The hysterics will get hysterical all over again when it turns out peace isn’t nigh.
Holman W. Jenkins, Jr.
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Opinion | Can Trump Deliver Putin?
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The White House’s history with Thanksgiving, and how the turkey pardon came to be
Two turkeys are traveling Tuesday from the posh Willard Hotel to the White House, becoming the latest turkeys to be pardoned by an American president in a tradition that officially dates back to President George H.W. Bush.
The history of White House Thanksgiving traditions date back more than 160 years to President Abraham Lincoln, who established the national holiday.
During his time in office, Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for the celebration of Thanksgiving, triumphing over similar efforts of presidents who came before him, according to the National Park Service.
The official designation of the annual national holiday is due, in part, to writer Sarah Josepha Hale. The NPS notes that in 1827 — as editor of “Boston’s Ladies Magazine” — Hale began writing essays calling for the national holiday. Finally, on Sept. 18, 1863, she wrote to Lincoln asking him to use his presidential powers to create the holiday.
Lincoln obliged and a few weeks later, on Oct. 3, 1863 — during the height of the Civil War — he issued the Thanksgiving Proclamation. Ever since, the country has celebrated Thanksgiving Day.
But it wasn’t until after a bill passed by Congress on Dec. 26, 1941, that made the holiday fall annually on the fourth Thursday in November.
Thanksgiving at the White House is usually relatively quiet and includes the tradition of pardoning lucky turkeys from their doomed fate of the dinner table.
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
Presidential turkey pardons
The first turkey pardon ever issued is believed to have been by Lincoln as recorded by White House reporter Noah Brooks in an 1865 dispatch, according to the White House Historical Association.
Lincoln had granted clemency to a turkey named Jack belonging to his son Tad Lincoln, that had originally been slated to be gobbled up at the family’s Christmas dinner in 1863.
Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
But the annual practice in which the White House sent pardoned presentation turkeys to a farm to live out their days did not occur until Ronald Reagan’s presidency in the 1980s, the WHHA says. In decades prior, presidents would occasionally receive turkeys from the poultry industry and decide not to eat them without an official pardon.
The WHHA notes the practice of sending presentation turkeys to the president became a norm in 1981, and the pardoning ceremonies quickly became a national sensation. By 1989, the annual tradition materialized with President George H.W. Bush — as documented by the association — speaking to the pardoned turkey, saying the line his successors still reprise at ceremonies today: “He’s granted a presidential pardon as of right now.”
George Bush Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
On Tuesday, President Trump will be presented with two turkeys, Waddle and Gobble, from the National Turkey Federation.
Gathering with family and friends
Aside from the turkey pardoning spectacle, presidents spend Thanksgiving in the same fashion as households across the country.
The first documented Thanksgiving gathering at the White House dates back to Nov. 28, 1878, according to the WHHA. Then-President Rutherford B. Hayes held a large Thanksgiving dinner gathering with his family and private secretaries, singing hymns in the Red Room afterward and inviting African-American staff to enjoy their own Thanksgiving meal in the State Dining Room.
The tradition has since withstood the test of time. Through economic hardship and times of wars, presidents have carved out time for family. The WHHA notes that President Woodrow Wilson’s first Thanksgiving meal during World War I on Nov. 29, 1917, was an economical one — and one without cranberries.
In recent decades, presidents have taken to the tradition of celebrating the holiday outside the White House at their so-called “go-to” vacation spots. President Ronald Reagan in 1985 traveled to the family ranch in Santa Barbara, California.
Mr. Trump will be traveling to Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, as he did nearly every Thanksgiving in his first term. Former President Joe Biden, meanwhile, traveled to Nantucket over the weekend, per his daughter’s Instagram, a Biden family tradition for over 40 years.
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Trump launches ‘Genesis Mission’ to supercharge US scientific AI innovation
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President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday aimed at bolstering U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives as it unveiled its new “Genesis Mission” to accelerate AI use for scientific purposes.
The “Genesis Mission” will direct the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and their national labs to work with private companies to share federal data sets, advanced supercomputing capabilities, and scientific facilities.
TRUMP, MCCORMICK TO UNVEIL $90B ENERGY AND INNOVATION INVESTMENT IN PENNSYLVANIA
“The private sector has launched artificial intelligence at huge scale, but with a little bit different focus – on language, on business, on processes, on consumer services,” Secretary of Energy Chris Wright told reporters Monday. “What we’re doing here is just pivoting those efforts to focus on scientific discovery, engineering advancements. And to do that, you need the data sets that are contained across our national labs.”
Vice President JD Vance, left, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, right, in Greenland while honoring the 55th anniversary of Earth Day 2025. (Reuters)
Additionally, the executive order instructs the Department of Energy and national labs to create an integrated platform aimed at expediting scientific discovery, in an attempt to connect AI capability with scientists, engineers, technical staff, and the labs’ scientific instruments, according to a White House official.
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Trump hinted an effort like this was in the works during the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum Wednesday in Washington, where he said the U.S. would work “to build the largest, most powerful, most innovative AI ecosystem in the world.”
US President Donald Trump during the US-Saudi Investment Forum at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The effort comes after Trump issued an AI policy document called “Winning the Race: America’s AI Action Plan” in July. The document laid out a framework focused on accelerating AI innovation, ensuring the U.S. is the leader in international AI diplomacy and security, and using the private sector to help build up and operate AI infrastructure.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE DRIVES DEMAND FOR ELECTRIC GRID UPDATE
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is also currently considering other executive orders pertaining to AI, and more executive orders could be on the horizon.
For example, Fox News Digital previously reported that the White House was gearing up an executive order instructing the Justice Department to sue states that adopt their own laws regulating AI.
The Trump administration is prepping an executive order that would instruct the Justice Department to sue states that adopt their own laws that would regulate AI. (Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images, left, and MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images, right.)
Trump appeared to address the initiative at the U.S-Saudi Investment Forum as well, claiming that a series of AI regulations imposed at the state level would prove a “disaster.”
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“And we are going to work it so that you’ll have a one approval process to not have to go through 50 states,” Trump said.
Fox News’ Amanda Macias and Dennis Collins contributed to this report.
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Trump’s wild Mamdani flip — the insults that came before the love fest
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While President Donald Trump and New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani doled out praise for each other after their White House huddle Friday, the two have previously not shied away from trading barbs in the past.
From “nut job” to “communist lunatic,” Trump over the past year has lobbed a series of attacks against Mamdani — targeting his appearance and intellect.
“He looks TERRIBLE, his voice is grating, he’s not very smart,” Trump said in a social media post in June after Mamdani became the Democratic candidate for mayor.
