November 5, 2025

Cleve Wootson of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump on Wednesday blamed his party’s bruising election night losses on the government shutdown and urged Republicans to end the funding gridlock, displaying fresh urgency as sweeping Democratic victories portended midterm trouble for the GOP. 'We have to get the country open. And the way we’re going to do it this afternoon is to terminate the filibuster,' Trump said during a meeting with Republican senators at the White House. 'We will pass legislation that you’ve never seen before, and it’ll be impossible to beat us.'” MB: He's a simple man-child, and he thinks simple ideas coupled with fantasies will make his boo-boos all better. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Marie: You wouldn't know it from this report (two others reporters have added to the story, but you still wouldn't know it) -- but Trump's little filibuster plan is way worse than it appears here. It is, in fact, a plan to end democratic representation in the U.S. That's what he means when he says, "it'll be impossible to beat us." I know this because I read the rough transcript of Trump's remarks on C-SPAN. He rambled on and on, often unintelligibly, often bordering on gibberish. But in those ramblings -- and shortly after the remark that "it'll be impossible to beat us" -- he says, "... Now if we do what I'm saying, they'll never, they'll most likely never attain power because we will have passed every single thing that you can imagine...." By "what I'm saying," he means "eliminate the filibuster," and by "they" he means Democrats. The planned legislation "that you've never seen before" will indeed make it "impossible to beat us." When, by eliminating the filibuster, Republicans "pass every single thing you can imagine," that imagined legislation will prevent Democrats from "ever attaining power" again. That's the plan. It's a plan -- albeit an ill-defined one -- to rig the laws so that no party except the Republican party can control the three branches of government. 

Justin Jouvenal of the Washington Post: “The Supreme Court appeared skeptical of arguments Wednesday that ... Donald Trump has legal authority to impose tariffs on a vast range of goods from nearly all countries, signaling the justices could strike down or limit the administration’s signature economic policy. The justices sharply questioned Solicitor General D. John Sauer and attorneys for states and small businesses that challenged the tariffs during more than two and a half hours of arguments.... Many of the justices were skeptical that Trump had the power to impose sweeping tariffs with few bounds, since the Constitution squarely gives that power to Congress.... Neal Katyal, an attorney who represented the small businesses, pointed out that no previous president understood the economic emergency law to grant the authority Trump claims. Trade deficits, which have existed for decades, do not meet the definition of an emergency necessary to invoke the law’s powers, he argued. He also said Congress had been clear when it granted the president the power to impose tariffs in other statutes and always included strict limits.” ~~~

