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Week of October 19, 2025
New Yorkers don't play.
Ginger
11/4/20254 min read
Here goes..
1. Trump’s attempt to get the Nobel Peace Prize by solving the Israel/Gaza war was performative. The ceasefire is not real. Hamas and Israel will each point fingers at the other, but the avalanche of press attention - which was Trump’s main goal (I mean let’s get real), was yet another example of big media not understanding the moment. (The Guardian, New York Times, NPR)
2. Trump continues to blow up boats off of the coast of Venezuela without checking to see if they indeed contain drugs or drug smugglers. Almost all news sources now are reporting that in fact, they are fishing boats. It’s murder. It’s extrajudicial killing. It’s absolutely illegal. (The New Republic, The Atlantic. There is absolutely no reason not to stop and search the boat. We’ve been doing that forever.
Here is me agreeing with Rand Paul of all people: “There is no fentanyl made in Venezuela. Not just a little bit, there's none being made... These are outboard boats that, in order for them to get to Miami, would have to stop and refuel 20 times... We don't just summarily execute people.” (Piers Morgan Uncensored)
3. National Security threat, Pete Kegseth, removed General Colin Powel’s name from a list of “notable Americans buried at Arlington cemetery. (Politico, NPR, BBC) He is removing content about notable Africa American and women soldiers. The white dudes can stay though.
4. Trump commuted the sentence of George Santois – the grifting congressman was forced to resign for defrauding charities and identity theft. (The AP)
5. Trump demolished the East Wing of the White house – so he can build a 200 million dollar ballroom. Most people do not want him to do this, but he doesn’t care. This is not the behavior of a man who thinks he will only be in office for another 3 years
Also, the White House is 55,000 square feet. Trumps ballroom is 90,000 square feet. Just gross.
I agree with Neera Tanden.
This is a good Thread on the history of White House renovations.
6. Trump is personally sabotaging the release of the Epstein files according to Republican Rep, Tom Massie.
7. Trump and ICE are mucking about in New York. All I can say is, don’t think you can intimidate New Yorkers with this BS. (I cannot even express how much I love this photo.)
8. And Portland protests continue to be fabulously weird.
9. Trump’s new Defense plan outlines a “National Guard response force” trained in crowd control and civil unrest, to be deployed across all 50 states by April 2026. (The Hill) Again, he doesn’t think he’s ever leaving the White House.
10. Stephen Miller (while on Fox) threatens to arrest Illinois governor JB Pritzker for "seditious conspiracy" and says, "to all ICE officers: you have federal immunity in the conduct of your duties. And anybody who lays a hand on you or tries to stop or obstruct you is committing a felony."
11. The Trump administration has just agreed to buy thousands of drone parts from Donald Trump Jr.’s new drone company. (Forbes) Which is funny because Trump Jr. said this last year, “Those Hunter no-show no-experience board seats didn’t come without an expected return!,” Donald Trump Jr. tweeted, referring to Hunter Biden. This is why you don’t do this stuff when your family is in public service. Decent people try to avoid conflict of interest and the appearance of impropriety.
12. Because of the government shutdown SNAP benefits will be halted on November 1. Close to 70% of recipients of SNAP and WIC benefits are children, the elderly or disabled. (Operation Food Search).
UPDATE: Two judges order Trump Admin to pay the SNAP benefits during the shutdown. Trump says he’ll pay half. What? This is not a negotiation. The Trump Administration also admitted that it new all along that it could use contingency funds but chose not to. Even trying to prevent states from covering the benefits.
13. Now why would a news organization not want to air this ad? “Fair and Balanced” and all…
14. Trump again about his cognitive test; "I put the star in the star hole. A lot of people can't do that. They try to put it in the hexagon hole. But I put it in the star hole, and it only took me three attempts. I'd like to see AOC do that." Bonkers.
15. Russell Vought, Project 2025: 1. Collapse civilian government functions 2. Starve Americans of aid 3. Claim there’s no choice but to centralize power 4. Privately control the military & law enforcement. 5. A hostile restructuring of the government. 6. The shutdown is the trigger
Look, I didn’t say it, Vought did (the above is a condensed version). It’s all in Project 2025, which Trump disavowed, and then hired pretty-much all of its authors in his Administration. He lies as he breathes.
16. The guy who promised to end all foreign wars is talking about hitting Venezuela either openly by the military or through covert actions by the CIA. (Miami Herald, New York Times)