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Invidious Decisions View in browser Sometimes a news story is important because it reveals information for the first time. Other times, it’s a big deal because it confirms what many people already suspected. The latest development in the story of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang falls into the second category. As news of Huang’s extramarital affair with a suspected Chinese spy rocks Silicon Valley, Washington, and Wall Street, President Trump has pleaded ignorance. In particular, he has said he was unaware of the relationship between Jensen Huang and Alice Huang (no relation) when he traveled to China this past May. “No, I didn’t hear about it then,” he told reporters on Monday. Almost immediately, The New York Times reported that in fact Trump had been warned by Marco Rubio, the national security adviser and secretary of state, while headed to China on Air Force One, just before Jensen Huang boarded the plane for a state visit. (In fact, Trump may have been told even before then: The paper previously reported that Trump was notified about intelligence findings on the relationship last year as well.) The new White House chief of staff, Stephen Miller, wants to crack down on leaks; he clearly has his work cut out for him. A few important features of Trump’s approach to the presidency are on display here. First, he has abandoned the pretense of being tough on China, a major talking point during his first presidential run and term. Second, he ignores any intelligence findings that contradict his instincts. Third, this is the latest evidence that, as I wrote last January, Trump does not care about U.S. national security. That doesn’t mean he’s actively hostile to it, or a saboteur; he’s just indifferent to anything but his own interests. In the nearly two years since I first laid out this argument, the president has repeatedly bolstered the case. When Trump was informed that China had infiltrated a tech company that is widely regarded as essential to the health of the global economy as well as a crucial force for maintaining American power and national security—such that the U.S. bans exports of its most powerful chips to China—Trump opted to do nothing and pretend he hadn’t heard. We can only speculate on the reasons. Trump enjoys closeness with titans like Huang and wouldn’t want to endanger that. Huang clearly relished putting Trump on speakerphone during a podcast taping in September. (A serial philanderer himself, Trump said in recent days that Huang “probably has an excuse for” the affair.) The president may have also worried about the risk to the economy of any Nvidia turmoil—both because of the midterm elections and because his own portfolio has grown enormously during the AI boom. Trump was similarly indifferent to the national-security risks of the war in Iran. (Some of his advisers reportedly understood this but did little to dissuade him.) The administration couched the war in terms of eliminating the threat of a nuclear Iran, but given that U.S. intelligence had deemed the program moribund, and given that the Trump administration had claimed to have destroyed the program in 2025, the justification made little sense. And by embarking on a war with no clear strategy or planning, the U.S. has badly depleted its stores of missiles and other munitions, which will spell danger in the event of another conflict. The war has created divisions among American allies and shown that the United States is unable to win a war or guarantee freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf, all of which weaken its long-term strategic positioning. Not every decision is as consequential as the Iran war, but Trump has repeatedly chosen personal or short-term political gain over American security and national priorities. Accepting the gift of a 747 from Qatar was neither ethical nor a wise security choice—as became clear when Trump had to do his Turkish tarmac turnaround and board a safer plane in August. The president chose his own interests—both flattery and a splashy if minor diesel-fuel deal—in once more embracing Vladimir Putin and distancing himself from Ukraine in October. And as I argued in September, Trump’s decision to treat Venezuela as a vassal state and stifle the popularly supported María Corina Machado is likely to harm American regional interests over time while yielding limited benefits now. To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, those who would choose some short-term personal benefit over long-term national interest may end up losing both. If Trump hoped that overlooking Huang’s liabilities would prevent turmoil, the bet didn’t pay off. The Wall Street Journal reported this evening that Nvidia’s board is preparing to oust Huang, after a report late today of another affair, this one with a subordinate. Huang’s behavior has become both a political scandal and an economic liability, after Nvidia’s stock slid over the past few days. What harm this whole incident may have done to national security may not be clear for months or years to come. Related: A scandal at the center of the economy America can’t afford an AI recession.

Microsoft's $5,899 AI Laptop Is Here, and You Should Absolutely Not Buy It The Nvidia-powered Surface Laptop Ultra crushes local AI benchmarks, but app compatibility issues and sky-high prices make it a tough sell for almost everyone. https://www.pcmag.com/news/microsofts-5899-ai-laptop-is-here-and-you-should-absolutely-not-buy-it?

