Reading archive 2025-11-25

America has become a rogue nation. U.S. allies are looking elsewhere. Europeans and Canadians are talking about making their own security arrangements.

After a week of reprimands, some in Congress are having second thoughts: Censures were historically rare rebukes against lawmakers. But members of the House are increasingly using them in ways their peers say are political.

This ‘sleepy’ Supreme Court case could change Americans’ lives: The case involving Chevron and Louisiana is an attempt to reshape national policy through state courts. - [ed. note: a fun comment on the OpEd reads, "If I would like to read position papers from the Heritage Foundation, I will get them directly from the source. I don't need WaPo to reprint them for me."]

Trump pushes Ukraine, Russia on peace deal, but key issues are unresolved: Trump declared optimism about progress, but Ukraine and Russia remain far apart about whether Kyiv should surrender additional territory to Moscow.

View / Trump, MBS, and Mamdani at the Predators’ Ball

D.C. Mayor Bowser will not run for fourth term: Bowser, who has led D.C. over a turbulent decade, will not seek reelection in 2026, a decision bound to open up a highly competitive mayoral race.

A ‘great unmasking’ on X is arming Americans with digital borders: The social media platform’s move to show users’ location is a great step toward online transparency.

Taiwan’s president: I will boost defense spending to protect our democracy: An unprecedented military buildup by Beijing threatens peace and stability in the region.

The arsenal of democracy cannot fight like this: The U.S. military’s defense acquisition system is a casualty of bureaucracy.

Zelensky has clearly read ‘The Art of the Deal’: If Ukraine gets security assurances and Russia balks, Trump needs to punish Putin.

Reading archive 2025-11-24

How D.C. developers made big money on a taxpayer-funded housing project: Developers with political ties to Mayor Muriel E. Bowser stand to collect millions of dollars more than housing experts say is normal for an affordable housing project. - "'Bluntly, the taxpayers of D.C. are being screwed by this,' said Kirk McClure, a professor emeritus for the public affairs school at the University of Kansas and a former loan underwriter for the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency. He and two other experts who reviewed the financial records at The Post’s request questioned whether the District has adequate guardrails to prevent overpaying developers."

Is the past week a turning point for Trump’s second term?: The resignation of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a MAGA hard-liner, is just one sign of a possible rebellion in the president’s party as Trump struggles with low poll numbers.

The surprising issue driving a wedge between Trump and his MAGA base: President Donald Trump’s attempt to block states from regulating AI sparked pushback from Republicans concerned the tech will displace workers and harm children.

The cyberattacks are coming. Will anyone be there to stop them?: Trump administration job cuts worsen U.S. vulnerabilities to China and other cyber-adversaries.

Are millennials frozen out of the housing market? The reality may be more interesting.: An eye-catching report said the average first-time home buyer is now 40, but the story is more complex.

A suspicion from 2016 is becoming Democrats’ monster: The party is falling behind while Trump accelerates technology innovation.

Russian Exiles See Europe Visa Rule as Blow Against Them, Not Putin: The European Union said the decision was prompted by sabotage attacks in Europe, but Russians living abroad say Europe is punishing ordinary people.

EPA just approved new ‘forever chemical’ pesticides for use on food: Critics warn the EPA’s approvals of new PFAS pesticides could expose more Americans to “forever chemicals” through their food. - "The PFAS pesticides awaiting approval by the EPA all contain fewer than four fluorinated carbon atoms. That makes them 'ultrashort-chain' compounds, scientists say, which are highly mobile in the environment and hard to filter."

About This Account reveals the scale of X's foreign troll problem: X confirms what we already know: That many of the loudest MAGA accounts aren't actually American

Take these 4 steps now before your next data-breach notice: There are so many ways for scammers to circumvent security measures that you need to regularly check your accounts.

A hulking home addition is dividing neighbors and stumping officials: The sudden attention has left both neighbors distressed. “I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy,” one said.

Pirro’s charging powers expanded by D.C. federal court ruling: A judge ruled that U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro can ask a local grand jury to indict cases that federal grand jurors have rejected. She said judges never should have questioned the tactic.

Witness exposes unusual tactics used to prop up mortgage fraud cases: A witness in the Sen. Adam Schiff (D-California) case exposed surprising revelations about Trump officials and their attempts to reach an indictment.

