November 10, 2026

The New York Times is liveblogging the effort to impeach Pete Hegseth. From the pinned item at 6:30 pm ET: “House Republicans banded together on Tuesday to shelve an effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, shielding him from a damaging rebuke and a potential ouster after their party suffered crippling losses in an election that turned on voters’ discontent about the Iran war. The action spared Republicans a vote on whether to impeach Mr. Hegseth on eight separate charges, including violating the Constitution to wage war in Iran and elsewhere without congressional authorization, flouting laws to mitigate civilian casualties and abusing his power by retaliating against a senator for public statements. The vote was 211 to 204 to refer the charges to a committee, which would allow Republicans to slow the process indefinitely. Only one Republican, Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who spearheaded the effort, voted with Democrats against doing so. The outcome was an unexpected reprieve for Mr. Hegseth, one of ... [Donald] Trump’s most outspoken and combative cabinet members and the public face of the war with Iran.” The link is a gift link. ~~~

     ~~~ Tara Copp, et al., of the Washington Post: “The House on Tuesday narrowly staved off an effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, temporarily easing the political pressure facing ... Donald Trump and his polarizing Pentagon chief. By a 211-204 vote, lawmakers referred the impeachment articles to a committee for further study, effectively sidelining the measures. Had the effort advanced, lawmakers would have held final votes on the impeachment articles Wednesday. The result follows a coordinated effort within the Trump administration — including by Trump himself — to defend Hegseth. The secretary held a rare Pentagon news conference Tuesday during which he appealed directly to the president and his allies in Congress.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Hard to say if these Republicans just love Pete or if they voted purely in their own self-interest. At least 30 of them will not be coming back to the House because they lost their re-election bids, and another 30+ won't be back because they didn't run for re-election. Now, some of these folks who are out of a job may have voted for Pete because they think getting crosswise of Fat Hitler will hurt their job-hunting prospects, but one would have thought that there were at least a dozen House Republicans who had the guts to send Pete on his way, particularly given the voters' disgust with the Iran War. Apparently not. 

Multiple Choice. Choose A - E. More Than One Answer May Be Correct. Marie: (A) Maybe Trump didn't think Haberman, et al., would almost immediately catch him in a direct lie about a Chinese spy. (B) Or maybe he can't remember essential facts. (C) Or maybe he just can't handle inconvenient facts. D() Or maybe he's also a Chinese asset. (E) Or maybe he just doesn't care. ~~~

~~~ Maggie Haberman, et al., of the New York Times: Donald “Trump was told aboard Air Force One in May en route to China that the United States had obtained sensitive intelligence showing that Nvidia’s chief executive was in a relationship with a woman believed to be a Chinese spy, people with knowledge of the matter said. The message was delivered by Marco Rubio, his secretary of state and national security adviser, shortly before the Nvidia leader, Jensen Huang, joined the presidential trip to Beijing at Mr. Trump’s invitation. It marked at least the second time in seven months that the president had been told of intelligence about Mr. Huang’s involvement with the woman. The existence of the previously unreported update given to Mr. Trump contradicts the president’s assertion on Monday that he had not known at the time of the trip about Mr. Huang’s relationship with the woman, who U.S. officials had concluded was working for China’s Ministry of State Security. '“No, I didn’t hear about it then, Mr. Trump said when asked at a news conference whether he knew about Mr. Huang’s ties to the woman when he headed to a summit meeting with Xi Jinping, China’s leader.” The link is a gift link. ~~~

~~~ Marie: It does appear House Republicans -- like Trump himself -- were not moved by voters' concerns. To wit: 

~~~ Michael Gold of the New York Times: “Divided House Republicans elected Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio to be their leader on Tuesday, elevating a pugilistic firebrand who has been a close ally of President Trump as they reel from a crushing defeat in the midterm elections. Mr. Jordan, the current chairman of the Judiciary Committee, will replace Speaker Mike Johnson next year, when Republicans are relegated to the minority and effectively shut out of power. He will inherit a fractious and diminished conference that was already plagued by bitter infighting before it lost control of the House. Mr. Jordan, 62, who was elected in a closed-door party meeting, will play a critical role in his party’s efforts to chart a path back to the majority. He will also lead Republicans’ efforts to shield Mr. Trump and his administration from an anticipated barrage of congressional investigations and oversight efforts from House Democrats.” The link is a gift link.

Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: Donald “Trump's planned 250-foot triumphal arch has come under legal fire on multiple fronts: from veterans, a historian and the governments of the District of Columbia, Virginia and Arlington County. Now comes another legal challenge.... Arguing that the arch ... would cast a shadow on their relatives’ graves in Arlington National Cemetery, nine members of the Kennedy family moved to join existing litigation in Washington on Tuesday seeking to block the project. They also say the arch would obstruct the intended sightline from the eternal flame at President John F. Kennedy’s gravesite, 'destroying an essential element of the gravesite’s design.'... The plaintiffs are children or grandchildren of Senators Robert F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy, the former president’s brothers, who are buried near him.” The link is a gift link.

