decision to make on whether to move the vote sooner, NPR’s Barbara Sprunt says. If the vote doesn’t happen by the end of this week, it won’t take place until next year, as lawmakers are leaving for the holidays. Sprunt says some Republicans could be shifting their stance on these subsidies because next year is a midterm year. Lawmakers recognize what is important to their constituents — in this case, the impact of expiring subsidies on insurance premiums.

Trump has ordered a ban on all sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela. This threat of a partial blockade escalates the administration’s pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. It also sparks the question of whether the two countries are inching closer to direct military conflict.

• 🎧 A full blockage is considered an act of war, but the Trump administration appears to be targeting only tankers already on the sanctions list, according to NPR’s Greg Myre. For years, the U.S. has been sanctioning “ghost ships,” which are tankers that attempt to disguise their identities and locations in an effort to evade U.S. and Western sanctions. This latest move could prove to be a major blow to Venezuela, as the country is heavily dependent on oil exports. A fully loaded large tanker carries over $100 million worth of oil. If the U.S. seizes a number of ships, it could possibly scare away non-sanctioned tankers who may decide it’s not worth the risk.