Thanks pp! I'm a bit behind, but this is what I have since I last posted.

Trump’s Own Mortgages Match His Description of Mortgage Fraud, Records Reveal.
“In 1993, Trump signed a mortgage for a “Bermuda style” home in Palm Beach, Florida, pledging that it would be his principal residence. Just seven weeks later, he got another mortgage for a seven-bedroom, marble-floored neighboring property, attesting that it too would be his principal residence.
In reality, Trump, then a New Yorker, does not appear to have ever lived in either home, let alone used them as a principal residence.”
https://apple.news/Af9xzZhyNSJiHFHaujaOuVw


NATO Ally Says Trump’s US Poses Security Threat.
“Denmark has for the first time identified the United States as one of the security threats facing the country in an annual risk assessment published on Wednesday.”
https://www.newsweek.com/nato-denmark-trump-security-threat-russia-greenland-arctic-11186411


Articles of Impeachment Introduced Against Pete Hegseth.
“Democratic Representative Shri Thanedar introduced articles of impeachment against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Tuesday, a step he signaled earlier this month, saying in a video announcement on X that the articles were “for murder and conspiracy to murder and reckless and unlawful mishandling of classified information.” 
https://www.newsweek.com/articles-of-impeachment-introduced-against-pete-hegseth-11188538


Over 250 people quarantined in South Carolina as measles outbreak rages—16 cases are linked to a church, which followed exposures at four schools last week.
https://apple.news/AQ1p2efFFSai4J1O4AAzdfA


Trump calls affordability crisis a 'hoax.' The data tells a different story.
“…grocery costs are up 2.7% for the year ending in September and electricity costs have jumped more than 5%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.”
https://apple.news/AQWCswb3cQgqGGKMLlxQISQ


57% of voters say Trump is losing the battle against inflation, and 56% say his tariff policies are harming the economy.
“…while 68% of respondents to a AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll from October said the economy was poor or very poor.”
https://apple.news/AQWCswb3cQgqGGKMLlxQISQ


U.S. businesses are getting throttled by the drop in tourism from Canada: ‘I can count the number of Canadian visitors on one hand’.
“From January to October of 2025, the number of passenger vehicles crossing the U.S.-Canada border fell by nearly 20% compared with the same period in 2024, according to the JEC analysis, which draws on U.S. Customs and Border Protection travel statistics. In some border states, the decline reached 27%, a shift that local tourism agencies say is showing up in fewer tourists, more hotel vacancies, and weaker sales.”
https://fortune.com/2025/12/10/us-businesses-canada-border-throttled-drop-canadian-tourism/


As 2025 draws to a close, Florida’s tourism sector is experiencing a significant decline, with visitor numbers dropping for 11 months straight.
https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/florida-joins-idaho-maine-michigan-minnesota-north-dakota-and-more-in-us-as-tourism-plunge-for-eleven-months-straight-as-2025-nears-its-end-new-report-you-need-to-know/#google_vignette


Democrat Eileen Higgins wins Miami mayor’s race, beats Trump’s pick—the first Democrat and non-Hispanic to win the mayoral seat in decades.
https://apple.news/AR_KfVRvbTNOSOPmhpY_bWw


Democrat flips Georgia state House seat in district Trump won.
“Democrats on Tuesday flipped a state House seat in a red-leaning district in Georgia, delivering the party another notable win heading into next year’s midterms.”
https://apple.news/AR9VKSVBrT1WtyAxEspTegQ


In 2025, Democrats Flipped 21 Percentof GOP-Held Legislative Seats—Republicans Have Flipped ZERO.
“Among their 2025 gains, Democrats have secured their largest majority in the Virginia House since the 1980s, expanded their control of the New Jersey Assembly, and broken Republican supermajorities in the state senates of Iowa and Mississippi. They also flipped a state Senate seat in a deeply Republican region of Pennsylvania, and staged Tuesday’s upset in a Georgia district that Trump had carried by double-digits last year.”
https://boltsmag.org/legislative-elections-results-2025/


Democrats Press to Expand House Map, Targeting 5 New G.O.P. Seats.
“The campaign arm of House Democrats is making the first formal expansion of what it considers to be the battleground map for control of Congress in 2026, adding five new Republican-held seats.
Democrats are feeling emboldened after sweeping wins in November’s elections and a surprisingly strong showing in a special election this month in Tennessee, where the Democratic nominee outran President Trump’s margin of victory in a ruby-red district by 13 percentage points.”
https://archive.ph/nNXpI#selection-667.0-675.48


Indiana Republicans overwhelmingly defy Trump and reject his House redistricting push in the state.
“When the proposal failed 31-19, cheers could be heard inside the chamber as well as shouts of “thank you!” The debate had been shadowed by the possibility of violence, and some lawmakers have received threats.
Trump tried to brush off the defeat, telling reporters in the Oval Office that he “wasn’t working on it very hard” despite his personal involvement in the pressure campaign.”
https://cdispatch.com/news/indiana-republicans-defy-trump-and-reject-his-house-redistricting-push-in-the-state/


Mother of Karoline Leavitt's nephew speaks out after ICE arrest—and answers what she wants to say to the press secretary.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/12/us/video/ebof-bruna-caroline-ferreira-ice-leavitt


Migrants facing mandatory detention in U.S. are fighting back, and winning.
“The Trump administration’s move to eliminate bond hearings for immigrants facing deportation has resulted in an explosion of legal challenges that the policy violates due process.”
https://apple.news/ApyQVqaQ4QdaMjFRhywh2ng


National Trust sues to stop Trump’s ballroom construction—The organization, which is charged by Congress with historic preservation, has retained President Barack Obama’s former lawyer as it seeks to pause the project.
https://apple.news/A1bzdJWlrQ_aIwOtlLrBgWw


Trump Admin Given Deadline To Remove National Guard From LA.
“The White House has been given a Monday deadline to remove the remaining National Guard troops from Los Angeles, a court has ruled.
In a Friday ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit found that a previous order barring the government's use of the Guard in the city would remain in place.”
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-remove-national-guard-los-angeles-11209253


This HIV Expert Refused To Censor Data, Then Quit the CDC.
“John Weiser, a doctor and researcher, has treated people with HIV since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. He joined the CDC’s HIV prevention team in 2011 to help lead its Medical Monitoring Project, the only in-depth survey of HIV across the United States. The project has shaped the country’s response to the epidemic over two decades, but the Trump administration censored last year’s findings and stopped funding it.
Weiser spoke with KFF Health News on the evening before World AIDS Day, which the U.S. government, for the first time since 1988, didn’t acknowledge this year. That was only the latest blow to efforts to combat HIV. The Trump administration has cut funds to provide lifesaving HIV care abroad, withheld money to prevent and treat HIV in the U.S., and fired HIV experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
https://apple.news/AwDhajtCiRtO7FULc7rDFPA


Tariffs have cost U.S. households $1,200 each since Trump returned to the White House.
“Sweeping taxes on imports have cost the average American household nearly $1,200 since Donald Trump returned to the White House this year, according to calculations by Democrats on Congress’ Joint Economic Committee.
Using Treasury Department numbers on revenue from tariffs and Goldman Sachs estimates of who ends up paying for them, the Democrats’ report Thursday found that American consumers’ share of the bill came to nearly $159 billion — or $1,198 per household — from February through November.”
https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-household-costs-inflation-398e0caf9536de6c63f0d1196c54f453


Roughly 9 in 10 U.S. adults, 87%, say they've noticed higher than usual prices for groceries in the past few months, while about two-thirds say they've experienced higher prices than usual for electricity and holiday gifts.
“The findings on groceries and holiday gifts are only slightly lower than in the 2022 poll, despite the slowdown from an inflation rate that hit a four-decade peak in the middle of that year.”
https://www.lehighvalleynews.com/business/consumer-affairs-news/this-holiday-season-isnt-very-merry-for-consumers-poll-finds


GoFundMe Appeals for Financial Help Soared in 2025—Americans turned to fundraisers to cope with the cost of rent, groceries and other essentials surged in 2025.
“In its 'Year in Help' report, released Tuesday, the crowdfunding platform revealed that "essential expense" fundraising rose 20 percent in 2025, and according to CBS News’s analysis, the amount of fundraisers posted to raise money for things like housing and food in the U.S. increased by 17 percent.”
https://www.newsweek.com/gofundme-appeals-for-financial-help-soared-in-2025-11185483


Gen-Zine: DIY publications find new life as form of resistance against Trump—Zines have made a resurgence as communities seek to share information on everything from ICE raids to local elections.
https://apple.news/AQcFGzm5eSJ6rbZI50uodDw


Kristi Noem and Tom Homan’s relationship is so frosty the pair don’t even speak, report claims.
“The report, which details the frosty relationship between the two high-level officials, comes after a series of media reports suggested President Donald Trump could be looking to replace Noem. The White House has repeatedly denied these reports.
Noem’s allies have blamed the so-called whisper campaign on Homan’s supporters, while the border czar’s allies have denied involvement, Axios reports.”
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/kristi-noem-tom-homan-relationship-183121180.html


Number of Republicans Identifying as MAGA Plunges Seven Percentage Points Since April.
https://www.newsweek.com/republicans-identify-maga-poll-11211564


Donald Trump Responds to MAGA Backlash Over Rob Reiner Post—He Brushed it Off.
https://www.newsweek.com/rob-reiner-son-nick-donald-trump-truth-social-11216342

Thank You for all your hard work in compiling this detailed information!

