All Activity

Editorial: With Epstein files, Trump can’t win Donald Trump cannot accept defeat. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/19/with-epstein-files-trump-looks-like-a-loser-editorial/?

👋 Good morning! Happy Hump Day. In today's edition: USMNT year in review, Curaçao shocks the world, LeBron makes season debut, CFP rankings, NFL power rankings, Denver's historic start, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports...   🇺🇸 STARS AND STRIPES USMNT YEAR IN REVIEW (John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images) The USMNT routed Uruguay, 5-1, on Tuesday night in Tampa to cap off a promising conclusion to an uneven year. From Yahoo Sports' Steven Goff: A year that began with acute growing pains, with questions about the coach's acuity for international soccer and with doubts about a trumpeted generation of U.S. national team players ended in emphatic fashion with a masterful, goal-filled performance against a celebrated opponent. Sebastian Berhalter, who has been with the national team for all of five months, scored a terrific opening goal. Alex Freeman, a defender who's been with the national team for all of five months, scored the next two, the first assisted by Berhalter. Diego Luna, a midfielder who's excelled under Pochettino this year, added the fourth before halftime. Substitute Tanner Tessmann added a goal midway through the second half in the program's highest-scoring outing against a team from the South American confederation. Ending on a high note: The U.S., ranked 16th in the world, went unbeaten in their final five matches of 2025, all against opponents inside FIFA's top 40 (No. 15 Uruguay, No. 19 Japan, No. 23 Ecuador, No. 25 Australia, No. 39 Paraguay). After a disappointing start to his tenure, this is exactly the form head coach Mauricio Pochettino was hoping for entering 2026, when the World Cup comes stateside. Year in review: The USMNT went 11-6-1 in 18 games this year, with nearly identical records in friendlies (6-3-1) and official matches (5-3). They were also a team of runs, with five separate streaks of at least two consecutive wins or losses. Jan. 18: USA 3, Venezuela 1 Jan. 22: USA 3, Costa Rica 0 March 20: Panama 1, USA 0 (Nations League Semifinal) March 23: Canada 2, USA 1 (Nations League 3rd Place Game) June 7: Turkey 2, USA 1 June 10: Switzerland 4, USA 0 June 15: USA 5, Trinidad & Tobago 0 (Gold Cup Group Stage) June 19: USA 1, Saudi Arabia 0 (Gold Cup Group Stage) June 22: USA 2, Haiti 1 (Gold Cup Group Stage) June 29: USA 2, Costa Rica 2; USA wins on penalties (Gold Cup Quarterfinal) July 2: USA 2, Guatemala 1 (Gold Cup Semifinal) July 6: Mexico 2, USA 1 (Gold Cup Final) Sept. 6: South Korea 2, USA 0 Sept. 9: USA 2, Japan 0 Oct. 10: USA 1, Ecuador 1 Oct. 14: USA 2, Australia 1 Nov. 15: USA 2, Paraguay 1 Nov. 18: USA 5, Uruguay 1 Looking ahead: The Americans will not regroup again until March for reported high-end tests against Portugal and Belgium. Pochettino will name his 26-man World Cup roster in May.   🏈 12-TEAM PLAYOFF CFP RANKINGS: WHERE IT STANDS (Yahoo Sports) Ohio State, Indiana and Texas A&M remained the top three teams in the latest CFP rankings, while Alabama dropped six spots to No. 10 after losing to Oklahoma on Saturday. The big question: Notre Dame or Miami? The committee is setting itself up for the biggest controversy — and arguably injustice — in the history of the playoff. From Yahoo Sports' Dan Wolken: Let's do a little thought exercise using everything we have learned through the first 11 years of the College Football Playoff. Team A is 10-2, didn’t win a conference championship, has played the 29th-toughest schedule in the country, and owns one win over a team on the low-end of the top 25. Team B is also 10-2, didn’t win a conference championship, has played the 43rd-toughest schedule in the country, and owns one win over a team ranked in the top 10. Based on the blind résumé, you’d probably assume Team B would be ranked slightly above Team A. You'd especially be convinced of that if you learned that when they played head-to-head, Team B defeated Team A. But in this case, you'd be wrong: Team A is Notre Dame and Team B is Miami. In the latest CFP rankings on Tuesday night, Notre Dame is ranked No. 9, and Miami is ranked No. 13 with no plausible path to leapfrog the Irish. And at least right now, it looks like there may be room for only one of the two in this year's field.   📊 STATS DU JOUR BY THE NUMBERS (Ricardo Makyn/AFP via Getty Images) ⚽️ 156,000 people Curaçao, an autonomous territory of about 156,000 people within the Netherlands kingdom, qualified for the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday with a 0-0 draw against Jamaica. The tiny Caribbean island becomes the smallest nation ever to qualify, taking the record previously held by Iceland (population: 350,000). 🏀 23rd season LeBron James made his season debut on Tuesday, becoming the first player in NBA history to suit up for 23 seasons. James finished with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting, 12 assists, 3 rebounds and a turnover in the Lakers' 140-126 win over the Jazz. 🏈 9 of 16 teams The NFC playoff picture is chaos at the moment, with nine of 16 teams currently over .500. Consider this: The third-place Bears (7-3) are just three games up on the 11th-place Vikings (4-6). 👟 6th signature shoe Pistons star Cade Cunningham has re-signed with Nike on a deal that will make him the sixth active NBA player with a signature Nike shoe. The other five: LeBron, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Devin Booker and Ja Morant. Seventh coming soon? Stephen Curry warmed up in Nikes on Friday in his first game since ending his 12-year partnership with Under Armour. Could Steph make a move back to the Swoosh, with whom he had a deal from 2009-13?   🏈 WEEK 12 NFL POWER RANKINGS (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports) The defending champion Eagles (8-2) remain atop our power rankings behind an elite defense that's rounding into form for the stretch run. The Birds are allowing just 14.5 points per game during their current four-game win streak. Rounding out the top five: The Rams (8-2) climbed two spots after beating Seattle, the Colts (8-2) fell one spot during their bye week, the Seahawks (7-3) fell one spot after their narrow loss to the Rams and the Broncos (9-2) jumped two spots after winning their eighth straight game.   🥌 END OF AN ERA A CHANGING OF THE GUARD IN AMERICAN CURLING Shuster at the 2018 Winter Olympics. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) All dynasties must come to an end eventually, and on Sunday at the U.S. Olympic curling trials, it was John Shuster's turn to cede his spot at the top. Changing of the guard: Team Shuster lost in the finals to 24-year-old Danny Casper's team, ending Shuster's run of five consecutive Olympic appearances and halting his bid to become the first curler ever to appear in six Games. The 43-year-old Minnesota native had represented Team USA at every Winter Games since 2006, and his bronze medal that year and gold in 2018 are the only curling medals the U.S. has ever won at the Olympics (men's, women's or mixed doubles). While his streak may end at five straight Games, that record sixth appearance could still come in 2030 or beyond. "I'm not counting me out, necessarily, because I got nothing else to do," he quipped after the loss. "I got no job." What's next: Casper and his team still have some work to do. They'll represent the U.S. at next month's last-chance qualifier in Kelowna, Canada, where eight teams will vie for the final two spots at Milan-Cortina 2026, which kicks off in just 79 days.   📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: WEDNESDAY, NOV. 19 (Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images) 🏀 NBA on ESPN The second-place Cavaliers host the red-hot Rockets (7pm ET), who've won nine of their last 10 behind one of the league's best duos in Kevin Durant (25.9 ppg) and Alperen Şengün (23.0). Then the Knicks visit the cellar-dwelling Mavericks in the nightcap (9:30pm). 🏒 NHL on TNT First up is Oilers at Capitals (7pm) in a matchup of the greatest scorer of all time and the best player alive. The Wild host the Hurricanes in the second leg (9:30pm). 🏀 NCAA Men's Basketball on FS1 Two top-11 matchups on a Wednesday in November? Yes please. First up is No. 4 Arizona at No. 3 UConn (7pm), followed by No. 11 Alabama at No. 8 Illinois (9pm). More to watch: 🎾 Davis Cup Finals: Italy vs. Austria (10am, Tennis) … Two-time defending champion (and tournament host) Italy plays in the quarterfinals. 🏈 NCAAF: Miami-Ohio at Buffalo (7pm, ESPN2); Central Michigan at Kent State (7pm, ESPNU) … Midweek MACtion. ⚽️ Women's Champions League: Arsenal vs. Real Madrid (3pm, CBSSN) … One of five games to kick off Matchday 4.   🏒 WAY BACK WHEN NHL TRIVIA The Stanley Cup, photographed in the early 1900s. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images) 101 years ago this month, the NHL officially welcomed its first American franchise. Question: Can you name that team? (A) Detroit Red Wings (B) New York Rangers (C) Boston Bruins (D) Chicago Blackhawks Answer at the bottom.   🏔️ ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH DENVER'S HISTORIC START (Found Image Holdings/Corbis via Getty Images) Denver sports fans are enjoying a historic start to the fall/winter sports season, with the Broncos (9-2), Avalanche (13-1-5) and Nuggets (10-3) all off to hot starts. Exclusive club: Denver in 2025 joins Philadelphia in 1980 as the only cities to have the following in the same calendar year: NFL team won 9+ of first 11 games NBA team won 10+ of first 12 games NHL team won 13+ of first 19 games Flashback… 1980 was quite the time to be a Philadelphia sports fan. All four teams made their respective league championships (Super Bowl in January, NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Final in May, World Series in October), the Phillies won their first title, and then the Eagles, 76ers and Flyers all got off to strong starts in the latter months to cap off a banner calendar year.   Trivia answer: (C) Boston Bruins

