Private companies lost an average of 13,500 jobs a week over the past four weeks, ADP said as part of a running update it has been providing. That’s an acceleration from the 2,500 jobs a week lost in the last update a week ago.
November 25, 2025
Labor market shows more signs of weakening
CNBC - The U.S. labor market is showing further signs of weakening as the
pace of layoffs has picked up over the past four weeks, payrolls
processing firm ADP reported Tuesday.
Why washing turkeys isn't a good idea
Newsweek - People often wash turkey and other poultry before cooking because of long-standing habits and beliefs rather than food-safety benefits. Many learned the practice from family traditions or older recipes that instructed cooks to rinse poultry. Some feel washing removes bacteria or the liquids inside the packaging, while others follow cultural expectations that meat should be cleaned with water before use.
However, there is no scientific evidence that rinsing removes germs. Instead, it can spread contaminated droplets around the kitchen.
Why Shouldn't You Wash Your Thanksgiving Turkey?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), washing raw turkey can spread harmful germs to other foods, surfaces and utensils.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture wrote in a 2013 blog post: "Many consumers think that washing their turkey will remove bacteria and make it safer. However, it's virtually impossible to wash bacteria off the bird. Instead, juices that splash during washing can transfer bacteria onto the surfaces of your kitchen, other foods and utensils. This is called cross-contamination, which can make you and your guests very sick. Washing your hands before and after handling your turkey and its packaging is crucial to avoid spreading harmful bacteria."
However, there is no scientific evidence that rinsing removes germs. Instead, it can spread contaminated droplets around the kitchen.
Why Shouldn't You Wash Your Thanksgiving Turkey?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), washing raw turkey can spread harmful germs to other foods, surfaces and utensils.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture wrote in a 2013 blog post: "Many consumers think that washing their turkey will remove bacteria and make it safer. However, it's virtually impossible to wash bacteria off the bird. Instead, juices that splash during washing can transfer bacteria onto the surfaces of your kitchen, other foods and utensils. This is called cross-contamination, which can make you and your guests very sick. Washing your hands before and after handling your turkey and its packaging is crucial to avoid spreading harmful bacteria."
AI could replace 40% of American jobs, says report
The Times - About 40 per cent of American jobs could be replaced by artificial intelligence, according to a report by the McKinsey Global Institute.
The American consultancy’s analysis found that robots and AI agents could automate more than half of US work hours, both manual and cognitive, using technology that is available today, if companies redesigned how they did things.
Most of the roles at risk involve the kinds of drafting, processing information and routine reasoning that AI agents can do. Hiring is slowing in some such jobs, such as among paralegals, administrative and office support workers and programmers, the research found.
Similarly, dangerous, physical jobs, in warehouses or operating machines, are most likely to be replaced by robots, McKinsey said.
Conversely, a third of US jobs would be difficult to replace with AI because they have uniquely human attributes, such as nursing, the analysis found. Some 70 per cent of the tasks performed by carers and other healthcare workers require the kind of physical presence, empathy, care and dexterity that machines cannot replicate.
Building maintenance and repair work which demands flexibility, judgment and thinking on the job, often in unpredictable environments, is similarly unlikely to be automated
The American consultancy’s analysis found that robots and AI agents could automate more than half of US work hours, both manual and cognitive, using technology that is available today, if companies redesigned how they did things.
Most of the roles at risk involve the kinds of drafting, processing information and routine reasoning that AI agents can do. Hiring is slowing in some such jobs, such as among paralegals, administrative and office support workers and programmers, the research found.
Similarly, dangerous, physical jobs, in warehouses or operating machines, are most likely to be replaced by robots, McKinsey said.
Conversely, a third of US jobs would be difficult to replace with AI because they have uniquely human attributes, such as nursing, the analysis found. Some 70 per cent of the tasks performed by carers and other healthcare workers require the kind of physical presence, empathy, care and dexterity that machines cannot replicate.
Building maintenance and repair work which demands flexibility, judgment and thinking on the job, often in unpredictable environments, is similarly unlikely to be automated
Grocery Store Law To Change Shopping in California
Newsweek - Shoppers in California will no longer be able to get plastic bags for their shopping starting in 2026.