Nearly $1 billion in stolen wages was recovered for workers in 2025 Affordability—or the lack thereof—has dominated the recent political debate in the U.S. Much of the affordability debate has focused narrowly on prices. But the true underlying driver of today’s affordability squeeze is suppressed pay—the result of decades of policy decisions that have weakened workers’ bargaining power. Weakened bargaining power not only suppresses workers’ wages but also makes workers more vulnerable to exploitation. Among the most pervasive forms is wage theft, which robs millions of workers of billions of dollars each year (Cooper and Kroeger 2017; Poydock and Zhang 2024). Wage theft occurs anytime an employer fails to pay a worker the amount they are legally owed for their labor. This can take many forms, including not paying overtime to eligible workers, not providing meal breaks as required by law, or paying workers less than the minimum wage. Existing laws enable workers to recoup these stolen wages through government enforcement, individual wage claims, and class action lawsuits. https://www.epi.org/publication/nearly-1-billion-in-stolen-wages-was-recovered-for-workers-in-2025/?

Does video show Hegseth's group being reprimanded for talking, laughing at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier? A guard shouted for silence after Hegseth and three other people posed for photos on the steps in front of the monument. Claim: A video authentically showed a U.S. Army sentinel guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier reprimanding U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and his group after someone talked and laughed while taking photos at the monument on Veteran’s Day. Rating: True On Veterans Day, a video (archived) circulated online that social media users claimed authentically showed a U.S. Army sentinel guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier reprimanding U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and his group after someone talked and laughed while taking photos at the monument. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/hegseth-tomb-of-the-unknown-soldier-video/?

I'm guessing than that if there are discrepancies than the whole story needs to come out first before we can determine what's really going on here?

More getting exactly what they hoped for and voted for. Why are some sounding so upset and angry. Voters spoke and the socialists gave them just what they asked for Mayor Zohran Mamdani quietly earmarked another $6.2 million for his “mass engagement” office that critics claim is merely a taxpayer-funded political propaganda arm for City Hall. Hizzoner snuck in an additional $1.1 million in undefined spending for the Mayor’s Office of Mass Engagement in his mid-year budget modification released Thursday. That brings the total budget for the activist-packed outreach office to a whopping $6.3 million for this fiscal year, which ends June 30, the newly released documents show. The socialist mayor’s pet project originally had an approved $5.2 million budget for expenses, not including salaries for staffers, many of whom are far-left activists. The updated budget documents also added another $1.7 million to the office’s piggy bank for each of the three following years, for a total $6.2 million in extra spending. City Councilman Phil Wong, an outspoken critic of the mayor’s mass engagement arm, slammed the additional funding, saying he “doesn’t believe the office warrants any more tax dollars.” “We truly don’t understand what it is they even do other than politicking,” the Queens Democrat fumed. The office partnered with pro-rent-freeze activists to urge New Yorkers to attend Rent Guidelines Board meetings ahead of the body approving a rent freeze for stabilized apartments — one of Mamdani’s top campaign promises — even while claiming it was not pushing a political agenda. The OME also worked to get voters out to the polls during the June primaries as part of a campaign that raised concerns about whether it crossed an ethical line by subtly pushing people to back left-wing House candidates endorsed by Mamdani. The Post previously reported that OME planned to dole out cushy, six-figure salaries — totaling nearly $2 million in taxpayer cash — to more than a dozen activist-minded hires. But a detailed salary breakdown for the office — which is run by longtime organizer and Democratic Socialists of America member Tascha Van Auken — hasn’t been publicly released, with payroll being tucked into City Hall’s internal books. A previous review of job listings by The Post found the Mamdani administration was adding at least $155 million in wages alone, excluding benefits, to City Hall’s books. The mayor’s office added around $2 million in pay for additional staffers in the mid-year budget update. The revamped financial plan showed the city’s overall spending ballooning by more than $3 billion from the $126 billion budget deal adopted with the City Council in June. The new, nearly $130 billion budget was slammed by fiscal hawks who decried City Hall’s failure to curb spending. “While some spending like SNAP administration is needed, the plan amazingly baselines $1 billion in new annual spending, five times the new savings,” said Andrew Rein, of the Citizens Budget Commission think tank. “That busts the budget, it doesn’t balance it.” City Hall did not return requests for comment.

Would those of you that sound as if y ou believe ICE blocked the ER on arrival be so kind as to offer where you found that infor, It sounds more like the mob was notified that ICE was there and brought a man in that needed attention, The Mobwas notified by someone and gathered. ICE probably anticipated violence and took precaution.

