Donald Trump

Trump:  “We could blow up the world 150 times, and there’s no need for this.” The president said he had spoken to Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin about potentially downsizing the global nuclear arms race.

Polls

 Newsweek -  Trump has a 41 percent approval rating versus a 49 percent disapproval rating. The poll was conducted from November 3 to November 4 among 1000 active registered voters and has a 3 percent margin of error.

The president's approval rating dropped from 45 percent in an October poll, and from his highest of 49 percent in January. The president's net approval rating with the pollster broke even with 45 percent in April. Trump's approval rating has been declining since, with Friday's poll marking his largest negative net approval rating gap.

“Nearly one year after he was elected, President Trump’s approval has flipped since the first Emerson College poll of the new administration,” executive director of Emerson College Polling Spencer Kimball said.

“Since his inauguration, Trump has lost support among key groups: Republican voters’ approval decreased 12 points from 91% to 79%, and his disapproval intensified among independent voters, from 44% to 51%, and Hispanics, from 39% to 54%.”

Honda recalling 400,000 cars

Indpendent, UK -   Honda has recalled more than 400,000 of its most popular cars due to a manufacturing error that could make the wheels fall off.

The issue lies with a small batch of wheels on Honda Civics from 2016 to 2021.

“Due to a manufacturing process error by a supplier, the steel lug seat inserts in aluminum accessory wheels may not have been installed (pressed) into the nut seating surface,” Honda said in a press release.

UPS and FedEx Ground some Cargo Planes After Louisville Crash

NY Times -  UPS and FedEx, two of the world’s largest cargo airlines, said late Friday that they had grounded their MD-11 planes, days after one of the planes was involved in a deadly crash in Kentucky....

There are around 70 MD-11 cargo planes in service. UPS said in its statement Friday that MD-11s are around 9 percent of its fleet. FedEx has 28 MD-11s, about 4 percent of its fleet.

Man who threw sandwich at US federal agent found not guilty

 The Guardian - A former Department of Justice employee who threw a sandwich at a federal agent during Donald Trump’s law enforcement surge in Washington DC was found not guilty of assault by a DC jury on Thursday in the latest legal rebuke of the federal intervention.

Sean Charles Dunn, a former justice department paralegal, became a symbol of the resistance to Trump’s occupation in the nation’s capital when video of him, clad in a pink polo shirt and shorts, throwing a sandwich at a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent, wearing a bulletproof vest, went viral.

“Why are you here? I don’t want you in my city!” Dunn shouted at the officers on 10 August, calling them “fascists”. After throwing the sandwich, he took off running.

Dunn’s lawyers argued his sandwich throw was a “harmless gesture” meant as an act of protest. In a city under federal siege, the incident served as a rallying point, with posters showing Dunn mid-throw popping up around the district. Prosecutors said Dunn knew he didn’t have a right to throw the sandwich at the agent, and that his speech was not the issue, but that he threw a sandwich at a federal officer “at point-blank range”.

Dunn’s attorney, Julia Gatto, said in opening statements this week: “Sean Dunn expressed his opinions. He expressed them loudly, and he expressed them maybe you think vulgarly, but he expressed his opinions. But words without force are never assault.”

A grand jury in DC declined to indict Dunn in August on a felony assault charge, but he was eventually charged with a misdemeanor. The case moved ahead in federal court, with US district judge Carl Nichols acknowledging the strange case and saying the trial would be short “because it’s the simplest case in the world”.

Word

 

Annie

Food shortage

NY Times - Millions of low-income families began Saturday with little clarity over the fate of their food stamp benefits, after a late-night Supreme Court order allowed the Trump administration to continue withholding some funding for the nation’s largest anti-hunger program.

Only one day earlier, states including Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and Oregon had started sending full benefits to the roughly one in eight Americans who receive aid each month, putting an end to weeks of delay that had threatened many of the poorest Americans with severe financial hardship.

