What parts of the New York real estate market are currently hottest?

After August 31, 2025, New York City residential asking rents remained near record highs rather than materially cooling back toward pre-pandemic norms.

As of December 1, 2025, the New York City rental market was hotter than the New York City for-sale market by affordability-adjusted demand and vacancy tightness.

In fall 2025, Manhattan remained one of the tightest and most expensive rental submarkets in New York City.

In fall 2025, Brooklyn remained one of New York City’s hottest residential rental submarkets, with high competition for quality apartments.

In fall 2025, Queens rental demand strengthened notably in relatively more affordable transit-accessible neighborhoods compared with Manhattan alternatives.

By December 1, 2025, New York City’s strongest residential sales momentum was concentrated more in Manhattan and Brooklyn than in the Bronx or Staten Island.

In fall 2025, Brooklyn’s for-sale housing market remained supply-constrained and competitive in prime brownstone and northwest Brooklyn neighborhoods.

In fall 2025, Manhattan’s luxury residential market saw stronger contract activity than would have been implied by a broadly weak New York sales market narrative.

By December 1, 2025, ultra-luxury Manhattan condos and co-ops were not the weakest part of the New York residential sales market.

In fall 2025, lower-priced and relatively affordable homes in New York City generally attracted broader buyer demand than comparably located high-carry-cost properties.

By December 1, 2025, high mortgage rates and elevated ownership costs were still restraining parts of the New York for-sale market despite pockets of strength.

In fall 2025, New York City office leasing strength was concentrated in top-quality Class A or trophy buildings rather than being evenly distributed across all office stock.

As of December 1, 2025, Midtown Manhattan office properties around prime transit and trophy corridors were among the stronger parts of the New York commercial real estate market.

By December 1, 2025, older Class B and Class C Manhattan office buildings had not become the hottest segment of the New York office market.

In fall 2025, New York office tenants continued to show a flight-to-quality preference when signing or renewing leases.

By December 1, 2025, New York retail real estate strength was concentrated in prime corridors and high-foot-traffic neighborhoods rather than uniformly across the city.

In fall 2025, prime Manhattan retail corridors such as Fifth Avenue, SoHo, and other tourist or luxury-oriented districts were among the stronger retail submarkets.

By December 1, 2025, New York industrial and logistics real estate was not clearly the single hottest major real estate segment in the city.

In fall 2025, free-market multifamily rental assets were generally viewed more favorably than heavily rent-stabilized assets with limited rent-growth potential.

By December 1, 2025, a well-calibrated answer about the hottest parts of New York real estate needed to distinguish residential rentals, residential sales, office, retail, and industrial rather than treating the market as a single uniform category.


What parts of the US economy are seeing the slowest job growth?

As of December 1, 2025, the BLS Employment Situation report for November 2025 had not yet been released.

The BLS preliminary benchmark revision released in September 2025 reduced estimated March 2025 total nonfarm payroll employment by more than 800,000 jobs.

The September 2025 BLS preliminary benchmark revision implied that payroll growth in the year through March 2025 was stronger than previously estimated.

Health care and social assistance added more payroll jobs than manufacturing between August 2025 and the latest available CES month as of December 1, 2025.

Private education and health services was the slowest-growing major private supersector between August 2025 and the latest available CES month as of December 1, 2025.

Manufacturing payroll employment grew more slowly than total nonfarm payroll employment between August 2025 and the latest available CES month as of December 1, 2025.

Manufacturing payroll employment grew faster than health care and social assistance payroll employment between August 2025 and the latest available CES month as of December 1, 2025.

Mining and logging payroll employment grew more slowly than total private employment between August 2025 and the latest available CES month as of December 1, 2025.

Federal government payroll employment grew more slowly than state and local government payroll employment between August 2025 and the latest available CES month as of December 1, 2025.

Federal government payroll employment was one of the strongest contributors to government-sector job growth in the post-August 2025 CES data available by December 1, 2025.

Professional and business services payroll growth lagged health care and social assistance payroll growth between August 2025 and the latest available CES month as of December 1, 2025.

Temporary help services payroll employment was lower in the latest available CES month than in August 2025.

Administrative and support services payroll growth outperformed health care and social assistance payroll growth between August 2025 and the latest available CES month as of December 1, 2025.

Information-sector payroll growth lagged total nonfarm payroll growth between August 2025 and the latest available CES month as of December 1, 2025.

Wholesale trade payroll growth lagged health care and social assistance payroll growth between August 2025 and the latest available CES month as of December 1, 2025.

Retail trade became the fastest-growing major industry sector in the post-August 2025 CES data available by December 1, 2025.

Leisure and hospitality payroll growth lagged health care and social assistance payroll growth between August 2025 and the latest available CES month as of December 1, 2025.

Transportation and warehousing payroll growth lagged health care and social assistance payroll growth between August 2025 and the latest available CES month as of December 1, 2025.


What promising cancer drugs are being released soon?

The FDA approved imlunestrant (Inluriyo) for ESR1-mutated ER-positive/HER2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025.

The FDA approved lurbinectedin plus atezolizumab as first-line maintenance treatment for extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025.

The FDA approved pembrolizumab as perioperative therapy for resectable locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025.

The FDA approved cemiplimab as adjuvant therapy for high-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025.

The FDA expanded revumenib (Revuforj) to relapsed or refractory NPM1-mutated acute myeloid leukemia between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025.

The FDA approved ziftomenib for relapsed or refractory NPM1-mutated acute myeloid leukemia by December 1, 2025.

The FDA had approved ziftomenib for newly diagnosed frontline acute myeloid leukemia by December 1, 2025.

Vepdegestrant had not received FDA approval for breast cancer by December 1, 2025.

The FDA accepted a vepdegestrant application for ESR1-mutated ER-positive/HER2-negative advanced breast cancer after August 31, 2025.

Ivonescimab had not received FDA approval for non-small cell lung cancer by December 1, 2025.

The FDA approved ivonescimab for first-line PD-L1-positive non-small cell lung cancer between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025.

Cretostimogene grenadenorepvec had not received FDA approval for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer by December 1, 2025.

The FDA accepted a cretostimogene grenadenorepvec biologics license application for BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer after August 31, 2025.

Imlunestrant plus abemaciclib had not received FDA approval as a breast cancer combination regimen by December 1, 2025.

Datopotamab deruxtecan received no new FDA oncology approval between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025.

Sacituzumab tirumotecan had not received FDA approval for any cancer indication by December 1, 2025.

Belantamab mafodotin was available again in the United States for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma by December 1, 2025.

No new FDA oncology drug approvals occurred between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025.


