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Scrutiny Mounts of FBI Under Patel

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“On Thursday morning, a day after hastily suggesting the person who gunned down Charlie Kirk was in custody, Kash Patel, the F.B.I. director, convened an online meeting with 200 agents around the country to discuss the manhunt. It was a tense affair,” the New York Times reports.

“Mr. Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino, made it clear they were under intense pressure to catch the killer of Mr. Kirk. They expressed themselves with such fierce urgency that, in the view of some participants, it hinted at another motive: to prove they were up to the task.”

Washington Post: “Patel and Bongino were present at tonight’s news conference but did not comment.”

Trump Vows Crackdown on Critics

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President Trump, following the death of GOP activist Charlie Kirk, vowed to unleash the weight of his administration onto those who he said contributed to an environment of “radical left political violence,” the Washington Post reports.

“How that might translate into policy remained unclear Thursday, as the president and his aides spent part of the day grieving while strategizing their next steps.”

Trump Officials Order Destruction of Contraceptives

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“Millions of dollars’ worth of birth control pills and other contraceptives destined for people in low-income countries have been destroyed at the direction of the Trump administration,” the New York Times reports.

“The pills, intrauterine devices and hormonal implants, valued at about $9.7 million, had been purchased by the agency before it was largely dismantled earlier this year.”


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Senate GOP Invokes Nuclear Option for Trump’s Nominees

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Senate Republicans invoked the “nuclear option” to speed the confirmation of President Trump’s civilian nominees, Axios reports.

The 53 to 45 vote came after nearly five hours of bipartisan talks intended to avert the drastic move.

Washington Post: “The rules change will allow the Senate to confirm multiple nominees at once, helping to clear a backlog of nearly 150 nominees awaiting floor votes.”

Republican Pledges to ‘Cancel’ Those Who Mocked Kirk

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Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) vowed to use “congressional authority” to “cancel” anyone who celebrated the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Said Higgins: “I’m going to lean forward in this fight, demanding that big tech have zero tolerance for violent political hate content, the user to be banned from ALL PLATFORMS FOREVER.”

He added: “I’m also going after their business licenses and permitting, their businesses will be blacklisted aggressively, they should be kicked from every school, and their drivers licenses should be revoked.”

House Republican Calls the Left ‘Evil’

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Rep. Bob Onder (R-MO) raised eyebrows with a speech on the killing of Charlie Kirk, in which he claimed Americans on the left “embrace the evil, the false, and ugly,” Mediaite reports.

Onder went so far as to say his fellow citizens across the aisle “literally will kill those with whom they disagree, just as their predecessors—leftists Marx, and Stalin, and Lenin, and Pol Pot, and Fidel Castro—did.”

Republicans Look to Punt Funding to Thanksgiving

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“Republican leaders are eyeing a House vote on a stopgap spending bill next week that extends government funding through Nov. 20 — up to the Friday before Thanksgiving,” Politico reports.

“House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole of Oklahoma confirmed Thursday that the chamber plans to vote on a so-called ‘clean’ continuing resolution next week, taking action on a measure Democratic leaders have suggested they will reject.”

Judges Plead with Supreme Court for Guidance

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“Frustrated federal appeals court judges publicly wrestled Thursday with how to follow vague ‘signals’ from the Supreme Court contained in tersely worded — and often unexplained — orders handed down on the justices’ emergency docket,” Politico reports.

“Some judges on the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals even questioned whether they still had a role to play or were expected, at least in some cases, to simply reiterate the high court’s orders and leave it at that.”

Virginia Governor’s Race Shifts Towards the Democrats

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Cook Political Report: “Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears has stabilized her once-chaotic campaign in recent weeks and found some momentum by seizing on social issues, but her early missteps and the national environment continue to work against her in the open Virginia gubernatorial race.”

“Accordingly, we are shifting our rating from Lean to Likely Democrat.”

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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