~~~ The segment below was quite good, too: ~~~

Marie: I'm afraid that instead of "Democrats in Disarray" stories, we're going to get a lot of "Democrats in Retreat" stories -- like this one from Brian Beutler, which RAS points to at the top of today's Comments. The problem is, Beutler, et al., will be right. This is Schumer's thing. Parliamentary procedures! Many Democrats want to pretend we're back in the good old days (which were not so good) when Tip O'Neill & Ronald Reagan drank Irish whiskey (or whatever) together & worked things out (which they didn't). Democrats have to show some Churchillian resolve if they want voters to follow them up the ramparts in 2028 and beyond.

~~~~~~~~~~ 

Trump Announces End of Iran War. Again. Michael Birnbaum of the Washington Post: “The United States is unlikely to restart major military operations against Iran..., Donald Trump indicated Monday, saying he was satisfied that current negotiations were making progress and that there was little need for now to engage in an extensive new attack. 'Iran, militarily, is effectively over. We’re just keeping it the status quo, and we’re doing that really at the behest of countries that are their neighbors,' Trump told reporters in a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room, hours after meeting Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who has been serving as an interlocutor between Tehran and Washington. 'Taking the military action doesn’t seem to be a very necessary thing,' Trump said. 'But we’re locked and loaded, ready to go, for any reason that changes.'... He said the war had been 'won.'”

This Took Less Than a Week. Tom Durante of Mediaite: “... Donald Trump questioned the results of the midterm elections in a jaw-dropping social media post, less than a week after he, his preferred candidates, and GOP control of Congress were smacked down in a brutal rout. Taking to Truth Social on Monday morning, the president said: 'Does anybody really believe that this “Election” was honest. How could the Polls be so wrong??? Some early voting “dumps” were so large that it was impossible to win, no matter how many people went to vote.'” (Also linked yesterday.)~~~

     ~~~ Joe DePaolo of Mediaite: “... Donald Trump is now suggesting the 2026 election was rigged against Republicans — despite many of the votes being held in states run by the GOP.... Election data specialists such as Nate Silver argued the polls the showed the exact opposite of what Trump claims they did — Silver’s final pre-election forecast gave Democrats an 80 percent chance to win control of the Senate, and a 96 percent chance to take the House. Numerous times over the past week, Trump has said he accepts the election results. But he has also shared posts from others on Truth Social questioning the outcome. But now, he appears to be going all in on election denialism — even if the nature of the conspiracy he’s suggesting is unclear. Critics called out the bizarre notion that the GOP would allow elections to be rigged against them in states they totally control — such as Texas.” (Also linked yesterday.)~~~

     ~~~ Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: “Mr. Trump has in recent days returned to his penchant for amplifying conspiracy theories about widespread election fraud. On Saturday, he had shared several posts from others questioning the results with convoluted mathematical theories about election rigging. The posts echo his previous reactions to elections that did not go his way.” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.)

Jeff Stein of the Washington Sun: “Crypto products tied to the president have cratered in value in the days following the midterm elections, as the president’s declining political power translated into declining uptake in the financial products branded with his name. Democrats, who are about to gain subpoena power in the House and Senate, have also pledged to investigate Trump’s crypto ventures, further contributing to the red. $WLFI, the 'governance token' of the Trump family crypto firm World Liberty Financial, hit an all-time low in public trading after Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) demanded that the company preserve its records. The meme coin sank to $1.11 after hitting $40 last year. MELANIA, the first lady’s meme coin, had already fallen from $8 in January 2025 to less than $1 by March 2025. But its value was nearly halved again after the midterms and is now down roughly 99.6% from its peak.” ~~~

     (Marie: For at least a month, I have been unable to access Washington Sun reports. Today, I got though twice. I don't know if this is a change in policy, a change in technology, or just a first-of-the-month change which soon will expire.)

