Week 52 — The Return – The Weekly List

This week, on Election Day 2025, Democrats swept virtually every competitive election across the country, in a thorough rebuke of Trump and his policies. In two key governor races in New Jersey and Virginia, where candidates won by 13 and 15 points, every single county and demographic shifted towards Democrats. The election came as the country entered the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, which Americans mostly blamed on Trump and the Republicans.

Trump continues to be remarkably tone deaf to the plight of most Americans during his second regime. As funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ran out, leaving tens of millions of low income Americans at risk of going hungry, Trump posted images of his ostentatious renovation of the Lincoln Bathroom, and hosted a Great Gatsby themed Halloween party at Mar-a-Lago. I wrote more about it here. By many other measures, the American people are discontented and suffering, but Trump seems completely removed from the reality of what is happening to real people, perhaps a byproduct of his second regime being an echo chamber of sycophants.

Also this week, we saw more examples of the media losing access to the regime, and media outlets losing staffers or being shuttered. Trump and his agency heads also continued their targeted firings of perceived enemies or anyone who might question or in any way hinder Trump’s agenda and drive for retaliation. We saw the first slight pushback from Senate Republicans, symbolically voting to undo Trump’s tariffs, and the question now really is: will Republicans, after the Election Day drubbing, stop blindly following Trump’s every wish and whim? Mind you, the House of Representatives was last in session on September 19, although unlike furloughed federal workers, they continue to get paid.

On Wednesday, Newark Airport halted flights in and out in the afternoon, the day after air traffic controllers missed their first full paycheck, and many were forced to take outside employment to make up for lost income.
On Thursday, minutes before his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump threatened to resume nuclear testing, posting on Truth Social, “I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis.”
Trump told reporters on Air Force One that his call was based on what other countries were doing, claiming, “We’ve halted it years [ago],” adding, “But with others doing testing, I think it is appropriate that we do also.” The last U.S. testing was in 1992 under George H.W. Bush.
It was unclear what provoked the statement, which was also untrue: the only country to do testing in the past 25 years was North Korea, last in 2017. Although Trump said he had authorized the Pentagon to swiftly conduct nuclear tests, this task is done by the Energy Department.
On Sunday, in the first clarifying statements to Trump’s threat, Energy Secretary Chris Wright told Fox News that Trump’s plans for testing the U.S. nuclear weapons system will not include nuclear explosions, calling the proposed testing “systems tests” and “noncritical explosions.”
Later Sunday, Trump contradicted Wright in a “60 Minutes” interview, claiming Russia, China, North Korea, and others, “test way underground where people don’t know exactly what’s happening…They test, and we don’t test. We have to test.”
WAPO reported that the Trump regime has blocked media access to an area in the West Wing known as the ‘Upper Press,’ which houses the offices of key communications staff members, a move that could hurt the media’s ability to properly cover Trump. Journalists pushed back.
WAPO reported that far-right activist Laura Loomer was given press credentials to cover the Pentagon, a press pool which is now constituted of right-wing media after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s new edict.
ABC News reported Hegseth restricted military officials from speaking to members of Congress or their staff without written prior approval. Staffers said they worried that information needed by Congress, including to approve the Pentagon budget, would be bottlenecked.
On Monday, Teen Vogue was shuttered in a restructuring, with its remaining operations rolled into Vogue. Outgoing editor-in-chief Versha Sharma posted on X that there would be no political staffers, nor Black staffers remaining after layoffs that cut half the staff.
McClatchy media, which owns a portfolio of newspapers and other media outlets, closed its D.C. bureau.
CBS News experienced mass firings under its new Editor-in-chief Bari Weiss. The Race and Culture division was dismantled. According to a former news producer, “every person who got let go was a person of color…every person who got relocated and got to stay is a white person.”
More than 100 employees were let go, including eight on-air correspondents and hosts, all of whom were women, and half of whom were women of color. Weiss had declared in a 2023 op-ed, “It is time to end DEI for good.”