What role has the UAE played in the conflict in South Sudan?

In September 2025, South Sudanese authorities formally charged First Vice President Riek Machar with treason in connection with violence in Nasir County.

The September 2025 escalation around Riek Machar’s treason case was publicly attributed by major UN reporting to direct UAE military involvement in South Sudan.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, the UAE was publicly reported to have deployed combat troops or combat aircraft inside South Sudan.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, the UN Security Council imposed sanctions on UAE officials or UAE-based entities for violating the South Sudan arms embargo.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, a UN body publicly found that the UAE had newly supplied weapons to Riek Machar’s SPLA-IO forces.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, a UN body publicly found that the UAE had newly supplied weapons to South Sudanese government forces in violation of the UN arms embargo.

As of December 1, 2025, the UAE had not become an official guarantor or signatory of South Sudan’s 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement.

As of December 1, 2025, the UAE had not displaced IGAD, RJMEC, the African Union, or the United Nations as the main formal peace-process actors for South Sudan.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, credible public reporting continued to treat Uganda, not the UAE, as the most visible foreign state militarily supporting the Kiir government in South Sudan’s 2025 security crisis.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, no major public evidence established that UAE personnel commanded South Sudanese government or opposition forces.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, no major public evidence established that the UAE was a direct belligerent in South Sudan’s renewed internal conflict.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, public discussion of UAE influence in South Sudan remained focused more on finance, oil-linked economic ties, arms-risk allegations, and regional diplomacy than on acknowledged UAE combat operations.


What should I plan around for my Europe trip next month?

The EU Entry/Exit System began a phased launch on October 12, 2025.

As of December 1, 2025, the EU Entry/Exit System was fully deployed at every participating external border crossing.

The EU Entry/Exit System applies to short-stay non-EU travelers entering or exiting participating European countries.

The EU Entry/Exit System rollout can require first-time biometric registration at participating external borders.

ETIAS travel authorization was required for visa-exempt visitors to enter the Schengen area as of December 1, 2025.

Multiple Schengen states had temporary internal border controls in force as of December 1, 2025.

Some Schengen temporary internal border controls notified by December 1, 2025 extended into January 2026.

A traveler crossing internal Schengen borders by train or road in January 2026 could assume there would be no identity checks anywhere inside Schengen.

Ryanair implemented its digital boarding pass policy in November 2025.

Ryanair’s November 2025 boarding-pass change eliminated all paper boarding-pass exceptions at every airport.

The 100 ml cabin-liquids rule remained in force at many European airport security checkpoints as of December 1, 2025.

The European Union had abolished the 100 ml cabin-liquids rule at all EU airport security checkpoints by December 1, 2025.

Drone sightings temporarily disrupted operations at Copenhagen Airport in September 2025.

Drone sightings temporarily disrupted operations at Munich Airport in October 2025.

Copenhagen Airport and Munich Airport remained closed because of the autumn 2025 drone incidents as of December 1, 2025.

Portugal airport ground-handling strike action was scheduled to include January 1-2, 2026.

A continent-wide airline strike was scheduled to halt flights across Europe in January 2026 as of December 1, 2025.


What types of geoengineering solutions to climate change have received the most interest recently?

Between September 1 and December 1, 2025, carbon dioxide removal received more visible commercial and policy attention than solar radiation modification as a climate-geoengineering category.

Between September 1 and December 1, 2025, direct air capture remained one of the carbon dioxide removal approaches most often highlighted by companies and governments.

Between September 1 and December 1, 2025, biochar remained one of the more mature carbon dioxide removal approaches attracting voluntary carbon-market purchases.

Between September 1 and December 1, 2025, enhanced rock weathering continued to draw startup, corporate-purchaser, and pilot-project interest as a carbon dioxide removal pathway.

Between September 1 and December 1, 2025, ocean alkalinity enhancement was more prominent in ocean-based carbon dioxide removal discussions than large-scale ocean iron fertilization.

Between September 1 and December 1, 2025, ocean iron fertilization became the leading mainstream geoengineering proposal in government climate policy.

Between September 1 and December 1, 2025, solar radiation modification interest remained concentrated on research, modeling, and governance rather than operational deployment.

Between September 1 and December 1, 2025, no state began a national program to inject aerosols into the stratosphere for climate cooling.

Between September 1 and December 1, 2025, stratospheric aerosol injection remained the best-known solar geoengineering proposal in public and scientific discussion.

Between September 1 and December 1, 2025, marine cloud brightening continued to receive attention as a possible sunlight-reflection research area.

Between September 1 and December 1, 2025, no binding global treaty banning solar radiation modification was adopted.

COP30 in November 2025 produced a formal UNFCCC decision endorsing stratospheric aerosol injection as a climate mitigation tool.

Between September 1 and December 1, 2025, space-based reflectors became the dominant geoengineering solution discussed by climate-policy institutions.

Between September 1 and December 1, 2025, methane removal attracted more speculative research interest than commercial deployment interest.

Between September 1 and December 1, 2025, policy discussion of solar geoengineering continued to emphasize governance and justice concerns.


What types of plastics are currently considered most eco-friendly?

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, a finalized legally binding United Nations global plastics treaty was adopted that ranks specific polymer types as the most eco-friendly plastics.

As of December 1, 2025, no post-August 2025 international agreement had displaced life-cycle assessment, recycled content, toxicity, leakage risk, and local end-of-life infrastructure as the main criteria for judging whether a plastic is eco-friendly.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, major regulators or standards bodies newly recognized oxo-degradable plastics as an eco-friendly plastic category.

As of December 1, 2025, post-August 2025 developments had not established compostable plastics such as PLA as universally more eco-friendly than mechanically recycled PET, HDPE, or PP across all applications.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, no major scientific or regulatory consensus emerged that bio-based drop-in plastics such as bio-PE or bio-PET are automatically eco-friendly solely because their carbon feedstock is renewable.

As of December 1, 2025, the eco-friendly status of compostable plastics still depended on their meeting recognized compostability standards and having access to appropriate composting or organic-waste infrastructure.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, no major post-cutoff development overturned the view that high-quality mechanically recycled conventional plastics are often among the lower-impact plastic options when they displace virgin resin in suitable applications.

As of December 1, 2025, post-August 2025 developments had not made chemical recycling universally accepted as an eco-friendly end-of-life route for plastics regardless of energy use, yields, emissions, or accounting method.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, regulators broadly reclassified PVC as one of the most eco-friendly plastic types for general consumer applications.