~~~ BUT. Meryl Kornfield of the Washington Post: “Donald Trump’s media company said its third-quarter revenue tripled from the same time last year, driven largely by subscriptions, including the company’s sale of advance access to top Truth Social posts. In an earnings call on Monday, Trump Media & Technology Group, which owns Truth Social, announced $3 million in revenue, including $1.8 million from subscriptions to the Truth+ streaming platform and Truth API, a service the company launched in August to provide instant access to Trump’s Truth Social posts that has faced legal questions.” IOW, this is a pay-for-play scheme where Trump is using the power of his office to create & provide insider information to people who pay him for it and they attempt to use that info to get the better of people who don't have access to it. This is a scam where the only sure winner is Trump. ~~~

~~~ AND then there's this little corrupt side deal: ;“The company highlighted its $2.5 billion in total assets. And it cited advertising as another area of revenue, including a $175,000 campaign for Freedom 250, an entity within the National Park Foundation, the official charity of the National Park Service. A key Trump fundraiser, Meredith O’Rourke, is a member of the Trump Media board as well as the National Park Foundation board.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: The National Park Foundation gets its funding not from taxpayers but from individuals, corporations & other funds & foundations. IOW, from some nice people AND from entities that have business before the federal government & seek to curry favor with Doug Burgum or Donald Trump. ~~~

~~~ Bickering Over the Spoils. Ken Bensinger of the New York Times: “Dueling accusations between founders of a digital strategy firm that runs several social media accounts for ... [Donald] Trump escalated sharply on Monday, when one of the founders accused the other of failing to disclose taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from interests in Qatar. In a lawsuit filed on Monday, one co-founder, Derek Utley, accused his former partner, Alex Bruesewitz, of being paid approximately $500,000 by 'individuals associated with Qatar' for what he described as 'an undisclosed business or consulting arrangement.' Mr. Utley said Mr. Bruesewitz, who worked as an aide to Mr. Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, had cultivated relationships and offered political consulting services to numerous individuals and business interests outside the United States.” Politico's story is here.

Paul Campos, with a little help from others, takes a shot at explaining [link fixed] Trump's psychopathy. (The accompanying photo, appropriately enough, is of serial killer Ted Bundy, looking particularly deranged.) Thanks to RAS for the link. (Also linked yesterday.)

