CHRISTMAS GIFTS: We are back: 

  President Trump went to war in Nigeria on Christmas day, sending US forces to bomb Islamic state targets to defend Christians he claims have been getting slaughtered by the Islamic militants. Trump posted on his Truth Social, that he ordered “a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!”

  The strike is reported to have involved more than a dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles fired off a Navy ship in the Gulf of Guinea, hitting insurgents in two ISIS camps in northwest Nigeria. Although the attack was carried out in cooperation with Nigeria, their government denies that there is a Christian genocide, pointing out that armed groups of both Muslims and Christians have been killing equal numbers of each other for years. 

  The President sent out not one but two of his customary poison-pen and  self-congratulatory holiday greetings:

   “Merry Christmas to all, including the Radical Left Scum that is doing everything possible to destroy our Country, but are failing badly. We no longer have Open Borders, Men in Women’s Sports, Transgender for Everyone, or Weak Law Enforcement. What we do have is a Record Stock Market and 401K’s, Lowest Crime numbers in decades, No Inflation, and yesterday, a 4.3 GDP, two points better than expected. Tariffs have given us Trillions of Dollars in Growth and Prosperity, and the strongest National Security we have ever had. We are respected again, perhaps like never before. God Bless America!!!”

  His second message opened with, “Merry Christmas to all, including the many Sleazebags who loved Jeffrey Epstein, gave him bundles of money, went to his Island, attended his parties, and thought he was the greatest guy on earth, …”

  Anyway, you get the idea.

  Earlier in the week Trump announced that the Navy will build new “battleships” named the “Trump Class” that would be twice the size of any current Arleigh-Burke destroyers that are the mainstays of the battle fleet. “They’ll help maintain American military supremacy, revive the American shipbuilding industry and inspire fear in America’s enemies all over the world,” he said. 

  Trump touted the ships as the biggest, the best, like nobody’s ever seen before. The bigger a ship, the bigger the target. They are more expensive to build, more dear to lose, and easier to destroy with the new hypersonic anti-ship missiles coming on line. It’s like the old days when longbows and crossbows put knights in armor out of business. 

  A ship like this might take five or six years to design and then require changes taking longer. If a Democratic administration follows Trump there’s a good chance that no ships in the “Trump class” will ever be built.

  Also this week, the administration announced the recall of 30 US ambassadors from around the world, leaving large gaps in diplomatic representation. They were told to leave their posts by mid-January. They are all foreign service officers appointed by the Biden administration and confirmed by the Senate. 

  Several departments in the Trump administration sent out religious Christmas greetings contrary to the constitutional separation of church and state. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote, “Today we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” 

  Then, on Christmas Eve, jazz musician Chuck Redd canceled his annual concert at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts because President Trump’s name was affixed to the Washington building’s façade, giving Trump top billing over Kennedy. Redd had done the Christmas Eve show for 20 years but refused to perform under the name of Trump.

EYE ON THE NEWS: Rumblings continue in and about CBS News after the network’s new editorial boss killed a “60 Minutes” spot last week about the brutal CECOT prison in El Salvador to which the US sent hundreds of immigrants. Bari Weiss said the story which ended up online needed more work, but suspicion is that she was the hit man for David Ellison, who wants government approval to make his Paramount empire even larger.

  Weiss, who herself never covered a two car accident as a reporter, issued a memo to the staff. “Right now, the majority of Americans say they do not trust the press. It isn’t because they’re crazy,” she began. “To win back their trust, we have to work hard.” She went on, “And sometimes it means holding a piece about an important subject to make sure it is comprehensive and fair.”

  What she did not say is that faith in the press has been undermined by Donald Trump just as he convinced millions of Americans that the 2020 election was rigged.

THE WAR ROOM: President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine says he will meet tomorrow with President Trump, as Ukraine and the United States try to agree on a peace deal that does not seem to interest Russia’s Vladimir Putin. The Russians keep pounding Ukraine with missiles. 

THE SPIN RACK: Israeli police last Sunday shut down a Christmas party in Haifa and arrested a Palestinian man dressed as Santa Claus. The Israeli police said in a statement that the man wearing the Santa Claus costume resisted arrest and assaulted an officer, which begs the question of why the cops were there to arrest Santa. — Dry 2026: Jim Beam, the country’s largest maker of bourbon, announced that as the once-hot market is shrinking, they will stop brewing for all of 2026.  Sales of all wine, beer and spirits have dropped by about 5 percent over the past year. The company that makes George Dickel paused production and Jack Daniel’s laid off 650 people. — White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced she’s pregnant with her second child, a daughter due in May. Leavitt is 28 and her husband is 60.

BELOW THE FOLD: The Mattel toy company is building a Barbie and Hot Wheels theme park in Kansas which needs a reason to go there. 

-30-