Thieves have had a field day in California and Minneapolis, brazenly taking merchandise from an Apple store and Best Buy. A “flash mob” made a corral of their getaway vehicles while they ransacked a Nordstrom store. Best Buy saw its market value slide in the wake of the robberies, which left staff traumatized. Best Buy announced that they were going to provide counselling for any staff distressed by the Rittenhouse verdict. Hopefully those who endured armed thugs raiding their workplaces will also qualify. 

Americans still spent a truckload of money during Black Friday sales, but more purchasing was online than previous years. However, with inflation and gas prices as they are, a record amount of people say they aren’t buying anything for Christmas.

The government announced it will release 50 million barrels of oil from America’s strategic reserve, in a bid to combat rising gas prices. Presidents have tapped into the Strategic Reserve in the past, when faced with natural disasters or national security threats. However, some argue that rising prices could have been prevented if the current administration had focused on local fuel production, rather than pushing for increased reliance on “clean energy.” Besides that, as some have pointed out, Americans have already paid for the fuel in the Strategic Reserve and there is no guarantee that OPEC nations will produce more oil, as requested by President Biden.