Susan Glasser: “There was a certain awful predictability about the FBI’s Friday-morning raids targeting the former Trump adviser turned critic John Bolton.”
Trump Smears Right Hand In Makeup
“President Donald Trump’s hand was coated in a thick layer of makeup on Friday as he ventured out from the White House amid ongoing health questions,” the Daily Beast reports.
“The president, 79, has been using makeup to cover bruising on his right hand on multiple occasions since he retook office.”
Trump Says He’ll Send Troops to Chicago and New York
“President Donald Trump said he is looking to send in the National Guard to Chicago or New York, seeking to extend the deployment of guardsmen elsewhere after amassing troops in Washington,” Politico reports.
Said Trump: “We’re going to make our cities very, very safe. Chicago is a mess. We’ll straighten that one out probably next. That will be our next one after this, and it won’t even be tough.”
Trump later mentioned New York along with Chicago as cities he’d like the National Guard to “help.”
Kilmar Abrego García Released from Jail
“Kilmar Abrego García, the Maryland man illegally deported to his native El Salvador, has been released while awaiting trial on human smuggling charges, a blow to the Trump administration, which had promised that he would ‘never go free’ in the United States again,” the Washington Post reports.
“It is unclear how long his freedom will last, however. Another court has said immigration officers may seek to deport him to another country, with as little as three days’ notice.”
Quote of the Day
“I look extremely good in shorts.”
— President Trump, quoted by USA Today.
Justice Department Releases Ghislaine Maxwell Interview
“The Trump administration on Friday released the transcript of a top Justice Department official’s interview with Ghislaine Maxwell, the former associate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
ABC News: “The woman thought to have the most direct knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s decades-long sex-trafficking operation claims there was no client list, no blackmail scheme and — to her knowledge — no high-profile Epstein associates who committed illicit acts in connection with the notorious sex-offender’s crimes.”
“Maxwell told Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche that during her time with Epstein — which ranged from the early 1990s to the mid-2000s — she never witnessed nor heard of any inappropriate or criminal activity by President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, nor any of the well-known men who associated with Epstein.”
Why the Democrats Are Struggling
Julia Azari: “Since January 2025, American politics has shifted decisively away from being based on legitimacy, and is instead now mostly a game of power. In other words, the Trumpist GOP – which controls the federal government and much at the subnational level – uses whatever power is available to them, without much concern about legitimacy. Typically, in a democracy, uses of power would be limited by what can be justified in terms of democratic values, accepted practices, and norms like reciprocity…”
“The Democratic Party is not well-suited to this style of politics. This isn’t entirely a knock – a party that’s deeply wedded to arguments about legitimacy instead of thinking about ways to use raw power isn’t the worst thing. But the particular way that the Democratic Party operates and has evolved makes it especially poorly equipped to respond to this year’s developments.”
Trump Says U.S. Will Take 10% Equity Stake in Intel
“President Trump said the government is taking a nearly 10% stake in Intel, capping a two-week frenzy in Washington over the future of the company and fueling speculation about what else might be done to help troubled chip maker Intel,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Trump Hints at Putting His Name on the Kennedy Center
“Donald Trump made a much-teased announcement from the Oval Office on Friday, that the FIFA World Cup draw will take place at the Kennedy Center on December 5,” Deadline reports.
“But he also signaled his desire to put his own name on the arts institution.”
Said Trump: “Some people refer to it as the ‘Trump Kennedy Center,’ but we’re not prepared to do that quite yet. Maybe in a week or so.”
Trump Says Putin May Attend World Cup
“President Trump on Friday said that Russian President Vladimir Putin may attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup being co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico, showing off a photograph in the Oval Office of the two leaders together,” The Hill reports.
Said Trump: “He may be coming and he may not, depending on what happens. We have a lot of things happening over the next couple of weeks.”
The Worst Gerrymander Ever
Sam Wang finds the Texas gerrymander of its congressional map is the worst of the last 50 years.
“If this map stands, it will be because the Supreme Court is ready to discard what is left of the Voting Rights Act. And Texas’s record will enter the history books.”
Vance Denies Raid Is About Retribution
Vice President JD Vance confirmed that the Trump administration is “in the very early stages of an ongoing investigation” into former national security adviser John Bolton, but he denied that the investigation was retribution for Bolton’s criticism of Trump, NBC News reports.
Said Vance: “We are investigating Amb. Bolton, but if they ultimately bring a case, it will be because they determine that he has broken the law. We’re going to be careful about that. We’re going to be deliberate about that, because we don’t think that we should throw people — even if they disagree with us politically, maybe especially if they disagree with us politically — you shouldn’t throw people willy-nilly in prison.”
Trump Installs New Head of the RNC
“Joe Gruters officially took over the Republican National Committee on Friday,” Politico reports.
“And the longtime Trump ally from Florida made his goals clear: Help the president ‘100 percent’ and assist Republicans in maintaining their edge in the House and Senate during the midterms.”
Trump’s Purge of National Security Agencies Continues
“Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has fired Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, the latest senior military or intelligence officer to lose his position in a wider purge of national security agencies’ top ranks,” the Washington Post reports.
Flashback Quote of the Day
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.
— Martin Niemöller, after being released from prison after World War II.
IRS Wants to Rehire Workers It Lost
“The IRS plans to ask workers who accepted offers of deferred resignation and early retirement to come back to work — an attempt to make up for staffing losses after the agency found it had vacancies in critical jobs,” the Washington Post reports.
“The tax agency — which lost nearly 25,700 employees, or 25 percent of the workforce, from buyouts, resignations and firings — told employees that it now wants to reverse some of those losses by reassigning workers, asking workers who took buyouts to return and launching a hiring campaign.”
Canada Drops Many of Its Retaliatory Tariffs
“Canada removed many of its retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. on Friday, marking a significant step forward in the two countries’ relationship,” CNBC reports.
Two Reasons to Defend John Bolton
Jonathan Last: “The first is that whatever you think of Bolton’s worldview, he has been consistent in it. He did not abandon the hawkishness that has been his life’s work just because Trump was president. In fact, Bolton’s falling out with Trump was largely driven by his unwillingness to sign off on Trump’s isolationism and corruption. So if Bolton has been wrong about foreign policy, at least he’s been honestly wrong.”
“The second is that, when the chips were finally down, he exhibited courage. He told the public what he saw.”
“Not on the timetable you or I might have preferred. Nor with the humility that should have accompanied it. But he revealed important facts that otherwise would have remained hidden and he did so at great personal risk.”
“Which is why everyone on the side of liberalism and the rule of law ought to take Bolton’s side today. Solidarity.”
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