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| Via Right Pulse News |
November 18, 2025
Jan 6
Newsweek - Former President Donald Trump's campaign reported paying over $4.3 million to organizers of the January 6 "Save America" rally held prior to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, OpenSecrets reported. Questions remain about the extent of the campaign's involvement.
Word
Robert Reich - A reminder: The Attorney General of the United States should be the people's lawyer, not the president's personal attorney. The Department of Justice should act to protect the public, not just the occupant of the Oval Office and his political allies
Health
Newsweek - On November 14, CMS shared that those using Medicare Part A - which covers inpatient hospital, skilled nursing facility, hospice, inpatient rehabilitation, and some home health care services - will see their inpatient hospital deductibles increasing from $1,676 to $1,736. That inpatient deductible covers beneficiaries’ costs for the first 60 days of Medicare-covered inpatient hospital care in a benefit period.
Part A beneficiaries will also now pay a coinsurance amount of $434 per day for the 61st through 90th day of a hospitalization, up from $419 in 2025, in a benefit period. They will also have to pay $868 per day for lifetime reserve days, which has increased from $838 in 2025.
For Part A recipients in skilled nursing facilities, the daily coinsurance for days 21 through 100 of extended care services in a benefit period will now be $217 in 2026, up from $209.50 in 2025.
Other changes include that individuals who had at least 30 quarters of coverage, or were married to someone with at least 30 quarters of coverage, will see the reduced monthly premium rate increase to $311 in 2026.
Those who have fewer than 30 quarters of coverage, or those with disabilities who have exhausted other entitlements, will pay the full premium, which will be $565 a month in 2026, a $47 increase from 2025.
Medicare Part B - the plan which covers physicians’ services, outpatient hospital services, certain home health services, durable medical equipment, and certain other services not included in Part A - is also experiencing changes next year.
The standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B enrollees will be $202.90 for 2026, an increase of $17.90 from $185 in 2025, while the annual deductible for all Medicare Part B beneficiaries will be $283 in 2026, an increase of $26 from the annual deductible of $257 in 2025.
CMS said that this increase in costs was mainly due to the "projected price changes and assumed utilization increases that are consistent with historical experience."
Since 2007, those using Medicare Part B have had their monthly premium based on their income, so this means that those with higher incomes will be paying higher monthly premiums.
The $202.90 premium amount applies to those who file individual tax returns with a modified adjusted gross income of less than or equal to $109,000.
Premiums increase to as high as $689.90 for those with a modified adjusted gross income of greater than or equal to $500,000.
NBC News - Almost half of adults, 47%, said they're worried they won't be able to afford health care next year — the highest level since West Health and Gallup began tracking in 2021, the survey found. The findings come as the cost of health care has become a central issue in politics. Senate Democrats' push to extend enhanced subsidies for the Affordable Care Act led to the longest government shutdown in history. The ACA tax credits, which have protected people from double-digit premium increases, are set to expire Dec. 31. Republicans blocked the effort, and the Trump administration has vowed to "fix Obamacare" but has yet to release a detailed plan. Read the full story.
NPR - More people in their 20s are getting preventive Botox — known as “baby Botox,” lower-dose treatments administered around once or twice a year, which is less than those for midlife adults. The small doses block nerve signals to the muscle. Here's what's behind the trend:
💉 Pandemic-era screen time meant that people were doing more
self-comparisons and looking at curated images of other people on video
calls and social media.
💉 Celebrities and influencers promote cosmetic procedures, further normalizing the treatments.
💉 “Ageless” beauty is seen as a "status symbol" in today's society. Young women say the treatments show that they were able to invest in themselves at a very early age.
💉 The treatments can be addictive due to the fact that once you stop getting the injections, the effects wear off and wrinkles reappear.
💉 Celebrities and influencers promote cosmetic procedures, further normalizing the treatments.
💉 “Ageless” beauty is seen as a "status symbol" in today's society. Young women say the treatments show that they were able to invest in themselves at a very early age.
💉 The treatments can be addictive due to the fact that once you stop getting the injections, the effects wear off and wrinkles reappear.
Donald Trump
The Hill - A reporter repeatedly asked Trump about his name being mentioned in the Epstein files. Trump cut her off and said, “Quiet, piggy.”
New Republic - Donald Trump is open to the possibility of launching attacks on Mexico to stop the flow of drugs, he told reporters in the White House Monday. “It’s OK with me,” Trump said. “Whatever we have to do to stop drugs. Mexico is, look, I looked at Mexico City over the weekend, some big problems over there.”
