Nick Fuentes Admits He’s Never Had Sex, RizzBot Gets Punched, Trump Gets Accused of Mortgage Fraud
Tuesday, December 9, 2025
Welcome to The Instrum-Intel Daily, where we break down what you need to know, and why, using What? So What? Now What?.
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Politics • The Trump Administration • Climate • AI & Tech • Culture • Education • What the Right is Reading • Etc. •
Politics
Headline: Nick Fuentes admits he's never slept with a woman | The Daily Beast
What?
The Daily Beast reports that white nationalist streamer Nick Fuentes admitted on air to never having been with a woman, sparking mockery even among his far-right fanbase.
So What?
The admission exposes the "incel" underpinnings of the modern far-right movement, where sexual frustration and misogyny are key radicalization drivers disguised as "traditional values."
Now What?
Watch for: A splintering in the "Groyper" movement as alpha-male influencers distance themselves from Fuentes to maintain their "masculine" brand. Further reading: The Daily Beast.
Headline: 31% of wealth owned by people over 70 | Apollo Academy
What?
Apollo Academy reports that Americans over age 70 now hold a record 31% of the nation's total wealth, underscoring a historic generational economic imbalance.
So What?
This massive concentration of capital among the elderly exacerbates housing unaffordability and wealth inequality for younger voters, creating a potent "generational warfare" dynamic that progressives can leverage to push for inheritance taxes and wealth redistribution.
Now What?
Watch for: "Ok Boomer" economic messaging in the 2026 midterms and policy proposals focused on down-payment assistance funded by taxes on static wealth.
Headline: Global reactions to Trump's second term | BBC
What?
The BBC compiles international responses to the first year of Trump's second term, revealing a deepening divide between emboldened populist leaders in Europe and South America versus wary traditional allies in NATO who are accelerating their own strategic autonomy.
So What?
This geopolitical fragmentation forces progressive campaigners to look beyond traditional international coalitions for support, as the "liberal world order" can no longer be relied upon as a stabilizing force against right-wing populism.
Now What?
Watch for: New EU defense pacts that explicitly exclude the US, and trade realignments from Asian allies hedging against American volatility.
Headline: Axios AM: Daily political briefing | Axios
What?
Axios AM covers the latest legislative gridlock as the Trump administration clashes with state governors over federal funding, alongside updates on the "No Robot Bosses" legislation gaining steam.
So What?
The friction between state and federal power is becoming the defining legal battleground of 2025, offering a roadmap for how blue states can effectively stall or nullify federal overreach.
Now What?
Watch for: A rise in "states' rights" arguments coming from Democrats, flipping the traditional partisan script on federalism.
The Trump Administration
Headline: Trump mortgage fraud allegations | ProPublica
What?
ProPublica investigates allegations that Donald Trump claimed multiple properties as his "principal residence" to secure favorable mortgage rates and tax benefits in Florida, potentially constituting bank fraud.
So What?
While legal consequences are unlikely while he is in office, the report provides concrete evidence of personal financial malfeasance that can be used to puncture his "populist billionaire" narrative.
Now What?
Watch for: State-level investigations in Florida or New York that could proceed despite federal immunity.
Headline: Dr. Oz at CMS tells employees to 'eat less' | Wired
What?
Wired reports that CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz sent an internal memo advising federal employees to "eat less" and avoid "double fisting" treats during the holidays, sparking outrage among staff.
So What?
The tone-deaf directive highlights the cultural disconnect between Trump appointees and the federal workforce, further demoralizing the "deep state" bureaucracy that the administration aims to dismantle or purge.
Now What?
Watch for: Leaks of more internal communications from agency heads and potential union grievances filed by federal worker associations over hostile work environments.
Headline: ICEBLOCK app lawsuit targets Trump/Apple | AP News
What?
The developer of "ICEBLOCK," an app tracking immigration enforcement, has sued the Trump administration and Attorney General Pam Bondi for coercing Apple to remove the app from the App Store.
So What?
This case represents a critical First Amendment test on whether the government can deputize private tech platforms to censor tools that aid civil disobedience or transparency, setting a precedent for digital activism.