But the process appeared to grind to halt starting Friday night. The Supreme Court granted an emergency request by the Trump administration to pause an order issued by a federal judge, who had required the White House to fully fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

The late-night order was the latest turn in a weekslong battle waged by states and nonprofits seeking to ensure that the poorest Americans do not lose their ability to buy food during the federal shutdown. Throughout the closure, now the longest in history, the White House has refused to tap an ample store of leftover money that would prevent severe interruptions to the nutrition programs/
US supreme court issues emergency order blocking full Snap food aid payments

Meanwhile. . .

Fact Post News - This one was a doozy: The most job cuts for any October in more than two decades, going back to 2003. Companies announced about 153,000 job cuts last month, which was almost triple the number during the same month last year

Emily's List -  In 2019, Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger were roommates in Washington, D.C. as freshmen congresswomen. Now, they're both the governor-elect in New Jersey and Virginia.

Washington National Opera may move out of Kennedy Center due to Trump ‘takeover’

 The Guardian - The Washington National Opera (WNO) is considering moving out of the Kennedy Center, the company’s home since the US’s national performing arts center opened in 1971.

The possibility has been forced on the company as a result of the “takeover” of the center by Donald Trump, according to WNO’s artistic director, Francesca Zambello. The president declared himself chair of the institution in February, sacking and replacing its board and leadership.

Leaving the Kennedy Center is a possible scenario after a collapse in box office revenue and “shattered” donor confidence in the wake of Trump’s takeover, said Zambello.

“It is our desire to perform in our home at the Kennedy Center,” she said. “But if we cannot raise enough money, or sell enough tickets in there, we have to consider other options.

“The two things that support a company financially, because of the takeover, have been severely compromised,” she said.

Taking aim aet whistleblowers

 Dirt Diggers Digest - Whistleblowers file their case on behalf of the federal government, and then one of two things will happen. The Justice Department can decide to take over the prosecution of the case, and the whistleblower receives a portion of any damages or settlement paid by the defendant. If the DOJ declines to intervene, the whistleblower can choose to pursue the lawsuit independently. Any financial recovery is then shared with Uncle Sam.

Both of those options may be in jeopardy. In 2023 the Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that the DOJ could choose to dismiss a qui tam case even if it initially decided not to intervene in the matter. The dissenting vote was cast by Justice Clarence Thomas, who used his dissent to question the constitutionality of the entire qui tam system.

Now an appellate court judge is seeking to make that view a reality. Judge James Ho of the 5^th Circuit Court of Appeals has issued a concurring opinion in a ruling that dismissed a qui tam case against Encompass Health Corp. for allegedly submitting false claims to Medicare.

Ho, appointed by Trump during his first term, urged his colleagues to revisit the constitutionality of qui tam by making the MAGA-style argument that whistleblowers should not be able to bring cases, given that they “are neither appointed by, not accountable to, the President.”

It is unclear whether Ho’s colleagues will go along with his suggestion, but it is troubling to think that other jurists will take up the call to abolish qui tam. Whistleblower lawsuits have played a major role in lawsuits exposing and punishing corporate fraud against the government and thus the public.

A substantial portion of the 3,000 False Claims Act cases we document in Violation Tracker were initiated by whistleblowers and taken over by the DOJ. When the DOJ declines to intervene, most qui tam cases collapse for lack of resources. Yet we document about two dozen that sur

How Americans Are Thinking About Aging

Trump's cost of living con

Thom Hartmann -  Donald Trump calls our concern over the cost of living a “con,” but the real con is being foisted on working Americans by the billionaires and corporate monopolies that bankroll him. For forty years, wages have flatlined while profits and CEO pay soared and Trump’s tax cuts, deregulation, and corporate handouts only supercharged that inequality. He brags about a cheaper Walmart Thanksgiving while ignoring that those “savings” come from poverty wages and taxpayer subsidies — and the fact that Walmart has made their “example basket” considerably smaller and gotten rid of brand-name products. This isn’t affordability, it’s exploitation fueled by pure BS. The truth is, Trump’s America works great for the morbidly rich and their gilded ballrooms and private jets, but for everyone else it’s a rigged game where corporations set prices, crush unions, and call it “freedom.” The real “con” is pretending that helping out billionaires helps people like you and me.