This slap in the face to rural America is a chance to turn it blue: Democrats should be the party of aspiration — and talk like normal human beings. - "We’re not going to win the messaging battle if we say that Trump’s policies make people 'food insecure.' No, they make people hungry. Kentucky was hit hard by the opioid epidemic. I didn’t lose a friends and acquaintances to 'substance use disorder'; I lost them to addiction. Addiction is hard, it’s mean, and it kills people. So when people triumph over it, we should give them the credit they deserve by calling it what it is."

Some Republicans want to try to pass another mega-bill on health care: Lawmakers are exploring policy options — but they acknowledge it may be tough to get consensus.

How Democrats are building their own digital media army: The 2024 election spurred Democrats to seek out podcasts and social media creators to spread their message and catch up with their Republican counterparts.

U.S., Ukraine move closer together on peace plan after lengthy talks: The document, which Ukraine said was too favorable to Russia, has been substantially changed, officials say.

Zelensky may never have faced a more agonizing choice: U.S. officials tell me Trump’s peace plan is flexible, but a painful decision lies at its core.

Judge tosses cases against Comey and James, rules prosecutor appointment unlawful: The decision could end the prosecution of the former FBI director. The government could refile charges against the New York attorney general.

Reading archive 2025-11-21

FBI fired veteran employee for displaying Pride flag, lawsuit says: David Maltinsky, who worked at the bureau for 16 years and was training to become a special agent, says he was fired for displaying a Pride flag given to him by the FBI.

Tensions between renters and homeowners challenge Mamdani housing plan: The incoming New York City mayor’s plan relies on higher density in places where some neighbors oppose it. He is scheduled to meet Friday with the president.

Defuse political tension in your family with one simple question: A common misperception is fueling political arguments. But new research shows it’s possible to correct it, in ourselves and our political foes.

U.S. pushing Ukraine to sign peace deal by Thanksgiving or lose support: The U.S. is sending “signals” that everything could be off the table if Kyiv does not quickly sign a proposal, which was drawn up by special envoy Witkoff.

Former GOP staffer charged with fabricating anti-MAGA assault

Corruption probe close to Zelensky stokes E.U. unease over Ukraine aid: A scandal, involving kickbacks at Ukraine’s state nuclear power company, has revived concerns about European money being siphoned off by graft instead of helping fight Russia.

These salacious affairs are great for gossip and terrible for America: Olivia Nuzzi’s sordid tale of infidelity is a bad look for journalism ethics.

A New Era of Crony Capitalism: Washington hasn’t seen graft like this for at least a century.

Famous writers at New Yorker are up in arms after fact-checker’s firing: The media company dismissed four employees, including a fact-checker at the 100-year-old magazine, for “extreme misconduct.” Many of its famous writers are outraged.

The Stories We Tell Ourselves About the American Revolution: Ken Burns unpacks the Revolutionary War—and explains why history doesn’t repeat, even if human nature never changes

Reading archive 2025-11-20

I love your sweater. Is it made from gay sheep wool?: Grindr organized a fashion show made from the wool of gay sheep. Wait, what?

House votes to undo law allowing senators to sue over Jan. 6 subpoenas: It faces an uncertain future in the Senate, despite most eligible senators saying they won’t sue.

Mystery Fuels Unease in Maine Woods: Who Bought Burnt Jacket Mountain?: An anonymous new owner fenced off beloved trails and put up surveillance cameras in a region with a long tradition of allowing public access on private land.

Why ‘Twin Peaks’ Still Looks Incredible Decades Later: Director of Photography Ronald Víctor García shares all the metaphorical direction Lynch would give him to nail the show's warm vibes.

It’s the ‘most important fish in the sea.’ And it’s disappearing.: If the menhaden decline continues, striped bass could be next to vanish. - "This isn’t a debate over red tape — it’s a fight over who controls the base of the Atlantic’s food chain: the public that depends on a healthy ocean or a private fleet that treats it like an industrial feedlot.

...

