Donald Trump’s second term as president of the United States could turn into “Weekend at Bernie’s White House” an acclaimed psychologist and former Johns Hopkins professor warned.
Dr. John Gartner made the disturbing claims during a recent appearance on “The Dean Obeidallah Show,” revealing that he believes the president is suffering from dementia and will “fall of a cliff” cognitively before the end of his term.
“Here’s the thing, will he become impaired enough that they need to invoke the 25th amendment? Yes,” Gartner said. “Will they invoke the 25th amendment? No.
“We are going to have a Weekend at Bernie’s White House,” he added. “They’re going to be wheeling him around, but don’t think that he can’t get into trouble. He will. It’s going to go from a farce to tragedy or from tragedy to farce, but it is going to get more and more absurd.”
Gartner told Obeidallah he is convinced that Trump has dementia.
“Basically, what we see are the classic signs of dementia, which is gross deterioration from someone’s baseline and function,” he said. “That’s very important because one of the areas that we can most physically see this is in his verbal productions. And, if you go back and look at film from the 1980s, he actually was extremely articulate. He was still a jerk, but he was able to express himself in polished paragraphs, and now he really has trouble completing a thought and that is a huge deterioration. His vocabulary has deteriorated, but also he has started to show very specific signs of phonemic paraphasia for example where he routinely can’t say an English word so he substitutes a non-word that is easier to pronounce that sounds like it.”
Gartner claimed there are “dozens of examples” of Trump doing this.
“It’s not a big thing, but it is a diagnostic sign, and this is why it is important to have doctors evaluating these things,” he said. “People don’t do that. Yeah, you and I, we have memory problems, we are getting older. We forget things. That’s not the same as starting to use non-English words and to substitute for English words because we have trouble forming the whole word, but he has trouble forming a whole concept.” [continues]
has no relation to the above, by the way, just a little legal lesson from john oliver last night to tickle someone’s fancy.
John Oliver discusses felony murder, a way you can wind up in prison for murder without actually killing anyone, and why Cillian Murphy won an Oscar, not his parents whose hot Irish sex led to his existence. Those last two things are related. We swear.
here’s how the Beeb reported last night’s shutdown vote
US senators have passed a deal that paves the way to ending the longest government shutdown in the country’s history.
A group of Democratic lawmakers backed an agreement negotiated with Republicans in the Senate.
After 40 days of stalemate, this is the first sign of any progress. But the deal still needs to pass the House, and Democrats opposed to it in the Senate could slow the process down.
Attribution: The president sleeps during the shutdown by Jeff Koterba, patreon.com/jeffreykoterba
[After 31 years as the cartoonist for Nebraska’s largest newspaper, Jeff suddenly found himself laid off. So he greatly appreciates the support of fans to keep drawing. Jeff’s brilliant and moderate editorial cartoons are syndicated around the world and his original drawings have also flown aboard space shuttle Discovery. He’s given Ted talks and is the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter for the Prairie Cats, a swing and jump-blues band that has performed around the U.S. including the South by Southwest Music Festival. And he may be the most popular cartoonist with editors on all of Cagle.com.]
The enjoyable moments at Landover MD, where the Washington football club plays home games, were short and limited. Those moments were when mangomoron was introduced to the stadium. Lots and lots of booing. Loud and filled with hatred. He was not happy. There is almost no mention of it in the media, but a little can be seen on FB and twit.
Yes, the Senate and House will pass the Senate bill (unless the House Republicans lose their mind). And NYT lets us know what Trumpco has been doing during the shutdown when he wasn’t sleeping at his desk:
The Latest on the Trump Administration
Food Stamps: Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson temporarily halted a court order that would have required the Trump administration to fund food stamps in full, and the administration told states that they must “immediately undo” any actions to provide full food stamp benefits to low-income families. Here’s a timeline of the legal saga surrounding SNAP and a fact-check of misinformation.
A Mar-a-Lago on the Potomac: President Trump’s “demolish first, ask questions later” approach highlights a tension involved in a bipartisan desire to streamline the building process, our critic writes.
Loyalists Push ‘Grand Conspiracy’: Far-right influencers have been hinting that they have finally found a venue — Miami — and a federal prosecutor — Jason Reding Quiñones — to pursue long-promised charges of a “grand conspiracy” against Trump’s adversaries.
A Two-Headed Coin: Would a proposed coin featuring the president on both sides commemorate America’s founding, or undercut its founding principles?
Inquiry Into Meatpackers: The Justice Department has opened an investigation into possible collusion among the big meatpackers. The effort may mollify ranchers, but it’s unclear how far it will go.
Tax Breaks for the Wealthy: The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service are issuing rules that provide hundreds of billions of dollars in tax relief to big companies and the ultrarich.
Was curious which side Newom would take. Didn’t have to wait long.
The average SNAP benefit per month is $177 a person.
The average ACA benefit per month is up to $550 a person.
People want us to hold the line for a reason. This is not a matter of appealing to a base. It’s about people’s lives.
pad, put that along with the stuff I listed on mailers and billboards and send it to everyone who makes less than $200K per year. Oh, and commercials to air on the NBA, NFL & NCAAF.
