President Donald Trump thinks he has found a solution to the skyrocketing price tags for vehicles: building smaller cars. These vehicles are extremely popular in Asia, where they are known as micro cars or kei cars. But many auto industry analysts say translating the success of Asia’s micro car market to the U.S. is an unrealistic goal.

What did the commentators say?
Trump has mused on social media that the U.S. should start producing these cars, which are “small fuel-efficient vehicles that are roughly 30% shorter” than a Toyota Camry and the same width as a Smart, said The Wall Street Journal. His affinity for the vehicles seemed to arise after a “recent trip to Japan to talk about trade and economic investments.”

These cars are often much cheaper than standard vehicles, and can “cost as little as $8,000 or $10,000,” said CNN, while the average price of a new car in the U.S. is “currently around $50,000.” Manufacturing cars that are that cheap would be an “answer to affordability issues for many car buyers and a major political headache for Trump.” But these vehicles “don’t make sense en masse here, from existing regulations to the Trump administration’s own contradictory policies,” said Car and Driver.

These cars “aren’t adapted to U.S. regulations and sold here because the demand simply doesn’t exist,” said the outlet. This is partially because Americans “barely buy cars anymore” and favor larger vehicles like trucks. The incentive for automakers to sell smaller cars has also “gone out the window” with regulations “now set to be relaxed” by the Trump administration on gas-guzzling trucks.

These vehicles “would have to be redesigned and retested” to meet U.S. standards for safety, said Axios. Approving them for the U.S. would involve “stronger, heavier chassis and larger crumple zones to withstand crashes.” This would involve high price tags for automakers that would “defeat the cost and efficiency advantages of micro cars.”

What next?
Despite these concerns, Trump is seemingly pressing ahead with his micro-car plan. The president has “cleared them for production and is demanding that automakers manufacture them domestically,” saying on social media that the U.S. should “START BUILDING THEM NOW!”

Bitcoin has “proven to be one of the best-performing assets in modern history,” said Al Jazeera. With the value of cryptocurrency increasing “some 1,000 times” over the last decade, it was only a matter of time before governments and banks wanted in. 

Bitcoin was widely dismissed as a “speculative asset with no intrinsic value” when it was launched after the 2008 global financial crisis. But it’s now being taken increasingly seriously by “governments, financial institutions and investors alike,” with far-reaching implications for politics, the economy, and the way we live. 

How has crypto’s legitimacy grown?
Several countries have “made big bets” on crypto in the last few years, said Al Jazeera. El Salvador holds more than “$600 million worth of bitcoin reserves” after becoming the first country in the world to accept the asset as legal tender in 2021. 

In South Korea’s presidential election this year, both major candidates embraced pro-crypto policies in their campaigns. And in the U.K., Reform Party leader Nigel Farage is also an open “supporter of cryptocurrency” and has made his party the first in the country to “accept donations in bitcoin,” said the BBC. A $12 million donation to Reform from Thailand-based British businessman Christopher Harborne — the “largest ever single donation by a living person to a British political party” — has raised questions about the role that cryptocurrency investors may play in future elections. 

Will the trend continue?
In Washington, crypto is “ascendant,” said The Economist. President Donald Trump’s return to the White House triggered a shift toward recognition of crypto as a legitimate currency after years of crackdowns on the sector. His regulators are “more permissive,” and investors are “piling into it,” while pro-crypto lobbying groups are throwing their weight behind political candidates who support it. 

In January, the launch of the $TRUMP coin, a cryptocurrency mostly owned by “companies associated with the Trump family,” pointed toward the president’s direct financial interest in crypto. And “clear conflicts of interest” could ultimately do “more harm than good” for the industry. 

Ethics watchdogs have warned that embracing crypto could provide a means for corporate and foreign actors to influence the White House. And even industry “cheerleaders” are privately worried that painting crypto as a “vehicle for the president’s influence-peddling will make it impossible for legislators to support favorable legislation,” said The Economist.

Days of intense rainfall have caused flooding in Gaza, further worsening conditions for homeless Palestinians. Floodwaters have swept through camps and informal shelters, damaging tents and personal belongings and forcing many families to move yet again.
Omar Al-Qattaa / AFP / Getty Images

The year is coming to an end, and it has seen some big-name artists drop new albums. From one of the biggest pop superstars of the 21st century to a familiar Beatles face, here are some of 2025’s biggest LPs. 

Mac Miller, ‘Balloonerism’
The celebrated rapper died in 2018 but is still providing fans with new gifts. “Balloonerism,” the artist’s second posthumous LP, was recorded in 2014 but wasn’t released after he died. The album is a “project that was of great importance” to Miller, and it “showcases both the breadth of his musical talents and fearlessness as an artist,” Miller’s estate said on Instagram.

Ringo Starr, ‘Look Up’
The legendary drummer for the Beatles is continuing to pump out music even at age 85 and released his 21st studio album, “Look Up,” in 2025. However, this album is a bit different from the Scouser’s normal rock classics, as “Look Up” will be a country LP. While not normally associated with the genre, Starr is a longtime fan and has “always loved country music,” the drummer said in a press release. And for the avid listener, country influences can be heard in many of his prior songs.

Counting Crows, ‘Butter Miracle, The Complete Sweets!’
The San Francisco rock band released its eighth studio album, “Butter Miracle, the Complete Sweets!,” marking its first LP in more than 10 years. One of the notable singles from the LP, “Spaceman in Tulsa,” is “about metamorphosis — the way music breaks down who we were and spins us into something new,” said frontman Adam Duritz in a statement.