Introduction to Multiple Myeloma Symptoms Written by WebMD Editorial Contributor Medically Reviewed by Poonam Sachdev on March 26, 2025 https://www.webmd.com/cancer/multiple-myeloma/ss/cm/slideshow-introduction-to-multiple-myeloma-symptoms?

An interesting article that begins with the New Testament rather than the Old Testament. https://atoday.org/how-jesus-explained-the-sabbath/

November 19,. 2025 Tonight AB D News carried the story of a schoolteacher who adopted a deaf dog. As the dog grew, the teacher taught it to respond to sign language. In the news report, the dog has become a regular in the classroom of the teacher. Here the students have learned to communicate with the =dog, and the lesson is: Handi caped people can perform better in society than one might expect. I believe the following link takes you to that dog. https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/kids-celebrate-deaf-rescue-dog-123912709.html

Trump’s Anti-Green Agenda Could Lead to 1.3 Million More Climate Deaths. The Poorest Countries Will Be Impacted Most. New advances in environmental science are providing a detailed understanding of the human costs of the Trump administration’s approach to climate change. https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-climate-rollbacks-heat-deaths?

“Ticking Time Bomb”: A Pregnant Mother Kept Getting Sicker. She Died After She Couldn’t Get an Abortion in Texas. ProPublica has found multiple cases of women with underlying health conditions who died when they couldn’t access abortions. Tierra Walker, a 37-year-old mother, was told by doctors there was no emergency before preeclampsia killed her. https://www.propublica.org/article/texas-abortion-ban-tierra-walker-preeclampsia?