Trump once threatened to arrest Mamdani if he refused to comply with federal immigration officials. The comment came after Mamdani said in June that he would stop “masked” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials from “deporting our neighbors.”
While President Donald Trump and New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani doled out praise for each other after their White House huddle Nov. 21, 2025, the two have previously not shied away from trading barbs in the past. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
TRUMP SAYS HE WILL MEET NYC MAYOR-ELECT ZOHRAN MAMDANI THIS WEEK
“Well, then we’ll have to arrest him,” Trump told reporters at the White House July 1. “Look, we don’t need a communist in this country, but if we have one, I’m going to be watching over them very carefully on behalf of the nation. We send him money. We send him all the things that he needs to run a government.”
Also in July, Trump told reporters during a Cabinet meeting that New Yorkers shouldn’t vote for Mamdani, and described him as “a man who’s not very capable in my opinion, other than he’s got a good line of bulls****.”
Trump also has repeatedly called Mamdani a “communist” — a term that Mamdani said is a false characterization of his political ideology. Mamdani instead has said that he is a democratic socialist.
TRUMP SAYS MAMDANI MEETING IN THE WORKS: ‘WE’LL WORK SOMETHING OUT’
After Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani won New York City’s mayoral race, New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte’s campaign sent a van through Manhattan urging businesses to relocate north for “no Communism, less red tape, and lower taxes.” (Angela Weiss /AFP via Getty Images)
Mamdani has had his fair share of harsh remarks in turn about the president. Mamdani labeled Trump a “despot” in his victory speech after winning New York’s mayoral election Nov. 4.
“If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him,” Mamdani said. “And if there is any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power.”
“This is not only how we stop Trump; it’s how we stop the next one,” Mamdani said. “So Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up.”
President Donald Trump said he has not ruled out sending U.S. troops on the ground of Venezuela as tensions heighten. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)
DAVID MARCUS: MR. MAMDANI GOES TO WASHINGTON BETWEEN ROCK AND HARD PLACE
Mamdani also said in a press conference Nov. 5 after the election that he would seek to “Trump-proof” New York in order to safeguard “those with the least from the consequences of a man with the most power in this country.”
However, the two appeared to forge a new path for their relationship as they found common ground on affordability issues and improving conditions in New York. Trump admitted that the two had more in common than he thought — despite their different views — and that he would be “cheering” for Mamdani as he leads the city.
“I expect to be helping him, not hurting him — a big help,” Trump said Friday.
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Trump also brushed off Mamdani’s “despot” comment in the Oval Office Friday, claiming he’s faced worse and that he believes Mamdani will change his tune as the two work together.
“I’ve been called much worse than a ‘despot,’ so it’s not, it’s not that insulting. I think he’ll change his mind after we get to working together,” Trump said.
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Ukraine and Western allies meet in Geneva to discuss US peace plan
Talks between Ukraine and its Western allies on a U.S.-proposed peace plan to end Russia’s invasion got underway in Geneva on Sunday, Ukrainian officials said on Sunday.The head of the Ukrainian delegation, presidential chief of staff Andrii Yermak, wrote on social media that they held their first meeting with the national security advisers from the U.K., France, and Germany. The allies have rallied around Kyiv in a push to revise the plan, which is seen as favoring Moscow.U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was expected to join the talks together with Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff.”The next meeting is with the U.S. delegation. We are in a very constructive mood,” Yermak said. “We continue working together to achieve a lasting and just peace for Ukraine.”Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was waiting for the outcome of the talks. “A positive result is needed for all of us,” he said.”Ukrainian and American teams, teams of our European partners, are in close contact, and I very much hope there will be a result. Bloodshed must be stopped, and it must be guaranteed that the war will not be reignited,” he wrote in a post on Telegram on Sunday.Ukraine and allies have ruled out territorial concessionsThe 28-point blueprint drawn up by the U.S. to end the nearly four-year war has sparked alarm in Kyiv and European capitals. Zelenskyy has said his country could face a stark choice between standing up for its sovereign rights and preserving the American support it needs.The plan acquiesces to many Russian demands that Zelenskyy has categorically rejected on dozens of occasions, including giving up large pieces of territory. The Ukrainian leader has vowed that his people”will always defend” their home.Speaking before Sunday’s talks, Alice Rufo, France’s minister delegate at the Defense Ministry, told broadcaster France Info that key points of discussion would include the plan’s restrictions on the Ukrainian army, which she described as “a limitation on its sovereignty.””Ukraine must be able to defend itself,” she said. “Russia wants war and waged war many times in fact over the past years.”Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Saturday, Trump said the U.S. proposal was not his “final offer.””I would like to get to peace. It should have happened a long time ago. The Ukraine war with Russia should have never happened,” Trump said. “One way or the other, we have to get it ended.”Trump didn’t explain what he meant by the plan not being his final offer, and the White House didn’t respond to a request for clarification.Rubio’s reported comments cause confusionPolish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Sunday that Warsaw was ready to work on the plan with the leaders of Europe, Canada and Japan, but also said that it “would be good to know for sure who is the author of the plan and where was it created.”Some U.S. lawmakers said Saturday that Rubio had described the plan as a Russian “wish list” rather than a Washington-led proposal.The bipartisan group of senators told a news conference that they had spoken to Rubio about the peace plan after he reached out to some of them while on his way to Geneva. Independent Maine Sen. Angus King said Rubio told them the plan “was not the administration’s plan” but a “wish list of the Russians.”A State Department spokesperson denied their account, calling it “blatantly false.”Rubio himself then took the extraordinary step of suggesting online that the senators were mistaken, even though they said he was their source for the information. The Secretary of State doubled down on the assertion that Washington was responsible for a proposal that had surprised many from the beginning for being so favorable to Moscow.___Associated Press writers Claudia Ciobanu in Warsaw, Poland and Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report.
GENEVA —Talks between Ukraine and its Western allies on a U.S.-proposed peace plan to end Russia’s invasion got underway in Geneva on Sunday, Ukrainian officials said on Sunday.
The head of the Ukrainian delegation, presidential chief of staff Andrii Yermak, wrote on social media that they held their first meeting with the national security advisers from the U.K., France, and Germany. The allies have rallied around Kyiv in a push to revise the plan, which is seen as favoring Moscow.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was expected to join the talks together with Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff.
“The next meeting is with the U.S. delegation. We are in a very constructive mood,” Yermak said. “We continue working together to achieve a lasting and just peace for Ukraine.”
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was waiting for the outcome of the talks. “A positive result is needed for all of us,” he said.
“Ukrainian and American teams, teams of our European partners, are in close contact, and I very much hope there will be a result. Bloodshed must be stopped, and it must be guaranteed that the war will not be reignited,” he wrote in a post on Telegram on Sunday.