Washington Post photo.

~~~ “The Foot Soldier.” Liam Scott of the Washington Post: “The anonymous artists who have taunted ... Donald Trump and his administration with more than a dozen statues and installations around Washington struck again Monday, this time with a statue mocking Trump for avoiding military service because of bone spurs. The new statue of Trump, spray-painted gold, appeared on the National Mall, near the National Gallery of Art’s Sculpture Garden. The statue, erected two days before Veterans Day, depicts the president sitting, grimacing and clutching his right foot. Beneath Trump is a sign that reads 'The Foot Soldier.'

“'We honor the service and sacrifice of our Commander in Chief, Donald J. Trump. He’s a soldier in spirit, who marched to the front lines of dodging the draft, armed with a perfect diagnosis of bone spurs,' reads a plaque at the base of the statue. 'We salute a leader who knows you can’t spell sacrifice without “I,” and a warrior who reminds us that sometimes when you’re called to stand up, it’s best to just sit down and rest your feet.' Trump received five deferments during the Vietnam War: four for his studies in college, and one for bone spurs in his feet.” (Also linked yesterday.)

Pete & Don & Vlad, Accidental Environmentalists. Brad Plumer of the New York Times: “Global fossil fuel emissions are on track to fall slightly in 2026, as disruptions caused by the U.S. war with Iran forced many countries to cut back on their use of oil and gas, researchers said on Monday. Nations are projected to emit roughly 38.2 billion tons of planet-warming carbon dioxide by burning oil, gas and coal for energy this year, according to data from the Global Carbon Project. Those sources are the largest contributors to global warming. That’s roughly 0.4 percent less than in 2025. The dip was driven partly by fighting in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, as well as by the war between Russia and Ukraine. Both conflicts have caused global prices for crude oil, natural gas, gasoline and diesel to soar, and many nations have responded by using less oil and gas and shifting to domestic alternatives, including coal or renewable energy.” The link is a gift link.

Robert Jimison of the New York Times: “Representative Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky, moved on Monday to force a vote this week on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing him of violating the Constitution and federal law by ignoring the will of Congress in his conduct of the war with Iran and other military operations. The resolution, which includes eight articles of impeachment, sets up the first post-election test of Republican resolve and loyalty to the Trump administration in the aftermath of their devastating midterm losses. Taking to the House floor shortly after lawmakers returned to session in Washington for the first time since the election, Mr. Massie reintroduced articles he had put forth in September against Mr. Hegseth. They charge the defense secretary with having 'abused' his powers as defense secretary and 'endangered members of the our armed forces' through a series of military operations, and usurped congressional authority over military conflict. 'By such conduct,' Mr. Massie said, quoting from his resolution, which was read in full on the House floor, 'Mr. Hegseth has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to the Constitution if allowed to remain in office.'” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Tara Copp & Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post: “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth punctuated a week-long bid to save his job with a combative Pentagon news conference Tuesday, appealing directly to an audience of one..., Donald Trump.... From the lectern, Hegseth seemed acutely aware of the job audition he was undergoing, noting that there was never an impeachment vote for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during the Biden administration despite the chaotic fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban in 2021. Hegseth called the impeachment effort 'sabotage,' defended the Iran war as doing 'the tough, right thing,' and noted that there have been many more U.S. military fatalities in previous wars.... Tuesday’s news conference was Hegseth’s first at the Pentagon in six months despite military operations in the Middle East, where more than 50,000 service members and three aircraft carrier groups are deployed in support of the stalemated Iran war.”

Priya Sridhar of MS NOW: "Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth short-circuited a merit-based process for promoting senior officers and instead relied on newly invented criteria that disproportionately removed from advancement women and people of color who had already been approved for promotion, according to three military officials.... [A] senior official also described how Hegseth intentionally scuttled the promotions of senior officers who were perceived to support diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives; played a role in implementing the Pentagon’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate; were involved in the evacuation from Afghanistan; or had a connection to former chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Mark A. Milley, who ... after retirement publicly criticized Trump’s leadership.... For most, not getting promoted will end their military careers.... The result has been a precipitous loss of experience and talent at the top ranks, the official said." (Also linked yesterday.)

They Really Don't Care, Do U? Megha Rajagopalan, et al., of the New York Times: “To deport [some] immigrants, the [Trump] administration has partnered with foreign governments, many with spotty human rights records. In exchange for money and foreign policy favors, they have agreed to accept deportees who cannot be returned to their countries of origin. But a New York Times investigation found that this program results in many of them being pushed back to the very countries where the Trump administration itself cannot legally send them. Some of the United States’ foreign partners have made clear that will happen. And when it does, the Trump administration continues sending planes full of deportees. The Times identified more than 110 people who had court-ordered protections and were handed over to foreign governments, only to then be passed on to home countries where they risked torture, sexual abuse or persecution — risks that have been validated by American courts.

“In these cases, America’s partners served only as intermediaries. Officers roughed up immigrants or forced them onto airplanes. Some were threatened with imprisonment or confronted by armed police officers until they 'volunteered' to return. Some now live in hiding. Others have simply vanished. Human rights groups say that figure, which is certainly an undercount, shows that the Trump administration has created a bank-shot way of evading court orders and international law.” These “refoulments by proxy” violate international law. The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.)

ICE Agents Act Like Thugs Because They Are. Ted Hesson, et al., of the Washington Post: “The Trump administration has onboarded thousands of new officers in an accelerated recruitment effort that has bypassed traditional background checks in favor of quickly putting people onto the streets to arrest undocumented immigrants. In recent months, at least two of those hires were involved in shootings, including one that resulted in the death of a 25-year-old Colombian father. Some have been fired after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement discovered red flags in their backgrounds that initially went undetected. The names of the officers ... have been shielded by the Department of Homeland Security, which cites privacy policies....But that cloak of anonymity was pierced in late October when activists hacked a DHS employee database and released information about thousands of workers, including about 1,500 ICE officers and agents hired since Trump took office in 2025.

“The Washington Post performed background checks on about 300 of the new hires using standard public record searches to uncover information.... The Post found at least 19 officers who had faced past allegations of misconduct or criminal charges, or had other employment red flags. At least five involved use-of-force incidents, and five officers were named in lawsuits that resulted in settlements. In at least six cases, the officers had been fired or decertified, or resigned under threat of dismissal. The leaked information represents a small fraction of the 12,000 officers DHS said it had hired as of January.” The link is a gift link.

Trump, et al., to Starve American Kids. Marcia Brown of Politico: “The Agriculture Department is set to tighten eligibility requirements for the nation’s largest anti-hunger initiative in a change that is expected to render millions of additional Americans ineligible for the program. The Trump administration will propose limiting a policy that allows states to authorize people to participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program if they qualify for certain other assistance programs, according to a notice set to be formally published Tuesday in the Federal Register. USDA estimated the changes would affect 6.3 million people in fiscal 2029, the first year the proposal is expected to reach full effect. Ending a policy known as known as 'broad-based categorical eligibility' for SNAP has long been a target of Republicans, and the policy change was cited in the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 policy blueprint for the second Trump administration. Roughly 17.6% of SNAP participants would lose benefits under the proposal 'because their income or resources exceed' congressional limits, according to USDA’s analysis. The proposal would also slash federal SNAP spending by close to $45 billion across fiscal 2027 through fiscal 2031.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Maybe Russ Vought & the Scrooge Patrol think "SNAP" stands for "Starve Newborns, Adolescents & Parents," or something like that. 

Ana Swanson & Devlin Barrett of the New York Times: “An investigation into Megaspeed, a Singapore company that was buying advanced Nvidia A.I. chips, was transferred to the Justice Department after a top Nvidia executive reached out to Commerce Department officials.... What was unusual was ... [that] Tim Teter, Nvidia’s general counsel, said that Jeff Kessler, a top official at the [Commerce D]epartment, had given Nvidia permission to reach out about the case. he agents were alarmed that Nvidia had invoked the name of Mr. Kessler, their superior.... Some viewed Mr. Kessler’s interaction with Nvidia as violating government procedure and potentially tainting the case.... The recent revelations about [Nvidia CEO Jensen] Huang’s acknowledged affair with a Megaspeed executive have only intensified scrutiny of Nvidia’s role in influencing policy on chip sales to China. The New York Times reported last month that the U.S. government had concluded that Huang Le, or Alice Huang, a top executive at the firm, was a spy working on behalf of the Chinese government.” The link is a gift link. ~~~