November 19, 2025 By Sam Sifton Good morning. They had honeynut squash soup at the White House last night. The world’s richest and most famous joined President Trump to fete Saudi Arabia’s autocratic crown prince at a lavish dinner. Earlier in the day, Trump dismissed a question about a U.S. intelligence report that said the prince ordered the killing of a Washington Post journalist. And Trump berated a journalist for asking. Also in Washington yesterday: Congress overwhelmingly approved the release of the Epstein files. We’ll be digging into them when they arrive. And Trump has signed off on C.I.A. plans for covert measures in Venezuela, but he has also reopened back-channel communications with President Nicolás Maduro’s government, officials said. We’ll get to all of that below. But before we do, I’d like to direct your attention to a remarkable new survey of immigrants in the United States, both documented and undocumented. It tells us not only about President Trump’s immigration policy and the people subject to it, but also about the state of the American dream. Ana Luna at home in Los Angeles. Brandon Tauszik for The New York Times Fear and hoping Roughly 52 million people in the United States are immigrants. A little over half of them are naturalized citizens. The rest are a combination of those who are here legally and those who are not. President Trump wants to remake the immigration system and deport as many people who are here illegally as he can. He has sent people to countries they are not from. He has ended paths for immigrants to claim asylum. He has deployed border agents near schools and hospitals, to courthouses and Home Depot parking lots, searching for people to detain and remove. (Here’s how the immigration crackdown is playing out in each city where federal forces have intervened.) So it’s no surprise that about half of all the immigrants in the survey say they feel less safe in the United States since Trump took office. Regardless of immigration status, they’re increasingly worried that they or their family members could be bundled into a van or put on an airplane bound for parts unknown. That’s one takeaway from the poll, then: Immigrants are scared. Here’s a second: They’re still glad to be here. Roughly 70 percent said they would still make the choice to migrate to the United States — a percentage that is largely unchanged from before Trump’s election and push for mass deportations. They believe their own future, and their children’s future, to be bright, my colleagues write. Source: 2023 American Community Survey data from IPUMS.org. Ashley Cai/The New York Times Across every measure — their finances, their jobs, their educational opportunities — immigrants told pollsters that they’re better off in the United States than they were in their home countries. About half said they felt safer here. And 80 percent, including a majority of undocumented respondents, said they were either on their way to achieving the American dream or had achieved it already. (Of course, that means 20 percent do not think they’re on that road. Which is the fine print of the American experiment, regardless of immigration status: Your mileage may vary.) Many immigrants told the pollsters they understood the need for an immigration crackdown: 40 percent of them say they feel Trump’s enforcement agenda is necessary, in the wake of more lenient Biden-era policies. “Trump is trying to make this country more valuable instead of bringing anybody that wants to come in and do whatever they want,” as Gustavo Rojas, a citizen who came to the United States from the Dominican Republic in 1990, told our reporters. Few approve of Trump’s tactics, though: Just 28 percent of immigrants approve of officers in masks, and only 16 percent approve of deporting people to countries where they are not from. (The survey was administered by The Times and KFF, a nonprofit organization that conducts polling and research about health policy.) Based on a New York Times/KFF poll of immigrants nationwide conducted from Aug. 28 to Oct. 20, 2025. Ashley Cai/The New York Times Staying home Another takeaway from the poll is that about a third of immigrant noncitizens say they are avoiding activities that most people don’t think twice about. (For undocumented immigrants, it’s about 59 percent.) They regularly avoid travel. Forty percent say they or someone in their family has stayed away from work. My colleagues Miriam Jordan and Ruth Igielnik spoke to one of them. Ana Luna, 47, has lived with her husband and children in Los Angeles for nearly two decades. She and her husband are undocumented immigrants from Mexico. “With the way things are now,” she told them, “we feel afraid and insecure.” Based on a New York Times/KFF poll of immigrants nationwide conducted from Aug. 28 to Oct. 20, 2025. Ashley Cai and Yuhan Liu/The New York Times The couple have five children. For years, Luna drove them to school each morning before commuting to her own job as a janitor. That was then. More recently, agents have shown up at the strip mall where she works and near the school her youngest child attends. One day, a shopkeeper she knows called to tell her to delay her arrival at work so she wouldn’t run into them. “We have been the work force,” she said. “Now we have to run, hide or stay inside.” But not always. Next month, when Luna’s eldest daughter completes her training at Camp Pendleton, south of Los Angeles, she will become a United States Marine. Luna will be there, she told our reporters, no matter how risky it is to be on the road. “I wouldn’t want to miss her graduation,” she said. Her American dream abides. Now, let’s get you caught up. THE LATEST NEWS Crown Prince Visit Trump welcomed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s autocratic leader, to the White House, hailing him as a good friend and a protector of human rights. Trump lashed out at a reporter for asking about Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post columnist murdered by Saudi agents in 2018. And he brushed aside Khashoggi’s killing, saying, “Things happen.” The world’s richest man. One of the world’s most famous soccer players. The president of FIFA. See who was at the state dinner for the Saudi prince. Epstein Investigation In a near-unanimous vote, the House approved a bill that directs the Justice Department to release all files related to its Jeffrey Epstein investigation. On Air Force One last week, Trump cut off a reporter for Bloomberg News and said, “Quiet, piggy,” when she tried to ask why he had not yet released the Epstein files. In the clip below, Annie Karni, who covers Congress, explains how House Republicans rebuffed Trump’s pressure campaign to kill the Epstein bill. Click to watch the video. The New York Times More on Politics A federal court blocked Texas’ new, Republican-friendly congressional map from taking effect for the midterms. Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, said he would appeal the ruling. The Trump administration says it plans to dismantle the Education Department by shifting some of its responsibilities to other agencies. The White House intervened in a federal investigation on behalf of Andrew Tate and his brother, Tristan, online influencers who face rape and human-trafficking charges in Europe, ProPublica reported. Latin America Trump has signed off on C.I.A. plans for covert measures inside Venezuela, according to multiple people briefed on the matter. The Trump administration has often called Venezuela’s president the boss of the Cartel de los Soles — a group that does not exist. Voters in Ecuador rejected a proposal to host U.S. troops in the country. The country’s president, a Trump ally, had supported the plan. Other Big Stories A final bid on a portrait of Elisabeth Lederer by Gustav Klimt. Tony Cenicola/The New York Times A portrait by the Austrian painter Gustav Klimt sold for over $236 million, becoming the second most expensive painting ever sold at auction. (A da Vinci of contested authentication holds the top spot.) The six construction workers who died in the Baltimore bridge collapse last year might have lived had the police alerted them about the incoming ship, investigators found. They also found the crash was caused by a small misplaced sticker on a wire. For at least five days, a blind Ecuadorean man who was arrested by ICE in New York City was held in isolation at a county jail. He was locked in his cell for 24 hours a day and deprived of his cane. A LEAD-POISONED TOWN Carmen Abd Ali for The New York Times With every breath, the people of Ogijo, in Nigeria, absorb lead particles into their bloodstreams. Lead dust settles on kitchen floors, vegetable gardens, church grounds, schoolyards. Toddlers ingest it by crawling across floors and putting their hands in their mouths. It can cause irreversible brain damage. That lead dust pours from factories that recycle old car batteries, extracting the lead within to make new products — often more batteries for American cars. Wealthier nations police lead pollution aggressively, but Nigeria does not. The Times teamed up with The Examination, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates global health, to test 70 locals. We found harmful levels in seven out of 10 people. Source: Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADev Nigeria). Samuel Granados/The New York Times This is a well-understood part of globalization: Retailers are sometimes unsure where their raw materials come from. A fashion brand may not know — or want to know — about the repression of a labor movement at a Guatemalan factory making its products. Another may audit factories in Vietnam to guard against child labor but ignore the companies that supply the Vietnamese factories. Battery manufacturers have pioneered elaborate systems of recycling. Yet in using imported lead, they rely on middlemen to ensure the metal has been safely produced. But these middlemen often don’t, our investigation found. Read the full article here. OPINIONS To find something damning about Trump, Democrats have weaponized the people in the Jeffrey Epstein story who matter most: the victims, Jennifer Weiner writes. Michelle Cottle highlights the Republican women who helped release the Epstein files. The Times Sale: Our best rate for readers of The Morning. Save now with our best offer on unlimited news and analysis as part of the complete Times experience: $1/week for your first year. MORNING READS Ken Daniel, a Marshallese sailor, wearing brain-recording equipment. Chewy C. Lin Navigation without charts: For thousands of years, navigators in the Marshall Islands have used the feeling of the waves that bounce off the region’s atolls to make their way across the sea. Now scientists are beginning to study the cognitive process behind what’s called “wave piloting.” An unboxing odyssey: Wirecutter spent over $700 on a 450-pound, six-foot-tall cardboard box filled with hundreds of products that had been returned to Amazon and other retailers. Here’s what happened next. TODAY’S NUMBER 72 percent — That’s how accurate Google’s new artificial intelligence model is, the company said. SPORTS World Cup: Curaçao, a Caribbean island home to 185,487 people, has become the smallest nation to qualify for a World Cup after a 0-0 draw against Jamaica. A penalty call nearly derailed its chances. College football: By beating Alabama last weekend, Oklahoma moved up three spots in the College Football Playoff rankings. See the full list here. RECIPE OF THE DAY Kerri Brewer for The New York Times Here’s an easy weeknight recipe for a creamy butternut squash and coconut noodle soup inspired by the northern Thai dish khao soi. It’s great. You simmer chunks of squash in a fragrant coconut milk broth flavored with curry paste, ginger and turmeric, then mash them smooth before adding brown sugar and a hit of fish sauce for pow. (I might use an immersion blender for that.) Cook some egg noodles, ladle the soup over them, and top with lime juice, chopped cilantro and maybe some sliced raw shallots. Comfort in a bowl. ‘JAY KELLY' From left, Noah Baumbach, Adam Sandler and George Clooney. Chantal Anderson for The New York Times George Clooney, Adam Sandler and the director Noah Baumbach walk into a bar. … Actually, into the Beverly Hills Hotel, where the Hollywood power trio sat down with our reporter Kyle Buchanan to talk about their new film, “Jay Kelly,” which is out now and starts streaming on Netflix on Dec. 5. Clooney plays the title character, a gigantic movie star (some stretch!) who puts his career on hold to crash his teenage daughter’s European vacation when he realizes he has never really been there for her. Sandler’s his devoted manager, who accompanies him on the trip. Stuff happens along the way. They say it’s not really a movie about fame. But they all know quite a bit about fame. Clooney told some good stories about it. Read them here. More on culture It’s hard to believe there’s much new to learn about Joan Didion, the writer whose life and thoughts have been deeply mined — most richly by Didion herself. But the release of her papers by the New York Public Library has delivered readers a carton of Easter eggs just in time for Thanksgiving. Turns out, she took the holiday extremely seriously! Take a look at her lists and recipes. She cooked for as many as 75. For 30 years, the Danish writer Solvej Balle has been thinking about and working on a seven-part novel about an antiquarian bookseller who wakes up to discover that she is endlessly reliving the same single day: Nov. 18. Balle is five books into the project, and they come out in the United States this week. Dennis Zhou traveled to the island in the Baltic Sea where Balle lives to meet her and explore how she recasts her character’s everyday tedium as improbable delight. Late night hosts joked about Epstein and Trump. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Vector into one of these great cyberpunk novels endorsed by the science fiction writer Chloe Gong. (Start with William Gibson’s “Neuromancer,” absolutely.) Rid yourself of your dingy shower curtain and replace it with one of these nice ones Wirecutter tested. Watch the actors Lesley Manville and Mark Strong perform a scene from the Broadway production of “Oedipus.” in the offices of our T Magazine. (It’s short!) GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was microcrack. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Sports Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. See you tomorrow. — Sam P.S.: We want to hear what Morning readers are grateful for, in six words or less. Let us know here; we’re collecting responses for an upcoming newsletter. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Karl Russell News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren

Trump’s Handpicked Epstein Prosecutor Is Tied to Pedo’s Funder Pam Bondi called Jay Clayton to investigate Epstein for Trump. But is he Epstein-free himself... asks our must-read newsletter The Swamp. Donald Trump wants to crush The Swamp. The leaks, the sneaks, and the secrets are all there. Our writers, David Gardner, Farrah Tomazin, and Sarah Ewall-Wice, are sifting through the ooze so you don’t have to. Don’t miss out. Never miss another secret from the D.C. ooze by signing up here to get The Swamp direct to your inbox.. In this week’s news from the ooze: Jamie Dimon, Leon Black, Rudy Giuliani, Jack Smith, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Joan Didion, Allan Kournikova, Jessica Tisch, Isaac Stein, Zohran Mamdani, Larry Summers, Pete Hegseth, Russ Vought, Reid Hoffman, Steven Spielberg, and Olivia Nuzzi. Black Spot on Epstein Prosecutor’s Resume If you need another example of why Pam Bondi’s Department of Justice looks less like an independent law enforcement agency and more like a gated cul-de-sac for MAGA allies, fix your gaze on Jay Clayton. At the behest of a president desperate to deflect the Jeffrey Epstein scandal in any other direction, Bondi handpicked Clayton, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, to investigate Epstein’s links to former President Bill Clinton, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, and former Harvard President Larry Summers. But Clayton is also the man that Trump and his first-term attorney general Bill Barr tried to shoehorn into the SDNY in 2020, as they sought to push out top prosecutor Geoffrey Berman, who happened to be circling Trump allies like Rudy Giuliani and Steve Bannon at the time. The mission failed, and Clayton, the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission in Trump’s first term, then found himself luxuriating on the board of Apollo Global Management, courtesy of Apollo founder and Trump ally Leon Black. Readers of The Swamp might recall that Black was also an Epstein associate who paid the sex offender roughly $170 million, nominally for “tax and estate planning.” While Black has denied knowing anything about Epstein’s industrial-scale sex trafficking, a 2023 settlement with the U.S. Virgin Islands attorney general shows Black admitted that the money he paid Epstein was used, in part, to “fund [Epstein’s] operations.” The document also shows that Black agreed to pay $62.5 million to the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2023 to be released from any potential claims arising out of the territory’s three-year investigation into those very “operations.” And just to keep the Trump vibes on brand: in 2018, as Congress probed foreign meddling in the 2016 election, Black testified about traveling with the president to Russia in the “naughty ’90s,” where they hit a concert, a discotheque, and “might have been in a strip club together.” Now, Bondi has put Clayton, the man Trump desperately wanted to install a few years ago, in charge of “investigating” the Epstein files. “As with all matters, the Department will pursue this agency with urgency and integrity,” Bondi said this week, four months after issuing a memo insisting there was nothing left to probe. Mixed Signals for Pentagon Pete Given the mess they made of the Signalgate chat group debacle, Pete Hegseth and his pals at the Ministry of Bore need to take extra care when using the new app they have selected to avoid inadvertently sending all our military secrets to the North Koreans. Signal’s end-to-end encryption is supposed to keep messages private, and it probably seemed perfect for Hegseth to send his administration buddies (and his wife) details of sensitive military info. Except that The Atlantic’s Editor-in-Chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was included in the chat. Now we’re told Hegseth has chosen the Convos app for their private conversations. Just as long as they don’t mix up their apps. Also available in the Apple App Store is Couples and Love Games - Convos, which appears to be more about firing up the passions than cosplaying warrior ethos. It is described as a way to “spice up conversations and strengthen relationships.” The Swamp can’t wait to be included in Pentagon Pete’s next chat group. Kimberly Guilfoyle’s Z Style The newly-installed U.S. ambassador to Greece is getting right into character in her new job, even if it puts her at odds with her boss. Donald Trump famously wasn’t a fan of Volodymyr Zelensky’s nightclub bouncer garb for their infamous White House meeting. But Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle was looking for a more inclusive feel when she mimicked Z’s all black outfit for the Ukrainian leader’s visit to Athens this week. Maybe Kimberly, whose father was raised in Ireland, was going for a different look. Black and tan. Rolling Stones It’s been a difficult week for Ryan Lizza. His ex-fiancée,the self-styled modern-day Drone Didion, Olivia Nuzzi, is writing a purple-prose tell-all about her digital fling with RFK Jr. In response, Lizza is setting out his side of the tawdry story on his Telos News substack. (If you’re curious, “telos” is ancient Greek for “purpose.) It’s all quite sordid and sad, but there is some good news for the Lizza family. Ryan’s brother, Frank Lizza, a former owner of the family firm, Intercounty Paving Associates, is coming to the end of a six-month home confinement sentence imposed in July at federal court in Brooklyn for a wage fraud scheme perpetrated on workers for the Lizza construction dynasty. The Cardboard King’s Back Mar-a-Lago Love-In Billionaire cardboard king Anthony Pratt is back in Donald Trump’s warm embrace: proof that in Trumpworld, no bridge is too burnt if you’re willing to splash enough cash—and maybe throw a party at Mar-a-Lago. Pratt, who is Australian, held a private shindig at the president’s Florida estate over the weekend, grinning his way through festivities alongside Trump. Perhaps inspired by the YMCA, fellow Australian Keith Urban wowed the crowd with his own rendition of Chappell Roan’s gay anthem, Pink Pony Club. It’s been a while since Pratt, the executive chairman of multinational packaging company Visa, which owns Pratt Industries in the U.S., had been spotted partying at Mar-a-Lago. He used to be an enthusiastic member, who boasted to a Melbourne-based Jewish lobby group in late 2019 that it was a “strategic” play to secure access to Trump. “My membership has given me a seat at the table where the president relaxes socially and mingles with his guests,” he said. “The key thing being a member at Mar-a-Lago has done has been that I see the president a few times a year.” In April 2021, he certainly did see the president—who, according to former Mar-a-Lago employee Ben Butler, told him classified secrets about U.S. and Russian submarines. This indiscretion put Pratt on the radar of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation, which is not exactly the place most billionaires want to find themselves. Trump wasn’t pleased either, calling Pratt a “red-haired weirdo” as he lashed out at the reports about their conversations. Lucky for both men, Smith’s charges against Trump never made it to trial, so the cardboard king avoided being called as a witness and has since bought himself a ticket out of the doghouse with a $5 million pledge to Trump to support American businesses. Consider it the great reconciliation of 2025: Trump gets a rich friend back at Mar-a-Lago, Pratt gets his access restored, and everyone politely pretends Joe Biden’s Department of Justice never asked uncomfortable questions about their chats. In politics as in packaging, it’s all about recycling—especially relationships. Washington’s Shutdown Side Hustles: From Furloughed to Fired-Up If there’s one thing a Washington shutdown reliably produces—besides existential dread and unopened emails—it’s a city full of bored, furloughed federal workers discovering their “true passions.” Some re-started their sourdough starter. Others tried their hand at DJing. One worker on Reddit announced he was planning to set up an OnlyFans account. But the breakout star of Shutdown Season was Isaac Stein, an IRS lawyer who turned his unexpected time off into a very different kind of taxing enterprise: hot dogs. While some of his colleagues were waiting to learn their fate from Grim Reaper Russ Vought, Stein was living his side hustle dream: rolling out Shysters Dogs, a hotdog stand on the corner of M and 1st streets in D.C.’s NoMa neighbourhood. The stand, which Stein says “is about bringing the nostalgia of a New York hotdog cart right to downtown D.C.,” quickly drew curious Hill staffers and furloughed feds. Stein’s menu offers two choices: (1) “The Only Choice: Correct Hot Dog and Drink” features a steamed hot dog on a bun served with spicy brown mustard and sauerkraut–no modifications permitted ($10); or (2) “Hot Dog with the Wrong Topping, and Drink which allows modifications ($11). The shutdown may be over, and the IRS lawyer is back at his desk. But the good news is that Stein’s hot dog stand will live on. “I intend to keep the day job and operate Shysters on weekends and some Fridays,” he says. Who knew that career reinvention in Washington would simply require a grill, a permit, a little bureaucratic downtime, and sauerkraut. Rich Man, Poor Man, Beggar Man, Mayor… Zohran Mamdani may be looking for a chat with Donald Trump, but he’s not planning to connect with any other rich dudes anytime soon. Jamie Dimon, CEO and chairman of JPMorgan Chase, tried calling Mamdani before the New York mayoral election and left another message after his victory. Nada. Maybe he’ll get a call when New York runs out of cash. Meanwhile, Trump, of course, will talk to anyone. He’s meeting Dimon AND Mamdani. Police Inquiries Talking of Mamdani, sources tell The Swamp the mayor is committed to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch—holder of not one, not two, but three degrees from Harvard and generally reckoned to be doing a bang-up job—but there’s no harm in having a Plan B. Perhaps that’s why his people have reached out quietly to a potential replacement or two to sound them out on their interest… SPOTTED: Hollywood heavyweights hit the town in Washington, D.C., over the weekend just as Donald Trump made a short exit for Florida. Producer and director Steven Spielberg made an appearance to receive a 2025 Portrait of a Nation award from the National Portrait Gallery. Among the presenters was actress Claire Danes. Another awardee was Jamie Dimon fresh off a visit to the White House (but not City Hall). He was presented with an award by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Trump’s Granddaughter, Kournikova’s Brother, and a Difficult Lie Spare a thought for Kai Trump’s caddy at her disastrous WPGA debut at The ANNIKA in Florida last weekend. The president’s granddaughter, 18, had a tough introduction to big-time golf, coming last in the field. Her caddy was 21-year-old Allan Kournikova, the younger brother of tennis star Anna Kournikova, who is rumored to be Kai’s secret beau. The two grew up together and back in January Allan escorted her to Trump’s inauguration. Kai, daughter of Don Jr. and ex-wife Vanessa (who is now dating golf/sex legend Tiger Woods), put on a brave face after the tournament, but Allan was in a tough position. Did he commiserate with Kai as her boyfriend… or take the blame as her caddy? https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-handpicked-epstein-prosecutors-epstein-ties-and-gay-times-at-m-a-l/?

