Holiday sales growth this year is expected to be a bit more muted compared to past years, as consumers continue to grapple with affordability and cost-of-living challenges.

Independent forecasters predict that while there will be a year-over-year uptick in sales, that growth will be more modest. Inflation has been a lingering concern for consumers and retailers alike, and that will likely be reflected in how holiday shoppers approach this year’s season.

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Washington Examiner Congressional Reporter Samantha Jo-Roth joins Deep Dive Host Natasha Sweatte to discuss the issues with Air Traffic Controllers amidst the reopening of the government. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is trying to incentivize the ATC position. ATC workers express stress from the job, and the Federal Aviation Administration's hiring expectations are extremely low.

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Washington Examiner energy and environmental reporter Callie Patteson joins Deep Dive host Natasha Sweatte to discuss the importance of electricity bills from voters amidst the governor races won by Democrats in both New Jersey and Virginia. New York Governor Kathy Hochul green lighting pipeline for gas infrastructure. The demand of electricity in the winter will increase electricity bills for many Americans.

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The U.S. military has thousands of troops currently in the Caribbean with thousands more on the way, and experts largely agree the buildup of firepower far exceeds what’s required for the missions they’re currently conducting.

Since the beginning of last month, the military has targeted more than a dozen alleged drug smuggling vessels, killing more than 50 people, but hasn’t publicly released any evidence to prove the people aboard were in fact carrying illegal narcotics.

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Washington Examiner National Politics Correspondent Mabinty Quarshie joins Deep Dive Host Natasha Sweatte to discuss the Virginia governor candidates Abigail Spanberger and Virginia Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears for the 2025 election.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine safety panel on Friday morning agreed to postpone a decision to no longer recommend the newborn dose of the hepatitis B vaccine.

The vote from all but one of the 12 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices comes as a de-escalation in the mounting tensions over vaccine policy under the leadership of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime skeptic of the status quo on childhood vaccines.

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As President Donald Trump begins his takeover of Washington by federalizing the local police and activating the National Guard to combat the crime rate, it appears Mayor Muriel Bowser does not want to test her limits with the administration.

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Washington Examiner foreign affairs reporter Timothy Nerozzi discusses the Alaska Summit of President Trump meeting Russian President Putin. The progression of the peace deal between Putin and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy.

Read the full story here: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/foreign-policy/3757957/zelensky-white-house-meeting-land-concessions-russia-ukraine-war/ Check out our website: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/

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