The measure, passed by state lawmakers in 2024, eliminates all plastic shopping bags on offer in stores beginning in 2026. Shoppers who arrive without their own bags will instead be offered a paper bag upon request.
"SB 1053 places new restrictions on the types of bags distributed at the point of sale by most grocery stores, retail stores with a pharmacy, convenience stores, food marts and liquor stores," according to the CalRecycle website.
Plastic bags are harmful to the environment because they are made from fossil fuels, take hundreds of years to breakdown, and often end up as litter in waterways, oceans, and natural habitats. Once discarded, they can injure or kill wildlife that mistake them for food or become entangled in them.
As they degrade, plastic bags break into microplastics that contaminate soil and water, entering the food chain and threatening ecosystems and human health. Their widespread use and low recycling rates mean they accumulate rapidly, contributing significantly to pollution and environmental damage.
The measure, passed by state lawmakers in 2024, eliminates all plastic shopping bags on offer in stores beginning in 2026. Shoppers who arrive without their own bags will instead be offered a paper bag upon request.
"SB 1053 places new restrictions on the types of bags distributed at the point of sale by most grocery stores, retail stores with a pharmacy, convenience stores, food marts and liquor stores," according to the CalRecycle website.
Plastic bags are harmful to the environment because they are made from fossil fuels, take hundreds of years to breakdown, and often end up as litter in waterways, oceans, and natural habitats. Once discarded, they can injure or kill wildlife that mistake them for food or become entangled in them.
As they degrade, plastic bags break into microplastics that contaminate soil and water, entering the food chain and threatening ecosystems and human health. Their widespread use and low recycling rates mean they accumulate rapidly, contributing significantly to pollution and environmental damage.
Jeffrey Epstein
Newsweek - FBI Director Kash Patel said this week in an interview with journalist Catherine Herridge that Jeffrey Epstein's estate is refusing to share key records sought by investigators.
He said the government and the estate hold “separate boxes” of information, limiting what the FBI can access as it reviews a new referral in the case. Patel noted that federal officials have repeatedly requested materials from the estate without success. He said the FBI will evaluate whatever evidence it can obtain as the inquiry moves forward.
Patel said on Catherine Herridge Reports, "Based on the new referral, we'll take a look at that and see what evidence comes, but there's an important distinction. The information that the government possesses versus the information that the Epstein estate possesses, those are two separate boxes of information and the Epstein estate has not been willing to share information with the U.S. government...and so even though we've requested them to do so."
He said the government and the estate hold “separate boxes” of information, limiting what the FBI can access as it reviews a new referral in the case. Patel noted that federal officials have repeatedly requested materials from the estate without success. He said the FBI will evaluate whatever evidence it can obtain as the inquiry moves forward.
Patel said on Catherine Herridge Reports, "Based on the new referral, we'll take a look at that and see what evidence comes, but there's an important distinction. The information that the government possesses versus the information that the Epstein estate possesses, those are two separate boxes of information and the Epstein estate has not been willing to share information with the U.S. government...and so even though we've requested them to do so."
Immigration
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USA Facts - In 2024, 50.2 million people living in the US were foreign-born. That’s about one in seven residents, or 14.8% of the total population — up from 13.3% a decade earlier. |
Polls
The Hill - Democrats lead by 14 points (55 percent to 41 percent) in a generic congressional election per PBS/NPR/Marist polling, their largest advantage in this survey since 2017. Moreover, independents preferred Democrats by 33 points (61 percent to 28 percent).
These findings dovetail with a survey from Marquette Law School showing voters who are “absolutely certain” to vote prefer a Democrat by 9 points (53 percent to 44 percent).
In fact, of the 11 most recent polls aggregated by RealClearPolitics, Democrats lead in 10 — one was a tie — and by an average of five points.
Historically, polling tends to show close races in the generic congressional vote. In 2024 and 2022, Republicans were favored by less than half a point and 2.5 points, respectively, and both elections ended up being extremely close.