"Omega Protein’s dominance, however, is sustained not by biology but by politics. Although it employs fewer than 300 full-time workers, the company wields outsized influence in Richmond. Its lobbyists, including the powerhouse legal and public affairs firm McGuireWoods, have long worked both sides of the aisle — Republicans for their support of commercial interests and Democrats for their emphasis on union jobs — to block conservation efforts."

U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses as hate symbols: The military service, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, has drafted a new policy that classifies such items “potentially divisive.”

U.S. delivers peace plan for Ukraine, sparking fears of ‘capitulation’: Kyiv’s European partners said they should be involved in proposals for the security of Ukraine and Europe, indicating they hadn’t even been briefed on the plan. - "Special envoy Steve Witkoff is quietly pushing a plan that contains provisions that Ukraine has long opposed, including forcing it to cede strategic territory not yet seized by Russia in the eastern Donbas region and agreeing to significant reductions in the size and effectiveness of its military, according to two people familiar with the negotiations."

As Trump plans backfire, Democrats are ahead in House redistricting fight :After early redistricting wins, Trump faces setbacks over maps for Texas, Indiana and other Republican-led states, frustrating his allies.

Republican overseeing Alamo renovation ousted after ‘woke’ social media post: Kate Roger, a Republican, has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against state officials after a social media post and PhD dissertation led to her losing the job of overseeing a massive renovation of the Texas landmark.

CDC in turmoil after agency backpedals on debunking vaccines-autism link: The CDC’s website now says health authorities ignored evidence of a potential connection between vaccines and autism, despite dozens of studies showing no link.

What If Aliens Don’t Actually Do Science?: Daniel Whiteson and Andy Warner Consider the Many Forms Inquiry Can Take, In Our World and Others - "To make bread or swords, humans didn’t have to know what was going on at the microscopic level. People all over the globe had fantastically impressive technology long before we had our modern, mathematical, empirical science."

Democrats Finally Realize It Isn’t 2016 Anymore: Members of the left and the center seem to have concluded that, to win elections, each side needs to become more like the other.

Part 1: How I Found Out

Reading archive 2025-11-19

‘Things happen’: Setting the record straight about our murdered colleague.

The 50-year mortgage is a terrible deal. Here’s why.: It’s a proposal that sounds good, but it won’t help families build generational wealth. It’s more like being a perpetual renter.

One of America’s most dangerous volcanoes will soon power homes: Tapping energy from “superhot rock” could produce cheap, clean, constant energy almost anywhere — if drills and wells can survive infernal heat and pressure.

Inside the effort to force Trump’s hand on Epstein: Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna’s months-long campaign to outmaneuver the White House on the Epstein files started with a text.

Despite congressional action, quick release of Epstein files is in doubt: The Justice Department has remained silent about its plans, and the new disclosure legislation contains major loopholes.

Despite congressional action, quick release of Epstein files is in doubt: The Justice Department has remained silent about its plans, and the new disclosure legislation contains major loopholes. - "If the House decided to issue a subpoena demanding the materials, and the Justice Department refused, the chamber’s leaders could refer officials for criminal prosecution. But it would fall to Bondi to decide whether to prosecute herself or her deputies, rendering that threat potentially empty."

Israeli figures warn state has ‘lost control’ as West Bank settlers attack: Senior government officials have expressed alarm at the uncontrolled nature of the assaults by Jewish settlers against Palestinian residents.

Reading archive 2025-11-18

More than $1 billion and two decades later, the Grand Egyptian Museum is — finally — ready to share its treasures

With China Truce, U.S. National Security Controls Now Appear Up for Negotiation: Some analysts say Beijing won a major victory in its trade talks: Getting the U.S. to withdraw a national security measure that previously was not under discussion.

Cleaning Woman Killed Through Door After Arriving at Wrong Home, Police Say: The shooting of the woman, an immigrant from Guatemala, took place on Wednesday in Indiana, a state with a “stand your ground” law.

Youth pastor accused of sexual relation with a teen arrested in Coarsegold

Dutch voters have been seduced by positivity – liberals elsewhere, take note

China has lent $200B to U.S. tech and infrastructure projects, report finds: Chinese lenders backed 2,500 projects, covering almost every U.S. state, from gas pipelines to airport terminals, even as Washington warned developing nations about Chinese debt traps.