U.S. Showing Signs of ‘Rapid Authoritarian Shift,’ Civic Freedoms Report Warns.
“CIVICUS, an international network of civil society groups that advocates for stronger civil liberties, downgraded its assessment of U.S. civic freedoms from “narrowed” to “obstructed” in a new report on Tuesday, months after it added the country to a global human rights watchlist earlier this year.”
https://time.com/7339363/us-civil-liberties-authoritarian-shift-civicus-trump/


Congress to withhold Pentagon travel funds until it sees boat strike videos.
“Congress is using its marquee defense bill to force the Pentagon into turning over videos of strikes against suspected drug-smuggling boats off the coast of Latin America.”
https://apple.news/AdaTagVKuTmqVKkMLYXBmJQ


GOP lawmakers wary of Trump escalating beyond boat strikes in Venezuela.
“But President Donald Trump’s declaration last week that the U.S. could soon bomb Venezuelan territory has put lawmakers from the president’s party on edge and amplified concerns that Trump is preparing to use military force to oust Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.”
https://apple.news/AQ66Fv8rGTjGtZ-Z7ELi3AQ


Far-right activist Laura Loomer noted inconsistencies with the Trump administration’s justification of strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats off the coast of Venezuela.
“Loomer said Monday on the social platform X that while she has “no sympathy for narcoterrorists being killed,” it is “worth noting” that the majority of drugs, including fentanyl, brought into the U.S. are trafficked through Mexico.
“Fentanyl isn’t being manufactured in Venezuela,” she added.”
https://apple.news/Adx4gDqKaSeyIq2-nosHMFA


Honduras seeks arrest of ex-President Hernández after Trump pardon.
“Honduras Attorney General Johel Zelaya said Monday that he had ordered Honduran authorities and asked Interpol to execute a 2023 arrest order for ex-President Juan Orlando Hernández, pardoned by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Hernández was released from federal prison in the United States last week after Trump pardoned him. Hernández had been sentenced in U.S. federal court last year to 45 years in prison for helping move tons of cocaine to the United States.”
https://www.npr.org/2025/12/09/g-s1-101277/honduras-seeks-arrest-hernandez-trump-pardon


Two months into the new fiscal year and the U.S. government is already spending more than $10 billion a week servicing national debt.
“According to Treasury data, in the nine weeks since, it has spent $104 billion in interest on its $38 trillion borrowing burden. That’s more than $11 billion a week, and already represents 15% of federal spending in the current fiscal year.
…
President Trump and his cabinet have been discussing debt more meaningfully in this administration. While economists say some of their methods are “peculiar,” the Oval Office has nevertheless devised some moneymaking schemes, like tariffs, estimated to offset $3 trillion through fiscal year 2035. This is, unfortunately, $1 trillion lower than previous estimates from the Congressional Budget Office earlier this year.”
https://fortune.com/2025/12/04/national-debt-interest-payments-fiscal-year-2026/


ObamaCare anxiety rising among House GOP centrists: ‘To do this is buffoonery’.
“A small but animated group of GOP centrists is imploring party leaders to extend the ObamaCare tax credits set to expire at the end of the year. But they’ve run into a wall of opposition from Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who’s cold to the idea, and a larger group of conference conservatives, who are openly fighting to have the subsidies end. “
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5634256-gop-health-care-plans-frustration/


Zelensky rules out ceding land to Russia, refusing to bow to Putin or Trump.
“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country would not give up territory, not to hasten peace talks, not to satisfy Washington and not under pressure from Moscow.”
https://apple.news/AMF8aXPPeT0Cm1KgBGO9K-g


Judge orders release of Ghislaine Maxwell case files about Jeffrey Epstein.
“U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer in New York ordered the release of grand-jury transcripts and exhibits from the case against Maxwell, who is serving 20 years in prison for conspiring with Epstein.”
https://apple.news/AxAbdO12TRWSAgjQiCnDuZg


Mother of Karoline Leavitt's nephew released from ICE custody.
https://apple.news/AmTiK7Gi4TUOp4_yJC5bIMw


Alina Habba, who worked as President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, announced her resignation Monday as New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor, a week after a U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals panel disqualified her from the job.
“Habba, though, won’t walk away unemployed. She said she will serve as senior adviser to Attorney General Pamela Bondi on U.S. attorney matters.”
https://apple.news/AzrXJaBPSSPuF-4AQN_w7hA


USPS will charge up to $16 more per package this holiday season. Here’s when the temporary price changes will start.
https://fortune.com/2025/08/11/usps-holiday-shipping-price-increases-2025/


After over 30 years, Amazon may be cutting ties with the United States Postal Service as it looks to expand its own delivery network, as reported by The Washington Post.
https://apple.news/AZCRIS9SNQc-jAykmdXTSNg


Trump called Somalis 'garbage.' They're calling him a joke.
“In the same vein of California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Trumpian posts, Somali netizens are proving that the best way to fight blind hatred from the White House is with humor. I commend them for being able to make jokes about the situation.”
https://apple.news/AQ0FYEs-eTSCS0J8-QltUoA


LOL: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons is calling for the removal of a nativity scene at a Catholic church in Dedham that protests U.S. immigration policies.
“The sign reads, “ICE was here,” and is in the spot where Jesus, Mary and Joseph usually are in the middle of the manger scene, implying the family was taken by immigration agents, according to WBUR. Below the message is a smaller sign that reads “The Holy Family is safe in our Church ... If you see ICE please call LUCE at 617-370-5023.””
https://apple.news/A3PdEYh-ARt2iuIYcG0ewyQ


Costco adds Biden cabinet member to board of directors amid Trump lawsuit.
“The wholesaler announced this week the nomination for election of Gina Raimondo to the board of directors.”
https://apple.news/Aze8GQpk0RDiPWUw6JtS4Zg


Twelve former FBI agents fired after kneeling during a 2020 racial justice protest in Washington sued Monday to get their jobs back.
“The agents say in their lawsuit that they were fired in September by Director Kash Patel because they were perceived as not being politically affiliated with President Donald Trump. But they say their decision to take a knee on June 4, 2020, days after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, has been misinterpreted as political expression.”
https://apnews.com/article/fbi-george-floyd-kash-patel-72ac540b4d5afd90d6be3199ac808630


Republicans in Congress mocked Trump privately, Marjorie Taylor Greene says.
“In her 60 Minutes interview, Greene said Republicans don’t criticize Trump in public because they fear being targeted by him.
“I think they’re terrified to step out of line and get a nasty Truth Social post on them,” she said.”
https://apple.news/ATCoV_5RPTTef9ZNmjxgMyg


Anti-Trump former Republicans have a multimillion-dollar plan to save House Democrats.
“On the heels of overperformances up and down the ballot this year, the Save America Movement, co-founded by former Lincoln Project founder Steve Schmidt, wants to pour up to $100 million into as many as 60 GOP-controlled House seats ahead of the midterms.
The ambitious strategy for the Democrat-aligned group, shared first with POLITICO, is the group’s first foray into electoral politics after it has spent significant capital protesting President Donald Trump’s return to office, which it deems a fundamental threat to American freedoms.”
https://apple.news/AoEVuhxmoQ2SWNhBw7eqQiw


Federal Court Tosses GOP Lawsuit Against Missouri’s Gerrymander Referendum Effort.
“The ruling eliminates the GOP’s federal challenge just days before People Not Politicians (PNP), the organization leading the referendum effort, is expected to submit well over 200,000 signatures — positioning Missouri voters to decide for themselves whether to accept the new gerrymander.”
https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/federal-court-tosses-gop-lawsuit-against-missouris-gerrymander-referendum-effort/


DOJ’s New Voting Lawyer Has Web of Ties to Election-Conspiracy Theorists.
“The Republican lawyer Eric Neff, who recently took on a leading role in the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) push to obtain state voter records, briefly represented Patrick Byrne, the prominent election-conspiracy theorist who aided President Donald Trump’s effort to steal the 2020 election.
On that case, in which Byrne was being sued for defamation by Hunter Biden, Neff briefly worked under Stefanie Lambert, another leading election denier who will soon face trial in connection with a scheme to access vote tabulators in Michigan.”
https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/dojs-new-voting-lawyer-has-web-of-ties-to-election-conspiracy-theorists/


ICEBlock developer sues U.S. government after DOJ demanded Apple remove app from store—for alleged free speech infringement.
https://apple.news/Ang6ozuifQFiGIs1yH7jcRg


California teacher who was suspended for Charlie Kirk comments sues school district.
https://apple.news/Abr8srQ-7TQKtKWetJCYS7Q


The top Senate Democrat on the congressional Joint Economic Committee launched a new probe Monday into investment firms that hold large stakes in mobile home parks.
“The letters seek information about evictions, rent increases and profits at firms acquiring the properties.”
https://apple.news/Ag4DlIxmsRcSogtoEi4B5DA


Grocers See Increasing Evidence That Consumers Are Feeling More Strain.
“Middle-income shoppers are exhibiting some of the signs of stress that low-income households have for some time, according to the supermarket giant Kroger.
Consumers are stretching their budgets by making smaller, more frequent purchases and buying fewer discretionary items, the company said.”
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/grocers-see-increasing-evidence-consumers-120000485.html


Layoffs Hit Five Year High as Over 1 Million People Lose Jobs.
https://www.newsweek.com/layoffs-hit-five-year-high-as-over-1-million-people-lose-jobs-11183489


TACO Time: Education Dept. asks hundreds of fired employees to temporarily return.
“The agency is asking laid-off staffers in the Office for Civil Rights to come back and pitch in to help handle school discrimination cases.”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/12/06/education-department-civil-rights-office-trump/87643095007/


LOL: Elon Musk’s DOGE Remark to Joe Rogan Appears in Court Papers.
“Plaintiffs in the case submitted a notice on December 7 highlighting statements Musk made during an appearance on the podcast hosted by Joe Rogan, arguing they contradict the government’s position that DOGE has effectively ceased to operate.”
https://www.newsweek.com/elon-musk-doge-remark-joe-rogan-court-papers-11174144


Pam Bondi Made the Same Statement Trump Claims Is Sedition—By Trump’s own logic, his attorney general should get the death penalty.
“Last year, as a lawyer for the America First Policy Institute, a conservative think tank, Bondi filed a brief with the Supreme Court writing, “Military officers are required not to carry out unlawful orders.””
https://apple.news/A43LwV6J4RTCOP2cF4qj52Q


Pipe bomb suspect told FBI he believed 2020 election conspiracy theories—He’s a Trumper.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/pipe-bomb-suspect-told-fbi-believed-2020-election-conspiracy-theories-rcna247544


Poll: 45 percent of Trump voters do not want him to take office again, while 43 percent do. A further 11 percent said they were not sure.
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-third-term-approval-rating-11157402

Anonymous wrote:I may have missed some of this week's losses, so please fill in gaps...

