Good evening, everyone. It has been an absolutely staggering afternoon of news. From an accidental U.S. military landing on Mexican soil, to the U.S. Coast Guard quietly rewriting its rules so that swastikas and nooses are no longer classified as hate symbols, to Karoline Leavitt and Speaker Mike Johnson dismissing the president’s calls to execute Democratic lawmakers, the cascade of norm-shattering developments is relentless.
I spoke today with Senator Elissa Slotkin about the president’s threats against her life, and I want you to hear her words directly. Because unlike some in the media and many on the right, I will not normalize any of this. We cannot normalize it. We cannot shrug it off. And I will never participate in the erosion of the standards that protect our democracy and our safety.
If you believe independent, fact-driven reporting still matters, if you believe accountability still matters, I invite you to subscribe and support this work. I will continue to shine light, tell the truth, and refuse to normalize the unacceptable.
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Here’s what you missed:
Democrats condemned Donald Trump after he accused six Democratic lawmakers—who released a video urging service members to refuse illegal orders—of “seditious behavior, punishable by death,” prompting party leaders to denounce his rhetoric as dangerous and threatening, call for security measures, and demand he retract the posts, while Republicans defended Trump’s criticism as a response to an allegedly inappropriate message to the military.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed Democratic lawmakers were “encouraging service members not to follow lawful orders,” dismissing their video about refusing illegal commands by insisting the president has issued no illegal orders and that all orders from him are lawful.
House Democratic leaders alerted Capitol Police and the sergeant-at-arms after Trump escalated his rhetoric and suggested that comments by several Democratic veteran-lawmakers were “punishable by death,” following their video urging service members to refuse unlawful orders.
The U.S. Coast Guard quietly rewrote its regulations so that swastikas, nooses, and Confederate symbols are no longer categorized as hate symbols but instead as “potentially divisive,” prompting internal alarm and criticism from lawmakers who say the policy change, made amid broader Trump-era shifts on extremism and harassment rules, weakens protections for service members and could allow hateful imagery to persist with fewer consequences and reporting hurdles.
A mistaken U.S. military landing on Mexico’s Playa Bagdad caused a tense armed standoff after American personnel arrived by boat, posted signs claiming the beach as restricted Defense Department property, and alarmed witnesses; the Pentagon later admitted the troops were in error and blamed shifting water depths for confusion over the border, while Mexico removed the signs, launched a boundary review, and condemned the incident amid rising tensions driven by Trump’s recent comments suggesting he would authorize strikes on drug cartels inside Mexico.
A federal grand jury is probing the Justice Department’s handling of its stalled criminal investigation into Sen. Adam Schiff, issuing a subpoena to conservative activist Christine Bish seeking her communications with people claiming to represent key figures — including former FHFA Director William Pulte, DOJ “weaponization czar” Edward Martin, and others allegedly acting on behalf of federal agencies — amid questions about whether individuals falsely portrayed themselves as involved in the Schiff probe.
A federal judge temporarily blocked Donald Trump from deploying National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., without the mayor’s approval, pausing the order until 11 December as the administration appeals, and marking a significant legal challenge to Trump’s broader efforts to send troops into U.S. cities over local objections.
Asked why President Trump called a reporter “piggy,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the insult by saying Trump is “frank and honest” with the press and that this bluntness is one reason she claims Americans reelected him.
Rep. Ro Khanna warned Trump administration officials that they could face prosecution if they fail to release the Jeffrey Epstein files now required by law, urged Congress to consider subpoenaing Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor for questioning, and vowed that Democrats will enforce compliance once back in the majority as both parties brace for potentially damaging revelations affecting political elites.
Nancy Pelosi blasted Donald Trump’s climate stance, calling him “the biggest con job in American history” after he dismissed the climate crisis as a global hoax, while Democrats criticized his refusal to send a U.S. delegation to the Cop30 summit and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse highlighted Trump’s deep ties to the fossil fuel industry as polling shows strong voter support for ambitious climate action.
Israel moved to seize about 450 acres of the historic Sebastia site in the West Bank while settlers established a new unauthorized outpost, amid rising settler violence, the detention of a Palestinian activist, and a Human Rights Watch report accusing Israel of committing war crimes through mass expulsions from refugee camps.
The CDC quietly revised its autism-and-vaccines webpage to include misleading language suggesting a possible link despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, prompting strong condemnation from scientists, pediatricians, former CDC officials, and lawmakers who warn the changes reflect political interference by the Trump administration and RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine appointees, threaten public trust, and risk further declines in childhood vaccination as preventable diseases surge.
Rep. Nydia Velázquez, the first Puerto Rican woman elected to Congress, announced she will retire after more than 30 years in the House, saying it’s time for new leadership while thanking New Yorkers for the honor of serving them.
Trump reversed the steep tariffs he imposed on Brazilian agricultural imports, eliminating remaining duties on goods like beef and coffee as part of negotiations with Brazil and a broader White House push to lower food prices amid voter backlash over rising costs.
A federal appeals court temporarily blocked the release of hundreds of immigrants detained in “Operation Midway Blitz,” restoring ICE’s broader arrest powers while the Seventh Circuit reviews whether district court rulings—finding ICE violated a consent decree limiting warrantless arrests—will remain in effect.
Senate GOP Leader John Thune proposed redirecting any court-awarded damages over seized phone records back to the Treasury, amid bipartisan backlash to a provision that could have personally enriched Republican senators.
A small electrical fire broke out on the Capitol subway between the Rayburn House Office Building and the Capitol, but it was quickly extinguished and no injuries were reported as D.C. fire officials conducted a follow-up investigation.
Ukraine confirmed it has received a draft US-Russian peace plan that would require major concessions such as ceding territory, halving its army, and giving up long-range weapons, prompting sharp criticism from Kyiv officials who say it amounts to capitulation, while Zelenskyy pledged to hold talks with Trump to keep diplomatic channels open amid domestic political turmoil, continued Russian attacks, and concern from European allies who were not consulted.
See you in the morning.
— Aaron
