What December’s Headlines Mean for 2026 | This Week's Economy Ep. 141

​As we close out 2025, the economic and policy landscape isn’t slowing down for the holidays. This final news brief of the year brings a flurry of developments that will shape the year ahead — from sinking consumer confidence and major antitrust rulings to DOGE shutting down, to state budgets sliding deeper into the red, to new scrutiny on algorithmic pricing tools.

It’s a fitting close to a year defined by big economic questions — and even bigger opportunities to return to the principles that let people prosper. Understanding basic economic fundamentals is essential for lawmakers to make decisions that allow Americans to thrive.

In This Week’s Economy, we examine the nation’s economic health, new developments in competition and innovation, how the end of the government’s DOGE initiative fits into the broader fight against waste, and the warning California’s budget crisis sends to other states.

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