Word

New Yorker  - Cartoon by Ali Solomon

 

 “Bye, sweetie—have a day filled with social drama, drastically shifting friendships, and academic milestones, which you’ll describe to me later as ‘fine.’

Deaths in ICE holding faciliity

POGO - An Illinois judge issued a temporary restraining order to an ICE holding facility, expressing concerns about the “unnecessarily cruel” conditions and ordering them to immediately improve safety and sanitation. The holding cells at the facility were originally designed for stays no longer than 12 hours, but because of a reversal in ICE’s internal policy, people are now being held there, and at holding facilities nationwide, for days on end, and often without beds, access to showers and private toilets, or even adequate food, water, and medical care. The administration’s mandatory detention policy — which more than 100 federal judges across the country have independently rebuked — has placed more people in the detention system and for longer periods than the system was ever outfitted to handle.

POGO has investigated and long raised alarm about the conditions in ICE detention. The administration’s aggressive mass deportation agenda only had the potential to make these widespread problems much worse. At least 20 people have died in ICE custody this year. That is almost twice the fatalities of 2024. Shutdown consequences: The furloughing of staff at the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Detention Oversight means that ICE facilities are going without oversight at a time they need it most. 

GOP dumps Democrats' shutdown deal

MSNBC - On day 38 of the government shutdown, Senate Democrats unveiled their first official offer to reopen the government. Almost immediately, Republicans said "no."

 The plan, as proposed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Friday, aimed to solve one of the key Democratic concerns throughout the shutdown: that Republicans were offering no guarantee that Affordable Care Act subsidies will in fact be extended in some form.

 

Without an extension, Americans enrolled in Obamacare are poised to see their premiums skyrocket next year. The proposal called for reopening the government with what Democrats describe as a "clean" stopgap funding bill, coupled with a package of three appropriations bills that have already received bipartisan approval.

 

Republicans are mostly fine with that idea. In fact, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has been working to pass a similar bill. But Democrats also have an additional demand: a one-year extension of Obamacare subsidies, allowing lawmakers to set up a bipartisan committee to then negotiate future reforms. The blueprint was notably the first explicit proposal Schumer has publicly offered since the shutdown began, with the New York Democrat preferring to keep his caucus’ demands more enigmatic.

 

"Now, the ball is in the Republicans' court," Schumer said. "We need Republicans to just say 'yes.'"

 

Republicans, however, are not playing ball. Full article

 

Parks being hit

Axios -   America's national parks — partially open despite the government shutdown — have become playgrounds for unsupervised visitors who are wreaking havoc on wildlife and fragile ecosystems.

• Some of America's most beloved spots are at risk of permanent damage...

Rowdy thrill-seekers have been illegally BASE jumping off of Yosemite's towering granite peaks, a recipe for disaster in a park that's experienced at least 25 accidental deaths from climbers falling, particularly during bad weather.

• The National Park Service told Axios that one of the stone walls at Gettysburg's Devil's Den was toppled in mid-October, desecrating a historic military landmark. Read on.

One Farmers' Almanac still surviving

 Axios - The publishing world was thrown for a loop today when the Farmers' Almanac announced it would be shutting down after more than 200 years of publication.

• The source of the confusion: There are two almanacs for farmers. The Farmers' Almanac — the one that's closing — and the Old Farmer's Almanac, which had to clarify today that it is still publishing.

They're both old. The Farmers' Almanac has been publishing since 1818, but the Old Farmer's Almanac has been in print since 1792.

• They're both based in New England: The older almanac is published in New Hampshire; its newer rival comes from Maine.

But if the term "farmer's almanac" conjures up for you a mental image of a book with an old-timey yellow cover, known for its long-term weather forecasts, you're probably thinking of the Old Farmer's Almanac — which isn't going anywhere.  Go deeper.