On Thursday, the FBI fired Aaron Tapp, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Antonio office, who oversaw public corruption cases, including the “Arctic Frost” investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election through fake electors schemes.
Reuters reported that FBI Director Kash Patel fired five more agents who worked on Jack Smith’s investigations of Trump. Two of the agents who were terminated later had their termination reversed, after pushback from District of Columbia U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro.
The names of the agents were made public by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, who publicly released more than 1,000 pages of subpoenas from Smith’s “Arctic Frost” investigation, without redacting the agents’ names.
The FBI Agents Association issued a rare rebuke of the FBI director, saying, “Director Patel has disregarded the law and launched a campaign of erratic and arbitrary retribution.”
Patel also fired Steven Palmer, a 27-year veteran of the FBI who oversaw the bureau’s crisis management operations, including the aviation unit, after flight logs in the public domain revealed Patel had used an agency jet to see his girlfriend sing the national anthem at a wrestling match.
On Thursday, Trump, citing an article on the Arctic Frost investigation, posted on Truth Social that former president Joseph Biden “is a CRIMINAL AND SHOULD BE IN JAIL,” calling him “A MAJOR LOWLIFE AND FAILURE. An ugly person, both inside and out!”
On Wednesday, two federal prosecutors were put on leave by the Trump regime after filing a brief referring to the Jan. 6 attackers as a “mob of rioters,” in a case against an insurrectionist who had showed up armed near the home of former president Barack Obama in 2023.
During the hearing, the federal judge, who was a Trump appointee, took the unusual step of publicly praising the two prosecutors, saying they had “upheld the highest standards of professionalism,” and adding, “In my view, both Mr. Valdivia and Mr. White did a truly excellent job.”
NYT reported the U.S. Attorney’s office in Washington D.C., where the two worked, is in crisis amid distrust of Trump appointee Pirro as leader, with waves of dismissals, demotions, and resignations that have reduced headcount by roughly one-third since Trump took office.
Pirro has quietly accelerated a list of special projects on topics of interest to Trump, including investigating Trump’s perceived enemies. At the same time, Trump’s deployment of National Guards troops in D.C. has led to a sharp uptick in cases for the office to handle.
Pirro has put pressure on staff to bring cases similar to those against Letitia James and James Comey, including against George Soros and lawyer Norm Eisen. One senior official, Jon Hooks, who refused and threatened to quit, was fired at a going away party for his colleagues.
Trump pushed out decorated Rear Admiral Kurt Rothenhaus as chief of naval research, who had served in the role since June 2023, and replaced him with Rachel Riley, a 33 year-old DOGE employee who pushed for deep cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services.
WSJ reported the Trump regime fired about a dozen officials within Fannie Mae’s ethics and internal investigations unit, a week after Suzanne Libby, the chief ethics officer, was pushed out. No reason was given for their termination.
Reuters reported Trump fired Joe Allen, the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s acting inspector general, while Trump ally and the agency’s director, Bill Pulte, is using the agency’s data for probing mortgages of Trump’s perceived enemies.
Trump’s nominee for the U.S. Export-Import Bank, Bryce McFerran, withdrew, after inquiries from WAPO about his ties to Russia, including a senior role in a steel company owned by a Russian oligarch and his marriage into a family with extensive ties to the Kremlin.
On Wednesday, the Senate voted 50–46 to block Trump’s tariffs on Canada, following a vote to block Brazilian tariffs the day prior, with the same four Republicans joining Democrats. The move was mostly symbolic as the House was unlikely to take up their resolution.
On Thursday, the Senate voted 51–47 to end the national emergency that Trump declared in order to invoke global tariffs on more than 100 countries announced on so-called Liberation Day. A similar measure had failed in late April by a 50–49 vote.
