Independent UK - Excessive usage of TikTok and Instagram Reels is damaging cognitive performance, the American Psychological Association has said in a recent study.
Data from 98,299 participants across 71 studies found that the more short-form content a person watches, the poorer cognitive performances they had in terms of attention and inhibitory control - meaning the more complex they found it to focus.
Researchers found that “repeated exposure to highly stimulating, fast-paced content may contribute to habituation, in which users become desensitized to slower, more effortful cognitive tasks such as reading, problem solving, or deep learning.” In short, researchers said it can contribute to brain rot.
November 26, 2025
Donald Trump
The Guardian - Donald Trump on Sunday appeared to endorse the discredited conspiracy theory that Venezuela’s leadership controls electronic voting software worldwide and caused his 2020 election defeat to Joe Biden.
White House officials have previously said that Trump’s increasingly bellicose policy toward Venezuela is driven by concerns about migration and the drug trade. But the president’s new comment, made on Truth Social, hints that his hostility to Venezuela may also be based on an outlandish, implausible theory ruled to be false by a judge in 2023.
Fox News paid $787m in 2023 to Dominion Voting to settle a lawsuit that was based in part on identical claims about Venezuela’s supposed role in the 2020 election.
Trump wants a bigger White House ballroom. His architect disagrees.
People - Donald Trump called a White House correspondent for The New York Times "ugly, both inside and out" in a lengthy social media post on Wednesday, Nov. 26. Trump, 79, targeted reporter Katie Rogers after the outlet published a story about how his age has appeared to impact his ability to travel during his second term in office. The remarks come less than two weeks after Trump called Bloomberg correspondent Catherine Lucey "Piggy" while aboard Air Force One on Nov. 14.
Trump has argued at least 28 times that a national TV network should lose its licence
The Guardian - Trump has suggested at least 28 times over the last eight years that a television network should lose its license, according to analysis by the Guardian. But while the FCC does not actually license national networks, it does license the local television stations they own or strike affiliate deals with.
Anna M Gomez, the lone Democrat on the FCC, said after a commission meeting last week that Trump’s threats are hollow. “Aside from the ability to make things difficult for those we retaliate, this FCC is powerless to truly retaliate against a news network,” she said, noting that no local station licenses are up for renewal “any time soon.”
Anna M Gomez, the lone Democrat on the FCC, said after a commission meeting last week that Trump’s threats are hollow. “Aside from the ability to make things difficult for those we retaliate, this FCC is powerless to truly retaliate against a news network,” she said, noting that no local station licenses are up for renewal “any time soon.”
Polls
Newsweek - President Donald Trump's approval rating is negative with every pollster for the first time.As of Wednesday morning, Trump currently has an average disapproval rating of 55 percent, while 41 percent approve, according to The New York Times' polling aggregator. Polls, including Morning Consult, Ipsos, HarrisX, Quinnipiac, YouGov, and Pew Research, all show more Americans disapprove than approve of Trump's performance or favorability.
Independent, UK - Throughout the past 10 months, Trump’s deportation operation has been on full display as chaotic raids take place in Los Angeles, Chicago and most recently, Charlotte, North Carolina.
It seems Americans are not liking what they are seeing, as a new Daily Mail/JL Partners poll found that ICE has just a 34 percent approval rating. This is a four percentage point drop since last month
Trump regime allowing use of pesticides on foods
News Hour - The EPA is starting to allow the use of pesticides
containing PFAS on food. The move is part of an effort to roll back the
regulation of PFAS — also known as "forever chemicals" because they
don't break down easily in the environment.
The danger of 50 year mortgages
Patriotwise - While the allure of lower monthly payments is significant, the long-term implications of a 50-year mortgage are concerning. Borrowers could find themselves owing more than their homes are worth, a situation known as being “underwater.” This is particularly risky in markets where home prices stagnate or fall. After a decade, borrowers may have only paid off 4% of the principal, compared to 46% on a traditional 30-year mortgage. This slow equity growth exposes borrowers to excessive interest costs, potentially paying up to 225% of the home’s price over the loan’s lifetime. More
Public links Tesla to GOP
Heather Cox Richardson - Last week, a poll conducted for Global EV Alliance, made up of electric vehicle driver associations around the world, found that 52% of Americans would avoid buying a Tesla for political reasons.