But when polls show relative extremes — such as in 2018, when the average poll gave Democrats a 7-point lead — landslides tend to follow.
These findings dovetail with a survey from Marquette Law School showing voters who are “absolutely certain” to vote prefer a Democrat by 9 points (53 percent to 44 percent).
In fact, of the 11 most recent polls aggregated by RealClearPolitics, Democrats lead in 10 — one was a tie — and by an average of five points.
Historically, polling tends to show close races in the generic congressional vote. In 2024 and 2022, Republicans were favored by less than half a point and 2.5 points, respectively, and both elections ended up being extremely close.
But when polls show relative extremes — such as in 2018, when the average poll gave Democrats a 7-point lead — landslides tend to follow.
Meanwhile. .
Independent, UK - The Rev. Jesse Jackson has been released from a Chicago hospital where he was treated for a rare neurological disorder, his son said Tuesday.
NBC News - Trump said he will travel to Beijing in April and host a state visit for Chinese President Xi Jinping later in the year.
The Guardian - The full list of US universities at risk of funding cuts over support for DEI
Shortlysts- Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky criticized President Trump’s recent comments that Democrats were traitors for posting a video saying that members of the U.S. military were not obligated to follow illegal orders. On CBS Face the Nation, Senator Paul described President Trump’s comments as ‘reckless, inappropriate, and irresponsible.’
DOGE wasn't even a legal entitty
New Republic - In fact, DOGE never existed—not as a government agency, anyway. Only Congress can create a government agency. Trump took a White House office called the U.S. Digital Service, fired a bunch of its employees, and renamed it DOGE. It operated as part of the White House Office of Management and Budget, whose director, Russell Vought, ...called most of the shots.
For an agency that never existed, DOGE did an impressive amount of damage. It shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development, eliminating or placing on administrative leave about 10,000 people. The consequence, according to the Boston University epidemiologist Brooke Nichols, was the death of about 640,000 people, of whom about 430,000 were children...
DOGE also effectively shut down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or CFPB, an obvious nuisance to an administration run by oligarchs, laying off most of its 1,700-person staff. Much of the heavy lifting here was done by Vought. President Donald Trump fired CFPB’s director, Rohit Chopra, and named Vought acting director. Now Vought is trying to shut off CFPB’s funding, using the argument that the Federal Reserve, which finances CFPB, cannot fund it because it’s operating at a loss.
Trump EPA to abandon air pollution rule that would prevent thousands of deaths
Washington Post - The Environmental Protection Agency is abandoning a rule that would strengthen limits on fine-particle pollution, a move scientists and experts say could lead to dirtier air and more U.S. deaths.
On Monday night, the agency moved to vacate defense of the rule, which the Biden administration finalized last year, arguing that the previous administration did not have the authority to tighten it. That regulation imposed stricter standards on fine particulate matter measuring less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, including soot, which ranks as the nation’s deadliest air pollutant.
The agency argued in the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that the Biden-era rule was done “without the rigorous, stepwise process that Congress required,” according to the court filing. “EPA now confesses error and urges this Court to vacate the Rule before the area designation deadline of February 7, 2026.”
EPA press secretary Carolyn Holran said that Biden’s rule would cost “hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars to American citizens if allowed to be implemented.”
On Monday night, the agency moved to vacate defense of the rule, which the Biden administration finalized last year, arguing that the previous administration did not have the authority to tighten it. That regulation imposed stricter standards on fine particulate matter measuring less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, including soot, which ranks as the nation’s deadliest air pollutant.
The agency argued in the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that the Biden-era rule was done “without the rigorous, stepwise process that Congress required,” according to the court filing. “EPA now confesses error and urges this Court to vacate the Rule before the area designation deadline of February 7, 2026.”
EPA press secretary Carolyn Holran said that Biden’s rule would cost “hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars to American citizens if allowed to be implemented.”
Ukraine
The Hill - Ukraine has agreed to the core components of a U.S.-backed peace plan to end the more than three years of fighting with Russia. A Ukrainian official posted online: “Our delegations reached a common understanding on the core terms of the agreement discussed in Geneva,” wrote Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council. “We now count on the support of our European partners in our further steps.”
