President Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East for a Gaza ceasefire summit is ongoing, with new reports this past hour highlighting domestic economic concerns and ongoing geopolitical tensions. Economist Justin Wolfers, channeling Natasha Sarin and Jason Furman, stated that the U.S. economy is effectively two economies, with an AI boom masking a flatlining non-AI sector on the cusp of recession. Separately, Senator Lindsey Graham commented that Iran is the common thread between Hamas and Hezbollah, warning that Hezbollah will attempt to disrupt Middle East normalization, and stressing the need to "keep Iran in a box." These developments occurred between 10:35 PM UTC and 11:35 PM UTC on October 12th, 2025. Amidst these economic and geopolitical discussions, a report by Lydia DePillis in The New York Times, shared by Ben Casselman, indicates that unemployment is surging for Black workers, with federal government layoffs expected to exacerbate the issue. Another X user, @MAGACult2, claimed that Fourth Amendment rights are being violated, though specific details were not provided within the reporting window. Previous reports from earlier on October 12th, 2025, detailed President Trump's departure from Washington for the peace summit, his arrival in Israel scheduled for early October 13th, and his comments regarding the potential roles of Tony Blair and Benjamin Netanyahu. The "Doomsday Plane" was also noted to be escorting Air Force One. Discussions around China's trade practices and domestic policy issues, including the Insurrection Act, were also part of the earlier reporting.