Sometimes you cant help but smile a little when liberals get what they asked for and voted into office. I am curious,is there any liberal/socialist politican that walks the walks. Those always foaming at the mouth about the rich,are they living on a US average family income themselves. Or more like Bernie Sanders and MN own OMAR Neighbors fume over lefty Nithya Raman’s plan to bulldoze historic $2M home for 3-story McMansion with spa By Jamie Paige Published Sep. 13, 2026, 8:47 p.m. ET hya Raman may preach socialism – but she ain’t too keen on practicing it. The California Post has learned the wealth-hating socialist isn’t happy with her $1.9 million home in trendy Silver Lake – and is planning a dramatic knock down and rebuild which will give her a whopping 88% increase in living space. City records show the wannabe Los Angeles mayor wants to replace the historic 1948 home she shares with her TV producer husband, Vali Chandrasekaran and their twin children, with a sprawling three-story mansion, complete with a spa and two-car garage. 7 An aerial view of Nithya Raman’s house in Silver Lake. Pedro Colo for CA Post Adv rious Adv

Mississippi elects Democrat Scott Colom as state’s first Black US senator since Reconstruction JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Democratic nominee Scott Colom defeated Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith on Wednesday in Mississippi’s closely contested U.S. Senate race after a prolonged ballot counting process, giving the state its first Black U.S. senator since post-Civil War Reconstruction. https://apnews.com/article/scott-colom-mississippi-senate-midterms-56c18f292a734443992f9466c3b0f346?

Pope Leo returns to what is expected to be a national party in his second homeland of Peru Pope Leo XIV arrived in his second homeland of Peru on Wednesday, returning to the place that he credits with teaching him how to be a pastor and where a nationwide party awaits to welcome their beloved “Padre Robert” home. Read More.

Brazil fines Facebook $1.3 million for failing to comply with court orders during election Brazil’s top electoral court fined Meta’s Facebook $1.3 million for failing to fully comply with judicial orders during last month’s presidential election runoff campaign when the company was accused of political bias by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ’s team. Read More.

120 Indonesian lawmakers seek vice president's impeachment after education credentials questioned A total of 120 Indonesian lawmakers moved Wednesday to challenge the vice president's eligibility to remain in office, launching a parliamentary process that could lead to his impeachment after recent court rulings raised doubts about his educational credentials. Read More.

At COP31, Turkey pushes zero-waste plan to curb climate change As world leaders gathered for United Nations climate talks in the Turkish resort town of Antalya on Wednesday, host Turkey urged countries to commit to a zero-waste initiative aimed at reducing emissions and helping get global efforts to curb climate change back on track. Read More.

🌾 1 for the road: Carter family farm protected Photo: Addison Hill/Courtesy of The Conservation Fund The southwest Georgia landscape that helped shape President Jimmy Carter's commitment to conservation is set to become permanently protected as public land, Axios Atlanta's Thomas Wheatley reports. The Conservation Fund's purchase of 2,458 acres of farmland and forests — including the Carter family's property outside Plains, Ga. — carries on an oft-overshadowed part of the humanitarian's legacy. President Jimmy Carter carries a peanut plant in 1978 as he and the first lady, Rosalynn, walk in a field at their farm near Plains, Ga. Photo: Jim Wells/AP 🌳 Stacy Funderburke, the nonprofit's vice president of the central Southeast region, said in a statement: "Long before Jimmy Carter protected millions of acres across America, he was a boy working the fields and roaming the woods of southwest Georgia." "This land shaped him and his legacy, and he never stopped coming home to it." Go deeper.

Veterans Day in America Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images A young girl and her grandmother place their hands on the wall of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington during a Veterans Day event today. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images President Trump, Vice President Vance and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins join a wreath-laying ceremony today at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, First Lady Melania Trump and Second Lady Usha Vance also attended. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images Small mementos are left on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial today.

🚁 Delivery drones get shushed Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios Drone delivery companies are scrambling to turn down the volume as neighborhood opposition threatens to ground their expansion plans, Axios' Joann Muller reports. 📦 Amazon last week abandoned plans for a drone delivery hub in suburban Boston after residents and lawmakers raised concerns about noise, safety and privacy. The company withdrew its application in Westborough, Mass., but left open the possibility of returning. Rival Zipline says it has taught its drones to fly more quietly. Zipline's "dynamic flying" software lets each drone pick the quietest route in real time based on wind, speed and altitude, allowing drones to glide more efficiently, like a bird, instead of relying on noisy propellers. ✅ Reality check: Quieter doesn't necessarily mean quiet. As drone deliveries multiply, even relatively unobtrusive aircraft could become an unwelcome neighborhood nuisance. Go deeper ...