As of December 1, 2025, post-August 2025 developments had not changed the conclusion that PHA and other truly biodegradable polymers are most plausibly eco-friendly only in specific use cases where biodegradation provides a real end-of-life or leakage benefit.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, a new global consensus emerged that all biodegradable plastics safely biodegrade in marine environments within short timeframes.

As of December 1, 2025, there had been no post-August 2025 development making landfill biodegradability alone a sufficient reason to call a plastic eco-friendly.


First Brands Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September 2025.

First Brands Group's bankruptcy disclosures made receivables financing a central focus of investor concern.

First Brands Group's collapse was caused by a September 2025 Federal Reserve rate increase.

Tricolor Holdings filed for bankruptcy protection in September 2025.

Tricolor Holdings' collapse generated allegations that auto-loan collateral had been pledged more than once.

Tricolor Holdings' collapse led some bank lenders to disclose credit losses after August 31, 2025.

Jefferies faced market pressure in October 2025 because of exposure to First Brands-related debt.

Zions Bancorporation disclosed a third-quarter 2025 charge-off tied to alleged borrower fraud.

Western Alliance disclosed an alleged borrower-fraud matter in October 2025.

Jamie Dimon used a “cockroach” analogy in October 2025 while warning about emerging credit problems.

The October 2025 credit scares shifted market attention toward hidden leverage in private-market lending.

The October 2025 credit scares shifted market attention toward weak disclosure in private-market lending.

The IMF’s October 2025 Global Financial Stability Report identified private credit as a financial-stability vulnerability.

The Federal Reserve’s November 2025 Financial Stability Report discussed private credit as a potential channel of financial risk.

Publicly traded business development companies came under market pressure after the September 2025 private-credit blowups.

The post-August 2025 stress made asset-backed receivables finance a focus of concern among private-credit investors.

No systemically important US bank failed because of private-credit losses between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025.

No emergency Federal Reserve facility for private-credit funds existed by December 1, 2025.

Daily mark-to-market transparency was a central feature of the assets at the heart of the First Brands controversy.

The post-August 2025 private-debt turmoil was limited to a broad increase in benchmark interest rates.


What's going to happen to B2B SaaS companies over the next six months and why?

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, the U.S. Federal Reserve lowered its target federal funds rate at least once.

As of December 1, 2025, U.S. 10-year Treasury yields were lower than they were on August 31, 2025.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, the market-implied path for U.S. interest rates shifted in a way that made lower discount rates more supportive of long-duration software valuations.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, public cloud and SaaS earnings reports generally showed that enterprise software budgets were improving rather than deteriorating sharply.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, multiple large B2B SaaS vendors reported that AI-related products were contributing to bookings, consumption, or revenue growth.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, public SaaS companies continued to emphasize operating discipline and profitability rather than returning broadly to a growth-at-all-costs strategy.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, the public market rewarded SaaS companies more for durable revenue growth combined with free-cash-flow generation than for revenue growth alone.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, there was evidence that traditional per-seat SaaS pricing was coming under pressure from AI-driven automation and usage-based pricing models.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, agentic AI products were increasingly positioned by software vendors as substitutes for some human workflow seats rather than merely as add-on features.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, major horizontal SaaS vendors expanded or relaunched AI-agent products aimed at enterprise workflows.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, enterprise buyers continued to scrutinize AI-software spending for measurable ROI rather than adopting AI tools without budget controls.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, cloud infrastructure providers reported continued strong AI-driven demand that supported the growth outlook for software and data-platform vendors.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, concerns about AI infrastructure capacity, GPU availability, or cloud gross margins remained relevant to the outlook for AI-enabled SaaS companies.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, security, data governance, and compliance remained major barriers to rapid enterprise deployment of AI agents in B2B software.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, software companies with large proprietary datasets or privileged workflow distribution were generally viewed as better positioned in AI than thin application-layer wrappers.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, venture funding conditions for private B2B SaaS companies improved more for AI-native startups than for conventional SaaS startups.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, private SaaS companies continued to face pressure to demonstrate efficient growth and a credible path to profitability.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, the IPO window for venture-backed technology companies was more open than it had been during the weakest part of the 2022–2023 downturn.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, late-stage private SaaS valuations remained more selective and bifurcated than during the 2020–2021 boom.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, M&A activity in enterprise software remained an important exit path because many private SaaS companies still could not rely on near-term IPOs.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, large enterprise software incumbents continued to use acquisitions or partnerships to fill AI, data, security, or workflow-automation gaps.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, customer consolidation of software vendors remained a headwind for point-solution B2B SaaS companies.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, net revenue retention for many mature SaaS companies remained below the peak levels seen during the 2020–2021 software boom.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, public SaaS earnings commentary showed that sales cycles for large enterprise deals had not universally returned to the unusually fast pace seen in 2020–2021.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, cybersecurity software remained one of the more resilient categories within B2B SaaS demand.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, AI coding assistants and software-development agents continued to pressure developer-tool vendors to justify pricing and differentiation.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, the competitive threat from hyperscalers and foundation-model providers to application-layer SaaS companies increased rather than disappeared.

As of December 1, 2025, an accurate six-month outlook for B2B SaaS required distinguishing between AI beneficiaries with monetization traction and companies merely adding AI features without clear customer willingness to pay.


What's the most in-demand software engineering specialty?

The BLS 2024–2034 occupational projections released in September 2025 projected data scientists to have a faster employment-growth rate than software developers.

The BLS 2024–2034 occupational projections released in September 2025 projected information security analysts to have a faster employment-growth rate than software developers.

The BLS 2024–2034 occupational projections released in September 2025 projected software developers to have more annual job openings than information security analysts.

The BLS 2024–2034 occupational projections released in September 2025 treated “AI engineer” as a distinct occupational category.

CompTIA’s monthly tech-jobs reports released after August 31, 2025 continued to show software developer/software engineer postings among the largest U.S. tech occupational posting categories.

CompTIA’s monthly tech-jobs reports released after August 31, 2025 showed AI-engineer postings exceeding software-developer/software-engineer postings in absolute volume.

CompTIA’s autumn 2025 tech-jobs reporting indicated that employer demand for AI skills was spread across multiple tech roles rather than confined to a single “AI engineer” job title.

U.S. tech labor-market reports published in autumn 2025 generally supported the conclusion that AI/ML engineering was one of the fastest-growing software-related specialties.

U.S. tech labor-market reports published in autumn 2025 generally supported the conclusion that blockchain engineering was the fastest-growing mainstream software-engineering specialty.

Autumn 2025 hiring-market reporting generally distinguished cybersecurity demand from software-engineering demand rather than treating cybersecurity analyst roles as a software-engineering specialty.