MS Now - Facing the biggest Republican rebellion of his second term, President Donald Trump reversed course Sunday night and told House Republicans to vote for releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files — a capitulation that one White House aide described as abandoning a “losing battle” to kill legislation his own party was planning to defy him on.
In public, it was a surprising reversal. In private, Trump aides and allies were preparing for a loss, hoping the president would stay quiet. Ultimately, the president accepted the writing on the wall.
Trump’s natural instinct is to fight. But on the potential release of the Epstein files, he’s taken on “too defensive of a posture,” said a person close to the White House granted anonymity to discuss internal thinking. That, they said, “undercuts a lot of his good instincts.”
“The White House made an overall political calculation of does it hurt us more to continue to object it or do we just say, ‘f— it’ and let them vote for it,” said the person close to the White House.
Internet crippled by Cloudflare outage
The Sun - Dozens of websites have been crippled by a major outage which sparked chaos across the globe.
Twitter, Spotify and Uber were among a number of sites hit when Cloudflare – an internet network services business – went down shortly after 11am this morning.
Twitter, Spotify and Uber were among a number of sites hit when Cloudflare – an internet network services business – went down shortly after 11am this morning.
ICE is breaking the law
Democratic Conservation Alliance - Right now, across the country, ICE agents are storming into homes without warrants. Zip-tying children. Firing tear gas at peaceful protesters, clergy, and journalists.
They’ve broken into vehicles, destroyed property, and even detained American citizens—without cause.
If anyone else in law enforcement did this, they’d be arrested.....
When federal agents break state laws, our local leaders must act. That means arresting and prosecuting ICE agents who assault civilians, destroy property, or unlawfully detain people.
They’ve broken into vehicles, destroyed property, and even detained American citizens—without cause.
If anyone else in law enforcement did this, they’d be arrested.....
When federal agents break state laws, our local leaders must act. That means arresting and prosecuting ICE agents who assault civilians, destroy property, or unlawfully detain people.
Trump's war on the Education Department
The Hill - The Washington Post’s Laura Meckler and Danielle Douglas-Gabriel report the Trump administration is planning to announce that it will dismantle most of the Education Department.
Multiple offices within the department will be shifted elsewhere, sources told the Post.
Reminder: While Trump can effectively shutter the department through broad cuts to programs and staff, Congress would need to pass legislation to formally abolish it.
“President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March seeking to close the department and asked Education Secretary Linda McMahon to work with Congress to do so. The agency, which was created in 1979, has long been derided by conservatives as unnecessary and ineffective. But Congress has not acted on or seriously considered Trump’s request. McMahon has acknowledged that only Congress can eliminate the department but vowed to do everything in her power to dismantle it from within.” (The Washington Post)
Multiple offices within the department will be shifted elsewhere, sources told the Post.
Reminder: While Trump can effectively shutter the department through broad cuts to programs and staff, Congress would need to pass legislation to formally abolish it.
“President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March seeking to close the department and asked Education Secretary Linda McMahon to work with Congress to do so. The agency, which was created in 1979, has long been derided by conservatives as unnecessary and ineffective. But Congress has not acted on or seriously considered Trump’s request. McMahon has acknowledged that only Congress can eliminate the department but vowed to do everything in her power to dismantle it from within.” (The Washington Post)
Best and worst airports for flight time
USA FActs - A flight is considered on time if it arrives within 15 minutes of its scheduled arrival. In spring 2025, nearly one in four domestic flights did not arrive on time — the worst second quarter for delays since 2014.
Passenger traffic is higher than pre-pandemic levels. As of late September, more than 2.4 million people on average cleared security each day, which was 9% more than in September 2019.
Salt Lake City (SLC) had the best on-time performance of the 30 busiest US airports in the first half of 2025, with 84.4% of flights arriving on time. Los Angeles (LAX), Phoenix (PHX), Minneapolis (MSP), and Detroit (DTW) round out the top five.
Washington Reagan (DCA) had the worst on-time record, with just 67.2% of flights arriving on time. Newark (EWR), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Philadelphia (PHL), and New York LaGuardia (LGA) followed.
Of the 21 major commercial airlines, nearly half scheduled fewer flights in the first half of 2025 than the same time period in 2019. Still, 12 of them had worse on-time performances than before the pandemic.
From April to June 2025, about 2 million commercial domestic flights were scheduled — roughly 3.5% fewer than during the same period in 2019.
