Today in Politics, Bulletin 258. 11/25/25

… Trump has reportedly had enough of Kash Patel’s antics and is seeking to replace him in the near future. MS NOW: “Trump is considering removing Kash Patel as FBI director in the coming months, as he and his top aides have grown increasingly frustrated by the unflattering headlines Patel has recently generated. Patel has come under scrutiny for his stewardship of bureau resources, including his girlfriend’s security detail and use of a govt jet, and for his squabbles with other Trump loyalists.”

… “Trump and WH aides have confided to allies that the president is eyeing removing Patel and is considering top FBI official Andrew Bailey as the bureau’s new director. Under fed law, Trump can install Bailey as acting director of the FBI without Senate confirmation, but only after Bailey has served in his current position for at least 90 days; Bailey was appointed on Sept 15th. Under the requirements of the Fed Vacancies Reform Act, Bailey could begin working as acting FBI Director any time after Dec 15th.”

… Karoline Leavitt: “This story is completely made up. In fact, when this Fake News published, I was in the Oval Office, where President Trump was meeting with his law enforcement team, including Kash Patel. I read the headline to the President and he laughed. He said: ‘What? That’s totally false. Come on Kash, let’s take a picture to show them you’re doing a great job!’ Do not believe the Fake News!”

… That means Kash is gone after the holidays. I speak fluent Leavitt.

… Politico: “Several Democrats said they might be under investigation by the FBI after filming an anti-Trump video urging military troops not to follow illegal orders.” Statement from Reps. Jason Crow. Maggie Goodlander, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan: “Trump is using the FBI as a tool to intimidate and harass Members of Congress. Yesterday, the FBI contacted the House and Senate Sergeants at Arms requesting interviews. No amount of intimidation or harassment will ever stop us from doing our jobs and honoring our Constitution.”

… Sen. Elissa Slotkin posted: “The President directing the FBI to target us is exactly why we made this video in the first place. He believes in weaponizing the federal government against his perceived enemies and does not believe laws apply to him or his Cabinet.”

… Sen. Mark Kelly to MS NOW on Hegseth’s threat to court martial him: “This is not about the law. This is about the media cycle, and it’s about intimidation. The whole thing is almost comical. We basically repeated the UCMJ, and they’re saying that’s in violation of the UCMJ. It’s absurd. I said something that was pretty simple and non-controversial, and that was that members of the military should follow the law. And in response to that, Trump said I should be executed, I should be hanged, I should beprosecuted. I think it says a lot more about him than it says about me. I’m not going to be silenced.”

… Fox host Jesse Watters: “I’m glad that the US military is now investigating this guy Kelly, because this is what we expect from Donald Trump 2.0. You have to make examples out of people.”

… Former Bush speechwriter David Frum on CNN: “Leavitt said the Secretary of War would never issue an illegal order. Well, calling it the Dept of War is an illegal order. Every time that, in violation of act of Congress, the secretary makes up these titles for himself - Secretary of Partying, Secretary of War, whatever he calls himself - those are illegal orders too. Every time he gives himself this title, he’s proving he is willing to issue illegal orders because the dept was organized and named by act of Congress.”

… Hegseth continued to make deranged posts about it today: “So ‘Captain’ Kelly, not only did your sedition video intentionally undercut good order and discipline, but you can’t even display your uniform correctly. Your medals are out of order and rows reversed. When/if you are recalled to active duty, it’ll start with a uniform inspection.”

… Several users pointed out the the image of Kelly’s medals was reversed by his phone. Here are some screen shots of Hegseth from a 2023 Fox segment. This is the not the same episode where he threw an ax at a wooden target but missed and hit a drummer in a marching band behind and off to one side.

… Hegseth: “In the military, vague rhetoric and ambiguity undermines trust, creates hesitation in the chain of command, and erodes cohesion. The military already has clear procedures for handling unlawful orders. It does not need political actors injecting doubt into an already clear chain of command. As veterans of various sorts, the Seditious Six knew exactly what they were doing - sowing doubt through a politically-motivated influence operation. The Dept of War won’t fall for it or stand for it.”

… WaPo: “Soaring electricity prices are triggering a wave of power shutoffs nationwide, leaving more Americans in the dark as unpaid bills pile up. Although there is no national count of electricity shutoffs, data from select utilities in 11 states show that disconnections have risen in at least 8 of them since last year. In some areas, such as NYC, the surge has been dramatic - with residential shutoffs in Aug up fivefold from a year ago.”

… In PA, power shutoffs have risen 21% this year, with more than 270,000 households losing electricity. The avg electricity bill in the state has risen 13% from a year ago, as utilities upgrade electric grids to accommodate a burst of new data centers. Overall, Americans are paying 11% more for electricity than they were in Jan. Utility prices have risen roughly 3x faster than overall inflation this year, at a precarious time for the economy. Businesses are announcing mass layoffs, and it’s taking unemployed Americans much longer to find new work. There are also signs that lower- and middle-class families are pulling back on spending.”