A U.S. appeals court Sunday night denied the Trump administration’s efforts to stop the release of full funding for November’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments as ordered by a lower court judge.
The ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit said a district court had acted within its discretion in concluding “the overwhelming evidence of widespread harm” from halting the payments outweighed the potential harm to the government and the Child Nutrition Programs.
The Trump administration is expected to appeal the decision, prolonging the tug-of-war over the nation’s largest public initiative to combat hunger. Tens of millions of Americans are at risk of food insecurity as winter nears.
[…]
Add that to the list.
And this:
Judge blocks Trump from deploying National Guard in Oregon
The judge, who was appointed by Trump, said the attempted deployment in Portland exceeded the president’s authority.
November 7, 2025
A federal judge Friday evening blocked President Donald Trump from deploying the National Guard in Oregon, the latest setback in his administration’s bid to send troops into Portland.
U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut said Trump had overstepped his authority and violated the 10th Amendment by calling up the National Guard amid protests against immigration enforcement.
Even granting a president significant deference, Trump “did not have a lawful basis to federalize the National Guard,” Immergut, who was appointed by Trump during his first term, wrote in a 106-page ruling. She concluded that contrary to the administration’s contentions, “there was neither ‘a rebellion or danger of a rebellion’” in Oregon.
…
Immergut said she was permanently blocking the Trump administration’s efforts to deploy the Oregon National Guard or other Guard members based on the conditions officials invoked in the attempted Portland deployment.
[…]
And that. (For those of you who aren’t familiar, the important parts of that ruling are the factual finding in the 3rd paragraph and basing her opinion on the facts relied on by the government are the two key parts of Judge Immergut’s opinion.
Looks like all Dumbass got last week is a cut in prices for his “fat drugs” and a nap.
The boos were louder than the oath.
At the NFL’s Veterans Day ceremony, Trump’s mic got swallowed by the crowd — you can barely hear him over it.
Watch (and listen) for yourself →
Newsome and old Berman very much on same page.
Also O is experiencing strong ad buys.
Supreme Court declines taking up Obergefell v. Hodges without comment even from the two super conservatives. Slams door shut on reversal. All marriages and adoptions will now stand.
About the “fat” drugs. Wasn’t that a process begun under Biden? Trump just gets credit for not stopping it.
50 year mortgage proposed. This is insane as it quintuples the cost of the home even while making monthly costs a little more affordable for younger buyers, particularly now considering the number of times people have to move to stay employed.
Posted this the other day:
When I was 20 and hubby 22, we bought a modest 4 BR 1 3/4 bath suburban home for $21,900 with $6000 down and 20 year mortgage. Last checked that home 60 years later in Campbell, CA is now valued at 1 million + thanks to location near Silicon Valley businesses.
There is no chance a young couple could buy that home now.
Jaime – well, well, well. The court formerly known as supreme finally hit a wall they could not ignore. Perhaps a few of the far right members realized that sfb was a burp away from permanent horizontal. No need to irritate the public more.
MY MORNING TAKE ON LAST NIGHT’S DEAL ☕
Eight Senate Democrats broke ranks to end the shutdown.
Smart pivot or straight-up cave?
🚨 NEXT CHAT: 2PM ET — Did Democrats Blink, Bail, or Bluff?
Join live →
🎥 Watch Craig’s 4-minute take now →
So my 2 Senators voted to reopen the government. Damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
All I know is that I’m voting for Democrats no matter who’s on the ballot.
BTW… Jeanne Shaheen is not running for re-election.
today’s meme…
Craig,
Six of one, half dozen of another. People need to live and for most that requires a paycheck. They need healthcare and that requires GOP cooperation of some sort. However worthless it is, the House has to open, Grijalva needs to be sworn in, screaming over Epstein must continue, and getting a healthcare vote had better take place.
There will be more than enough blame to load on to Republicans if Democrats don’t forget how to make noise.
Join the conversation in one hour:
— LIVE at 2PM ET
• Did Democrats cave or make a tactical pivot?
• Why Republicans now own the health-insurance crisis they created.
• Gavin Newsom unloads on “defecting Democrats,” calling it a betrayal.
• Is it time for Schumer to go? He voted no — but did nothing to stop the yes votes.
• And Craig’s pick for the next party leader: Amy Klobuchar.
And an oldie that still holds up. Randy may be all that’s keeping me sane.
Craig,
Gavin Newsome (Age 58), Amy Klobuchar (Age 65) Mark Kelly (Age 61) Beto O’Rourke (53), Kamala Harris (61), and J. B Pritzker (60) are excellent to consider for 2028. I don’t think anyone older should be put forward. Open to all possible suggestions, but whoever wants the job needs to start running the marathon now.
How to pay off the national debt?
Adding 1 cent to every share traded daily in the US would be $100 million to $200 million daily depending on volume. The daily interest on the national debt is approximately $3 billion so we might need to make that a nickel per share. Of course, we could take back all those tax cuts given to the wealthy. We were doing fine in 1965 when the highest rate was 70% instead of the current 37%.