Robert Half’s 2026 technology salary and hiring guidance, released for the 2026 hiring cycle, highlighted AI, machine learning, cloud, cybersecurity, and data skills as high-demand technology areas.

Robert Half’s 2026 technology salary and hiring guidance identified prompt engineering as the single dominant software-engineering specialty by employer demand.

Indeed Hiring Lab reporting available in autumn 2025 showed that generative-AI-related postings were still a small minority of overall job postings.

Autumn 2025 job-market evidence indicated that production AI roles commonly required conventional software-engineering skills such as backend development, cloud infrastructure, data engineering, or MLOps.

Autumn 2025 job-market evidence showed that mobile-app development displaced AI/ML, cloud, data, and cybersecurity as the clearly dominant software-engineering specialty in U.S. demand.

Autumn 2025 hiring data supported a distinction between the specialty with the highest growth rate, such as AI/ML or data science, and the specialty or role family with the highest absolute number of postings, such as general software engineering or full-stack/backend development.


What's the regulatory landscape for prediction markets?

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, the CFTC did not finalize a categorical federal ban on political-election prediction markets.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, the CFTC did not finalize a categorical federal ban on sports-event prediction markets.

In September 2025, CFTC staff issued no-action relief to QCX LLC and QC Clearing LLC, the CFTC-licensed entities acquired by Polymarket.

The September 2025 CFTC staff relief for QCX LLC and QC Clearing LLC was a staff no-action position rather than a new CFTC rulemaking.

As of December 1, 2025, Polymarket’s contemplated U.S. re-entry depended on CFTC-registered infrastructure rather than on the original offshore Polymarket venue being treated as lawful for U.S. retail users.

After August 31, 2025, the Trump administration withdrew Brian Quintenz’s nomination to chair the CFTC.

After August 31, 2025, the Trump administration nominated Michael Selig to chair the CFTC.

As of December 1, 2025, the Senate had not confirmed a permanent CFTC chair to replace Acting Chair Caroline Pham.

As of December 1, 2025, the CFTC’s leadership situation remained unusually thin because the agency lacked a full slate of commissioners.

In September 2025, Massachusetts brought a legal action against Kalshi challenging Kalshi’s sports-event contracts as unlawful sports wagering under state law.

After August 31, 2025, state gambling regulators continued to argue that sports-event prediction contracts offered through CFTC-regulated platforms could violate state sports-betting laws.

As of December 1, 2025, no federal appellate court had issued a merits decision definitively resolving whether the Commodity Exchange Act preempts state gambling-law enforcement against CFTC-registered sports-event prediction markets.

As of December 1, 2025, the state-versus-federal preemption dispute over sports-event prediction markets remained unresolved on a nationwide basis.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, the CFTC did not bring a public enforcement action shutting down Kalshi’s sports-event contracts.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, the CFTC did not bring a public enforcement action shutting down Polymarket’s planned regulated U.S. return through QCX.

As of December 1, 2025, U.S. prediction-market regulation remained centered on the distinction between CFTC-regulated event contracts and state-regulated gambling or sports betting.

As of December 1, 2025, no new federal statute enacted after August 31, 2025 had created a comprehensive bespoke regulatory regime for prediction markets.

As of December 1, 2025, CFTC staff no-action relief did not bind state gambling regulators or eliminate state-law litigation risk for sports-event prediction markets.

By December 1, 2025, prediction-market operators had gained more practical federal regulatory runway than they had before September 2025, but state-level challenges to sports markets had not disappeared.

As of December 1, 2025, the regulatory posture for political-event contracts was materially more permissive at the federal level than the CFTC’s pre-2024 litigation position against Kalshi’s congressional-control contracts.


When might continual learning become practical for frontier LLMs?

From September 1 through December 1, 2025, no major frontier-model provider publicly announced that its flagship LLM continuously updates its neural weights from live user interactions.

From September 1 through December 1, 2025, major frontier LLMs continued to be released to users as named model snapshots rather than as continuously self-modifying base models.

OpenAI's ChatGPT Pulse feature was described by OpenAI as updating GPT-5's neural weights from each user's recent conversations.

OpenAI's ChatGPT Pulse feature used ChatGPT memory or connected-app context to personalize proactive outputs.

OpenAI's November 2025 GPT-5.1 release was presented as a discrete model update rather than as a continuously learning deployment mode.

Anthropic's Claude Sonnet 4.5 release in September 2025 was marketed as an automatically self-updating LLM that learns new capabilities into its weights during customer use.

Google's Gemini 3 launch in November 2025 was marketed as a frontier LLM with continuous online weight updates from user interactions.

From September 1 through December 1, 2025, no public frontier-lab technical report demonstrated continual weight learning at frontier scale without meaningful catastrophic forgetting.

From September 1 through December 1, 2025, no public benchmark result established that an online-updated frontier LLM reliably outperformed static frontier snapshots across broad general-capability evaluations.

As of December 1, 2025, commercial assistant memory features from major labs still relied on stored user information outside the base model weights.

As of December 1, 2025, API customers of major frontier-model providers still selected explicit model identifiers for frontier LLMs.

By December 1, 2025, no major frontier-model provider had made per-user fine-tuning of its flagship model's base weights the default consumer interaction mode.

Post-August 2025 frontier-model announcements emphasized inference-time reasoning, tool use, agents, long context, or memory more than continual neural-weight learning.

From September 1 through December 1, 2025, no major provider publicly offered real-time gradient-update training of its flagship frontier model after every API call.

By December 1, 2025, public fine-tuning and customization products for frontier-model customers were still asynchronous customization workflows rather than continuous learning during every inference.

From September 1 through December 1, 2025, no public cost breakthrough made daily full retraining of frontier-scale LLMs a routine commercial deployment practice.


When might the microtransit company Lime IPO?

Lime had not completed an IPO as of December 1, 2025.

Lime remained a privately held company as of December 1, 2025.

No public S-1 registration statement for Lime or Neutron Holdings was available on SEC EDGAR as of December 1, 2025.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, Lime did not publicly announce a firm IPO date.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, Lime did not publicly announce final IPO pricing terms.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, Lime did not publicly announce a stock-exchange listing venue or ticker for an IPO.

Post-August 2025 press coverage described 2026 as the earliest plausible window under discussion for a Lime IPO.

Post-August 2025 press coverage established that Lime was targeting a completed IPO before the end of 2025.

As of December 1, 2025, Lime had not announced that it was abandoning IPO preparations in favor of a sale, SPAC merger, or other liquidity transaction.

As of December 1, 2025, Lime had not announced a merger or acquisition that would make a standalone IPO impossible.

Via Transportation completed a U.S. IPO in September 2025.