~~~ Now here's a genuinely stupid report about a genuinely stupid remark by a genuinely stupid man. ~~~

~~~ Luke Broadwater & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: Donald “Trump said Monday that Jensen Huang, the chief executive of Nvidia, told him that he was not aware that a Chinese businesswoman with whom he was having a romantic relationship was an intelligence operative for Beijing. 'I asked him that question: “Did you have any idea that she was a spy?’” Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House. “He said, “I had no idea that she was a spy,” and I really believe him.' Mr. Trump’s comments followed a series of reports by The New York Times revealing that U.S. officials had concluded that the woman, who goes by Alice Huang, had been recruited by China’s main spy agency, and that Mr. Trump and other top officials had been warned about the relationship ... roughly a year ago.... The president chose not to do anything with the information at the time.... Asked whether he knew about the 'alleged ties with the Chinese spy' in May when the president invited Mr. Huang aboard Air Force One on a trip to China, the president said, “No, I didn’t hear about it then.” The link to this stupid story is a gift link. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Seriously, Dude? You asked a guy who had sensitive info about U.S. computer chip capabilities if he knew his extramarital squeeze was a spy for the U.S.'s chief rival in computer chip development? Because you thought the guy would say, "Sure"? Or what? And you "really believe him?" Good grief! Also, who knows if Trump is lying about not knowing about the girlfriend/spy or he just plain forgot "after choosing to do nothing with the information." Take the nuclear codes away from this bobblehead before it's too late. ~~~

     ~~~ Ben Mause & Kyle Chouinard of the Washington Sun: During the presser, Donald Trump "said [Jensen Huang] shouldn’t worry about the FBI’s investigation into the matter. 'I know the FBI is looking into it in terms of something else, and I think that he’ll be in good shape,' Trump said." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Wait a sec. The POTUS* just revealed the supposed results of a secret federal criminal investigation in-progress. Huang didn't even need to cross Trump's palms for a pardon; Trump gave him a pre-pardon. And what are the FBI agents supposed to do if they've come up with actionable criminal evidence against Jensen Huang? If they turn it over to their superiors and it gets to Kash or Todd or Donald, their careers will be over for crossing the boss. ~~~

