Americans Headed for Biggest Tax Refund Season Ever

Biggest tax refund season ever

Grok saves man’s life

Nicki Minaj praises Trump

"We are going to see the biggest refund cycle ever in the history of America, and people are going to get massive refund checks," Hassett predicted.

Trump has said families could save between $11,000 and $20,000 annually as tax changes fully flow through.

Hassett said wages for typical workers are rising about 3.7% while core inflation is running near 1.6%, lifting real wages by roughly 2% to 2.5%.

By the administration’s estimates, blue-collar workers have already seen close to a $2,000 inflation-adjusted pay increase this year.

⭐ Editor’s Pick: Economist Daniel Lacalle highlighted that one year into the Trump administration, U.S. real GDP grew 3.8%, inflation fell to 2.7%, and real wages rose—proving apocalyptic forecasts of tariff-driven stagnation wrong. (DL)

China imposed tariffs of up to 42.7% on certain European Union dairy products, including cheeses and milk varieties. (CNBC)

U.S. consumer sentiment edged higher to 52.9 in December's final reading, driven by improved perceptions of the labor market and easing one-year inflation expectations. (USN)

Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack indicated no need to adjust interest rates for months, favoring a hold at the current 3.5%-3.75% range at least until spring. (WSJ)

⭐ Editor’s Pick: Motley Fool analysts highlighted standout growth stocks—Rocket Lab USA, Kinsale Capital Group, and MercadoLibre—as prime buys for 2026, citing their attractive valuations after recent pullbacks. (MF)

Barometer Capital president David Burrows highlighted Rio Tinto as an inflation hedge with growing dividends and upside from copper and Eli Lilly as a "good getting better" growth story. (BBG)

Sterling Infrastructure earned Zacks' Bull of the Day honors, driven by robust earnings estimate revisions, double-digit revenue and profit growth in infrastructure segments. (ZCK)

⭐ Editor’s Pick: Elon Musk's net worth surged to $749 billion after the Delaware Supreme Court reinstated his 2018 Tesla compensation package. (OB)

One in six seniors enrolled in Medicare’s drug benefit were prescribed eight or more medications at the same time, an analysis of Medicare data found. (WSJ)

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg severed funding ties with FWD.us, the pro-immigration advocacy group he co-founded. (BBG)

Sony Group agreed to acquire WildBrain's 41% stake in Peanuts Holdings for over $450 million, gaining control of the iconic comic-strip franchise. (WSJ)

Netflix refinanced part of its $59 billion bridge loan—secured to fund the planned Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition—with a $5 billion revolver and two $10 billion term loans, leaving $34 billion for syndication. (BBG)

⭐ Editor’s Pick: Japan approved the restart of the world's largest nuclear power plant, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, paving the way for TEPCO to resume operations at the first reactor in 2026. (IE)

U.S. Coast Guard is pursuing a third sanctioned "dark fleet" oil tanker, the Bella 1 with Iranian ties, in international waters near Venezuela. (RTS)

Platinum prices surged more than 4% to breach $2,000 per ounce for the first time since 2008, amid expectations of tighter supplies. (INV)

Gold reached a record $4,445.8 per ounce, while silver hit $68.96 per ounce amid safe-haven demand. (CNBC)

⭐ Editor’s Pick: Leaked documents show Binance continued to process hundreds of millions in crypto transactions through suspicious accounts linked to potential terror financing, despite its U.S. plea deal in 2023. (FT)

Convicted FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried has emerged as a jailhouse lawyer in federal detention, advising inmates including Sean Combs. (NYT)

DraftKings launched a predictions app in 38 states, enabling regulated trading of event contracts on sports and finance. (CT)

House lawmakers introduced the Digital Asset PARITY Act, a draft crypto tax framework featuring a stablecoin capital gains safe harbor for transactions under $200. (TB)

The 49-year-old experienced severe abdominal pain but was initially sent home with medication for acid reflux.

Using Grok, he detailed symptoms, and the AI suggested red-flag possibilities including atypical appendicitis.

Following Grok’s advice, he returned to the hospital, insisted on a CT scan, and discovered a near-ruptured appendix.

Surgery was performed six hours later, and he was discharged the next day fully recovered.

⭐ Editor’s Pick: OpenAI improved its compute margins on paid products to 70% in October from 52% at year-end 2024, outperforming rivals like Anthropic. (TI)

Nvidia plans to start shipping its high-performance H200 AI chips to approved customers in China by mid-February. (RTS)

Google's Gemini will debut in home appliances at CES 2026, powering Samsung's Bespoke Family Hub refrigerator and AI Wine Cellar. (AA)

Thomas Jefferson University researchers developed an AI tool that distinguishes two common brain tumors from routine MRI scans with over 97% accuracy. (BRI)

⭐ Editor’s Pick: Unitree's G1 humanoid robots, clad in sparkling outfits, served as backup dancers for singer Wang Leehom at a concert in Chengdu, executing synchronized moves including front flips. (FUT)

Uber and Lyft partnered with Baidu to launch robotaxi trials in London using Apollo Go RT6 vehicles in the first half of 2026. (BBG)

Hyundai Motor Group will unveil commercialization strategies for AI robotics at CES, with Boston Dynamics debuting the next-generation Atlas humanoid robots. (RTS)

Waymo resumed driverless robotaxi operations in San Francisco after suspending service amid blackouts from a PG&E substation fire. (TC)

⭐ Editor’s Pick: A new investigation reveals how China built a self-sufficient arms industry rivaling the West through massive state investments, corporate consolidations and espionage. (WSJ)

Pentagon failed its annual financial audit for the eighth straight year in fiscal 2025, citing 26 material weaknesses including asset valuation issues in the F-35 program. (DN)

Blue Origin's New Shepard mission carried German ESA engineer Michaela Benthaus—the first wheelchair user in space. (SPN)

U.S. Navy plans to develop a new FF(X) class of smaller, more agile combatant ships based on the Coast Guard's Legend-class cutter, with the first hull targeted for 2028. (DN)

⭐ Editor’s Pick: SoftBank is racing to fulfill a $22.5 billion funding commitment to OpenAI by year-end through asset sales, margin loans and cash reserves. (RTS)

Axiado, a developer of AI-driven hardware security solutions, raised over $100 million in an oversubscribed Series C round led by Maverick Silicon. (BUS)

Startup Galatek raised $30 million in Series A funding to accelerate AI-powered automation solutions for life sciences. (EQS)

Endra, an AI platform automating MEP engineering for clash-free, code-compliant designs in hours, raised $20 million in seed funding led by Notion Capital. (FOR)

Minaj said she has “the utmost respect and admiration” for Trump, crediting him with giving Americans hope that “the bad guys” can be beaten without sacrificing integrity.

The rapper defended Trump against years of public attacks, saying people underestimate the personal toll of being “constantly lied on.”

Minaj praised both Trump and Vance as powerful but relatable figures who remain “connected to the real world.”

The star also criticized California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) over his comments about transgender children, referring to him as “Newscum.”

⭐ Editor’s Pick: Vice President JD Vance told AmericaFest that Americans "don't have to apologize for being white anymore," as the Trump administration prioritizes patriotism over identity politics. (X)

Google accused the U.K.'s Labour government of undermining free speech through the Online Safety Act's requirements to curb "potentially illegal" content. (GBN)

Federal judge permanently blocked Louisiana's social media age-verification law, ruling it unconstitutional under the First Amendment. (RTN)

EEOC Chairwoman Andrea Lucas called for ending workplace vaccine mandates on religious freedom grounds. (FOX)