Now What?
Watch for: Apple's legal response to the coercion claims and whether other "watchdog" apps face similar takedowns under national security pretexts.
Headline: Karoline Leavitt on ICE immigrant detention | AP News
What?
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the administration's expanded detention policies, asserting that recent raids are "just the beginning" of a targeted effort to remove undocumented immigrants with any police record.
So What?
Leavitt's rhetoric confirms that the administration is moving from planning to execution on mass deportation, normalizing aggressive enforcement tactics that were previously considered extreme.
Now What?
Watch for: Overnight raid reports in sanctuary cities and the subsequent legal battles over due process for detainees.
Headline: Supreme Court on Trump's executive firing power | AP News
What?
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case determining whether President Trump has the unilateral authority to fire members of independent regulatory boards, challenging decades of administrative law precedent.
So What?
A ruling in Trump's favor would effectively end the independence of agencies like the FTC and NLRB, consolidating immense economic and regulatory power within the White House and removing key checks on executive authority.
Now What?
Watch for: Amicus briefs from corporate lobbies who paradoxically might fear the instability of a politized Federal Reserve or SEC.
AI & Tech
Headline: IShowSpeed sued over 'RizzBot' incident | TechCrunch
What?
Streamer IShowSpeed is being sued for damaging a "RizzBot" humanoid robot during a live stream, raising novel legal questions about liability for violence against anthropomorphic hardware.
So What?
This bizarre story highlights the blurring lines between performance, property damage, and "robot rights" in the creator economy, serving as a bellwether for how society will treat increasingly realistic machines.
Now What?
Watch for: Twitch updating its Terms of Service to specifically address "violence against AI entities." Further reading: TechCrunch.
Headline: OpenAI's Sora app and Sam Altman's boredom | Business Insider
What?
Business Insider reports that despite the launch of a standalone Sora video app, Sam Altman has expressed "boredom" with the current state of AI video, signaling a pivot toward "reasoning" models instead.
So What?
Altman's dismissive attitude suggests that the "generative media" hype cycle may be peaking, and that the industry is pivoting toward more dangerous and impactful "agentic" AI that can perform labor rather than just make videos.
Now What?
Watch for: A decline in VC funding for "creative" AI tools and a surge in investment for "autonomous agents" that replace white-collar workflows.
Headline: Enthusiasm for OpenAI's Sora fades | Bloomberg
What?
Bloomberg reports that user engagement with OpenAI's text-to-video tool Sora has dropped significantly after the initial viral launch, as users find the tool difficult to control for professional workflows.
So What?
The engagement drop-off validates skeptic arguments that generative AI is a "solution in search of a problem" for high-end creative work, potentially bursting the AI valuation bubble if revenue doesn't materialize.
Now What?
Watch for: OpenAI introducing "pro" features or tiered pricing to try and capture the enterprise market that is currently churning.
Headline: FDA qualifies first AI tool for liver disease drug development | Reuters
What?
The FDA has officially qualified an AI tool designed to accelerate clinical trials for liver disease, marking a major regulatory milestone for AI in medicine.
So What?
This legitimatizes AI's role in the highly regulated pharma sector, moving the technology from "hype" to "infrastructure" and potentially speeding up drug discovery—though it raises questions about algorithmic bias in medical data.
Now What?
Watch for: Other medical specialties (oncology, cardiology) rushing to get their AI diagnostic tools FDA qualified.
Headline: 3D printing startup eyes $10M revenue | 3DPrint.com
What?
A University of Missouri spinout startup focused on advanced 3D printing manufacturing is projecting over $10 million in revenue for 2026, signaling growth in domestic deep-tech manufacturing.
So What?
This success story supports the "reshoring" narrative, showing that advanced manufacturing tech can create viable businesses in the Midwest, a key region for political and economic revitalization.
Now What?
Watch for: More university accelerators pivoting to hard-tech and manufacturing startups rather than just software.
Headline: Congress debates 'No Robot Bosses' legislation | Robotics & Automation News
What?