     ~~~ Doug Palmer, et al., of Politico: “Both conservative and liberal Supreme Court justices on Wednesday sharply questioned ... Donald Trump’s use of emergency power to impose sweeping tariffs on countries around the world, casting doubt on the future of one of his signature economic policies. One of the core issues before the high court in a pair of consolidated cases — brought by a dozen Democratic-run states and two sets of private companies — is whether Trump has grabbed power that constitutionally belongs to Congress in imposing the duties.” ~~~

~~~ Lazaro Gamio, et al., of the New York Times: “Just under half of all goods that enter the United States are now subject to tariffs, a New York Times analysis of Census Bureau trade data shows, a stark sign of how ... [Donald] Trump has reshaped American trade since returning to office in January. Throughout the year, Mr. Trump has issued wave after wave of new duties, targeting almost every country in the world at levels not seen in roughly a century.... Before Mr. Trump’s second term, almost all imports entered under long-established trade rules that were agreed upon within the World Trade Organization.... By July of this year, when many of Mr. Trump’s tariffs began taking effect, that trend had been inverted. Now, more than 90 percent of imports are subject to some aspect of Mr. Trump’s trade policy — a tariff he announced this year or during his first term, or a sweeping exemption granted to some products, at least temporarily.”

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“Democrats' Big Night” 

Who'd a thunk, but a year after the debacle of 2024, that we would see a banner headline -- in the Bezos Gazette where democracy dies in darkness, no less -- that included the phrase, "Democrats' Big Night"?

Paul Krugman: "Yesterday was a very good day for Democrats and a very bad day for both MAGA and the oligarchy. If I were a properly house-trained pundit, I would immediately follow that statement by throwing some shade at Democrats. But this was a blowout, pure and simple." 

California. NBC News called the race for the redistricting proposition as the polls closed. ~~~

     ~~~ Jonathan Cooper, et al., of the AP: “California voters approved new congressional district boundaries Tuesday, delivering a victory for Democrats in the state-by-state redistricting battle that will help determine which party wins control of the U.S. House in 2026 and, with it, the power to thwart or advance ... Donald Trump’s agenda. The approval of Proposition 50 gives Democrats a shot at winning as many as five additional seats, just enough to blunt Texas Republicans’ move to redraw their own maps to pick up five GOP seats at Trump’s urging. Texas’ move and California’s response have kicked off a flurry of redistricting efforts around the country, with Republican states appearing to have an edge. Deeply blue California is Democrats’ best opportunity to make up seats.” The New York Times story is here.

California. Jennifer Medina of the New York Times: “When the Justice Department announced a week and half ago that it would send monitors to watch California’s elections, it didn’t say who exactly would be doing the monitoring. For Orange County, a populous and ethnically diverse area south of Los Angeles, the administration tapped Michael Gates, a lawyer with a history of questioning the county’s voting procedures.... Local election officials said this week that the Justice Department had informed them that Mr. Gates and an assistant U.S. attorney, Cory Webster, would be serving as election observers in Orange County. Mr. Webster was hired as a U.S. attorney late last year.... Orange County is one of five counties in California, including Los Angeles, that the Justice Department said it would monitor for this election. Orange County, which has a large Latino and Asian American population, has had several close congressional races in the last several years. Those races have been crucial to deciding the House majority.... Rob Bonta, the California attorney general, said he planned to send his own monitors to guard against any voter intimidation.”

New York City Mayoral Race. NBC News projects Zohran Mamdani to win the race for mayor. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. From the New York Times liveblog. Nicholas Fandos: “Zohran Kwame Mamdani, a 34-year-old state lawmaker who transformed himself into an electrifying voice for New Yorkers disillusioned with runaway living costs and a scandal-plagued old guard, was elected the city’s 111th mayor on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press. His victory, stretching from the gentrified corridors of Brooklyn to the working-class immigrant enclaves of Queens, completed one of the most remarkable political upsets in New York history and will soon put a democratic socialist in City Hall.” ~~~

     ~~~ Anthony Izaguirre & Jill Colvin of the AP: “Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City on Tuesday, capping a stunning ascent for the 34-year-old state lawmaker, who was set to become the city’s most liberal mayor in generations. In a victory for the Democratic party’s progressive wing, Mamdani defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Mamdani must now navigate the unending demands of America’s biggest city and deliver on ambitious — skeptics say unrealistic — campaign promises.” ~~~

     ~~~ Nicholas Fandos of the New York Times: “Many past primary winners had instantly been anointed as mayor-elect in this overwhelmingly Democratic city. But it took just hours to become clear that the power brokers and civic gatekeepers accustomed to running New York saw Mr. Mamdani’s ascent as something closer to hostile takeover — one that many would do anything to block.... But his election on Tuesday as the 111th mayor of New York owes as much to the ... improbable backroom campaign that followed [his primary victory]. In Midtown C-suites and intimate phone calls, a left-wing populist who had built his brand on taxing the rich wooed, charmed and delicately disarmed some of the most powerful people in America. The arc of his success is nothing short of staggering. At the start of the year, Mr. Mamdani was polling at 1 percent, tied, as he likes to say, with the candidate known as “someone else.” Few New Yorkers recognized his name, and his own political team put the odds of winning as low as 3 percent.... This account of how he did it draws from interviews with Mr. Mamdani’s top advisers and allies, as well as his critics and rivals.” ~~~

     ~~~ New York Times liveblog: “In the final hours of the most closely watched race for New York City mayor in recent years, voters were streaming to the polls in large numbers. By early evening and with polls open until 9 p.m., more people had already voted in this year’s race than cast ballots in any mayoral election in more than three decades.... The outcome could ... send a message nationally about the direction of the Democratic Party after its disastrous defeat in the presidential election last year.”

New Jersey Gubernatorial Race. CNN & NBC have called the governor's race for Democrat Mikie Sherill. ~~~

     ~~~ From the New York Times liveblog. Tracey Tully: “Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, has been elected governor of New Jersey after a campaign that pounded away at her Republican opponent, Jack Ciattarelli, for his allegiance to ... [Donald] Trump. The Democratic Party had a lot riding on her victory. And Ciattarelli’s energetic effort could not outrun national politics in a state dominated by Democrats.” ~~~

     ~~~ Mike Catalini & Adriana Licon of the AP: “U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill on Tuesday was elected governor of New Jersey, shoring up Democratic control of a state that has been reliably blue in presidential and Senate contests but had shown signs of shifting rightward in recent years. Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot and four-term member of Congress, defeated Jack Ciattarelli, who was endorsed by ... Donald Trump. The start of voting on Tuesday was disrupted after officials in seven counties received emailed bomb threats later determined by law enforcement to be unfounded, said the state’s top election official, Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way. A judge granted a one-hour extension at some polling places after Democrats made a request for three schools that received emailed bomb threats earlier Tuesday.” ~~~

     ~~~ Nick Corasaniti & Tracey Tully of the New York Times: “Representative Mikie Sherrill beat Jack Ciattarelli by a wide margin....  Ms. Sherrill, a Democrat, made her opposition to ... [Donald] Trump the cornerstone of her campaign against Mr. Ciattarelli.... After the federal government shut down, Mr. Trump made what many Democrats saw as an unforced error. In October. While tangling with Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the president announced that he had 'terminated' construction of a vitally important new Hudson River rail tunnel between New York and New Jersey.... [Ms. Sherrill] labeled Mr. Ciattarelli the 'Trump of Trenton.'... [A voter] surge seemed to come mostly from Democrats, who improved their overall vote totals in nearly every county in the state.” 

New Jersey. Tracey Tully & Jonathan Wolfe of the New York Times: “Bomb threats that officials described as hoaxes were emailed on Tuesday morning to cities across New Jersey, disrupting voting and resulting in the brief closure or relocation of polling sites in some locations. The threats, which officials said were similar, appeared to go to towns throughout much of New Jersey, according to the state’s attorney general, Matthew Platkin. In a statement, Mr. Platkin said that officials had reported receiving threats in at least seven of New Jersey’s 21 counties, including Bergen, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Passaic.” The News12 New Jersey report is here. Thanks to RAS for the link. (Also linked yesterday.)

New Jersey. Steven Myers of the New York Times: “As voters went to the polls, prominent conservatives latched onto glitches and other problems at polling stations to claim — without presenting evidence — that the results were being rigged. Election machines briefly went down in Cumberland County, N.J., a state where the governor’s race is seen as a bellwether of ... [Donald] Trump’s second term. The problem was quickly resolved and voting resumed. A series of bomb threats in the state ... also turned out to be a hoax. In Pennsylvania, independent voters were left off the voter rolls for state judicial and municipal races in Chester County, a swing district with a recent history of election disinformation. The problems were enough for Jack Posobiec, the conservative podcaster, to make a sweeping claim of intentional interference across multiple states.... 

“Before the polls even opened on Tuesday, Mr. Trump called a vote in California to redraw congressional districts ahead of next year’s midterm elections, as Texas and other Republican-controlled states have done, 'a GIANT SCAM.' 'The entire process, in particular the Voting itself, is RIGGED,' Mr. Trump declared without citing anything to support the claim. He suggested that Republicans were somehow 'shut out' of mail-in voting, warning that a  'serious legal and criminal review' was on the way.”

     ~~~ Marie: As far as I know, the only election interference comes from the Trump administration itself. According to MSNBC, the White House sent monitors to one New Jersey county & several California counties that have large Hispanic populations -- an obvious attempt to intimidate voters, especially those who, you know, "look like illegals."

New Jersey. Ed Shanahan of the New York Times: “For Jim McGreevey, who is trying to make a political comeback after resigning in disgrace as New Jersey’s governor 21 years ago, redemption will have to wait — if it is to come at all. The mayor’s race in Jersey City, N.J., where Mr. McGreevey was among the candidates, is headed to a runoff after no one in the crowded field managed to win more than 50 percent of the votes cast in the nonpartisan election. As of late Tuesday, Mr. McGreevey was in second place and trailing James Solomon, a two-term City Council member, by about 1,200 votes.... [Mr. McGreevey] stepped down as governor less than two years into his first term after announcing, with his second wife at his side, that he was 'a gay American' who had had an affair with a male staff member.”

Virginia. NBC News has projected that Democrat Abigail Spanberger has won the governor's race. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Gregory Schneider of the Washington Post: “Democrat Abigail Spanberger defeated Republican Winsome Earle-Sears to become the first woman elected governor of Virginia, the Associated Press has projected, winning with a pragmatic focus on the economy and promises to stand up to what she termed the destructive and divisive policies of the Trump White House. A former CIA operative and federal postal inspector, Spanberger, 46, charted a centrist path through three terms in Congress to emerge as a Democratic star. Her experience as both a spy and a mother of three young girls, and her political record of winning in a conservative congressional district and brokering bipartisan deals in Washington, positioned Spanberger for a landmark win in this purple state.” The AP story is here. The New York Times story is here. ~~~