Trump, 79, Repeatedly Falls Asleep in His Own Cabinet Meeting—Donald Trump can no longer stay awake in his own meetings.
https://newrepublic.com/post/203865/trump-falls-asleep-cabinet-meeting


WATCH: Trump says he doesn’t want Somali migrants in the U.S., calls people ‘garbage’
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-trump-says-he-doesnt-want-somali-migrants-in-the-u-s-calls-people-garbage


‘Signalgate’ report contradicts Hegseth’s claim of ‘total exoneration’—The defense secretary’s actions “created a risk to operational security,” according to an independent assessment by the Pentagon’s inspector general.
https://apple.news/AySXr95_XQTW8PzdR3X5XEg


House Democrat to file articles of impeachment against Hegseth over boat strikes: ‘War crimes have been committed’
https://apple.news/A2pKg25aLRVyECsIvhqOaqw


Libertarian conservative writer George Will noted in the Washington Post: “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seems to be a war criminal. Without a war. An interesting achievement.” Will went on to refer to the Trump administration as a “moral slum.”
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/december-2-2025?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=20533&post_id=180577516&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=5jar0q&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email


Family of victim in Trump drug boat killings files first formal complaint.
“Petition says Colombia citizen Alejandro Carranza Medina was illegally killed in US airstrike on 15 September.”
https://apple.news/AmASzeQRvR6qhpRotVkNjAg


As Trump calls affordability a ‘con job,’ Democrats unveil an affordable housing plan.
“As the economy emerges as a likely defining issue in next year’s midterm elections, President Trump has wrestled with Americans' rising cost of living, declaring himself the “affordability president," then soon dismissing the issue as something that “does not mean anything to anybody.
…
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) will introduce legislation Thursday aimed at increasing the supply of affordable housing for low-income and middle-income families, expanding rental assistance and boosting funding for long-term housing and emergency homeless shelters, according to a draft copy of the bill reviewed by The Times.
“Of all the affordability challenges Americans face, housing is the most acute. This is certainly the case in California, but it’s true across much of the country,” Schiff said in an interview. “I want to see the Democratic Party be the party advocating for the next housing boom in America.””
https://apple.news/Aj8WbBlk4TXGk6-Dm4itBng

…and now he’s going on gaslighting tour across America—‘We fixed inflation, and we fixed almost everything’: Trump travels to Pennsylvania to talk affordability while denying it’s a problem
https://fortune.com/2025/12/04/trump-affordability-pennsylvania-visit-inflation-hoax-democrats-pricing/

…even though Trump's own voters blame him for affordability crisis—Almost half — 46 percent — say the cost of living in the U.S. is the worst they can ever remember it being, a view held by 37 percent of 2024 Trump voters
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/04/poll-americans-trump-voters-affordability-crisis-00674747?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

…probably because small businesses cut 120,000 jobs in November, ADP says
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/adp-jobs-november-losses-rcna247137

…and becuase layoffs top 1.1 million this year, the most since 2020 pandemic (when Trump was last president)
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/04/layoff-announcements-this-year-top-1point1-million-the-most-since-2020-when-pandemic-hit-challenger-says.html

…and because U.S. manufacturing contracts for ninth straight month because of….tariffs.
https://apple.news/Ao6oA0MOAQemVnyL4h0-WJg


Tennessee Election Map Shows Huge Voter Shift From Trump to Democrats.
“But Van Epps' lead was about 9 percentage points with 99 percent of the votes counted, meaning Behn's loss marked a 13-point shift toward Democrats since last fall. Trump carried the district by 22 percentage points last year, and Representative Mark Green, who resigned in July, won reelection by more than 20 percentage points last November.”
https://www.newsweek.com/tennessee-election-map-shows-huge-voter-shift-trump-democrats-11147073


Some House Republican women are in open revolt against Speaker Mike Johnson.
https://apple.news/AxXb9zbE-TGSJ3FhN5S9rJQ


The top drug regulator at the FDA, Richard Pazdur, has decided to retire from the agency just three weeks after taking the leading position, according to multiple media outlets.
“Pazdur, an oncologist who has worked at the FDA since 1999, was seen as a stabilizing force for an agency that has been mired in turmoil during the second Trump administration. He took over the role of leading the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research on November 11, after the previous leader, George Tidmarsh, left the agency amid an investigation and a lawsuit regarding allegations that he used his position to exact petty revenge on a former business partner. In light of the scandal, one venture capital investor called the agency a “clown show.” Drug industry groups, meanwhile, called the FDA erratic and unpredictable.”
https://apple.news/A67JtpXalSfmG-gXtnb_jfA


Why a congressman is demanding investigation into Trump's '60 Minutes' interview after blasting CBS.
“Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) wants more information about how President Donald Trump's interview on 60 Minutes last month was edited.
The politician has penned a letter to CBS, specifically addressed to the network's ombudsperson Ken Weinstein, calling out "the improper influence President Donald Trump wielded over CBS News's editorial decisions" in that interview and other news coverage, according to the letter, which was obtained by The Hill.”
https://apple.news/AyUVsWfH9Sw2WrTY2IfIt7w


Grand jury declines to re-indict Letitia James.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/04/politics/grand-jury-declines-to-indict-letitia-james-again


GAO to investigate if Pulte mishandled mortgage fraud referrals—The probe of Federal Housing Director Bill Pulte was requested by seven Democratic senators.
“The GAO sent Senate Banking ranking member Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) a letter, released publicly Thursday, accepting Senate Democrats’ request to investigate Pulte’s referrals of New York Attorney General Letitia James, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook and Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) to the Department of Justice for alleged mortgage fraud.”


Trump’s anti-climate policies are driving up insurance costs for homeowners, experts say.
“Property insurance rates have spiked since 2021 due to the increasing frequency of climate-related natural disasters, inflation in the cost of building materials and supply chain issues. The typical homeowner saw an average increase of $648 in their annual premium from 2021 to 2024. And those rates are expected to increase by an average of 8% nationwide this year — with homeowners in some states facing much higher increases, such as a projected 27% hike in Louisiana.
An increasing number of American homeowners are linking those increases to climate change. A majority of them (72%) say that natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods and wildfires exacerbated by climate change are somewhat or very responsible for the rise in homeowner insurance costs, according to a poll by Data For Progress.”
https://apple.news/AlO14mIfHQ1-byYDLn4EuzA


Whoopsie!: Trump’s attack on DEI may hurt college men, particularly White men—The ban may impact gender balancing practices that often benefit college men.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2025/12/04/trump-dei-ban-college-men/


The Trump administration on Wednesday restored library grants after a judge determined attempts to defund and dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) were unlawful.
https://apple.news/AyzwkMO4BQtuk6CMaC-7f8w


US judge blocks Trump from cutting Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood in 22 states.
https://apple.news/Asvx7GU-KRgOdmpyiC3sJww


Rescue helicopter returns to Oregon town following Trump administration lawsuit.
https://apple.news/AJGfnG34fQamPpPSWsvor1w


LOL: Travelers wear pajamas to airports in protest of government request.
“Some characterized their choices as an act of political resistance. The hashtag #pajamaresistance made an appearance.”
https://apple.news/A56wmNYY8TpeHZ9ASgp2vCQ


FAFO: A “Die hard” Republican mayor in Kansas voted for Trump 3x, but he’s a Mexican non-citizen, and is now being charged with voter fraud and may be deported.
https://kansasreflector.com/2025/12/01/a-kansas-town-chose-cruelty-now-it-mourns-as-the-mayor-faces-voter-fraud-charge-and-deportation/


Poll: Richard Nixon didn’t reach Trump’s low levels of job approval among independents until he was in the depths of the Watergate scandal; he hit 23 percent when impeachment proceedings against him began and 22 percent the day he was forced to resign.
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trumps-job-approval-among-independents-is-astoundingly-low.html

There’s also the two unauthorized federal prosecutors: Halligan and Habba. Though it’s not clear what the story exactly is.

I may have missed some of this week's losses, so please fill in gaps...

Trump, 79, Repeatedly Falls Asleep in His Own Cabinet Meeting—Donald Trump can no longer stay awake in his own meetings.
https://newrepublic.com/post/203865/trump-falls-asleep-cabinet-meeting


WATCH: Trump says he doesn’t want Somali migrants in the U.S., calls people ‘garbage’
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-trump-says-he-doesnt-want-somali-migrants-in-the-u-s-calls-people-garbage


‘Signalgate’ report contradicts Hegseth’s claim of ‘total exoneration’—The defense secretary’s actions “created a risk to operational security,” according to an independent assessment by the Pentagon’s inspector general.
https://apple.news/AySXr95_XQTW8PzdR3X5XEg


House Democrat to file articles of impeachment against Hegseth over boat strikes: ‘War crimes have been committed’
https://apple.news/A2pKg25aLRVyECsIvhqOaqw


Libertarian conservative writer George Will noted in the Washington Post: “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seems to be a war criminal. Without a war. An interesting achievement.” Will went on to refer to the Trump administration as a “moral slum.”
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/december-2-2025?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=20533&post_id=180577516&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=5jar0q&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email


Family of victim in Trump drug boat killings files first formal complaint.
“Petition says Colombia citizen Alejandro Carranza Medina was illegally killed in US airstrike on 15 September.”
https://apple.news/AmASzeQRvR6qhpRotVkNjAg


As Trump calls affordability a ‘con job,’ Democrats unveil an affordable housing plan.
“As the economy emerges as a likely defining issue in next year’s midterm elections, President Trump has wrestled with Americans' rising cost of living, declaring himself the “affordability president," then soon dismissing the issue as something that “does not mean anything to anybody.
…
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) will introduce legislation Thursday aimed at increasing the supply of affordable housing for low-income and middle-income families, expanding rental assistance and boosting funding for long-term housing and emergency homeless shelters, according to a draft copy of the bill reviewed by The Times.
“Of all the affordability challenges Americans face, housing is the most acute. This is certainly the case in California, but it’s true across much of the country,” Schiff said in an interview. “I want to see the Democratic Party be the party advocating for the next housing boom in America.””
https://apple.news/Aj8WbBlk4TXGk6-Dm4itBng