Tesla chief executive officer Elon Musk pumped more than $290 million into electing President Donald J. Trump and supporting the Republicans in 2024. After taking office, Trump named Musk to head the “Department of Government Efficiency,” a group that slashed through government programs and fired civil servants.
In response, protesters organized “Tesla Takedowns,” gathering at Tesla dealerships to urge people not to buy the vehicles. The protests spread internationally. In March, Trump advertised Teslas on the South Lawn of the White House to try to help slumping sales, to no avail.
Tesla chief executive officer Elon Musk pumped more than $290 million into electing President Donald J. Trump and supporting the Republicans in 2024. After taking office, Trump named Musk to head the “Department of Government Efficiency,” a group that slashed through government programs and fired civil servants.
In response, protesters organized “Tesla Takedowns,” gathering at Tesla dealerships to urge people not to buy the vehicles. The protests spread internationally. In March, Trump advertised Teslas on the South Lawn of the White House to try to help slumping sales, to no avail.
Judge Dismisses Georgia Election Interference Case Against Trump
NY Times - A judge in Georgia dismissed the last pending criminal prosecution against President Trump on Wednesday, effectively ending efforts to hold him criminally responsible for attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
The president has now seen three criminal cases against him dissolve since he was re-elected last year. A number of his allies are also defendants in the Georgia racketeering case, including Rudolph W. Giuliani, his former personal lawyer, and Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff.
A motion seeking to end the prosecution was filed Wednesday morning by Pete Skandalakis, the executive director of the state’s nonpartisan prosecutor council. The case was once seen as one of the most serious legal threats to Mr. Trump, because state criminal convictions are not subject to presidential pardons.
Mr. Skandalakis, a career prosecutor who ran for office early in his career as a Democrat but later as a Republican, shredded the case originally brought by Fani T. Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, taking it apart charge by charge in a 22-page filing. He asserted that “it is not illegal to question or challenge election results.”
The president has now seen three criminal cases against him dissolve since he was re-elected last year. A number of his allies are also defendants in the Georgia racketeering case, including Rudolph W. Giuliani, his former personal lawyer, and Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff.
A motion seeking to end the prosecution was filed Wednesday morning by Pete Skandalakis, the executive director of the state’s nonpartisan prosecutor council. The case was once seen as one of the most serious legal threats to Mr. Trump, because state criminal convictions are not subject to presidential pardons.
Mr. Skandalakis, a career prosecutor who ran for office early in his career as a Democrat but later as a Republican, shredded the case originally brought by Fani T. Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, taking it apart charge by charge in a 22-page filing. He asserted that “it is not illegal to question or challenge election results.”
How to handle your Uncle Bob on Thanksgiving
Robert Reich - Most of us have an “Uncle Bob.” They’re a Trumper, or a Republican, or conservative. They disagree with us on most of the fundamental issues of our time and refuse to listen to us when we try to reason with them. But, hey, they’re a member of our family.
We’re about to have Thanksgiving dinner with them, and we don’t want it to be a disaster (as it’s sometimes been). So what do we do?
1. Try to reason with them. We’re not going to sacrifice our integrity by allowing them to spout nonsense, so we’ll take on their arguments with thoughtful (and, to the extent possible, good-natured) responses even if we don’t get anywhere.
2. If they bring up politics, humor them but don’t engage. We’ll let them express their political views if they must but not try to argue. It won’t get anywhere and will only escalate conflict and make Thanksgiving miserable.
3. Avoid all political discussion. We’ll make it clear from the start that politics is off-limits. If they say anything even slightly political, we’ll gently remind them that we’re not going there.
4. Don’t invite them (or disinvite them). We’ve decided, sadly, that there’s just no point in having them by. They’ll wreck Thanksgiving for us. We have not invited them (or we’ve decided to disinvite them).
We’re about to have Thanksgiving dinner with them, and we don’t want it to be a disaster (as it’s sometimes been). So what do we do?