Trump, Border Patrol Retreat in Failure from Chicago: Five important lessons of the first six months of Trump’s immigration raids — and why CBP’s Greg Bovino is the Nathan Bedford Forrest of the Trump era.

Gregory Bovino is exactly who E.B. White — author of 'Charlotte's Web' — warned us about: DHS named its North Carolina anti-immigrant effort "Operation Charlotte's Web." In 1940, White wrote of the "smell" that "rises" from those who "adjust to fascism" over freedom.

Kash Patel, the FBI's Agent of Chaos: The biggest little scandal in Washington right now is how bad Patel is at being FBI director

Whatever happened to U.B.I.?: Guaranteed income in the A.I. age - "To the extent that the threat of automation [ed. note: AI] is a point of leverage in class warfare, it can lower the wages of workers and otherwise disempower them--as the Gen Z employees from Walsh’s article are finding.

"In this way, guaranteed-income programs should be seen not as complementary to 'A.I. automation' but as leverage for the other side--workers, who can more easily withhold their labor and otherwise refuse disempowerment if they know they have an income floor."

How baby boomers got so rich and why their kids are unlikely to catch up: The wealthiest generation holds more than $85 trillion in assets thanks to economic conditions Gen X, millennials and others would be hard-pressed to replicate.

Armed man fatally shot by officer in Northeast, D.C. police say Gunfire breaks out after struggle near Deanwood Metro station; a gun was found.

D.C. lawmaker proposes summer jobs expansion, teen centers, apprenticeships: D.C. Council member Brooke Pinto has introduced 23 bills, many of which focus on boosting economic opportunity for young people.

We found what you’re asking ChatGPT about health. A doctor scored its answers.: When to trust ChatGPT with your health — and when it could hurt you

A Case of Bromism Influenced by Use of Artificial Intelligence - "For 3 months, he had replaced sodium chloride with sodium bromide obtained from the internet after consultation with ChatGPT, in which he had read that chloride can be swapped with bromide, though likely for other purposes, such as cleaning."

Reading archive 2025-11-17

Phillips Collection will sell O’Keeffe and other masterpieces, sparking backlash: After months of internal debate, the D.C. museum is forging ahead with an auction of artworks by Georgia O’Keeffe, Georges Seurat and others.

How the FBI’s massive search for the D.C. pipe bomber stalled: Agents on the Jan. 6 investigation scoured sales at Foot Locker, Home Depot, Lowe’s and other stores in a frustrating search for the culprit.

Federal agent shoots at car during D.C. chase, police say: The shooting marks the second time in a month that a Homeland Security agent has shot at a car while patrolling with D.C. police.

A great nation is reduced to fanciful hoping: America used to borrow for emergencies. Now it is mired in a perpetual debt emergency.

Trump faces heat from MAGA base on ‘America First’ agenda, Epstein: MAGA leaders erupted over the president’s assertion that the U.S. needs foreign workers. That rift and others have raised GOP concerns about enthusiasm ahead of the midterms.

The rise and importance of Secret Congress: (Shh, don't talk about it) [ed. note: from 2021] - "The core of the Secret Congress theory is that on highly salient issues, lawmaking is dominated by the question of which party controls which chambers and by how slim their majorities are. Under these circumstances, polarization is high and compromise is rare. Congress is prone to gridlock, and when solutions pass, they pass on a near party line."

GOP plans to replace Obamacare have failed. Here’s what lawmakers propose now. Lawmakers are racing toward a mid-December deadline, with Republicans hoping to present side-by-side legislation with Democrats’ plan to extend ACA subsidies. - "Many health economists have panned Trump’s plan, saying it is likely to create a 'death spiral' in the ACA marketplaces. Healthy people would be prone to drop coverage, using the subsidies to pay out of pocket for whatever limited health care they need, leaving sick people behind and causing premiums to skyrocket."

GOP-led Epstein probe in House creates political friendly fire for Trump: The Republican side of the committee investigating Epstein has kept pushing out troves of emails and documents, and Trump’s name keeps coming up.

On edge in small-town America: In a divided nation, one Wisconsin village feels everyday life begin to fray.

In shift, Trump says House should vote to release Epstein files: It is unclear whether the Senate would take up the measure if the House passes it. Trump would also need to sign the legislation to compel the release of the documents.