Judge weighs dismissing charges against journalists in anti-ICE church protest Attorneys for five journalists facing felony charges over an anti-ICE protest inside a St. Paul church urged a federal magistrate judge during a Monday court hearing to reject the “vindictive” prosecution of the press by the Trump administration and dismiss the charges. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/11/10/repub/judge-weighs-dismissing-charges-against-journalists-in-anti-ice-church-protest/? Teen arrested in killing of Ghanaian student, 15, on his way to school in New York City A teenager was arrested Wednesday in the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old Ghanaian immigrant on his way to school, New York City police said as the victim's family, Ghana's government and civil rights advocates pressed for justice. Read More.

Voters approve housing bond measures but reject easing lot-size and environmental rules Voters in California, Hawaii and Rhode Island gave the go-ahead last week for bond measures aimed at boosting the housing supply and homeownership. But a California measure to cut back on the state’s decades-old environmental law to spur housing development and a Massachusetts proposal to loosen minimum lot-size rules both failed. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/11/10/repub/voters-approve-housing-bond-measures-but-reject-easing-lot-size-and-environmental-rules/?

Democrats hit a new milestone: 100 women in the House Democrats are projected to win back the U.S. House — and hit a major milestone. For the first time ever, at least 100 Democratic women are expected to serve in the chamber simultaneously. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/11/10/repub/democrats-hit-a-new-milestone-100-women-in-the-house/? Permitting overhaul advances in US Senate with tepid bipartisan support A proposal to overhaul the federal process for permits to construct energy projects passed a procedural hurdle in the U.S. Senate on Monday, though several Democratic supporters said the legislation needed more work. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/11/10/repub/permitting-overhaul-advances-in-us-senate-with-tepid-bipartisan-support/? Incoming chair of US Senate panel will seek healthcare overhaul, but unclear on details WASHINGTON — Oregon Democratic U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden plans to press for “the boldest” healthcare bill possible after he takes over as Finance Committee chairman next year, but he didn’t commit to Medicare for All, a longstanding policy goal for progressives, during a briefing Monday. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/11/10/repub/incoming-chair-of-us-senate-panel-will-seek-healthcare-overhaul-but-unclear-on-details/?

Hegseth attacks civilian-led education in Naval War College speech As calls for his resignation and impeachment grow in Washington, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth came to the U.S. Naval War College in Newport Monday to announce a sweeping effort to strip military education of what he called its overly civilian influences. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/11/10/repub/hegseth-attacks-civilian-led-education-in-naval-war-college-speech/? Chip fight sparks Oval Office drama For the third time this year, President Trump authorized a crackdown on companies suspected of diverting Nvidia's advanced AI chips to China. Trump even consulted Elon Musk before giving the go-ahead last Thursday, Axios' Marc Caputo and Maria Curi scoop. One Cabinet member has repeatedly resisted export controls: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Why it matters: The standoff illustrates a breakdown in efforts to keep American technology out of China's hands, as the world wonders why the Trump administration hasn't been tougher on Nvidia. This reporting is based on interviews with six high-level sources who were briefed on or participated in the discussions. Inside the room: On Thursday, as the Nvidia scandal rocked the administration, Lutnick met in the Situation Room with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who's also White House national security adviser. During the meeting, Bessent pointedly asked Lutnick why his department has resisted implementing export controls on Megaspeed and other companies, Axios first reported. The group sided with Bessent. Lutnick appeared to agree, but then muttered under his breath: "I need to check with the president." The other side: Commerce Department press secretary Kristen Eichamer denied a confrontation. Lutnick has warned the controls could start a trade war with China. Friction point: Officials have repeatedly believed the Commerce Department would impose export controls, only to have nothing happen. "He's stalling it out," said one official, saying Lutnick had previously met privately with the president to change his mind about the export limit. This time, a person in the room called Lutnick's bluff by saying: "Great. Why don't we do it today?" Around 5 p.m., the group headed to the Oval Office. Trump called Elon Musk, then agreed to move forward. Musk supported the other Cabinet members' case for imposing controls. Lutnick warned it "will start a trade war with China." Behind the scenes: With Lutnick the lone holdout, Trump made his decision. "Let's get it done," he said. But once everyone was outside of the Oval Office, Lutnick proposed a new delay tactic. "I'll develop some options and come back," Lutnick said. A source said: "Everyone was like: 'No, no, the decision's been made. Go f*cking execute.' ... Well, it still hasn't happened." Flashback: On at least three occasions — in May, August, and Nov. 5 — Trump approved taking action against suspected diversions of Nvidia chips to China. But Lutnick and Commerce Undersecretary Jeffrey Kessler resisted pressure from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and others to move forward. In May, a highly classified memo warning about Jensen Huang's relationship with Alice Huang, a Megaspeed employee suspected by U.S. intelligence of being a Chinese agent, was shared with the president and other officials. In a subsequent meeting, Bessent, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton, Hegseth and White House officials pressed Lutnick and Kessler to act, the source said. Go deeper with a scoop earlier today by Axios' Maria Curi and Marc Caputo, "Bessent confronts Lutnick in Situation Room over China inaction."

