Visa and Mastercard report 4% growth in holiday sales

The two biggest credit card companies are reporting 4-percent growth in U-S holiday retail sales. Visa and Mastercard released the figures, showing that consumers largely shrugged off their economic worries. According to the data, shoppers were more deliberate with their purchases by shopping early and leaning on promotions to get the best deals. Sales of electronics like TVs and smartphones led spending in Visa transactions, while Mastercard said its card users focused on clothing and jewelry.

Justice Department needs a “few more weeks” to release all Epstein documents

The Justice Department says authorities have uncovered “over a million more documents” related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In a Christmas Eve announcement, the DOJ said it may need a “few more weeks” to release all of its records on Epstein. It further delays compliance with last week’s congressionally mandated deadline to make all the files public. The news came as a surprise after department officials suggested months ago that a comprehensive review of the documents had taken place. A dozen U-S senators have called on the Justice Department’s watchdog to examine its failure to meet the deadline.

GOP Promises Thorough Oversight Hearings On Trump Executive Moves

Greta Thunberg Arrested in London

LONDON (AP) – Activist Greta Thunberg was arrested in central London Tuesday while supporting pro-Palestinian activists who are staging a hunger strike. Correspondent Bernie Bennett has detials.

VERBATIM:
The protest group Prisoners for Palestine shared a video showing the 22-year-old Swede holding a sign supporting the hunger strikers and their organization, known as Palestine Action. The British government earlier this year banned Palestine Action as a terrorist organization.

The activists were protesting their imprisonment while awaiting trial on charges related to a series of earlier demonstrations.

Thunberg has repeatedly been fined in Sweden and the U.K. for civil disobedience in connection with protests.

Bernie Bennett reporting.

A new Gallup poll asks Americans about Christmas

A new Gallup poll asks Americans about Christmas

VERBATIM:  88% of us will celebrate the holiday on Thursday — down from 96% who did so 20 years ago.  But while secular forms of celebration remain popular, religious ones are in decline.  Fewer Americans will be going anywhere near a church and fewer put out Nativity scenes or other religious displays at their homes.  Even self-identified Christians are changing their ways.  Just 61% of them say they attend church on Christmas Eve — down from 73% in 2010.  MH REPORTING

AM SPORTSCAST – 12-25-2025

AM SPORTSCAST – 12-25-2025