Now, what?: Umerov signaled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky may visit the White House to finalize the agreement. And White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said “tremendous progress” has been made but noted there are still “delicate” details to be worked out....
Read more: ‘5 takeaways from the Ukraine deal’
Health
Axios - The Trump administration is shaking up how health systems are paid for outpatient care with a plan that could reduce Medicare hospital spending by nearly $11 billion over the next decade.
It's a big step forward for "site-neutral" payment policies that have been touted as a way to save taxpayers and patients money, but that hospitals say will lead to service cuts, especially in rural areas.
Medicare administrators last week finalized a proposal to reduce what the government pays hospitals to administer outpatient drugs, including chemotherapy, at off-campus sites.
- The move would equalize payment rates to hospitals and physician practices for the same services — an idea that Congress debated last year but didn't act on in the face of aggressive hospital lobbying.
- Medicare now pays about $341 for chemotherapy administration in hospital outpatient facilities, compared with $119 for the same service delivered in a doctor's office.
- Medicare next year will also start to phase out a list of more than 1,700 procedures and services only covered when they're delivered in an inpatient setting.
Hospitals indicated before the plan was finalized that they'd challenge the policy in court if CMS moved forward. Read more
NY Times - Dr. Ralph Lee Abraham, who as Louisiana’s surgeon general ordered the state health department to stop promoting vaccinations and who has called Covid vaccines “dangerous,” has been named the second in command at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Department of Health and Human Services did not announce the appointment, and many C.D.C. employees seemed unaware of it. But the C.D.C.’s internal database lists Dr. Abraham as the agency’s principal deputy director, with a start date of Nov. 23. The appointment was first reported by the Substack column Inside Medicine.
A spokesman for H.H.S. confirmed Dr. Abraham’s new position but declined to comment further. Dr. Abraham did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Dr. Abraham’s views on some issues align with those of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He has endorsed avoiding Tylenol in pregnancy except “when absolutely necessary” because of a possible link to autism. He has also backed ending routine immunization for hepatitis B at birth and removing from vaccines ingredients like aluminum salts, which are added to enhance the immune response.
Donald Trump
Thomas B. Edsall, NY Times - Donald Trump, well on his way to becoming the most corrupt president in American history, will almost certainly escape criminal prosecution after leaving office.
Even though Trump has defied the law and the Constitution more egregiously in his second term than he did in his first, most legal experts agree that he will face few, if any, of the kind of prosecutions he was confronted with after grudgingly leaving office in 2021.
The one possible, though far from probable, exception is the Trump family’s involvement in the cybercurrency business through its 60 percent ownership of World Liberty Financial. World Liberty has made profits exceeding hundreds of millions from investments by men who have been granted pardons and by corporations that have benefited from the halt or suspension of regulatory investigations by the Trump administration.
On Jan. 10, speaking at a news conference before returning to the White House on Jan. 20, Trump said that he would turn over all management responsibilities of the family’s business empire to his sons Donald Jr. and Eric and claimed that he would not be involved in day-to-day business decisions.
While Trump’s culpability in the case of his family’s crypto business may seem crystal clear to some, legal experts contend that the conservative majority on the Supreme Court has so muddied the law that prosecutors would face many hurdles — perhaps insurmountable — trying to bring a case against him.
During the four years he was out of office, Trump was charged with more that 80 criminal counts in four separate criminal proceedings.
In large part, Trump owes his current insulation from potential prosecution to the 2024 Supreme Court decision Trump v. United States, which granted the president “absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority. And he is entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts. There is no immunity for unofficial acts.”
Philip Lacovara, former counsel to the Watergate special prosecutor and deputy solicitor general, replied by email to my questions about Trump’s legal prospects.
”In my view,” Lacovara wrote, "there is virtually no chance that Trump will face criminal prosecution."
Trump regime continues battle against Associated Press First Amendment rights
Washington Post - Months after the Trump administration
booted the Associated Press from White House events because it refused
to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, the AP asked
judges to permanently find that its First Amendment rights were
violated.