On Thursday, Trump called on Republicans to use the ‘nuclear option’ on filibusters to end the government shutdown, posting on Truth Social, “It is now time for the Republicans to play their ‘TRUMP CARD’…Get rid of the Filibuster, and get rid of it, NOW!”
Republican leaders rejected his call, with Sen. John Thune saying it would be a “bad idea” last week, which his spokesperson reiterated Friday; House Speaker Mike Johnson called it “a very important safeguard” and cautioned about, “If the shoe was on the other foot.”
Politico reported as the shutdown enters its second month, Trump is becoming increasingly frustrated. He and his regime expected Democrats to capitulate quickly, especially after threats of more mass firing, unpaid workers, and closed federal facilities.
Trump wanted to speak to reporters about his Asia trip, but was asked about the shutdown. He raged, saying Democrats “just don’t know what they’re doing,” adding, “I don’t know what’s wrong with them. They’ve never done a thing like this. They’ve become crazed lunatics.”
On Thursday, the Trump regime defended its decision to suspend the SNAP food program, after being sued by two dozen states, claiming it could not tap into an emergency reserve fund set up for such purposes, baselessly claiming there were legal obstacles to transferring funds.
The judge seemed skeptical of the regime’s argument, saying that Congress had aside money for such emergencies, and “It’s hard for me to understand how this isn’t an emergency, when there’s no money, and a lot of people are needing their SNAP benefits.”
On Friday, Trump posted images on Truth Social of a renovated bathroom in the Lincoln Bedroom at the White House, including white marble with gold accents, saying, “I renovated the Lincoln Bathroom in the White House,” adding the old decor “was totally inappropriate for the Lincoln Era.”
Polling shows just 28% of Americans support Trump tearing down the East Wing to build a ballroom, with 56% opposing, including 45% who strongly oppose.
CBS News reported that some of the contractors involved in the White House ballroom construction are seeking to hide their involvement, including by taking their websites offline, in response to the negative reactions and vitriol.
NYT reported while Trump promised transparency on donors for his ballroom, the list released last month was missing several individuals and companies that made major donations, and collectively have billions riding on the outcome of decisions made by the regime.
Among those not listed were BlackRock, which seeks to acquire a stake in Panama Canal ports; Jeff Yass, a major investor TikTok who will benefit from Trump’s deal; Extremity Care, which seeks to protect Medicare reimbursement for its products; and more.
On Friday, a federal judge in Boston ruled that the Trump regime’s attempt to suspend SNAP funding is “unlawful,” but called for the regime to answer her questions on the program by Monday, rather than immediately ordering that the program be funded.
Shortly after, a federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump regime to tap emergency funds to pay for federal food assistance benefits, citing, “There is no doubt and it is beyond argument that irreparable harm will begin to occur if it hasn’t already occurred.”
On Friday, as 42 million Americans faced potential food insecurity and uncertainty on whether their SNAP payment would arrive, Trump threw a Great Gatsby-themed Halloween bash at Mar-a-Lago.
The party at Mar-a-Lago was themed “A little party never killed nobody,” according to the White House. Earlier, Trump had blamed the judge for not giving clear direction, posting on Truth Social, “If we are given the appropriate legal direction by the Court” we will pay SNAP benefits.
On Saturday, Reuters reported that as federal food aid lapsed, just five states and D.C. said they would pay for some or all of the November food aid. Trump’s USDA said in an October 24 memo that it will not reimburse states that cover the costs of benefits.
Reuters also reported as Obamacare enrollment opened on Saturday for 2026, Americans shopping for health insurance plans faced a more than doubling of monthly premiums on average, as subsidies were set to expire. Democrats made this issue their sticking point for reopening the government.
WAPO reported federal workers have now missed two paychecks with the shutdown hitting one month, and many face dire financial conditions, with some needing to use their credit cards to pay bills, visit food pantries, and take on side jobs to help cover costs.
