Top Items:
Jacob Knutson / Democracy Docket:
FBI Investigating Dems Who Warned Military of Unlawful Orders — The FBI has requested interviews with a group of Democratic lawmakers who reminded U.S. military and intelligence service members in a video last week that they are obligated to refuse illegal orders.
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Zack Beauchamp / Vox:
Why is Trump accusing a former astronaut of treason? — Key takeaways: — President Trump's attacks on Sen. Mark Kelly and other Democrats for urging members of the armed forces not to follow unlawful orders is dangerous and incendiary. — There's little reason to believe, however …
Discussion:
CBS News, NPR, FIRST DRAFT and The Hill
Reuters:
FBI probes congressional Democrats who warned military about illegal orders
Discussion:
New Republic, Politico, Straight Arrow News, CBS News, Bloomberg, Alternet.org, The Hill, Truthout, The Independent and The Daily Signal
Associated Press:
FBI seeks interviews with Democratic lawmakers who urged US troops to defy illegal orders
FBI seeks interviews with Democratic lawmakers who urged US troops to defy illegal orders
Fox News:
FBI scheduling interviews with 6 lawmakers who encouraged military members to refuse ‘illegal orders’
FBI scheduling interviews with 6 lawmakers who encouraged military members to refuse ‘illegal orders’
Tom Nichols / The Atlantic:
Senator Mark Kelly Is in the Wrong Job
Senator Mark Kelly Is in the Wrong Job
Discussion:
New York Post, The Hill, HuffPost, Bloomberg, ABC News, NPR, Townhall, The Guardian, SPACE.com, The Wrap, Washington Times, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, al.com, DNYUZ and NewsMax.com
Flavia Krause-Jackson / Bloomberg:
Witkoff Advised Russia on How to Pitch Ukraine Plan to Trump — US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, fresh from the triumph of the Gaza peace deal, held a phone call last month with a senior Kremlin official to suggest they work together on a similar plan for Ukraine — and that Vladimir Putin should raise it with Donald Trump.
Discussion:
CNN, Forbes, Raw Story, Washington Times, Diplomatic,, Mediaite, Jewish Insider, The Kyiv Independent, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Semafor and The Observer
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Flavia Krause-Jackson / Bloomberg:
Witkoff Discusses Ukraine Plans With Key Putin Aide: Transcript — The following is a transcript of an Oct. 14 phone call lasting just over 5 minutes between Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump's special envoy for peace missions, and Yuri Ushakov, Vladimir Putin's most senior foreign-policy adviser.
Discussion:
The Guardian, DNYUZ, The Kyiv Independent and Mediaite
Tom Phillips / The Guardian:
Jair Bolsonaro ordered to start 27-year prison term for plotting Brazil coup — Ex-president to start serving term in 12 sq metre bedroom in police base in Brasília after time for appeals elapses — Brazil's former president, Jair Bolsonaro, has been ordered to start serving …
Discussion:
New York Times, Politico, CNN, France 24, The Gateway Pundit, Al Jazeera, The Times of Israel, Bloomberg, Reuters, Associated Press and DNYUZ
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Steve Benen / MS NOW:
White House hedges on Trump's curious claim about his call with Brazil's Bolsonaro — Did the president talk to Bolsonaro as the Brazilian plotted to escape? Trump said yes, but the White House isn't so sure. — It's been a couple of months since former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro …
MS NOW:
Trump weighing the ouster of Kash Patel, according to sources — Patel has come under scrutiny for his stewardship of bureau resources, including his girlfriend's security detail and use of a government jet. — President Trump is considering removing Kash Patel as FBI director in the coming months …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Meidas+, Fox News, New Republic, al.com, Raw Story, NewsMax.com, The Gateway Pundit, Newsweek, Mediaite and The Independent
Lena H. Sun / Washington Post:
Louisiana health official who halted state vaccine campaign tapped as CDC's No. 2 — Ralph Abraham, a Louisiana health official who stopped promoting mass vaccination vaccines, has been appointed as the CDC's principal deputy director — just now — A Louisiana health official who ordered …
Discussion:
NBC News, UPI and NewsMax.com
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Apoorva Mandavilli / New York Times:
Doctor Critical of Vaccines Quietly Appointed as C.D.C.'s Second in Command — During the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr. Ralph Lee Abraham promoted discredited treatments like ivermectin and, as Louisiana's surgeon general, halted the state's mass vaccination campaign.
