This Weekend in Politics, Bulletin 246. 11/9/25

… Axios: “Senate Democrats on Sunday indicated they are ready to advance a package of bills that could end the govt shutdown. At least 10 Senate Democrats are expected to support a procedural motion to advance a package of spending bills and a short term funding measure. The deal would include a promised vote on extending Obamacare tax credits in Dec.”

… Punchbowl: “Here’s how things will work procedurally to reopen the govt.
The Senate, as soon as this evening, will vote on a motion to reconsider the House-passed CR. This is simply the vehicle. Needs 60. The new CR (Jan. 30 end date) and the 3-bill minibus would eventually be subbed in as the final product. But this process could take several days without a time agreement.”

… “A majority of the Senate Dem caucus will end up opposing this deal to reopen the government. So they would have to decide whether to drag it out even though the result is inevitable. Any individual senator can do this. And this does absolutely zero on Obamacare. The most Democrats get is a Senate vote on it. After 40 days.”

… HuffPost: “The deal would include a vote on ACA by the end of the second week in December on a bill of the Dems’ choosing. It also includes reversals of all shutdown RIFs and protections against further RIFs in the future. The deal funds SNAP through September and at higher levels.”

… Many senate Dems are upset that all they are getting is a guaranteed vote in the senate with no commitment from Mike Johnson to do anything in the House. If an extension of the ACA subsidies ultimately doesn’t pass and 22 million Americans see their premiums skyrocket, it will be good for Dems politically in the midterms because the blame will be squarely on Republicans after a bitter fight by Dems. But more importantly it will be really bad for millions of people.

… But it will also be the end of Schumer. If Dems don’t replace him as leader soon if this fails, the voters will eventually. It will also be impossible to win a contested Democratic primary without pledging to vote against Schumer as leader. But if, by some miracle, ACA subsidies pass the House and Senate and are signed into law by Trump, Schumer will be a hero. I wouldn’t bet on it.

… US District Judge Mark Wolf: “In 1985, President Reagan appointed me as a federal judge. I was 38 years old. At the time, I looked forward to serving for the rest of my life. However, I resigned Friday. My reason is simple, I no longer can bear to be restrained by what judges can say publicly.”

… “President Trump is using the law for partisan purposes, targeting his adversaries while sparing friends and donors from investigations, persecution, and possible punishment. This is contrary to everything that I stood for in my more than 50 years in DOJ and on the bench. The WH’s assault on the rule of law is so deeply disturbing to me that I feel compelled to speak out. Silence, for me, is intolerable.”

… Ranking Member on House Judiciary Jamie Raskin subpoenaed emails sent by Ghislaine Maxwell to family members after Trump had her transferred to a minimum security Club Fed facility. This is what she said: “The institution is run in an orderly fashion, which makes for a safer, more comfortable environment. My situation is improved by being at Bryan. I feel like I have dropped through Alice in Wonderland’s looking glass. I am much, much happier here and, more importantly, safe.”

… A small right-wing website The Blaze published a story naming a former Capitol Police Officer who is now a CIA employee as the J6 pipe bomber, based solely on a computer analysis comparing how she walks compared to video of the perpetrator. The usual suspects on the right went crazy amplifying the story, which hopefully will lead to a serious lawsuit by the woman in the story who I will not name.

… Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL): “A capitol police officer allegedly placed a pipe bomb at the RNC on J6 along with a ton of ‘undercover’ feds going into the capitol and the American people are supposed to continue to believe January 6 was not an inside job? Wake up. Had Trump not won we’d probably all be in the gulag.”

… After a big backlash on social media from non-lunatics, Blaze writer Steve Baker, who wrote the story, posted this: “After an abundance of counsel from trusted parties within and outside the govt, we’ve hit the pause button so those interested parties can have some more time to look at the J6 pipe bomber evidence. There are things they need to do internally.”

… “This is a real story. When it breaks, it’s going to be a HUGE story. There are a lot of moving parts, but we need to give them time to do what they need to do, and I know everyone is waiting. Believe me. Tensions are running high. There have been a lot of sleepless nights the last two weeks. But this is a game-changer, and we don’t want to do anything to jeopardize that right now.”