… Energy economist Mark Wolfe: “With prices going up so rapidly, electricity is becoming unaffordable in many parts of the country. And it isn’t just lower-income households anymore; it’s spilling into the middle class.”

… “A majority of Americans - 6 in 10 - say they are spending more on utilities than they were a year ago, and they blame Trump for the rising prices, according to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll conducted in late October.”

… Energy Sec Chris Wright was asked about it on Fox: Q - “You can see energy going up, electricity going up, gas going a little bit down, but gas service up. And if you look at the average gas price, these are two different things to look at, but, steady from one year ago, it’s about roughly the same. Wright: I think you will soon see a stop in the rise of electricity prices, we’re going to achieve that, I think, hopefully in the first half of 2026. The stop of the rises.”

… Good times are always just around the corner when these guys are asked about every single problem. Lots of promises and hopium. Everything will be great in two weeks!

… The Hill: “GOP lawmakers are growing increasingly concerned over signs the 2026 midterm elections could be a wipeout for Republicans that could cost them control of the House and shave down their Senate majority by two or three seats. Republican senators say the off-year elections in NJ, VA and other parts of the country on Nov. 4 served as a wake-up call and warn that Trump and Republican leaders in Congress need to address voters’ concerns about the slowing economy and persistently high prices.”

… “Republicans acknowledge that rising health insurance premiums, the issue Democrats want to put front-and-center in the election year, along with health care costs, more generally, are a major problem for their party. Most concerning for GOP lawmakers is Trump’s approval rating, which has sunk to 41.9% in the most recent polling average compiled by Decision Desk HQ. The president’s disapproval rating has climbed to 55.7%.

… “Another disquieting sign is that Dems now have their biggest lead of the election cycle on the generic ballot for Congress. The latest DDHQ average shows Dems beating Republicans 46.8-41.4% on the generic ballot.”

… One Republican senator: “The numbers are terrible. Not necessarily for any individual incumbent senator, although some of them aren’t very good. But you saw what happened a couple weeks ago: Republicans didn’t win anything anywhere. There are a lot of warning signs blinking. We’re increasingly on defense on the Senate side. I think there’s a lot of concern.”

… Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Fox: “Marjorie Taylor Greene is the canary in the coal mine. Congress better wake up because they are going to get a lot of people retiring. I think keeping members out of Congress - you only get two years to be in the majority and if the Democrats get you not to work everyday for two months, that’s losing two months of the majority.”

… WSJ: “Speaker Mike Johnson cautioned the WH that most House Republicans don’t have an appetite for extending enhanced ACA subsidies. The message from Johnson, in a phone call with admin officials, came as Trump’s advisers were drafting a healthcare plan that extended the subsidies for two years. Lawmakers have a mid-Dec deadline for healthcare votes promised as a condition for Democrats voting to end the govt shutdown earlier this month.”

… “The enhanced subsidies expire at the end of the year, affecting more than 20 million people who benefit from the tax credits. Johnson must balance the cries from Republicans in competitive districts who are demanding an extension of the subsidies against many members’ deeply held opposition to the subsidies paid under the ACA, known as Obamacare. Some GOP lawmakers predicted only a fraction of House Republicans—from a dozen to a couple dozen—would back a bill extending subsidies.”

… Long-time Trump supporter Amy Vandersteel: “It’s over. The whole MAGA psyop is over. It’s AMERICA ONLY - ride or die. Don’t slide into my DMs whining about ‘flipping on Trump’. NO! He flipped on us. And if you come at me with some ‘5D chess’ crap you’re gonna get a block. Why is Epstein the dividing line? Why are the talking parrot head influencers still backing someone who has told us we are not America First and that we are Panicans. I am America First. Full Stop. Loyalty is a two way street.”

… Marge Greene responded to Vandersteel’s post: “This sums up almost every call and text message I’ve had all weekend.”

… NBC: “In June, Trump’s two older sons held an event at Trump Tower where they touted a new made-in-the-USA mobile phone with an American flag on its back, plus a new wireless service called Trump Mobile. The phone was the Trump brand’s first foray into mobile products and services. According to the initial announcement, the phone was supposed to be released in Aug. But 3 months later, there are no signs that the phone has become a reality.”

… “NBC made 5 separate phone calls to the Trump Mobile customer support line between Sept and Nov. At one point in Oct, the call operator promised a specific ship date: Nov. 13. That date passed without an update, and when NBC followed up with the call center, an operator said the delivery would now be in the ‘beginning of Dec,’ with no specific date.”

… “In late June, the same month the phone was announced, the website removed any mention of ‘Made in the USA,’ as was originally promised. Instead, the website now says the phone is ‘brought to life right here in the USA.’”

… Fox host Jesse Watters to Democratic contributor Jessica Tarlov: “Jessica, why don’t more Democrats come to the Oval Office and try to work together on things that they have common ground with Trump on? Tarlov: Jeffries and Schumer came in and were greeted with MAGA hats and sombrero videos.”

