President Vladimir Putin has accused European countries of being on the side of war and putting forward proposals to end the conflict in Ukraine that they knew would be unacceptable. He added that Russia was ready for a wider war with Europe if that's what they wanted. Mr Putin was speaking shortly before he started talks with President Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner in Moscow.
Also in the programme: a rising death toll after floods in Indonesia; and a Faberge egg sells for millions at auction.
(Photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin, presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev and foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov attend a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, December 2, 2025. CREDIT: Sputnik/Alexander Kazakov/Pool via REUTERS)
It’s common knowledge that good performance in midterm elections hinges on one key issue: the economy.
The Left knows this, and it knows that Trump’s economy is not only doing better than last year at this time during the Biden administration, but it’s doing better than any time in history. Victor Davis Hanson explains the strategy behind the Democrats’ attempt to distract Americans from booming growth before the 2026 midterms on today’s episode of “Victor Davis Hanson: In a Few Words.”
“The economy is going to boom in 2026 and the Left knows that. So, what is their strategy? Don't talk about the Trump economy. And we've seen what? Go after Tesla. Firebomb Tesla dealerships. Drive Tesla off, automobiles off the road because Elon Musk was the prince of darkness and he was involved in DOGE. Demonize DOGE. Go after ICE. Have street theater. Have riots. Call them Gestapo. Say they're worse than Hitler. Go after the National Guard that has cleaned up Washington, D.C. Encourage massive resistance. Call it illegal. Shut down the government.”
P.M. Edition for Dec. 2. Blue Origin is gaining momentum in its quest to land astronauts on the moon. WSJ’s Micah Maidenberg discusses the company’s challenge to Elon Musk’s SpaceX. And Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defends the September strike that killed survivors of an initial attack on the alleged drug boat, but says he didn’t see the second strike. Plus, Michael Dell and his wife Susan Dell donate $6.25 billion to expand the Trump administration’s plan to provide savings accounts for young children. Sabrina Siddiqui hosts.
An artificial-intelligence tool assisted in the making of this episode by creating summaries that were based on Wall Street Journal reporting and reviewed and adapted by an editor.
During the over two years of war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, there has also been violence in the other Palestinian Territory— the West Bank, which has been under Israeli occupation for decades. There have been waves of attacks by Israeli settlers, some of which have been deadly. And arrests of residents, which Israel says is for its own security. Israel has also been quietly redistricting the land. It’s the same land Palestinians want for a future state and they fear it is being annexed by Israel. We go there to see what it means on the ground.
The longest government shutdown in U.S. history ended a little over two weeks ago. Federal workers are back on the job. But one of the biggest fights that helped fuel that shutdown remains unresolved.
The enhanced subsidies that help millions of people afford health plans on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces are set to expire at the end of this year. Meanwhile, open enrollment for 2026 coverage is underway.
Today we have back our Consultant of War and the Joe House of the podcast, Patrick Hultgren, to talk about Pete Hegseth, the war crime memes, and we go over our favorite new theory about Trump: He’s spending all his time planning his big new fancy ballroom and doesn’t care anymore what happens with the government, which is why all these cabinet dudes are just doing their own agendas and pardoning random drug lords with no comment at all from the White House. Enjoy a day early!
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Holiday shopping isn’t just about deals at the mall - it can be a great time to think about the businesses benefitting from all that spending. In today’s episode of Motley Fool Money, Host Emily Flippen is joined by analysts Jason Hall and Asit Sharma to talk holiday consumer trends and two “Rule Breaking” stocks they’re putting on their 2025 wishlists.
Emily, Jason, and Asit discuss:
- How Black Friday and holiday shopping trends are shaping the story for consumer-facing businesses.
- Jason and Asit each share one Rule-Breaker style stock they think belongs on investors’ holiday lists.
- How to build your own holiday shopping list of stocks without chasing every hot deal or fad.
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An escalating artificial intelligence race between China and the U.S. is drawing comparisons to the Cold War, and is likely to be just as consequential. As the technology barrels ahead from ChatGPT to DeepSeek and beyond, the competition is now primarily focused on advanced computer chips, but some worry that the race to innovate will lead to loosening safety regulations. WSJ’s Josh Chin explains China’s strategy to Ryan Knutson.
Plus: EU court says Apple can face Dutch antitrust lawsuits. And the Trump administration will invest up to $150 million in chip startup xLight. Julie Chang hosts.
