From WNYC Studios, I'm Brian Lerer.

This is my daily politics podcast.

It's Thursday, January 2nd.

We will start with a numerology geek riddle about the year 2025 that we're just beginning.

You ready? How much is 20 plus 25 times 20 plus 25? 20 plus 25 times 20 plus 25. How quick can you get your calculator out? And the answer is

2025. Another way to say it, 20 plus 25 is How quick can you get your calculator out? And the answer is 20-25.

Another way to say it, 20 plus 25 is 45.

Multiply that by itself, and you get the year, 2025.

And so this is the only year this century that is a perfect square, 45 squared, 2025.

44 squared was 1936.

46 squared will be 2116.

So if you want to geek out on numbers with your math friends or just confuse everyone

you know, like maybe I just confused you, there you go.

This is the unique year where we can say

20 plus 25 times 20 plus 25 equals 20, 25. That kind of thing may never happen again.

Or welcome to the year 45 square, the only perfect square year this century.

This year is starting out with the awful news of the apparent terrorist attack in Orleans on New Year's morning that killed 15 people at last count and injured around 30

and what might be the related explosion of a Tesla cyber truck in front of the Trump Tower in Las Vegas.

2025 politics also begin in earnest tomorrow when the House elects a speaker.

If you missed it over the holidays, President-elect Trump has endorsed Mike Johnson for speaker,

but will dissent from the so-called Freedom Caucus

prove even more powerful than the nod from the incoming president. And there's much more.

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