… Bill Maher told Lara Trump on his show that after his private meeting with Trump he has been trying to convince people that he isn’t a monster, but it doesn’t help when he does things like call a female reporter “piggy”. Lara responded: “Do we know that happened? Maher: I saw it on tape a thousand times! Lara: Or did he say, ‘McGee’?

… The reporter’s name was Catherine Lucey. Not McGee. And he clearly said, “Quiet, Piggy.” He hasn’t denied saying it either despite the backlash.

… Trump personal attorney David Schoen told Fox’s Laura Ingraham that the dismissal of James Comey’s indictment was Pam Bondi’s fault: “This was avoidable. DOJ should’ve had someone in the room with Lindsey Halligan - it would’ve taken away every argument for dismissal. She showed great courage and got an indictment despite being left without support.”

… Trump’s former NSA, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, posted that Bondi should be fired and replaced by Sidney Powell, who previously claimed Hugo Chavez rigged the 2020 elections using Italian satellites: “Trump should hire Sidney Powell as the AG immediately. I’m sorry Pam Bondi, but this was completely avoidable. As for Comey, don’t think it’s over. And you know it! You committed crimes against our country.”

… I’ve told this story before to various media outlets who have done profiles on me, but I was listening to that batshit crazy 2020 press conference with Rudy, Powell and Jenna Ellis as I was driving back from court over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in St. Pete, and drove off the road. I started live-tweeting a thread about it on the side of the bridge because it was so psychotic. And that was the day I decided to cover the MAGA movement on a full-time basis.

… And now maybe Powell will be Trump’s next AG. At this point, nothing would shock me.

… CBS: “A US official on Tues said that Ukraine’s govt had ‘agreed to a peace deal’ brokered by the Trump admin to stop Russia’s nearly 4-year assault. The American official and Ukraine’s national security adviser Rustem Umerov said a common understanding on a proposal had been reached, with details still to be worked out.” Official: “The Ukrainians have agreed to the peace deal. There are some minor details to be sorted out but they have agreed to a peace deal.”

… WSJ chief foreign policy editor Yaroslav Trofimov: “Minor, as in major.”

… Naturally, before those details were worked out and before Russia agreed to anything, Trump was hyping it on Truth Social again: “There are only a few remaining points of disagreement. I have directed my special envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with Putin in Moscow and Dan Driscoll will be meeting with the Ukrainians. I look forward to meeting with Putin and Zelensky but ONLY when the deal is FINAL, or in final stages.”

… Bloomberg then published a newly released transcript of Witkoff’s call to Putin’s senior foreign policy advisor where he was coaching him on how they can persuade Trump to go along with their proposal: “Congratulate the president for this achievement … say that you respect that he’s a man of peace … Just say that. That would make it a great call.”

… More from treasonous Witkoff: “Maybe just say this to President Putin, because you know I have the deepest respect for President Putin …” And then he goes on to give advice on what the Russians should say to Trump to get him on their side.

… The entire world can clearly see that Putin owns Steve Witkoff and yet Witkoff is the one that Trump wants leading the negotiations on a peace deal. If Putin owns Witkoff, and Trump doesn’t care, that means Putin owns Trump - either directly, by proxy, or by stupidity.

… You have to ask, why was Witkoff chosen for this critically important role of special envoy to Putin? He had no diplomatic or foreign policy experience. No experience in government or as an elected official. No education on those subjects. So of all people, why him? I think what we all surmised many months ago is now very clear - Putin wanted Witkoff.

… CBS: “Speaking earlier on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters that while Russia ‘appreciates the US position, which is taking the initiative in resolving the Ukrainian conflict,’ Moscow ‘operates professionally, not leaking info before formal agreements are reached. Russia expects the US to inform it of the results of consultations with Ukraine and Europe in the near future.”

… Ukrainian journalist Illia Ponomarenko: “So, Ukraine will once again sign yet another brilliant ‘peace plan,’ just to avoid irritating Trump and keep him from getting an excuse to betray it. And Russia will once again reject it, and it will carry on destroying Ukraine and dragging out sanctions and buying time. And the war will go on, and soon after yet another phone call from Putin to Trump - with promised profits and sugary compliments - a new deranged surrender plan will pop up, and Kyiv and all of Europe will once again have to soften it in a rush.”

… “This boundless obsession of Trump’s with empty grandstanding in front of TV cameras, his refusal to read even the bare minimum of what’s put in front of him, and his bottomless ego will lead the world into disaster.”

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… JD Vance and Sen. Mitch McConnell continue to take shots at each other over Ukraine. Vance responded to McConnell’s post saying that Putin has “played Trump like a fool”: “This is a ridiculous attack on the president’s team, which has worked tirelessly to clean up the mess in Ukraine that Mitch - always eager to write blank checks to Biden’s foreign policy - left us.”

… McConnell to Vance: “I’m told that to criticize a proposed deal that initially hewed closely to Russia’s preferred outcome is to misunderstand or misstate ‘some critical reality on the ground.’ So let’s talk about reality on the ground. This fall, Ukrainians