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November 7, 2025
Republican-controlled Senate blocks Democrats' bid to check Trump power over Venezuela strikes
(The Guardian) The US Senate on Thursday blocked a Democratic war powers resolution that would have forced Donald Trump to seek congressional approval to launch strikes in Venezuela, allowing the president to remain unchecked in his ability to expand his military campaign against the country. The 49-51 vote against passing the resolution, mostly along party lines, came a month after a previous effort to stop strikes against alleged drug trafficking boats in international waters similarly failed, 48-51.
Go to discussionLatino voter shifts in Tuesday's elections alarm some Republicans
(NBC News) Republicans have spent a year cheering President Donald Trump’s gains among Latino voters in November 2024. Now, Democrats’ big wins among Latino voters this week have some Republicans sounding the alarm. “This is a wake-up call for the GOP,” Rep. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., told NBC News. Democrats’ double-digit victories in governor’s races in New Jersey and Virginia, as well as wins in other elections in New York City and California, were driven in part by high levels of support among Latino voters.
Go to discussionJeff Flake: GOP 'migration' away from Trump has started
(The Hill) Former Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) said he believes the Republican Party is beginning to move away from President Trump, citing pockets of dissent within the party and the recent poor performances of GOP candidates in downballot races. “In politics, migrations rarely happen all at once. They start quietly — one or two members of a herd moving toward safer ground while the rest pretend not to notice. But once the wind really changes, the movement becomes unmistakable,” Flake wrote in an op-ed published in The Washington Post on Thursday.
Go to discussionNot The Onion: Trump Allies Hope RFK Jr. Can Deliver Midterms Boost
(Political Wire) “Allies of President Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are looking to the Make America Healthy Again movement to boost Republican prospects in next year’s midterm elections, even as some Democrats perceive Kennedy as a weakness they plan to exploit,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “MAHA leaders are set to use their agenda to shore up support for the GOP among independent voters who might otherwise be tempted to vote blue—or stay home.“
Go to discussion"It's only a matter of time before people die": Trump cuts hit food inspections
(Ars Technica) American inspections of foreign food facilities—which produce everything from crawfish to cookies for the US market—have plummeted to historic lows this year, a ProPublica analysis of federal data shows, even as inspections reveal alarming conditions at some manufacturers. About two dozen current and former Food and Drug Administration officials blame the pullback on deep staffing cuts under the Trump administration. The stark reduction marks a dramatic shift in oversight at a time when the United States has never been more dependent on foreign food, which accounts for the vast majority of the nation’s seafood and more than half its fresh fruit.
Go to discussionTrump lawyer may have inadvertently revealed grand jury info: legal expert
(Raw Story) A lawyer and ally of President Donald Trump may have revealed secret grand jury information while speaking to a far-right commentator, according to one legal expert. Mike Davis, who founded the Trump-focused Article III Project, bragged that his "good friend" was a U.S. attorney and that he'd called for a special grand jury in South Florida. "My good friend Jason Quiñones got confirmed as the U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Florida and Miami," said Davis. "There's now a special grand jury that Jason just motioned the court and the Southern District of Florida to open in Fort Pierce, that's going to be impaneled in January. I think that sounds like a great place to open up this grand jury on Crossfire Hurricane."
Go to discussionTrump Wine Hits Government Shelves
(Forbes) The Trump Organization’s second-term push to monetize Donald Trump’s presidency has reached the aisles of military exchanges, as Coast Guard-run stores, which provide service members and their families with access to tax-free consumer goods, have stocked Trump-branded wine and cider. Coast Guard Exchanges at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., and in Centreville, Virginia, recently stocked Trump-branded wine and cider, according to a photo postedon Instagram and confirmed by Forbes from calls to the stores.
Go to discussionTrump administration tightens its grip on White House press corps
(Salon) President Donald Trump and his MAGA gang had their political posteriors handed to them this week in elections in Virginia, New Jersey, New York City and California, where a ballot initiative allowing the Democratic state legislature to temporarily redraw congressional maps passed handily. But make no mistake, that doesn’t mean the world is safe. It means Trump is now a cornered sewer rat fighting for survival. And he’s going to get even nastier.
Go to discussion'5 shots, 7 holes': Border patrol supervisor appeared to brag about shooting woman, defense attorney says
(ABC News) Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum testified Wednesday that he had no role in the decision to release his government-issued vehicle after it was involved in a collision that led to him shooting a woman on Chicago’s southwest side last month. An attorney for the woman disputed Exum’s account, arguing that releasing the vehicle before defense lawyers could inspect it may have led to the destruction of potentially favorable evidence. The lawyer also confronted the agent with text messages Exum sent to friends and family in the days after the incident in which he appeared to boast about his shooting skills.
Go to discussionJudge slams ICE for 'fictional' case seeking to jail migrant for 20 years
(The Independent) A Texas federal judge had scathing words for the Trump administration last month when he dismissed a “largely fictional” case against a Honduran immigrant who officials accused of harming an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who broke the man’s car window during a stop. “The Government’s conduct was—and has been—outrageous,” U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez, a George W. Bush appointee, wrote in his October 20 ruling tossing the case.
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