How life changed in a rural town that lost its clinic after Trump’s megabill CNN In the Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia Augusta Medical Group cited the health care provisions in Trump’s signature legislation as reason for closure It's happening elsewhere I know including California bit.ly/4rLxrYr

How the Elite Behave When No One Is Watching: Inside the Epstein Emails by Anand Giridharadas NYT Gift Article Insights well worth a read including readers' comments if you want to understand "The Epstein Class" and what's behind people's intuitions and resentment It's an id moment bit.ly/3XWYlP1

The Ex-President Whom Trump Plans to Pardon Flooded America With Cocaine NYT Gift Article Hernández who Trump called a victim of persecution, helped orchestrate a decades-long trafficking conspiracy. It ravaged his Central American country He accepted $1 million bribe from El Chapo bit.ly/4oqDJcT

"No one's going to build a factory based on a tariff that's on on Monday, off on... Tuesday, the president's changed his mind by Wednesday, he gets hormonal by Thursday and someone says something nasty in the middle school cafeteria on Friday and they're back on again."

‘The New Price of Eggs.’ The Political Shocks of Data Centers and Electric Bills NYT Gift Article Democrats zeroed in on utilities and affordability to win Republican support in upset elections in Georgia and Virginia. Can the same playbook work in 2026? A must read today bit.ly/48yD8Aa

Judge: Federal agents engaged in widespread misrepresentations to justify use of force At least one agent used ChatGPT to create use of force report Chicago WLS News In examples in 200-plus page opinion DHS narrative contradicts reality of what can be seen on ICE body-worn cameras bit.ly/4oqx1DM

Netanyahu seeks pardon in corruption trial from Israel's president after getting Trump's backing NBC News Said pardon would be in Israel's "national interest" and cited Trump's support Two peas in a pod, corrupt politicians favor pardons for corruption Netanyahu multiple bribery bit.ly/48HVqQv

We now have an official White House list of news organizations that are biased and even a "Offender Hall of Shame" Even Murdoch's Wall Street Journal is on the list Your taxpayer money being spent here Complete with rebutting documentation from Trump approved sources Gulags soon? bit.ly/4891mSn

How fear of Trump’s immigration blitz is changing life in California farm towns CalMatters Tax receipts down almost 30% in Firebaugh a farm town near Fresno where immigrants are afraid to go out and some longtime workers are weighing self-deportation Implications for price of food bit.ly/4rtYMhg

Trump Declares Venezuelan Airspace Closed NYT Gift Article He said days earlier that the US could “very soon” expand its campaign of killing people at sea to attacking Venezuelan territory Detailed article A range of target options that may include oil-related facilities bit.ly/4p2q6le

Senate committee vows ‘vigorous oversight’ in killing of boat strike survivors WAPO Gift Article Republican-led Senate Armed Service Committee’s pledge came after report that the defense secretary ordered that a U.S. strike on an alleged narcotics boat leave no survivors Good news wapo.st/48k7g1S

US Navy nixes Constellation frigate program after two ships half-built by Tom Kington, Defense News Trump got his headline but the Navy is cancelling the program following months of cost overruns and delays, but plans to keep two vessels that are already being built in Wisconsin bit.ly/49NdBVZ

Explore California's top ratings in work, safety, and leisure (9 stories) Sacramento Bee Read curated articles on California highlighting the state's top rankings and appealing qualities in various domains such as work, safety, leisure, and education Great for a holiday weekend bit.ly/3XsUyJc

Thanksgiving Above All Celebrates Our Escape From a Pre-Liberal World The Unpopulist But the liberal order's very success in overcoming the horrors of that world has made postliberal ideologies forget what lies on its other side ICYMI bit.ly/3K52Zrb

‘In Triage Every Day’: A Beleaguered Speaker Says He’s Overwhelmed NYT Gift Article In podcast Speaker Mike Johnson opened up about crushing demands of job that he joked was his in name only It's true: Read excellent article He's a pawn and doesn't represent the body on many issues bit.ly/3M8DCFt

How the Supreme Court Rejected Denaturalization as a Political Weapon Long Ago Threats to strip opponents of citizenship recall a dark history Brennan Center Trump admin and others plan to revoke citizenship of political foes who are naturalized citizens Lessons in history and law bit.ly/48G7fXn

Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all" WAPO In second order after boat destroyed Joint Special Operations commander followed defense secretary’s order to leave no survivors Unlawful order per experts may expose some to future prosecution wapo.st/49KbUJ1