Ukraine and allies have ruled out territorial concessions
The 28-point blueprint drawn up by the U.S. to end the nearly four-year war has sparked alarm in Kyiv and European capitals. Zelenskyy has said his country could face a stark choice between standing up for its sovereign rights and preserving the American support it needs.
The plan acquiesces to many Russian demands that Zelenskyy has categorically rejected on dozens of occasions, including giving up large pieces of territory. The Ukrainian leader has vowed that his people”will always defend” their home.
Speaking before Sunday’s talks, Alice Rufo, France’s minister delegate at the Defense Ministry, told broadcaster France Info that key points of discussion would include the plan’s restrictions on the Ukrainian army, which she described as “a limitation on its sovereignty.”
“Ukraine must be able to defend itself,” she said. “Russia wants war and waged war many times in fact over the past years.”
Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Saturday, Trump said the U.S. proposal was not his “final offer.”
“I would like to get to peace. It should have happened a long time ago. The Ukraine war with Russia should have never happened,” Trump said. “One way or the other, we have to get it ended.”
Trump didn’t explain what he meant by the plan not being his final offer, and the White House didn’t respond to a request for clarification.
Rubio’s reported comments cause confusion
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Sunday that Warsaw was ready to work on the plan with the leaders of Europe, Canada and Japan, but also said that it “would be good to know for sure who is the author of the plan and where was it created.”
Some U.S. lawmakers said Saturday that Rubio had described the plan as a Russian “wish list” rather than a Washington-led proposal.
The bipartisan group of senators told a news conference that they had spoken to Rubio about the peace plan after he reached out to some of them while on his way to Geneva. Independent Maine Sen. Angus King said Rubio told them the plan “was not the administration’s plan” but a “wish list of the Russians.”
A State Department spokesperson denied their account, calling it “blatantly false.”
Rubio himself then took the extraordinary step of suggesting online that the senators were mistaken, even though they said he was their source for the information. The Secretary of State doubled down on the assertion that Washington was responsible for a proposal that had surprised many from the beginning for being so favorable to Moscow.
___
Associated Press writers Claudia Ciobanu in Warsaw, Poland and Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report.
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Without Saying a Word, Taylor Swift Taught a Lesson in Emotional Intelligence
Why is Taylor Swift staying silent about the use of her song “The Fate of Ophelia” in a recent TikTok video posted by the White House earlier this month? That’s the question music fans, political junkies, and media outlets are asking. The cheeky video shows a slideshow of Trump, vice president JD Vance, and their wives over Swift’s lyrics “Pledge allegiance to your hands, your team, your vibe.” And the video pairs the lyric “The fate of Ophelia” with the caption “The fate of America” and an image of Trump.
Swift has made no public statement about it. And there’s a lot any smart entrepreneur or business leader can learn from her. Even if she’s unhappy about that video, she’s made the choice not to interfere. In many situations, including this one, that’s the wise, emotionally intelligent thing to do.
Swift is likely not a Trump fan. She endorsed Kamala Harris in 2024, writing “I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.” Trump, for his part, has posted “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT” on social media. He also predicted sales of her music would fall after she opposed him. That obviously hasn’t happened, and more recently Trump praised both Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce when the two announced their engagement.
Swift takes music rights seriously.
While Trump may have changed his mind about Swift, it seems unlikely that she’s changed her mind about him. Plus, she’s known to take the rights to her music very seriously, and has sued theme parks and YouTube creators for using her songs without permission.
Why hasn’t she said anything the Trump White House using her song in its video? Most observers assume she’s intimidated by a president known to attack those who displease him. Without reading her thoughts, it’s impossible to know whether that’s true. But there are many reasons why saying nothing is the smart choice.
First of all, although she may not like the White House using her work, it might have the legal right to do so. The use of music to accompany TikTok videos is a complicated topic, but in short, the platform cuts licensing deals with major labels so creators can use their music as the audio for their videos. TikTok even groups together videos using the same song to create playlists. The rules are a bit different for an institutional account such as the White House, but it’s still highly possible that the use of her music was legal.
Also, Swift is newly engaged to Kelce. Football fans–and Kelce’s teammates–come in all political persuasions. The team represents a red state. Kelce himself avoids saying anything about politics, even though he’s very open about most aspects of his life. So Swift may be considering her partner’s preferences. That’s a wise and emotionally intelligent move for anyone in a committed relationship.
What would speaking out accomplish?
That’s the most important question here. Swift is very much a pragmatist. She’s highly attuned to her own fame and thinks constantly about how everything she does and says will be received by her millions of fans. In 2024, she stayed silent about the election, even as an AI-created fake made it appear she’d endorsed Trump. She finally broke her silence and endorsed Harris on the night of the Trump-Harris debate. That was a moment when the nation’s attention was hyper-focused on the election, and so her endorsement seemed likely to have the greatest possible effect. You can be sure it was a very deliberate choice.
With the midterm elections nearly a year away and Trump constitutionally barred from running for a third term, this is very different time. Today, Swift criticizing Trump would have no practical effect on any election. It might be emotionally satisfying. It might seem like the right thing to do. But it wouldn’t change anyone’s opinion, and the video would still be out there.
Next time someone does something that makes you angry, and you want to speak out publicly about it, take a lesson from Swift. Consider what the practical effect of that would be. Maybe it would be the opposite of what you want. That’s probably the case here.
“Congrats, you got played.”
“If it’s the first week of my album release and you are saying either my name or my album title, you’re helping,” she said, after some people criticized her newest album, The Life of a Showgirl, on social media. She knows the same would be true for Trump. Publicly commenting on the video would just bring it exponentially more attention than it already has.
The White House knows this too. When at least two media outlets, Variety and TheWrap ran a story about the video and asked the White House for comment, they received this statement in return: “We made this video because we knew fake news media brands like [yours] would breathlessly amplify them. Congrats, you got played.”
That may be true for every media outlet that has reported on the video. But it’s not true for Swift. By staying silent, she’s shown that she knows better.
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.
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Minda Zetlin
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Five Reasons Donald Trump Fell For Zohran Mamdani
Some Mamdani-loving billionaire got on the horn
Long branded a horrific hellhole by Fox News, San Francisco has been bracing for Trump to deploy the National Guard to the famously liberal town since he started rolling troops into Democrat-led cities earlier this year. In October, the incursion seemed inevitable—that is, until a couple oligarchs, including billionaire Salesforce founder Marc Benioff and billionaire Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, called Trump and told him to stand down. Trump complied.
