The Texas Bathroom Mafia Hotline, MTG Predicts, & Trump Fails Econ
Thursday, December 18, 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
Headline: Texas Launches Gender-Neutral Bathroom Complaint Hotline
What?
The Texas Women’s Privacy Act, effective December 4, 2025, requires political subdivisions and state agencies in Texas to designate multiple-occupancy private spaces for use by only one sex and provides a complaint form for reporting violations of this requirement.
So What?
This policy enforces strict sex-segregation in public spaces and institutions, raising civil liberties concerns and impacting transgender and gender nonconforming individuals’ access to facilities, while offering campaigners a focal point for advocacy and legal challenges.
Now What?
Watch for how complaints are filed and enforced under SB 8 and monitor legal and community responses to this policy, with further context available at the Texas Attorney General’s website and related civil rights analyses.
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Headline: Ghislaine Maxwell seeks to overturn conviction, citing new evidence | AP News | Apnews
What?
On Dec. 14, 2023, Ghislaine Maxwell filed a habeas corpus petition in Manhattan federal court seeking to overturn her 2021 sex trafficking conviction, citing new evidence and alleged constitutional violations that she says undermined the fairness of her trial.
So What?
This development highlights how legal transparency and the release of suppressed evidence can impact high-profile cases involving powerful figures, raising issues around accountability, due process, and the balance of power within the justice system that progressive campaigners often scrutinize.
Now What?
Watch for the public release of Epstein-related records mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act by Dec. 19, which may provide deeper insights into systemic abuses and influence ongoing debates about criminal justice reform and victim rights; further context is available at AP News.
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Headline: Home of the Marist Poll | Maristpoll
What?
The NPR/PBS News/Marist Poll conducted from December 8-11, 2025, surveyed 1,440 U.S. adults finding decreased concern about tariffs but increased worry over affordability, personal finances, healthcare costs, and overall economic outlook nationwide.
So What?
The persistent financial strain and declining optimism among Americans highlight critical opportunities for progressive campaigners to address economic inequality, healthcare accessibility, and cost-of-living crises while challenging narratives around trade and governance.
Now What?
Watch for upcoming policy proposals and political responses to economic dissatisfaction, healthcare affordability, and recession perceptions, with further context available through the full Marist Poll data and analyses on economic justice and public opinion trends.
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Headline: Marjorie Taylor Greene says 'the dam is breaking' on Trump's grip over Republican Party | Foxnews
What?
On Nov. 19, 2025, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene stated in a CNN interview that President Donald Trump's influence over the Republican Party is weakening as 13 House Republicans voted with Democrats to overturn a Trump executive order in Washington, D.C.
So What?
This internal GOP dissent signals fractures within a dominant political power structure, opening opportunities for progressives to exploit divisions and challenge Trump-aligned policies affecting federal labor rights.
Now What?
Watch for further Republican resistance to Trump-backed initiatives in Congress and the 2026 midterms, alongside analyses of the Protect America’s Workforce Act and its impact on union rights, with additional context available at Fox News and progressive labor advocacy sites.
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Headline: How Benny Johnson went from BuzzFeed plagiarist to MAGA's chief content creator | Motherjones
What?
Benny Johnson, a former BuzzFeed employee fired for plagiarism, has become a prominent pro-Trump influencer and propagandist producing high-volume content supporting the MAGA agenda across social media platforms in 2025.
So What?
Johnson’s rise illustrates how shamelessness and sycophancy toward power can amplify disinformation and far-right narratives, challenging progressive communicators to confront organized propaganda influencing public opinion and policy debates.
Now What?
Watch for Johnson’s continued amplification of anti-immigrant and conspiratorial messaging and note how his content is used in legal and political battles, as explored in related reporting on the Trump administration’s media strategies and far-right influence on public discourse.
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The Trump Administration
Headline: Trump Told by Alan Dershowitz Constitutionality of Third Term Is Unclear | Wall Street Journal
What?
Former Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz told President Trump the Constitution is "not clear" on whether he could serve a third term, discussing a draft book titled "Could President Trump Constitutionally Serve a Third Term?"