Curaçao makes soccer history as smallest nation by population to qualify for a World Cup KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — The tiny Caribbean island country Curaçao will go to the 2026 World Cup as the smallest nation by population ever to qualify for the marquee event in men’s soccer. https://apnews.com/article/curacao-panama-haiti-world-cup-2026-ad26383b6c7276479d2a309a7970a5cb?

Energy Department loans $1B to help finance the restart of nuclear reactor on Three Mile Island HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Energy said Tuesday that it will loan $1 billion to help finance the restart of the nuclear power plant on Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island that is under contract to supply power to data centers for tech giant Microsoft. https://apnews.com/article/three-mile-island-nuclear-power-constellation-microsoft-energy-b36d8ce1b68891e18d165063f57e4c5b?

Honda recalls 256,600 Accord Hybrids due to software error that may lead to loss of drive power NEW YORK (AP) — Honda is recalling more than 256,600 of its Accord Hybrid vehicles across the U.S., due to a software error that may result in sudden loss of drive power. https://apnews.com/article/honda-accord-hybrid-recall-software-6c73549af1dcf9434e89078180944b92?

Iran releases Marshall Islands-flagged tanker and crew it seized last week DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran on Wednesday released a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker with all its 21 crew members, days after Tehran seized the ship without explanation, the vessel’s managers said. https://apnews.com/article/iran-marshall-islands-tanker-1c977441551b4e22ae7ec57a434cb392?