Trump’s Education Department issued revised eligibility requirements for Public Service Loan Forgiveness that would block those who work with undocumented immigrants, provide gender transition care for minors, or publicly protest, from being eligible for forgiveness.
More than two dozen attorneys general sued the Education Department over the rule. NY AG Letitia said in a statement the program was set up to honor “teachers, nurses, firefighters, and social workers” for their service, but the Trump regime has set up a “political loyalty test.”
Late Saturday, a federal judge in Rhode Island clarified his ruling, ordering the Trump regime to keep making SNAP payments, giving it the option to make full payments by Monday, or partial payments by Wednesday. It was unclear if the regime would comply or appeal.
On Saturday, Trump posted on Truth Social that Republicans would “rue the day that you didn’t TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER!!!” adding, “Don’t be WEAK AND STUPID” and “We will immediately END the Extortionist Shutdown,” and “BE TOUGH, BE SMART, AND WIN!!!”
On Monday, the Trump regime said in a court filing it would partially fund SNAP with a $4.65 billion payment, but according to the USDA, using emergency funds could take “a few weeks to up to several months.”
The regime also said while it would use the $4.65 billion remaining in an emergency contingency fund, it refused to use the at least $4 billion from the Child Nutrition Program to keep the program fully funded for November.
On Tuesday, Trump contradicted his regime’s filing, posting on Truth Social that SNAP benefits would not be paid, saying payments “will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government.”
Shortly after, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump is “fully complying” with the court’s order, but claimed, “it’s going to take some time to receive this money, because the Democrats” put the regime “into a very untenable position.”
The Atlantic reported that six top Trump officials have moved to homes on military bases to separate themselves from the public, including White House adviser Stephen Miller, DHS Sec. Kristi Noem, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Hegseth living on “Generals’ Row.”
On Friday, a federal judge ruled that Trump cannot require proof of citizenship for voting, saying his directive is an unconstitutional violation of the separation of powers, “because our Constitution assigns responsibility for election regulation to the States and to Congress.”
On Friday, a group of immigrant rights advocates sued the Trump regime, alleging “inhumane” conditions at the Broadview ICE facility in the Chicago suburbs, citing overcrowding, that people inside cannot shower or practice proper hygiene, and lack adequate medical care.
Politico reported more than 100 judges, including 12 appointed by Trump, have ruled at least 200 times against his regime’s immigration enforcement operation, including violation of migrants’ rights.
The car of a Chicago woman on her way to work as a paralegal was struck by an ICE vehicle. She was then forcefully pulled out from her car, amid onlookers taking video, and detained by ICE without an explanation. She later said she was “shocked and terrified.”
WAPO reported that ICE and Border Patrol have used tear gas on protestors to disperse crowds in a way that violates American policing norms and is possibly illegal, and is a new use for the chemical. The use of chemical agents has continued despite a federal judge’s order.
Examples included federal agents throwing chemical agents out of vehicles on city streets; throwing tear-gas canisters near stores and schools, exposing children, pregnant women and older people; and firing pepper balls directly at protesters.
NYT reported that Alejandro Juarez, a husband and father of four, who lived in the U.S. for 22 years and worked at a Trump golf club for more than a decade, was mistakenly deported to Mexico without a hearing from a judge, in violation of federal immigration laws.
ICE officials later discovered they had placed him on the wrong airplane, sending him to Mexico rather than to a detention center in Arizona, after incorrectly claiming a 2022 conviction for DUI. It was unclear how many other immigrants were improperly removed by ICE.
On Sunday, a federal judge, who was a Trump appointee, extended her earlier temporary restraining order, blocking Trump from deploying National Guard troops in Portland, saying she was reviewing the information but thus far the regime had not proven its case.
AP reported Hegseth ordered the military to provide 48 lawyers and four paralegals to the DOJ for temporary assignments in Memphis and near the U.S.-Mexico border, where federal immigration enforcement operations were taking place.