~~~ Virginia. Julia Manchester of the Hill: “State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D) defeated conservative talk show host John Reid in the Virginia lieutenant governor’s race on Tuesday, becoming the first Indian person to hold statewide office in the commonwealth and the first Muslim woman to win a statewide race in the U.S. Hashmi led Reid throughout the general election, but polling in the race narrowed considerably in the run-up to Election Day.” NBC News has also called the race for Hashmi. ~~~

~~~ Virginia. NBC News is projecting Democrat Jay Jones will oust the incumbent Republican attorney general, Jason S. Miyares. ~~~

     ~~~ Amy Qin of the New York Times: “Jay Jones, a Democrat, was elected attorney general in Virginia on Tuesday, defeating Jason Miyares, the Republican incumbent, according to The Associated Press. His victory, fueled by anger at the Trump administration, completed a Democratic sweep of Virginia’s three top statewide races.... Mr. Jones, a former Virginia State delegate, won despite revelations about violent text messages that almost derailed his campaign.... The race tightened considerably after the revelation in early October that he had sent a series of violent texts in 2022 that suggested the Republican speaker of the State Assembly deserved to be killed and also mused about the speaker’s children dying. The messages, which came to light at a time of rising political violence in the country, were widely condemned across the political spectrum. And Mr. Miyares pivoted his campaign in the final weeks to focus largely on his opponent’s texts, encouraging voters who supported [Abigail] Spanberger to split their tickets. Questions about Mr. Jones’s character were further fueled by accusations that after a reckless driving conviction, he had fulfilled his community service obligations by working at his own political action committee.” 

The New York Times liveblog for New Jersey, Virginia & California is here. 

Georgia. Atlanta Mayoral Race. Rick Rojas of the New York Times: “Mayor Andre Dickens of Atlanta breezed through re-election on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, winning a second term.... Mr. Dickens, a Democrat and a former city councilman, benefited from an absence of serious competition and a landscape vastly different from the one he inherited four years ago.... In 2021, a surge in violence during the pandemic inflamed tensions so severely that residents in Buckhead, a large and wealthy enclave, tried to secede and form their own city.... The city’s police force suffered from sagging morale and depleted ranks. And a protest over a proposed police and fire training center — nicknamed Cop City by its critics — gained nationwide attention and prompted an aggressive crackdown by state officials that led to the fatal shooting of a demonstrator. Since then, crime rates have plummeted. The secession bid in Buckhead was thwarted by a bipartisan effort by state lawmakers. The city has fallen short of recruitment goals for the Police Department, but the agency has still gradually built up its ranks.... The public safety training center was completed, and the movement opposing it largely dissipated.” ~~~

