María Corina Machado Awarded Nobel Peace Prize
“The Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who built a powerful social movement and has been living in hiding since last year, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday,” the New York Times reports.
“The Norwegian Nobel Committee praised ‘her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.’”
“Ms. Machado emerged from Venezuela’s political sidelines and corralled the country’s fractious opposition behind her ahead of the 2024 election. That followed years of political apathy in Venezuela, where the government of President Nicolás Maduro crushed protests and arrested dissidents, helping to spur an enormous exodus from the country.”
Shutdown Will Drag Into Third Week
Punchbowl News: “For a moment on Thursday, there was a glimmer of hope that the Senate could find a path out of the shutdown. But by the end of the night, senators were heading home for a four-day weekend more entrenched than at any point since the impasse began.”
“The possibility of a lengthy shutdown is growing more realistic by the day barring some dramatic shift. President Donald Trump may have to be the one to initiate that about face, although he’s been preoccupied with the Israel-Hamas peace deal, immigration and tariff fights, and sending National Guard troops into Democratic-run cities, among other things.”
The U.K.’s Conservative Meltdown Looks Familiar
Jonathan Martin: “What I saw at the Conservative Party conference here this week was a party and country lagging behind its American cousins on the right — but quickly and ominously catching up. The Tories may be out of power, and in some polls sliding to a stunning fourth place, but their dismal straits offer lessons for both parties across the Atlantic as well as the mainstream parties in Europe’s two other dominant economies.”
Democrats Try To Turn Up Pressure On GOP
“Democrats are increasing pressure on certain GOP lawmakers in the shutdown messaging war, the latest being a new ad buy from the DNC,” Deadline reports.
“The six-figure buy will include digital ads on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook, along with billboards and bus shelters in Republican districts.”
Israeli Military Says Cease-Fire Is in Effect
“The Israeli military said on Friday that a cease-fire had come into effect at noon and that its soldiers were repositioning themselves within Gaza,” the New York Times reports.
GOP Governor Criticizes Trump’s Troop Deployment
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican and the chairman of the National Governors Association, criticized the deployment of Texas National Guard troops to Illinois as a violation of his beliefs in federalism and ‘states rights,’” the New York Times reports.
Said Stitt: “We believe in the federalist system — that’s states’ rights… Oklahomans would lose their mind if Pritzker in Illinois sent troops down to Oklahoma during the Biden administration.”
Federal Judge Blocks Troop Deployment in Chicago
A federal judge temporarily blocked National Guard operations in the Chicago area, saying that the Trump administration’s version of events was “simply unreliable” and that deploying troops anywhere in the state would “only add fuel to the fire,” the New York Times reports.
Senate GOP Trial Balloon Gets Grounded
Punchbowl News: “The idea, which Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Majority Whip John Barrasso say is under discussion, would involve giving Democrats a commitment to hold a vote on an extension of the enhanced Obamacare premium tax credits. This would be in exchange for Democratic votes to reopen the government.”
“There are several caveats here, however. For starters, there have been no formal offers or bipartisan discussions at the leadership level. And senators from both parties who have been involved in the informal bipartisan talks are thus far batting it down.”
“Neither party is backing off from their public positions. Republicans still say Obamacare subsidy talks can’t happen until the government is open, and that they can’t promise a particular outcome on the issue. Democrats want guarantees that an Obamacare deal will materialize, pass both chambers and be signed into law by President Donald Trump before the Open Enrollment Period begins on Nov. 1. This is something that Speaker Mike Johnson is hesitant to commit to.”
A Weak Case Against Letitia James
Molly Roberts: “It’s hard to imagine a worse case than the one against James Comey—until you see the one against the attorney general of New York.”
Mamdani Holds Double Digit Lead
A new Quinnipiac poll in New York City finds Zohran Mamdani leads the race for mayor with 46% of likely voter, followed by Andrew Cuomo with 33% and Curtis Sliwa with 15%
Letitia James Indicted
“New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted Thursday in Alexandria, Virginia, as President Trump’s Justice Department continues to pursue charges against his political opponents,” CNN reports.
“James’ relationship with Trump has been adversarial for years as James campaigned on promises to investigate Trump and ultimately won a civil fraud case against Trump, his adult sons and his real estate business.”
A Deep Dive Into Two Key House Races
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Johnson In No Rush to Bring House Republicans Back
“Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republican leaders appear unlikely to bring the chamber back into session next week, extending the 20-day recess despite the ongoing government shutdown,” Punchbowl News reports.
“Johnson’s posture for the last few weeks has been that the House will return when Senate Democrats drop their opposition to the GOP’s stopgap funding bill, which would keep federal agencies open through Nov. 21…”
“We don’t expect Senate Democrats to suddenly change their posture… But we were a bit surprised that House Republican leaders didn’t get much pushback on the call on their strategy of keeping the chamber out of session.”
Charges Expected Soon Against John Bolton
Federal prosecutors in Maryland are “expected in coming days” to charge former Trump national security adviser John Bolton with mishandling classified information, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Keeping a Finger on the Button
An interesting new book: Keeping a Finger on the Button: Presidential Continuity and the Nuclear Age by Rebecca C. Lubot.
The story of how lawmakers grappled with issues over presidential succession and inability and vice-presidential vacancy and ultimately ratified the Twenty-Fifth Amendment.
Keeping a Finger on the Button: Presidential Continuity and the Nuclear Age
- Lubot, Rebecca C. (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 332 Pages - 12/08/2025 (Publication Date) - Palgrave Macmillan (Publisher)
The Authoritarian Menace Has Arrived
Matt Yglesias: “There’s no emergency requiring the dispatch of National Guard personnel into cities where they’re not wanted, and there’s no ongoing ‘invasion’ of the country by asylum seekers. What we have is an administration that refuses to tout good news, because it loves the idea of a country immersed in crisis as a pretext to seize even more power.”
“When the president’s top policy aide is tweeting that court rulings upholding basic federalism and America’s long tradition of keeping the military out of domestic law enforcement are ‘terrorism,’ the authoritarian menace has truly arrived.”
Americans Don’t Like RFK Jr.
A new KFF poll finds 59% of the public disapprove of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s overall job performance, while 62% disapprove of his handling of U.S. vaccine policy.
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