Electricity prices
Washington Post - Soaring electricity prices are triggering a wave of power shutoffs, leaving more in the dark as unpaid bills pile up. Americans are paying 11 percent more for electricity than they were in January, though that number varies widely by state.
How Tyson "right sizes'" its business
RBReich - Tyson is closing a Nebraska plant that
employs 3,200 workers in order to “right-size” its business. The meatpacking giant paid its CEO $22.7M last year, 525x its median employee's pay. It also spent $196M in stock buybacks to reward shareholders.
College degree doesn't promise a job
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter - Americans with college degrees make up 25% of all unemployed, a record high. Even worse? Student loan defaults hit a record 14.3%
Different states, different cakes
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| Data: Instacart (Calculated by comparing the order share from Nov. 22-28, 2024, of the most popular pies within each state, then selecting pies with shares that deviate most from the average.) Map: Sara Wise/Axios |
Ukraine
Chris Bowers, Bowers News Media - As I wrote over the weekend... the status of negotiations to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine are fluid and, honestly, a bit opaque. Consider the following:
Now Rubio says the U.S. did author the 28-point plan. Over the weekend, two U.S. senators, Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Angus King (I-ME) told the media that Secretary of State Marco Rubio told them that the 28-point plan that received wide circulation in the media last week was authored by Russia, not the U.S. However, now Rubio is saying in public that the U.S. did author the 28-point plan, with input from both Russia and Ukraine. Further, in regards to comments from Sen. King "saying the plan 'is not of the administration’s position,' State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott wrote on X that the claim 'is blatantly false.'”
The plan is changing, but it is unclear how. Both American and Ukrainian officials declared yesterday that the plan has been changed somewhat, but it is unclear what those changes were.
Everyone indicates "progress" is being made, but it is unclear how. Basically everyone, except for Russia, has indicated that some progress has been made. However, it is again unclear what issues there have been progress on.
Timeline unclear. In place of a Thursday deadline for Ukraine to accept the terms, the Trump administration is now indicating that they want things done "soon." This quote from Rubio strikes me as particularly apt:
“Our goal is to end this war as soon as possible, but we need a little more time,” Rubio said.
My impression from all of this is that the Trump administration is not telling everyone involved in the matter the same thing at the same time. Instead, I believe they are telling different people different things in order to speed up the process because what Trump really wants above anything else is to claim to have ended the war. How it ends, I don't think is particularly important to him, as long as he can claim to have ended it.
Now Rubio says the U.S. did author the 28-point plan. Over the weekend, two U.S. senators, Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Angus King (I-ME) told the media that Secretary of State Marco Rubio told them that the 28-point plan that received wide circulation in the media last week was authored by Russia, not the U.S. However, now Rubio is saying in public that the U.S. did author the 28-point plan, with input from both Russia and Ukraine. Further, in regards to comments from Sen. King "saying the plan 'is not of the administration’s position,' State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott wrote on X that the claim 'is blatantly false.'”
The plan is changing, but it is unclear how. Both American and Ukrainian officials declared yesterday that the plan has been changed somewhat, but it is unclear what those changes were.
Everyone indicates "progress" is being made, but it is unclear how. Basically everyone, except for Russia, has indicated that some progress has been made. However, it is again unclear what issues there have been progress on.
Timeline unclear. In place of a Thursday deadline for Ukraine to accept the terms, the Trump administration is now indicating that they want things done "soon." This quote from Rubio strikes me as particularly apt:
“Our goal is to end this war as soon as possible, but we need a little more time,” Rubio said.
My impression from all of this is that the Trump administration is not telling everyone involved in the matter the same thing at the same time. Instead, I believe they are telling different people different things in order to speed up the process because what Trump really wants above anything else is to claim to have ended the war. How it ends, I don't think is particularly important to him, as long as he can claim to have ended it.
Old stuff: Confessions of a Seventh Day Agnostic
Sam Smith, 2017 - When someone noted a horseshoe over Einstein's door and asked, "You don't believe in that, do you?" the scientist responded, "Of course not, but they tell me it works."