~~~ Georgia. David Chen of the New York Times: “In an upset, Democrats ousted two Republican members of Georgia’s utility board on Tuesday, according to preliminary results from secretary of state's office. The closely watched races for two of the five seats on the Georgia Public Service Commission had been viewed not only as a referendum on rising electric bills but also as a bellwether for next year’s contests for governor and U.S. Senate. Since 2007, no Democrat has served on the commission, whose members have six-year terms. But the two Democratic candidates tapped into anger over rising electric bills at a time when prices have risen sharply across the country. Over the last two years, the commission has approved six rate increases for Georgia Power, the state’s largest electric provider.”

Ohio. Cincinnati Mayoral Race. Taylor Weiter of WCPO Cincinnati: "Despite an election cycle filled with questions about public safety and leadership in Cincinnati, incumbent Mayor Aftab Pureval has won reelection, the Associated Press is projecting. Pureval beat political newcomer Cory Bowman, the half-brother of Vice President JD Vance, Tuesday night. The 43-year-old was first elected into office in 2021, defeating fellow Democrat David Mann with about 66% of the vote. In the May primary, he finished with more than 82% of the vote, far ahead of Bowman, who finished in second with only about 13% of the vote. But since that primary, a summer of violent crime changed the focus of the race into public safety."

Minnesota. Mitch Smith of the New York Times: “Minnesota voters elected one Democrat and one Republican to a pair of vacant seats in the State Senate on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, leaving in place a one-seat Democratic majority in that chamber. The special elections came during a year of high turnover in the Minnesota Legislature that has shifted the power balance in both of the closely divided chambers. Those changes might not be finished, with a Democratic senator running on Tuesday for mayor of Minneapolis and a Democratic representative running for mayor of St. Paul. Those races had not yet been called.”

Mississippi! Ashton Pittman of the Mississippi Free Press: "After 13 years, Mississippi Democrats have broken the Republican Party’s supermajority in the Mississippi Senate. Voters elected Democrats to two seats previously held by Republicans, reducing the number of Republican senators in the upper chamber from 36 to 34—one fewer than necessary to constitute a supermajority.... In the Mississippi Pine Belt region, Democrat Johnny DuPree won Senate District 45, previously held by Republican Sen. Chris Johnson of Hattiesburg. In North Mississippi, Democrat Theresa Gillespie Isom won the Senate District 2 seat held by Republican Sen. David Parker of Olive Branch, who decided not to run for reelection. Republicans had held a supermajority in the Senate since sweeping the state government in 2011."