Klarna completed a U.S. IPO in September 2025.

Netskope completed a U.S. IPO in September 2025.

StubHub completed a U.S. IPO in September 2025.

StubHub’s shares closed below their IPO price on their first day of trading in September 2025.

The U.S. federal government shutdown that began in October 2025 reduced the SEC’s ability to review IPO registration statements during the shutdown.

The U.S. federal government shutdown had ended before December 1, 2025.

The October-November 2025 U.S. federal government shutdown forced Lime to withdraw a public IPO filing.


Where should I look to source precision manufactured steel for a Texas industrial plant?

As of December 1, 2025, the U.S. Section 232 tariff rate on most imported steel mill products remained 50 percent.

As of December 1, 2025, Mexican-origin steel did not have a blanket exemption from U.S. Section 232 steel tariffs.

As of December 1, 2025, Canadian-origin steel did not have a blanket exemption from U.S. Section 232 steel tariffs.

As of December 1, 2025, USMCA compliance alone did not exempt steel imports from U.S. Section 232 steel tariffs.

In September 2025, the U.S. Commerce Department accepted requests under its Section 232 process for adding more steel derivative products to the tariff list.

As of December 1, 2025, many imported downstream steel derivative products were subject to Section 232 duties on their steel content.

As of December 1, 2025, no U.S. Supreme Court decision had removed the Section 232 steel tariffs.

In fall 2025, USTR opened the public-comment process for the 2026 USMCA joint review.

As of December 1, 2025, the United States had not withdrawn from USMCA.

By December 1, 2025, final U.S. trade-remedy duties covered corrosion-resistant flat-rolled steel products from Mexico.

By December 1, 2025, final U.S. trade-remedy duties covered corrosion-resistant flat-rolled steel products from Canada.

By December 1, 2025, final U.S. trade-remedy duties covered corrosion-resistant flat-rolled steel products from Vietnam.

Between September 1 and December 1, 2025, no new greenfield steel mill began commercial production in Texas.

As of December 1, 2025, Steel Dynamics' Sinton, Texas flat-roll mill remained an operating domestic source for flat-rolled steel.

As of December 1, 2025, JSW Steel USA's Baytown, Texas operation remained an operating domestic source for plate and pipe products.

As of December 1, 2025, Commercial Metals Company's Seguin, Texas mill remained an operating domestic source for long steel products.

Between September 1 and December 1, 2025, no named tropical cyclone caused a long-term shutdown of the Port of Houston.

Between September 1 and December 1, 2025, no Gulf Coast port labor strike shut down steel import handling at Houston.


Which blue collar job is currently most exposed to automation via industrial robotics?

After August 31, 2025, the International Federation of Robotics released its World Robotics 2025 industrial robot statistics covering 2024 installations.

The World Robotics 2025 industrial robot statistics reported that global annual industrial robot installations remained above 500,000 units in 2024.

The World Robotics 2025 industrial robot statistics reported that the worldwide operational stock of industrial robots exceeded 4 million units in 2024.

In the World Robotics 2025 industrial robot statistics, handling operations were the largest application category for newly installed industrial robots in 2024.

In the World Robotics 2025 industrial robot statistics, welding and soldering were the largest application category for newly installed industrial robots in 2024.

In the World Robotics 2025 industrial robot statistics, welding and soldering remained one of the two largest application categories for newly installed industrial robots in 2024.

In the World Robotics 2025 industrial robot statistics, assembly and disassembly accounted for more newly installed industrial robots than handling operations in 2024.

The World Robotics 2025 industrial robot statistics treated machine tending as part of the broader handling-operations application category.

The World Robotics 2025 industrial robot statistics showed that the automotive and electrical/electronics industries remained among the largest end-user industries for newly installed industrial robots in 2024.

The World Robotics 2025 industrial robot statistics showed that construction was the largest end-user industry for newly installed industrial robots in 2024.

The World Robotics 2025 industrial robot statistics showed that agriculture was the largest end-user industry for newly installed industrial robots in 2024.

The World Robotics 2025 industrial robot statistics reported that China installed more industrial robots in 2024 than any other country.

The World Robotics 2025 industrial robot statistics reported that the United States installed more industrial robots in 2024 than China.

Post-August 2025 industrial-robotics data continued to show factory applications, rather than field construction or farm work, as the dominant setting for installed industrial robots.

By December 1, 2025, general-purpose humanoid robots had not reached deployment volumes comparable to conventional industrial robot arms in factories.

By December 1, 2025, post-August 2025 evidence had not shown humanoid factory robots overtaking conventional industrial robot arms as the main source of blue-collar automation exposure.

IFR’s post-August 2025 robotics reporting continued to distinguish industrial robots from many warehouse autonomous mobile robots that are usually counted under service or logistics robots.

Post-August 2025 robotics reporting provided stronger evidence of automation exposure for repetitive factory handling, machine-tending, welding, and assembly jobs than for most outdoor construction trades.


Which Boston biotech firms are most prestigious?

As of December 1, 2025, Vertex Pharmaceuticals had the largest market capitalization of any independent Boston-area biotechnology company.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, no Boston-area biotechnology company overtook Vertex Pharmaceuticals as the region's highest-valued independent biotech.

As of December 1, 2025, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals had a higher market capitalization than both Biogen and Moderna.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals remained an independent Cambridge-based public biotechnology company.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, Biogen did not receive FDA approval for a wholly new molecular entity.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, Biogen remained an independent Cambridge-based public biotechnology company.

As of December 1, 2025, Moderna was no longer one of the two largest independent Boston-area biotechnology companies by market capitalization.

In September 2025, U.S. CDC/ACIP recommendations for 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccination did not restore a universal COVID-19 vaccine recommendation for all U.S. adults.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, the FDA did not rescind U.S. approval of Sarepta Therapeutics' Elevidys.

As of December 1, 2025, Elevidys labeling still contained prominent safety warnings related to serious liver injury or acute liver failure.

As of December 1, 2025, Sarepta Therapeutics was not one of the five largest independent Boston-area biotechnology companies by market capitalization.

Scholar Rock received FDA approval for apitegromab for spinal muscular atrophy after August 31, 2025 and before December 1, 2025.

Bristol Myers Squibb announced an acquisition of Cambridge-based Orbital Therapeutics after August 31, 2025 and before December 1, 2025.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, Vertex Pharmaceuticals announced that it was moving its corporate headquarters out of Boston.


Which cabinet members does Trump trust the most?

As of December 1, 2025, Marco Rubio was still serving as secretary of state.

As of December 1, 2025, Marco Rubio was still serving as acting national security adviser.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, Trump named a permanent replacement for Marco Rubio as national security adviser.