“One of the things that President Trump is really good at is he’s a really good listener,” Huang told the SF Chronicle about the call. “If you appeal to him, logically, pragmatically, with common sense, he will listen.” Benioff’s Mamdami-aligned creds have recently taken a beating, but it wasn’t that long ago that he backed a hefty tax on large corporations to generate funds to fight homelessness. And Benioff was a White House guest on Tuesday, at the president’s dinner to fete Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. An ideal time, perhaps, to take the president aside and suggest a warm and friendly approach.
Eve Batey
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Hundreds of children abducted from Nigerian Catholic school, days after similar crime
Armed men attacked a Catholic boarding school in northwestern region of Nigeria and abducted several schoolchildren and staff early Friday. It’s the latest in a spate of abductions in Africa’s most populous country and came just days after 25 schoolgirls were kidnapped in a neighboring state. The latest abduction comes as the country is facing scrutiny from the Trump administration amid ongoing concern about violence against Christians in the West African nation.
The attack and abductions took place at St. Mary’s School in Niger State. Local officials did not immediately disclose the number of students and staff abducted, nor who might be responsible for the attack. Local Nigerian broadcaster Arise TV said 52 schoolchildren were taken.
The Christian Association of Nigeria said Saturday that 303 children and 12 teachers were taken. Most. Rev. Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, chairman of the Niger state chapter of CAN, said the total was determined “after a verification exercise and a final census was carried out.”
Nigerian police officials said the abductions took place in the early hours of Friday and that military and security forces have since been deployed to the community. They described St. Mary’s as a secondary school that serves children between the ages of in 12 and 17.
The secretary to the Niger state government, Abubakar Usman, said in a statement that the incident occurred despite prior intelligence warning of heightened threats.
“Regrettably, St. Mary’s School proceeded to reopen and resume academic activities without notifying or seeking clearance from the State Government, thereby exposing pupils and the staff to avoidable risk,” the statement said.
The abductions took place days after gunmen on Monday attacked a high school and abducted 25 schoolgirls in the neighboring Kebbi state, in Maga, around 105 miles from Papiri. One of the girls later escaped and is safe, the school’s principal said.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu earlier this week postponed his trip to this weekend’s Group of 20 summit after promising to intensify rescue efforts.
Deeni Jibo/AP
“I am heartbroken by the abduction of our daughters in Kebbi and the painful loss of Brigadier General Musa Uba and the brave soldiers who fell in Borno. Their families, and the families of the kidnapped schoolgirls, are in my prayers,” Tinubu said in a social media post Wednesday. “I have directed the security agencies to act swiftly and bring the girls back to Kebbi State.”
Nigeria was recently thrust into the spotlight after President Trump singled the country out, stating that Christians are being persecuted — an allegation that the Nigerian government rejected.
“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, “guns-a-blazing,” to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities. I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action,” Mr. Trump said in a Truth social post earlier this month.
Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar rejected Mr. Trump’s claims in a post on X earlier this month, saying “Nigeria is a God-fearing country where we respect faith, tolerance, diversity, and inclusion.”
In October, Mr. Trump designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” in a list of countries that the State Department says have violated religion freedom.
Earlier this week, Tinubu sent his national security adviser and a wider Nigerian delegation to Washington to meet with Trump administration officials and U.S. lawmakers, the Reuters news agency reported Friday.
The White House is considering sanctions and Pentagon engagement on counterterrorism as part of a plan to place pressure on Abuja to better protect Christian communities and religious freedom, a senior U.S. State Department official told Reuters Thursday.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks in Niger and Kebbi states, but analysts and locals say gangs often target schools, travelers and remote villagers in kidnappings for ransom. Authorities say the gunmen are mostly former herders who have taken up arms against farming communities after clashes between them over strained resources.
Abductions have come to define the insecurity prevailing in Africa’s most populous nation and the painful consequences.
At least 1,500 students have been abducted in the region since Boko Haram jihadi extremists seized 276 Chibok schoolgirls more than a decade ago. But bandits are also active in the region, and analysts say gangs often target schools to gain attention.
Analysts and residents blame the insecurity on a failure to prosecute known attackers and the rampant corruption that limits weapons supplies to security forces while ensuring a steady supply to the gangs.
A satellite view shows the school compound, rectangular in shape, surrounded by a wall and attached to an adjoining primary school, with over 50 classroom and dormitory buildings. It is located on the outskirts of the town of Aguara, near the main Yelwa-Mokwa road.
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Donald Trump jokes with Zohran Mamdani about being called “fascist, despot”
President Donald Trump on Friday laughed off New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s past descriptions of him as a “despot” and a “fascist,” turning what could have been a tense moment into a brief display of banter during their much-anticipated Oval Office meeting.
When a reporter pressed Mamdani about calling Trump a despot, the president interjected with a grin:
“I’ve been called much worse than a despot. So it’s not that insulting.”
Moments later, as Mamdani began explaining their political differences after previously referring to Trump as a fascist, Trump cut in again, smiling and patting him on the arm: “That’s OK, you can just say it — I don’t mind.”
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
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NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani set to meet with President Trump at White House today
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is set to meet with President Trump at the White House on Friday afternoon, where he plans to discuss affordability and public safety with the president.
The outcome of the meeting could be hugely consequential for the future of New York City. There’s a lot on the line — from funding for infrastructure projects, to setting parameters around immigration enforcement and, perhaps most importantly, Mamdani needs federal security clearance to be briefed on terror threats and other law enforcement activity.
The mayor-elected shared a photo on social media Friday morning that appeared to show him on board a plane to D.C.
“I will work with him on any agenda that benefits New Yorkers”
The high stakes meeting comes after months of public hostility between the two. Mr. Trump strongly opposed Mamdani during the mayoral campaign, even threatening to arrest and deport him. Mamdani has accused the president of acting like an authoritarian, and Mr. Trump has called the mayor-elect a “communist.”
“I will work with anyone to make life more affordable for the more than 8.5 million people who call this city home,” Mamdani said Thursday.
Mamdani, who vowed to “Trump-proof” the city on election night, said he reached out to the president to set up the sit-down meeting.
“I have many disagreements with the president, and I believe that we should be relentless and pursue all avenues and all meetings that could make our city affordable for every single New Yorker,” Mamdani went on to say. “I intend to make it clear to President Trump that I will work with him on any agenda that benefits New Yorkers.”
Can they find common ground?
Mr. Trump has slammed Mamdani for months, falsely labeling him a “communist” when he’s a democratic socialist.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt seemed to indicate Thursday that her boss still had reservations about the 34-year-old mayor-elect.
“I think it speaks volumes that we have a communist coming to the White House, because that’s who the Democrat party elected as the mayor of the largest city in the country,” she said.
It’s unclear if the two leaders will be able to find any common ground, but New York Gov. Kathy Hochul — who has tried to forge a working relationship with the president, despite major policy disagreements — thinks it’s possible.