Pennsylvania. Nick Corasaniti of the New York Times: “The Pennsylvania State Supreme Court will keep its 5-2 Democratic tilt, as voters in the state opted to re-elect three incumbent justices for additional 10-year terms, according to The Associated Press. Retaining the three justices — Kevin M. Dougherty, Christine Donohue and David N. Wecht — ensures that the court’s Democratic lean will hold through the next presidential election, a critical victory for Democrats in the biggest swing state in the country. They were re-elected on Tuesday through a process known as a retention election — they had no Republican-backed opponents. Instead, voters in Pennsylvania simply voted 'yes' or 'no' on whether to retain the justices for 10 more years.” This NBC News item makes clear that Justices Dougherty, Donohue & Wecht are Democrats.

Maine. Jenna Russell of the New York Times: “Voters in Maine approved a 'red flag' law on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, giving families the option to petition a judge to order weapons removed temporarily from a troubled relative. The ballot measure, known as Question 2, passed two years after a gunman in Lewiston used an assault rifle to kill 18 people at a bar and a bowling alley. It was the worst mass shooting in Maine history. Both supporters and opponents ran forceful campaigns, in a state with a strong hunting tradition and high rates of gun ownership. The opponents included Gov. Janet Mills, who argued that such a law would create confusion and put family members 'on the front lines of a dangerous situation.'” ~~~

~~~ Maine. Nick Corasaniti of the New York Times: “Voters in Maine rejected a proposal backed by conservatives that would have created a raft of new restrictions to voting in the state, according to The Associated Press on Tuesday. The proposal would have eliminated two days of early absentee voting, required photo identification in order to vote, banned prepaid return envelopes for absentee ballots and limited drop boxes across the state.”

Sore Losers. Aaron Pellish, et al., of Politico: “Donald Trump attributed Republicans’ Tuesday night losses in part to his absence from the ballot. Some of his closest allies blamed poor candidate quality. One Republican said the GOP failed to address rising costs. It all added up to a night of finger-pointing and recriminations from Republicans.... The losses for Republicans, however, were stark.” ~~~

~~~ The Sorest Loser. Maegan Vazquez, et al., of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump railed against the results of several elections before they were officially called for the Democrats on Tuesday, previewing a slew of losses for the president’s party in the first major elections since he started his second term. In social media posts Tuesday, Trump claimed without evidence that there was widespread fraud surrounding California’s Proposition 50 ballot measure.... 'The Unconstitutional Redistricting Vote in California is a GIANT SCAM in that the entire process, in particular the Voting itself, is RIGGED,' Trump wrote about Proposition 50, alleging the system is under 'very serious legal and criminal review.'... He also insulted Jewish voters who supported Zohran Mamdani in New York City, and alleged that energy costs and crime would spike if Democratic gubernatorial candidates won in New Jersey and Virginia.... [After the races were called, Trump posted] ‘TRUMP WASN’T ON THE BALLOT, AND SHUTDOWN, WERE THE TWO REASONS THAT REPUBLICANS LOST ELECTIONS TONIGHT.'... He continued late into the night to advocate on social media for Republicans in Congress to end the filibuster and focus on voter reform.”

California Gubernatorial Race. Laurel Rosenhall & Annie Karni of the New York Times: “Senator Alex Padilla will not run for governor of California next year, he said Tuesday in an emotional announcement at the U.S. Capitol.... Mr. Padilla, a Democrat, said that he appreciated the encouragement he had received from those who wanted him to run for the state’s highest office, but that he felt compelled to remain in the Senate to fight against ... [Donald] Trump’s agenda and its effects on California. With his wife, Angela, standing by his side, Mr. Padilla recalled when federal agents tackled him in June as he asked a question of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during a news conference about immigration enforcement in Los Angeles.... 'As alarming as that experience was, not just for me and our family, but for most people who have seen the video, countless people have told me, “I’m glad you’re fighting for us. I’m glad you’re there,”’ Mr. Padilla said, his voice choking with emotion.”

Kansas. John Hanna of the AP: “The Kansas House’s top Republican on Tuesday dropped efforts to force a redraw of U.S. House districts that would have thrust the state into a widening national battle for partisan advantage in the 2026 elections. The announcement by House Speaker Dan Hawkins ended a weekslong push by GOP lawmakers to circumvent Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and call themselves into a special session on redistricting, which would have convened Friday. A session would have targeted four-term U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, the only Democrat in the state’s four-person House delegation. Republicans still could draw a map designed to oust her after the GOP-supermajority Legislature convenes its next regular annual session in January. Indeed, state Senate President Ty Masterson promised immediately after Hawkins’ announcement that redistricting would be 'a top priority' early next year.”