The first glimpse of post-Trump MAGA has arrived: With a push from Marjorie Taylor Greene, Donald Trump acquiesces over the Jeffrey Epstein files.

How the Epstein story keeps growing: Trump’s demand to investigate Democrats is political malpractice.

Trump defends Tucker Carlson for interviewing white nationalist Fuentes: “You can’t tell him who to interview,” Trump said about the former Fox News host and Nick Fuentes, a far-right activist who once called Adolf Hitler “awesome.”

Would your partner pass the ‘bird test’? It’s complicated, experts say: Two relationship experiments are flying high on TikTok — but they aren’t exactly foolproof.

Child poverty soars in Britain as working families struggle to keep up: Across Britain, families who once felt solidly middle class are losing their footing as rents, child care costs and food prices outpace wages.

Man fatally shot by D.C. police in Foxhall Road NW area: The shooting was reported in a house in the 4400 block of Reservoir Road NW.

Teen shot five people near Howard University during homecoming weekend, police say: Kaevaughn Dudley, 17, was arrested Friday and charged as an adult with assault with intent to kill.

The Right Is Now Transvestigating Charlie Kirk and His Wife, Erika: Transphobia truly impacts us all.

Japan tourism and retail stocks slide after row with China over Taiwan

Shocked by Trump’s profiteering? Here’s some perspective.: There are periods in American history when graft was the rule, not the exception.

How DHCD Forfeited $35 Million in Federal Assistance for Affordable Housing and Bailed Out a Well-Connected Developer: DHCD Director Colleen Green failed to disclose the loss of funding when asked during a D.C. Council hearing earlier this year.

Reading archive 2025-11-14

Twenty-Eight Shutdown Thoughts May I never have to write about these things again

Reading archive 2025-11-13

How Wellness and Beauty Influencers Can Be Part of an Alt-Right Pipeline for Teen Girls: The "womanosphere" is coming for teen girls.

Democrats lose shutdown battle — as Trump, Republicans risk losing war: Democrats are embroiled in a new round of infighting, while Republicans are bracing for longer-term consequences if they continue to oppose an extension of Obamacare subsidies. - "Christina Gray, 58, an independent voter from Texas who gets her health insurance through the ACA, said the shutdown fight, for her, boils down to Republican opposition to the health care law. 'The Democrats, I do have to give them this, they’re trying to help somebody,' said Gray, who has not voted in recent years. 'And the Republicans, they’re just being ridiculous.'"

Schumer opposed the shutdown deal. Some Democrats still want him out.: Some Democrats argue Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (New York) is not doing enough to stand up to President Donald Trump.

John Fetterman makes a case for himself. It’s not very convincing.: In his memoir “Unfettered,” the senator addresses his depression and other struggles. It doesn’t mitigate concerns about whether he is up for the job.

Girl, 12, is suspect in two of three unusual recent D.C. robberies: Secret Service, National Guard stop suspect in armed robbery downtown, police say.

Beat Russia the smart way. No escalation required.: Give Ukraine military aid and economic support. Give Russia an off-ramp.

Man charged with murder in hit-and-run during 2024 D.C. police chase: A man fleeing police last year fatally struck a delivery driver in a case where an investigation found the D.C. officer violated the department’s pursuit policy. - "His death illustrates a central dilemma in traffic enforcement — a lack of it allows reckless driving to go unchecked, while the enforcement itself can provoke dangerous behavior. In 2022, after two young men died in police chases, D.C. made it illegal for officers to pursue a car unless the fleeing suspect posed an immediate threat and death or serious bodily injury was not a likely result."

D.C. sees homicides go up after three incidents in one day: The two shootings and a stabbing on Saturday occurred after a drop in crime in the wake of the federal law enforcement surge in August.

3 types of hair loss and the treatments that actually help: We asked dermatologists what people with thinning hair should do to slow it down or reverse it.

This North Carolina Democrat can’t win her district. So she’s running as a Republican.: In her crusade against gerrymandering, Kate Barr is challenging her Republican congressman in the GOP primary to make a point.

Far-right provocateur Nick Fuentes is triggering a MAGA civil war: The far-right influencer’s return to X has fueled a resurgence that is driving a wedge through the right.