Job seeking

Axios -  It's not the best time to be looking for a job — but it's not a crisis, and it's not AI's fault. At least, not yet.

• The U.S. job market last month continued a long, gradual slowing that's making it distinctly less favorable for job seekers. But it's not the kind of full-on rout you see when a recession is imminent, Axios Macro co-author Neil Irwin writes.
• Despite a slew of announced layoffs, the actual number of people filing for unemployment benefits remains low, for now. Multiple data sources indicate that the unemployment rate has barely budged over the past few months.

Judge permanently bars Trump from deploying National Guard troops to Portland

Trump bans visas for fat people

New Republic- The Trump administration has ordered visa officers to deny immigrants who are obese or have certain health issues, in yet another instance of the president’s strange obsession with fat people.

A Thursday directive from the State Department, sent to embassies and consulates around the world, indicates that people applying for visas to the United States may be rejected if they have certain medical conditions, on the grounds that they could take up domestic health care resources.

Food shortage issue

NBC News -The Department of Agriculture will fully fund SNAP benefits while the Trump administration's appeal of a federal judge's order to do so makes its way through the courts. In a memo obtained by NBC News, the deputy undersecretary of the Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services informed states the federal government "will complete the processes necessary" to fully issue those benefits as soon as today. NY Times - A federal appeals court has denied a last-minute bid by the Trump administration to halt some food stamp funding during the government shutdown. The Trump administration said it then filed an emergency application at the Supreme Court.  Read more  Bowers News Media -  Numerous states, including California, Kentucky, Nevada, West Virginia, and more, have deployed their national guard to help restock food banks and assist with food distribution as a result of the partial disruption of food stamp benefits. This is a reminder that the National Guard is needed, and often employed, in useful ways. There is more to it than just theatrically demonstrating dominance over your political opponents.

Mean temperatures 1850-2025

 Image: Courtesy of the World Meteorological Association

SORRY FOR THE INTERRUPTION

 We were invaded today by an unknown operation, including the automatic closing of our computer  a few minutes after we opened it. Thanks to a couple of hours of work by our wonderful long term technical service (we can't reveal them out of fear they might also be hit) we are back in business, but our service may be a little short given that your editor's wife is giving a speech early this evening. Will try to bring things up to date by tomorrow. 

Polls

Study Finds 

• 63% of young adults (ages 18-34) and 53% of parents have considered leaving the U.S. due to the state of the nation
• Half of all adults report signs of loneliness, while 69% say they needed more emotional support this year than they received
• AI anxiety nearly doubled among students (78%, up from 45%) and surged across all age groups in just one year
• 75% of Americans are more stressed about the country’s future than before, with political division tied to isolation, physical symptoms, and daily struggles

 Newsweek - California Governor Gavin Newsom holds an early edge over Vice President JD Vance among young male voters for the 2028 presidency, according to new polling from a Republican-affiliated firm.  The latest League of American Workers/TIPP survey, conducted October 22-28, shows that among young men, 38 percent would vote for Newsom compared to 33 percent for Vance.

Newsweek -  A new poll points to potential trouble for Republicans heading into the 2026 midterm elections, with Democrats holding a commanding lead in the race for control of the House. A new YouGov survey, conducted on November 5 among 5,066 adults, shows that 41 percent think the Democrats are more likely to win majority control of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026, while only 30 percent said the same about the Republicans. However, 29 percent said they are not sure.

Axios -  48 vs. 50 - That's the latest split in public opinion on whether Democrats should keep fighting to extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies or whether they should vote to end the government shutdown, according to a new KFF poll out this morning.

. 48% want the Democrats to keep fighting, 50% want to end the shutdown without addressing the subsidies...

• What is still lopsided is the public support for extending the subsidies so they don't expire: 74% of Americans say Congress should renew them

Judge bans use of force for Trump’s Chicago blitz

 Independent, UK - A federal judge is banning immigration authorities from firing tear gas and using other riot weapons during protests in Chicago after video evidence and courtroom testimony from protesters, reporters and faith leaders revealed agents acting as “professional agitators.”