“Let’s get the Gateway Tunnel finished. Let’s work on our subway system, money that we need here in the city. And also just the conversation about how it is not necessary to send in the National Guard, because crime is going down dramatically,” she said.
Friday’s meeting is set for 3 p.m. at the Oval Office. Neither camp has revealed exactly what they will discuss.
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Trump skips G20 summit—here’s who else won’t be there
President Donald Trump will not be attending a summit of leaders of the world’s 20 largest economies and nor will the leaders of other group members Russia, China, Argentina and Mexico.
Why It Matters
The Group of 20, or G20, was founded in 1999 after the Asian financial crisis with the intention of promoting global financial stability and underpinning development in a forum that brings together the developed industrial economies and their leading developing partners.
Together, G20 members—19 countries plus the European Union and the African Union—represent about 85 percent of global gross domestic product, 75 percent of international trade, and two-thirds of the world’s population.
Trump’s absence, and that of other leaders, risks undermining the credibility of the G20 during the gathering in South Africa, its first on the African continent.
What To Know
Trump said that no U.S. officials would attend the summit, saying white South Africans were “being killed and slaughtered” in line with his discredited assertion of a genocide in the country, which South Africa denies.
Muddying the waters on U.S. involvement in the summit on November 22-23 in Johannesburg, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa said on Thursday that the United States had signaled it might change its mind and send a delegation. The White House later dismissed the claim as “fake news” but acknowledged that a U.S. representative would be present at the handover of the presidency.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said David Greene, the embassy’s charge d’affaires, “is simply there to recognize that the United States will be the host of the G20.”
“They are receiving that send-off at the end of the event. They are not there to participate in official talks, despite what the South African president is falsely claiming,” Leavitt said.
In a post on X, Vincent Magwenya, the spokesperson for the South African presidency, said: “The President will not hand over to a Charge’ d’ Affaires.”
The position of U.S. ambassador to Pretoria has remained vacant since January.
Who Else Is Skipping the G20?
China’s President Xi Jinping will also not be attending, with Beijing sending Premier Li Qiang instead, China’s Foreign Ministry said. It is not unusual for Li to represent China at such events.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will also not be going, the Kremlin has said. Instead, he has assigned Maxim Oreshkin, deputy head of presidential administration, to head the Russian delegation.
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin in March 2023 on accusations of war crimes, specifically the unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia during the conflict in Ukraine. South Africa is a member of the ICC and would therefore be obliged to arrest Putin.
The Russian leader has made several foreign visits since the warrant was issued, including to North Korea, Vietnam, China and the United States—for a summit with Trump in Alaska on August 15 this year—but none is a member of the ICC.
Argentina’s President Javier Milei is also not going to South Africa but will send his foreign minister, Pablo Quirno. Milie is a close ally to Trump and shares his aversion to multilateralism and efforts to prevent climate change, which South Africa has said it wants to discuss.
President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico will not be attending the G20 summit but will send a senior minister instead.
What People Are Saying
President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa said at a press conference on Thursday: “It cannot be that a country’s geographical location or income level or army determines who has a voice or who is spoken down to. And it basically means that should be no bullying of one nation by another nation. We are all equal.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a press briefing on Thursday: “I saw the South African President running his mouth a little bit against the United States and the president of the United States earlier today, and that language is not appreciated by the president or his team.”
Christopher Vandome, a senior research fellow at Chatham House, wrote in a report released on Thursday: “With the U.S. saying it will avoid the gathering and the global commitment to multilateralism being tested more broadly, the summit will not be a grand moment of solidarity or result in decisive action. Yet the issues championed by South Africa, including debt relief and climate finance, are important for the world.”
Who Is in the G20?
The G20’s membership includes: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States, plus the European Union and the African Union.
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White House cuts tariffs on more goods from Brazil
President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order removing tariffs on Brazilian beef, coffee and other goods that were previously subject to a 40% levy which Mr. Trump announced in July.
Mr. Trump cited “various officials” whom he said advised him that “certain agricultural imports from Brazil should no longer be subject” to the 40% tariff, in part because of progress the U.S. has made in its trade negotiations with Brazil.
The order applies to Brazilian imports to the U.S. on or after Nov. 13, according to the order. Refunds could be owed to businesses that paid the duties, Mr. Trump noted.
Mr. Trump last week cut tariffs on beef, coffee, bananas and other agricultural imports as Americans grapple with high prices at the grocery store.
That tariff relief came a day after Mr. Trump announced reciprocal trade agreements with Argentina, Guatemala, El Salvador and Ecuador. At the time, senior administration officials said the agreement frameworks were largely focused on allowing those foreign markets to accept more U.S. goods.
Food prices rose 3.1% in September compared to one year ago, while roasted coffee had risen nearly 19% over the same period, according to federal data.
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Mamdani ‘not concerned’ about walking into a Trump trap as he plans to talk about the ‘affordability crisis’ | Fortune
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani said Thursday that he’s “not concerned” his upcoming meeting with President Donald Trump could be a political trap, vowing instead to center the Oval Office sit-down on how they could work to make the city more affordable.
Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist, is set to travel to Washington for a meeting with Trump on Friday, a potentially explosive pairing of polar-opposite politicians who have been at odds for months.
At a news conference outside New York City Hall, Mamdani said he hopes to “share the facts about the affordability crisis in the city” while waving off the idea that the president could use the meeting to embarrass him.
“I have many disagreements with the president and I believe that we should be relentless and pursue all avenues and all meetings that can make our city affordable for every single New Yorker,” he said.
Mamdani won a stunning victory in New York City’s mayoral race this month with a campaign heavily focused on the city’s affordability crisis, promising to turn the power of government toward helping the working class while also fighting back against a hostile Trump administration.
Trump has railed against Mamdani for months, warning that his hometown would slide into chaos under the young progressive’s leadership and suggested he would withhold federal money from the city if Mamdani won. Trump has also incorrectly called him a communist and has threatened to deport Mamdani, who was born in Uganda but became a naturalized American citizen in 2018.
The president announced the meeting in a social media post Wednesday night, putting Mamdani’s middle name Kwame in quotation marks while incorrectly referring to him as the “Communist Mayor of New York City.”
Mamdani brushed off the idea that he was walking into an adversarial sit-down with Trump, telling reporters Thursday: “I’m not concerned about this meeting. I view this meeting as an opportunity to make my case, and I’ll make that case to anyone.”
When pressed further, Mamdani said he’d make it clear to the president that he was there as an emissary of the city, not simply a political newcomer.
“For me, it’s not about myself. It’s about a relationship between New York City and the White House, the president, and the federal administration. And I will look to make clear my interest goes beyond any one of an individual but it’s for the people I look to represent,” he said.
