23 DEC 25 SITREP 

1. GDP Surges in Q3 as Trump Economy Begins to Boom

• US Gross Domestic Product increased at an annual rate of 4.3 percent in the third quarter of 2025, exceeding forecasts of roughly 3.3 percent and marking the strongest growth rate in two years.
• The Bureau of Economic Analysis attributed the majority of Q3 growth to increased consumer spending, alongside gains in exports and government spending, while imports declined and investment partially offset gains.
• Real GDP growth accelerated from 3.8 percent in Q2 2025 to 4.3 percent in Q3, with reduced imports contributing positively to the overall calculation of economic output.
• Inflation for November registered at 2.7 percent, below expectations, coinciding with market gains following the GDP release and signaling continued economic expansion without corresponding price spikes

2. Car Bombing Kills Senior Russian General Near Moscow

• Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, a senior Russian general, was killed on December 22 when an explosive device planted beneath his vehicle detonated on a residential street outside Moscow shortly after the car began moving.
• Russia’s Investigative Committee said the senior Russian general later died from blast injuries, releasing video of the destroyed white vehicle and debris scattered across a parking area near surrounding cars.
• Authorities said several scenarios are under investigation, including possible involvement by Ukrainian special services, but no suspects have been publicly identified and Ukrainian officials issued no response.
• Sarvarov, a senior Russian general who previously fought in Chechnya, commanded operations in Syria, and was involved in the war against Ukraine, had been promoted to lieutenant general by President Vladimir Putin in 2024, following earlier assassinations of senior Russian generals Yaroslav Moskalik and Igor Kirillov in Moscow.

3. The Strain of Illegal Immigration Across the US

• Minneapolis, Minnesota experienced large-scale welfare and nonprofit fraud linked to migrant and refugee programs, with public funds diverted through nonprofit networks rather than reaching intended services for residents.
• New York City expanded migrant shelters and temporary housing across Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Staten Island, accelerating competition for apartments and increasing pressure on already tight rental markets.
• Public schools and hospitals in New York City absorbed increased enrollment and patient loads, forcing municipal agencies to reallocate budgets away from infrastructure, policing, and sanitation toward emergency migrant services.
• City and state governments treated immigration as a humanitarian obligation while residents experienced higher rents, reduced services, and longer wait times, intensifying political backlash tied directly to local fiscal strain.

FINAL WORD

Housing systems, urban governance, and national security structures are under visible strain across multiple regions simultaneously. The Moscow assassination underscores how long-running wars are now producing internal instability and targeted violence far from front lines. Combined with domestic economic pressure and migration-driven resource exhaustion, governments face rising demands for control, enforcement, and outcomes rather than narrative management.