A Look to the 2026 Midterms, November 2025  —  Democrats with Double-Digit Lead on 2026 Generic Ballot  —  The Democrats currently have a 14-point lead against the Republicans among registered voters nationally on the 2026 generic congressional ballot question.  This has changed considerably.

This Is All John Roberts' Fault  —  Imagine: You are at a baseball game, but something is off.  When the blue team is at bat, the umpire calls every pitch a strike.  But when the red team is up, the umpire won't call a single one.  When a red batter hits the ball into a blue player's glove …

The Charlie Kirk purge: How 600 Americans were punished in a pro-Trump crackdown  —  Two months after Charlie Kirk's assassination, a government-backed campaign has led to firings, suspensions, investigations and other action against more than 600 people.  Republican officials have endorsed …

Trump Was Working With Putin The Entire Time  —  Phillips's Newsletter is a reader-supported publication.  To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.  —  Well, the story is out and the fait accompli to screw Ukraine (and Europe) will soon be delivered to Kyiv.

Boebert yells at Republicans on House floor after censure of Democrat fails  —  Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) yelled and wagged her finger at her Republican colleagues on the House floor Tuesday night after the chamber rejected a resolution to censure Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands) with the help of a handful of Republicans.

Trump's Tariffs Sent Trade Plummeting in August  —  The steep tariffs President Trump issued in August led to a contraction in imports and the trade deficit, newly released data shows.  —  President Trump's sweeping tariffs took a toll on trade in August, as imports of goods …

Appeals court panel mulls $1M penalty for Trump in lawsuit against Hillary Clinton … “I can read this complaint,” said Pryor, a George W. Bush appointee.  “It seems a classic shotgun complaint.  It incorporates, by reference, hundreds of paragraphs into succeeding counts.”

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The White House Gold Rush Is On  —  Here is a small selection of stories concerning either the president, a member of his family or a member of his cabinet.  —  This week, President Trump welcomed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia with a lavish reception at the White House.

Trump attacks ABC reporter after question about killing of Saudi journalist Khashoggi  —  President Donald Trump denounced ABC News' Mary Bruce as a “terrible reporter” Tuesday and threatened the network's license to broadcast after she asked him three sharp questions at the White House.

“Ticking Time Bomb”: A Pregnant Mother Kept Getting Sicker.  She Died After She Couldn't Get an Abortion in Texas.  —  Tierra Walker had reached her limit.  In the weeks since she'd learned she was pregnant, the 37-year-old dental assistant had been wracked by unexplained seizures and mostly confined to a hospital cot.

Jessica Tisch Will Remain Police Commissioner Under Mamdani  —  Commissioner Tisch, the current head of the N.Y.P.D., said she had agreed to serve in Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's administration.  —  Zohran Mamdani, the mayor-elect of New York City, said on Wednesday that Jessica Tisch …

Larry Summers Resigns From OpenAI's Board  —  Mr. Summers' departure from the artificial intelligence company's board followed revelations of his communications with the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.  —  Lawrence H. Summers, the former Treasury secretary, will step down from the board …

The AI Bubble Is Bigger Than You Think  —  One thing I've been tracking this year is the areas where Wall Street and Silicon Valley are going to war.  Tech firms clearly want to become banking apps and receive special charters, private equity and crypto are jostling for position in worker 401 …

Trump picks new CFPB director amid efforts to close agency … His ability to serve as the acting CFPB head was set to expire in December under the Vacancies Act, which typically limits such acting appointments to 210 days but extends that period if the president nominates another person for the job.

State Dept's Foreign Terrorist Designations Undermine Claims of “Antifa” Threat  —  On Nov. 13, the State Department added four European entities to the U.S. government's list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs), claiming that they are affiliated with “Antifa.”

State department to cut 38 universities from research program over DEI policies  —  Exclusive: Trump administration proposal would exclude elite schools that use diversity, equity and inclusion hiring practices  —  The state department is proposing to suspend 38 universities including Harvard …

ICE employee among 16 men arrested in Bloomington sex trafficking sting, police say  —  More than a dozen men have been arrested after trying to solicit a minor for sex in Bloomington, Minnesota, police say.  —  According to Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges, officers started the three-day sting on Nov. 5.

Gov. Greg Abbott Was Ordered to Release Some of His Emails With Elon Musk.  Most Are Blacked Out.  —  Months after fighting to keep secret emails between Gov. Greg Abbott and Elon Musk, Texas officials released 1,400 pages of records.  But they reveal little about the two men's relationship or Musk's influence over state government.

Jordan refers former Jack Smith aide to Department of Justice  —  House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) referred a top aide to former special counsel Jack Smith to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution over obstruction of a congressional investigation.

We do not want to go back to sham health insurance plans and denials  —  In 2006, I had to try to find health insurance for my son who was no longer eligible to stay on my employee health plan.  I went to eInsurance, a website that proudly claimed it was easy to use to compare relevant insurance plans.