~~~ Update. Even the dodos, lemmings & other small Congresscritters & birdbrains tacitly acknowledge that Trump's assertion is stupid. ~~~

~~~ Christine Mui, et al., of Politico: “Senior Republican lawmakers are considering investigating Nvidia over CEO Jensen Huang’s affair with an alleged Chinese spy, putting ... Donald Trump’s strong defense of the tech titan at odds with mounting scrutiny from members of his own party. GOP chairs of the House Foreign Affairs, Intelligence and China committees are asking Huang to appear at a closed-door briefing next week that could lay the groundwork for an investigation into Nvidia. Other Republicans are now calling for Congress or other federal authorities to launch probes into Huang’s conduct and Nvidia’s broader dealings with China. House Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) told reporters 'we need to do an investigation...,' while outgoing Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said ... Congress should 'absolutely' have a role in probing [Huang]. Russ Walker, an adviser to Trump’s 2020 campaign and executive director of the conservative Humans First group, said he’s encouraging GOP lawmakers and the Justice Department to investigate Huang as well as the White House to bar him from its premises.” ~~~

Julian Barnes & Ana Swanson of the New York Times: “House Democrats are demanding that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick answer questions about the Trump administration’s policy toward advanced artificial intelligence computer chips and have raised concerns about efforts by China’s spy agency to access the technology, according to a new letter released on Monday. The letter from Democratic members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee comes as congressional leaders are set to be briefed by intelligence officials later on Monday. The intelligence briefing was supposed to be focused on Iran. But Democrats and Republicans are expected to press John Ratcliffe, the C.I.A. director, and Jay Clayton, the director of national intelligence, on a spy for China’s Ministry of State Security who had an intimate relationship with Nvidia’s chief executive, Jensen Huang.” The link is a gift link.

Marie: Not surprisingly, declaring the end of the Iran War again, and the remarks he made about the Nvidia scandal were not the only stupid things that happened at Trump's impromptu press conference yesterday. ~~~

~~~ Brett Okamoto of ESPN: "UFC CEO Dana White appeared at a White House press briefing Monday, but only to end questions about ... Donald Trump's potential appointment of him to press secretary. The appearance with the president followed a weekend of confusion, after Trump said Saturday on social media that he had offered White the position. Trump then told reporters Sunday that he was 'only kidding,' but White still addressed the situation Monday."

Jordain Carney & Calen Razor of Politico: “Sen. Chris Van Hollen told reporters Monday evening that he’s in 'listening mode' about a potential bid for majority leader — and isn’t yet ruling out running against Chuck Schumer. 'What I’ve said from the very beginning is we shouldn’t have a coronation,' said Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, adding that he 'hasn’t shut the door.' Van Hollen’s comments come as Schumer, the current minority leader, is widely expected to be elected to lead the new Senate majority in January.... Democrats will meet as a group Tuesday to start talking about their path forward.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Chuck Schumer is 75 years old. He should gracefully step aside and let the kids duke it out. I saw yesterday where columnist Will Bunch of the Philadelphia Inquirer was proposed Van Hollen for majority leader (firewalled); Carney & Razor say Elissa Slotkin (Michigan) is gunning for the job, too. Besides, assuming that Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn) is anointed Speaker of the House, it would be better if the Speaker & the Majority Leader didn't live a mile apart from each other in an atypical urban American borough. I know Chuck has no idea how to communicate with Kansas voters; it seems to be Hakeem is a little better at grasping their issues.