Trump pardons former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez convicted in 2024 of drug trafficking and weapons charges and sentenced to 45 years in prison AP Trump's post in message backing right wing ally of Hernandez in Honduras election Hypocritical election interference bit.ly/3MdRdLA

Newly released facts from Social Security demolish Musk’s fraud claims — again Marketwatch Embarrassing 57-page report to Congress details variety of Social Security frauds that took place under Trump’s first administration only to be caught, stopped & prosecuted … er … under Biden bit.ly/4ak6wMI

High court ruling from 2006 could clear way for redistricting in Texas, California by Bob Egelko, SF Chronicle In Purcell, the Court in an unsigned ruling allowed strict new voter identification requirements in upcoming election on grounds that it was too late for courts to intervene bit.ly/3KvrsWE

Surging measles cases are 'fire alarm' warning that other diseases could be next NBC News High transmissibility means that even small drops in vaccine coverage can trigger outbreaks US vaccination rate drops US Whooping cough cases rising & on track to be the most in a decade bit.ly/3XUOFVh

Nobel laureate Krugman: Bitcoin’s meltdown deeply connected to Trump’s waning power: ‘Think of it as the unraveling of the Trump trade’ Fortune $1 trillion selloff has cost Trump family—$1 billion of its fortune, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index A conflict of interest bit.ly/4oucT3J

The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics Every week political cartoonists throughout the country and across the political spectrum apply their ink-stained skills to capture the foibles, memes, hypocrisies and other head-slapping events in the world of politics Starts here bit.ly/4iKFjoZ

What the data says about food stamps in the U.S. Pew Research Center This is jam packed with information and analysis of the program and how it is undergoing changes from its history to charts, diagrams and statistics Well worth reading or looking through the day after Thanksgiving bit.ly/44rG00e

How Trump made the DOJ his personal law firm and a tool for retribution Vox Thousands of attorneys have left since Trump took office. Here’s where that leaves the department Interview of Emily Bazelon, NYT Magazine legal beagle, you can read or listen to: It's chilling bit.ly/4ogJycJ

There’s No Doubt About It: The Great MAGA Crack-Up Has Begun by Michael Tomasky Every single prominent member of the Trump administration has had a very, very bad week Here we are, Black Friday, officially Christmastime now. America is in a sour mood. Read all the details here bit.ly/4pBCsRa

In a dramatic shift, Americans no longer see four-year college degrees as worth the cost NBC News The latest Hart Research Associates poll shows two-thirds of registered voters down on the value proposition of a degree. A majority said degrees were worth the cost a dozen years ago bit.ly/4pBNDcI

Record Numbers of Younger Women Want to Leave the U.S. Gallup Desire to migrate among younger American women has quadrupled in the past decade Also elevated among U.S. men About one in five Americans say they would like to leave the U.S. and move permanently Politics plays a role bit.ly/4ahAG3c

The song Yusuf/Cat Stevens called 50 years ahead of its time: “The problem has not gone away” Far Out We are living in unprecedented times. In reality, Cat Stevens had predicted most of what we’re going through all the way back in 1970 ‘Where Do The Children Play?’ bit.ly/3Mfia1v

The cognitive bias that allows Putin’s crumbling regime to dominate the West The Telegraph Future historians will wonder how Russia was able to intimidate the most powerful military alliance ever. Answer lies in psychology How weakest Russia in modern history pushed us on back foot bit.ly/4p3AM31

Trump says U.S. to ‘permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries’ after DC shooting CNBC His posts targeted “Third World Countries” (most are African), federal benefits for noncitizens & deporting those "non-compatible with Western Civilization” Racist and xenophobic bit.ly/4rETtvQ

This Year, the Billionaires Give Thanks for Trump by Molly Jong-Fast NYT gift article Trump has never been much for gratitude or giving back and is the opposite of myth and meaning of Thanksgiving to acknowledge the generosity of Indigenous people who helped keep colonizers alive bit.ly/3M4XlG3

A Terrible and Avoidable Tragedy in D.C. Trump was warned that members of the military could be attacked By Juliette Kayyem Atlantic‬ Gift “There are costs to performatively deploying members of the military, one of which is the risk of endangering them” IMHO: Multiple causes bit.ly/3XV7pny

This Thanksgiving, read a Native American poet’s song of healing NPR For poet Allison Adelle Hedge Coke the first Thanksgiving—when English pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe gathered in Plymouth — isn’t about breaking bread but rather the effort to eradicate an entire population bit.ly/4p4Kx0V

Thanks to all the scientists, archivists, and data hoarders mobilizing to defend against the censure of life saving medical research for using accurate descriptions of sex and gender. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

“We stopped talking to people.” A crucially important conclusion from a Podemos leader about the party’s decline and fall. It’s an important lesson for anyone on the left. Don’t get wrapped up in theory and internal fights. Always stay in touch with the normies you say you represent.