…and now he’s going on gaslighting tour across America—‘We fixed inflation, and we fixed almost everything’: Trump travels to Pennsylvania to talk affordability while denying it’s a problem
https://fortune.com/2025/12/04/trump-affordability-pennsylvania-visit-inflation-hoax-democrats-pricing/

…even though Trump's own voters blame him for affordability crisis—Almost half — 46 percent — say the cost of living in the U.S. is the worst they can ever remember it being, a view held by 37 percent of 2024 Trump voters
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/04/poll-americans-trump-voters-affordability-crisis-00674747?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

…probably because small businesses cut 120,000 jobs in November, ADP says
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/adp-jobs-november-losses-rcna247137

…and becuase layoffs top 1.1 million this year, the most since 2020 pandemic (when Trump was last president)
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/04/layoff-announcements-this-year-top-1point1-million-the-most-since-2020-when-pandemic-hit-challenger-says.html

…and because U.S. manufacturing contracts for ninth straight month because of….tariffs.
https://apple.news/Ao6oA0MOAQemVnyL4h0-WJg


Tennessee Election Map Shows Huge Voter Shift From Trump to Democrats.
“But Van Epps' lead was about 9 percentage points with 99 percent of the votes counted, meaning Behn's loss marked a 13-point shift toward Democrats since last fall. Trump carried the district by 22 percentage points last year, and Representative Mark Green, who resigned in July, won reelection by more than 20 percentage points last November.”
https://www.newsweek.com/tennessee-election-map-shows-huge-voter-shift-trump-democrats-11147073


Some House Republican women are in open revolt against Speaker Mike Johnson.
https://apple.news/AxXb9zbE-TGSJ3FhN5S9rJQ


The top drug regulator at the FDA, Richard Pazdur, has decided to retire from the agency just three weeks after taking the leading position, according to multiple media outlets.
“Pazdur, an oncologist who has worked at the FDA since 1999, was seen as a stabilizing force for an agency that has been mired in turmoil during the second Trump administration. He took over the role of leading the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research on November 11, after the previous leader, George Tidmarsh, left the agency amid an investigation and a lawsuit regarding allegations that he used his position to exact petty revenge on a former business partner. In light of the scandal, one venture capital investor called the agency a “clown show.” Drug industry groups, meanwhile, called the FDA erratic and unpredictable.”
https://apple.news/A67JtpXalSfmG-gXtnb_jfA


Why a congressman is demanding investigation into Trump's '60 Minutes' interview after blasting CBS.
“Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) wants more information about how President Donald Trump's interview on 60 Minutes last month was edited.
The politician has penned a letter to CBS, specifically addressed to the network's ombudsperson Ken Weinstein, calling out "the improper influence President Donald Trump wielded over CBS News's editorial decisions" in that interview and other news coverage, according to the letter, which was obtained by The Hill.”
https://apple.news/AyUVsWfH9Sw2WrTY2IfIt7w


Grand jury declines to re-indict Letitia James.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/04/politics/grand-jury-declines-to-indict-letitia-james-again


GAO to investigate if Pulte mishandled mortgage fraud referrals—The probe of Federal Housing Director Bill Pulte was requested by seven Democratic senators.
“The GAO sent Senate Banking ranking member Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) a letter, released publicly Thursday, accepting Senate Democrats’ request to investigate Pulte’s referrals of New York Attorney General Letitia James, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook and Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) to the Department of Justice for alleged mortgage fraud.”


Trump’s anti-climate policies are driving up insurance costs for homeowners, experts say.
“Property insurance rates have spiked since 2021 due to the increasing frequency of climate-related natural disasters, inflation in the cost of building materials and supply chain issues. The typical homeowner saw an average increase of $648 in their annual premium from 2021 to 2024. And those rates are expected to increase by an average of 8% nationwide this year — with homeowners in some states facing much higher increases, such as a projected 27% hike in Louisiana.
An increasing number of American homeowners are linking those increases to climate change. A majority of them (72%) say that natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods and wildfires exacerbated by climate change are somewhat or very responsible for the rise in homeowner insurance costs, according to a poll by Data For Progress.”
https://apple.news/AlO14mIfHQ1-byYDLn4EuzA


Whoopsie!: Trump’s attack on DEI may hurt college men, particularly White men—The ban may impact gender balancing practices that often benefit college men.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2025/12/04/trump-dei-ban-college-men/


The Trump administration on Wednesday restored library grants after a judge determined attempts to defund and dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) were unlawful.
https://apple.news/AyzwkMO4BQtuk6CMaC-7f8w


US judge blocks Trump from cutting Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood in 22 states.
https://apple.news/Asvx7GU-KRgOdmpyiC3sJww


Rescue helicopter returns to Oregon town following Trump administration lawsuit.
https://apple.news/AJGfnG34fQamPpPSWsvor1w


LOL: Travelers wear pajamas to airports in protest of government request.
“Some characterized their choices as an act of political resistance. The hashtag #pajamaresistance made an appearance.”
https://apple.news/A56wmNYY8TpeHZ9ASgp2vCQ


FAFO: A “Die hard” Republican mayor in Kansas voted for Trump 3x, but he’s a Mexican non-citizen, and is now being charged with voter fraud and may be deported.
https://kansasreflector.com/2025/12/01/a-kansas-town-chose-cruelty-now-it-mourns-as-the-mayor-faces-voter-fraud-charge-and-deportation/


Poll: Richard Nixon didn’t reach Trump’s low levels of job approval among independents until he was in the depths of the Watergate scandal; he hit 23 percent when impeachment proceedings against him began and 22 percent the day he was forced to resign.
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trumps-job-approval-among-independents-is-astoundingly-low.html

Anonymous wrote:Losses continue to pile up, including an increased dementia watch over the last week…


GOP and Democrat Senators Vow 'Vigorous Oversight' After Stunning Hegseth 'Kill Everybody' Report.
“To fulfill Hegseth’s directive, Adm. Frank M. “Mitch” Bradley then ordered a second strike to kill two men in the water who had initially survived, according to the Post.”
https://apple.news/AkBq96S4cS9yh3HaHT8BiZw


A scathing 115-page report into the state of the FBI under Kash Patel has exposed turmoil and friction as agents turn on him and even Trump administration allies admit he is out of his depth.
“The bombshell report, written by an alliance of active-duty and retired agents who railed against former president Joe Biden's DEI policies, described the FBI as 'a rudderless ship' and 'all f**ked up' under Patel.”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15340879/kash-patel-FBI-explosive-report-dan-bongino.html


Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is staring down a potential political firestorm in the coming weeks as a few Republican dissenters aim to use a rare procedural mechanism to force legislation on a stock trading ban and Russian sanctions onto the House floor. 
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5624268-republican-discharge-petitions-johnson/


Trump ally Troy Nehls joins growing group of lawmakers retiring from Congress.
https://apple.news/A38zKqNEOR-SRKmvHb6ObCQ


Shorter days, signs of fatigue: Trump faces realities of aging in office—Most of his public appearances fall between noon and 5 p.m., on average.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/us/politics/trump-age-health.html


Trump wants a bigger White House ballroom. His architect disagrees.
“The president and James McCrery had argued in recent weeks over the project’s size, with Trump pushing him to expand the ballroom.”
https://apple.news/APJaafuwhQSaPnEfR2hjLzA


Donald Trump Uses Shocking Slur in Late-Night Thanksgiving Message.
“Donald Trump used a late-night Thanksgiving message to deploy an offensive slur against a political rival before announcing he wants to pause migration from all “Third World Countries.”
Trump began his rambling post with a happy Thanksgiving greeting, but it quickly devolved into an anti-immigration ragepost, blaming “American Citizens and Patriots who have been so nice in allowing our Country to be divided, disrupted, carved up.”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-uses-shocking-slur-in-late-night-thanksgiving-message/


Trump says he’ll release MRI results; doesn’t know what part of his body was scanned.
https://apnews.com/video/trump-says-hell-release-mri-results-doesnt-know-what-part-of-his-body-was-scanned-f7491446290d4818b942e2ca575a9846


Trump Claims He Personally Redesigned New Coast Guard Ships.
“Speaking virtually to service members at Mar-a-Lago on Thanksgiving, President Donald Trump has claimed that he personally redesigned new Coast Guard ships because “I’m a looks person.”
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-says-he-redesigned-coast-guard-ships-11123485


"Quite frankly I was pissed off!" Growing online page chronicles Trump Justice Dept. resignation letters.
“…the Justice Department purge has now eclipsed 5,000 employees since January, including resignations, firings and retirements.”
https://apple.news/AAMOdz7qqR6utR4UhFPijPw


New Virginia Bill Would Force Police, ICE Agents To Unmask While Working.
“Virginia lawmakers are taking aim at masked officers, introducing a sweeping proposal that would make it illegal for most police — including federal agents — to hide their faces while on duty.
The measure, known as HB7, was pre-filed for the 2026 session and would create some of the strictest limits in the country on when law-enforcement officers can wear facial coverings.”
https://www.aol.com/news/virginia-bill-force-police-ice-144502623.html


In Trump country, suburban grandmas push back against ICE.
“A group that's grown almost 70-strong shows up weekly to commissioner meetings in this conservative Ohio county to protest officials' agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
They're mostly grandmas.”
https://apple.news/ADacvo0_nTAazS1QbxYAR3w


The most homophobic GOP candidate of the year loses her primary & it was brutal.
“Valentina Gomez, who ran in the GOP primary for Missouri Secretary of State, built her campaign around her hatred of LGBTQ+ people. She made “Don’t be weak and gay” a slogan of her campaign, she called LGBTQ+ people “groomers” and “pedophiles” repeatedly, she burned LGBTQ+ books with a flamethrower, and she said anti-LGBTQ+ slurs in videos posted to social media.
And she just came in sixth place in her primary election out of eight candidates.
https://apple.news/AzmMM0nbZRgOQD-z1S63fUQ


TACO Time: US to lower tariffs on South Korean autos to 15% effective Nov 1, Lutnick says.
https://apple.news/Abf7lUSHtQPe2RpthRm5g3g