… Translation: He talked to his lawyers.

… As Trump’s approval rating sinks to a dismal 37% this week, he posted that he wants to give everyone $2,000 in free money: “People that are against Tariffs are FOOLS! We are taking in Trillions of Dollars and will soon begin paying down our ENORMOUS DEBT, $37 Trillion. A dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone.”

… I think this is the 5th or 6th time he’s posted about giving people checks out of tariff revenue. But the amount goes up each time.

… The US has taken in $150 billion from tariffs, not trillions. US National Debt is $38 trillion. It went up $1 trillion in just the last month thanks to Trump’s huge tax cuts for the wealthy. It would also take an act of Congress to appropriate the money. Also, paying out $2,000 per person comes to $6.7 trillion which is a little more than the $150 billion in tariff money we took in.

… Mike Pence continues to criticize Trump: “I don’t believe the Constitution affords the President the authority to unilaterally impose tariffs on friend and foe, and I hope the Supreme Court turns that around. American businesses and American consumers pay American tariffs.”

… MAGA influencer Catturd: “Judas Pence is always trying to undermine Trump.”

… Trump hosted two parties at Mar-a-Lago this weekend, had two golf outings, then flew to DC to attend the NFL game of the Washington Commanders. In between, he posted several insane Truth Social posts.

… While he was on the golf course on Saturday morning, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) made a post on X where he claimed he was working in the Oval Office all weekend with Trump on shutdown business. Maybe Mullin didn’t get the memo that Trump was in Palm Beach: “Working through the weekend with President Trump. It’s always an honor to be in the Oval Office— I never take this opportunity to serve Oklahoma for granted.”

… Also, as you can see from the photo he posted, “working” was Trump signing autographs on Friday of Truth Social posts that were blown up and printed out so liar Markwayne can clout-chase to his boys back in Oklahoma.

… Trump posted his new health care plan from the golf course: “Democrats claim to be working for “the little guy,” and driving down your Health Insurance, but the OBAMACARE SCAM goes STRAIGHT TO THEIR BEST FRIENDS IN THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY. THEY ARE MAKING A “KILLING,” while Health Coverage only gets WORSE. Republicans should give money DIRECTLY to your personal HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNTS that I expanded in our GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL.”

… Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT): “This is, unsurprisingly, nonsensical. Is he suggesting eliminating health insurance and giving people a few thousand dollars instead? And then when they get a cancer diagnosis they just go bankrupt? He is so unserious. That’s why we are shut down and Americans know it.”

… ESPN: “Trump wants the Washington Commanders to name their planned $3.7 billion stadium after him. A senior WH source said there have been back-channel communications with a member of the Commanders’ ownership group, led by Josh Harris, to express Trump’s desire to have the domed stadium in the nation’s capital bear his name. The new stadium is being built on the old RFK Stadium site that served as the team’s home from 1961 to 1996.”

… Karoline Leavitt: “That would be a beautiful name, as it was President Trump who made the rebuilding of the new stadium possible.”

… The senior White House source told ESPN: “It’s what the president wants, and it will probably happen.”

… Trump and his nutty, corrupt federal housing finance director Bill Pulte said that they are now going to roll out 50-year FHA mortgages: “Thanks to President Trump, we are indeed working on The 50 year Mortgage - a complete game changer.”

… Former Republican House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good: “50-year mortgages would prevent people from earning equity, or true home ownership, and essentially create lifelong renters. This is a terrible idea.”

… Global capital analyst Kobeissi Letter: On a $400K Mortgage at 7% Interest: 30Y Mortgage - $558,000 in lifetime interest; 50Y Mortgage - $1,116,000 in lifetime interest. With a 50Y mortgage, you pay DOUBLE the amount of interest compared to a 30Y mortgage. We are in a crisis.”

… Rep. Marge Greene (R-GA): “I don’t like 50 year mortgages as the solution to the housing affordability crisis. It will ultimately reward the banks, mortgage lenders. and home builders while people pay far more in interest over time and die before they ever pay off their home. In debt forever, in debt for life!”

… “Instead, stop companies and asset managers from buying up single family homes, which has driven the price of homes and forced homebuyers to compete with corporations that turn thousands of homes into permanent rental homes. Let people with a good rent history qualify for mortgages.”