Josh Harris might have to choose between Trump and an angry fan base: The Washington Commanders might now have the toughest assignment in football.

D.C. is slowing e-bikes down, citing teen crime and speeding issues: Police say Lime bikes are being used as getaway vehicles.

Epstein is the one issue that persistently splits Trump from his base: Trump had once promised to release the Justice Department’s “Epstein files,” but his administration has resisted doing so.

This Democrat from a red state could help his party reclaim the House: The former representative plans to run in a new district in Utah created as a result of a court order amid the national fight to redraw congressional maps.

Inside the CIA’s secret mission to sabotage Afghanistan’s opium: In a decade-long covert operation, the U.S. spy agency dropped modified poppy seeds in an attempt to degrade the potency of Afghanistan’s billion-dollar opium crop. - "The American plants not only contained virtually no morphine, but they were bred to sprout early and produce especially vivacious red flowers, making them attractive to Afghan farmers who, the CIA hoped, would harvest and replant their seeds."

Behind the scenes of the D.C. mayor’s battle to keep Trump at bay: Muriel E. Bowser has appeased the president in ways big and small, preventing a complete federal takeover but dividing her deeply Democratic city.

Reading archive 2025-11-07

In MAGA stronghold, fury over SNAP but little blame for Trump in shutdown: House Speaker Mike Johnson’s congressional district has one of the highest SNAP usage rates in the country. Constituents wonder why he hasn’t used his power to help them, but many lay blame on Washington’s dysfunction.

Democrats offer to end shutdown for one-year health care subsidy extension: The party has debated how and when to reopen the government all week.

America’s land crisis is roaring back into politics: Henry George shows why rent control and tax cuts won’t solve nation’s land crisis.

Maryland sues Trump administration over decision to keep FBI in D.C.: The legal challenge seeks to toss out the administration’s plan to move the agency to the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center instead of Greenbelt, Maryland.

Reading archive 2025-11-06

The Florida law student who wrote a paper with white nationalist views has Jewish ancestry Preston Damsky, who has spouted antisemitic rhetoric on social media, said his family lineage doesn't have an impact on his thinking.

Neil Gorsuch Warns of President’s Growing Power in Supreme Court Hearing

Heritage staff in open revolt over leader’s defense of Tucker Carlson: The departures and condemnations built on brewing frustrations with Kevin Roberts’s handling of Project 2025 and internal sexism allegations.

After election wins, Democrats split on how to end government shutdown: A band of moderates has been talking about reopening the government in exchange for a vote on health care subsidies.

Nancy Mace really wants to explain what happened to her at the airport: How and why the congresswoman tailored her dispute for social media audiences. - "Compare any of this, please, with the other airport-related video that made rounds this week: plainclothes officers at the Salt Lake City airport dragging away a woman sobbing 'Help me!' and 'I have my papers!' as she is pulled out of screen view. Author Shannon Hale, who happened to be at the airport that day, witnessed the scene and posted it on her social media pages. While some oblivious passengers hurry to their own gates — truly, this clip is a lesson in what kinds of misery humans can learn to tune out and live among — one woman’s voice can be heard begging: 'She’s a human being,' and 'Have mercy on her.'"

Jury finds D.C. ‘sandwich guy’ not guilty of assaulting officer: Sean C. Dunn admitted he flung the hoagie at a federal agent. His attorneys called it a “harmless gesture” of protest as Trump commandeered D.C. police.

Layoffs rise to recession-like levels through October, new report says: Employers have announced 1.1 million job cuts so far this year, the highest reading since the pandemic, a private firm reports.

The great GOP migration has begun: The midterms promise a reality check — and growing defections from disastrous MAGA orthodoxy.

Why do only some leaves turn red in the fall? Scientists can't agree on an answer - "Every autumn, trees break down the green chlorophyll in their leaves, so that they can recover precious nitrogen before the leaves fall. (That nitrogen is necessary for photosynthesis, as well as building proteins and DNA.) The loss of this chlorophyll exposes yellow pigments that have been there in the leaves all along. That makes yellow leaves easy to explain. 

"But the red color is different. It comes from brand-new chemicals that are generated just days before a leaf plunges to the ground.

"'The red was not there beforehand, or you would have seen it, because the leaf would have been purple. Because green plus red equals purple,' says Hughes."