1. Try to reason with them. We’re not going to sacrifice our integrity by allowing them to spout nonsense, so we’ll take on their arguments with thoughtful (and, to the extent possible, good-natured) responses even if we don’t get anywhere.
2. If they bring up politics, humor them but don’t engage. We’ll let them express their political views if they must but not try to argue. It won’t get anywhere and will only escalate conflict and make Thanksgiving miserable.
3. Avoid all political discussion. We’ll make it clear from the start that politics is off-limits. If they say anything even slightly political, we’ll gently remind them that we’re not going there.
4. Don’t invite them (or disinvite them). We’ve decided, sadly, that there’s just no point in having them by. They’ll wreck Thanksgiving for us. We have not invited them (or we’ve decided to disinvite them).
Health
NBC News - The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced lower prices on 15 costly prescription drugs under Medicare that include Ozempic and Wegovy. The price cuts come through the Medicare drug price negotiation program created under the Inflation Reduction Act, which then-President Joe Biden signed into law in 2022.
It's different from Trump's "most favored nation" drug pricing approach, which relies on executive orders and voluntary deals with drugmakers — not legislation. Trump recently announced such a deal with Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, to lower the price of the drugs in exchange for tariff relief.
The negotiated prices are what Medicare will pay drugmakers for the medicines, not what patients will pay out of pocket. Those discounts will save taxpayers $12 billion, according to CMS. It's expected to save Medicare enrollees $685 million in out of pocket costs in 2027. Read the story and see the full list of reduced price drugs.
Nice News - A small trial led by researchers out of China and the U.K. has turned up
some promising news for people experiencing anxiety or depression. Half
of participants with treatment-resistant severe depression saw clinical
improvement after undergoing deep brain stimulation, or DBS, and more than a third experienced an almost total elimination of their symptoms.
The technique involves thin electrodes being implanted deep into the brain that transmit mild electrical pulses to correct aberrant activity. It’s
been used in recent years to treat a range of conditions, including —
with noted success — Parkinson’s disease.
The study also
identified a “telltale” signature of brain activity that predicted how
well individual patients responded to the treatment, a breakthrough that
could be used in the future to personalize treatment for those most likely to benefit, per a news release from the University of Cambridge.
Major depressive disorder is one of the most common mental health problems worldwide, and according to Stanford Medicine, at least 10% of Americans will be affected by it at some point in their lives. Antidepressants and cognitive therapies
help many patients, but there are still high rates of treatment
resistance: Current methods fail for between 3 and 5 people. Learn more about how deep brain stimulation may help.
Meanwhile...
Heavy Snow Is Expected Across Upper Midwest Through Thanksgiving
NBC News - The Trump administration is ordering the review of all refugees admitted to the U.S. during the Biden administration.
NBC News - D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced she will not run for re-election. Her decision comes months after a delicate dance with Trump over the federal law enforcement presence in the nation's capital.
Bloomberg - The US government negotiated a 71% discount off of the list price of Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy among a slew of price cuts for patients in Medicare. It’s another headwind for Novo as it seeks to regain market share amid the booming weight-loss injection market.
NPR’s Joel Rose says people heading to the airport should expect big crowds. The Federal Aviation Administration says this could be the busiest Thanksgiving in 15 years.
The mother of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt's 11-year-old nephew is in ICE custody after being detained earlier this month. Bruna Caroline Ferreira was arrested on Nov. 12 in Revere, Mass., a city roughly seven miles north of Boston, according to reporting by CNN and CNN affiliate WMUR.
National parks triple fees for non-Americans
The Guardian - The interior department has announced new “America-first” entrance fees for national parks, commemorative annual passes featuring Donald Trump and “resident-only patriotic fee-free days for 2026” including Trump’s birthday.
Starting next year, entrance fees for international visitors will more than triple.
According to a department press release, non-residents will be able to choose between purchasing a $250 annual pass or paying $100 per person “to enter 11 of the most visited national parks, in addition to the standard entrance fee”.
Starting next year, entrance fees for international visitors will more than triple.
According to a department press release, non-residents will be able to choose between purchasing a $250 annual pass or paying $100 per person “to enter 11 of the most visited national parks, in addition to the standard entrance fee”.
Also.....