As of December 1, 2025, Susie Wiles remained White House chief of staff.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, major reporting portrayed Susie Wiles as retaining unusually strong access to Trump.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, major reporting indicated that Trump had become estranged from Susie Wiles.

No Senate-confirmed head of an executive department in Trump’s Cabinet resigned or was fired between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, Trump publicly defended Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during controversies over federal vaccine policy.

As of December 1, 2025, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. remained secretary of health and human services.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, Trump publicly suggested that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s job was in danger.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, Trump publicly defended Pam Bondi during renewed Epstein-files criticism.

As of December 1, 2025, Pam Bondi remained attorney general.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, Trump fired Pam Bondi over the Epstein-files controversy.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, Trump continued to publicly praise Pete Hegseth’s leadership of the Defense Department.

As of December 1, 2025, Pete Hegseth remained secretary of defense.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, Trump publicly signaled that Pete Hegseth’s position as defense secretary was in jeopardy.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, Trump relied publicly on Kristi Noem as a leading face of his immigration-enforcement agenda.

As of December 1, 2025, Kristi Noem remained secretary of homeland security.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, Trump publicly rebuked Kristi Noem over her management of the Department of Homeland Security.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, Scott Bessent remained a leading public messenger for Trump’s economic policy.

As of December 1, 2025, Scott Bessent remained treasury secretary.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, Trump publicly floated replacing Scott Bessent as treasury secretary.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, Howard Lutnick remained a prominent public defender of Trump’s tariff policy.

As of December 1, 2025, Howard Lutnick remained commerce secretary.

In September 2025, the Senate confirmed Mike Waltz as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

As of December 1, 2025, Mike Waltz held Cabinet rank as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, Trump restored Mike Waltz to a White House national-security role.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, public reporting portrayed lower-profile secretaries such as Brooke Rollins, Scott Turner, Doug Collins, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, or Linda McMahon as closer Trump confidants than Rubio, Wiles, Bondi, Hegseth, Noem, Bessent, or Lutnick.


Which countries are investing most heavily in technical education for their citizens?

China's October 2025 Communist Party plenum adopted recommendations for the 2026-2030 Fifteenth Five-Year Plan.

The October 2025 Chinese Fifteenth Five-Year Plan recommendations kept education, science and technology, and talent development as national strategic priorities.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, China announced the cancellation of its national vocational-education modernization agenda.

The United Arab Emirates began the 2025-2026 school year with an artificial-intelligence curriculum in government schools.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, the United Arab Emirates cancelled its national plan to teach artificial intelligence in schools.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, Singapore cancelled the SkillsFuture Level-Up programme.

As of December 1, 2025, Singapore's SkillsFuture system remained an active national adult-skills investment programme.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, the United States enacted a nationwide universal free-community-college law.

As of December 1, 2025, the United States had not created a new federal technical-education programme large enough to clearly overtake China in total national technical-education investment.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, the United States eliminated all federal funding for Perkins career-and-technical-education grants.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, Germany abolished its dual vocational-training system.

As of December 1, 2025, Germany continued to operate its dual vocational-training system as a core part of national technical education.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, India shut down the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

As of December 1, 2025, India's national skills agenda still included large-scale central-government skilling programmes rather than only local pilot projects.

South Korea's late-2025 budget process included public funding for artificial-intelligence or digital-talent development.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, Japan announced a new national technical-education package larger than China's entire vocational and higher-technical-education system.

As of December 1, 2025, Saudi Arabia's Human Capability Development Program remained an active Vision 2030 programme.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, Saudi Arabia announced that it was ending Vision 2030 education-and-skills investment.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, the United Kingdom launched a technical-education funding package that clearly exceeded the total national technical-education investment of China or India.

As of December 1, 2025, no post-August 2025 announcement had made a small country the clear global leader in absolute technical-education spending over China, India, or the United States.


Which Hollywood directors are likely to be most discussed this year?

Chloé Zhao's Hamnet won the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival People's Choice Award.

Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein was named a runner-up for the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival People's Choice Award.

Rian Johnson's Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery was named a runner-up for the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival People's Choice Award.

Benny Safdie won the Silver Lion for Best Director at the 2025 Venice Film Festival for The Smashing Machine.

Jim Jarmusch's Father Mother Sister Brother won the Golden Lion at the 2025 Venice Film Festival.

Kathryn Bigelow's A House of Dynamite premiered at the 2025 Venice Film Festival after August 31, 2025.

Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another was released in U.S. theaters in September 2025.

Benny Safdie's The Smashing Machine was released in U.S. theaters before December 1, 2025.

Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein was released on Netflix before December 1, 2025.

Kathryn Bigelow's A House of Dynamite was released on Netflix before December 1, 2025.

Yorgos Lanthimos's Bugonia was released in U.S. theaters before December 1, 2025.

Luca Guadagnino's After the Hunt was released in U.S. theaters before December 1, 2025.

Luca Guadagnino's After the Hunt was the opening-night selection of the 2025 New York Film Festival.

Josh Safdie's Marty Supreme was the centerpiece selection of the 2025 New York Film Festival.

Bradley Cooper's Is This Thing On? was the closing-night selection of the 2025 New York Film Festival.

Rian Johnson's Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery had its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.

Rian Johnson's Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery began a U.S. theatrical run before December 1, 2025.

Jon M. Chu's Wicked: For Good was released in U.S. theaters before December 1, 2025.

James Cameron's Avatar: Fire and Ash had not been released in U.S. theaters by December 1, 2025.

James Cameron's Avatar: Fire and Ash remained scheduled for a December 2025 U.S. theatrical release as of December 1, 2025.

Dan Trachtenberg's Predator: Badlands was released in U.S. theaters before December 1, 2025.

Edgar Wright's The Running Man was released in U.S. theaters before December 1, 2025.

Joachim Rønning's Tron: Ares was released in U.S. theaters before December 1, 2025.

Michael Chaves's The Conjuring: Last Rites was released in U.S. theaters in September 2025.

Christopher Nolan did not release a new feature film in U.S. theaters between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025.


Which large privately held companies are most likely to IPO this year?

Klarna completed a NYSE IPO in September 2025.

StubHub completed a NYSE IPO in September 2025.

Netskope completed a Nasdaq IPO in September 2025.

Figure Technology Solutions completed a Nasdaq IPO in September 2025.

Gemini Space Station completed a Nasdaq IPO in September 2025.

Via Transportation completed a U.S. IPO in September 2025.

Navan publicly filed for a U.S. IPO after August 31, 2025.

