Good morning, everyone. Today I’m tracking Donald Trump’s escalating rebrand, abandoning his former affordability message (which he talked about for one day) and now dismissing it as a “partisan con.” At the same time, the government shutdown has dragged into its 38th day, and the consequences are no longer abstract: air travel across the country is being disrupted, with up to 10 percent of flights cut. The ripple effects are already creating chaos throughout the aviation industry.
I’m heading to the Pew Research Summit to speak with leading researchers about where news media and new media are headed next. After that, I’ll be at Crooked Con, where I’ll be pressing members of Congress on the shutdown, its political implications, and the real-world toll Americans are now feeling.
I am reporting what the White House would prefer you never hear: the truth. Millions rely on this work, but independent journalism only survives with support from people who value honesty over spin. I do this because I believe it matters, because truth matters, accountability matters, and human connection matters. They will try to silence this reporting. I will not let them.
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With that, here’s what you missed:
The FAA ordered airlines to cut flights by up to 10% at 40 major airports because the prolonged government shutdown has left air traffic controllers overworked, unpaid, and short-staffed—an unprecedented move that is already canceling hundreds of daily flights and creating major delays, with airlines offering refunds and rebooking as travelers brace for widespread disruptions.
Trump dismissed affordability concerns as a partisan “con,” arguing that groceries, gas, and Thanksgiving meals cost less under his presidency, touting inflation near 2–3 percent, and claiming Democrats and the media ignore his economic gains—even as voter worries about rising living costs and recent Democratic election wins signal potential trouble for him heading into the 2026 midterms.
When a reporter noted that a judge ordered the administration to fully fund SNAP and that DOJ plans to appeal, Vance called the ruling “absurd,” while Trump argued Biden expanded benefits to able-bodied people who didn’t need them, saying the program was never intended for that.
JD Vance warned that the shutdown is about to cause serious, tangible hardships for Americans, saying the public will soon feel the real consequences of the government standoff.
A Rhode Island federal judge ordered the Trump administration to come up with the full funding needed for November SNAP benefits by Friday, rejecting its plan to give only partial food-stamp aid during the shutdown.
The US supreme court’s conservative majority allowed the Trump administration to temporarily enforce a rule stopping transgender and non-binary people from selecting passport gender markers that match their identity while the legal challenge continues.
The U.S. carried out another lethal strike on what it claims was a drug-trafficking boat in the Caribbean, killing three people and bringing the total death toll of the Trump administration’s expanding anti-narcotics campaign to about 70, even as officials provide no public evidence the targeted vessels posed a threat—fueling criticism of extrajudicial killings, concerns over rising military activity around Venezuela, and warnings from affected families that many of those killed were civilians.
Russia warned that unclear U.S. signals about restarting nuclear testing—especially explosive tests—could provoke retaliatory steps from Russia and others, urging Washington to clarify its intentions.
Democrats scored sweeping wins across deep-red, swing, and local districts in the 2025 off-year elections—flipping long-held Republican seats, taking control of key county and state bodies, and passing progressive ballot measures—signaling declining public support for Trump as his approval rating sinks, even as both parties face questions about maintaining momentum heading into the 2026 midterms.
POLITICO reports that Marco Rubio has been privately telling allies he sees Vice President JD Vance as the clear frontrunner for the 2028 GOP nomination — and that he’d back him — reflecting early jockeying over who will inherit Trump’s mantle; insiders say Trump himself favors a Vance–Rubio pairing, polls show Vance dominating among Trump voters, and Republicans worry that weak 2025 election results highlight how dependent the party remains on Trump’s presence on the ballot.
Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orbán is visiting Washington aiming to broker another Trump–Putin summit and to secure exemptions from U.S. sanctions on Russian oil, but analysts say his real goal is shoring up his domestic political standing ahead of Hungary’s 2025 elections by securing a high-profile Trump visit—an effort that raises concerns for Ukraine, European allies, and U.S. policy toward Russia as Orbán continues cultivating his far-right international network.
The death toll from the UPS cargo plane crash in Louisville rose to 13 as officials confirmed the pilots’ identities and investigators reported the aircraft’s left wing caught fire and an engine detached shortly after takeoff; the NTSB is now examining the plane’s recent maintenance history while the community mourns the sudden loss at vigils held near UPS’s massive Worldport hub.
As the federal shutdown stretched into a second month, government employees criticized the Trump administration for heavy-handed behavior, with hundreds of thousands either furloughed or working without pay.
Nancy Pelosi announced she will retire from Congress and not run for re-election, ending nearly four decades representing San Francisco after previously serving as the first female House speaker.
Donald Trump unveiled a plan to lower costs for certain weight-loss drugs and widen access for people on public insurance, with upcoming oral GLP-1 medications expected to debut at around $150 a month for initial doses.
The Senate blocked a Democratic measure that would have required Trump to obtain congressional approval before launching military strikes in Venezuela, leaving his authority to escalate action there intact.
China officially put its most advanced aircraft carrier, the domestically built Fujian, into service — a milestone for its rapidly modernizing navy as it works to challenge U.S. power in the Pacific, showcasing new electromagnetic catapults and next-generation jets while raising concerns among regional neighbors watching Beijing expand its military reach.
A man in a Qantas business lounge at Melbourne Airport briefly caught fire when a lithium-ion power bank exploded in his pocket, prompting an evacuation, minor injuries, and renewed attention to battery-related safety risks after witnesses described smoke, panic, and a quick response from staff and bystanders.
Former NFL star Antonio Brown was arrested in Dubai and extradited to the U.S. on an attempted-murder charge, accused of grabbing a security guard’s gun and firing twice at a man after a post–boxing-match fight in Miami, with one bullet reportedly grazing the victim’s neck—another addition to Brown’s long history of legal troubles since his football career ended.
Good news:
Finland is expanding a successful daycare “rewilding” experiment nationwide after research showed that replacing sterile play yards with forest soil, plants, and natural materials strengthens children’s immune systems by diversifying their microbiomes, prompting a major 43-daycare study that could reduce allergies and immune-related diseases across the country.
A deep-sea expedition near Antarctica has identified 30 previously unknown species — including a striking new carnivorous “death-ball sponge” covered in microscopic hooks — thanks to a fast-track species-verification system that allowed scientists to confirm discoveries within months and highlighted how much of the Southern Ocean’s biodiversity remains unexplored.
Archaeologists working at Murayghat in Jordan have uncovered a 5,500-year-old ritual landscape—featuring standing stones, more than 95 dolmens, and roofless megalithic structures—suggesting that after a period of environmental and social crisis, early communities abandoned household-based symbolism and began gathering at this hilltop site for communal ceremonies, feasting, and new forms of social and spiritual organization.
See you this evening.
— Aaron