On Saturday, Trump posted on Truth Social that he ordered the Pentagon to “prepare for possible action” in Nigeria, which he accused of “mass slaughter” of Christians, saying the U.S. “may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing.’”
WSJ reported DHS directed border patrol to screen all foreign travelers with facial recognition tools as they enter and leave the country, and to store the photos for 75 years, creating a massive biometric database at risk of cyberattacks. Photos of U.S. citizens are said to be deleted within 12 hours.
HHS Sec. Robert Kennedy Jr. said in a speech he does not have “sufficient” evidence to link use of Tylenol with autism, admitting, “The causative association between Tylenol given in pregnancy and perinatal periods is not sufficient to say it definitely causes autism.”
Kennedy’s admission came the day after GOP Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Tylenol’s parent company, alleging it failed to alert consumers that using Tylenol during pregnancy posed a “significantly increased risk of autism” and ADHD.
On Sunday, Dr. George Tidmarsh, the head of the FDA’s drug division, resigned, after a pharmaceutical company claimed in a lawsuit that he had used his FDA role to publicly disparage a drug in retaliation against its board chairman and investor.
WAPO reported that since Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center, ticket sales have plummeted: 43% of tickets for typical productions this fall remaining unsold, compared to 93% sold or comped in the fall of 2024.
Reuters reported after the Trump regime withheld $324 million in funding appropriated by Congress for the nearly 1,400 community development financial institutions across the country, as part of its war on ‘woke,’ small businesses in low income and rural areas are closing.
An NBC News poll found 63% disapproved of Trump’s handling of the economy, 65% said he was not looking out for the middle class, and 66% disapproved of his handling of inflation and the cost of living.
An ABC News poll found Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of every issue measured, meaning a net disapproval, including tariffs, the economy, foreign policy, and immigration.
A CNN poll found Trump’s approval at 37%, the lowest of the pollster from Trump’s second regime, and his disapproval at 63%, the highest level of both regimes, and higher than the week after the Jan. 6 insurrection (62%).
A poll by Decision Desk HQ found most voters said they had made sacrifices in the past year to make ends meet, including 40% who said they had made “some” sacrifices, and 18% who say they had made “significant” sacrifices.
On Sunday, Trump appeared for an interview on “60 Minutes,” months after Paramount had capitulated to Trump in a frivolous lawsuit in Week 34 in order to complete a merger. Similar to the subject of that lawsuit, his interview was edited from 90 minutes to 28 minutes televised.
CNN fact checker reported that Trump made 18 false claims in his interview, including on topics like the economy and inflation, his bombing of vessels in the Caribbean, his roles in ending wars, the 2020 election, and the government shutdown.
On the subject of that lawsuit, Trump lied, calling the interview with former VP Kamala Harris an “election-changing” interview that occurred “two nights before the election.” The interview aired on October 7, 2024, four weeks and a day before Election Day.
Trump was also asked if he pressured the DOJ to go after Comey and James, which he publicly did on Truth Social amongst other ways, and he lied, saying, “No, and not in any way, shape or form. No.”
Asked about his pardon of Binance chief Changpeng Zhao, Trump claimed, “I don’t know who he is,” despite pardoning Zhao after his own guilty plea.
Axios reported CBS also cut out a key exchange in its extended broadcast where Trump was asked about the appearance of corruption with his crypto involvement, and said, “I can’t say, because — I can’t say — I’m not concerned. I don’t — I’d rather not have you ask the question.”
CBS edited out Trump bragging about his $16 million settlement with the network, but included it in an online full version. Trump also praised CBS News new owner, Skydance CEO David Ellison, and said of Bari Weiss, “I don’t know her, but I hear she’s a great person.
WAPO reported on a secretive circle of technology investors, which dubbed themselves the Rockbridge Network. They backed JD Vance as Trump’s vice presidential candidate. They targeted low propensity voters to vote for Trump in 2024.