A top Democrat has blasted the Trump Administration after Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted child sex offender and the girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein, reportedly asked the president to commute her 20-year sentence.
A whistleblower alerted House Judiciary Democrats to Maxwell’s plan for freedom, prompting Representative Jamie Raskin to write a fiery letter to the president demanding to know how the convicted sex offender was able to make such a huge request.
Let the record show that President Donald Trump issued mass preemptive pardons to those involved in his effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election five years to the day since the Four Seasons Landscaping debacle in Philadelphia.
Trump granted “full, complete, and unconditional” pardons for 77 people involved in the fake electors scheme and others aspects of the 2020 subversion effort on Nov. 7, but they were not publicized by the White House. Instead, U.S. pardon attorney Ed Martin revealed the pardons in a post on X late last night.
purge the party, not elevate the mediocre members of it
Dems love mediocrity, it’s baffling
Anonduh
Any suggestions for 2028?
we should also never mention Kamala Harris again, she’s done, she had her chance. She blew it. She doesn’t have the grit, the drive, the ideas, or the messaging.
thank you, Jamie, as I said a year ago, I thought people should’ve announced candidacies right away or exploratory committees (however you want to express it), Buttigieg should’ve thrown his hat in the ring already
Newsome is the Democrat leader right now inarguably, he’s likable, he gets the press, he’s had successes
So few Democrats can claim that
we all want a quick fix, me included, but what we need is a generational movement the fruition of which we probably won’t be around to see
Life‘s like that eh
we needed campaign finance form. We got corruption “on steroids”, no, I can’t think of ideal candidates in a reality where a Senate seat “costs” a billion dollars (in campaign expenditures)
Kamala could be the de facto 2028 right candidate right now if she had just come out immediately after the inauguration and started messaging against the regime
instead said she “went away”
These people are not fighters
Anon,
Yep, as I said, anyone who wants the job needs to be running now and that is Newsome. The midterms will simply be too late to make noise. Anyone really wanting the top job on the GOP is lurking in the weeds waiting for Trump to assume room temperature.
what we really need is more senators and representatives to prevent those chambers from becoming springboards for toxic idiots like Anna Paulina Luna and Nancy Mace
which compels state-level engagement, all the dirty, hard, boring, thankless work
…Christine Pelosi announces her intentions to run for office. But the younger Pelosi isn’t aiming for her mother’s congressional district in San Francisco. Instead, she is setting her sights on state Sen. Scott Wiener’s seat, after he entered the 2026 race to fill the former House speaker’s seat.
Christine Pelosi, 59, is an attorney and women’s rights advocate who has long been connected with California Democrats. Four days after the Speaker Emerita said she would retire in 2026 after more than 38 years in Congress, the daughter put to rest speculation she would run for her mother’s 11th Congressional District seat.
Wiener, a 55-year-old state lawmaker, announced late October that he would be running for Nancy Pelosi’s seat, pitting him against Saikat Chakrabarti, 39, a former chief of staff for progressive Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
That has opened up his state Senate seat for Christine Pelosi to run for, setting up a domino-like scenario.
“Gavin Newsom and Nancy Pelosi were once distantly related by marriage; Newsom’s aunt was married to Pelosi’s brother-in-law, but they are not currently related. Their familial connection ended when the marriage was dissolved in 1977.”
-Search Assist
Oh, but I heard the California relatives preach the evils of Gavin & Nancy, like they were the tRUMP mob.
from today’s Trail Mix Live Chat:
“They don’t have the votes.” Republicans now own the health-insurance crisis.
Some Democrats call it a cave — others call it math, maybe even a useful pivot to the midterms.
🎥 Watch Democracy Fights Back playlist →
Today’s full livestream…
As far as marriages are concerned, there was Newsome’s alliance with Kimberly Guilfoyle when she was still a Democrat before lying down with the Trump scion before moving on to Greece. The lady does seem to know which side her bed is buttered.
“The question was, is, as the shutdown progresses, is a solution on the ACA becoming any more likely? It appears not,” King said Sunday. “I think people are saying we’re not going to get what we want -Angus King
10:00 AM Rally at Flare, followed by record-breaking direct lobbying for impeachment and removal. We will march to Congress with Rep. Al Green, where experienced guides will lead us into congressional office buildings in groups.
ALL DAY Meet Removal Coalition partners & pro-impeachment candidates at Flare. Mutual aid Food Drive. (35 Columbus Monument Dr. NE)
6:00 PM “Fuel the Cause” Happy Hour | Private Fundraiser | Generous donorst mingle with top creators & movement leaders, including the biggest names in the political resistance. See below for invitation details.
***
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21
11:00 AM Training with Citizens Impeachment at Flare: How to lobby for impeachment & continue the movement from home.
7:30 PM “Comedy Church” | Ticketed Fundraiser | Join Cliff Cash, John Pavlovitz, Booker Squared, Father Nathan Monk and Larry Fulford for an epic night of thoughtful humor, political standup and hope. Tickets sold here. VIP options† available via donation, see details below.