When asked if he intended to bring up the president’s threats of stepped-up immigration enforcement in New York, Mamdani tried to pivot back to his affordability argument.
“I think affordability was at the core of our campaign, and also it was affordability based on the value of protecting each and every New Yorker,” he said. “That means protecting them from price gouging in their lives, but it also means protecting them from ICE agents and making it clear that I will look to representing every single person.”
Mamdani will take office as mayor next year, succeeding current Mayor Eric Adams, who has been traveling abroad and posted a picture on X Thursday morning of himself alongside an Uzbek official.
Anthony Izaguirre, Philip Marcelo, The Associated Press
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Cheney to be honored during funeral at Washington National Cathedral
Past presidents and politicians of both parties will gather Thursday in Washington, D.C., for former Vice President Dick Cheney’s funeral.Neither President Donald Trump nor Vice President JD Vance were invited to Cheney’s funeral, according to a source familiar with the matter.Cheney will receive full military honors at the memorial service, which is expected to be a bipartisan who’s who of Washington dignitaries.More than 1,000 guests are expected at the invitation-only funeral Thursday morning at Washington’s National Cathedral — including all four living former vice presidents and two former presidents.Former Presidents George W. Bush and Joe Biden will pay their respects, along with former Vice Presidents Kamala Harris, Mike Pence, Al Gore and Dan Quayle. There are also expected to be a number of Supreme Court Justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Elena Kagan. A large number of past and present Cabinet members from both Republican and Democratic administrations will also attend, as well as congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle.Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi is expected to attend along with Senate Majority Leader John Thune and former leader Mitch McConnell.CNN has reached out to the White House for comment. Axios was first to report that Trump was not invited to the funeral.The funeral’s guest list itself is a nod to a time when Washington was not so polarized and politicians from both sides of the aisle paid their respects when a dignitary passed away.Cheney’s funeral will be held at 11 a.m. ET. Speakers will include Bush, Cheney’s daughter former Rep. Liz Cheney and some of his grandchildren.Cheney, who served as Bush’s vice president from 2001 to 2009, died on November 3 at the age of 84. Prior to being elected vice president, Cheney served as defense secretary, White House chief of staff and as a congressman representing Wyoming.He was considered one of the most powerful and influential vice presidents in history, but his role as the architect of the Iraq War saw him leave office deeply unpopular and cemented a polarizing legacy.While official Washington funerals usually include invites to the White House, excluding Trump should not be a surprise.Cheney was a lifetime hardline conservative who endorsed Trump’s 2016 campaign. But he spent the last years of his life speaking out against Trump, particularly after his daughter then-Rep. Liz Cheney drew the president’s ire for her prominent role in a congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol.In 2022, Cheney described Trump as a coward and said no one was a “greater threat to our republic.”Trump has not publicly expressed his condolences or commented on Cheney’s death.The White House offered a muted reaction after Cheney’s death with press secretary Karoline Leavitt telling reporters that Trump was “aware” the former vice president had died and noting that flags had been lowered to half-staff.Honorary pallbearers at Cheney’s funeral will include members of his Secret Service detail; his former chiefs of staff, David Addington and Scooter Libby; and photographer David Hume Kennerly.On one of the last pages of the service leaflet is a quote from the writer and naturalist John Muir, saying: “The mountains are calling and I must go.”
WASHINGTON —Past presidents and politicians of both parties will gather Thursday in Washington, D.C., for former Vice President Dick Cheney’s funeral.
Neither President Donald Trump nor Vice President JD Vance were invited to Cheney’s funeral, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Cheney will receive full military honors at the memorial service, which is expected to be a bipartisan who’s who of Washington dignitaries.
More than 1,000 guests are expected at the invitation-only funeral Thursday morning at Washington’s National Cathedral — including all four living former vice presidents and two former presidents.
Former Presidents George W. Bush and Joe Biden will pay their respects, along with former Vice Presidents Kamala Harris, Mike Pence, Al Gore and Dan Quayle. There are also expected to be a number of Supreme Court Justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Elena Kagan. A large number of past and present Cabinet members from both Republican and Democratic administrations will also attend, as well as congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle.
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi is expected to attend along with Senate Majority Leader John Thune and former leader Mitch McConnell.
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment. Axios was first to report that Trump was not invited to the funeral.
The funeral’s guest list itself is a nod to a time when Washington was not so polarized and politicians from both sides of the aisle paid their respects when a dignitary passed away.
Cheney’s funeral will be held at 11 a.m. ET. Speakers will include Bush, Cheney’s daughter former Rep. Liz Cheney and some of his grandchildren.
Cheney, who served as Bush’s vice president from 2001 to 2009, died on November 3 at the age of 84. Prior to being elected vice president, Cheney served as defense secretary, White House chief of staff and as a congressman representing Wyoming.
He was considered one of the most powerful and influential vice presidents in history, but his role as the architect of the Iraq War saw him leave office deeply unpopular and cemented a polarizing legacy.
While official Washington funerals usually include invites to the White House, excluding Trump should not be a surprise.
Cheney was a lifetime hardline conservative who endorsed Trump’s 2016 campaign. But he spent the last years of his life speaking out against Trump, particularly after his daughter then-Rep. Liz Cheney drew the president’s ire for her prominent role in a congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol.
In 2022, Cheney described Trump as a coward and said no one was a “greater threat to our republic.”
Trump has not publicly expressed his condolences or commented on Cheney’s death.
The White House offered a muted reaction after Cheney’s death with press secretary Karoline Leavitt telling reporters that Trump was “aware” the former vice president had died and noting that flags had been lowered to half-staff.
Honorary pallbearers at Cheney’s funeral will include members of his Secret Service detail; his former chiefs of staff, David Addington and Scooter Libby; and photographer David Hume Kennerly.
On one of the last pages of the service leaflet is a quote from the writer and naturalist John Muir, saying: “The mountains are calling and I must go.”
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Majority of corporate Trump ballroom donors represented by 3 lobbying firms, watchdog says
The majority of the corporations known to have donated to the fund for President Trump’s new ballroom are represented by three lobbying firms, according to a new report from government accountability watchdog Public Citizen.
Lobbyists from those three firms — Miller Strategies, Ballard Partners and Michael Best Strategies — mingled last month with the president and executives from America’s top technology and cryptocurrency companies over tomato salad and Beef Wellington.
The event took place in the White House East Room, a space that will one day adjoin the new $300 million White House ballroom, and was arranged to recognize donors who privately funded construction that’s now underway. Guests included representatives from more than two dozen nationally recognized firms, like tobacco giant Altria, Comcast, Microsoft and T-Mobile.