We make the entire Weekend Bulletins available to free subscribers while about the first third of the daily Bulletins during the week are available. Thank you to everyone who reads, shares and subscribes to my work. Someone in the comments just asked how many read it - it averages right around 400,000 people who read it each day. The last one is at 418,000 as of this post. If you missed that one you can find it here.

I went to see the new Nuremberg movie and I thought it was good. They had a lot of specific lessons in there that spoke directly to what is happening today in the US.

… Zach Guzman with Coinage Media: “I’m told 60 Minutes is planning to release a new piece looking at The Trumps’ growing crypto empire and his controversial pardon of Binance founder CZ. In Aug, producers on 60 Minutes reached out to me. We had been investigating Trump’s crypto rise for the past two years. Personally, I thought nothing much of Trump’s crypto endeavors being particularly unique until a few months ago.”

… “Sure, he had the Trump NFT digital trading cards. (Fairly harmless stuff.) Then the Trump memecoin (slightly less harmless.) The President and Eric Trump even RT’d one of my threads highlighting their projects. But then their family’s crypto project launched their own digital dollar, and things categorically changed.”

… “When they launched their own stablecoin, it was no longer the case that their crypto endeavors were limited to buyers who wanted to speculate under their own free liberties — it shifted more into the realm of a family leveraging the power of the Presidency for profit. It opened an entirely new can of worms. Interestingly, no one seemed to cover this. Then, it became clear why: The journalists who understood what was happening were at crypto outlets that maybe didn’t want to tell the story for fear of retribution from those in the industry.”

… “In Aug, when 60 Minutes reached out for help, they were originally planning to cover Trump’s memecoin. I mentioned that that story might be a little dated after 7 months, and explained that there was a much bigger story happening out in the open:
The Trumps’ crypto project World Liberty Financial had launched a digital dollar. They were shopping it around to various people. If anyone used it, the company could collect interest payments to the tune of potentially billions of dollars a year. (Even some Republicans I spoke with took issue with this.)”

… “Along the way, Binance inked a deal to accept $2 billion in USD1, the Trump stablecoin. Rather than earn interest on $2 billion, that meant the interest would instead be collected by the Trump company. That seemed weird, because why would Binance want to give up what could have been $40M in interest? And why would they pick USD1 of all stablecoins? (The one deal alone constituted 90% of USD1’s entire market cap.)”

… “Around the same time, our own members (NFT holders) were asking me why Coinage wasn’t covering Trump’s stablecoin. Then, months later, Trump pardoned Binance’s founder CZ. Binance has not responded to whether they plan to now sell their USD1. I’m not sure what the 60 Minutes piece will include or how they will tell the story with a larger team and a larger budget, but I’m proud to have played a part in at least helping to explain what’s happening in crypto.”

… OpEd in USA Today by Morgen Mogus from PA: “A year after the president election, I feel completely swindled. I am a Libertarian who voted for Trump in 2024, the first time I ever voted for a Republican for president, because he made efforts to listen and address our concerns. He came to our national convention, promised to stay out of wars and slash govt spending and useless programs.”

… “The only thing Trump did do was pardon Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, which I am very grateful for, but he has fallen completely flat on his face on all of his other promises. Now he is going after libertarians like Rep. Thomas Massie and Sen. Rand Paul. A complete betrayal.”

… Gavin Newsom held a rally in Texas: “They want to bring us back to a pre-1960s, maybe 1860s world. And you’re seeing it not just on voting rights—you’re seeing it on civil rights, on women’s rights, on LGBTQ rights. We’re experiencing it in real time. They’re censoring historic facts. They’re rewriting history.”

… Newsom: “Trump’s lawyers literally argued in court yesterday that feeding starving families undermines his ability to use hunger as political leverage for the shutdown. SICK!”

… Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) said on Fox that he does not agree with Mike Johnson keeping the House adjourned for 2 months: “Not only would I, I’ve asked him to do it repeatedly. There’s no justification. And honestly, it’s Republican voters who should be most upset about this when they delivered a Republican majority and now that’s being wasted.”