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Photographer: Jak Wonderly |
Ukraine
The Hill - Republicans on Capitol Hill have deep misgivings about President Trump’s emerging deal to end the war in Ukraine, as key GOP lawmakers fear the administration could set the stage for further Russian aggression toward NATO allies in Europe.
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Chair Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) have led the public criticism of the administration’s pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept a deal heavily tilted toward Russia’s demands.
This has put them in direct opposition to Vice President Vance, who is exercising increasing influence over U.S. attempts to broker a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, a Vance ally, has taken over as Trump’s top interlocutor with Ukraine.
Time - The 28-point peace plan for Ukraine, leaked to the press last week, left many wondering about its origins. The document repeated many of the talking points previously voiced by the Kremlin. Even the language of the plan looked to some as if it was translated from Russian. The confusion grew after a group of U.S. lawmakers claimed Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that it was a Russian proposal. Rubio was quick to deny that and insist the plan was an American one, based on “the input from the Russian side.”
Whatever the origins, the plan is a disaster for Ukraine and Europe for several reasons.
First, it would force Ukraine to voluntarily hand over to Russia territory it doesn’t control. That includes some of the most heavily fortified land in Donetsk region, which would make a new Russian assault on Kyiv an easy walk. Ukraine has always insisted that the conflict should be frozen along the current frontlines, and that a ceasefire must be a pre-condition for any further talks.
Second, it severely limits Ukraine’s sovereignty by capping the size of its armed forces to 600,000, and by forcing it to abandon NATO aspirations and enshrine neutrality in its constitution (Ukraine was constitutionally a neutral country before Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014). Giving the Russian language and Russian Orthodox Church more rights might seem like innocent provisions, but the Moscow-centered institution would increase the Kremlin’s influence inside Ukraine.
Third, the plan foresees an amnesty for “all parties”—including Russian soldiers, who have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine. Among them are those responsible for a massacre of civilians in Bucha, the bombing of maternity hospitals in Mariupol, the illegal deportation of 19,500 Ukrainian children, and ongoing drone attacks on civilians in Kherson. There is a huge demand for justice inside Ukraine—and this plan does nothing to address it.
Fourth, the plan doesn’t offer any concrete security guarantees for Ukraine and relies heavily on Russia’s goodwill not to invade again. It ignores the fact that Russia has violated numerous international and bilateral commitments since 2014. It rewards and empowers the aggressor by forcing the victim to compromise on issues vital for its survival.
The plan would leave Ukraine—and Europe at large—extremely vulnerable to more, not less, Russian aggression. Nobody in Ukraine trusts Russia—the general consensus is it would use any deal or pause in the fighting to rearm, regroup, and attack again. Russia would also be more tempted to test Europe’s resolve by attacking a E.U. or NATO member, like one of the Baltic states. The German defense chief has already warned NATO to prepare for a possible attack there by 2029.
NPR - Newly released transcripts by Bloomberg show U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff coached a Russian adviser on how to pitch a Ukraine peace deal to President Trump. The transcripts were released just as Trump's peace plan appears to be making headway. During the phone call, Witkoff allegedly advises Yuri Ushakov, Russian President Vladimir Putin's foreign policy adviser, on how to manage Trump. The news outlet says the recording is from a call in mid-October, right after Trump sanctioned Russia’s two biggest oil companies. NPR has not independently verified the contents of the transcript.
NPR’s Eleanor Beardsley tells Up First she spoke with Ukrainian parliament member and chair of the foreign affairs committee Oleksandr Merezhko, who says he is not surprised by this development. Merezhko called for Witkoff's replacement six months ago, citing incompetence and lack of understanding regarding Ukraine and the origins of the war. Merezhko says that Ukrainians know they are dealing with people in Trump’s entourage who take Russia’s side, but they have to deal with them regardless of who they are.
NPR’s Franco Ordoñez reports that Ukraine and Russia are not necessarily closer to reaching a deal, even though the two countries are exchanging ideas on how to end the war with the U.S. Trump seems to show genuine interest in the loss of life, especially children, but Ordoñez believes that the president’s quest for a Nobel Peace Prize could be a partial motivation for ending the war.