Chris Marquette of Politico: “Congressional investigators found 'substantial reason to believe' Texas Republican Rep. Lance Gooden used taxpayer dollars for personal luxury travel and may have misreported his campaign spending. The nonpartisan Office of Congressional Conduct’s findings, made public Monday in a report, identified a pattern of 'extravagant expenditures' by Gooden that appear to be outside his official duties. The report also highlights that Gooden sought more in reimbursements — $140,000 in 2025 alone — than any other House member.... The OCC report was referred to the House Ethics Committee, which is the entity that can discipline members. The Ethics Committee’s investigation remains ongoing.” The Washington Post's story is here.

Abbie Van Sickle of the New York Times: “The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to continue construction of a wall along the southern border in the Big Bend region of southwest Texas, including within a national park. Hours after winning in court, the administration announced in a statement that it had 'made meaningful adjustments' to its plan for construction within Big Bend National Park, which had faced strong bipartisan opposition. Officials did not provide details of the changes. The decision by the court, which was unsigned, allows the administration to resume its efforts to erect barriers and put up surveillance equipment along a 500-mile stretch of the U.S. border with Mexico as a lower court battle over the project’s legality continues. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson noted a dissent. The court’s order pauses a decision from a federal judge in October that had blocked construction while she weighed a legal challenge brought by a church preservation group, a river guide and an environmental organization.” A Texas Tribune story is here.

Marie: Unless you are totally up on your cyberpunk -- I decidedly was not, though I know some readers are -- I encourage you to read Paul Krugman's thoughts on the demise of Elmo's Cybertruck & Zuck's Metaverse. "Technological dystopia may sound like a nightmare to most of us, but for the broligarchs — despite their occasional expressions of concern and mumbling about Universal Basic Income — it’s basically a dream, which they are trying to use their financial and political power to make come true."

Jennifer Schuessler of the New York Times: On the eve of the delivery of his “I have a dream” speech, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “wrote out his version by hand on a yellow pad [link fixed], heavily crossing out words and whole paragraphs before sending it to be typed up. King’s draft had long been assumed to have been discarded. But more than six decades later, it has surfaced from a desk drawer of a former aide, Edward T. Clayton, and will be auctioned at Christie’s in January. The auction house said it expected the document — the only handwritten final draft of the speech known to survive — to fetch more than $10 million. The proceeds will benefit the King Center in Atlanta and other philanthropic causes chosen by the consignor, the aide’s widow, Xernona Clayton.... The draft is very close to the typescript King carried to the lectern, roughly 20 copies of which are known to survive. Like the typed version, it does not include the words 'I have a dream,' part of the ringing second half of the speech that King famously improvised.” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.)