***
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22
12:00 PM Main rally and march on Washington, featuring headlining speakers and live entertainment from the Dropkick Murphys & Earth to Eve. Exact location TBA.
7:00 PM “One Cause, Four Bands” | Ticketed Fundraiser | Join us for our wrap party concert finale, with music from viral artists and DC heroes: Earth to Eve, Gwen Levey & the Breakdowns, Allstrike & Freedom Futures Collective. Tickets sold here. VIP options† available via donation, see details below.
Join with the Remember Your Oath Veterans Rally; Columbus Circle/Union Station
Saturday, Nov. 15, 1 PM; Surround the White House 1.0 {Part 1}
16th St. NW and H Street NW
Monday Nov. 17, 3-6 PM; Surround the White House 1.0 {Part 2}
Thursday – Saturday Nov. 20-22;
Join with the Trump Must Go Now Coalition at Removal Coalition actions
Monday Nov. 24, 3-6 PM; Surround the White House 1.0 {Part 3}
“we have them on the ropes their coalition is fracturing!”
“great, let’s give up and capitulate!”
…these *%#+ing people 🤦♂️
✌️ ✌️
From what I have read, and not on the twit, Christine Pelosi has picked up more than dinner table talk from her mother. She has solid experience in politics. She stated she is going for a state seat, which is a good start for the next step, Congressional Representative. Say four years?
For whatever reason I have still do not have information about why Harris disappeared. Campaign loss is one thing, take a day off, then back in the fight.
Newsome has already tossed Transgender people off the boat. I do not support his campaign for president. If there are no alternatives I will vote Democratic, but only to keep the magats away.
Yes BB, Newsom has some’splaining to do on his transgender stance.
BiD i see Raskin is on CNN tonight 9pm. The Maxwell pardon rumors on the agenda
Yes BB, Newsom has some’splaining to do on his transgender stance.
UnitedHealth Group is facing unprecedented scrutiny as federal investigations threaten the future of the nation’s largest healthcare conglomerate.
The Department of Justice has launched both criminal and civil investigations into the company’s Medicare billing practices, while Congress has introduced legislation aimed at breaking up UnitedHealth and its subsidiary Optum.
The investigation focuses on whether UnitedHealth inflated diagnoses to trigger extra payments to its Medicare Advantage plans. According to reports, DOJ investigators have interviewed several doctors about whether they felt pressured to submit claims for certain conditions that bolstered payments from the Medicare Advantage program to the company.
In September 2025, Representatives Pat Ryan (D-NY), Val Hoyle (D-OR), and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), in coordination with Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), introduced the Patients Over Profits Act. This bicameral legislation specifically targets UnitedHealth Group’s vertical integration model.
The proposed legislation would:
Bar insurance companies, including UnitedHealth Group, from buying medical practices through subsidiaries like Optum
Require existing healthcare conglomerates to separate their insurance and healthcare provider businesses
Prevent insurance companies or their subsidiaries from owning a Medicare Part B or C provider
Authorize enforcement actions by the FTC, State Attorneys General, HHS Inspector General, or DOJ Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust
A STAT investigation found that UnitedHealth Group pays its own provider groups more than rival medical clinics, a practice that may undermine competition and drive up prices.
The investigation also revealed that UnitedHealth has pressured doctors in medical groups nationwide to diagnose older patients with chronic diseases to help extract higher payments from Medicare.
UnitedHealth Group faces a Department of Justice antitrust review of Optum’s acquisition of medical practices that was opened in February 2024. According to reports, investigators are examining anticompetitive harms for patients and providers.
*Craig – This is what Jamie & I were talking about today.
OK, if you wanna do some quick googling to corroborate what I’m about to say go ahead I already did
Conservatively (emphasis added), 2/3 of Americans do not support athletes participating in sports that don’t match their birth gender and you think Newsome has explaining to do? No, that lobby has some explaining to do on why supporting their agenda is worth sacrificing every other progressive policy goal
to my previous point, a two-party system does not afford a lot of wiggle-room in the public discourse for nuance, which undermines progress in an era when everything is more nuanced than ever before
Hence, people preferring to pretend it’s 1955
The explaining I see that Newsom needs to do is the likely charges of hypocrisy he’ll get from those he’s trying to appeal to on the athletic participation issue. He has carved out a stance against it but says or does nothing about California laws allowing it, even protecting it.
He seems to think he’s taking the issue off the table for himself, but he could end up with both sides mad at him.
if that’s his biggest political liability, he’s in a good position
yeah, but too bad he overshadows what is actually a strong record of support for transgender rights by pandering to bigots who still won’t vote for him
I would need to run this by someone transgender simply due to ignorance on my part, but I have heard arguments made for athletics based on before and after Puberty due to muscular development affecting competition.
Also on sexuality – whatever floats your boat as long as all are willing and able to consent.
I’m opposed to anything that smacks of prejudice, but should there be any concession made for physical differences in young children? Nudity at any age doesn’t phase me as a sunshine pool nudist, but others are squeamish on the subject. Again pleading ignorance.