Questions raised about FBI director
NY Times - [FBI Director Kash] Patel’s heavy use of taxpayer-funded resources during his first nine months on the job has contributed to growing questions inside the administration about whether it exceeds the bounds of standard practice. This includes an intense use of security to protect himself and his girlfriend.
He has also used a government jet for some of his recreational travel, such as a golf trip with buddies to a private resort in Scotland over the summer.
Directors must fly on government aircraft for their travel because of required access to secure communications equipment. But using government jets for business trips, or to return home if they have left settled lives in other parts of the country to serve in Washington, requires planning and coordination
He has also used a government jet for some of his recreational travel, such as a golf trip with buddies to a private resort in Scotland over the summer.
Directors must fly on government aircraft for their travel because of required access to secure communications equipment. But using government jets for business trips, or to return home if they have left settled lives in other parts of the country to serve in Washington, requires planning and coordination
Is It ‘Illegal’ to Urge the Military to Refuse Unlawful Orders?
Time - The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) says that service members must “obey any lawful general order or regulation.” There is a strong presumption that orders are lawful under military law, according to the NIMJ. But service members are allowed to disobey unlawful orders—and they could even be prosecuted for carrying out patently unlawful orders, such as war crimes.
“They said, ‘Don’t follow unlawful orders,’ and somehow Vance interprets that to mean, ‘disobey everything Trump does.’ That’s not what they said. Legally, he’s wrong,” Fissell says. “It’s not even a logical statement.”
Claire Finkelstein, professor of national security law at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, says that the lawmakers have the right to freedom of speech and “were not in any sense instigating the commission of a crime;” rather, they were simply “stating their interpretation of the law as best they understood it.”
“They said, ‘Don’t follow unlawful orders,’ and somehow Vance interprets that to mean, ‘disobey everything Trump does.’ That’s not what they said. Legally, he’s wrong,” Fissell says. “It’s not even a logical statement.”
Claire Finkelstein, professor of national security law at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, says that the lawmakers have the right to freedom of speech and “were not in any sense instigating the commission of a crime;” rather, they were simply “stating their interpretation of the law as best they understood it.”
Expand democracy: DC statehood
Expand Democracy - Washington, DC has been fighting for full political equality for more than two centuries, and as of late 2025, the basic facts haven’t changed. More than 700,000 residents pay federal taxes, serve on juries, and fight in wars, but still lack voting representation in Congress and full control over their own local laws.
In early 2025, the latest iteration of the Washington, DC Admission Act was introduced in both chambers. With 204 cosponsors, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton reintroduced H.R. 51 on January 3, 2025, proposing to admit most of the District as the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth while preserving a small federal enclave for constitutional purposes. Senator Chris Van Hollen introduced the companion bill S. 51, with 40 cosponsors on January 9, 2025. Both bills mirrored the structure used in prior Congresses: statehood for residential DC, protection of the federal district, and immediate conferral of full congressional representation.
But as this legislative session progressed, neither chamber took further action. The bills did not receive markup, did not advance out of committee, and were never scheduled for floor consideration. Bill-tracking services now classify them as “dead,” reflecting the practical reality that they will not move forward this Congress absent extraordinary procedural action. With Republicans controlling the House and with no path to 60 votes in the Senate, statehood supporters face the same structural barriers that have impeded recent attempts.
Outside Congress, several advocacy networks remain active. DC Vote has long fought for equality for the people of DC. The ACLU-DC’s D.C. Statehood Now coalition continues its public education and legal advocacy efforts. Grassroots groups such as Stand Up! for Democracy in DC (Free DC) maintain community organizing campaigns, while national organizations, including the Campaign Legal Center, publish statements, host events, and press Congress to restore full home rule and admit the District as a state. Yet despite these efforts, none have shifted the federal political calculus in this Congress.
At the same time, recent federal interventions in governance have highlighted the limits of DC’s autonomy. Under the Home Rule Act, Congress retains the authority to override local laws, and the President may assume direct control of certain District functions. In 2025, this authority was exercised when the administration temporarily placed the Metropolitan Police Department under federal supervision, a reminder, widely reported at the time, of how quickly local control can be curtailed. Right now, both chambers are advancing bills and budget riders to micromanage the District’s affairs, including one bill on public safety that passed the House. These developments underscore how profoundly DC’s lack of statehood continues to shape the everyday governance of the nation’s capital.
