The Art of the Yield  —  The U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding is out, and boy is it as bad as advertised.  In exchange for Iran simply agreeing to begin negotiations on its nuclear program and to temporarily reopen the Strait of Hormuz without charging fees for sixty days …

Everyone in Trump's Cabinet Is Eating Sauerkraut  —  JD Vance, RFK Jr. and other officials swear by a diet of grass-fed meat and fermented foods, even when the sulfurous odors cause friction at home

Reflecting Pool algae blooms have roared back, reaching highest levels in years  —  An analysis of satellite imagery of the Lincoln Memorial shows algae levels spiked days after a $14 million renovation was completed.  —  Summary  —  Days after the completion this month of a $14 million renovation …

US gas prices fall below $4 for 1st time since March, but still 25% higher than last year  —  U.S. gas prices fell below $4 a gallon on average Thursday, but just barely.  It is the first time since March that the average cost for a regular gallon has been that low.

Supreme Court Narrows Law Banning Drug Users From Owning Guns  —  A Texas gun owner who faced criminal charges after admitting to marijuana use argued that a federal gun law violated the Second Amendment.  —  The Supreme Court on Thursday narrowed a federal law that banned drug users and addicts from owning or possessing guns.

Court benchslaps Ken Paxton's effort to take out ActBlue  —  This edition of PN is made possible by paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  🧠 Subscribe to PN 🧠  —  Ken Paxton got smacked down in federal court.  Again.  —  In his 11 years as Texas attorney general …

Pentagon chief lashes out at NATO allies and announces a review of US forces in Europe  —  U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth lashed out at NATO allies on Thursday, announcing a six-month Pentagon review of American forces in Europe whose outcome will depend on how fast the Europeans take responsibility for their own security.

I read JD Vance's new book.  It reveals more than he realizes.  —  The vice president pitches himself as a humble Catholic convert in a new memoir — but somehow skips the humility part when it comes to politics. … Every few years, presidential hopefuls go through certain rites of passage.

Hollywood Names Surface in Peter Thiel-Backed, Invite-Only Society  —  Ranks of his group, Dialog, appear to include several prominent figures in media and entertainment who're put in the same room as C-suite execs and political titans during closed door annual retreats.  The group is planning an expansion.

‘Different worlds’: Americans see a huge divide between haves and have-nots, new poll shows  —  A national NBC News poll finds 81% of Americans say there is more that divides than unites the wealthy and those who aren't wealthy.  —  Most Americans are optimistic that the country is broadly …

Midweek Update #15: The MOU Is Out  —  Well, we finally have a version of the USA-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that the US government is saying is official.  Here is a link to the text in a CNN article.  I felt it was important to wait for this official text to write an analysis …

Florida Fliers Rage Against Trump International Airport  —  Messages NOTUS obtained through an open records request detail significant angst over Palm Beach International Airport's Trumpian name change.  — Copy  —  When word dropped that Palm Beach International Airport would change …

DOJ Invokes McCarthy-Era Law to Strip Somalia-born Minnesotan of Citizenship  —  The federal government is applying a McCarthy-era law to strip a Somalia-born Minneapolis man of his citizenship over actions that took place after he became a citizen.  —  It's a fundamental break …

Power and Geopolitics After Trump  —  Hi everyone.  Instead of a regular post today, I'm going to put up a video.  There are a number of reasons why I feel like doing that instead of the usual.  One of them is that this is a dry run for a talk that I will be giving virtually later today.

Trump bid to fire Fed's Lisa Cook cost her more than $1M in legal, security costs: Filing … Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook incurred more than $1.3 million in legal and security expenses following President Donald Trump's attempt to fire her in August from the Fed's board, a new ethics filing revealed Thursday.