Their leader, Chris Buskirk, also runs 1789 Capital, in which Donald Jr. was made a partner post election. 1789 is an investor in Polymarket, which the Trump regime dropped two Biden-era federal investigations into in Week 39, and on which Donald Jr. now sits on an advisory board.
On Monday, a federal appeals court in Florida found that Trump appointee Aileen Cannon has imposed an “undue delay” in ruling on unsealing the remainder of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s final report, and gave her 60 more days to rule on long pending motions.
NYT reported that Smith has told people in his orbit that he is welcoming the opportunity to present facts from his two cases against Trump in front of the House or Senate. Some Republicans have quietly expressed concern that Trump’s retaliation against Smith could backfire.
Attorney General Pam Bondi gave Lindsey Halligan, who is temporarily serving as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, a new title as “special attorney,” so Halligan can withstand claims she was illegally serving when bringing charges against James and Comey.
WAPO reported Trump is escalating pressure in private meetings, public comments, and social media posts for the DOJ to review ballots from the 2020 election, and look for fraud that has previously not been detected. Trump refuses to let go of allegations of widespread fraud.
Trump has not named who he blames for his alleged and invalidated claims of fraud, but he has specified people that he wants to see investigated and potentially “jailed,” including Biden, former attorney general Merrick Garland, and former special counsel Jack Smith.
On Tuesday, Election Day, Trump again called for the elimination of the filibuster, posting on Truth Social, “The Democrats are far more likely to win the Midterms, and the next Presidential Election,” if they do not do so. Trump made this demand in four of the last five days.
Trump also baselessly claimed on Truth Social that California’s voting process was “RIGGED,” saying it was “under very serious legal and criminal review. STAY TUNED!” CA Gov. Gavin Newsom called Trump “A totally unserious person spreading false information.”
Trump sent election monitors to five counties in California to monitor voting, including sending Michael Gates, a lawyer with a history of questioning the county’s voting procedures, to ethnically diverse Orange County. Trump also sent monitors to New Jersey.
In New Jersey, where an important governor’s race took place, bomb threats were emailed to nearly two dozen polling places, including in Passaic, a key swing county. The threats were not credible. Similar bomb threats plagued all five swing states during the 2024 election.
On Election Day, Democrats turned out in extraordinary numbers, winning virtually every competitive election on the map, including the governor races in New Jersey and Virginia by wide margins, and turning many red districts blue, a rebuke of Trump and Republicans.
California also voted “yes” by a nearly two-to-one margin for redistricting, countering in part Trump’s move to have red states redistrict ahead of next year’s midterms. Other blue states were also considering redistricting efforts.
On Tuesday, as the Supreme Court was set to hear oral arguments on Trump’s tariffs on Wednesday, Trump posted on Truth Social that the case was “literally, LIFE OR DEATH, for our Country.” Trump said he would not attend in person, after previously saying he would.
On Tuesday, Trump renominated Elon Musk ally Jared Isaacman to run NASA, after pulling his nomination during a spat with Musk in May, over what Trump called a “thorough review of prior associations.”
On Tuesday, Hegseth announced the 16th deadly strike by the U.S. military on an alleged drug boat, killing two people, and bringing the death toll to at least 66.
On Wednesday, Trump met with Senate Republicans, blaming the party’s election loses solely on the government shutdown, and again pushed them to end the Senate filibuster, claiming if they do, “it’ll be impossible to beat us.”
On Wednesday, the government shutdown entered its 35th day, the longest shutdown in U.S. history. Polling showed 46% of Americans blamed Trump and Republicans for the shutdown, 23% blamed Democrats, and 31% were not sure.
On Wednesday, in a proposed class action lawsuit, recipients of food assistance benefits sued the Trump regime, saying they are in danger of going hungry amid a federal funding lapse. The lawsuit comes as the regime has been unclear if it will comply with the court order.

President Donald Trump joins at a Great Gatsby themed Mar-a-Lago Halloween party in Palm Beach, Fla., Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)