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A Memoir Unlike Any Politician’s Book You’ve Read

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New York Times: “On a crowded shelf of memoirs by sitting politicians, John Fetterman’s new book has to be one of the strangest. The cover of Unfettered features a headshot of the Democratic senator from Pennsylvania as he frowns into the camera, his dark gray hoodie conspicuously speckled with debris. Inside the book, you’ll find none of the genre’s usual tropes: no can-do optimism, no affability, no evidence of a politician’s instinct to glad-hand for the next election.”

“But then it’s not entirely clear from Unfettered whether Fetterman, who has spoken openly about his mental health issues, plans to run for office again.”

Unfettered
Unfettered
  • Amazon Kindle Edition
  • Fetterman, John (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 217 Pages - 11/11/2025 (Publication Date) - Crown (Publisher)
Check Price on Amazon

BBC’s Fight with Trump Comes at a Bad Time

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Politico: “The dispute — which has been seized on by figures on the British political right as well as Trump and his allies — comes as BBC bosses prepare to embark on a fraught round of negotiations with ministers over the rules it must abide by and, crucially, how it is funded.”

“The outcome will determine whether the storied British broadcaster, once the voice of an empire, survives in anything like its current form.”

Utah Judge Denies GOP-Passed Map

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“A Utah judge on Monday rejected a Republican-passed redistricting plan that created two more-competitive districts in the state — a win for Democrats who thought the map did not go far enough,” Politico reports.

“In denying the new map, the judge put in place one of two options offered by plaintiffs that creates a solidly-Democratic district that covers Salt Lake City, giving the party its second win in the redistricting wars that have swept the nation ahead of the midterms.”


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Senate Passes Bill to Reopen Government

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“The Senate passed legislation on Monday night to end the nation’s longest government shutdown, after a critical splinter group of Democrats joined with Republicans and backed a spending package that omitted the chief concession their party had spent weeks demanding,” the New York Times reports.

Liberals Blame Schumer After Strategy Collapses

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“Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) wasn’t one of the eight Democratic senators who voted with Republicans to back GOP legislation to end the government shutdown. He is still taking most of the blame,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Angry progressive voters and party activists have focused their fury on the 74-year-old Schumer in the aftermath of what they see as a collapse by Senate Democrats.”

Nothing Was Off-Limits for Trump During the Shutdown

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“The government shutdown is already the longest in American history. But it’s also perhaps the most punishing — in part because President Trump has taken actions no previous administration ever took during a shutdown,” the New York Times reports.

“Over the past six weeks, the Trump administration cut food stamps for millions of low-income Americans. It tried to fire thousands of government workers and withhold back pay from others, while freezing or canceling money for projects in Democratic-led states.”

“It remains to be seen whether there will be a political price to pay for Mr. Trump or his party, with polls showing that voters generally blamed Republicans more for the shutdown. But for now, the tactics appear to have worked, after a group of Democrats agreed to support a bill to end the shutdown and drop the concessions their party had demanded.”

Homeland Security Used Old Video

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“The Department of Homeland Security posted a swaggering montage to social media in August declaring it had triumphed in its takeover of Washington, D.C. It showed footage of federal agents fighting what a DHS official called a ‘battle for the soul of our nation’ and working ‘day and night to arrest, detain and deport vicious criminals from our nation’s capital,’” the Washington Post reports.

“There was one problem. Several of the clips had been recorded during unrelated operations months earlier, in Los Angeles and West Palm Beach, Florida.”

Serial Felon Freed by Trump Back Behind Bars

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“Despite being gifted a Get Out of Jail Free card courtesy of President Donald Trump, convicted felon Jonathan Braun can’t seem to stop breaking the law,” the Daily Beast reports.

“Braun, a convicted drug trafficker and loan shark from New York, was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison on Monday after being found guilty of a litany of crimes, including physical and sexual assault.”

GOP Lawmaker Faces Heated Crowd at Town Hall

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“Before heading back to Washington, D.C., to vote on a measure to end the government shutdown, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks faced a fiery crowd Monday at a town hall in Keosauqua,” the Iowa Capital Dispatch reports.

“Members of the audience yelled as the Republican representative spoke about her support of Medicaid changes made in the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ and President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.”

House Returns to Many Controversies

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“The House is set to return to work Wednesday after a staggering 54 days out of session. Ending the record government shutdown will be the least of Speaker Mike Johnson’s problems,” Politico reports.

“Tensions have been running high for weeks over Johnson’s decision to shut down the House for the duration of the shutdown, sparking intense criticism from Democrats and private alarm inside pockets of the House GOP.”

“With members now returning to Washington after spending nearly two months dispersed across the country, he is faced with jump-starting dormant committee work, tackling a looming health care deadline and resolving long-brewing internal conflicts over the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and congressional stock-trading — if he can reopen the government first.”

Trump Signals He’ll Support Shutdown Deal

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“President Trump on Monday signaled his support for a Senate agreement to end the government shutdown and said he would abide by the deal, which includes a reversal of mass layoffs,” The Hill reports.

Said Trump: “It depends what deal we’re talking about. But if it’s the deal I heard about… I would say so.”

He added: “I think based on everything I’m hearing they haven’t changed anything, and we have support from enough Democrats, and we’re going to be opening up our country. It’s too bad it was closed, but we’re going to be opening up our country very quickly.”

About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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