Congress is debating the "No Robot Bosses" Act, which would prohibit the use of automated decision systems for hiring, firing, and disciplining workers without human oversight.
So What?
This legislation is a crucial labor rights battlefront for the AI age, attempting to codify the right to "human explanation" in employment and prevent algorithmic management from becoming the standard.
Now What?
Watch for: Tech lobby efforts to water down the "human oversight" requirement to a mere "rubber stamp".
Headline: How Trump's Executive Order on AI impacts mental health advice | Forbes
What?
Forbes analyzes how Trump's deregulation-heavy AI Executive Order could remove safeguards for AI chatbots dispensing mental health advice, potentially exposing vulnerable users to harmful or unverified guidance.
So What?
By treating AI therapy bots as "free speech" rather than medical devices, the administration is prioritizing innovation speed over patient safety, risking a mental health crisis exacerbated by "hallucinating" therapists.
Now What?
Watch for: A class-action lawsuit from a family harmed by bad AI medical advice, which could force the courts to define liability.
Headline: Trump to sign order blocking state AI laws | TechCrunch
What?
TechCrunch confirms Trump's intent to sign an order blocking state AI regulations, noting that the move faces surprising bipartisan pushback from Republicans who favor states' rights and Democrats who favor safety.
So What?
The bipartisan resistance suggests that "Big Tech deregulation" isn't a guaranteed winner for Trump, and he may face a legislative revolt if he pushes too hard against the states.
Now What?
Watch for: A strange-bedfellows coalition of progressives and federalist conservatives trying to overturn the EO via the Congressional Review Act.
Climate
Headline: Inside Climate News: Trump Second Term Reckoning | Inside Climate News
What?
ICN's ongoing project chronicles the systematic dismantling of environmental protections in Trump's second term, tracking agency staff purges and the rollback of emissions standards.
So What?
This documentation is vital for legal challenges, providing the administrative record needed to sue the administration for "arbitrary and capricious" regulatory changes.
Now What?
Watch for: A major lawsuit from environmental NGOs using this data to challenge the EPA's new "do nothing" mandates.
Headline: IEA: World Energy Employment 2025 Executive Summary | IEA
What?
The IEA's 2025 report reveals that for the first time, clean energy jobs have decisively surpassed fossil fuel employment globally, with solar and grid modernization driving the surge.
So What?
This data point kills the "jobs vs. environment" argument; the economic reality is now that the energy transition is the primary engine of job growth, making fossil fuel protectionism a losing economic strategy.
Now What?
Watch for: Unions in fossil-heavy states using this data to demand "just transition" retraining funds rather than fighting to keep coal plants open.
Headline: SEIA: Third Largest Quarter on Record | SEIA
What?
The Solar Energy Industries Association reports that Q3 2025 was the third-largest quarter for solar installations on record, with 73% of that growth occurring in "red states" won by Trump.
So What?
The "Red State Solar Boom" creates a massive political firewall against Trump's anti-renewables agenda, as Republican governors and voters now have a direct economic stake in preserving the Inflation Reduction Act's tax credits.
Now What?
Watch for: Republican lawmakers from Texas and Florida quietly lobbying the White House to preserve solar incentives despite their public rhetoric.
Headline: Climate security implications of COP30 | Lawfare
What?
Lawfare analyzes the outcomes of COP30 in Brazil, focusing on how the breakdown of global climate diplomacy is forcing nations to treat climate change as a hard security threat (migration, resource wars) rather than just an environmental one.
So What?
The shift to "climate security" militarizes the climate response, which could lead to increased border hardening and conflict rather than cooperation, a dangerous turn for international relations.
Now What?
Watch for: The Pentagon releasing a new strategy document that explicitly plans for "climate conflicts" in the Global South.
Headline: Trump, offshore wind, and federal judges | NYT
What?
The NYT reports that a federal judge has temporarily blocked Trump's executive order halting offshore wind projects, ruling that the President cannot unilaterally cancel valid leases.
So What?