Reading archive 2025-11-05

Neil Gorsuch speaks up for a fading Congress in the tariffs case" One Supreme Court justice was especially tough on Trump’s lawyers in Wednesday’s hearing.

At the Supreme Court, the truth of Trump’s tariffs is revealed: Most of the justices seem to understand there is no distinction between tariffs and taxes.

Be afraid, Republicans. Be very afraid.: Democrats don’t agree on their message or who should deliver it. They won everywhere anyway. - "The exalting of Jan. 6 rioters and the self-enriching crypto schemes, the transformation of law enforcement agencies and the Justice Department into a personal harassment squad, the paving of the Rose Garden and the demolition of the East Wing, the erratic trade policies and brutal immigration raids — all of it adds up to chaos and lawbreaking, and the public generally disdains both."

GOP senators assail Trump Pentagon pick in rare show of disunity: A contentious episode on Capitol Hill exposed the growing frustration among Republicans who say they have been cut out of important national security decisions.

Maine Democrat won’t run again for House, blames threats, toxic politics: Rep. Jared Golden, whose district is the most pro-Trump in the country represented by a Democrat, says he has “grown tired of the increasing incivility and plain nastiness” in politics.

Republicans shaken by election losses — and split on how to fix things: Trump urges GOP to pass legislation to make them unbeatable; Vance says no more “infighting.” Others in the party have different views.

D.C. man charged with murder in 2024 death of 3-year-old: James Crawley, 31, is accused of fatally smothering his girlfriend’s daughter.

D.C. Council reinstates expanded youth curfew for 90 days: Lawmakers renewed the policy after a series of large gatherings, including a viral incident in Navy Yard that resulted in the arrests of 10 teens.

FBI fires, rehires, then fires again agents assigned to Trump case: The FBI has fired several agents involved in the investigation that led up to the special counsel case against Donald Trump. - "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, the people familiar with the matter said. Patel fired them again Tuesday morning."

Reading archive 2025-11-04

How Catastrophic Is It If the AI Bubble Bursts? An FAQ.: The AI industry’s most important product is not a chatbot or a video generator; it’s the story the AI industry is telling about itself

Decades after charter schools exploded in D.C., they face a changed city: KIPP DC, the city’s largest charter network, turns 25 amid new challenges for education. - "KIPP also became known, locally and nationally, for its strict 'no excuses' model. Students could be reprimanded for causing distractions or behavior deemed 'detrimental to the best interest' of the school. During the 2015-2016 school year, five of KIPP’s 16 schools had suspended at least a quarter of their student body, according to city data — attracting scrutiny from the D.C. Council."

Dick Cheney couldn’t get over Jan. 6: Other Republicans returned to Trump, but the former vice president was unforgiving, to his credit.

Report: Donors to Trump’s White House ballroom have $279B in federal contracts: The list contains heavyweights in the tech, financial and defense sectors, including Google, Comcast and Lockheed Martin. - "'They have massive interests before the federal government and they hope to undoubtedly curry favor with, and receive favorable treatment from the Trump administration,' Public Citizen Co-President Robert Weissman said in a statement. 'Millions to fund Trump’s architectural whims are nothing compared to the billions at stake in procurement, regulatory and enforcement decisions.'"

Why isn’t the Heritage Foundation condemning Tucker Carlson?: The conservative think tank is unbothered by Carlson’s friendly interview with a white nationalist.

The RSS is a warning to all nations where populism is spiking: Groups like India’s RSS wouldn’t amass millions of members without appealing to a perceived need.

A whole lotta marble! Designers weigh in on Trump’s Lincoln Bathroom reno.: The startling renovation comes on the heels of the demolition of the East Wing.

Administration hints furloughed workers may not be paid after shutdown: Agencies are sending messages indicating that workers who are on the job will be paid when the government reopens — with no mention of those on furlough, despite a 2019 law protecting their wages.

Reading archive 2025-11-03

'60 Minutes' Edits (Most Of) The Crazy Out Of Its Interview With Donald Trump

The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) is to pull funding from US based organisations.

As a doctor, here’s my advice on creatine supplements: Creatine may make you stronger — but only if you meet certain criteria.