Our country is facing an energy crisis. No, not because of new demand from data centers or AI. Instead, it’s because utilities in nearly every state, due to government imposed “renewable” mandates, self-imposed mandates, and the supercharging of the Green New Scam under the so-called “Inflation Reduction Act,” have been shutting down vital coal resources and building out almost exclusively intermittent and costly resources like solar, wind, and battery storage.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), has achieved unprecedented border security milestones, with illegal border crossings reaching the lowest levels ever recorded at the start of a fiscal year.
Preliminary data for October and November 2025 show a continued historic decline in apprehensions and encounters, reflecting the effectiveness of President Trump’s policies and leadership.
Since President Trump took office on January 20, 2025, total enforcement encounters along the southwest border through the end of November stand at 117,105—37% below the monthly average of 185,625 recorded during the Biden administration.
U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions have averaged under 10,000 per month, described by DHS as “a level of deterrence unmatched in modern border history”.
Daily apprehensions along the southwest border now average just 245—fewer than 11 per hour—and a stunning 95% reduction from the Biden-era daily average of 5,110 (February 2021-December 2024). For comparison, December 2023 saw 336 illegal crossers apprehended every hour during the height of the prior administration’s border crisis—more than today’s entire daily total.
In October 2025, nationwide Border Patrol encounters and apprehensions totaled 30,573, distinctively down from 142,742 in October 2024, 309,605 in October 2023, and 278,317 in October 2022.
Preliminary data for November 2025 show 30,367 encounters, slightly lower than October’s record low. Combined, October and November recorded just 60,940 encounters—the lowest two-month start to any fiscal year on record and 28% below the previous low of 84,293 set in FY2012.
“Once again, we have a record low number of encounters at the border and the 7th straight month of zero releases. Month after month, we are delivering results that were once thought impossible: the most secure border in history and unmatched enforcement successes,” said Secretary Kristi Noem. “Thanks to President Trump’s leadership and the dedication of DHS law enforcement, America’s borders are safer than ever before.”
Every individual apprehended is processed for removal in accordance with the law, reversing Biden-era policies that pulled agents from the field to facilitate mass releases, leaving hundreds of miles of border unpatrolled for extended periods.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
What a difference a year makes. As President Trump highlighted in his speech in Pennsylvania Tuesday, by any number of metrics, the economy is barreling full steam ahead. The sign he stood in front of said it all: “lower prices, bigger paychecks.” And the data backs him up. As he said Tuesday: “Pennsylvania is winning again.” Those words are no hollow rallying cry, they reflect real results.
Just weeks ago, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) revised its estimates for second-quarter 2025 economic growth, and the results were dramatic. Real gross domestic product surged at an annualized 3.8 percent rate, far stronger than the 3.0 percent estimate given just months earlier. It’s a stunning rebound after the last six months of the Biden era, when growth came in at 3.3 percent for the third quarter of 2024 and a truly anemic 1.9 percent for the fourth quarter.
That isn’t just chump change – that kind of growth doesn’t happen when consumers and businesses are on edge. It happens when Americans are confident, when households are spending, and when businesses are investing. As the BEA itself noted, this uptick came largely from rising consumer spending and a drop in imports (imports are subtracted from GDP).
What’s more, the “real final sales to private domestic purchasers” (which strips out the wild swings from trader and inventories and zeroes in on actual domestic demand) – one of the metrics economists use to compare one quarter to another – rose 2.9 percent in Q2. That’s a full percentage point stronger than previously believed.
This is no small rebound. After a rough start in 2025, with a slight contraction in Q1, the second quarter delivered a burst of energy, and proved that policies set in motion by the Trump administration are working.
You don’t have to stare at macroeconomic spreadsheets to sense the shift. Many Americans are now spending dollars, investing in their kids’ futures, stocking up the pantry, and buying gifts.
The 2025 Black Friday weekend delivered record-breaking numbers. According to Adobe Analytics, which tracks e-commerce, “U.S. consumers spent a record $11.8 billion online … marking a 9.1% jump from last year,” reported the Associated Press. And it wasn’t just Black Friday that set a record – consumers spent $6.4 billion online on Thanksgiving Day itself, another record.
That’s not just digital “click traffic;” that’s real money moving – money that represents families who feel secure enough to spend, businesses stockpiling inventory, and entrepreneurs launching new ventures. That kind of consumer vitality ripples outward.
As President Trump put it Tuesday in Pennsylvania: “We are bringing back real value to the American people.” That resonates – because people across income levels just proved with their wallets that they believe in this comeback.
Beyond holiday shopping and GDP headlines lies another signal of confidence and strength: retirement. Per the latest data from Fidelity Investments, the number of Americans with at least $1 million in their 401(k) accounts just hit a new record. About 654,000 Americans are now 401(k) millionaires – up sharply from 595,000 at the end of June, and up from 544,000 a year ago, representing a 20% surge from the Biden years.
This isn’t just financial fluff for the wealthy – this is a genuine barometer of middle-class Americans putting faith in the markets, stocks, and long-term saving. It means that working people who stashed cash through decades of effort are now seeing those savings efforts rewarded.
The rising number of 401(k) millionaires couldn’t have come at a better time. With traditional pensions disappearing, millions of Americans are forced to rely on defined-contribution retirement plans. The climb in 401(k) balances signals that people are adapting and succeeding.
Put together – the 3.8 percent GDP growth, the Thanksgiving/Black Friday spending splurge, the record-high 401(k) millionaires – and one conclusion becomes clear: the Trump economy is booming.
