Will Trump End Daylight Saving Time For Good?
Plus, what privatizing the U.S. Postal Service might look like
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Q: What do suspected UnitedHealthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione and Sean “Diddy” Combs have in common? Besides their current outfits…
A: Their defense attorneys share a last name. It turns out that Mangione’s recently-hired New York lawyer is the wife of one of Diddy’s defense attorneys.
Karen Friedman-Agnifilo, who Mangione hired last week as he faces a second-degree murder charge in New York, previously served as the chief assistant district attorney in the Manhattan DA’s office before joining her husband’s firm, Agnifilo Intrater LLP, in 2021.
She has also worked as a legal analyst for CNN. Before she was retained, she told Anderson Cooper that Mangione has so many links to the crime scene that he might need to go with a “not guilty by reason of insanity defense.” We’ll be watching 📺
Marc Agnifilo, the other half of this powerhouse legal duo, has spoken publicly on Diddy’s behalf and appeared in the documentary “The Downfall of Diddy: The Indictment.”
This isn’t the first time their marriage has intersected with high-profile legal cases.
Marc represented Harvey Weinstein in his criminal trial, when Karen was still at the Manhattan DA’s office, which was prosecuting the case. She recused herself from 2018 rape case against the disgraced producer.
To be at that dinner table…
Mosheh, Jill, Sari, & Lauren
PS: Don’t forget to refer friends & family to subscribe to the Mo Newsletter… you could get free Mo News merch — DETAILS at the bottom of this newsletter!
📌 THE MYSTERIOUS DRONES: MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS AS OFFICIALS WEIGH IN
People in the US Northeast are increasingly on edge about nightly, unexplained drone sightings. At the same time, the FBI says there is “no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.”
It comes as the FBI received about 5,000 tips regarding mysterious drones on the East Coast, but says fewer than 100 have amounted to anything. The FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and the White House are saying most sightings are legal manned aircrafts (planes) that are being misidentified as drones.
However, lawmakers are still asking for more information about the sightings over military bases in New Jersey, as U.S. national security officials admit they still have not been able to identify the operators of all the drones.
ARE THOSE EVEN DRONES?
There appears to be some confusion about what exactly is in the sky.
Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) posted videos to his X account on Friday, showing what appeared to be a cluster of drones he’d seen the night before. Then on Saturday, he clarified that most of the aircrafts were “almost certainly planes.”
“I share this because this is the kind of analysis we need but are not getting from the federal government to explain this situation. FAA experts have much more experience/resources to identify aircraft. Instead I’m left to draw on civilian support and public apps,” he posted.
Kim and other lawmakers on the East Coast have expressed frustration over the federal government’s slow and inconclusive response to sightings.
On Sunday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the federal government would be deploying a "state-of-the-art drone detection system" to New York to support investigations into reported unmanned aircraft (or drone) sightings, days after New York's Stewart Airfield was temporarily closed due to drone activity.
A reminder that the FAA in 2023 gave the green light for drones to fly at night, and thousands of commercial, law enforcement and military drones take flight daily.
IS IT JUST PANIC?
Based on his social media posts, Trump thinks the government knows more than it is saying. He is currently getting classified intelligence briefings — so he should have the same information as President Biden about the drones.
But the lack of answers feeds fear and suspicion. On Sunday, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie warned that conspiracy theories will grow if the federal government does not better address public concerns. Christie says he has seen drones over his house as well!
Notably, the FBI is currently investigating a Chinese citizen who was allegedly flying drones over Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. He was arrested last week after taking drone photographs of the facility, which is used for space launches and missile testing. Drone-over flights have also been reported at other military bases.
📌 TRUMP EYES PRIVATIZING THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE AMID MASSIVE FINANCIAL LOSSES
Donald Trump is reportedly considering privatizing the United States Postal Service (USPS). He has expressed frustration over the USPS’s financial struggles, as the organization has reported billions in losses for years.
The move could significantly change shipping timelines and costs, impact small businesses and rural communities, and result in tens of thousands of federal workers losing their jobs.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE NUMBERS
The USPS reported a $9.5 billion loss in the most recent fiscal year ending September 30, due in part to a slower-than-expected package shipping business and a national decline in traditional mail. It also faces nearly $80 billion in liabilities like debt and pensions.
The agency has been working to reduce losses with a 10-year modernization plan, including cutting employee hours and reducing transportation costs, though it has fallen short of its goals.
To help offset losses, stamp prices will increase five times over the next 3 years – starting July 2025 and through 2027.
USPS officials still project billions in net losses by the end of the next year.
Cutting costs: Trump’s team is exploring ways to reduce federal expenses, and the USPS is a target.
WHAT PRIVATIZATION WOULD MEAN
Privatizing the USPS would require Congressional approval, and it’s unclear if Trump has that kind of support. Many rural districts represented by Republicans would be disproportionately affected by the change, and Pew research shows the USPS is the second-most liked government agency (after the National Park Service).