Politics
NBC News - Larry Summers, who served as treasury secretary under President Bill Clinton, said he was "deeply ashamed" of his correspondence with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and that he will be stepping back from public commitments.
The House Oversight Committee last week released more than 20,000 emails from Epstein's estate, which included extensive correspondence between the disgraced financier and Summers. The most recent one was from the day before Epstein was arrested in 2019.
The House Oversight Committee last week released more than 20,000 emails from Epstein's estate, which included extensive correspondence between the disgraced financier and Summers. The most recent one was from the day before Epstein was arrested in 2019.
New foreclosure crisis
New Republic - In October, foreclosure starts were up 20 percent compared to the year before, according to numbers from ATTOM, a real estate analysis firm. Moreover, the rate has been rising for eight months in a row. Because it can take banks as many as three months to start the foreclosure process, these cases aren’t caused by momentary blips from the government shutdown. These are continuing signs that American families have been struggling to pay their bills all year.
None of these numbers have risen to Great Recession levels, but the fact that they are following years of record lows in foreclosures is a bad sign, pointing to a crisis over the horizon. Averting such a calamity isn’t easy in most instances. This administration, however, is not even trying.
None of these numbers have risen to Great Recession levels, but the fact that they are following years of record lows in foreclosures is a bad sign, pointing to a crisis over the horizon. Averting such a calamity isn’t easy in most instances. This administration, however, is not even trying.
U.S. Postal Service Announces New Rate Hikes
Shortylist - The United States Postal Service has announced that new shipping rates will take effect on January 18, 2026. These changes follow the agency’s formal filing with the Postal Regulatory Commission. They are part of its ongoing Delivering for America initiative, which is aimed at modernizing operations and achieving long-term financial stability.
The price of First-Class Mail stamps and other core letter services will remain unchanged. However, increases will be applied to shipping and parcel services. Priority Mail will rise by 6.6%, and Priority Mail Express will go up by 5.1%.
The newer Ground Advantage service, which replaced First-Class Package Service earlier this year, will increase by 7.8%. Parcel Select, which is typically used by high-volume commercial shippers and delivery partners, will see a 6% increase.
The USPS stated that these adjustments reflect current market conditions, including inflation. They also reflect the need to remain competitive in a logistics landscape dominated by private-sector giants such as UPS, FedEx, and Amazon.
The price of First-Class Mail stamps and other core letter services will remain unchanged. However, increases will be applied to shipping and parcel services. Priority Mail will rise by 6.6%, and Priority Mail Express will go up by 5.1%.
The newer Ground Advantage service, which replaced First-Class Package Service earlier this year, will increase by 7.8%. Parcel Select, which is typically used by high-volume commercial shippers and delivery partners, will see a 6% increase.
The USPS stated that these adjustments reflect current market conditions, including inflation. They also reflect the need to remain competitive in a logistics landscape dominated by private-sector giants such as UPS, FedEx, and Amazon.
Where the young want to move
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Data: Gensler. Chart: Axios Visuals Baltimore, Charlotte and Miami have the highest shares of childless young adults thinking about packing up and leaving.
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Trump name popping up around the world
Axios - Protests in Serbia last week over a planned Trump Tower in Belgrade were just the latest example of the president's business empire rubbing up against U.S. foreign policy.
- Officially, the president has handed management of his real estate portfolio to his sons. But for some governments around the world, it may be hard to entirely separate President Trump's business from Trump himself.
Serbia's government passed a law this month to fast-track development of the future Trump Tower Belgrade by an investment firm founded by Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law.
- The project is backed by strongman President Aleksandar Vučić, who has tried to court Trump while facing mass protests at home.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt denied that Trump or his family engaged "or ever will engage" in conflicts of interest...
.It's not the first Trump-branded project that's reportedly been expedited by a foreign government during Trump's second term — or the first to face backlash.
- Work was allowed to begin earlier this year on a massive hotel and golf development outside Hanoi without all the required legal and environmental reviews, while Vietnam was also holding high-stakes trade talks with the Trump administration, according to a New York Times investigation.
🎨 The big picture: Investment funds backed by Gulf states or royals have poured money into Kushner's investment fund and the Trump family's crypto venture, for example.
- Those countries — the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia — also struck massive deals with the Trump administration for AI chips and arms. Keep reading.
Earth Has Tilted 31.5 Inches
NBC News - Pumping groundwater appears to have a greater consequence than ever previously thought. But now—thanks to a study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters—we can see that, in less than two decades, Earth has tilted 31.5 inches as a result of pumping groundwater. This equates to.24 inches of sea level rise.