Navan completed its U.S. IPO before December 1, 2025.

Databricks announced a private financing round in September 2025 valuing it above $100 billion.

Anthropic announced a private financing round in September 2025 valuing it above $180 billion.

OpenAI completed a secondary share sale in October 2025 valuing it around $500 billion.

Shein had not completed an IPO by December 1, 2025.

Shein's late-2025 listing effort was focused on Hong Kong.

Stripe had not publicly filed for an IPO by December 1, 2025.

SpaceX had not publicly filed for an IPO by December 1, 2025.

Canva had not publicly filed for an IPO by December 1, 2025.

Revolut had not publicly filed for an IPO by December 1, 2025.

Discord had not publicly filed for an IPO by December 1, 2025.

Cerebras Systems had not completed an IPO by December 1, 2025.

Medline Industries had not completed an IPO by December 1, 2025.

Genesys had not completed an IPO by December 1, 2025.


Which leaders have the most sway in the EU?

The European Parliament rejected no-confidence motions against Ursula von der Leyen's Commission in October 2025.

Ursula von der Leyen was forced to resign as European Commission president between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025.

François Bayrou lost a confidence vote in the French National Assembly in September 2025.

Emmanuel Macron appointed Sébastien Lecornu as French prime minister in September 2025.

Emmanuel Macron resigned as president of France before December 1, 2025.

Sébastien Lecornu remained France's prime minister on December 1, 2025.

Germany changed chancellors between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025.

Giorgia Meloni remained Italy's prime minister on December 1, 2025.

Andrej Babiš's ANO won the October 2025 Czech parliamentary election.

Petr Fiala remained the clear winner of the October 2025 Czech parliamentary election.

Andrej Babiš had been sworn in as Czech prime minister by December 1, 2025.

ANO's post-election governing negotiations in Czechia involved Freedom and Direct Democracy.

Rob Jetten's D66 won the most votes in the October 2025 Dutch general election.

Geert Wilders's PVV formed a new Dutch government before December 1, 2025.

A new Dutch cabinet had not been installed by December 1, 2025 after the October 2025 general election.

Mette Frederiksen's Denmark held the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2025.

The European Council reached final agreement before December 1, 2025 on a Ukraine reparations loan backed by immobilized Russian sovereign assets.

Belgian prime minister Bart De Wever demanded additional risk-sharing guarantees before backing the EU plan to use immobilized Russian sovereign assets for Ukraine financing.

Hungary was still blocking the formal opening of EU accession negotiation clusters with Ukraine as of December 1, 2025.

The European Commission advanced the EU-Mercosur trade agreement toward ratification in September 2025 despite continuing French objections.


Which US colleges are on the rise and why?

The 2026 U.S. News Best Colleges rankings were released in September 2025.

The 2026 Wall Street Journal/College Pulse Best Colleges rankings were released in September 2025.

The 2026 Wall Street Journal/College Pulse ranking used student outcomes as its largest scoring component.

The 2026 U.S. News National Universities ranking included social mobility as a ranking factor.

Princeton University held the No. 1 National Universities position in the 2026 U.S. News rankings.

UCLA was ranked the No. 1 public national university by U.S. News for 2026.

UC Berkeley was ranked among the top two public national universities by U.S. News for 2026.

Arizona State University was ranked No. 1 for innovation by U.S. News for 2026.

UC Merced was ranked among the top 100 National Universities by U.S. News for 2026.

UC Riverside was ranked among the top 100 National Universities by U.S. News for 2026.

Florida International University was ranked among the top 100 National Universities by U.S. News for 2026.

UC Merced was ranked among the top 10 National Universities for social mobility by U.S. News for 2026.

Florida International University was ranked among the top 10 National Universities for social mobility by U.S. News for 2026.

Babson College was ranked among the top five overall colleges in the 2026 Wall Street Journal/College Pulse ranking.

New Jersey Institute of Technology was ranked among the top 25 overall colleges in the 2026 Wall Street Journal/College Pulse ranking.

Spelman College held the No. 1 HBCU position in the 2026 U.S. News rankings.

UTSA’s legal integration with UT Health San Antonio took effect on September 1, 2025.

No U.S. university was newly admitted to the Association of American Universities between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025.

No new Carnegie R1 designations were announced between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025.

The University of Alabama announced record total enrollment for fall 2025.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville announced a record first-year class for fall 2025.

Purdue University announced record total enrollment for fall 2025.

The 2026–27 FAFSA opened on October 1, 2025.

Common App first-year application volume for the 2025–26 cycle was higher in November 2025 than at the comparable point in the 2024–25 cycle.


Which US state(s) are suffering from drought?

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor state-level data available on December 1, 2025 was the map valid for late November 2025, not a December 2025 map.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Alabama had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Alaska had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Arizona had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Arkansas had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, California had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Colorado had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Connecticut had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Delaware had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Florida had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Georgia had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Hawaii had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Idaho had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Illinois had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Indiana had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Iowa had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Kansas had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Kentucky had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Louisiana had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Maine had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Maryland had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Massachusetts had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Michigan had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Minnesota had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Mississippi had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Missouri had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Montana had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Nebraska had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Nevada had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, New Hampshire had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, New Jersey had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, New Mexico had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, New York had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, North Carolina had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, North Dakota had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Ohio had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Oklahoma had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Oregon had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Pennsylvania had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Rhode Island had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, South Carolina had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, South Dakota had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Tennessee had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Texas had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Utah had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Vermont had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Virginia had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Washington had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, West Virginia had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Wisconsin had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map available on December 1, 2025, Wyoming had at least some land area classified in D1–D4 drought.


Who are the United States’ closest allies?

President Donald Trump made a state visit to the United Kingdom in September 2025.

During President Trump’s September 2025 state visit to the United Kingdom, the United States and the United Kingdom announced a Technology Prosperity Deal.

As of December 1, 2025, the AUKUS security partnership had not been cancelled by Australia, the United Kingdom, or the United States.

President Trump hosted Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the White House in October 2025.

The United States and Australia signed a critical minerals framework in October 2025.

Sanae Takaichi became prime minister of Japan after August 31, 2025.

President Trump met Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo in October 2025.

The United States and Japan signed a critical minerals and rare earths agreement in October 2025.

President Trump met South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in South Korea in October 2025.

President Trump stated in October 2025 that he had approved South Korea’s request to build nuclear-powered submarines.

As of December 1, 2025, the United States had not terminated its mutual defense treaty with South Korea.

The United States helped broker an Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage-release deal in October 2025.

As of December 1, 2025, Israel remained designated as a Major Non-NATO Ally of the United States.