Happy Thanksgiving! Shove a bird into the oven baste if/when you remember. Give it 4 hours. Perfect turkey every time. A special heartfelt Thanksgiving to all the great people who make up the Bluesky resistance. Your hope sustains me! #happythaksgiving #theresistence #dontresisttheturkey

John Oliver Sells His Bob Ross Painting Raises Record $1.5 Million for Public Television Good News Network Thanks giving to John Oliver Enjoy the day bit.ly/4ipcWfv

Suspect in Washington DC national guard shooting had ties to CIA agency confirms Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29 worked with agency-backed military units during US war in Afghanistan Guardian My thoughts are with guard members & their families Not a day to speculate or make hasty judgments bit.ly/3XQ6hlc

20 Photos from Life in 1969 That History Class Skipped A year remembered for historic events Cracked The year I graduated from high school I'll may post a little news later on, but I'm off the rest of the day to join a big family dinner A day to enjoy pictures and music bit.ly/4olrdeH

When will the Beatles bandwagon end? Spectator World Anthology 4 makes the extraordinary band seem ordinary I've been a Beatles fan since I was 13 and remember when each album came out. It's a sound track playing in my head Interesting to listen to the outtakes which are on YouTube bit.ly/4p1o6JZ

Appeals court upholds $1M penalty against Trump & attorney Alina Habba in lawsuit against Hillary Clinton & Comey Politico Ruled arguments “were indeed frivolous” & “abuse of judicial resources” Unanimous panel included Trump appointee 11th Circuit defeat last week in CNN case bit.ly/49HpDjD

Can Aftyn Behn Stun GOP in Tennessee Next Week? The Nation Democrat has real chance to flip deep-red congressional seat. Why her bid is shaking up politics of 2025 and maybe 2026 Cook Political Report changed to “Lean Republican,” polling & early voting shows Dem enthusiasm surging bit.ly/48BXOZ1

The ‘Wild Card’ in the Comey and James Cases: Will Judges Pick the Next Prosecutor? NYT Gift Article Dismissal of indictments that President Trump sought against his foes opens the door for federal judges to pick a new U.S. attorney to replace a Trump loyalist Could derail things bit.ly/49BQrln

Times Analysis Finds Errors in Trump Supreme Court Filing That Calls for National Guard in Chicago NYT Gift Article They claimed police were slow to protect federal agents but videos and audio show that is simply not true Retired conservative judge rips Solicitor General and A.G. bit.ly/4imU4xZ

She Tried to Leave America. She Entered an Immigration Hall of Mirrors NYT Gift After more than 20 years in the U.S. an Eritrean mother and nurse tried to self-deport to Canada. She found herself in a Texas detention center instead I cried while reading this. Where is our humanity? bit.ly/3XXUd1b

Trump Has Put the Military in an Impossible Situation by David French NYT Gift Article French served as a JAG officer & briefed thousands of soldiers, says the statements of lawmakers about duty to disobey unlawful orders is not radical Read his reasoning to learn about the nuances bit.ly/4op0y0H

Trump Doesn’t Understand Inflation Having promised to lower living costs he seems keen to make American life more expensive Atlantic Gift Article Cost of living has risen since he took office at 3% up from 2.9% in 2024. Americans are now as angry at him as they were at Joe Biden bit.ly/4omWlKF

US justice department memo about boat strikes diverges from Trump narrative Guardian Classified justice department office of legal counsel (OLC) opinion relies on collective self-defense effort on behalf of US allies in the region with no public evidence Trump says its drugs in US bit.ly/4psSzAw

Senator Mark Kelly Is in the Wrong Job He should be secretary of defense. By Tom Nichols Atlantic Gift Article Kelly is at least as qualified to lead the Pentagon as other recent appointee Hegsethis vying to snag never-coveted title of Worst Secretary of Defense in Modern America bit.ly/4p9Qh9U