“Earth’s rotational pole actually changes a lot,” Ki-Weon Seo, a geophysicist at Seoul National University and study lead, says in a statement. “Our study shows that among climate-related causes, the redistribution of groundwater actually has the largest impact on the drift of the rotational pole.”
With the Earth moving on a rotational pole, the distribution of water on the planet impacts distribution of mass. “Like adding a tiny bit of weight to a spinning top,” authors say, “the Earth spins a little differently as water is moved around.”
“Earth’s rotational pole actually changes a lot,” Ki-Weon Seo, a geophysicist at Seoul National University and study lead, says in a statement. “Our study shows that among climate-related causes, the redistribution of groundwater actually has the largest impact on the drift of the rotational pole.”
With the Earth moving on a rotational pole, the distribution of water on the planet impacts distribution of mass. “Like adding a tiny bit of weight to a spinning top,” authors say, “the Earth spins a little differently as water is moved around.”
California farms applied millions of pounds of PFAS to key crops
The Guardian - California farms applied an average of 2.5m lbs of PFAS “forever chemicals” per year on cropland from 2018 to 2023, or a total of about 15m lbs, a new review of state records shows.
The chemicals are added to pesticides that are sprayed on crops such as almonds, pistachios, wine grapes, alfalfa and tomatoes, the review of California Department of Pesticide Regulation data found. The Environmental Working Group nonprofit put together the report.
The risk for uptake of PFAS is likely higher in water-rich fruits and vegetables, because water attracts the chemicals, and research has shown PFAS may concentrate at dangerous levels in some produce. The chemicals also pollute water supplies and present a higher risk to the often low income and Latino farmworkers.
The chemicals are added to pesticides that are sprayed on crops such as almonds, pistachios, wine grapes, alfalfa and tomatoes, the review of California Department of Pesticide Regulation data found. The Environmental Working Group nonprofit put together the report.
The risk for uptake of PFAS is likely higher in water-rich fruits and vegetables, because water attracts the chemicals, and research has shown PFAS may concentrate at dangerous levels in some produce. The chemicals also pollute water supplies and present a higher risk to the often low income and Latino farmworkers.
Meanwhile. . .
Leaders of the Society for Neuroscience warn that disruptions in federal funding are driving young scientists away from their field, threatening advancements in treating disorders such as Alzheimer’s, autism, Parkinson’s, and schizophrenia.
Climate
The Guardian - Water, and its absence, has become Iran’s national obsession. In the mosques of northern Tehran the imams have been praying for rain, while the meteorologists count down the hours until the weather is forecast to break and rain is finally due to fall from the sky.
Forecasts of “rain-producing clouds” are front-page news. More than 50 days have passed since the start of Iran’s rainy season and more than 20 provinces have not yet had a drop. The number of dams that have less than 5% of their reservoir capacity had increased from eight to 32, and the crisis has spread from the central plains right across the country.
The Guardian - Since Friday, England, Wales and Ireland have been hit by the storm the Spanish meteorological agency has elegantly named Claudia, with grim results. One place in particular massively bore the brunt of it all: the Welsh border town of Monmouth, where the raging River Monnow spilled into the streets, people had to be rescued from their homes and drones captured aerial views of the scene, showing fragile-looking buildings suddenly surrounded by a huge clay-brown swamp.
Claudia and her effects made it into the national headlines – but mostly, local and regional floods now seem too mundane to attract that kind of attention. Eleven days ago, Cumbria saw submerged roads, blocked drains and over 250 flood-related problems reported to the relevant councils. Railway lines in Cornwall were submerged; in Carmarthen, in west Wales, there were reports of the worst floods in living memory. But beyond the areas affected, who heard about these stories? Such comparatively small events, it seems, are now only to be expected.
There have recently been reminders of how floods are only going to get more disruptive and dramatic. In mid-October, the insurance giant Aviva published a report titled Building Future Communities 2025, which was full of unsettling facts: among them, that over the past 10 years, one in 13 new homes have been built in the highest-risk flood zones; and that by 2050, the number of properties at risk from flooding could rise by 25% to 8m. It was accompanied by a Guardian article warning that “some towns may have to be abandoned”, a prospect that might already be flickering to life: in the Worcestershire town of Tenbury Wells, where there have been floods four times in the past six years, the council is already adjusting to the fact that the local civic buildings are now simply uninsurable.
Gaza
NPR - The U.N. Security Council yesterday adopted a U.S.-drafted resolution endorsing Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza and authorizing an international stabilization force for the territory.
