Trump Pardons Former Honduran President As He Vows More Narco-Boat Strikes
Plus: Hospitals Move to Cut C-Section Rates & Most Streamed Music of 2025
It’s Giving Tuesday, one of the biggest fundraising days of the year for U.S. nonprofits — landing right after Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Our thought: Giving Tuesday should be the Tuesday BEFORE Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday— when we’re still feeling excited about the holiday and before we spend all our money!
#GivingTuesday began as a hashtag in 2012, created by Henry Timms, then the executive director of the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan. It calls on both philanthropists and everyday people to do good, and it has since evolved into a global nonprofit.
President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill could incentivize more households to give by offering a charitable tax deduction of up to $1,000 for individuals and $2,000 for married couples for most tax filers.
Analysts project giving to exceed $4 billion — up 11% or ~$410 million from last year’s record breaking $3.6B.
Mo News Team
🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING WE’RE FOLLOWING
Trump Pardons Ex-Honduran Pres. Convicted For Drug Trafficking
2022. Hernández arrest.
Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández was released from a U.S. prison Monday after President Trump granted him a pardon for drug-trafficking and firearms charges.
The case: Hernández was sentenced in 2024 to 45 years in prison for taking millions of dollars in bribes from drug traffickers to allow about 400 tons of cocaine to move safely through Honduras on its way to the U.S.
Prosecutors said he used drug money to fuel his rise in Honduran politics, even boasting that he would “stuff the drugs up the gringos’ noses.”
Hernández served as president of Honduras from 2014 to 2022, and was arrested shortly after leaving office.
Critics: Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) wrote Sunday on X: “Why would we pardon this guy and then go after Maduro for running drugs into the United States? Lock up every drug runner!” Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) called the move “disgraceful hypocrisy.”
The White House defended Trump’s decision, despite criticism that pardoning a convicted drug trafficker undermines the administration’s ongoing pressure campaign against cartels in the Caribbean. But on Monday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the case against Hernández was a “clear Biden over-prosecution.”
Over the past few months, the Trump administration has been going after Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro over alleged ties to drug-trafficking networks — the same type of allegations Hernández was convicted on.
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday during a White House cabinet meeting that, “We’ve only just begun striking narco-boats and putting narco-terrorists at the bottom of the ocean."
PUSH TO PARDON
In an Oct. 28 letter to Trump, Hernández claimed he was “targeted by the Biden-Harris administration not for any wrongdoing, but for political reasons” — a claim Trump has echoed.
“Like you, I was recklessly attacked by radical leftist forces who could not tolerate change, who conspired with drug traffickers and resorted to false accusations, lawfare, and selective justice to destroy what we had achieved and clear the path for the Honduran radical left’s return to power,” he wrote.
Trump’s announcement of the pardon late last week came just days before Honduras’ presidential election, which he voiced support for Nasry Asfura of Hernández’s National Party. On Tuesday, the vote count shows it is virtually tied with Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party.
A system failure has left about 20% of votes uncounted for, with Trump threatening there will be “hell to pay” if there is election fraud.
.🚨 ONE THING WE’RE TRACKING
Hospitals Are Making Changes To Dramatically Reduce C-Section Births
As rates of Cesarean sections continue to rise in the U.S., some hospitals are making moves to lower rates by ending financial incentives for surgery, tracking doctors’ individual C-section rates, and expanding midwife-led care.
By the numbers: C-section rates in the U.S. reached 32% of births in 2023, one of the highest rates in the developed world.
By comparison, many Northern European countries are around 20%, and the World Health Organization’s “ideal” rate is 10–15%.
Doctors at Rochester General Hospital in New York are reversing the trend — cutting their C-section rate for healthy, first-time moms from 40% down to 25% this year using some of these techniques.
INSIDE THE CHANGES
Research shows that the biggest predictors of C-section rates in the U.S. are a physician’s compensation structure, their personal beliefs about childbirth, and time of delivery.
The money: The average insurance payment to a hospital is about $17,000 for a C-section and just over $11,000 for a vaginal birth.
The concerns: Some American physicians view C-sections as a way to reduce the risk of birth injuries that can lead to lawsuits; obstetricians face some of the highest malpractice lawsuits of any medical specialty.
Doctors say they’re also dealing with rising maternal risk factors, including older age, obesity, and high blood pressure.
Researchers and clinicians argue these factors don’t fully justify the nation’s elevated C-section rate, noting that many hospitals have proven it can be significantly reduced with the right practices.
Time of day: “I’m going to go home and somebody else is going to receive the financial reward,” Dr. Paul Cabral from Rochester General remembers thinking before the hospital changed its pay structure.
Rochester updated its pay system so doctors no longer earn more for surgery. It also shifted low-risk patients to midwives, trained nurses in positioning techniques, and empowered staff to take their time with first-time moms. They have also moved to educate patients – who, in some cases, request C-sections – about realistic labor timelines.
C-sections can be lifesaving when medically necessary, but they also carry higher risks: longer recoveries, more complications in future pregnancies, and, in severe cases, hemorrhage and sepsis.
⏳ THE SPEED READ
🚨NATION
Suspect in DC shooting of 2 National Guard members formally charged with murder (ABC)
Winter storm dropping heavy snow on the Northeast (CNN) while Winter weather alerts have been issued for nine states (NEWSWEEK)
Michael and Susan Dell donate $6.25 billion to encourage families to claim ‘Trump Accounts’ (AP)
Noem calls for ‘full travel ban’ on countries ‘flooding’ US with immigrants after DC attack (FOX)
Democrat Mandela Barnes launches bid for Wisconsin governor (NBC)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
Witkoff and Kushner meet Putin to discuss Ukraine peace plan (AXIOS)
Death toll from Indonesia floods passes 700 as 1 million evacuated (GUARDIAN)
Bulgaria ditches budget plan after tens of thousands join protests (BBC)
Pope in Lebanon asks for ‘divine gift of peace’ alongside country’s Christian and Muslim leaders (POLITICO)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
Bitcoin briefly dips below $85,000 in crypto rout (AP)
Prada Group says it has purchased fashion rival Versace in a deal worth nearly $1.4 billion (ABC7)
Samsung debuts first trifold phone ahead of folding iPhone (BLOOMBERG)
Federal panel could call for scrapping of infant hepatitis B vaccines this week (GUARDIAN)
SpaceX launch to be visible from Southern California, including San Diego (FOX)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Sabrina Carpenter and Franklin the Turtle publisher condemn Trump administration’s use of their work (AP)
‘Stranger Things’: Netflix will stream finale at 500+ movie theater locations (VARIETY)
Serena Williams in doping test pool, sparks return talk (ESPN)
NPR releases annual ‘Books We Love’ list of favorite books in 2025 (NPR)
ICYMI FROM THE 📲
In case you missed it… Apple Music rolled out Apple Music Replay on Tuesday, the company’s answer to Spotify’s beloved Wrapped series. The feature also included a year-end list of the streaming platform’s most popular songs.
Rosé and Bruno Mars’ single, “APT,” was the most-streamed song in 2025. “Apt,” which has lyrics in both English and Korean, made headlines when it was released last year for giving a global platform for Korean culture. 🇰🇷🇺🇸