Just 19% of Americans believe the country is heading in the right direction as 2024 comes to a close, Axios' Dave Lawler writes from Gallup's latest monthly survey.

• Why it matters: Gallup's monthly data reveals a deep-seated pessimism among Americans about their country. You'd have to go back two decades to find a time when half of Americans felt the U.S. was on the right track.

By the numbers: December's finding was down from 26% in October, largely because satisfaction among Democrats has fallen from 47% to 30% since the election.

• Only 9% of Republicans think the country is on the right track. That number jumped from 5% in October to 16% in November before sliding back down.

⚡ Flashback: Gallup's highest-ever finding (71%) came in February 1999 as the dot-com boom neared its peak, while the lowest (7%) came in October 2008, during the financial crisis.

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The pessimism about the direction of the country comes despite a fairly positive economic trajectory, Dave writes.

• The market soared after the election and has bounced back after a brief dip last week.
• The percentage of Americans who view the economy as the main problem with the U.S. has fallen steadily in recent months, per Gallup.

🛒 Zoom out: Americans are sending mixed messages across the economic spectrum.

• Consumer confidence surged in November as Republicans cheered Trump's victory, but then pulled back in December.
• Retail sales over the holiday look better than the National Retail Federation forecast, but not great for brick-and-mortar stores.

Footage showing a previously unseen Chinese warplane scrambled aviation geeks today, with some joking the clips were the perfect Christmas present.

• Why it matters: The aircraft emerges amid fiery debates about the future of airpower — manned versus unmanned, mainly — in the U.S. and abroad, Axios' Colin Demarest writes.

Zoom in: Videos and photos flooding social media show a large, delta-wing-style aircraft with a cockpit chased by a J-20S fighter.

• Its design suggests stealth.
• Russian state media quickly amplified the visuals, dubbing it the "White Emperor."

What to watch: Much remains unknown about the aircraft. Neither the Chinese government nor industry immediately took credit for the daytime flight.

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Kim Kardashian is no longer helping to manage a private equity firm she co-founded in 2022, Axios' Dan Primack reports from a review of the firm's website and new regulatory filings.

• The big picture: Kardashian's name recognition and success with clothing brand Skims never translated into fundraising achievements for SKKY Partners, which she launched with former Carlyle Group dealmaker Jay Sammons.
• The pair wanted to raise at least $1 billion to buy consumer companies, but through April, they had secured only $121 million and completed just one deal (hot sauce maker Truff).

Driving the news: SKKY this week disclosed in securities filings that it has only secured a few more million dollars for its flagship fund and that Kardashian no longer is an executive officer.

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