The Security Council resolution only alludes to a possible pathway to Palestinian statehood, Michele Kelemen reports. Russia's Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya, who abstained in the vote, emphasized that the resolution shouldn't serve as a cover for the U.S. and Israel in controlling Gaza, or signal the end of a two-state solution.
Comey case
MS Now - A remarkable ruling in James Comey’s case shows yet another way that the prosecution against the former FBI director could unravel — separate from the pending questions of whether Lindsey Halligan was lawfully appointed and whether the case she brought is unconstitutionally vindictive.
Ordering the rare disclosure of grand jury materials to the defense, U.S. Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick concluded that the record in the case “points to a disturbing pattern of profound investigative missteps, missteps that led an FBI agent and a prosecutor to potentially undermine the integrity of the grand jury proceeding.”
Fitzpatrick’s 24-page opinion on Monday paints a damning picture on several fronts of the effort overseen by Halligan, the Trump-installed prosecutor who hadn’t previously prosecuted a case and brought this one over the objection of career prosecutors.
Ordering the rare disclosure of grand jury materials to the defense, U.S. Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick concluded that the record in the case “points to a disturbing pattern of profound investigative missteps, missteps that led an FBI agent and a prosecutor to potentially undermine the integrity of the grand jury proceeding.”
Fitzpatrick’s 24-page opinion on Monday paints a damning picture on several fronts of the effort overseen by Halligan, the Trump-installed prosecutor who hadn’t previously prosecuted a case and brought this one over the objection of career prosecutors.
Many internet services disrupted after Cloudflare warns of service issues
NBC News - Many popular internet destinations appeared to be suffering from service issues after a major web infrastructure company said it was dealing with “an internal service degradation.” Cloudflare, one of the largest providers of internet services for websites, said just before 7 a.m. ET that it had begun investigating the issue.
November 17, 2025
Meanwhile. . .
The Guardian - Nearly half of sexually active young people in UK have experienced strangulation, study shows
Independent, UK - Record 82 million Americans expected to travel for Thanksgiving - with most taking to the roads
Federal judge finds evidence of government misconduct in Comey case
The Guardian - A US judge on Monday found evidence of “government misconduct” in how a prosecutor aligned with Donald Trump secured criminal charges against James Comey, the former FBI director, and ordered that grand jury materials be turned over to Comey’s defense team.
Last week, prosecutors were ordered to produce a trove of materials from the investigation, with the court saying it was concerned that the US justice department’s position on Comey had been to “indict first and investigate later”.
Comey is charged with lying to Congress in 2020 in a case filed days after the US president appeared to urge his attorney general to prosecute the former FBI director and other perceived political enemies. He has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers have argued that it is a vindictive prosecution brought at the direction of the Republican president and must be dismissed.
Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick ruled on Monday that the justice department engaged in a “disturbing pattern of profound investigative missteps” on its way to indicting Comey. The federal judge directed prosecutors to produce to defense lawyers all grand jury materials from the ca
Last week, prosecutors were ordered to produce a trove of materials from the investigation, with the court saying it was concerned that the US justice department’s position on Comey had been to “indict first and investigate later”.
Comey is charged with lying to Congress in 2020 in a case filed days after the US president appeared to urge his attorney general to prosecute the former FBI director and other perceived political enemies. He has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers have argued that it is a vindictive prosecution brought at the direction of the Republican president and must be dismissed.
Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick ruled on Monday that the justice department engaged in a “disturbing pattern of profound investigative missteps” on its way to indicting Comey. The federal judge directed prosecutors to produce to defense lawyers all grand jury materials from the ca
Immigration
Roll Call - The Trump administration announced a drastic reduction on refugee admissions for fiscal 2026 as part of a tough-on-immigration approach, but a mixture of prior policies, a court challenge and the recent partial government shutdown have added to uncertainty over U.S. policy.
The State Department last month said 7,500 refugees could be admitted during the year, under a proclamation that also makes as the only priority group white Afrikaners from South Africa, who are allegedly facing persecution under a new property confiscation law. That would be the lowest cap since the 1980 law that established the current refugee process.
RBReich - The Trump regime has fired an estimated 70
immigration judges since February. This is happening as immigration
courts face a record backlog of cases.
Word
Robert Reich - Next year, Americans will see the biggest jump in health insurance costs in 15 years. Meanwhile, the seven largest health insurance companies made a combined $71B in profits in 2024. It’s far past time for Medicare for All.
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