2028
Mark Kelly?
Tammy Duckworth?
Chris Murphy?
Jon Ossoff?
Gavin Newsom?
JB Pritzker?
Gretchen Whitmer?
Josh Shapiro?
AOC?
VP – Ann Johnson? (TX)
Wow! She is great and worth watching.
Johnson has the fire that Dems in DC are missing. Ann Richards is smiling down on her.
what is actually a strong record of support for transgender rights
and look at the thanks he gets for it
BiD, i just watched Raskin on CNN. He barely mentioned the pardon (commutation) request that the whistler blower revealed to him. He and Caitlin mostly talked about the whistleblower’s description of Maxwell’s cozy prison conditions, which is a story. But the bigger story, the pardon thing, got short shrift. It almost seemed like he’s less confident in the whistleblower’s evidence for that part of it.
State by state and community by community, WFP is building a political home for all of us who see bigotry, bailouts, and business as usual in our political system and ask, “Is that the best we can do?”
Craig – That’s too bad, because the more noise about the possibility of a commutation or pardon up front, the more likely it’ll be put off.
It sounds like Johnson will swear in the Rep from AZ. ps – She was in the WFP list of candidates.
On MSNBC Monday, Shaheen acknowledged that Schumer was “kept informed” of the eight senators’ negotiations with the GOP regarding reopening the government.
“It’s the same reason why they scheduled the surrender for after the election this week,” Levin said. “They didn’t want people pissed at Democrats right before an election.”
*Well that’s cold comfort. They were always going to cave. They could’ve demanded commercial aircraft take precedence over private aircraft, but noo.
*
A vote in mid-December, after open enrollment, and with no chance of getting Repugz to vote for extending the subsidies for even one year.
NEW THREAD
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https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/donald-trump-hit-with-disturbing-cognitive-claims-weekend-at-bernie-s-white-house/
has no relation to the above, by the way, just a little legal lesson from john oliver last night to tickle someone’s fancy.
John Oliver discusses felony murder, a way you can wind up in prison for murder without actually killing anyone, and why Cillian Murphy won an Oscar, not his parents whose hot Irish sex led to his existence. Those last two things are related. We swear.
here’s how the Beeb reported last night’s shutdown vote
US senators have passed a deal that paves the way to ending the longest government shutdown in the country’s history.
A group of Democratic lawmakers backed an agreement negotiated with Republicans in the Senate.
After 40 days of stalemate, this is the first sign of any progress. But the deal still needs to pass the House, and Democrats opposed to it in the Senate could slow the process down.
Attribution: The president sleeps during the shutdown by Jeff Koterba, patreon.com/jeffreykoterba
[After 31 years as the cartoonist for Nebraska’s largest newspaper, Jeff suddenly found himself laid off. So he greatly appreciates the support of fans to keep drawing. Jeff’s brilliant and moderate editorial cartoons are syndicated around the world and his original drawings have also flown aboard space shuttle Discovery. He’s given Ted talks and is the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter for the Prairie Cats, a swing and jump-blues band that has performed around the U.S. including the South by Southwest Music Festival. And he may be the most popular cartoonist with editors on all of Cagle.com.]
The enjoyable moments at Landover MD, where the Washington football club plays home games, were short and limited. Those moments were when mangomoron was introduced to the stadium. Lots and lots of booing. Loud and filled with hatred. He was not happy. There is almost no mention of it in the media, but a little can be seen on FB and twit.
Yes, the Senate and House will pass the Senate bill (unless the House Republicans lose their mind). And NYT lets us know what Trumpco has been doing during the shutdown when he wasn’t sleeping at his desk:
Screw the poor and working classes.
pogo, they missed mentioning this:
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/10/trump-pardons-top-allies-who-aided-bid-to-subvert-the-2020-election-00644198
Was curious which side Newom would take. Didn’t have to wait long.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Donald Trump becomes first president to attend regular-season NFL game since 1978
There were loud boos from some spectators during Trump’s appearances throughout Sunday’s game between the Washington Commanders and Detroit Lions.
pad, put that along with the stuff I listed on mailers and billboards and send it to everyone who makes less than $200K per year. Oh, and commercials to air on the NBA, NFL & NCAAF.
And the 1st Circuit told Dumbass to pay up. Wapo.
Add that to the list.
And this:
And that. (For those of you who aren’t familiar, the important parts of that ruling are the factual finding in the 3rd paragraph and basing her opinion on the facts relied on by the government are the two key parts of Judge Immergut’s opinion.
Looks like all Dumbass got last week is a cut in prices for his “fat drugs” and a nap.
The boos were louder than the oath.
At the NFL’s Veterans Day ceremony, Trump’s mic got swallowed by the crowd — you can barely hear him over it.
Watch (and listen) for yourself →
Newsome and old Berman very much on same page.
Also O is experiencing strong ad buys.
Supreme Court declines taking up Obergefell v. Hodges without comment even from the two super conservatives. Slams door shut on reversal. All marriages and adoptions will now stand.
