Social issues

• High cost of goods is causing consumers to spend less for the holidays, CNBC survey finds - The latest CNBC All-America Economic Survey found the "high cost of goods" has emerged as a major factor affecting how much shoppers spend and where they spend.
• FDA approved a $250,000 Singapore work trip during government shutdown, records show - The FDA sent 31 staffers to a Singapore conference during the shutdown, records show, raising questions of optics, spending and the agency's strained resources.
• Epstein photos: Trump, Clinton, Bill Gates, Steve Bannon, others in newly released files - Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released the photos to pressure the Trump administration to release files about Jeffrey Epstein.
• Supreme Court to hear case on Trump birthright citizenship order - The U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment had been understood to grant citizenship to children born in the country, even if their parents are not citizens.
• Michael and Susan Dell to donate $6.25 billion to fund Trump Accounts for 25 million U.S. kids - The billionaire CEO of Dell Technologies told CNBC he first heard of the idea of seeding accounts from hedge fund manager Brad Gerstner.
• Costco sues for Trump tariff refunds before Supreme Court rules on if they're illegal - Costco joins dozens of other companies that are seeking to protect their rights to refunds of Trump's tariffs without first waiting for the Supreme Court.