My own sloppy view of such matters stems in part from having been an anthropology major. Anthropology teaches you, among other things, the power and significance of mythology even as one is examining rationally the culture that embraces it. Myth is universal and exists even if what it claims doesn't. Myth can either strengthen a culture or weaken it, but it doesn't go away.
I am partially the product of a Quaker education, a religion that shares with existentialists the notion that action is more important than faith. Or as I sometimes put it, I don't give a shit what you believe; just what you do about it,
This mushy approach towards religion has stood me in good stead. During the 1960s, for example, I had quite a few good friends who were priests or ministers in part because we had too many things to do together to even talk about the possible theology behind it.
And despite my agnosticism, attending a service last Sunday raised some minor issues in my own mind fostered by having been brought up in the Episcopal Church…So there I was, a non-believer, non-practitioner, being irritated by what seemed the incorrect ritual of a religion in which I no longer had any part. It was one of the things you were taught about religion: you had to do it right. And it was a lesson that apparently survived belief. After all when I was a kid my grandfather, senior warden of his church, had scolded me after a service: "Young man, in the old prayer book, it said, 'And take thy humble confession, devotedly kneeling ON YOUR KNEES!'" I merely had my butt on the pew. But now parishioners were taking communion while standing.
The irony of this heretic concern about such matters was a reminder of how tradition and myth can hang on even with a Seventh Day Agnostic. The fact that we aim to pursue reality does not mean that we shouldn't have read Winnie the Pooh when we were growing up, sung hymns on Sunday, or prayed for a friend in need. We still need some magic; we just need to know when to call upon it and when to call 911 instead.
November 24, 2025
Comey expects Trump to come after him again
The Hill - Former FBI Director James Comey said Monday he expects he could face additional charges under the Trump administration after a federal judge dismissed the case against him.
Comey, who was facing charges for lying to Congress in 2020, called the case a “prosecution based on malevolence and incompetence and a reflection of what the Department of Justice has become under Donald Trump.”
“A message has to be sent that the president of the United States cannot use the Department of Justice to target his political enemies. I don’t care what your politics are, you have to see that as fundamentally un-American and a threat to the rule of law that keeps all of us free,” Comey said in a video he shared on Instagram.
“I know that Donald Trump will probably come after me again, and my attitude is going to be the same. I’m innocent, I am not afraid, and I believe in an independent federal judiciary.”
Comey, who was facing charges for lying to Congress in 2020, called the case a “prosecution based on malevolence and incompetence and a reflection of what the Department of Justice has become under Donald Trump.”
“A message has to be sent that the president of the United States cannot use the Department of Justice to target his political enemies. I don’t care what your politics are, you have to see that as fundamentally un-American and a threat to the rule of law that keeps all of us free,” Comey said in a video he shared on Instagram.
“I know that Donald Trump will probably come after me again, and my attitude is going to be the same. I’m innocent, I am not afraid, and I believe in an independent federal judiciary.”
DOJ’s Demand for State Voter Rolls Threatens Fair Elections
Democratic Association of Secretaries of State - Let’s be clear about what’s happening: Trump’s Department of Justice is pressuring states to turn over full voter roll data — not just names, but personal information, history, and eligibility details — and it’s already suing states that refuse.
This is not a routine request. It’s not about election security. It’s about control. It’s about compiling centralized data to target, intimidate, and ultimately purge voters.
This could pave the way for aggressive, baseless voter purges and chilling federal overreach. And it’s happening right now, right as 26 Secretary of State races heat up ahead of the 2026 elections.
Politics
NBC News - The Department of Defense said Monday that it is opening an investigation into Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, a retired Navy captain, in connection with a video he and other Democrats recorded urging members of the military and the intelligence community not to comply with illegal orders from President Donald Trump’s administration.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on X that the video, which set off a political firestorm last week, was "despicable, reckless, and false."
"Five of the six individuals in that video do not fall under @DeptofWar jurisdiction (one is CIA and four are former military but not “retired”, so they are no longer subject to UCMJ). However, Mark Kelly (retired Navy Commander) is still subject to UCMJ—and he knows that," he added.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on X that the video, which set off a political firestorm last week, was "despicable, reckless, and false."