So What?
This academic exercise normalizes anti-democratic speculation while White House officials signal openness ("the American people would be lucky"), testing boundaries on constitutional term limits following Trump's repeated false 2020 election claims.
Now What?
Watch for: Publication of Dershowitz's book; additional White House statements on 2028; legal scholarship responses; Republican 2028 primary dynamics.
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Former special counsel Jack Smith testified to House Judiciary Committee that his team had "proof beyond a reasonable doubt" Trump engaged in a "criminal scheme" to overturn the 2020 election and willfully retained classified documents.
So What?
Smith's closed-door testimony preserves the factual record of Trump's actions as the administration retaliates against prosecutors who investigated January 6, with Republicans refusing his request for public testimony that would allow Americans to hear the evidence directly.
Now What?
Watch for: Release of Smith's full report; Congressional follow-up actions; targeting of additional prosecutors or FBI agents; public records requests for testimony transcript.
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Headline: They Prosecuted the Capitol Rioters. Now the Rioters and the DOJ Are After Them | Reuters
What?
Reuters reports that pardoned January 6 rioters are advising DOJ officials on pursuing the prosecutors who convicted them, as Ed Martin's "Weaponization Working Group" drafts a report that prosecutors fear will create pretexts for legal action or rioter payouts.
So What?
The systematic reversal of accountability—where violent offenders now counsel the Justice Department on targeting career prosecutors—represents an unprecedented corruption of law enforcement that threatens the rule of law and chills future prosecutions of political violence.
Now What?
Watch for: Release of Martin's working group report; any criminal referrals or disciplinary actions against prosecutors; civil lawsuits by pardoned rioters seeking damages; prosecutor resignations or transfers.
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Headline: Pam Bondi Wants FBI to Place Cash Bounties on Trans Activists | Pink News
What?
A leaked December 4 DOJ memo from AG Pam Bondi instructs the FBI to create a "cash reward system" for tips leading to arrests of "domestic terrorist organizations," targeting groups promoting "radical gender ideology," "anti-American sentiment," and "hostility towards traditional values" while making no mention of right-wing domestic terrorism.
So What?
The bounty system weaponizes federal law enforcement against constitutionally protected speech and activism, effectively creating financial incentives for citizens to report trans people and progressive activists while ignoring white supremacist violence that comprises the majority of U.S. domestic terrorism—conspiracy charges carry minimum five-year sentences.
Now What?
Watch for: Implementation timeline for bounty system; FBI's compiled list of "domestic terrorist organizations"; legal challenges from ACLU and civil liberties groups; surveillance and harassment of LGBTQ+ organizations.
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Headline: Defense Secretary Hegseth's Signal Leak Put Troops, Mission in 'Great Peril,' IG Says | The Fulcrum
What?
Defense Secretary Hegseth shared sensitive military plans via Signal chat that DOD Inspector General confirmed "could have put U.S. troops, their mission, and national security in great peril," involving the National Security Advisor and Vice President.
So What?
The casual handling of classified military information through consumer messaging apps—flagged by the IG as endangering troops—starkly contrasts with Trump's previous prosecution of leakers and reveals dangerous incompetence at the highest levels of Pentagon leadership.
Now What?
Watch for: DOD IG full report release; Congressional oversight hearings; any disciplinary actions against Hegseth or staff; comparison to classification protocols in previous administrations.
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Headline: FCC Deletes Reference to Agency Independence During U.S. Senate Hearing | Reuters
What?
During Senate testimony, FCC Chair Brendan Carr stated "the FCC is not an independent agency" and that Trump can remove commissioners without cause; minutes later, the FCC website was changed to remove "independent" from the agency description.
So What?
The real-time erasure of regulatory independence—combined with Trump's February executive order requiring FCC to submit regulations for White House review—concentrates unprecedented presidential control over telecommunications policy while two Democratic seats remain unfilled and the Supreme Court signals support for firing independent agency members.
Now What?
Watch for: Democratic FCC commissioner nominations (or continued vacancies); White House intervention in specific FCC rulemakings; Supreme Court ruling on Trump's authority to fire FTC members; challenges to Carr's authority.
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Headline: Big Tech Bent the Knee for Trump in 2025 | Engadget
What?
Major technology companies made multimillion-dollar inaugural donations and sought regulatory favors from Trump, including: Musk's $10M settlement and DOGE role, Google's $24.5M lawsuit settlement, Amazon's $1B AWS credits, Meta's $1M donation amid antitrust case, and industry-wide alignment with administration priorities.
So What?
The systematic capitulation of technology giants—through financial payments, dropped litigation, and policy alignment—concentrates power in an administration with demonstrated hostility toward press freedom and regulatory oversight, creating a closed loop between political and corporate power that undermines competition and accountability.
Now What?
Watch for: Favorable regulatory decisions for compliant tech companies; antitrust enforcement patterns; content moderation policy shifts; treatment of non-compliant platforms or companies; tech industry support for 2028 campaigns.
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AI & Tech
Headline: Texas sues biggest TV makers, alleging smart TVs spy on users without consent | Arstechnica
What?
In December 2025, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed lawsuits against Samsung, LG, Sony, Hisense, and TCL in Texas courts, accusing their smart TVs of secretly collecting and selling user data via Automated Content Recognition without meaningful consent.
So What?
This lawsuit highlights pressing civil liberties concerns over corporate surveillance and opaque data practices in consumer electronics, offering a strategic opportunity for campaigners to push for stronger privacy protections and transparency in tech industries.
Now What?
Watch for legal developments and court rulings on these cases, potential regulatory responses to smart TV data practices, and related advocacy efforts as detailed in reports by the Center for Digital Democracy and previous Ars Technica coverage on smart TV privacy issues.
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Headline: More than half of researchers now use AI for peer review — often against guidance | Nature
What?
A survey by Frontiers released on Dec. 11 found that over 50% of 1,600 researchers across 111 countries have used AI tools during peer review processes, often contrary to publisher guidelines prohibiting manuscript uploads to third-party AI services.
So What?
This widespread, often undisclosed AI use in peer review raises concerns about confidentiality, academic integrity, and transparency, highlighting a power imbalance between publishers' policies and researchers’ practices that progressive advocates can leverage to push for stronger, equitable AI governance frameworks in academia.
Now What?
Watch for evolving publisher policies and community responses on responsible AI integration in peer review, as well as further studies evaluating AI’s impact on research quality and ethical standards, such as Frontiers' in-house AI platform and ongoing academic experiments testing AI review capabilities like those involving GPT-5.
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What?
Preliminary construction has started at the planned OpenAI and Oracle hyperscale data center in Saline Township, Michigan, causing local residents to report nuisances amid pending regulatory approvals and ongoing disputes over construction traffic and community impact as of December 2025.
So What?
This case highlights the tensions between large corporate developments and local communities, underscoring challenges around environmental justice, community consent, and transparency that progressive campaigners can leverage to advocate for stronger local voice and oversight in tech-driven infrastructure projects.
Now What?
Watch for upcoming decisions from Michigan state regulators on energy contracts and environmental permits, community responses to construction developments, and further reporting on township board actions, with additional context available via local news coverage at MLive and updates from the Michigan Public Service Commission.
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Headline: The Real Race for an AI Moratorium: Stopping Data Centers | Techpolicy
What?
Across the United States in late 2025, rural and suburban communities from Michigan to Georgia are organizing and implementing moratoriums to resist the rapid construction of energy- and water-intensive hyperscale data centers by tech giants like Meta, Microsoft, and OpenAI, amid growing environmental, health, and infrastructure concerns.
So What?
This grassroots resistance highlights crucial power struggles over resource control and regulatory transparency, offering progressive campaigners a strategic opening to challenge the unchecked influence of mega-corporations on local environments, public utilities, and community health while advocating for equitable policy reforms.
Now What?
Watch for developments in state and federal debates on AI and data center moratoriums, especially policy moves by legislators like Senator Bernie Sanders, alongside ongoing community-led campaigns documented further at Tech Policy Press and advocacy group releases such as Citizens Action Coalition Indiana’s updates on moratorium efforts.
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Climate
Headline: Trump administration moves to dissolve national climate research lab in Colorado | AP News
What?
Trump administration announced plans to dissolve the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, which OMB Director Russ Vought called "one of the largest sources of climate alarmism"; the lab employs 830 staff and conducts severe weather prediction and natural disaster research managed for NSF by 130+ universities.
So What?
Dismantling the nation's premier atmospheric research institution undermines weather forecasting, disaster preparedness, and climate science capabilities while appearing to be political retaliation against Colorado Democrats; follows similar gutting of National Renewable Energy Lab; threatens public safety by removing infrastructure that helps predict floods, fires, and severe weather.
Now What?
Watch for: Congressional response from Colorado delegation, scientific community mobilization and litigation, impacts on weather forecast accuracy and disaster warnings, employee relocations, and damage to international scientific collaborations. Further reading: Washington Post, New York Times, Guardian.
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Headline: New report finds US energy bills have increased 13% in 2025 alone | MSN
What?
Climate Power report shows US electricity bills increased 13% since Trump took office; canceled or delayed clean energy projects total 24,958 MW (enough to power 13M homes); Texas leads nation with 943,501 households carrying utility debt; Center for American Progress found 9.6% average increase nationwide.
So What?
Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" gutting clean energy incentives drives costs up while administration claims to reduce prices; data center demand, aging infrastructure, and policy reversals create affordability crisis hitting low-income families hardest; contradicts "drill baby drill" promises as fossil fuel-centric policy proves more expensive.
Now What?
Watch for: Further price spikes through 2026, state-level responses to affordability crisis, utility disconnections and debt patterns, Congressional action on energy assistance programs, and midterm election impacts as Democrats seize on energy affordability message. Further reading: ABC News, CNN.
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What?
EPA launched webpage to streamline Clean Air Act permitting for data centers; Trump EO forbids state AI laws conflicting with federal policy; over 230 organizations call for nationwide data center moratorium; 14+ states have local moratoriums including Pennsylvania (Hazle Township rejected campus), Prince George's County MD (6-month halt), and eight Georgia localities.
So What?
Federal government bulldozes environmental review to prioritize tech industry profits over community health; residents face water depletion, air pollution from backup generators, and utility rate hikes with diminished local control; regulatory capture favoring hyperscalers like Meta, Amazon, and Google over affected communities.
Now What?
Watch for: Local moratorium battles, state vs. federal legal conflicts, Public Service Commission decisions on data center applications, community organizing and petition drives, and Congressional oversight hearings on environmental fast-tracking. Further reading: TechPolicy.Press national moratorium analysis, Ohio EPA water permit battles.
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Headline: Electric Utility Affordability Crisis Brewing in South Carolina | CleanTechnica
What?
Dominion Energy and Santee Cooper filed application for Canadys gas plant that doubled in cost from $2.5B to $5B (for data centers), seeking expedited PSC approval by June 2026; Dominion also announced 2026 rate increase; Trump EO threatens state "large load tariff" consumer protections; SC already has 20% average energy burden for low-income households (some areas exceeding 50%).
So What?
Ratepayers forced to subsidize massive data center infrastructure while tech companies escape paying fair share; new SC Energy Security Act allows utilities to seek annual rate increases with weakened oversight; crisis-level energy burden leaves families choosing between electricity, food, and medicine while utilities profit from building expensive fossil fuel plants.
Now What?
Watch for: PSC decision on $5B gas plant (June 2026), 2026 rate increase details, large load tariff docket proceedings, SC Energy Justice Coalition mobilization, legislative response to affordability crisis, and utility debt/disconnection statistics. Further reading: Sierra Club statement, Conservation Voters of SC analysis.
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Culture
Headline: The Americans Who Saw All This Coming—but Were Ignored and Maligned | Newrepublic
What?
The article profiles 37 Americans, mainly women and disproportionately Black and LGBTQ+, who foresaw the rise of authoritarianism and democratic erosion under Trump from 2015 onward but were dismissed or attacked across diverse geographic and social backgrounds.
So What?
This matters to progressive communicators because it highlights how warnings about authoritarian threats are often marginalized, revealing gendered and racial biases in public discourse that undermine early resistance and organizing efforts against democratic backsliding.
Now What?
Watch for continued cultural and political struggles to validate and amplify marginalized voices warning of authoritarianism, alongside analysis of how media gatekeeping and societal biases shape public response to democratic threats; further context can be found in discussions on media bias and authoritarianism in recent U.S. politics .
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What?
CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss is launching a primetime town hall and debate series called “Things That Matter” starting in 2026, featuring participants like JD Vance, Wes Moore, and Sam Altman, discussing topics such as religion, feminism, and the American Dream.
So What?
This initiative highlights an effort to frame national discourse through high-profile, ideologically diverse figures, shaping public narratives around culture wars and political divides, which progressive communicators must navigate strategically for organizing and advocacy efforts.
Now What?
Watch for how the town halls influence public debate and voter perceptions leading into 2026 and monitor coverage and reception ahead at https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/cbs-news-town-halls-debates-jd-vance-god-feminism-1236453991/ for insights on evolving media strategies and power frames.
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What the Right is Reading
Headline: Liberals Are Falling for Extremely Obvious AI Fakes | Futurism
What?
In early 2024, liberals including Democratic strategists and officials have increasingly shared and created AI-generated deepfake images and videos targeting political opponents, spreading misinformation on platforms like X and Facebook.
So What?
This trend reveals how both sides in polarized politics are deploying AI misinformation tools, complicating efforts to protect civil discourse, uphold truth in media, and organize democratic accountability campaigns.
Now What?
Progressive communicators should watch for how AI-regulation debates unfold alongside the rise of such deepfakes and refer to ongoing analysis of AI's impact on misinformation and tech policy at sites like Futurism and digital rights organizations.
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Headline: Meet the New Right-Wing Tech Intelligentsia | Bayareacurrent
What?
The article, published in 2024, profiles the rise of right-wing-leaning tech publications and influential figures in the San Francisco Bay Area who are shaping a techno-elitist culture with far-right, monarchist, and militaristic tendencies.
So What?
This shift highlights growing consolidation of power among conservative tech elites who promote authoritarian ideas and militarization, challenging progressive values of democracy, labor rights, and social equity while posing organizing challenges and civil liberties risks.
Now What?
Watch for further developments in the influence of right-wing tech media on policy and investment in military technologies, along with how progressive tech worker movements respond; related context can be found in coverage of techlash labor organizing and militarization trends in Silicon Valley.
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Headline: Scientists Discover Massive Underwater Ruins That May Be a Lost City of Legend | 404media
What?
Scientists from the Society for Maritime Archaeology and Heritage discovered large human-made underwater stone structures near Sein Island, France, between 2022 and 2024, estimated to be at least 7,000 years old.
So What?
This discovery challenges existing historical narratives by revealing advanced prehistoric coastal societies with sophisticated maritime knowledge, offering new grounds for advocating the preservation of submerged cultural heritage and uplifting indigenous oral traditions in scientific discourse.
Now What?
Watch for forthcoming research clarifying the structures’ exact age and function alongside investigations into the cultural significance of these finds in relation to regional legends, with related studies available in the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology and ongoing Litto3D coastal mapping projects.
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Cedric Lodge, former Harvard Medical School morgue manager, was sentenced to eight years in federal prison in 2025 for illegally removing and selling human remains from the morgue in Pennsylvania between 2018 and 2020, with his wife also sentenced for participation.
So What?
This case highlights profound abuses of power and disrespect toward vulnerable donors and their families in medical institutions, raising critical concerns for transparency, ethics, and accountability that progressive communicators can use to advocate for stronger protections of bodily autonomy and donor rights.
Now What?
Watch for developments in the ongoing civil lawsuits reinstated by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and further investigations into institutional oversight at Harvard Medical School, with additional context available at Universal Hub.