About the “fat” drugs. Wasn’t that a process begun under Biden? Trump just gets credit for not stopping it.
50 year mortgage proposed. This is insane as it quintuples the cost of the home even while making monthly costs a little more affordable for younger buyers, particularly now considering the number of times people have to move to stay employed.
There is no chance a young couple could buy that home now.
Jaime – well, well, well. The court formerly known as supreme finally hit a wall they could not ignore. Perhaps a few of the far right members realized that sfb was a burp away from permanent horizontal. No need to irritate the public more.
MY MORNING TAKE ON LAST NIGHT’S DEAL ☕
Eight Senate Democrats broke ranks to end the shutdown.
Smart pivot or straight-up cave?
🚨 NEXT CHAT: 2PM ET — Did Democrats Blink, Bail, or Bluff?
Join live →
🎥 Watch Craig’s 4-minute take now →
So my 2 Senators voted to reopen the government. Damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
All I know is that I’m voting for Democrats no matter who’s on the ballot.
BTW… Jeanne Shaheen is not running for re-election.
today’s meme…
Craig,
Six of one, half dozen of another. People need to live and for most that requires a paycheck. They need healthcare and that requires GOP cooperation of some sort. However worthless it is, the House has to open, Grijalva needs to be sworn in, screaming over Epstein must continue, and getting a healthcare vote had better take place.
There will be more than enough blame to load on to Republicans if Democrats don’t forget how to make noise.
Join the conversation in one hour:
— LIVE at 2PM ET
• Did Democrats cave or make a tactical pivot?
• Why Republicans now own the health-insurance crisis they created.
• Gavin Newsom unloads on “defecting Democrats,” calling it a betrayal.
• Is it time for Schumer to go? He voted no — but did nothing to stop the yes votes.
• And Craig’s pick for the next party leader: Amy Klobuchar.
And an oldie that still holds up. Randy may be all that’s keeping me sane.
Craig,
Gavin Newsome (Age 58), Amy Klobuchar (Age 65) Mark Kelly (Age 61) Beto O’Rourke (53), Kamala Harris (61), and J. B Pritzker (60) are excellent to consider for 2028. I don’t think anyone older should be put forward. Open to all possible suggestions, but whoever wants the job needs to start running the marathon now.
How to pay off the national debt?
Adding 1 cent to every share traded daily in the US would be $100 million to $200 million daily depending on volume. The daily interest on the national debt is approximately $3 billion so we might need to make that a nickel per share. Of course, we could take back all those tax cuts given to the wealthy. We were doing fine in 1965 when the highest rate was 70% instead of the current 37%.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/ghislaine-maxwell-jamie-raskin-trump-epstein-b2862132.html
A top Democrat has blasted the Trump Administration after Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted child sex offender and the girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein, reportedly asked the president to commute her 20-year sentence.
A whistleblower alerted House Judiciary Democrats to Maxwell’s plan for freedom, prompting Representative Jamie Raskin to write a fiery letter to the president demanding to know how the convicted sex offender was able to make such a huge request.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo/trump-completes-jan-6-autocoup-with-mass-preemptive-pardons
Let the record show that President Donald Trump issued mass preemptive pardons to those involved in his effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election five years to the day since the Four Seasons Landscaping debacle in Philadelphia.
Trump granted “full, complete, and unconditional” pardons for 77 people involved in the fake electors scheme and others aspects of the 2020 subversion effort on Nov. 7, but they were not publicized by the White House. Instead, U.S. pardon attorney Ed Martin revealed the pardons in a post on X late last night.
On now with Jamie and BiD, hop in at
https://streamyard.com/jp2mwysyxk
Klobuchar ain’t no leader
purge the party, not elevate the mediocre members of it
Dems love mediocrity, it’s baffling
Anonduh
Any suggestions for 2028?
we should also never mention Kamala Harris again, she’s done, she had her chance. She blew it. She doesn’t have the grit, the drive, the ideas, or the messaging.
thank you, Jamie, as I said a year ago, I thought people should’ve announced candidacies right away or exploratory committees (however you want to express it), Buttigieg should’ve thrown his hat in the ring already
Newsome is the Democrat leader right now inarguably, he’s likable, he gets the press, he’s had successes
So few Democrats can claim that
we all want a quick fix, me included, but what we need is a generational movement the fruition of which we probably won’t be around to see
Life‘s like that eh
we needed campaign finance form. We got corruption “on steroids”, no, I can’t think of ideal candidates in a reality where a Senate seat “costs” a billion dollars (in campaign expenditures)
Kamala could be the de facto 2028 right candidate right now if she had just come out immediately after the inauguration and started messaging against the regime
instead said she “went away”
These people are not fighters
Anon,
Yep, as I said, anyone who wants the job needs to be running now and that is Newsome. The midterms will simply be too late to make noise. Anyone really wanting the top job on the GOP is lurking in the weeds waiting for Trump to assume room temperature.
what we really need is more senators and representatives to prevent those chambers from becoming springboards for toxic idiots like Anna Paulina Luna and Nancy Mace
which compels state-level engagement, all the dirty, hard, boring, thankless work
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/11/10/christine-pelosi-running-california-state-senate/87195580007/
…Christine Pelosi announces her intentions to run for office. But the younger Pelosi isn’t aiming for her mother’s congressional district in San Francisco. Instead, she is setting her sights on state Sen. Scott Wiener’s seat, after he entered the 2026 race to fill the former House speaker’s seat.
