Tell Pres. Biden: Do not pardon Donald Trump!

VIDEO OF THE DAY: Elon Musk & Trump suffer humiliating failure as House Republicans fail to pass their own bill
We got our first glimpse into how a government entirely controlled by Trump, his anklebiting jackal Elon Musk, and a MAGA-strangled Republican Party might be dysfunctioning with the entirely predictable and also hilarious developments in the interminable saga to properly fund the US government, which the GOP has not done for two straight years. Elon Musk's relentless public pressure inspired the GOP to tank the bipartisan continuing resolution (CR) that would have funded the government for the next two months, forcing the GOP to scramble and come up with a new bill to fund the government which...the GOP's own reps then ALSO tanked. The casualties? Oh, just legislation tackling deepfake porn, $190 MILLION for child cancer research, funding for Down syndrome, provisions for stopping hotels from ripping you off...you know, all the good things that Republicans love to smear as "pork" while doing nothing to help anyone in America, again.

Take Action: Stop Dr. Oz from dismantling Medicare!

Shutdown looms and Mike Johnson is running out of options, LOL
The government will shut down at midnight tonight. Trump has been using his Truth Social account to push for a debt ceiling increase in any spending bill, which is not going to fly with the Freedom Caucus or Democrats. So Johnson, who reportedly joked "If anyone can get to 218 [votes], God bless them," has four options available to him: 1) try to pass the same Trump-endorsed bill that lost 38 GOP votes again, 2) cut a deal with Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies (Trump and HFC will not like this), 3) drop the debt-limit increase, risking Trump's anger but may prove an acceptable can-kick into the next Congress, or 4) a short-term CR to keep the lights on so everyone can go home for Christmas. One thing is for sure, though; the future of Mike Johnson's Speakership is in serious jeopardy.

Take Action: Pass the PRESS Act and protect our journalists!

Trump vows to push the world over the edge
350.org: We’re running out of time to stop the climate crisis — but Donald Trump just vowed to “drill, baby, drill” and push the world into ecological catastrophe just so his Big Oil cronies can make a huge payday. Will you chip in to make sure 350.org has the resources they need to stop Trump and his destructive, regressive fossil fuel agenda?

Jared Kushner's investment firm raises another $1.5 billion from Qatar, Abu Dhabi
Nothing to see here, folks. Just another round of responsible financial management with no alternative motives that totally abide by reasonable ethics standards. Definitely not a bribe, influence-purchasing, or money-laundering in any way shape or form.

Take Action: Tell President Biden to use his pardon power for justice before he leaves office!

A MAGA power play roils Senate GOP campaign groups
A behind-the-scenes battle for leadership roles in the GOP's top Senate campaign groups is predictably causing a rift between the MAGA hardliners and the GOP old guard. POLITICO reports that "typically a little noticed and relatively drama-free affair, hiring at the National Republican Senatorial Committee and its allied GOP super PAC Senate Leadership Fund has devolved in recent weeks into bickering over whether prospective new leaders are sufficiently loyal to Trump and the movement he created," to which we say "lol" and also "lmao." The power vacuum left by Mitch McConnell's exit from leadership is fanning the flames as the two sides wrestle like mangy dogs fighting over an oversized cartoon fish skeleton in a garbage can. As always, Republicans are in major disarray.

Take Action: Say NO to Elon's DOGE department!

NYPD officers break Teamsters' strike at Amazon warehouses
At the picket line in Queens, New York, police arrested and later released Anthony Rosario, a Teamsters organizer, and Jogernsyn Cardenas, one of the striking workers, and then threatened mass arrests before breaking the line in two, even linking their arms together to form a wall and allow vans to enter the building. The police's ferocious defense of a private corporation against their fellow citizens evokes the common protest chant from the 2020 marches: Who do you protect? Who do you serve?

Luigi Mangione returns to New York to face federal charges in fatal shooting
The accused killer of United Healthcare CEO was returned to New York today, where he was treated like an arch-criminal and given the full perp-walk accompanied by a phalanx of NYPD grunts and the mayor of New York himself, who is currently facing an outrageous slew of federal corruption charges. It's clear that Mayor Eric Adams and the NYPD, whose commissioner and replacement commissioner are ALSO under indictment for corruption, wanted to make an example out of Mangione...but we don't think it came off the way they wanted it to.

Give thanks for your eyesight — and then give to help others see!
Orbis: Being able to see the world around them is so important for growing kids, but over 450 million children around the world can’t get the treatment they need for vision issues. Something as simple as a pair of glasses can transform a child’s life for the better. As Giving Tuesday approaches, now is the perfect opportunity to make a donation and help Orbis deliver the gift of sight to a child in need. Chip in today!

Trump team makes clear Elon Musk isn't the leader of the GOP
As Elon Musk takes the spotlight and single-handedly tanked Congress' budget deal, the Trump team furiously issued a statement to Business Insider asserting that actually Trump was in charge and it was all his idea: "as soon as President Trump released his official stance on the CR, Republicans on Capitol Hill echoed his point of view. President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party. Full stop." Safe to say this marriage is not going to last very long, because there's no greater sin in Trumpworld than stealing the spotlight — and then making him look bad.

The number of U.S. troops in Syria has doubled, Pentagon discloses
In a surprise announcement, the Defense Department disclosed Thursday that U.S. officials have doubled the number of American troops in Syria to support the fight ISIS, an increase that predates the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime this month. “It’s been going on for a while,” said the Pentagon's press secretary. Sure would be nice if they at least pretended to keep the public informed where and when our soldiers are being deployed overseas.

Backlash builds as Elon Musk endorses Germany’s far right
Elon Musk posted "only the AfD can save Germany" on Twitter in an endorsement of a far-right German political party that, among other things, calls for a “reversal” of Holocaust remembrance in Germany, states that the Nazi Schutzstaffel death squads were “not criminals”, and has memorialized Nazi leaders. They also endorse mass deportations and deny humanity's role in climate change.

Stock futures fall as Dow heads for worst week since March 2023
Trump isn't even in office yet and his bullshit is already tanking the economy. Great job, America! So much winning!