The board of Warner Bros. Discovery rejects Paramount's hostile bid. Meanwhile, Nick Reiner appeared for the first time in Los Angeles Superior Court and was denied bail. And for nearly a year, Times reporters have been covering the rebuilding efforts in Pacific Palisades, following the devastating fires that destroyed thousands of homes. Meanwhile, Times reporters are reporting that four alleged members of a child sex abuse network have been charged; investigators say the group, CVLT, is mostly dismantled, but has splintered into another entity. Also, some exciting news for sports fans: it may be a bit easier to score tickets to the World Cup in 2026, with a new supporter entry tier for tickets at a fixed rate of $60. And, just up the 101 in Santa Barbara, the city's newspaper, the Santa Barbara News-Press, is back and with a new editor. In business, experts are saying L.A. County's $700 million estimate to retrofit its old headquarters is grossly inflated, and Instacart is facing backlash following an AI experiment that charged customers different prices for the same items.
Omnibus - Penn Cove Whale Capture (Entry 916.JB0712)
Wherein dozens of Orca were kidnapped in an unspeakable scene and Christopher didn’t bring a laptop (and John didn’t have a camera yet). Certificate #41344.
Curious City - Krampus is coming: The Christmas demon’s Chicago connection
On the morning of St. Nicholas Day, good kids rush downstairs to see what kind of gifts might be in their shoes. The bad kids? Unfortunately they might get a visit from Krampus, an ancient monster that has naughty children praying for a lump of coal instead.
The origins of this half-goat, half-man folklore character date back centuries, largely to German-speaking countries in Europe. But these days, Krampus is more popular than ever — especially in America, with parades, festivals, Hollywood horror films, Ocean Spray commercials and endless amounts of merchandise. That popularity is largely attributed to Chicagoan Monte Beauchamp, who first published images of Krampus in his alternative comic magazine, Blab!, in 2000.
“I can't believe what's taken place since I introduced Krampus in the pages of Blab! Magazine, which led to a book, and then from there it just exploded,” Beauchamp told Curious City.
In our last episode, we looked at a long-running holiday tradition in Chicago, Goodman Theatre’s rendition of “A Christmas Carol.” In today’s episode, we explore the origins of this very different kind of Christmas tradition and its curious local connection.
Stuff They Don't Want You To Know - CLASSIC: The True Cost of Gasoline
For most of modern history, the world has run on oil. In the US and abroad, the price of gasoline is often the subject of intense concern, and prices at the pump vary widely. The difference of a few dollars per gallon can incite widespread unrest. But there's a question rarely asked: How much should gas actually cost?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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San Francisco is an iconic looking city, so it's a little surprising that more movies aren't shot here. There are a lot of reasons for that -- cost being a main one -- but there are some very cool movies both set and filmed here. Olivia discusses some of the best ones with San Francisco Chronicle writer Peter Hartlaub and resident KQED movie obsessive, Carly Severn.
Additional Resources:
- The Best San Francisco Movies to Stream This Holiday Season
- Read the transcript for this episode
- Sign up for our newsletter
- Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest
- Got a question you want answered? Ask!
Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts
This story was reported by Carly Severn and Peter Hartlaub. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED.
WSJ What’s News - The ‘New Silk Road’ of Cheap Chinese Goods
A.M. Edition for Dec. 18. WSJ reporter Chelsey Dulaney says the redirection of China’s export machine caused by a U.S. crackdown on low-value imports is one of the most dramatic examples of how President Trump’s trade war has rewired global trade. Plus, Trump uses a prime-time address to announce tariff-funded dividends for troops. And Warner Bros. Discovery demands a stronger personal guarantee from Larry Ellison in Paramount Skydance’s $77.9 billion takeover bid. Luke Vargas hosts.
Sign up for the WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter.
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The Daily - Congress Failed to Extend the Health Care Subsidies. Now What?
This week, despite a last-ditch effort by some House Republicans to strike a deal on health care, Congress remains deadlocked on whether to extend support for millions of Americans who get their health care through the Affordable Care Act.
Margot Sanger-Katz, who covers health care policy, explains who will be most affected by the decision.
Then, we hear directly from some of the Americans who will now face a decision: whether to keep paying for rising insurance costs or to risk going without it.
Guest: Margot Sanger-Katz, a reporter for The New York Times who covers health care policy and government spending.
Background reading:
- Four Republicans joined Democrats’ bid to force a vote on health subsidies.
- Obamacare users will be asked to pay more for plans that cover less.
Photo: Eric Lee for The New York Times
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.
Start Here - Code Red: Some Republicans Defect Over Obamacare
Feeling the heat over economic worries, several moderate Republicans buck the White House to force a vote on Obamacare subsidies. Military analysts question how the president will enforce his “blockade” of sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers. And Nick Reiner makes his first court appearance after allegedly murdering Rob Reiner and Michele Singer.
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The Daily Detail - The Daily Detail for 12.18.25
Alabama
- Congressman Moore supports Tuberville's bill to ban Sharia Law nationwide
- Celebration of Life ceremony to be on 12/22 for Ella Cook of Mountain Brook
- AJ McCarron drops out of Lt. Governor's race in 2026 to coach football
- Former UAB doctor serving within NIAID now suing Trump admin. for firing
- Cullman man charged with secret surveillance in restroom at wastewater plant
- Congressoman Aderholt says relocation of US Space Command to have dramatic economic effect for Huntsville and the state
National
- President Trump gives speech that lists the accomplishments of his administration since taking office 11 months ago
- DC court rules that President can deploy National Guard to DC
- House Speaker says agenda in 2026 to be aggressive in codifying Trump policies
- House passes bill that criminalizes transgender surgeries for minors
- Dan Bongino to leave his position in January as Deputy FBI director
- Fani Willis has meltdown in GA senate committee over her payment of Nathan Wade
What A Day - Why Is Trump So Obsessed With Rep. Ilhan Omar
President Trump has made multiple xenophobic comments about Somali immigrants over the past few weeks, following the findings of an investigation into social services fraud in Minnesota. Many of those arrested were of Somali origin or background — but since the President just pardoned a CEO convicted for fraud, it’s hard to believe he’s really concerned about the, you know, fraud. His remarks really indicate he’s much more interested in being racist – especially towards Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, who has come up repeatedly in the President’s rants. We spoke to Representative Omar about the President’s attacks against her and the Somali American community, her work in Congress, and whether healthcare really can be saved before the new year.
And in headlines, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr fails at basic communication during a Senate oversight meeting, the Senate passes a ginormous $901 billion defense bill, and one of the two right-wing podcasters running the FBI is leaving the job in January.
Show Notes:
- Call Congress – 202-224-3121
- Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
- What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
- Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
- For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday
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