District Judge Sara Ellis also accused Greg Bovino — the top border patrol official for Trump’s mass deportation operations in Chicago — of lying in court about his officers’ use of force and his claim that protesters hit him in the head with a rock.

The government’s evidence in the case is “simply not credible,” Ellis said during a Thursday hearing, according to the Chicago Tribune.

“Describing neighborhood moms as professional agitators shows just how out of touch these agents are,” Ellis said of descriptions of protests in one Chicago neighborhood.

A lawsuit from protesters, press groups and faith leaders accused agents of indiscriminately firing tear gas and pepper balls into crowds and at close range, without warning, as volatile scenes emerged from protests against immigration raids across Chicago’s neighborhoods.

Nation’s busiest airports face FAA’s cut in flights, initial list shows

• Washington Post 

Jeffrey Epstein

National Memo - Several House Republicans have reportedly heard from the Department of Justice (DOJ) that the unreleased Jeffrey Epstein documents are especially compromising for President Donald Trump.

That's according to reporting from former MSNBC, CNN and Fox News reporter David Shuster, who posted to his X account on Wednesday that there is "speculation/rumors sweeping through [the] GOP caucus" about the details of the Epstein files.

"A few GOP house members say they’ve heard from FBI/DOJ contacts that the Epstein files (with copies in different agencies) are worse than Michael Wolff’s description of Epstein photos showing Trump with half naked teenage girls," Shuster wrote.

Shuster is likely referring to an October interview in which Trump biographer Michael Wolff told the Daily Beast that he had personally seen "about a dozen Polaroid snapshots" of Trump and Epstein, in which Trump was photographed with several topless young women on his lap. Wolff said Epstein pulled the photos out of a safe and spread them out "like a deck of cards" on his dining room table. The author told the Beast he saw the photos while visiting Epstein's home at the convicted sex offender's invitation, as Epstein wanted Wolff to write a book about him.

Veteran journalist Shuster further reported that Republicans were "spooked" by Attorney General Pam Bondi's testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, after she refused to answer a question from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) about whether she had personally seen the photos after the contents of Epstein's safe were confiscated. After Whitehouse asked her about the photos, Bondi then questioned him about receiving campaign donations from LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, who was associated with Epstein.

"She didn’t give a denial," Shuster wrote.

Trump has record number of layoffs

New Republic -  It’s month 10 of President Trump’s second term, and layoffs are the highest they’ve been in more than 20 years.

A Thursday report from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas shows job cuts last month increased by more than 153,000, up 175 percent from October of last year. In total, companies have announced more than one million job cuts in 2025, up 65 percent from the same time period last year. This was the worst October since 2003.

“This is the highest total for October in over 20 years, and the highest total for a single month in the fourth quarter since 2008. Like in 2003, a disruptive technology is changing the landscape,” the report said. “Technology continues to lead in private-sector job cuts as companies restructure amid AI integration, slower demand, and efficiency pressures.” Retail, warehousing, media, and nonprofits have also been impacted sectors.

Friday protest planned for over 100 college campuses

 Portside -  Aiming to “organize millions of students to disrupt business as usual and force our schools and our political system to finally work for us,” progressive groups and labor unions are planning a nationwide day of coordinated protests at over 100 US campuses on Friday, November 7.

Planned by Students Rise Up, in coordination with the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and Higher Education Labor United (HELU), the upcoming demonstrations “will be the first in a series of nationwide days of protests leading up to student strikes and worker actions on May Day 2026,” according to organizers.

In addition to the unions, groups backing the effort include Campus Climate Network, College Democrats of America, Gen-Z for Change, Indivisible, Jewish Voice for Peace, March for Our Lives, and Sunrise Movement, whose executive director, Aru Shiney-Ajay, stressed in a Tuesday statement that “everyone deserves an accessible, affordable, and quality education.”

Record turnout in NYC

Via ABC News