… Kiley is likely to be one of the CA Republicans who will be losing their seats due to the redistricting referendum that just passed.

… Kobeissi: “CPI inflation data quality continues to decline: In Sept, 40% of CPI items were estimated, up from 36% in Aug. When price data is unavailable, the BLS ‘fills the gaps’ with estimated values, which typically account for 10% of all CPI entries. The percentage has now QUADRUPLED over the last 7 months.”

… “This all means 40% of price quotes across 200 product and service categories were calculated using substitute pricing, where data collectors filled in missing figures with values from other categories or regions. CPI numbers are becoming less accurate and less reflective of real consumer costs every month. What is happening here?”

… Trump fired the BLS director when they reported numbers he didn’t like. Now we can’t trust any of the numbers that come from the govt.

… ABC: “Some major restaurant chains sounded an alarm in recent days about a shopping slowdown, spotlighting a crack in the US economy as inflation worsens and hiring wanes. The development could hold significant stakes for the wider economy, since consumer spending accounts for about two-thirds of US economic activity. Chipotle Mexican Grill, which operates thousands of US-based stores, faulted consumer weakness for disappointing sales in an earnings report last week.”

… On an earnings call, Scott Boatwright, the CEO of Chipotle, pointed to ‘persistent macroeconomic pressures,’ saying the ‘gap has widened’ between low-income and affluent customers. Customers earning an annual salary below $100,000, who account for about 40% of Chipotle’s sales, are dining out less frequently due to ‘concerns about the economy and inflation,’ Boatwright said.”

… “Fast-casual chain Sweetgreen struggled in recent months, reporting a decline of nearly 10% in same-store sales over the quarter ending in Sept compared to a year ago. That dip in sales marked a sharp reversal from about 5% growth over the previous year-long period ending in Sept 2024. CEO Jamie McConnell: ‘The age 25-35 consumer is the most under pressure, and they make up about 30% of our consumer base.’”

… “McDonald’s CEO ​​Christopher Kempczinski warned analysts this week that traffic among low-income customers had fallen ‘nearly double digits’ across the industry.”

… CNN: “Wendy’s is set to close hundreds of locations across the US as part of its turnaround plan. Interim CEO Ken Cook announced Friday that approximately 6,000 US locations could close, which would amount to around 200-350 restaurants. The closures will begin this year and continue through 2026. US same-store sales declined 4.7%.”

… Kobeissi: “US car insurance costs are set to hit another record: Average annual premiums are expected to rise +4% by the end of 2025 to a record $2,402. The national average cost of full-coverage car insurance could climb as much as +7%, to $2,472.”

… I posted back in August that when Trump raised tariffs on auto parts it was going to cause car insurance rates to rise because they pay for most car repairs. And it is happening.

… Sec Def Pete Hegseth addressed the handful of right-wing and foreign media left in the Pentagon press corps: “We are not building for peacetime. We are pivoting the Pentagon and our industrial base to a wartime footing. Building for victory, should our adversaries FAFO.”

… Right-wing talk show host Megyn Kelly: “I don’t care about Trump getting handsy with somebody 20 years ago. I want someone who will close the border and someone who will keep boys out of my daughter’s sports, which he has.”

… There was a time when Kelly spoke out against sexual harassment perpetrated by people like her former boss Roger Ailes at Fox and former co-worker Bill O’Reilly, but that is a different Kelly who has gone full MAGA. Now as long as she likes the job they’re doing, getting a little “handsy” is ok.

… Alex Thompson continues to embarrass Axios with one anti-Dem article after another. He co-authored the Biden book with Jake Tapper, wrote numerous articles last year about Biden’s shoes and walk (he got new shoes after fracturing his foot) and the article two weeks ago about Zohran Mamdani overpromising healthy school lunches when he ran for student counsel in high school.

… Now he’s out with a new story about Democratic front-runner in the TX US Senate primary James Talarico: “Talarico follows several adult film performers, escorts and OnlyFans models on Instagram. His spokesperson JT Ennis said in a statement that ‘the social media team - including James - follows back and engages with supporters who have large followings and does not investigate their backgrounds. James has never subscribed to Only Fans or an escort service.’”