Trump is dismantling the Education Department. Here’s what that means The U.S. Education Department is handing off some of its biggest grant programs to other federal agencies as the Trump administration accelerates its plan to shut down the department. Read more. What to know: Offices serving the nation’s schools and colleges would go to departments ranging from Labor to Interior. Education officials say the moves won’t affect the money Congress gives states, schools and colleges. Since taking office, Trump has called for the dismantling of the Education Department, saying it was overrun by liberal thinking. Agency leaders have made plans to parcel out its operations to other departments and in July the Supreme Court upheld mass layoffs that halved the department’s staff. Opponents have urged against such a shake-up, saying it could disrupt programs supporting some of the nation’s most vulnerable student populations. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Congress acts swiftly to force release of Epstein files, and Trump agrees to sign bill Who is Clay Higgins, the only House member to vote against releasing the Epstein files? DHS plans to deploy 250 border agents to Louisiana in major immigration sweep, AP sources say Pope strongly backs US bishops in blasting Trump immigration crackdown, urges humane treatment Fear spreads as federal immigration crackdown in North Carolina expands to Raleigh Judge tosses DOJ lawsuit challenging a New York law barring immigration agents from state courts NYC’s fiscal chief wants a trial over his immigration protest arrest For conservative media, New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani quickly becomes attack target What would have been the most restrictive abortion bill in the US stalls in South Carolina Florida takes early steps to advance recreational marijuana question to next year’s ballot Sharp disagreements over economy threaten Federal Reserve interest rate cut What to know about expanded work requirements about to kick in for SNAP Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejects Trump’s offer of military intervention against cartels Comey’s lawyers look to persuade judge that prosecution urged by Trump is vindictive, must be tossed After backlash, Alabama Public Television will keep paying for PBS Rapper Nicki Minaj calls for protections for Christians in Nigeria at UN event WATCH: Finland’s president tells the AP that Trump is ‘a pretty good golfer’

Trump’s congressional gerrymandering push is getting complicated for the GOP Trump broke with more than a century of political tradition in directing the Texas GOP to redraw maps in the middle of the decade to avoid losing control of Congress in next year’s midterms. After a federal court panel struck down Republicans’ new map in Texas on Tuesday, the exercise holds the potential to net Democrats more winnable seats in the House instead. Read more. What to know: “Trump may have let the genie out of the bottle,” UCLA law professor Rick Hasen said, “but he may not get the wish he’d hoped for.” When one party moves aggressively to draw lines to help itself win elections, also known as gerrymandering, it runs the risk of pushing its rival party to do the same. That is what Trump ended up doing, spurring California voters to replace their map drawn by a nonpartisan commission with one drawn by Democrats to gain five seats. If a Republican lawsuit fails to block it, that map giving Democrats more winnable seats will remain in effect even if Texas’ effort remains stalled. Trump’s push has faltered elsewhere. Republicans in Kansas balked at trying to eliminate the state’s lone swing seat, which is held by a Democratic congresswoman. Indiana Republicans also refused to redraw the state map to eliminate two Democratic-leaning congressional seats. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Trump doubles down on redistricting in Indiana even as lawmakers rebuke special session Democratic state election officials demand answers on Justice Department’s requests for voter data House reprimands Illinois congressman over succession plan, angering Democrats

Deals and pomp as Trump welcomes Saudi crown prince to White House A jovial President Donald Trump held a warm and friendly meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman at the White House, in which he brushed aside questions about Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, praised the prince for his statesmanship and announced hundreds of billions of dollars in new Saudi investment in the U.S. Read more. What to know: Tuesday’s meeting was the first White House visit for the crown prince since journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed and dismembered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2018. U.S. intelligence said Prince Mohammad likely approved the slaying. Prince Mohammad was asked about Khashoggi’s slaying along with the role that Saudi citizens played in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the U.S. Trump, however, lashed out at the reporter for the line of questioning. Prince Mohammad, who has denied involvement in Khashoggi’s killing, replied that his government had taken action. At the dinner Tuesday night, the tuxedo-clad president and first lady Melania Trump welcomed the crown prince on the red carpet again before feting him at a dinner attended by tech titans such as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Tesla founder Elon Musk and Apple CEO Tim Cook, along with golfer Bryson DeChambeau and soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Trump attacks ABC reporter after question about killing of Saudi journalist Khashoggi What to know about the F-35 fighter jet that Trump is selling to Saudi Arabia Photos of the crown prince’s White House welcome

Russian strikes NATO scrambled fighter jets in Polish and Romanian airspace as Russia carried out a massive overnight attack across Ukraine, killing at least 19 people and injuring dozens more. Romania's defense ministry said a Russian drone entered its airspace during the attack, which struck apartment buildings in the city of Ternopil. Dozens of people were injured in the attack, 16 of them children, and more are still trapped under the rubble, Ukraine's Interior Minister said. The Russian attack involved 470 drones and 48 missiles and mostly focused on western areas of Ukraine, which lie close to the borders of Romania and Poland. Many regions of Ukraine are without power today following the strikes on the country's energy infrastructure.

Flu Season's Quiet Start May Be Misleading Oct. 3, 2025 – Experts are predicting a moderate flu season – but that doesn't mean it's safe to ignore. https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20251002/flu-season-quiet-start-may-be-misleading? Flu season A new virus variant and lagging vaccinations may mean the US is in for a severe flu season. Health experts are closely watching a mutated strain called subclade K that's behind early surges in the United Kingdom, Canada and Japan. Flu activity in the US is low but rising quickly, according to a CDC report. Early analysis shows that this season's flu shots provide some protection against being hospitalized with this variant, especially for kids. But data shows many Americans appear to be skipping their flu vaccines this year. This comes on the heels of a severe flu season last winter: The US had its highest rates of flu hospitalizations in nearly 15 years, and at least 280 children died of influenza, the highest number since 2004.

📉 Charted: Bitcoin blowout Data: Financial Modeling Prep. Chart: Axios Visuals Investors looking to bitcoin as a safe haven this year are feeling anything but safe, Axios' Pete Gannon writes. Why it matters: Once billed as a hedge against inflation and economic angst, bitcoin is now performing like the ultimate risk asset. It was one of the first things to fall as investors increasingly question the sustainability of the AI-driven stock rally. Crypto's latest slide comes while the Nasdaq is down 6% over the past month. 🧮 By the numbers: After a 26% slide from its all-time high in early October, bitcoin is now trading roughly flat since the start of the year. Gold has soared 55% in 2025.