Christine Pelosi, 59, is an attorney and women’s rights advocate who has long been connected with California Democrats. Four days after the Speaker Emerita said she would retire in 2026 after more than 38 years in Congress, the daughter put to rest speculation she would run for her mother’s 11th Congressional District seat.
Wiener, a 55-year-old state lawmaker, announced late October that he would be running for Nancy Pelosi’s seat, pitting him against Saikat Chakrabarti, 39, a former chief of staff for progressive Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
That has opened up his state Senate seat for Christine Pelosi to run for, setting up a domino-like scenario.
“Gavin Newsom and Nancy Pelosi were once distantly related by marriage; Newsom’s aunt was married to Pelosi’s brother-in-law, but they are not currently related. Their familial connection ended when the marriage was dissolved in 1977.”
-Search Assist
Oh, but I heard the California relatives preach the evils of Gavin & Nancy, like they were the tRUMP mob.
from today’s Trail Mix Live Chat:
“They don’t have the votes.”
Republicans now own the health-insurance crisis.
Some Democrats call it a cave — others call it math, maybe even a useful pivot to the midterms.
🎥 Watch Democracy Fights Back playlist →
Today’s full livestream…
As far as marriages are concerned, there was Newsome’s alliance with Kimberly Guilfoyle when she was still a Democrat before lying down with the Trump scion before moving on to Greece. The lady does seem to know which side her bed is buttered.
Loser talk
party of weak losers
spineless, focus-grouping, entrenched, big-money serving losers
if only Elon Musk wasn’t the product of South African racists, and didn’t short-out his brain with drugs and lack of sleep
viable 3rd party needed
i had an amazing harvest day yesterday btw so i’m not expressing nihilistic anger, just stupefied by Dem impotence, it’s sad
ok fuck ‘em all ✌️
Slava Ukraine
Never blame a conspiracy for anything easily explained by ignorance or greed.
https://www.removetheregime.com/
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20
10:00 AM Rally at Flare, followed by record-breaking direct lobbying for impeachment and removal. We will march to Congress with Rep. Al Green, where experienced guides will lead us into congressional office buildings in groups.
ALL DAY Meet Removal Coalition partners & pro-impeachment candidates at Flare. Mutual aid Food Drive. (35 Columbus Monument Dr. NE)
6:00 PM “Fuel the Cause” Happy Hour | Private Fundraiser | Generous donorst mingle with top creators & movement leaders, including the biggest names in the political resistance. See below for invitation details.
***
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21
11:00 AM Training with Citizens Impeachment at Flare: How to lobby for impeachment & continue the movement from home.
2:00 PM Veterans’ Rally | Flare (35 Columbus Monument Dr NE)
7:30 PM “Comedy Church” | Ticketed Fundraiser | Join Cliff Cash, John Pavlovitz, Booker Squared, Father Nathan Monk and Larry Fulford for an epic night of thoughtful humor, political standup and hope. Tickets sold here. VIP options† available via donation, see details below.
***
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22
12:00 PM Main rally and march on Washington, featuring headlining speakers and live entertainment from the Dropkick Murphys & Earth to Eve. Exact location TBA.
7:00 PM “One Cause, Four Bands” | Ticketed Fundraiser | Join us for our wrap party concert finale, with music from viral artists and DC heroes: Earth to Eve, Gwen Levey & the Breakdowns, Allstrike & Freedom Futures Collective. Tickets sold here. VIP options† available via donation, see details below.
Tuesday, Nov. 11, Veterans Day; 1 PM:
Join with the Remember Your Oath Veterans Rally; Columbus Circle/Union Station
Saturday, Nov. 15, 1 PM; Surround the White House 1.0 {Part 1}
16th St. NW and H Street NW
Monday Nov. 17, 3-6 PM; Surround the White House 1.0 {Part 2}
Thursday – Saturday Nov. 20-22;
Join with the Trump Must Go Now Coalition at Removal Coalition actions
Monday Nov. 24, 3-6 PM; Surround the White House 1.0 {Part 3}
“we have them on the ropes their coalition is fracturing!”
“great, let’s give up and capitulate!”
…these *%#+ing people 🤦♂️
✌️ ✌️
From what I have read, and not on the twit, Christine Pelosi has picked up more than dinner table talk from her mother. She has solid experience in politics. She stated she is going for a state seat, which is a good start for the next step, Congressional Representative. Say four years?
For whatever reason I have still do not have information about why Harris disappeared. Campaign loss is one thing, take a day off, then back in the fight.
Newsome has already tossed Transgender people off the boat. I do not support his campaign for president. If there are no alternatives I will vote Democratic, but only to keep the magats away.