This is a rare win for the wind industry and proves that the "contract sanctity" argument is the most effective legal shield against Trump's energy agenda.
Now What?
Watch for: The DOJ appealing the ruling to the 5th Circuit, seeking a venue more sympathetic to executive power.
Headline: Lula orders roadmap to cut fossil fuel in Brazil | NBC Right Now
What?
Following COP30, Brazilian President Lula has ordered a national roadmap to phase down fossil fuel use, positioning Brazil as the leader of the "Green Global South" in contrast to the US retreat.
So What?
Brazil's leadership highlights the US's isolation on the world stage; while the US doubles down on oil, emerging economies are seizing the moral and economic high ground of the transition.
Now What?
Watch for: China and Brazil announcing a joint green technology trade partnership that excludes the US.
Culture
Headline: TPM: Private Equity killed media | Talking Points Memo
What?
Talking Points Memo publishes a retrospective on how private equity acquisitions dismantled the digital media landscape over the last decade, stripping assets and firing journalists to squeeze short-term profits.
So What?
The hollowness of the current media ecosystem—where outlets are too understaffed to hold power accountable—is a direct result of financialization, not just "changing habits," necessitating new non-profit models for journalism.
Now What?
Watch for: More journalists launching worker-owned cooperatives or Substack collectives to escape the PE cycle. Further reading: Talking Points Memo.
Headline: Jared Kushner, Paramount, and Warner Bros Discovery | The New York Times
What?
The NYT reports on Jared Kushner's investment firm exploring a bid for assets from the struggling Paramount/Warner Bros Discovery merger, potentially expanding the Trump family's influence into mainstream entertainment media.
So What?
A Kushner-owned legacy media studio would represent the final merger of Trump politics and Hollywood entertainment, creating a propaganda machine with deep cultural reach and a massive content library.
Now What?
Watch for: Antitrust regulators (if any remain independent) scrutinizing the deal for political conflicts of interest. Further reading: The New York Times.
What the Right is Reading
Headline: SCOTUS should not let climate lawfare set policy | Eurasia Review
What?
An op-ed in Eurasia Review argues that the Supreme Court must intervene to stop "climate lawfare"—lawsuits by cities and states against oil majors—asserting that energy policy belongs to Congress, not the courts.
So What?
This argument previews the likely conservative legal strategy to kill the wave of climate liability suits, potentially granting oil companies immunity from paying for climate damages.
Now What?
Watch for: The Supreme Court taking up the Honolulu v. Sunoco case to potentially issue a sweeping ruling blocking state climate torts.
Headline: Fox News: Afghan watchdog on weapons left behind | Fox News
What?
Fox News highlights a new SIGAR report claiming that US weapons left in Afghanistan have become the "core" of the Taliban's security apparatus, reigniting criticism of the 2021 withdrawal.
So What?
This story is being weaponized to argue against *any* future foreign aid or military support (including to Ukraine), reinforcing the "America First" isolationist narrative that foreign engagement is always a waste.
Now What?
Watch for: Congressional Republicans citing this report to block the next foreign aid package. Further reading: Fox News.
Headline: Fox News: Mamdani appoints convicted armed robber | Fox News
What?
Fox News attacks NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani for appointing a formerly incarcerated person (convicted of armed robbery) to his public safety transition team.
So What?
The right is using this appointment to paint progressive criminal justice reform as "pro-criminal," attempting to wedge moderate Democrats away from the party's left flank on public safety issues.
Now What?
Watch for: The NY Post running this story on the front page for a week to damage Mamdani's polling numbers. Further reading: Fox News.
Headline: National Center: CVS breaks free from HRC | National Center
What?
The conservative National Center celebrates CVS Health's decision to cut ties with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and its Corporate Equality Index following shareholder activism.
So What?
This marks another victory for the "anti-woke" corporate pressure campaign, showing that companies are increasingly capitulating to conservative boycotts by rolling back LGBTQ+ support to protect their stock price.
Now What?
Watch for: HRC releasing a "shame list" of corporations that have backtracked, trying to mobilize a counter-boycott from the left. Further reading: National Center.