🏛️ Near-unanimous Epstein vote Jeffrey Epstein victims speak on Capitol Hill yesterday before a House vote to release files related to the convicted sex offender. Photo: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images The Senate yesterday unanimously passed a bill to compel the Justice Department to release files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, sending it to President Trump's desk, Axios' Stephen Neukam writes. Why it matters: Trump said he'll sign the bill. But the files still may not be released anytime soon. The Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent, which required the green light from all 100 senators, just hours after it cleared the House via a near-unanimous vote — and before the bill had even technically been sent over. Just one lawmaker — Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) — ended up voting against the bill. 👀 What we're watching: The bill allows DOJ to withhold information that could interfere with an ongoing federal investigation, meaning Trump's recent demand that the DOJ investigate Epstein's ties to other powerful figures could halt the process.

Trump's secret Ukraine plan Photo illustration: Maura Kearns/Axios; Photos: Getty Images The Trump administration has been secretly working in consultation with Russia to draft a new plan to end the war in Ukraine, U.S. and Russian officials tell Axios' Barak Ravid and Dave Lawler. Why it matters: The 28-point U.S. plan is inspired by President Trump's successful push for a deal in Gaza. A top Russian official told Axios he's optimistic about the plan. It's not yet clear how Ukraine and its European backers will feel about it. 🪖 At the same time, Trump has dispatched Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, plus two four-star Army generals, to Kyiv for talks today to revive negotiations on ending the war, The Wall Street Journal reports (gift link). The Pentagon delegation is scheduled to hold discussions with President Volodymyr Zelensky. Driscoll is to meet Russian officials later. "The White House decision to turn to Driscoll and senior military officers is driven in part by the belief that Moscow might be more open to military-brokered negotiations and by frustration that multiple previous attempts have yielded little," The Journal says. A senior administration official said: "The president has been clear that it is time to stop the killing and make a deal to end the war." 🇺🇦 The draft plan's 28 points fall into four general buckets, sources tell Axios: peace in Ukraine, security guarantees, security in Europe, and future U.S. relations with Russia and Ukraine. It's unclear how the plan approaches contentious issues such as territorial control in eastern Ukraine — where Russian forces have been inching forward, but still control far less land than the Kremlin has demanded. 👀 Behind the scenes: Trump envoy Steve Witkoff is leading the drafting of the plan and has discussed it extensively with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, a U.S. official said. Dmitriev, who runs Russia's sovereign wealth fund and is deeply involved in diplomacy over Ukraine, told Axios on Monday that he spent three days huddled with Witkoff and other members of Trump's team when Dmitriev visited Miami from Oct. 24-26. Dmitriev expressed optimism about the deal's chances of success because, unlike past efforts, "we feel the Russian position is really being heard." 🔎 Zoom in: Dmitriev told Axios the basic idea was to take the principles Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to in Alaska in August and produce a proposal "to address the Ukraine conflict, but also how to restore U.S.-Russia ties [and] address Russia's security concerns." "It's actually a much broader framework, basically saying: How do we really bring, finally, lasting security to Europe, not just Ukraine?" he said. The aim is to produce a written document along those lines before Trump and Putin next meet, according to Dmitriev. What to watch: The White House has started briefing European officials, in addition to the Ukrainians, about the new plan. "We think the timing is good for this plan now," the U.S. official said. "But both parties need to be practical and realistic."

THIS DAY IN HISTORY November 19 1863 President Lincoln delivers Gettysburg Address On November 19, 1863, at the dedication of a military cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, during the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln delivers one of the most memorable speeches in American history. In fewer than 275 words, Lincoln brilliantly and movingly reminded a war-weary public... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT Arts & Entertainment 1975 “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” opens in theaters 2003 An arrest warrant is issued for Michael Jackson Cold War 1985 Reagan and Gorbachev hold their first summit meeting Crime 1976 Patty Hearst released on bail Sports 1969 Soccer legend Pelé scores 1,000th goal 2004 NBA players and fans brawl at infamous “Malice at the Palace” game World War II 1942 Soviets launch counterattack at Stalingrad

Robotaxi Rivalry Revs Up Amazon’s Zoox began offering robotaxi rides to the public in San Francisco yesterday, challenging Alphabet-owned Waymo’s Bay Area dominance and marking the first time two rivals are operating in the same city. Founded in 2014 by an Australian designer and the son of Apple’s chairman, Zoox was acquired by Amazon for roughly $1.3B in 2020. Zoox builds its boxy, all-electric, steering-wheel-free vehicles, while Waymo installs its technology into cars from manufacturers such as Jaguar and Chrysler. This summer, Amazon announced the conversion of a former California bus factory into a Zoox plant projected to make 10,000 robotaxis annually. Roughly 50 Zoox vehicles now operate between San Francisco and Las Vegas, where the company first began offering public rides in September. Rides in both cities are currently limited to select areas and are free, pending regulatory approvals. Waymo, which has charged for rides in San Francisco since 2023, expanded its routes last week to highways around San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. 1440 Topics: Dive into our editor-curated resources on self-driving cars here.

Congress Votes on Epstein Congress approved a bill yesterday directing the Justice Department to release unclassified files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The House passed the bill 427-1, while the Senate agreed to deem the legislation passed as soon as it arrived in the chamber. President Donald Trump, who initially opposed the measure, is expected to sign it into law. The Epstein Files Transparency Act directs the attorney general to release records concerning Epstein, his former associate and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, and others referenced in Epstein's criminal activities. Information tied to ongoing investigations or containing sensitive victim data can be withheld. Trump has urged the Justice Department to investigate prominent Democrats and financial institutions for potential ties to Epstein. See a timeline here. The push for transparency follows the release of more than 20,000 pages of Epstein-related documents last week, some of which mention Trump (see previous write-up). The president maintains his friendship with Epstein ended in the early 2000s, before Epstein's 2008 conviction.