"Five of the six individuals in that video do not fall under @DeptofWar jurisdiction (one is CIA and four are former military but not “retired”, so they are no longer subject to UCMJ). However, Mark Kelly (retired Navy Commander) is still subject to UCMJ—and he knows that," he added.
Judge Tosses Criminal Charges Against James Comey and Letitia James
NY Times - A federal judge threw out the criminal charges against James Comey, the former F.B.I. director, and Letitia James, New York’s attorney general, on Monday after finding that the prosecutor President Trump handpicked to bring the cases had been illegally appointed. The ruling deals a heavy blow to a pair of high-profile prosecutions sought by President Trump, who has pushed the Justice Department to pursue his political enemies. The administration is expected to appeal...
A footnote in the Comey opinion underscores a tricky issue his defense lawyers might raise if the Trump administration were to attempt to file new charges even though the statute of limitations has expired. Although federal law says the government gets another six months to bring new charges if an indictment is dismissed for “any reason,” there are also court precedents that say if an indictment is invalid, it is a “nullity” that cannot be used to delay the expiration of the statute of limitations — at least for the purpose of later filing a superseding indictment.
Polls
Fac the Nation - President Trump's handling of the economy in our new @CBSNewsPoll shows that only 36% of Americans now approve of his handling of the economy, and 32% approve of how he's handling inflation.
Millions of Americans Are Defaulting on Loans
Newsweek - Americans are defaulting on their debts at near-historic rates, a collision between long-term structural strains and more contemporary financial pressures that some believe could shake the entire economy.
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.
Auto loans tell a similar story, with serious delinquency rates at 3 percent, the highest since 2010. And a spike in resulting defaults has triggered a wave of repossessions in 2025, with 2.2 million vehicles already repossessed, per figures from the Recovery Database Network (RDN), and forecasts of a record 3 million by year’s end.
“Delinquencies, defaults, and repossessions have shot up in recent years and look alarmingly similar to trends that were apparent before the Great Recession,” the Consumer Federation of America said in a recent report.
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.
Auto loans tell a similar story, with serious delinquency rates at 3 percent, the highest since 2010. And a spike in resulting defaults has triggered a wave of repossessions in 2025, with 2.2 million vehicles already repossessed, per figures from the Recovery Database Network (RDN), and forecasts of a record 3 million by year’s end.
“Delinquencies, defaults, and repossessions have shot up in recent years and look alarmingly similar to trends that were apparent before the Great Recession,” the Consumer Federation of America said in a recent report.
Meanwhile. . .
Independent, UK - President Donald Trump’s family fortune has fallen by about $1 billion in a matter of months due to steep declines across the cryptocurrency market, according to a new report. The First Family’s net worth now stands at about $6.7 billion, down from $7.7 billion in September, according to Bloomberg News.
Nice News - In 2013, 64-year-old retiree Ed Levien answered a call for volunteer EMTs in Bethesda, Maryland, and, after passing the physical, joined the ranks of his local rescue squad. “I called up and said, ‘I’m probably too old.’ They said, ‘If you can pass the physical, we’d love to have you,’” Levien, now 76, recalled. Over the years, he racked up more than 13,000 hours with the service and now trains the next generation.
The Hill - New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (D) said he stands by calling Trump a "fascist" despite saying they had a productive meeting at the White House on Friday.
Tatiana Schlossberg revealed that she has terminal cancer in an essay published Nov. 22. In
the same essay, she slammed her cousin RFK Jr. for how his agenda as
health secretary has and could negatively impact the treatment she has
received. Recalling how she watched RFK Jr. rise to political
power during her cancer treatment, Schlossberg called him "an
embarrassment to me and the rest of my immediate family.”
Word
RepMcGovern: Trump promised to bring manufacturing jobs
back to America. Instead, 58 thousand manufacturing workers have lost
their jobs in America since his stupid tariffs took effect. Then he lies to our faces, saying the economy has never been better.
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