Several companies retained more than one of the lobbying firms in 2025, paying hundreds of thousands annually for advocacy before Congress and the Trump administration.
CBS News also found that a fourth firm, Akin, provided lobbying or legal services to at least nine of the donor companies, according to 2025 federal lobbying disclosures, and one of its lobbyists also attended the East Room dinner.
Lobbyists were instrumental in connecting their corporate clients with ballroom fundraisers, multiple sources told CBS News.
Reince Priebus, formerly Mr. Trump’s chief of staff and now president of Michael Best Strategies, attended the fundraising dinner. So did Jeff Miller and Brian Ballard of their namesake firms. Geoffrey Vershoff was Akin’s representative on the guest list, according to CBS News sources.
Priebus, Miller, Ballard and Vershoff declined to comment.
The Public Citizen report, which relied on lobby disclosure forms, revealed Ballard Partners represents 11 corporations that have donated to the ballroom: Amazon, Booz Allen Hamilton, Comcast, Extremity Care, Hard Rock International, NextEra Energy, Palantir, Reynolds American, Ripple, T-Mobile and Vantive.
Brian Ballard was a fundraiser for Mr. Trump’s campaign. Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles were affiliated with Ballard Partners before joining the Trump administration.
Miller Strategies had six donor clients: Altria, Apple, Comcast, Micron Technology, Palantir and Tether.
Lobbying records show Miller also represents a cryptocurrency firm founded by Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss — twin brothers who donated to the ballroom.
Priebus’ firm, according to the report, had five donor clients: Hard Rock International, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Ripple and T-Mobile.
CBS News found that Akin’s lobbying and legal clients in 2025 included at least nine ballroom donors: Altria, Booz Allen Hamilton, Coinbase, Comcast, Google, Micron Technology, Microsoft, NextEra Energy and Vantive.
On Tuesday, Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal, Elizabeth Warren and Adam Schiff sent a list of questions to Priebus, Ballard, Miller and political fundraiser Meredith O’Rourke, requesting information about their roles in soliciting funds for the ballroom.
The senators want to know when they were enlisted in the fundraising effort, with whom they’ve communicated in the president’s orbit, how much they were asked to raise and whether they’ll receive a cut of the proceeds.
“The sheer amount of fundraising necessary to complete this project has clearly required coordination and expertise,” the senators wrote. “The American people are entitled to all the relevant facts about who is funding the most substantial construction project at the White House in recent history.”
The senators also asked which companies they’ve solicited donations from and how much those firms donated.
They said they were seeking greater transparency and disclosure around the project. None of the lobbyists nor O’Rourke are accused of legal wrongdoing.
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Commentary: Justice has no expiration date. That’s why 2020 election fraud still matters
In the days and weeks after the 2020 election, partisans across the country used lies and deceit to try to defraud the American people and steal the White House.
Although Joe Biden was the clear and unequivocal winner, racking up big margins in the popular vote and electoral college, 84 fake electors signed statements certifying that Donald Trump had carried their seven battleground states.
He did not.
The electoral votes at issue constituted nearly a third of the number needed to win the presidency and would have been more than enough to reverse Biden’s victory, granting Trump a second term against the wishes of most voters.
To some, the attempted election theft is old (and eagerly buried) news.
The events that culminated in the violent assault on the Capitol and attempt to block Biden from taking office occurred half a decade ago, the shovel wielders might say, making them as relevant as those faded social-distancing stickers you still see in some stores. Besides, Trump was given a second turn in the White House by a plurality of voters in 2024.
But it’s only old news if you believe that justice and integrity carry an expiration date, wrongdoing is fine with the passage of enough time and the foundational values of our country and its democracy — starting with fair and honest elections — matter only to the extent they help your political side prevail.
It bears repeating: “What we’re talking about here is an attempt to overturn the outcome of a presidential election,” said Sean Morales-Doyle, who heads the Voting Rights and Elections Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, a law and policy think tank at New York University. “If people can engage in that kind of conduct without consequence or accountability, then we have to worry about it happening again.”
Which is why punishment and deterrence are so important.
Last week, the Nevada Supreme Court unanimously reinstated the criminal case against six Republicans who signed certificates falsely claiming Trump had won the state’s electoral votes. Those charged include Nevada’s GOP chairman, Michael McDonald, and the state’s representative on the Republican National Committee, Jim DeGraffenreid.
The ruling focused on a procedural matter: whether the charges should have been brought in Douglas County, where the fake certificates were signed in the state capital — Carson City — or in Clark County, where they were submitted at a courthouse in Las Vegas. A lower court ruled the charges should have been brought in Douglas County and dismissed the case. The high court reversed the decision, allowing the prosecution on forgery charges to proceed.
As well it should. Let a jury decide.
Of course, the Nevada Six and other phony electors are but small fry. The ringleader and attempted-larcenist-in-chief — Donald “Find Me 11,780 Votes” Trump — escaped liability by winning the 2024 election.
This month, he pardoned scores of fake electors and others involved in the attempted election heist — including his bumbling ex-attorney, Rudolph W. Giuliani — for any potential federal crimes. The move was purely symbolic; Trump’s pardoning power does not extend to cases brought in state courts.
But it was further evidence of his abundant contempt for the rule of law. (Just hours after taking office, Trump pardoned nearly 1,600 defendants — including some who brutalized cops with pepper spray and wooden and metal poles — who were involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.)
Efforts around the country to prosecute even those low-level schemers, cheaters and 2020 election miscreants have produced mixed results.
In Michigan, a judge threw out the criminal case against 15 phony electors, ruling the government failed to present sufficient evidence that they intended to commit fraud.
In New Mexico and Pennsylvania, fake electors avoided prosecution because their certification came with a caveat. It said the documentation was submitted in the event they were recognized as legitimate electors. The issue was moot once Trump lost his fight to overturn the election, though some in Trump’s orbit hoped the phony certifications would help pressure Pence.
Derek Muller, a Notre Dame law professor, looks askance at many of the cases that prosecutors have brought, suggesting the ballot box — rather than a courtroom — may be the better venue to litigate the matter.
“There’s a fine line between what’s distasteful conduct and what’s criminal conduct,” Muller said. “I don’t have easy answers about which kinds of things should or shouldn’t be prosecuted in a particular moment, except to say if it’s something novel” — like these 2020 cases — “having a pretty iron-clad legal theory is pretty essential if you’re going to be prosecuting people for engaging in this sort of political protest activity.”
Other cases grind on.
Three fake electors are scheduled for a preliminary hearing on forgery charges next month in Wisconsin. Fourteen defendants — including Giuliani and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows — face charges in Georgia. In Arizona, the state attorney general must decide this week whether to move forward with a case against 11 people after a judge tossed out an indictment because of how the case was presented to grand jurors.