Yankee Candle parent company announces mass layoffs and 20 store closures before Christmas—citing tariffs are largely to blame.
https://apple.news/Agd80LgNZRtqTYgP02_U2EQ


Blue-Collar Jobs Are Collapsing Under Trump.
“The latest Labor Department data puts the issue of employment into sharp relief. September's delayed jobs report showed an encouraging uptick in overall hiring but no pause in blue-collar employment's long-term decline.
Of the five industry groups or "supersectors" that could be broadly considered "blue collar"—manufacturing, mining and logging, transportation and warehousing, utilities, and construction—only the latter saw an increase in September. Construction's 19,000-job gain was also insufficient to offset the monthly loss of 25,300 jobs in transportation or manufacturing shedding a further 6,000.”
https://www.newsweek.com/blue-collar-jobs-are-collapsing-under-trump-11127115


Millions of Americans Are Defaulting on Loans.
“The issue was put into sharp relief by the New York Fed’s most recent Household Debt and Credit report, which showed that household debt hit a record $18.6 trillion in the third quarter of 2025, having climbed $228 billion from the second quarter.
Credit card balances alone jumped $24 billion, reaching an all-time high, while the share of balances in serious delinquency—90 days past due—climbed to a nearly financial-crash level of 7.1 percent.”
https://www.newsweek.com/millions-americans-defaulting-on-loans-11090052


Sellers are taking their homes off the market at the fastest pace in nearly a decade.
“Roughly 15% of the homes that were delisted in September were at risk of selling at a loss, according to Redfin.”
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/25/home-sellers-delisting-redfin.html


Americans Are Spending Less on Holiday Decor, Gifts as Economic Uncertainty Ramps Up.
“Holiday cheer is colliding with financial fear, with 28% of Americans trimming their decorating budgets this year and 26% reining in gift spending, according to a new survey from Rocket Mortgage and Redfin.”
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/americans-spending-less-holiday-decor-144400382.html


Supreme Court defers decision on whether Trump can fire head of U.S. Copyright Office.
“The Supreme Court on Wednesday put off a decision on the Trump administration’s request to be able to remove Shira Perlmutter, the head of the U.S. Copyright Office, from her job while her challenge to an effort to fire her moves forward.”
https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/11/supreme-court-defers-decision-on-whether-trump-can-fire-head-of-u-s-copyright-office/


Federal court blocks US government's controversial plan for public lands: 'Thriving'
“Wild horses are an iconic symbol of the American West, and they just scored a legal win against the federal government thanks to the efforts of several groups of conservationists determined to preserve their habitat.
…
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit blocked its plan, saying it is in violation of federal law, specifically the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. According to the outlet, the court said the agency failed to consider if its decision to remove the horses would achieve a "thriving natural ecological balance on the public lands."
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/federal-court-blocks-us-governments-120000407.html


Lawsuit accuses Trump administration of bias in immigration judge's firing.
“Tania Nemer said the U.S. Department of Justice fired her on February 5 shortly after the beginning of Trump's second term in office because she is a woman, a dual citizen of Lebanon who is the child of immigrant parents, and had earlier in her career run unsuccessfully for local office as a Democrat.”
https://apple.news/AvALngUGJTyi7vI02k6Z3Ng


Two Swiss lawmakers have asked prosecutors to investigate whether generous gifts given to President Donald Trump by Swiss business leaders violated anti‑bribery laws. 
https://www.newsweek.com/calls-for-bribery-probe-into-lavish-gifts-given-to-trump-11124763


At least 9 Indiana Republicans were swatting targets amid redistricting pressure from Trump—The threats came after Trump publicly called on state lawmakers to pass new congressional maps that would benefit Republicans.
https://apple.news/AnpEXLV-vTc-SmxsmOym56w


JD Vance’s Chances of Being 2028 GOP Nominee Plunging: Polls
“However, in October, his lead decreased and while Vance still enjoyed 38 percent of the vote share, Trump Jr.'s 20 percent of the share meant that just a few weeks ago Vance had a narrower 18-point lead. And in November, this lead decreased again to 10 points, with Vance on 34 percent and Trump Jr. on 24 percent.”
https://www.newsweek.com/jd-vance-2028-presidential-nominee-polls-11118813

The bad news on the economic front is piling up. And Trump’s assertion that “affordability” is a scam is not going to endear the GOP to voters.

I think it's going to be a long week...

Trump’s wild midnight Truth Social posting binge features over 150 messages in mere hours ranging from treason to beautiful Melania.
“President Donald Trump went on a manic Truth Social posting spree Monday night that saw him fire off 150 tweets in mere hours that included compliments about the first lady to conspiracy theories about Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi.
Between 7 p.m. and midnight, the president reposted roughly 150 tweets — averaging about one post every two minutes for five hours — from what appeared to be a random assortment of unknown figures on X and his close allies discussing an unpredictable range of topics. The heaviest concentration of posts occurred between 11 p.m. and midnight, with about 100 posts in the final hour alone.”
https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-truth-social-posts-binge-b2876416.html


LOL: 'Affordability is a con job by the Democrats': Trump tells Cabinet.
“President Donald Trump opened his ninth Cabinet meeting by blasting Democrats for complaining about inflation after prices have fallen for products such as gasoline and groceries.
“The word affordability is a con job by the Democrats,” Trump said. “The word affordability is a Democrat scam.”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/12/02/trump-cabinet-meeting-venezuela-live-updates/87566205007/


Electricity prices jump after Trump rejects disaster aid for Michigan utilities.
“The president denied the state’s request for federal aid to rebuild power lines after a fierce ice storm last March, a move that could force thousands of rural electricity customers to pay the entire tab.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/30/electricity-prices-jump-after-trump-rejects-disaster-aid-for-michigan-utilities-00665572


Are electricity rates getting another hike in Utah?
“The utility company wants to raise Utah customers’ monthly electric bills another 4.5% to pay for its new wildfire liability insurance fund.”
https://www.deseret.com/utah/2025/12/01/rocky-mountain-proposes-another-rate-increase/


Electricity prices go UP today across PA—DEC 1
https://www.wccsradio.com/2025/12/01/electricity-prices-go-up-today-across-pa/


Costco sues Trump administration for ‘full refund’ of tariffs.
“The big-box warehouser joins dozens of companies that have lined up for refunds in recent weeks as the high court’s decision looms. 
Like the others, Costco said it needed to file its own case because it is “not guaranteed a refund for those unlawfully collected tariffs in the absence of their own judgment and judicial relief.” 
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5629293-costco-trump-lawsuit-tariffs/


The Trump tariffs amount to an average tax increase per US household of $1,100 in 2025 and $1,400 in 2026—the largest US tax increase as a percent of GDP (0.47 percent for 2025) since 1993.
https://taxfoundation.org/research/all/federal/trump-tariffs-trade-war/


Furniture retailer American Signature files for bankruptcy and closes stores in 14 states, cites tariffs.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/furniture-retailer-american-signature-files-204555857.html


The 10 Roads group of companies — one of the largest U.S. mail haulers — announced Monday it will wind down all operations over the next 60 days and cease service to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) by Jan. 30, citing steep revenue losses tied to major USPS network changes.
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/10-roads-express-to-shut-down-operations-end-usps-contracts


Tyson layoffs hit West Texas as national beef-plant shake-up expands—The he meatpacker’s 1,761-job cut at its Amarillo site comes as the company closes a Nebraska plant to shrink beef-processing capacity.
https://www.chron.com/business/article/tyson-foods-amarillo-texas-panhandle-layoffs-21210119.php


Although overall US online shopping increased 3% on Black Friday, it was driven by a 7% jump in the average selling price, according to Salesforce.
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/paying-more-less-shopping-season-175938186.html


Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth elicited rage from his critics after posting a photo of a children’s book character firing missiles at boats with the caption, “For your Christmas wish list.”
https://apple.news/A9Z8YTCSGQ6SrI2jZkt0McA

…and then the ‘Franklin the Turtle’ publisher rips Hegseth over ‘violent’ use of character in meme.
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5629272-franklin-the-turtle-pete-hegseth-boat-strikes/


The WSJ Editorial Board says Congress is right to seek the truth about the alleged Hegseth missile order—Hegseth should testify under oath.
“Congress is mostly a media circus these days, so credit the members who take their duties seriously. Lawmakers are doing a public service by trying to get to the truth on whether the Trump Administration killed defenseless survivors of a drug-boat strike.”
https://apple.news/ASfjTC8MTTlK-RZZisM-8pw


Fears grow inside military over illegal orders after Hegseth authorized follow-up boat strike.
“There is an increasing apprehension among service members that they may be asked to carry out an illegal order, amid reports Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered troops to “kill everybody” in a boat strike in September.
The concerns, reflected in an uptick in calls to The Orders Project — which provides free legal advice to military personnel — come from the likes of staff officers involved in planning the strikes on supposed drug carrying boats and those in charge of designating the people on the vessels as a threat in order to carry out such attacks.”
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5628685-service-members-boat-strikes-orders-hegseth/


Judge weighs potential contempt prosecution referral for Kristi Noem in El Salvador deportations.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/kristi-noem-directed-venezuelans-el-salvador-after-federal/story?id=127884456&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email


Democrats begin congressional probe of Kash Patel's use of FBI Gulfstream jet to see his girlfirend.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/democrats-probe-fbi-director-kash-patel-fbi-gulfstream-jet/


President Donald Trump’s push for a new health care plan has stalled, amid disagreements within the GOP over the extension of key enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies.
“The dispute has slowed the administration’s efforts to avert a looming spike in health insurance premiums, raising doubts about whether it will have any proposal ready in time for a Senate vote as early as next week on the fate of the ACA subsidies relied on by roughly 22 million people.”
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/02/politics/health-care-plan-trump-stall-aca


Mike Johnson's red alert on members quitting Congress.
“Members of the House of Representatives are quitting Congress at a record rate, with Republican retirements and resignations outpacing Democrats by a nearly 2-to-1 ratio in the first 11 months of the year.
Why it matters: In previous cycles, the party with more departures tends to lose seats — if not the majority.”
https://apple.news/ATJJ5G_QIR6Gchrcou60NfQ