Yes BB, Newsom has some’splaining to do on his transgender stance.
BiD i see Raskin is on CNN tonight 9pm. The Maxwell pardon rumors on the agenda
why don’t you explain yours?
UnitedHealth Group is facing unprecedented scrutiny as federal investigations threaten the future of the nation’s largest healthcare conglomerate.
The Department of Justice has launched both criminal and civil investigations into the company’s Medicare billing practices, while Congress has introduced legislation aimed at breaking up UnitedHealth and its subsidiary Optum.
The investigation focuses on whether UnitedHealth inflated diagnoses to trigger extra payments to its Medicare Advantage plans. According to reports, DOJ investigators have interviewed several doctors about whether they felt pressured to submit claims for certain conditions that bolstered payments from the Medicare Advantage program to the company.
In September 2025, Representatives Pat Ryan (D-NY), Val Hoyle (D-OR), and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), in coordination with Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), introduced the Patients Over Profits Act. This bicameral legislation specifically targets UnitedHealth Group’s vertical integration model.
The proposed legislation would:
Bar insurance companies, including UnitedHealth Group, from buying medical practices through subsidiaries like Optum
Require existing healthcare conglomerates to separate their insurance and healthcare provider businesses
Prevent insurance companies or their subsidiaries from owning a Medicare Part B or C provider
Authorize enforcement actions by the FTC, State Attorneys General, HHS Inspector General, or DOJ Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust
A STAT investigation found that UnitedHealth Group pays its own provider groups more than rival medical clinics, a practice that may undermine competition and drive up prices.
The investigation also revealed that UnitedHealth has pressured doctors in medical groups nationwide to diagnose older patients with chronic diseases to help extract higher payments from Medicare.
UnitedHealth Group faces a Department of Justice antitrust review of Optum’s acquisition of medical practices that was opened in February 2024. According to reports, investigators are examining anticompetitive harms for patients and providers.
*Craig – This is what Jamie & I were talking about today.
OK, if you wanna do some quick googling to corroborate what I’m about to say go ahead I already did
Conservatively (emphasis added), 2/3 of Americans do not support athletes participating in sports that don’t match their birth gender and you think Newsome has explaining to do? No, that lobby has some explaining to do on why supporting their agenda is worth sacrificing every other progressive policy goal
to my previous point, a two-party system does not afford a lot of wiggle-room in the public discourse for nuance, which undermines progress in an era when everything is more nuanced than ever before
Hence, people preferring to pretend it’s 1955
The explaining I see that Newsom needs to do is the likely charges of hypocrisy he’ll get from those he’s trying to appeal to on the athletic participation issue. He has carved out a stance against it but says or does nothing about California laws allowing it, even protecting it.
He seems to think he’s taking the issue off the table for himself, but he could end up with both sides mad at him.
if that’s his biggest political liability, he’s in a good position
yeah, but too bad he overshadows what is actually a strong record of support for transgender rights by pandering to bigots who still won’t vote for him
I would need to run this by someone transgender simply due to ignorance on my part, but I have heard arguments made for athletics based on before and after Puberty due to muscular development affecting competition.
Also on sexuality – whatever floats your boat as long as all are willing and able to consent.
I’m opposed to anything that smacks of prejudice, but should there be any concession made for physical differences in young children? Nudity at any age doesn’t phase me as a sunshine pool nudist, but others are squeamish on the subject. Again pleading ignorance.
2028
Mark Kelly?
Tammy Duckworth?
Chris Murphy?
Jon Ossoff?
Gavin Newsom?
JB Pritzker?
Gretchen Whitmer?
Josh Shapiro?
AOC?
VP – Ann Johnson? (TX)
Wow! She is great and worth watching.
Johnson has the fire that Dems in DC are missing. Ann Richards is smiling down on her.
and look at the thanks he gets for it
BiD, i just watched Raskin on CNN. He barely mentioned the pardon (commutation) request that the whistler blower revealed to him. He and Caitlin mostly talked about the whistleblower’s description of Maxwell’s cozy prison conditions, which is a story. But the bigger story, the pardon thing, got short shrift. It almost seemed like he’s less confident in the whistleblower’s evidence for that part of it.
‘
State by state and community by community, WFP is building a political home for all of us who see bigotry, bailouts, and business as usual in our political system and ask, “Is that the best we can do?”
Craig – That’s too bad, because the more noise about the possibility of a commutation or pardon up front, the more likely it’ll be put off.
It sounds like Johnson will swear in the Rep from AZ. ps – She was in the WFP list of candidates.
On MSNBC Monday, Shaheen acknowledged that Schumer was “kept informed” of the eight senators’ negotiations with the GOP regarding reopening the government.
“It’s the same reason why they scheduled the surrender for after the election this week,” Levin said. “They didn’t want people pissed at Democrats right before an election.”
*Well that’s cold comfort. They were always going to cave. They could’ve demanded commercial aircraft take precedence over private aircraft, but noo.
*
A vote in mid-December, after open enrollment, and with no chance of getting Repugz to vote for extending the subsidies for even one year.
NEW THREAD