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Jacob Bogage & Riley Beggin of the Washington Post: “The ongoing federal shutdown became the longest closure of government agencies in U.S. history at the end of the day Tuesday, eclipsing the 34-day mark set in ... Donald Trump’s first term.... In that void, Trump and White House budget director Russell Vought have wrested away many of Congress’s constitutional spending powers, likely violating laws as they have shifted money to pay troops and law enforcement officers. They have also moved to fire thousands of civil servants from departments the president dubbed 'Democrat agencies.'” ~~~

~~~ Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: “Even as the government shutdown stretched into Wednesday and surpassed the record for the longest in American history..., [Donald] Trump showed no interest in negotiating with Democrats. Instead, as the two sides entered their 36th day at an impasse, the administration signaled it planned to ramp up the pain. The president threatened on social media on Tuesday to deny food subsidy payments for 42 million Americans until the end of the government shutdown, in apparent defiance of a court order. (The White House press secretary later said the administration would comply with the court.) Mr. Trump’s transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, warned he might have to close parts of the national airspace next week because of the potential 'mass chaos' with air traffic controller shortages. And the White House again left open the possibility it might not follow its legal obligation to restore back pay to furloughed workers who have missed paychecks during the shutdown.”

He Doesn't Know What He's Doing. Tuesday Morning Trumpertantrum. Joseph Choi of the Hill: Donald “Trump signaled Tuesday he would be withholding Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits until 'Radical Left Democrats open up government,' as many states grapple with a lapse in federal funding. Trump, in a post on Truth Social, wrote, 'SNAP BENEFITS, which increased by Billions and Billions of Dollars (MANY FOLD!) during Crooked Joe Biden’s disastrous term in office (Due to the fact that they were haphazardly “handed” to anyone for the asking, as opposed to just those in need, which is the purpose of SNAP!), will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!'” ~~~

     ~~~ Update 1. Gregory Svirnovskiy & Marcia Brown of Politico: “The Trump administration is still sending partial food aid benefits for nearly 42 million Americans this month, despite the president’s recent threat to withhold federal funding until the shutdown ends. 'The administration is fully complying with the court order. I just spoke to the president about it. The recipients of these SNAP benefits need to understand it’s going to take time to receive this money because the Democrats have forced the administration into a very untenable position,' White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified in remarks to reporters Tuesday.... 'The president is referring to future SNAP payments. He does not want to have to keep tapping into an emergency fund and depleting it in the case of a catastrophe in this country.' [Leavitt claimed.... Trump's] post seemingly contradicted his own administration’s actions to abide by a federal judge’s decision requiring officials to use emergency money to pay for at least some SNAP benefits. USDA earlier on Tuesday had delivered guidance to states on how to fund half of November benefits.” ~~~

     ~~~ Update 2. Meredith Hill of Politico: “The White House just sent a raft of shutdown talking points to Hill Republicans, as the GOP scrambles to limit the fallout of ... Donald Trump’s threats earlier Tuesday to withhold SNAP food aid benefits from low-income families unless Democrats agree to reopen the government. Trump’s threat shocked Republicans and came just a day after Speaker Mike Johnson specifically said Trump 'isn’t appealing the decision' from the courts that would force the administration to disburse SNAP assistance amid the shutdown. 'We all were like “what the fuck is this?’” said one senior Senate GOP aide....”

Joanna Slater of the Washington Post: “Among the funding currently on hold is a $4 billion program that helps nearly 6 million low-income households across the country with their energy bills, mostly by reducing winter heating costs.... The suspension of heating aid is another unprecedented aspect of the government shutdown, which has already delayed food assistance to low-income families across the country. It comes months after the Trump administration cut funding to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, as part of its signature spending bill.... The Trump administration, meanwhile, has indicated it would like to eliminate the LIHEAP [heating] program altogether. In April, the team that administered the program at the Department of Health and Human Services was fired.”

They Don't Know What They're Doing. Digby has deduced how Dim Donald and Drunk Pete have got it into their heads to wage a crusade against the Nigerian government, a government they falsely believe -- based on no reliable evidence at all -- is persecuting Trump's "cherished Christians." (Digby's essay brings to mind Froomkin's first question for Trumpledummkopf (linked yesterday): "Where do you get your information?") Thanks to Akhilleus for the link. (Also linked yesterday.)

Konstanin Toropin of the AP: “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced yet another deadly strike on a boat accused of ferrying drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, coming the same day an aircraft carrier began heading to the region in a new expansion of military firepower. The attack Tuesday killed two people aboard the vessel, Hegseth said, bringing the death toll from the Trump administration’s campaign in South American waters up to at least 66 people in at least 16 strikes.... Donald Trump has justified the strikes by saying the United States is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels and claiming the boats are operated by foreign terror organizations. The administration has not provided evidence or more details.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Here is the photo that accompanied the AP story linked above. I suppose this is what Drunk Pete thinks a Secretary of War looks like: ~~~

Scott Nover & Drew Harwell of the Washington Post: “Laura Loomer, the far-right political activist and former congressional candidate in Florida, has been credentialed to cover the Defense Department..., joining a new cohort of right-wing media that have agreed to the Pentagon’s new press policy. Loomer, 32, has forged a close alliance with ... Donald Trump, routinely meeting with the president in the Oval Office during his second term.... But Loomer’s presence could also frustrate Pentagon officials, some of whom scrambled to contain the fallout from viral comments she made attacking [Defense Secretary Pete] Hegseth last month [for hosting a Qatari air force training center in Idaho].” The Hill's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Minho Kim of the New York Times: “Prominent Republicans in Congress on Tuesday expressed admiration for the life and career of former Vice President Dick Cheney, who died on Monday, honoring the man whose later years were characterized by his staunch opposition to ... [Donald] Trump.... [Other Republicans paid] tribute to Mr. Cheney, breaking with the president, who has remained silent on the death of a towering conservative who called Mr. Trump 'a coward' and the greatest 'threat to our republic.' In the 2024 presidential race, he supported Mr. Trump’s opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.... Democratic leaders during Mr. Cheney’s tenure fiercely criticized the Bush administration’s war in Iraq, which dragged on for years, and called for the withdrawal of troops. But on Tuesday, some honored Mr. Cheney’s life and emphasized his opposition to Mr. Trump and his agenda.”

