The First Eight
Out next week: The First Eight: A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation by Jim Clyburn.
“Today, South Carolina congressman James E. Clyburn is renowned as a Democratic kingmaker and our nation’s most august Black political leader. But behind him stand eight other remarkable men.”
The First Eight: A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Clyburn, Jim (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 255 Pages - 11/11/2025 (Publication Date) - Little, Brown and Company (Publisher)
New York Quietly Preparing Against Trump’s Takeover
“New York is quietly preparing for a Donald Trump takeover of the country’s largest city,” Politico reports.
“A wide range of New York’s most prominent civic leaders have for weeks been meeting behind the scenes to plan for the possibility of Trump sending in the National Guard or any other federal agents into New York City, according to multiple top elected officials.”
“Alarmed at what Trump may do in response to Zohran Mamdani’s election as New York City mayor, Gov. Kathy Hochul has devised a virtual war room and convened a series of conversations with law enforcement, business officials and activist groups to stop or at least mitigate any federal incursion. More meetings are being scheduled, including with New York’s leading clergy and veterans groups, some of whom will be gathering around Veterans Day next week.”
Sean Duffy Makes Unapproved Campaign Stop
“Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy is set to headline a meet-and-greet event for his son-in-law, Michael Alfonso, who is running for Congress in Wisconsin, but the White House did not approve it,” NOTUS reports.
“Duffy, who previously held the same Wisconsin seat before retiring in 2018, is now backing his son-in-law to win the seat vacated by Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is running for governor.”
Congressional Budget Office Hacked
“The Congressional Budget Office, lawmakers’ nonpartisan bookkeeper, was hacked by a suspected foreign actor, potentially exposing the key financial research data Congress uses to craft legislation,” the Washington Post reports.
Trump Pardons Former Tennessee Speaker
President Trump has pardoned the disgraced former Speaker of the Tennessee House Glen Casada (R) and one of his co-conspirators after their corruption convictions and sentencing, WSMV reports.
Senate Democrats Dig In
Punchbowl News: “During a closed-door caucus meeting on Thursday, Democrats came to the consensus that they should continue to hold out for a better deal in the wake of Tuesday’s election victories. And they’re skeptical of advancing any funding bill until a deal is finalized.”
“Democrats also want to take advantage of President Trump’s anger at Senate Republicans, including his stated belief that the GOP is losing the shutdown fight.”
“Democrats are gambling that they can force Trump — who is publicly and privately complaining that the shutdown is hurting the GOP — to pressure Republicans into a deal over reversing mass federal layoffs, as well as on the expiring Obamacare premium credits.”
Another Bonus Quote of the Day
“I will praise Nancy Pelosi. She had an incredible career for her party. I served under her speakership in my first term in Congress and I’m very impressed at her ability to get things done. I wish we could get things done for our party like Nancy Pelosi was able to deliver for her party.”
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), on CNN.
Judge Orders Trump to Fully Fund Food Stamps
“A federal judge ordered the Trump administration on Thursday to fund food stamps in full for roughly 42 million low-income Americans, after admonishing the government for delaying aid under the nation’s largest anti-hunger program during the shutdown,” the New York Times reports.
“But the Justice Department almost immediately told the court it would appeal the ruling. That left uncertain if and when poor families would receive their benefits this month to buy groceries, and how much they would be sent, exposing them again to the risk of severe financial hardship.”
Latino Voter Shifts Alarm Republicans
“Republicans have spent a year cheering President Donald Trump’s gains among Latino voters in November 2024. Now, Democrats’ big wins among Latino voters this week have some Republicans sounding the alarm,” NBC News reports.
“Democrats’ double-digit victories in governor’s races in New Jersey and Virginia, as well as wins in other elections in New York City and California, were driven in part by high levels of support among Latino voters.”
Tesla Approves Elon Musk’s $1 Trillion Pay Package
“Tesla shareholders approved a record-setting pay package for Chief Executive Elon Musk, a plan designed to motivate the world’s richest man with as much as $1 trillion in additional stock,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Flanked by dancing humanoid robots on a stage bathed in pink and blue light at Tesla’s Austin, Texas, headquarters, Musk thanked the crowd of shareholders who supported the pay package with more than 75% of the votes cast.”
Justice Department Investigating D.C. Mayor
“Federal prosecutors have opened a corruption investigation into Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, examining a foreign trip she took with members of her staff that was paid for by Qatar,” the New York Times reports.
Elise Stefanik to Announce Bid for New York Governor
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), an ardent ally of President Trump, will launch her long-expected bid for governor Friday, Politico reports.
Bipartisan Huddle to Reopen Government Planned
“Two Senate Democrats and two House Republicans are planning to huddle Friday over a possible bipartisan plan to extend soon-to-expire Obamacare subsidies,” Politico reports.
“Centrist Senate Democrats are working feverishly to hammer out an ACA framework in more detail to give Democrats an off-ramp to vote to reopen the government.”
‘Sandwich Guy’ Found Not Guilty
“Sean Dunn, the man who pitched a sandwich at the chest of a federal agent in a viral act of opposition to President Trump’s law enforcement policies in Washington, was acquitted on Thursday after a jury found him not guilty of misdemeanor assault,” the New York Times reports.
“The verdict, which arrived after the jury deliberated for roughly seven hours, capped a nearly three-month effort to penalize Mr. Dunn for the August outburst and the resulting chase to arrest him, after the government previously failed to persuade a grand jury to charge him with a felony.”
An Early Look at the New Maps
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Senate Democrats Agonize Over Shutdown Endgame
Punchbowl News: “A high-stakes caucus meeting, set to begin shortly, is expected to reveal whether enough Democratic senators are willing to advance a bipartisan deal to reopen the government and vote on an Obamacare subsidies bill.”
“That meeting will determine whether Senate Majority Leader John Thune decides to keep the chamber in session through the weekend. Thune said he’d need to see a path to begin voting within the next couple of days in order to keep senators here; otherwise, he could send everyone home for the weekend and return Monday.”
Tennessee Tries to Lure New York City Businesses
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) released a new video aimed at New York City business owners, urging them to consider moving to the south and saying Tennessee is open for business.
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