Discussion:
Vox, The Hill, HuffPost, Inside Medicine, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Roll Call, Raw Story, Fortune and Washington Times
Luis Martinez / ABC News:
US holds secret meetings with Russians in Abu Dhabi on Ukraine — The U.S. Army Secretary led talks that followed weekend meetings with Ukraine — A photograph taken on Nov. 24, 2025, shows The Independence Monument towers over Independence Square as buildings in the background are illuminated …
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New York Times:
Times Analysis Finds Errors in Trump's Supreme Court Filing That Calls for National Guard in Chicago — The Trump administration has claimed the police were slow to protect federal agents on Oct. 4, but videos and audio show that their rationale conflates hours of events involving a shooting …
Discussion:
Block Club Chicago and Raw Story
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Ryan Mancini / The Hill:
Trump pardons Gobble and Waddle, jokes that Biden's turkey pardons are invalid because of autopen — President Trump pardoned turkeys Gobble and Waddle outside the White House on Tuesday, but not before joking that former President Biden's turkey pardons are void because of his use of an autopen.
Discussion:
CBS News, Daily Mail, USA Today, WALA-TV, New York Post, CNN, Associated Press, RedState, KARE-TV, IJR, CNBC, NewsMax.com, TMZ.com, The Gateway Pundit, Politico, Washington Times, FOX 32 Chicago and The Independent
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Josephine Walker / Axios:
Trump hijacks turkey pardon with Biden, Pritzker jabs
Discussion:
HuffPost, New York Post, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, Agence France-Presse, Straight Arrow News, The Guardian, Salon, Breitbart, NewsMax.com, Washington Examiner, Deseret News, DNYUZ, The Gateway Pundit, The Independent, Mediaite, IJR, Fox News, CBS News, New Jersey Online and al.com
Brandon Conradis / The Hill:
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser won't run for reelection — Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) announced Tuesday she won't seek reelection next year, teeing up a high-stakes race to lead the nation's capital during the remainder of President Trump's term. — “It has been the honor of my life to be your mayor.
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NPR:
U.S. ready to cut support to Scouts, accusing them of attacking ‘boy-friendly spaces’ — The century-old partnership between the U.S. military and Scouting could be coming to an end. — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is planning for the military to sever all ties with Scouting America …
Discussion:
Scouting Newsroom, Breitbart, Vanity Fair, Advocate, NewsMax.com, NewsNation, Washington Times, RedState, The Independent, DNYUZ, New York Magazine, IJR, Raw Story, Deseret News and New Republic
Ana Swanson / New York Times:
Trump Administration Is Taking Billions in Stakes in Firms Like Intel — The Trump administration is trading billions of dollars of taxpayer money for ownership stakes in companies. The unusual practice shows no sign of slowing. — The Trump administration is snapping up ownership shares …
Discussion:
Raw Story and Political Wire
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William Kristol / The Bulwark:
Amateur Hour At 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Andrew Solender / Axios:
U.S. House ramps up security as lawmakers' fears rise — The U.S. House will dramatically increase the amount of money available to its members for their personal security as part of a new program launching next month, according to an email to congressional offices obtained by Axios.
Discussion:
NewsMax.com, Daily Mail and Washington Examiner
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Greg Sargent / New Republic:
Trump Threatens BBC—and Gets Rewarded With a Shockingly pro-Trump Edit — Earlier this month, you may recall, President Donald Trump angrily threatened to sue the British Broadcasting Corporation for $1 billion over its use of footage of his speech just before the January 6, 2021, insurrection.
Discussion:
Deadline, Raw Story, DNYUZ, The Wrap, The New World and Alternet.org, more at Mediagazer »
Jennifer Jacobs / CBS News:
How an innocent woman's name was tied to the Jan. 6 pipe bombs — A federal security officer linked to a thwarted Jan. 6 pipe bomb attack cleared her name by providing an alibi: video of her playing with her puppies at the time the devices were placed, sources told CBS News.
Katherine Hapgood / Politico:
20 states sue the Trump administration over cuts to homeless permanent housing funding … The new conditions placed on the program would also give HUD the ability to deny funding for organizations that acknowledge the existence of transgender or nonbinary individuals.