… Ennis: “While James was unaware of how these women make money, he does not judge them for it and will not play into an effort to smear them for clickbait articles. That’s exactly what his Christian faith calls him to do.”

… “The campaign said Talarico has messaged with only one of the accounts and shared a screenshot of the exchange, which was a simple ‘thank you’ for an Instagram story in 2024 appearing to promote his political work.”

… Thompson was getting roasted all weekend on social media for this one again, as he continues to beclown himself and discredit his corporate media employer.

… Thirsty Nancy Mace has been doing everything she can to get Trump’s endorsement for SC governor. She posted this: “I have to tell you. Last night, I had the MOST INCREDIBLE conversation with the President. I have NEVER been more PROUD. I told him how much I love him, how much America loves him and how he will go down as the GREATEST President in American history. He will do anything he can to help any one. There will never be another like him. GOD BLESS DONALD TRUMP!”

… Forbes: “The Trump Organization’s second-term push to monetize Trump’s presidency has reached the aisles of military exchanges, as Coast Guard-run stores, which provide service members and their families with access to tax-free consumer goods, have stocked Trump-branded wine and cider.”

… “While there’s been no shortage of Trump’s businesses capitalizing on the presidency - from using the presidential seal on golf markers at his courses to selling a $75 coffee table book showcasing pictures by his official White House photographer- these wines are among the few times Trump products have been sold at a govt facility.”

… NYT: “In March and April, the Trump admin made the extraordinary decision to send 252 Venezuelan men to a notorious prison in El Salvador known as the Terrorism Confinement Center, saying they had infiltrated the US in a form of ‘irregular warfare.’ In interviews, however, the men sent to the prison described frequent, intense physical and psychological abuse.

… “Beyond the beatings, tear gas and trips to the isolation room, the men said they were mocked or ignored by medical personnel, forced to spend 24 hours a day under harsh lights and made to drink from wells of fetid water.”

… “The NYT interviewed 40 of the former prisoners, many at their homes in cities and towns across Venezuela. Using a leaked list of the names, The Times found that a relatively small share of the men — about 13% — seemed to have a serious criminal accusation or conviction in some part of the world.”

… Guardian: “Kristi Noem reportedly authorized the purchase of Spirit Airlines jets before discovering the airline didn’t actually own the planes – and that the aircraft lacked engines. A WSJ report recounted how Noem and Corey Lewandowski had recently arranged to buy 10 Boeing 737 aircraft from Spirit Airlines. People familiar with the situation told the paper that the two intended to use the jets to expand deportation flights – and for personal travel.”

… “Those sources also claimed ICE officials had cautioned them that buying planes would be far more expensive than simply expanding existing flight contracts. Complicating matters further, Spirit, which filed for bankruptcy protection for the second time, in Aug, did not own the jets and their engines would have had to be bought separately. The plan has since been paused.”

… Jewish Insider reported that Andrew Cuomo is now considering a run for the House seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler.

… NBC: “Graham Platner understands the comparisons to John Fetterman. While he and Fetterman have notable surface-level similarities — both tattooed, shoot-from-the-hip white men who have a more working-class aesthetic, eschewing a shirt-and-tie ensemble for hoodies and crewnecks — they have also had many of the same political consultants working for them, including top operatives Rebecca Katz and Joe Calvello.”

… Platner: “Look, as somebody that was disappointed with Fetterman - if I was me looking in, I would have the same concerns. We’ve been burned before. But what I would say is that a good reading of my history, a good reading of how I got here in my life, of the kind of life I’ve lived up until now shows, I would say, a distinct difference from Fetterman’s campaign and where he wound up. And I know that these are just words. In some ways, I just have to ask people to trust me, but that’s all I can do.”

… Tre Easton: “There’s a fair parallel to be drawn there. I frankly think it’s very fair for people to ask, ‘Well, you’re the people who brought us Fetterman. How should we be sure that you’re going to get it right this time?’ No one could have predicted that John would have turned himself into sort of the pariah amongst the Democratic Party that he has become. However, Platner seems to be a very thoughtful, genuinely progressive person espousing things that are far to the left of anything John really ever backed during his ’22 campaign anyway.”

… Trump’s Presidential Wall of Fame is completed. I think it needs more gold.