Justice in the case of the 2020 election has been far from sure and swift. But that’s no reason to relent.
The penalty for hijacking a plane is a minimum of 20 years in federal prison. That seems excessive for the fake electors.
But dozens of bad actors tried to hijack an election. They shouldn’t be let off scot-free.
Mark Z. Barabak
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Opinion | The Art of a Deal With Saudi Arabia
Trump says he’ll sell the F-35 fighter jets and more. What is MBS willing to give?
The Editorial Board
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Capitol Hill, White House focus on affordability with new policy initiatives
From Capitol Hill to here at the White House, lawmakers are zeroing in on affordability. You could see it from the administration here in the last week, from videos to messages and new policy rollouts all designed and aimed at lowering costs for Americans. From 50 year mortgages to $2000 tariff checks, the White House is proposing bold solutions to *** stubborn issue. We’re working overtime on reducing costs. Among the changes, the White House. new trade frameworks with Latin American countries to lower the cost of groceries among other items. September’s inflation data shows coffee, bananas, and beef are among the items up significantly over the past year. We understand that people understand as they look at their pocketbooks that go to the grocery store, that there’s still work to do. It comes as the economy absorbs the damage from the 43 day government shutdown, which the White House says wiped out about $90 billion in economic growth and about 60,000 non-fe. Workers their jobs. Meanwhile on Capitol Hill, many lawmakers tell us affordability is also their priority moving forward. Our constituents are absolutely suffering under the crushing costs of health care cost increases, housing increases, childcare, groceries, gas, you name it. I’m going to be focusing my attention on housing affordability, and for Democrats, the fight that drove the shutdown isn’t over. They’re now racing to restore health care subsidies set to expire at the end of the year. *** lapse that could leave families paying hundreds more each month. We’re working towards bringing another bill to the floor that would actually solve the crisis of affordability in healthcare and bring down healthcare premiums for those 24 million Americans. Senate Republicans have promised *** vote to extend those healthcare subsidies in December, not guaranteeing what that vote outcome would be. However, House Republicans have not promised such *** vote at the White House. I’m Christopher Salas.
The federal government has reopened after the longest shutdown in U.S. history, and the focus is now shifting to affordability, a pressing issue for millions of Americans. From Capitol Hill to the White House, lawmakers are concentrating on reducing costs.The White House is proposing bold solutions to address affordability, including 50-year mortgages and $2,000 tariff checks. Kevin Hassett, National Economic Council director, said, “We’re working overtime on reducing costs.”Among the changes, the White House announced new trade frameworks with Latin American countries to lower grocery costs. September’s inflation data shows significant price increases for coffee, bananas, and beef over the past year. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday to eliminate tariffs on a broad swath of commodities, including beef, coffee and tropical fruits.Hassett acknowledged the ongoing challenges, saying, “We understand that people understand as they look at their pocketbooks and go to the grocery store that there’s still work to do.”The economy is absorbing the impact of the 43-day shutdown, which the White House said wiped out $90 billion in growth and cost about 60,000 non-federal workers their jobs. On Capitol Hill, many lawmakers emphasize affordability as their priority moving forward. Rep. Johnny Olszewski, a Democrat from Maryland, said, “Our constituents are absolutely suffering under the crushing costs of healthcare and cost increases, housing increases, childcare, groceries, gas, you name it.” Rep. Mike Flood, a Republican from Nebraska, added, “I’m going to be focusing my attention on housing affordability.”For Democrats, the fight that led to the shutdown continues as they race to restore healthcare subsidies set to expire at the end of the year, which could result in families paying hundreds more each month. Rep. Josh Harder, a Democrat from California, said, “We’re working towards bringing another bill to the floor that would actually solve the crisis of affordability in health care and bring down health care premiums for those 24 million Americans.”Senate Republicans have promised a vote to extend healthcare subsidies by December, but the House has not made such a promise. Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that the Trump administration will require SNAP participants to reapply for benefits. A USDA spokesperson stated that the Secretary aims to address “fraud, waste and incessant abuse” in the SNAP program, noting that earlier fraud rates were only assumptions. The USDA plans to use existing recertification processes, review state data, and potentially introduce new regulations as part of this effort. However, the USDA has not specified when a broad reapplication would start, how it would work, or whether families could lose benefits during the process. Further details have been requested.See the latest news from the Washington News Bureau:
WASHINGTON —The federal government has reopened after the longest shutdown in U.S. history, and the focus is now shifting to affordability, a pressing issue for millions of Americans. From Capitol Hill to the White House, lawmakers are concentrating on reducing costs.
The White House is proposing bold solutions to address affordability, including 50-year mortgages and $2,000 tariff checks. Kevin Hassett, National Economic Council director, said, “We’re working overtime on reducing costs.”
Among the changes, the White House announced new trade frameworks with Latin American countries to lower grocery costs. September’s inflation data shows significant price increases for coffee, bananas, and beef over the past year.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday to eliminate tariffs on a broad swath of commodities, including beef, coffee and tropical fruits.
Hassett acknowledged the ongoing challenges, saying, “We understand that people understand as they look at their pocketbooks and go to the grocery store that there’s still work to do.”
The economy is absorbing the impact of the 43-day shutdown, which the White House said wiped out $90 billion in growth and cost about 60,000 non-federal workers their jobs.
On Capitol Hill, many lawmakers emphasize affordability as their priority moving forward. Rep. Johnny Olszewski, a Democrat from Maryland, said, “Our constituents are absolutely suffering under the crushing costs of healthcare and cost increases, housing increases, childcare, groceries, gas, you name it.”
Rep. Mike Flood, a Republican from Nebraska, added, “I’m going to be focusing my attention on housing affordability.”
For Democrats, the fight that led to the shutdown continues as they race to restore healthcare subsidies set to expire at the end of the year, which could result in families paying hundreds more each month.
Rep. Josh Harder, a Democrat from California, said, “We’re working towards bringing another bill to the floor that would actually solve the crisis of affordability in health care and bring down health care premiums for those 24 million Americans.”
Senate Republicans have promised a vote to extend healthcare subsidies by December, but the House has not made such a promise.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that the Trump administration will require SNAP participants to reapply for benefits. A USDA spokesperson stated that the Secretary aims to address “fraud, waste and incessant abuse” in the SNAP program, noting that earlier fraud rates were only assumptions. The USDA plans to use existing recertification processes, review state data, and potentially introduce new regulations as part of this effort. However, the USDA has not specified when a broad reapplication would start, how it would work, or whether families could lose benefits during the process. Further details have been requested.
See the latest news from the Washington News Bureau:
