BY: Andrew Springer, NOTICE News co-founder
Good morning! It’s Tuesday, December 30, 2025. In today’s newsletter:
Top story: Why is this not a HUGE scandal?
Making news: MAGA Civil War explodes into public view
In depth: Trump's war on the Fed is about one thing
Stories the algorithm is keeping out of your feed
⏱️ Estimated read time: 7 minutes, 36 seconds
⁉️ Questions? Comments? Just reply to this email!
TOP STORY
Trump’s Disgusting New Business Should Be a HUGE Scandal

President Trump has turned presidential pardons into a million-dollar business—literally.
According to a bombshell report by the Wall Street Journal, lobbyists with access to Trump are charging $1 million as their “going rate” to advocate for clemency, with some offering success fees as high as $6 million.
And it’s working.
WHAT’S GOING ON: In October, Trump signed a pardon for Changpeng Zhao, founder of crypto exchange Binance, after lobbyist Ches McDowell—brought to the Oval Office by Donald Trump Jr.—pulled the president aside during a Medal of Freedom ceremony.
Binance had paid lobbyists around $800,000 and shopped success fees up to $5 million to secure the pardon. The company pleaded guilty in 2023 to money-laundering violations and paid a $4.3 billion fine.
Here’s the kicker: Binance has business ties to World Liberty Financial, a crypto company co-founded by Trump, his sons, and roughly 40% owned by a Trump family entity. Democrats (correctly) called it brazen corruption.
Even Trump ally Laura Loomer said it was a “terrible pardon idea.”
THE DETAILS: This isn’t just about Zhao. Trump has pardoned over 1,500 people this term—including former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández (convicted of conspiring to ship 400 tons of cocaine), Texas Democrat Henry Cuellar (charged with taking $600,000 in foreign bribes), and nursing-home operator Joseph Schwartz (defrauded the government of $38 million).
Conservative operatives who themselves pleaded guilty to felony fraud were paid $960,000 to lobby for Schwartz’s pardon.
There are now two tracks: the official Justice Department process, and the “find Trump at Mar-a-Lago and ask directly” fast lane. The latter works if you say the magic words: “unjust persecution.”
Former Justice Department pardon attorney Liz Oyer, fired in March, said Trump “appears to be considering political, personal and financial interests and not the interests of the American public.” (Duh)
BOTTOM LINE: The presidential pardon power—designed as a mercy valve for justice system failures—has been monetized into a pay-to-play scheme where access costs seven figures and family business interests overlap with clemency decisions.
This isn’t governance. It’s a protection racket with the Oval Office as its headquarters.
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🗞️ Making News
Trump Tells Fans to Fork Over Cash or Democrats Will "Steal" It
The grift never stops. Trump's latest fundraising pitch warns supporters that if they don't donate to HIM, Democrats will somehow "steal" the money Americans supposedly get from his tariffs (which, reminder, YOU pay as higher prices). The con is the entire business model: create imaginary threats, position yourself as the only solution, pocket the cash. Read the full story here
Trump Screamed at MTG Because Epstein Files Might "Hurt His Friends"
In a stunning New York Times interview, Marjorie Taylor Greene reveals Trump exploded at her for pushing to release Jeffrey Epstein's files, telling her the trafficking victims "didn't deserve the honor" of meeting him—and that his real concern was protecting his social circle. After Greene went public, Trump labeled her a "traitor," triggering bomb threats against her family, then told her she brought it on herself. Read the full story here
Trump "Begs" Netanyahu to Stop West Bank Takeover While Handing Him the Weapons to Continue
The Trump administration reportedly expressed "concerns" about Israeli settler violence and illegal settlement expansion during a meeting with Netanyahu—then continued providing billions in military aid while praising Israel's assault on Gaza in the same breath. Trump lifted Biden-era sanctions on violent settlers, appointed an extremist pro-settler ambassador, and when asked about disagreements simply said Netanyahu "will do the right thing"—because asking a bully to stop hitting while handing them a baseball bat is called diplomacy now. Read the full story here
🗳️ Yesterday’s poll results
Yesterday we asked do you believe the White House? Is Trump in "excellent health"? Overwhelmingly you said NO (98.16%).
Michael said: “His conditions are getting worse. He's so out of it (from the meds?) all the time, the incoherent rambling, the manic midnight hate spewing, he is definitely not well.”
BHill said: “Bruises like the ones on Trump's hand are very typical for people who take blood thinners which are prescribed to prevent strokes. I know because I take a blood thinner - xarelto - and frequently have bruises which happen when I bump into something. Ask a doc.”
Twoasaps summed it up: “He is 79 years old. He is obese, he is showing signs of mental decline. He has mysterious bruises and swollen ankles. Nope, he is NOT in excellent health.”
👀 Kept Out of Your Feed
Here are some stories the algorithms may be keeping out of your feed.
The United States just got a whole lot fatter—and it’s not why you think
Congress weakened the Senate filibuster while everyone was distracted by infighting
Think you know 2025? Take this quiz on pranks, pardons and pills
The “Trump-Kennedy Center” crisis deepens
JD Vance has a BIG problem if he wants to be president
Winter weather and heavy winds put freeze on post-holiday travel
Zelenskyy: U.S. offers Ukraine 15-year security guarantee as part of peace plan
Are you a "vaguebooker"? Here's why people hate this toxic social media post
Trump-Zelenskyy talks yield zero progress on Ukraine-Russia territory
An unexpected group is taking the fight to Donald Trump
IN DEPTH
Trump's War on the Fed is About One Thing
Donald Trump stood next to Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday and called Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell a "fool," threatened to sue him for "gross incompetence," and said he'd "love to fire him."
He lied about the cost of a Fed building renovation (inflating it by $1.6 billion), lied about who appointed Powell (Trump himself did, in 2018), and couldn't even keep his story straight about his own vanity ballroom project.
But here's what matters: this isn't about renovation costs or personal grudges. This is about…
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We’ll be back tomorrow morning.
Thank you for reading! - Andrew & Anthony