Privatization would likely reduce or eliminate delivery services in unprofitable rural and remote areas of the US. [The USPS currently has a universal service mandate.]
A look at Alaska: It is a huge state with many remote communities and little road infrastructure. The USPS’s Alaska Bypass program allows packages to be delivered to rural areas for affordable and subsidized costs, sometimes using small turbo planes, helicopters, or hovercrafts.
Without this USPS program, these areas might struggle to access necessities like fresh food and diapers.
Critics, like Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), argue that privatization ”could have disastrous consequences, because when you go private, the profit motive is everything.”
Other effects: Small businesses that rely on the USPS for affordable shipping may struggle with bottom lines, and there could be lay-offs for nearly 650,000 government employees.
📌 THE DAYLIGHT SAVING DEBATE: TRUMP VOWS TO END IT
Over the weekend, Trump also set his sights on eliminating Daylight Saving Time, describing it as both inconvenient and costly.
His proposal would make our current time (Standard Time) permanent year-round — which would eliminate two changes a year, and mean earlier sunrises and sunsets during summer months. It is preferred by most experts vs. the alternative of permanent Daylight Saving Time. (Why? Think 9am sunrises in the winter. See chart of Detroit below.)
Right now, Americans shift clocks forward one hour in March and back one hour in November. A 2023 YouGov poll found that 62% of Americans want to stop changing clocks, but there is little consensus on which way.
How Daylight Saving Time changes would impact Detroit, MI. Via: Washington Post.
HOW WE GOT HERE
Daylight Saving Time was introduced in 1918 during WWI to conserve energy by shifting daylight hours to reduce the need for artificial lighting at work. Some states kept it, but it was abolished nationally a year and a half later. Later, in 1966, our modern iteration was codified with the Uniform Time Act.
In the 1970s, President Richard Nixon implemented permanent Daylight Saving Time to combat an energy crisis. While initially popular, public support plummeted within months and Congress reversed course 10 months later.
Why? Parents worried about their children traveling to school in winter darkness, and there were some early morning traffic fatalities that got attention.
RESEARCHERS WEIGH IN
Trump’s announcement is aligned with many sleep and health experts who recommend sticking instead to Standard Time year-round.
That’s because morning sunlight helps regulate our circadian rhythms, which control sleep, wake cycles, and overall health. The abrupt time shift each spring disrupts this balance and makes it harder to fall asleep at night/wake up in the morning.
Studies have even linked daylight saving time to higher rates of heart attacks, strokes, and automobile accidents during the adjustment period.
✔︎ Mo News Reality Check: Congress is needed to make any federal changes. In 2022, the Senate unanimously passed a bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent (the opposite of what Trump wants), but it died in the House. A similar effort failed in 2023. Republicans will have a slim majority in both chambers.
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 Storms across US bring heavy snow, dangerous ice and a tornado in California (AP)
📌 Luigi Mangione’s mom was contacted by police days before arrest (ABC)
📌 Biden administration auctioning off pieces of border wall (NEWSWEEK)
📌 Texas sues New York doctor for telemedicine prescription of abortion pills (NBC)
📌 Nancy Pelosi has hip replacement surgery after injury in Europe (CBS)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 U.S. asks Israel to approve urgent military aid to Palestinian security forces (AXIOS)
📌 South Korea’s parliament votes to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his martial law order — third presidential impeachment in 20 years (AP)
📌 Blinken confirms direct contact with Syria’s rebel leaders (NBC)
📌 Israel will close its embassy in Ireland over Gaza tensions, Antisemitism accusations (AP)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
📌 Detroit-area library says Chicago man can keep overdue baseball book — 50 years later (AP)
📌 Coffee prices climb to near 50-year highs — and it may take years for the rally to run out of steam (CNBC)
📌 Why GM scrapped its $50 billion robotaxi dream (AXIOS)
📌 Holding your pee can have dangerous health risks, experts say (CNN)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 Jamie Foxx thanks his fans on Instagram after being hit with glass at his birthday party (YAHOO)
📌 Oprah Winfrey throws surprise birthday party for Gayle King (PEOPLE)
📌 Scott Disick buys mini Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon for son’s birthday 15th birthday (PAGE SIX)
📌 Woman who accuses Jay-Z of raping her at 13 shares new details about alleged assault (NPR)
🗓 ON THIS DAY: DECEMBER 16
1631: A devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius claimed the lives of over 3,000 people.
1773: The Boston Tea Party took place, when American colonists, many disguised as Mohawk Indians, boarded a British ship and dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor to protest the Tea Act and British taxation. The destroyed tea was valued at $2 million in today’s dollars.
1988: “Rain Man” starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman premiered in theaters. Hoffman would win the Oscar for Best Actor.
1994: “Dumb and Dumber” premiered in theaters. The comedy went on to gross $247 million at the box office and has since become a cult favorite.