Ripped from the Society Pages. Matt Flegenheimer of the New York Times: “For more than 25 years, Michael R. Bloomberg had the distinction of being the world’s most ineligible billionaire bachelor, thanks to his longtime relationship with Diana L. Taylor. On Monday, Mr. Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York, philanthropist and political megadonor, officially changed his status, exchanging vows with Ms. Taylor in a private service in Manhattan. 'Twenty-six years after a chance seating assignment, Mike Bloomberg and Diana Taylor have married,' a spokesman said in a statement. 'The longtime couple exchanged vows today in a small, private ceremony at their home on the Upper East Side, joined by family, including his daughters, Emma and Georgina.' About a dozen close friends and family attended a lunch following the ceremony.... The groom was spotted later Monday afternoon at his company offices.” The link is a gift link.

~~~~~~~~~~ 

Alaska Senate Race. James Brooks of the Alaska Beacon: "Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola extended her lead over incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan in an updated vote total published Monday by the Alaska Division of Elections. While Peltola has had more first-choice votes since Election Day, preliminary calculations by the Alaska Beacon have shown Sullivan leading when the results of the state’s ranked choice runoff are considered. But on Monday, Peltola gained enough first-choice votes to outweigh Sullivan’s runoff advantage. As of 4 p.m., she led Sullivan by 2,517 votes out of 219,342 cast. Republican candidate Gerald Heikes and independent Dan J. Sullivan were a distant third and fourth, respectively.... Altogether, the division added 4,947 counted ballots to the statewide tally on Monday, but tens of thousands of ballots are expected to be added to the tally on Tuesday as the division includes absentee and early votes received in the days immediately before Election Day."

Colorado House Race. Ellis Kim & Jennifer Nehrer of CNN: “Retired Rear Adm. Eileen Laubacher, a Democrat, will flip Colorado’s 4th District, CNN’s Decision Desk projects, ending conservative firebrand Rep. Lauren Boebert’s tenure in Congress. Boebert’s loss comes after she elected to run in a more conservative district last cycle in an effort to preserve her political future. But Laubacher, who served more than three decades in the Navy, capitalized on the national headwinds against the GOP and focused her campaign on affordability issues. The win denies Boebert, an ally of ... Donald Trump and one of the most outspoken conservatives in the House Republican conference, a fourth term. Boebert was first elected in 2020, after she upset a fifth-term Republican incumbent in a primary.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I do owe a small debt to Boebert. After she remarked on Rep. Al Green's (D-Texas) brandishing his "pimp cane" at Trump's March 2025 address to Congress, I rushed right out and bought a cane just like Al's. Whenever I walk around town with the support of my pimp cane, strangers compliment my dandy taste. I smile and thank them, though when a friend admires the cane, I explain why it is my pimp cane. I do like it. So thanks, Lauren, you sleazy bimbo. And adios!

Michigan Senate Race Aftertaste. Riley Rogerson, et al., of Politico: “Rep. Haley Stevens was nowhere to be found Monday afternoon, but the Michigan Democrat was spotted at House votes that evening — in the GOP cloakroom. Amid questions about whether the embattled lawmaker would return to Washington after endorsing failed Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers over Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, Stevens was back in town to cast the first votes since September. But rather than huddling with her party, Stevens avoided her Democratic colleagues by camping out with Republicans, according to three people present.... The news ... comes as her fate in the House Democratic Caucus remains in question as she may have broken the House rules for crossing party lines to endorse Rogers.... The door to her office in Rayburn House Office Building was locked Monday afternoon. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: MEANWHILE, Democratic senators-elect, including Dr. El-Sayed, were videotaped in the halls of Congress yesterday as they made their way to orientation events.

Mississippi Senate Race. Gregory Schneider of the Washington Post: “... Democrat Scott Colom maintains his lead over Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) on Monday morning, up by 2,574 votes in the unofficial tally, according to the Associated Press. Tuesday is the deadline for counting provisional ballots, known in Mississippi as affidavit ballots.... Tuesday is also the deadline for receiving absentee ballots by mail, as long as they were postmarked by Election Day. All 82 counties have until Friday to certify their results.... The trends have been in Colom’s favor. The highest number of outstanding votes Monday were in Hinds County, a blue stronghold around the state capital of Jackson, with another chunk remaining in nearby Holmes County, which is even bluer.

“Michael Watson (R), the secretary of state, said on social media Monday afternoon that there were slightly more than 2,500 absentee mail-in ballots still out. About 15,547 outstanding affidavit ballots had been processed, Watson said, and roughly 76 percent were accepted. Campaign volunteers have been scrambling to make sure voters address the mistakes that left their ballots in limbo.... Some voters were improperly kicked off the voting rolls because of address mistakes contained in voter information Watson had purchased from the Experian credit rating agency....” ~~~

~~~ Ian Ward of the Washington Post: “Senate candidate Scott Colom (D) in Mississippi lashed out at the Cook Political Report on Monday, criticizing the vaunted election forecaster for underestimating his campaign’s strength against incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R). In a post on social media, Colom, who is leading Hyde-Smith by nearly 2,600 votes, argued that Cook’s race ratings hurt his campaign by hampering his ability to fundraise. In its final pre-election forecast, Cook rated the race as 'Likely R,' its second strongest behind 'Solid R.'... Colom wrote..., 'They made it much more difficult to fundraise and are part of the reason the South has been neglected for so long.' Founded in 1984, Cook has developed a reputation as one of the most reliable nonpartisan election forecasters in Washington.... But like many forecasters this cycle, Cook’s 2026 ratings underestimated Democratic strength, with Democrats winning over a dozen House races that Cook had 'Lean R' or 'Likely R.'”~~~

~~~ Marie: I read about this campaign ad, but I just saw it for the first time. Starring Scott Colom, his twin brother Andrew Colom and an uncredited lady of a paler complexion. Scott Colom released the ad on Halloween Eve: ~~~

~~~ But there also was the ad below. Scott Colom is a serious person. We'll be lucky to have him as a United States senator: ~~~

~~~~~~~~~~