When families feel confident enough to save, invest, and spend, that’s when you know the recovery has legs. President Trump and his administration have laid the groundwork – lower regulation, pro-growth policies, and a renewed sense of optimism.
Tuesday in Pennsylvania, President Trump didn’t just talk about jobs and tariffs, he talked about restoring American dignity and opportunity. “We’re bringing back real value,” he said. And with the data now piling up, “real value” isn’t just a slogan. It’s a restoration of America’s economic foundation.
At this moment, for Americans across the board, the comeback isn’t merely a promise. It’s happening. And you can feel it, see it, and invest in it.
Despite Halloween being long over, Katie Hobbs has decided to spend the Christmas season playing dress-up as a Trump-loving, tax-cutting, leader of the middle and working class.
On November 20th, Governor Hobbs released her so-called “Tax Cuts for Middle-Class Arizonans” plan. If some of these concepts sound familiar, that’s because every single provision in her plan was word-for-word copied straight out of the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) tax package signed into law by President Trump on July 4th:
Increase the standard deduction from $15,000 to $15,750 for single filers, $31,500 for joint filers – straight from the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB)
Adding an additional $6,000 deduction for seniors over 65 – straight from the OBBB
Deducting tipped income from taxable income – straight from the OBBB
Deducting overtime income – straight from the OBBB
Deducting car-loan interest on new American-made vehicles – again, right out of the OBBB
So, after spending months opposing the OBBB, trashing Congressional Republicans, and urging its defeat, Hobbs has now decided to pretend that it was her idea all along…
Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs is pressing House Republican leadership to move quickly on a sweeping market-based overhaul of federal health-care policy, as enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies approach their scheduled expiration at the end of 2025.
In a letter co-signed by House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris (R-MD) and Reps. Eric Burlison (R-MO), Clay Higgins (R-LA), and Eli Crane (R-AZ-02), Biggs wrote, “Republicans have solutions, and it’s time to implement them.”
The proposal outlined by Biggs is designed as a free-market alternative to Obamacare and reflects key elements of President Donald Trump’s healthcare agenda. Supporters argue the framework would shift federal policy away from government subsidies and toward consumer-driven healthcare.
“The time for half measures is over,” Biggs wrote to Speaker Johnson. “The American people deserve healthcare reform built on freedom, affordability, flexibility, and choice—not more subsidies, red tape, or handouts for insurance companies.”
🚨ICYMI: I’m leading the push for comprehensive healthcare reform.
Republicans have solutions, and it’s time to implement them.
Under the proposal, conservatives would allow the expanded ACA premium tax credits to expire, arguing the subsidies have inflated healthcare costs, expanded federal dependency, and funneled taxpayer dollars through insurance companies rather than directly to patients. As Breitbart News noted, the framework draws on nine Republican proposals, including those of Reps. Greg Steube (R-FL), Tim Walberg (R-MI), Kevin Hern (R-OK), Bob Onder (R-MO), Chris Smith (R-NJ), Gary Palmer (R-AL), and Chip Roy (R-TX), as well as Senator Rick Scott (R-FL), and Rep. Andy Biggs’s own Health Savings Accounts for All Act.
The framework emphasizes expanded Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), allowing individuals to use tax-advantaged dollars for insurance premiums, prescriptions, and other medical expenses. It also promotes interstate insurance competition and expanded access through Association Health Plans; reforms aimed at lowering costs through market competition.
Biggs and his fellow conservatives argue that Obamacare’s structure relies too heavily on mandates, subsidies, and centralized control, which they say have driven up premiums while limiting consumer choice, particularly for self-employed individuals and those in the gig economy.
The plan also includes provisions to codify restrictions on taxpayer funding for abortion and reinforce conscience protections for healthcare providers, aligning with longstanding conservative policy priorities.
For Arizona, the debate carries direct implications for large numbers of independent contractors, small-business owners, and self-employed workers who often face high ACA marketplace premiums and limited plan options. Expanded HSAs and portable insurance plans could offer greater flexibility for those groups.
“This is a clear blueprint,” Biggs added in his letter to Speaker Johnson, “Americans should be able to take cost-sharing reduction payments and underlying Obamacare subsidies straight into their pockets, giving them control instead of funneling money through insurers.”
At the same time, thousands of Arizonans currently rely on ACA subsidies to offset insurance costs. If Congress allows those enhanced credits to expire without a complete replacement, some households could see premiums rise sharply in the short term.
The framework is not a single bill, but a coordinated package of existing legislative proposals intended to serve as the backbone of a broader GOP healthcare overhaul. With subsidies set to sunset in 2025, and 2026 midterm elections looming, Republican lawmakers face growing pressure to either replace the current system or risk widespread premium increases ahead of the 2026 election cycle.
Fellow Arizona Congressman Eli Crane, who co-signed the letter, amplified the effort on X, writing, “Let’s get it done.”
Biggs concluded his call-to-action writing, “The House must act with clarity and conviction. These reforms should be brought to the floor without delay. If we plant our flag now, we can rebuild a healthcare system that reflects true conservative principles and puts power back where it belongs, in the hands of patients, not bureaucrats or insurance companies.”
Biggs’ push effectively forces the debate into the open. It will compel Congressional Republicans to publicly choose between pursuing a complete market-based reset of federal healthcare policy or seeking a more limited adjustment to the existing ACA structure.