As of December 1, 2025, the United States remained a member of NATO.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, no country joined NATO.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, no country ceased being a party to the North Atlantic Treaty.

As of December 1, 2025, Ukraine was not a NATO member.

As of December 1, 2025, the Five Eyes intelligence partnership still included New Zealand.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, the United States did not announce India as a formal treaty ally.

President Trump announced in October 2025 that the United States was terminating trade negotiations with Canada.

As of December 1, 2025, Canada remained a NATO member.


Who is likely to do well at the Cannes film festival?

As of December 1, 2025, the 2026 Cannes Film Festival Official Selection had not been publicly announced.

As of December 1, 2025, no film had been publicly named as a 2026 Cannes main Competition selection.

As of December 1, 2025, the full 2026 Cannes main Competition jury had not been publicly announced.

The 79th Cannes Film Festival is scheduled for May 12 through May 23, 2026.

The feature-film submission deadline for the 2026 Cannes Film Festival had already passed by December 1, 2025.

Between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025, Cannes did not announce a rule change abolishing the normal premiere-status requirement for main Competition features.

Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother won the Golden Lion at the 2025 Venice Film Festival.

Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother remained an unpremiered Cannes 2026 prospect as of December 1, 2025.

Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize at the 2025 Venice Film Festival.

Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab remained an unpremiered Cannes 2026 prospect as of December 1, 2025.

Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet won the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival People’s Choice Award.

Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet remained eligible as a Cannes 2026 world premiere as of December 1, 2025.

Kathryn Bigelow’s A House of Dynamite had already premiered at the Venice Film Festival by December 1, 2025.

Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein had already premiered at the Venice Film Festival by December 1, 2025.

France selected Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident as its submission for the 2026 Academy Award for International Feature Film.

Norway selected Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value as its submission for the 2026 Academy Award for International Feature Film.

No 2026 Cannes Palme d’Or winner had been determined by December 1, 2025.

Fall 2025 festival prizes at Venice or Toronto made those winning films newly eligible for the Cannes 2026 main Competition.


Who seems best-positioned to take over the MAGA movement after Trump's exit?

Between September 1 and December 1, 2025, J.D. Vance remained the leading figure in public 2028 Republican presidential primary polling among non-Trump MAGA-aligned politicians.

Public 2028 Republican primary polls released after August 31, 2025 showed J.D. Vance ahead of Ron DeSantis nationally.

Donald Trump did not formally endorse J.D. Vance for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination between September 1 and December 1, 2025.

In a post-August 31, 2025 CBS 60 Minutes interview, Donald Trump said he was not allowed to run for a third presidential term.

In a post-August 31, 2025 CBS 60 Minutes interview, Donald Trump mentioned J.D. Vance as a possible future Republican standard-bearer.

In a post-August 31, 2025 CBS 60 Minutes interview, Donald Trump mentioned Marco Rubio as a possible future Republican standard-bearer.

Marco Rubio remained a major Trump administration figure through December 1, 2025.

Ron DeSantis did not launch a 2028 presidential campaign between September 1 and December 1, 2025.

Donald Trump Jr. did not launch a 2028 presidential campaign between September 1 and December 1, 2025.

Tucker Carlson did not launch a 2028 presidential campaign between September 1 and December 1, 2025.

Charlie Kirk was assassinated in September 2025.

Turning Point USA named Erika Kirk as its new chief executive after Charlie Kirk’s death.

J.D. Vance played a prominent public role in the mourning and memorialization of Charlie Kirk after Kirk’s September 2025 assassination.

Tucker Carlson released an interview with Nick Fuentes in October 2025.

Tucker Carlson’s October 2025 Nick Fuentes interview triggered a major public backlash inside the conservative movement.

Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts publicly defended Tucker Carlson after Carlson’s Nick Fuentes interview.

Kevin Roberts later apologized for his initial response to the Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes controversy.

In November 2025, Donald Trump publicly withdrew his support for Marjorie Taylor Greene.

In November 2025, Marjorie Taylor Greene announced that she would resign from Congress effective January 2026.

The November 2025 Epstein files fight produced a visible public split between Donald Trump and some MAGA-aligned Republicans.

Donald Trump signed an Epstein files disclosure bill in November 2025 after congressional pressure from both parties.

Democrats won the Virginia governor’s race in November 2025.

Democrats won the New Jersey governor’s race in November 2025.

The November 2025 off-year elections were widely interpreted as a setback for Republicans under Trump’s second-term leadership.

The federal government shutdown that began in October 2025 became the longest shutdown in United States history.

No major MAGA-aligned politician other than J.D. Vance emerged between September 1 and December 1, 2025 as a clearer national successor to Trump in polling, officeholding, and elite signaling.


Who will likely win political office in Louisiana next year?

Donald Trump publicly endorsed Bill Cassidy for reelection to the U.S. Senate after August 31, 2025 and before December 1, 2025.

Donald Trump publicly endorsed John Fleming in the 2026 Louisiana U.S. Senate race after August 31, 2025 and before December 1, 2025.

Bill Cassidy announced between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025 that he would not seek reelection to the U.S. Senate in 2026.

John Fleming remained an active Republican candidate for the 2026 Louisiana U.S. Senate race as of December 1, 2025.

Former U.S. Representative Garret Graves entered the 2026 Louisiana U.S. Senate race between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025.

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry publicly endorsed a challenger to Bill Cassidy in the 2026 U.S. Senate race between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025.

Former Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards announced a 2026 U.S. Senate campaign between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025.

A major Democratic candidate with prior statewide or federal elected experience entered the 2026 Louisiana U.S. Senate race between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025.

At least one public poll released between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025 showed Bill Cassidy trailing John Fleming among Louisiana Republican primary voters.

At least one public poll released between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025 showed Bill Cassidy leading John Fleming among Louisiana Republican primary voters.

No court ruling or legislative action between September 1, 2025 and December 1, 2025 reversed Louisiana’s plan to use party primaries for 2026 federal elections.

The U.S. Supreme Court reheard Louisiana v. Callais after August 31, 2025 and before December 1, 2025.

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a final merits decision in Louisiana v. Callais before December 1, 2025.

As of December 1, 2025, Louisiana’s 2026 congressional map remained uncertain because Louisiana v. Callais had not been finally resolved.

As of December 1, 2025, Cleo Fields was still the incumbent representative from Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District.

As of December 1, 2025, no 2026 Louisiana federal-election candidate qualifying deadline had passed.

Helena Moreno won the 2025 New Orleans mayoral election before December 1, 2025.

Helena Moreno’s 2025 New Orleans mayoral win indicated a Republican breakthrough in New Orleans municipal politics.