Head of Virginia GOP to step down after party’s bruising election losses.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/12/02/virginia-peake-republican-resign-youngkin/


Indiana State GOP Senator Walker said Trump invited him for an Oval Office visit on November 19, but he declined, suggesting the invitation violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from using public resources for partisan purposes.
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/november-29-2025


Pop musician Sabrina Carpenter on Tuesday blasted the White House for using one of her songs in a video showing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents making arrests.
https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/5629763-sabrina-carpenter-blasts-disgusting-use-of-her-music-in-white-house-video/


A significant portion of 2024 Trump voters — more than a third — do not consider themselves to be MAGA Republicans, according to The POLITICO Poll.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/28/maga-trump-voters-divide-00670647

Losses continue to pile up, including an increased dementia watch over the last week…


GOP and Democrat Senators Vow 'Vigorous Oversight' After Stunning Hegseth 'Kill Everybody' Report.
“To fulfill Hegseth’s directive, Adm. Frank M. “Mitch” Bradley then ordered a second strike to kill two men in the water who had initially survived, according to the Post.”
https://apple.news/AkBq96S4cS9yh3HaHT8BiZw


A scathing 115-page report into the state of the FBI under Kash Patel has exposed turmoil and friction as agents turn on him and even Trump administration allies admit he is out of his depth.
“The bombshell report, written by an alliance of active-duty and retired agents who railed against former president Joe Biden's DEI policies, described the FBI as 'a rudderless ship' and 'all f**ked up' under Patel.”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15340879/kash-patel-FBI-explosive-report-dan-bongino.html


Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is staring down a potential political firestorm in the coming weeks as a few Republican dissenters aim to use a rare procedural mechanism to force legislation on a stock trading ban and Russian sanctions onto the House floor. 
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5624268-republican-discharge-petitions-johnson/


Trump ally Troy Nehls joins growing group of lawmakers retiring from Congress.
https://apple.news/A38zKqNEOR-SRKmvHb6ObCQ


Shorter days, signs of fatigue: Trump faces realities of aging in office—Most of his public appearances fall between noon and 5 p.m., on average.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/us/politics/trump-age-health.html


Trump wants a bigger White House ballroom. His architect disagrees.
“The president and James McCrery had argued in recent weeks over the project’s size, with Trump pushing him to expand the ballroom.”
https://apple.news/APJaafuwhQSaPnEfR2hjLzA


Donald Trump Uses Shocking Slur in Late-Night Thanksgiving Message.
“Donald Trump used a late-night Thanksgiving message to deploy an offensive slur against a political rival before announcing he wants to pause migration from all “Third World Countries.”
Trump began his rambling post with a happy Thanksgiving greeting, but it quickly devolved into an anti-immigration ragepost, blaming “American Citizens and Patriots who have been so nice in allowing our Country to be divided, disrupted, carved up.”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-uses-shocking-slur-in-late-night-thanksgiving-message/


Trump says he’ll release MRI results; doesn’t know what part of his body was scanned.
https://apnews.com/video/trump-says-hell-release-mri-results-doesnt-know-what-part-of-his-body-was-scanned-f7491446290d4818b942e2ca575a9846


Trump Claims He Personally Redesigned New Coast Guard Ships.
“Speaking virtually to service members at Mar-a-Lago on Thanksgiving, President Donald Trump has claimed that he personally redesigned new Coast Guard ships because “I’m a looks person.”
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-says-he-redesigned-coast-guard-ships-11123485


"Quite frankly I was pissed off!" Growing online page chronicles Trump Justice Dept. resignation letters.
“…the Justice Department purge has now eclipsed 5,000 employees since January, including resignations, firings and retirements.”
https://apple.news/AAMOdz7qqR6utR4UhFPijPw


New Virginia Bill Would Force Police, ICE Agents To Unmask While Working.
“Virginia lawmakers are taking aim at masked officers, introducing a sweeping proposal that would make it illegal for most police — including federal agents — to hide their faces while on duty.
The measure, known as HB7, was pre-filed for the 2026 session and would create some of the strictest limits in the country on when law-enforcement officers can wear facial coverings.”
https://www.aol.com/news/virginia-bill-force-police-ice-144502623.html


In Trump country, suburban grandmas push back against ICE.
“A group that's grown almost 70-strong shows up weekly to commissioner meetings in this conservative Ohio county to protest officials' agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
They're mostly grandmas.”
https://apple.news/ADacvo0_nTAazS1QbxYAR3w


The most homophobic GOP candidate of the year loses her primary & it was brutal.
“Valentina Gomez, who ran in the GOP primary for Missouri Secretary of State, built her campaign around her hatred of LGBTQ+ people. She made “Don’t be weak and gay” a slogan of her campaign, she called LGBTQ+ people “groomers” and “pedophiles” repeatedly, she burned LGBTQ+ books with a flamethrower, and she said anti-LGBTQ+ slurs in videos posted to social media.
And she just came in sixth place in her primary election out of eight candidates.
https://apple.news/AzmMM0nbZRgOQD-z1S63fUQ


TACO Time: US to lower tariffs on South Korean autos to 15% effective Nov 1, Lutnick says.
https://apple.news/Abf7lUSHtQPe2RpthRm5g3g


Yankee Candle parent company announces mass layoffs and 20 store closures before Christmas—citing tariffs are largely to blame.
https://apple.news/Agd80LgNZRtqTYgP02_U2EQ


Blue-Collar Jobs Are Collapsing Under Trump.
“The latest Labor Department data puts the issue of employment into sharp relief. September's delayed jobs report showed an encouraging uptick in overall hiring but no pause in blue-collar employment's long-term decline.
Of the five industry groups or "supersectors" that could be broadly considered "blue collar"—manufacturing, mining and logging, transportation and warehousing, utilities, and construction—only the latter saw an increase in September. Construction's 19,000-job gain was also insufficient to offset the monthly loss of 25,300 jobs in transportation or manufacturing shedding a further 6,000.”
https://www.newsweek.com/blue-collar-jobs-are-collapsing-under-trump-11127115


Millions of Americans Are Defaulting on Loans.
“The issue was put into sharp relief by the New York Fed’s most recent Household Debt and Credit report, which showed that household debt hit a record $18.6 trillion in the third quarter of 2025, having climbed $228 billion from the second quarter.
Credit card balances alone jumped $24 billion, reaching an all-time high, while the share of balances in serious delinquency—90 days past due—climbed to a nearly financial-crash level of 7.1 percent.”
https://www.newsweek.com/millions-americans-defaulting-on-loans-11090052


Sellers are taking their homes off the market at the fastest pace in nearly a decade.
“Roughly 15% of the homes that were delisted in September were at risk of selling at a loss, according to Redfin.”
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/25/home-sellers-delisting-redfin.html


Americans Are Spending Less on Holiday Decor, Gifts as Economic Uncertainty Ramps Up.
“Holiday cheer is colliding with financial fear, with 28% of Americans trimming their decorating budgets this year and 26% reining in gift spending, according to a new survey from Rocket Mortgage and Redfin.”
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/americans-spending-less-holiday-decor-144400382.html


Supreme Court defers decision on whether Trump can fire head of U.S. Copyright Office.
“The Supreme Court on Wednesday put off a decision on the Trump administration’s request to be able to remove Shira Perlmutter, the head of the U.S. Copyright Office, from her job while her challenge to an effort to fire her moves forward.”
https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/11/supreme-court-defers-decision-on-whether-trump-can-fire-head-of-u-s-copyright-office/


Federal court blocks US government's controversial plan for public lands: 'Thriving'
“Wild horses are an iconic symbol of the American West, and they just scored a legal win against the federal government thanks to the efforts of several groups of conservationists determined to preserve their habitat.
…
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit blocked its plan, saying it is in violation of federal law, specifically the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. According to the outlet, the court said the agency failed to consider if its decision to remove the horses would achieve a "thriving natural ecological balance on the public lands."
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/federal-court-blocks-us-governments-120000407.html


Lawsuit accuses Trump administration of bias in immigration judge's firing.
“Tania Nemer said the U.S. Department of Justice fired her on February 5 shortly after the beginning of Trump's second term in office because she is a woman, a dual citizen of Lebanon who is the child of immigrant parents, and had earlier in her career run unsuccessfully for local office as a Democrat.”
https://apple.news/AvALngUGJTyi7vI02k6Z3Ng


Two Swiss lawmakers have asked prosecutors to investigate whether generous gifts given to President Donald Trump by Swiss business leaders violated anti‑bribery laws. 
https://www.newsweek.com/calls-for-bribery-probe-into-lavish-gifts-given-to-trump-11124763


At least 9 Indiana Republicans were swatting targets amid redistricting pressure from Trump—The threats came after Trump publicly called on state lawmakers to pass new congressional maps that would benefit Republicans.
https://apple.news/AnpEXLV-vTc-SmxsmOym56w


JD Vance’s Chances of Being 2028 GOP Nominee Plunging: Polls
“However, in October, his lead decreased and while Vance still enjoyed 38 percent of the vote share, Trump Jr.'s 20 percent of the share meant that just a few weeks ago Vance had a narrower 18-point lead. And in November, this lead decreased again to 10 points, with Vance on 34 percent and Trump Jr. on 24 percent.”
https://www.newsweek.com/jd-vance-2028-presidential-nominee-polls-11118813

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

What happens to all those indictments she signed? Is this a nothing burger and she continues as is, signing upcoming indictments? Trump does not believe in following laws, and apparently neither does their minions.

Other people signed those indictments. They should be able to move forward.

Anonymous wrote:

What happens to all those indictments she signed? Is this a nothing burger and she continues as is, signing upcoming indictments? Trump does not believe in following laws, and apparently neither does their minions.