~~~ Paul Krugman: "...  the party at Mar a Lago wasn’t a case of tone deafness, living it up despite others’ suffering. It was in large part a party held to celebrate others’ suffering." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ If you check out the "Daily Show" video on yesterday's page, you'll see that Jon Stewart noticed the same thing Krugman did.

Matthew Chapman of the Raw Story: "... Donald Trump has dismissed the inspector general in charge of the Federal Housing Finance Agency — a government agency that has become controversial due to Trump's appointee in the role lobbing a series of questionable bank fraud allegations at various critics and opponents of the president. According to Reuters, "The ouster of Joe Allen, FHFA's acting inspector general, follows the agency's director, Bill Pulte, becoming an outspoken voice in support of the Trump administration." MB: As I recall, Pulte is required to lodge any complaints he might have against individuals with the agency's IG. But Pulte bypassed Allen and went straight to the DOJ with complaints against New York AG Letitia James, Fed Gov. Lisa Cook & Sen. Adam Schiff. (Also linked yesterday.)

He Doesn't Know What He's Doing. Perry Stein of the Washington Post: “The FBI on Tuesday fired four agents who worked on the investigation during the Biden administration related to Donald Trump’s alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.... FBI Director Kash Patel had initially fired the agents Monday, but after pushback from District of Columbia U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and others he reinstated them the same day.... Patel fired them again Tuesday morning. Pirro attempted to save at least some of the agents because they were working on cases important to her office.... FBI leadership last week fired at least two other agents involved with the investigation into the 2020 election results. Patel also fired the agent whose responsibilities included overseeing the bureau’s jet fleet, according to two people familiar with the matter. That firing came after media reports criticized the FBI director for frequently using the government jet for personal matters.” The AP story is here.

Five Thousand Texas Cops Become Trump's Immigration Enforcers. Francesca D'Annunzio of the Texas Observer: "Between mid-October and early November, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) signed a pair of agreements that will authorize some state police within DPS’s Criminal Investigations and Highway Patrol divisions to effectively operate as ICE agents. The move marks a significant expansion of what are called 287(g) task forces in Texas. Since late January, around 50 law enforcement agencies have signed such agreements in the state—primarily rural county sheriff’s offices but also the Texas National Guard and the Texas Attorney General’s Office.... DPS’ newly inked agreements mark a sea change in the program, with the state police agency employing nearly 5,000 commissioned officers. “We’ve heard reports from around the state already about local police working with ICE and kind of conducting these kinds of racial profiling stops where they see brown people driving a work van, and they’ll pull them over on a pretext, and then just immediately call ICE,” said Danny Woodward, a policy attorney at the Texas Civil Rights Project.”