Our nation has regularly added states from the original 13 in 1787, but only two states (Alaska and Hawaii) in the past 112 years. Here’s hoping future Congresses embrace expanding democracy, act on DC statehood, and consider other possible new states like Puerto Rico.
In early 2025, the latest iteration of the Washington, DC Admission Act was introduced in both chambers. With 204 cosponsors, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton reintroduced H.R. 51 on January 3, 2025, proposing to admit most of the District as the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth while preserving a small federal enclave for constitutional purposes. Senator Chris Van Hollen introduced the companion bill S. 51, with 40 cosponsors on January 9, 2025. Both bills mirrored the structure used in prior Congresses: statehood for residential DC, protection of the federal district, and immediate conferral of full congressional representation.
But as this legislative session progressed, neither chamber took further action. The bills did not receive markup, did not advance out of committee, and were never scheduled for floor consideration. Bill-tracking services now classify them as “dead,” reflecting the practical reality that they will not move forward this Congress absent extraordinary procedural action. With Republicans controlling the House and with no path to 60 votes in the Senate, statehood supporters face the same structural barriers that have impeded recent attempts.
Outside Congress, several advocacy networks remain active. DC Vote has long fought for equality for the people of DC. The ACLU-DC’s D.C. Statehood Now coalition continues its public education and legal advocacy efforts. Grassroots groups such as Stand Up! for Democracy in DC (Free DC) maintain community organizing campaigns, while national organizations, including the Campaign Legal Center, publish statements, host events, and press Congress to restore full home rule and admit the District as a state. Yet despite these efforts, none have shifted the federal political calculus in this Congress.
At the same time, recent federal interventions in governance have highlighted the limits of DC’s autonomy. Under the Home Rule Act, Congress retains the authority to override local laws, and the President may assume direct control of certain District functions. In 2025, this authority was exercised when the administration temporarily placed the Metropolitan Police Department under federal supervision, a reminder, widely reported at the time, of how quickly local control can be curtailed. Right now, both chambers are advancing bills and budget riders to micromanage the District’s affairs, including one bill on public safety that passed the House. These developments underscore how profoundly DC’s lack of statehood continues to shape the everyday governance of the nation’s capital.
Our nation has regularly added states from the original 13 in 1787, but only two states (Alaska and Hawaii) in the past 112 years. Here’s hoping future Congresses embrace expanding democracy, act on DC statehood, and consider other possible new states like Puerto Rico.
From our archives: How the media helped create Donald Trump
Sam Smith, 2017 - I’ve been having a hard time understanding not why there are people like Donald Trump but why anyone would elect him president.
I was blessed by coming of age before the average American was seeing so many advertisements each a day, and was in junior high school when Arthur Miller wrote Death of a Salesman, a play whose leading character, Willie Loman, is described in Wikipedia as
The salesman. He is 63 years old and very unstable, insecure, and self-deluded. Willy tends to re-imagine events from the past as if they are real. He vacillates between different perceptions of his life. Willy seems childlike and relies on others for support.
Studying Death of a Salesman in high school - with the aid of other books like The Organization Man – helped show how to spot a con man and why you didn’t want to have anything to do with them. Despite all that has happened since, I thought it was still true that one of the favored characteristics of a strong and sensible American was not to be fooled by the Willie Lomans or Donald Trumps of the world. It wasn’t a moral choice that kept someone like me away from them; I just didn’t want to be ripped off.
What I didn’t realize at the time was that television would start to change how Americans saw things and in striking ways that still aren’t given enough credit for their part in the decline of our culture.
For one thing, circus barkers became not a once a year curiosity in your town but part of the nightly visual experience. We called them commercials but they had much the same effect. The constant sound of hyperbole and misrepresentation became a common part of our lives. Sure radio had them, but radio being only a sound, stayed somewhat removed from our true being. When a guy is not only yakking, but enhanced by an attractive blonde coming on at you or some other visual distraction, it inevitably becomes more than a sound.