Appeals court upholds $1M penalty against Trump in lawsuit against Hillary Clinton.
“A federal appeals court has upheld a penalty of nearly $1 million against President Donald Trump and attorney Alina Habba, concluding they committed “sanctionable conduct” by filing a frivolous lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and former FBI Director James Comey.”
https://apple.news/Am9tx9vQpRf-8u3YolK5FMQ


FAFO: Noem made decision to continue deportation flights to El Salvador, justice department says.
“In a court filing on Tuesday, the justice department said that “Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove provided DHS with legal advice regarding the court’s order as to flights that had left the United States before the order issued, through DHS Acting General Counsel Joseph Mazzara” and that “after receiving that legal advice, Secretary Noem directed that the AEA detainees who had been removed from the United States before the Court’s order could be transferred to the custody of El Salvador”.”
https://apple.news/Aetl6zleZQ1exRGk5_layfA


ICE detained teenaged US citizen in Oregon during school lunch break, family says.
“Despite telling the officers he was an American citizen, one of them broke the driver’s side window and detained him. In a video shared to the outlet by Cesar Jimenez, Christian can reportedly be heard asserting his citizenship while an officer responds “get out of the car” and “I don’t care.”
Christian Jimenez was taken to the ICE facility in south Portland and released shortly before 7pm the same day, his brother said. Cesar Jimenez added that authorities were now attempting to charge Christian with “interference or obstruction of investigation”.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/23/ice-oregon-student-citizen-detained-immigration


Woman with family ties to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt arrested by ICE.
“Bruna Caroline Ferreira, a Brazilian native and the mother of Leavitt’s nephew, was arrested near Boston on November 12, her attorney, Todd Pomerleau, told CNN.
Leavitt’s nephew has lived full-time in New Hampshire with his father, Leavitt’s brother Michael, since he was born, a source familiar with the situation told CNN. Ferreira and the White House press secretary have not spoken in many years, the source said.
…
Pomerleau said the DHS statement is inaccurate. “We dispute that she has any criminal record. She is not a ‘criminal illegal alien,’” he told CNN Wednesday.
Ferreira’s attorney said she was a former recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which grants temporary protection from deportation for those brought to the US as children.”
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/26/politics/woman-family-ties-karoline-leavitt-detained-ice-hnk


Since the start of this year, some 600 immigrant children have been placed in government shelters by ICE, according to government data. That figure, which has not been previously reported, is already higher than the tally for the previous four years combined. And it is the highest number since recordkeeping began a decade ago.
https://apple.news/AhQVhPhuQSDSkvSTI0NyyJQ


Trump Struggles to Sell MAGA on H-1Bs—White House messaging is a mess, and the upside of immigration is getting lost in all the noise.
https://apple.news/AFmGvrpNQSrOo8p3ZcmZIEw


Republicans on Capitol Hill have deep misgivings about President Trump’s emerging deal to end the war in Ukraine, as key GOP lawmakers fear the administration could set the stage for further Russian aggression toward NATO allies in Europe.
“This has put them in direct opposition to Vice President Vance, who is exercising increasing influence over U.S. attempts to broker a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, a Vance ally, has taken over as Trump’s top interlocutor with Ukraine.”
https://apple.news/A5RHiZV5FSzy-Eul6k-P4vw


An explosive new House Judiciary Committee report exposes the Trump family’s multi-billion-dollar crypto empire, fueled by self-dealing and corrupt foreign interests, the dismantling of anti-corruption safeguards, and pardons for corporate cronies.
https://democrats-judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/democrats-judiciary.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/2025-11-24.hjc-dem-staff-report-trump-crypto-corruption-small_0.pdf


Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell sues Trump official over mortgage fraud accusations.
“The lawsuit accuses Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte of targeting Swalwell over his constitutionally protected political speech.”
https://apple.news/ACQYdnu7tSQOZHYiN0SqTXg


President Donald Trump’s attempt to block states from regulating AI sparked pushback from Republicans concerned the tech will displace workers and harm children.
“This past week, the White House explored using an executive order to quash state regulation on AI. The president has trumpeted the billions of dollars in investments flooding into the technology, which has propped up U.S. economic growth this year, as evidence that his plan to reboot the American economy is working.
But a growing cohort of Republicans — including Govs. Ron DeSantis of Florida and Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas, and prominent members of Congress such as Sen. Josh Hawley (Missouri) — argue AI’s breakneck growth could undermine the party’s populist appeal.”
https://apple.news/A7cgFFPhLRn-3QemvrbecFw


LOL: Donald Trump proposes new nickname for MAGA—“TEPUBLICAN,” or “TPUBLICAN.”
“In a post on Truth Social, he wrote that there is a new word for a “TRUMP REPUBLICAN,” which he described as being “almost everyone.”
…
“And the suggestion has quickly made an impression on social media, with people sharing posts including the word “Tepublican.” These posts, however, vary in tone, from praising the suggestion to sharply criticizing and poking fun at it.”
https://apple.news/ANRmUf6aZRfSnFQMCOvc7kA


Trump’s Approval Rating Negative With Every Pollster For First Time Ever.
“As of Wednesday morning, Trump currently has an average disapproval rating of 55 percent, while 41 percent approve, according to The New York Times' polling aggregator.
Polls, including Morning Consult, Ipsos, HarrisX, Quinnipiac, YouGov, and Pew Research, all show more Americans disapprove than approve of Trump's performance or favorability.”
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-approval-rating-negative-every-pollster-first-time-11112195

...and some more

Federal judge dismisses indictments against Letitia James and James Comey, saying Lindsey Halligan appointment was unlawful.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/24/politics/james-comey-letitia-james-indictments-dismissed


GOP barrels toward ObamaCare cliff as prospects dim for subsidy extensions.
“Prospects look dim for Congress to agree to an extension of ObamaCare’s enhanced subsidies, as Republicans run headlong toward a December cliff without a clear plan to break their fall.
GOP leaders are trying to coalesce around a unified path on health care, but it’s looking increasingly likely that the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) enhanced subsidies are not going to be part of it.”
https://apple.news/AlcGVCNN3QtOX-JV82MuM6w

…and the White House postpones expected unveiling of new health care cost proposal.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/23/politics/trump-health-care-proposal


Trump’s “peace plan” for Ukraine was written in Russian first. The linguistic evidence is damning.
“The Trump administration just handed Ukraine a 28-point "peace plan" with a Thursday deadline. There's one problem nobody's talking about loud enough: the document appears to have been written in Russian first, then translated into English.
Not speculation. Linguistic evidence.”
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/11/22/2355147/-The-peace-plan-for-Ukraine-was-written-in-Russian-first-The-linguistic-evidence-is-damning

...and the initial Ukraine-Russia peace plan was hashed out over dinners in Miami – Rubio was unaware of ‘full scope’ until the day draft leaked: report
“The original 28-point plan for peace in Ukraine was drafted by US special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner after “secret meetings” with a Kremlin insider in Miami – and Secretary of State Marco Rubio only learned the “full scope” of the proposal once it was leaked, according to a report.
The plan, which has since been revised to 19 points, initially demanded Ukraine make heavy concessions – including giving up territory in the east, capping the size of its military and agreeing to never join NATO – while asking Russia to barely give up anything.”
https://apple.news/As6f48eCKSzWU765lWTerag

...and then Vance spars with McConnell over ‘ridiculous attack’ on Ukraine peace plan.
https://apple.news/Ahnj2RjjMTNK-lsGOuXRiRQ


DOGE disbanded: Elon Musk’s Cost-Cutting Project Quietly Ended Ahead of Schedule. 
“The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been quietly disbanded with eight months left in its charter…”
https://time.com/7336327/doge-disbanded-elon-musk/

… and those $5,000 DOGE refund checks never materialized
https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2025/03/18/doge-refund-update-what-needs-to-happen-for-checks-to-get-approved/82513280007/

…and the Trump Administration fights bid to get Musk to testify on DOGE.
“The Trump administration is fighting efforts by government workers and contractors to force billionaire Elon Musk to testify in a lawsuit that accuses him of unlawfully directing the dissolution of the US Agency for International Development while he was a senior adviser to the president.”
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-administration-fights-bid-musk-211400273.html

…and finally DOGE employees fear prosecution after Musk abandoned them: report.
https://www.rawstory.com/doge-employees/


Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, former Trump loyalist, says she is resigning from Congress.
(Resignation video linked inside.)
https://apnews.com/article/marjorie-taylor-green-congress-resigns-trump-maga-5f42d4893343babc8e87da1491a0de2b

…and It’s Not Just MTG: Other Republicans in Congress Are Reportedly Eyeing an Exit.
“As Punchbowl News’ Jake Sherman reported Monday, several other House Republicans are considering leaving their post in the middle of the current term over frustrations with the Trump White House and Speaker Mike Johnson. “This entire White House team has treated ALL members like garbage,” a senior GOP member messaged Punchbowl. “And Mike Johnson has let it happen because he wanted it to happen.”
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/marjorie-taylor-greene-republican-congress-exits


Maga world heads left spinning by Trump’s warm welcome for Mamdani.
“A flurry of social media posts from Maga influencers have laid bare the disorientation felt by members of Trump’s base at the spectacle of Friday’s cordial Oval Office meeting with Mamdani, who the president previously painted as a “communist lunatic”.
“Wild to allow a jihadist communist to stand behind the president’s desk in the Oval Office. Sad to see,” wrote far-right activist Laura Loomer, one of Trump’s most fervent online backers.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/24/trump-mamdani-white-house-maga

…and Trump’s Mamdani embrace complicates Elise Stefanik’s path to governor.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/25/trumps-mamdani-embrace-complicates-elise-stefaniks-path-to-governor-00667836


Trump calls Dems’ video to service members 'seditious behavior, punishable by death’
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-calls-democratic-veterans-congress-traitors-telling-service/story?id=127711253

…and then has to walk it back
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2p2dz9zk2o

…and Republicans dumbfounded by Trump’s calls for harsh retribution against Democratic lawmakers.
https://fox2now.com/hill-politics/republicans-dumbfounded-by-trumps-calls-for-harsh-retribution-against-democratic-lawmakers/

…and Ruben Gallego warns military 'there will be consequences' going after congressmembers once Trump is gone—should they court martial Senator Mark Kelly.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/ruben-gallego-warns-military-there-consequences-going-after-congressmembers-once-trump-gone


Donald Trump's viral limping video raises concerns, brought new attention to public questions about the health of the US President.
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/donald-trump-not-well-us-presidents-viral-limping-video-raises-concerns-sparks-new-online-wave-grandson-theodore-kushner-white-house-presidential-walk-of-fame-nfl-football-ivanka-trump-instagram-account/articleshow/125550251.cms?from=mdr