Is the Florida GOP in denial about an immigration backlash in South Florida? Some of Florida’s highest-ranking Republicans have attributed last week’s electoral results mostly to concerns about affordability and the Iran war, and not as much to the reaction —specifically in South Florida — to the Trump administration’s mass deportation policies. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/11/11/is-the-florida-gop-in-denial-about-an-immigration-backlash-in-south-florida/? Uthmeier subpoenas Democratic Socialists regarding alleged foreign contributions A week after the first Democratic Socialist of America (DSA)-backed candidate won a seat in the Florida Legislature, Attorney General James Uthmeier is subpoenaing the organization, alleging possible violation of state laws against solicitation of funds from Cuba and China. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/11/10/uthmeier-subpoenas-democratic-socialists-regarding-alleged-foreign-contributions/? Florida Department of Veterans affairs wants more money for veteran nursing homes The Florida agency that helps aging American veterans in the state is asking for tens of millions in extra funding in the coming year from the Florida Legislature. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/11/11/florida-department-of-veterans-affairs-wants-more-money-for-veteran-nursing-homes/?

🎖️ 1 for the road: Good Veterans Day news Data: HUD. Map: Brad Jennings/Axios Veteran homelessness has declined by more than 50% over the past 15 years, Axios' Brad Jennings writes. Numbers fell in 43 states and D.C. between 2011 and 2025, according to an Axios analysis of Department of Housing and Urban Development data. New York (-78%), North Dakota (-77%), Louisiana (-75%) and Georgia (-72%) saw the sharpest declines. Keep reading. Photo: Benjamin D. Applebaum/Defense Department Above: Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, walks through Corozal American Cemetery in Panama after a Veterans Day ceremony yesterday.

⚡ Trump's third way on Iran When Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with his G7 counterparts in Paris yesterday, he told them that President Trump had considered resuming the war with Iran or cutting a deal — but chose a third option: strangling the Iranian regime, Axios' Barak Ravid reports. Rubio explained: "It's not just return to war or sign a ridiculous peace deal. We won't do a stupid deal. The third option we have is to continue to do what we do now," Rubio said, according to three people in the room. He went on to say that the U.S. is imposing devastating costs on Iran's economy, making it harder for it to fund terrorist organizations or rebuild its military. And there's no end date. The intrigue: U.S. officials say that Rubio was among the members of Trump's national security team who pushed for the strangulation strategy, along with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Jared Kushner, Trump's adviser and son-in-law. Keep reading. White House faces unusual obstacle on confirming Trump judges: other Republicans Several Republican senators are complicating a White House plan to leave an enduring imprint on the judiciary long after President Donald Trump leaves office by throwing up obstacles for a handful of his judicial nominees in the final weeks of their Senate majority. Read More.

🚨 Trump's midair spy warning Secretary of State Marco Rubio personally warned President Trump about Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's relationship with a suspected Chinese spy during a flight to China in May, The New York Times reports. The warning came before Huang boarded Air Force One at a refueling stop in Anchorage. 📝 Behind the scenes: Rubio oversaw the preparation of a highly classified memo detailing Huang's relationship with Alice Huang, whom U.S. intelligence officials believe is a Chinese intelligence agent. The memo drew on surveillance of Alice Huang and a chip-smuggling investigation into her company, Megaspeed. 👉 Axios scoop: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick — who oversees efforts to keep sensitive U.S. technology out of the hands of American adversaries — also received the classified memo, Axios' Maria Curi and Marc Caputo report. Keep reading (NYT gift link).