Television would also have a still largely unnoted impact on politics. I got interested in covering politics in part because when I started it was a field filled with far more interesting sorts than say law or education. You didn’t have to like Lyndon Johnson to be fascinated by him. Or the time I walked into Adam Clayton Powell’s office to be greeted by him waving his hands at a long front room bar and saying, “This, Sam, is what comes of serving the lord.” Or the brilliant campaign platform of a southern pol: “Y’all only got three friends in this world. You got the Lord God Almighty, you got the Sears Roebuck catalog, and you’ve got Eugene Talmadge. .. And you can only vote for one of them.”
Yes, you knew they were con men, but you also knew something else. As I have noted, no one in American politics got more good legislation passed in less time than Lyndon Johnson and Adam Clayton Powell, but you wouldn’t want your daughter anywhere near either one of them.
Covering politics taught you that con and competence could either be at odds or work strangely together. It was part of your job as a reporter to figure this out.
Another pre-television factor was that politicians got their reputations from doing real things for real people. It was a sort of feudal system in which you got but you had to return favors to the people.
And, compared to later pols, even the most corrupt often didn’t make that much. There are no lobbying jobs for when they left Congress or foundations for them to suck on for the rest of their lives.
The turning point was the first televised White House Apprentice show, aka the Kennedy-Nixon debate. While Kennedy was infinitely smarter, wiser and more decent that Trump, his selection as the Democrat’s presidential candidate had little to do with accomplishment and much with his manner and appearance. He had even gotten into Congress in the first place thanks to his father convincing one of the last of the old style politicians – James Michael Curley – to give up his House seat and run again for Boston mayor.
As for Nixon, Dwight Eisenhower was asked for some of his vice president’s accomplishments and he replied, “If you give me a week, I might think of one. I don’t remember.”
When I had started out in journalism, over half the reporters in the country only had a high school education. I learned not to mention my Harvard degree to my colleagues. Further, as I once put it, “the trade stopped being a trade as not only a college degree but a masters in journalism became increasingly desired. Further, journalists - with the help of things like the Washington Post's new Style section started in 1969 - began joining the power structure by increasingly writing themselves into it.”
The Style section redefined Washington, helping to put social acceptability way ahead of competence or decency. Many reporters, as much as others in the capital, wanted to be part of the new definition and little by little gave up their watchdog roles, becoming instead just another embedded member of the establishment.
Ronald Reagan was clearly a major winner of show business politics. But as Robert Lekachman put it, “Ronald Reagan must be the nicest president who ever destroyed a union, tried to cut school lunch milk rations from six to four ounces, and compelled families in need of public help to first dispose of household goods in excess of $1,000.”
If you think Trump says dumb things consider a few Reagan quotes:
"A tree's a
tree. How many more do you need to look at?"
"All the waste in a year from a nuclear power plant can be stored under a
desk."
[Medicaid recipients are] “a faceless mass, waiting for handouts
"Unemployment insurance is a pre-paid vacation for freeloaders."
"We were told four years ago that 17 million people went to bed hungry every night. Well, that was probably true. They were all on a diet."
It is worth noting that in the wake of the Reagan fantasy administration, three Democratic candidates for president – each greatly more competent than Reagan or Trump – were dumped from consideration not because of their positions or action but because they clumsily handled their style – Muskie for having tears in his eyes during a speech, Dukakis for wearing a helmet on a tank at General Dynamics, and Hoard Dean for an unpleasant scream. Tears, a helmet or a shout were now far more important than substance.
Meanwhile, substance faded. Much of the major media covered the disastrous Vietnam war as if its proponents were nuts, the war on drugs was granted sanctity by journalists on their third bourbon, and socialism – or even cooperatives – were assisgned to the trash can in the name of increasingly monopolistic corporations – even in the news business.
Today there is hardly a full time major media labor reporter in the country but whole networks cover the corporate view of things. And when was the last time you saw a peace expert – as opposed to a military or intelligence expert – on the evening news.
Donald Trump should stop knocking the media. It was, after all, an institution that helped lay the groundwork for his successful campaign and the still unknown consequences of the same.
All they had to do was change from being watchdogs to being pet puppies.
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.
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.
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’
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