Mitch Smith of the New York Times: “Five people who were detained recently by immigration officials in Illinois told a federal judge on Tuesday that they experienced unsanitary conditions and little or no access to lawyers inside a suburban Chicago processing facility that has been the site of frequent protests. The judge, Robert W. Gettleman, did not immediately rule on a request to impose restrictions on how federal officials manage that center in Broadview, Ill., which has seen a sharp uptick in activity as the Trump administration has carried out a crackdown on illegal immigration in the Chicago area. But Judge Gettleman voiced concern about 'conditions that are unnecessarily cruel' and suggested that he would announce a decision on Wednesday afternoon.”

Josh Kovensky of TPM, republished by Yahoo! News: “The man who federal agents accused of dealing Greg Bovino a groin injury from which the Border Patrol commander purportedly needed two weeks to recover will no longer face charges after prosecutors on Monday moved to drop their case against him.... Prosecutors could still bring charges against [Cole] Sheridan in another form.... Footage of the alleged altercation failed to support the assault claim, per reports from the hearing. Bovino himself did not wear a bodycam that day. 'Without video of the actual physical exchange … there is only the evidence of the hearsay statement of Bovino,' Magistrate Judge Heather K. McShain reportedly said. McShain later declined to find probable cause for assaulting a federal officer, trimming that allegation from the charge while allowing the rest of the government’s case to continue.” Thanks to Akhilleus for the link. See today's Comments for Akhilleus' theory of the case. (Also linked yesterday.)

Reggie Ugwu of the New York Times: “Members of Norman Rockwell’s family denounced the Department of Homeland Security’s use of the artist’s work in a series of social media posts that the family said misrepresented his beliefs. The posts, made in recent months to the D.H.S.’s Facebook, Instagram and X accounts, paired some of Rockwell’s well-known paintings of 20th-century Americans with nationalistic slogans such as 'Protect our American way of life' and 'DEFEND your culture,' to promote the Trump administration’s anti-immigration efforts. In an opinion essay published Sunday in USA Today, Rockwell’s son and other descendants wrote that the paintings had been used without the family’s authorization and that the artist would be 'devastated' to see his work 'marshalled for the cause of persecution toward immigrant communities and people of color.'... As of Tuesday afternoon, the posts using the Rockwell paintings remained on the D.H.S.’s social media accounts.” Thanks to Ken W. for the link. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Most of Rockwell's works -- all illustrations first published after January 1, 1930 -- are still copyright-protected, according to Art Intel. I don't know the dates of the specific illustrations the DHS used, but if they are among the copyrighted works, it's pretty outrageous that the same government responsible for copyright protections is violating those copyrights -- and against the wishes of the artist's heirs.

Noah Robertson of the Washington Post: “Republican senators, in a remarkable display of intraparty conflict Tuesday, chastised one of ... Donald Trump’s nominees to help lead the Pentagon’s policy office, repeatedly accusing him and other top officials there of stonewalling Congress. Austin Dahmer, who in an acting capacity has held a prominent position in the office, was sharply questioned during his confirmation hearing about the administration’s commitment to Ukraine, its impending withdrawal of a U.S. Army brigade from Romania and what lawmakers said was a paucity of information being shared with the Senate Armed Services Committee broadly on several vital matters of national security.”

ABC News: "Rep. Lauren Boebert and her boyfriend Kyle Pearcy, a real estate broker from Windsor, Colo., attended a Halloween party in Loveland, Colo., on Friday night, in costumes portraying a Mexican woman and an Immigration and Customs enforcement agent, photos obtained by ABC News show. The congresswoman was dressed in a traditional Mexican dress and wore a sombrero while Pearcy wore an ICE vest over fatigues." The couple also seem to have brought a sign that mocked Spanish accents. Thanks to RAS for the lead. MB: Boebert makes a convincing Mexican. ICE should grab her, slam her to the ground, cuff her & boot her over the border. (Also linked yesterday.) 

Riley Kirk, et al., of the New York Times: “A UPS cargo plane crashed on Tuesday after taking off from an airport in Louisville, Ky., killing at least seven people and sending a cloud of thick smoke rising over one of the largest air cargo hubs in the United States. Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky said that the plane, which was carrying three crew members, hit two businesses near the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport and that the death toll could rise. Mayor Craig Greenberg of Louisville said that four of the people who died were on the ground when the plane crashed, and that 11 others were injured. The plane exploded into a fireball and left a fiery trail through an industrial area near the airport. Officials issued a shelter-in-place order for people living nearby. Hundreds of firefighters had nearly contained the blaze by late Tuesday, Brian O’Neill, Louisville’s fire chief, said at a news conference.” The AP report is here.

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