RELATED:
Raymond Fernández / NOTUS:
Trump's Plan to Cut Homelessness Programs Is Getting Pushback From Republicans
Trump's Plan to Cut Homelessness Programs Is Getting Pushback From Republicans
Discussion:
Washington Examiner
Emily Crane / New York Post:
World's Strongest Woman winner stripped of title after organizers discovered she was born a man — The controversial winner of the World's Strongest Woman competition was stripped of her title Tuesday after organizers claimed the hulking American never told them she was born a man.
Amudalat Ajasa / Washington Post:
Trump EPA to abandon air pollution rule that would prevent thousands of U.S. deaths — The Environmental Protection Agency will no longer defend Biden-era limits on fine-particle pollution, which causes heart and lung disease. — The Environmental Protection Agency is abandoning a rule …
Discussion:
Associated Press, The Hill, New Jersey Online and E&E News
Axios:
Scoop: Trump's meeting with MBS got tense over Israel … - Both praised each other publicly and didn't show any daylight between them, but parts of their closed meeting were tense. … - During the Nov. 18 meeting, Trump was the one who raised the issue and pressed hard MBS to join the Abraham Accords, U.S. officials say.
Discussion:
Raw Story and NewsMax.com
Dell Cameron / Wired:
ICE Offers Up to $280 Million to Immigrant-Tracking ‘Bounty Hunter’ Firms — Immigration and Customs Enforcement lifted a $180 million cap on a proposed immigrant-tracking program while guaranteeing multimillion-dollar payouts for private surveillance firms.
Jason Leopold / Bloomberg:
Inside the FBI's Review and Redaction of Epstein Files — The communications released to FOIA Files provide a look behind the scenes as agents and other FBI personnel started to work on the Epstein files earlier this year. … The legacy of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein continues to hang over national politics.
Discussion:
Raw Story
The Daily Beast:
Keystone Kash's Girlfriend's Closest Held Secret Revealed — GRAND OLE SOAP OPRY — Her country “career” has taken her to Nashville but it turns out Alexis Wilkins is really a Swamp Creature, our must-read newsletter reveals. … Never miss another secret from the D.C. ooze by signing up here to get The Swamp direct to your inbox.
Bloomberg:
AI Slop Recipes Are Taking Over the Internet — And Thanksgiving Dinner — Food bloggers see traffic dip as home cooks turn to AI, inspired by impossible pictures — Eb Gargano has been writing recipes online long enough to anticipate the seasonal rhythms of her web traffic.
Discussion:
DNYUZ and NextDraft, more at Mediagazer »
Leo Sands / Washington Post:
Sen. Jim Justice, wife to pay $5 million in back taxes to settle IRS suit — The senator from West Virginia and his wife struck the agreement hours after the Justice Department filed a lawsuit. The IRS said the unpaid taxes dated to 2009. — Just now — Sen. Jim Justice (R-West Virginia) …
Discussion:
The Hill, HuffPost, newsandsentinel.com/, NewsNation, ABC News, New York Daily News, CNBC, DNYUZ, UPI, IJR, Straight Arrow News, The Guardian, NewsMax.com, New York Post, Forbes, New Republic, E&E News, Washington Examiner and MS NOW
Matt Margolis / PJ Media:
Reports of DOGE's Death Are Greatly Exaggerated — The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was launched with a bold mission: cut the fat out of the federal government and save taxpayer money. The left hates DOGE and everything about it. — So, you can imagine how thrilled Democrats …
Discussion:
Federal News Network, Washington Examiner, CNN, DNYUZ, New Jersey Online and New Republic
New York Times:
Shorter Days, Signs of Fatigue: Trump Faces Realities of Aging in Office — President Trump has always used his stamina and energy as a political strength. But that image is getting harder for him to sustain. — The day before Halloween, President Trump landed at Joint Base Andrews …
New York Times:
Drug Arrests and Gun Seizures Fell as Homeland Security Pursued Immigration … Amid President Trump's immigration crackdown, special agents at the Homeland Security Department have made fewer arrests for drug crimes and seized fewer weapons than they did the previous fiscal year …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, New Republic, The Independent and Raw Story