US Representative Eric Swalwell announces run for California governor—after polls show Republicans leading the race after Katie Porter interview.
“The seven-term Democrat is known for his pugnacious and persistent opposition to Donald Trump.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/21/eric-swalwell-california-governor


In culture war backlash, Democrats sweep school boards—The party recruited and invested in school board races to oust Republicans. It worked.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/21/culture-war-democrats-school-boards-00663699


US troops 'accidentally invade Mexico' following Trump's cartel strike offer.
“Images emerged of camouflaged figures landing on the beaches and erecting signs hours after the rejection of Trump's cartel strike offer by Mexico.
US 'contractors' arrived by boat on Monday at Playa Bagdad, with the figures seen to hammer signs into the sand proclaiming the area as US territory.
…
“Footage has since emerged showing Mexican troops' removing the signs wrongly placed by their US counterparts.”
https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/us-troops-accidentally-invade-mexico-beach-landing-5HjdNBr_2/


Former DOJ official whose remarks about Epstein files were recorded sues over firing.
“Joseph Schnitt, who helped oversee DOJ’s witness protection program, claims his First Amendment rights were violated when Attorney General Pam Bondi abruptly fired him in September after a conservative group published surreptitiously recorded video of him predicting that the department would take a partisan approach to disclosures about the well-connected convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/24/former-doj-official-whose-remarks-about-epstein-files-were-recorded-sues-over-firing-00666788


Farmworkers sue Trump administration in California over threat to wages.
“Eighteen farmworkers across the nation, along with the United Farm Workers of America and the UFW Foundation, filed the lawsuit Friday to reverse the rule, which makes it cheaper for farmers to hire foreign workers through the H-2A program by lowering wages.
The union argued in the lawsuit that the rule — which cuts wages of H-2A workers between $5 to $7 per hour — is "unlawful" and will "put downward pressure on the wages of U.S. workers" who are in similar jobs, often on the same contracts as those with visas.”
https://apple.news/AQ_zihz-RTHSw9wSetvZlRw


Immigrants fined up to $1.8 million for remaining in US sue Trump administration.
“Daily penalties of $998 have been levied against more than 21,500 immigrants, whose lawyers say they were attempting to comply with federal immigration laws. The fines were implemented to encourage immigrants to leave the country.
The lawyers said their clients were slapped with "ruinous civil fines" that are "grossly disproportionate to the gravity" of any immigration violations, arguing that the fines are unconstitutional.”
https://apple.news/AlP8I2JmLTpidFHGB2h1s2g


TACO Time: Trump admin lifts block on using victim aid funds for immigrant legal services, AGs drop suit.
“A coalition of Democratic attorneys general is withdrawing one of their lawsuits filed in Rhode Island’s federal court after the Trump administration agreed to drop a rule that would have restricted aid for undocumented victims of sexual assault and domestic violence.”
https://apple.news/A4EOBF8aBSvGnTBSEf6eozQ


League of Women Voters sues Trump administration over voter registration ban.
“The League of Women Voters sued the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Tuesday after the Trump administration in August barred groups from registering voters at administrative ceremonies where a USCIS official administers an oath of allegiance to new citizens.”
https://apple.news/A5vt4cYP_TjOrtJAIGb7_iA


Judge hits pause on IRS sharing taxpayer information with ICE—policy “unlawful”
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/judge-issues-order-blocking-irs-sharing-taxpayer-information-ice-rcna245262


Federal judges in two separate cases have blocked the Trump administration from forcing local governments to abandon diversity efforts in order to qualify for public safety and disaster grants.
https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eenews/2025/11/25/judges-block-fema-from-linking-disaster-relief-to-dei-00667169


UH OH: Key Republican senator has tough message on Trump tariff dividend checks—says US “can’t afford” it.
““We’ll have at least a $2 trillion deficit this year,” said Johnson, a leading proponent of confronting the nation’s growing deficit. “President Trump had deficits about $800 billion. Obama, in his last four years, $550 billion a year. Now we’re $2 trillion? Completely unacceptable. We have to start focusing on that and doing something about it.””
https://apple.news/ARERpgNcfQvapXlwse0LZpQ


The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has brought back everyone it laid off during the government shutdown, a top official told a California federal court Friday. 
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5620380-hhs-restores-laid-off-employees/


College grads face one of the toughest job markets in a decade — ‘Right now is a really difficult time to find a job,’ expert says.
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/23/college-graduates-are-struggling-to-find-jobs-ai-is-partly-to-blame.html


US consumer sentiment falls to near lowest on record—with views of personal finances being the dimmest since 2009.
bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-11-21/us-consumer-sentiment-falls-to-one-of-lowest-levels-on-record


Black Friday Spending to Fall for First Time in Years.
https://www.newsweek.com/black-friday-spending-fall-first-time-years-11106043


Sen. Jim Justice, a West Virginia Republican, and his wife face a lawsuit by the U.S. government seeking more than $5 million in unpaid federal income taxes.
https://apple.news/AEhdS1hk0SqmsLjAXSvvgLg


CBS News poll finds most would oppose U.S. military action in Venezuela, say Trump hasn't explained—including a majority of Republicans.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/poll-venezuela-u-s-military-action-trump/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

Thanks pps! Two posts today because there is so much losing. These are from the end of last week...

Mike Johnson plots revenge for Epstein files humiliation with ‘higher threshold’ rules change in Congress : report
“Speaker Mike Johnson is reportedly plotting a change in the rules for the House of Representatives after Democrats — joined by just a few rogue Republicans — forced his hand on a vote to release the government’s files on pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, a new report reveals.”
https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/mike-johnson-discharge-petition-epstein-b2870068.html


Coast Guard reverses course on policy to call swastikas and nooses 'potentially divisive'.
https://www.wbaltv.com/article/coast-guard-bans-hate-symbols-policy/69507373


North Carolina Republicans worry about Trump immigration raids.
“Some North Carolina Republicans are worried President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown in the battleground state could backfire.”
https://apple.news/A8HVuIQK1RsCB9BrnW3EocQ


Judge Boasberg to resume criminal contempt inquiry into Trump officials involved in Alien Enemies Act deportation flights.
“A federal judge said Wednesday that he plans to “promptly” move ahead with an effort to find out which Trump administration officials were responsible for flouting his orders in a high-stakes immigration case – and whether they will face punishment for their actions.”
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/19/politics/boasberg-contempt-of-court-alien-enemies-act-flights?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email


A federal judge has ordered a dozen Texas public school districts to remove displays of the Ten Commandments from their classrooms by December, saying that a state law requiring such displays violates the U.S. Constitution.
https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/federal-judge-orders-texas-schools-defy-state-law-requiring-ten-commandment-2025-11-19/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email


US judge upholds NY law that Trump passed in his first term banning ICE arrests at courthouses, dismissing DOJ lawsuit.
“A federal judge has upheld a New York state law that largely bans immigration arrests at state and local courthouses, dismissing a Trump administration’s lawsuit challenging the rule.
The law, called the “Protect Our Courts Act,” was passed in 2020, during President Donald Trump’s first term in office. It bans law enforcement officers from making civil arrests of people attending, leaving or going to court proceedings as a parties or witnesses to cases, unless judicial warrants or orders authorize the arrests. The law also protects family and household members of people attending court proceedings.”


Top MAGA Influencers Accidentally Unmasked as Foreign Trolls.
"Upon rollout, rival factions began to inspect just where their online adversaries were really based on the combative social platform—with dozens of major MAGA and right-wing influencer accounts revealed to be based overseas.
“This is easily one of the greatest days on this platform,” wrote Democratic influencer Harry Sisson.
“Seeing all of these MAGA accounts get exposed as foreign actors trying to destroy the United States is a complete vindication of Democrats, like myself and many on here, who have been warning about this”.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/top-maga-influencers-accidentally-unmasked-080635757.html


Costa Rica says it would accept Kilmar Abrego García, contradicting U.S.—rebutting the Trump administration’s claim that the only possible destination to deport the undocumented Salvadoran immigrant is the West African nation of Liberia.
https://apple.news/A81Lb0vt4TGKIR7HCVwHHDA


'Why won't you help me?' Pregnant women and their babies are dying in jail.
“Dozens of pregnant women locked up in county jails described excruciating pain, saying their cries for help were ignored as they miscarried or gave birth into cell toilets or on filthy jail floors.”
https://apple.news/AdrHWpLdqRE2jbEGk-BxrcQ


Republican rips into Trump admin over vaccine policy.
“Taking to X on Thursday, Cassidy, 68, wrote, “I’m a doctor who has seen people die from vaccine-preventable diseases. What parents need to hear right now is vaccines for measles, polio, hepatitis B and other childhood diseases are safe and effective and will not cause autism. Any statement to the contrary is wrong, irresponsible, and actively makes Americans sicker.””
https://apple.news/AlxTawlhYS16G91cSLHMLnQ


US veteran considers civil lawsuit after he was arrested and injured at anti-ICE protest.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/21/veteran-arrested-ice-lawsuit-dana-briggs


Fox News’ Andy McCarthy Comes Out Hard Against Trump Over His ‘Punishable by DEATH’ Rant.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/fox-news-andy-mccarthy-comes-194553118.html


Trump warns Bessent: ‘I’m going to fire your ass’.
“The threat came while Trump was complaining about Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s refusal to lower interest rates. During Wednesday’s speech, Trump spoke about his desire to fire Powell, despite appointing him to the position during his first term as president.
Trump then directed his criticism at Bessent who appears to have been in the audience for the speech.
“You got to work on him, Scott. The only thing Scott’s blowing it on is the Fed. Because the Fed, the rates are too high, Scott,” Trump said. “And if you don’t get it fixed fast, I’m going to fire your ass, OK?”
https://apple.news/Akmrr7YgPSuyDen5UVE0EYg


Rep. Cory Mills just got busted for yet another sex scandal—this time for reportedly getting caught with sex workers during a 2021 rescue mission to help evacuate Americans from Afghanistan.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/rep-cory-mills-just-got-003628059.html