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.
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“This is a convicted felon who is threatening to jail me. This guy is unhinged. He’s insecure. He’s a wannabe dictator. And there’s one thing I really want to say to Donald Trump: If you come for my people, you come through me. So come and get me.”
— Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D), on MSNBC.
It’s a Dangerous Job
Wall Street Journal: “Trump occasionally reminds aides about an incident last year in which Trump cut his hand on Bondi’s large wedding ring, causing him to bleed.”
Fifty Plus One
You’ll want to bookmark this new poll tracking site: Fifty Plus One.
Former Aides Turn on Katie Porter
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Harvard Seeks Assurances as Trump Talks Restart
New York Times: “Last week, President Trump made a surprise announcement that Harvard and the government were near an agreement that would allow the university to continue to receive billions in research funds. But a day later, his administration sent letters to nine universities that asked campus leaders to embrace a plan that would align the Trump administration’s political agenda with preferred access to federal research dollars.”
“Harvard officials have since discussed internally the possibility of seeking additional assurances from the administration that the university will not be subject to further demands once an agreement has been signed.”
Inside Trump’s Plan to Investigate the Left
“President Donald Trump’s threatened crackdown on the finances and activities of liberal non-profits and groups opposed to his agenda is a multi-agency effort with top White House aide Stephen Miller playing a central role,” Reuters reports.
“The Trump administration plans to deploy America’s counter-terrorism apparatus — including the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department — as well as the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department against certain left-wing groups it accuses of funding and organizing political violence.”
Graham Platner Has a Growing Senate Fan Club
“Senate Democrats are warming up to an upstart oyster farmer in the crucial Maine Senate race. Now they’ll have to decide if they are willing to snub their party’s dream recruit to support him,” Politico reports.
“So far, Graham Platner only has one public endorsement from a sitting senator, Vermont independent Bernie Sanders. But more than a half-dozen Democratic senators sang his praises in interviews this week, even as Minority Leader Chuck Schumer grows closer to landing his top recruiting target to run against Sen. Susan Collins — not Platner, but Gov. Janet Mills.”
Trump’s Order to Pam Bondi Was Intended to Be Private
Wall Street Journal: “On Sept. 20, Trump meant to send a private message to Attorney General Pam Bondi urging her to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey and his other favored targets…”
“Trump believed he had sent Bondi the message directly, addressing it to ‘Pam,’ and was surprised to learn it was public… Bondi grew upset and called White House aides and Trump, who then agreed to send a second post praising Bondi as doing a ‘GREAT job.'”
“The misfire provided a window into how, through command and chaos, Trump has executed a wholesale transformation of the Justice Department.”
Trump to Get His ‘Yearly Check Up’ Early
President Trump is going back to Walter Reed for a “routine yearly check up,” just six months after he had an annual physical there, CNN reports.
It’s not clear why he is going back so soon.
Tom Steyer to Spend $12 Million on California Redistricting
“As California voters receive mail ballots for the November special election, which could upend the state’s congressional boundaries and determine control of the House, billionaire hedge-fund founder Tom Steyer said Thursday he will spend $12 million to back Democrats’ efforts to redraw districts to boost their party’s ranks in the legislative body,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
Mayor Admits to Stealing Church Funds
South Lake Tahoe Mayor Tamara Wallace wrote in the Tahoe Daily Tribune that she attempted suicide because of the guilt and shame she felt from embezzling funds from a local church.
Said Wallace: “This is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I am publicly admitting that I took funds from the Presbyterian Church over an extended period. Because of this, on September 11, 2025, my birthday, I tried to end my life. I was so filled with guilt, shame, and grief that I experienced a mental health crisis that made suicide seem to be the best solution.”
Norway on Edge Ahead of Nobel Peace Prize Verdict
“Norway is bracing for the aftermath of the Nobel Peace Prize announcement on Friday as the Nordic nation has faced increasing pressure from Donald Trump and his administration to award it to the U.S. leader,” Bloomberg reports.
“His campaign has thrust Oslo into an uncomfortable spotlight, with media and observers worrying about the diplomatic and economic fallout should the Norwegian Nobel Committee snub him. Even so, there is growing indication that pressure has been, if anything, counterproductive.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I’m so embarrassed on behalf of my Republican colleagues for not even being willing to say that you shouldn’t jail your political opponents.”
— Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), quoted by NOTUS.
Democrats Dig In on Shutdown
CNN: “Inside the party, anxiety is rising among vulnerable Democrats about active-duty military service members missing a paycheck on October 15 — something that hasn’t happened on a large scale in modern times. But Democratic leaders are confident their party will maintain its position through that deadline and longer if necessary.”
“It’s a major gamble for Democrats in Washington, who voted on Wednesday for a sixth time in the Senate to reject a GOP funding proposal to reopen the government. But they believe the longer they can hold out, the more public pressure will build in their favor as they expect millions of Americans receive notices in the mail about spiking health care premiums — which they hope will force President Donald Trump and GOP leaders to concede to a deal to extend billions of dollars in Affordable Care Act subsidies.”
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