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Sunday Afternoon News Updates -11/23/25
Here's the latest...
Donald Trump woke up to a political firestorm of his own making on Sunday as he once again was thrust into a major foreign policy scandal concerning Ukraine.
Yesterday, a bipartisan group of senators revealed the so-called “peace plan” Trump’s team delivered to Ukraine, billed as Trump’s signature diplomatic vision, was in fact drafted by Russia. The senators described it as Russia’s “wish list” and said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had given them the green light to go public with this information. The document appears to have been crudely translated through Google Translate or some other basic translator, still including peculiar phrases unique to the Russian language. It’s no wonder that when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and our allies reviewed it, they were appalled.
After the news broke, the Trump administration scrambled to contain the damage. The State Department started backtracking on Rubio’s statement, declaring it to be an American plan with Russian input, claiming they acknowledged Ukraine’s past perspectives within the document. Even Rubio that disputed his own words to the senators. Their damage control efforts simply aren’t adding up. Now, our close allies across the world are demanding to know the truth behind this so called “peace plan.” All the while, Trump was exposed as nothing more than an intermediary for Vladimir Putin. It’s a complete diplomatic mess.
Trump’s reaction this morning was typical. He launched into attacks on Ukraine, falsely claiming its “leadership has expressed zero gratitude for our efforts” while scolding European nations for buying Russian oil. It was a statement as dishonest as it was desperate. Most of Europe has sharply reduced its reliance on Russian energy, apart from the authoritarian allies Trump praises, like Viktor Orbán in Hungary.
Then came Trump’s fallback excuse for every failure and every scandal: the lie that the 2020 election was “stolen.” Moments later he again turned his fire on Democratic lawmakers, veterans and former intelligence officials, who reminded U.S. troops they cannot obey unlawful orders. Trump called these Americans “traitors.” This week alone, reposted comments saying that George Washington would have hanged them.
As Trump spiraled publicly, his advisers scrambled to clean up the political debris. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appeared on Sunday shows as Americans are struggling through surging inflation heading into Thanksgiving. Instead of offering solutions, he mocked the crisis. He said the best way to “bring your inflation rate down” is simply to “move from a blue state to a red state.” The arrogance was staggering. Millions of families are being crushed under higher grocery prices, rising energy costs, and a shrinking middle class, and the president’s top economic adviser advised them to pack their bags.
Meanwhile, Trump’s team is floating a plan to roll back the very tariffs he imposed, the same tariffs that contributed to today’s inflationary spike. Now they’re demanding applause for undoing their own damage.
The numbers are damning. A new CBS poll shows 64% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy. Sixty-eight percent disapprove of his handling of inflation. Seventy-seven percent say he isn’t spending enough time addressing it. A majority believe Trump is lying about prices going down. And the chart tracking approval of his economic handling looks like a cliff. Straight down.
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Even Trump’s own advisers are now admitting parts of the economy are in recession. Bessent acknowledged that “housing has been struggling” and that interest-sensitive sectors are already in contraction. The regime blames the government shutdown, its own government shutdown, on Democrats, even though Republicans control every lever of government.
And then there’s DOGE, the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, a Trump-Musk public-private farce marketed as a panacea for all economic problems. Trump promised $5,000 “DOGE dividend checks” for every American. Today, the Office of Personnel Management confirmed DOGE “does not exist.” Rather, it has been completely disbanded, with employees now reassigned to other government departments. Reuters reports that at least two prominent DOGE employees are now involved with the National Design Studio, a new body created through an executive order signed by Trump in August to “beautify government websites.” Another Trump scam, folded quietly into the debris pile. All that chaos. All those firings. All the deaths as a result of the destruction of USAID. All for nothing.
If DOGE’s job was to decrease government spending as publicly advertised, it was a miserable failure. Spending under Trump is now significantly higher than it was projected to be prior to the creation of DOGE. If the job was to destabilize our government and gain access to our most sensitive information, well, then, mission accomplished.
Members of Congress are alarmed. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called Trump’s rhetoric “bizarre,” “erratic,” and “volatile,” warning that his threats reflect “a mental state that we should all be questioning right now.” Senator Mark Kelly, former fighter pilot and astronaut, underscored the stakes: “The message he sent… was he declared that loyalty to the Constitution is now punishable by death.”
At the same time, the regime is moving to obstruct transparency in the Epstein files exactly as predicted. Trump’s attorney general, Pam Bondi, is petitioning federal courts for grand jury transcripts, documents that have nothing to do with the actual Epstein files that survivors, courts, and Congress are demanding. It’s a bait-and-switch, a way to claim compliance while hiding terabytes of evidence that the Justice Department has been sitting on for years.
Against this backdrop, Trump’s foreign policy chaos deepened. The United States refused to attend the G20 summit, the first G20 ever hosted in Africa, because Trump claimed a so-called “white genocide” in South Africa. It is a lie steeped in racist extremism, and it left America isolated as the G20 proceeded smoothly without us. The remaining nations quickly issued a joint declaration reaffirming multilateralism, a pointed statement that the world will not wait for the United States while Trump embraces fringe conspiracy theories.
Meanwhile, the crisis in Gaza worsened. The ceasefire collapsed amid renewed violence. In Ukraine, America’s abandonment has triggered emergency meetings among European allies now forced to navigate the fallout from Trump handing Kyiv a surrender plan written by Russia.
This is the reality. Trump is lurching from scandal to scandal, demanding loyalty over law, and presiding over an economy that’s spiraling before our eyes. And at every turn, he reaches for the same tools. Lies. Rage. Retribution. Chaos.
We’re going to keep exposing the moral rot of this administration as it unravels. Watch my latest video report above. Remember to keep spreading the word. Like this post. Share pro-democracy news with your friends and family. Let’s continue to stand strong.
JUST A FEW COMMENTS ALTHOUGH THERE ARE MANY INFORMED & INSIGHTFUL COMMENTS WORTH READING:
Recently Ben Meiselas posted about FOX NEWS = FAKE NEWS LIARS titled
My Message to Murdoch Family: Stand Down Now!!
LET'S END THE DISINFORMATION ABOUT A RIGGED ELECTION!
MURDOCH CHOSE RATINGS OVER TRUTH!
In response, I posted this reply:
Let's remember that the RIGHT WING VIEWERS are so poorly informed clinging to propaganda outlets, some of which are RUSSIAN FUNDED, they are unaware of the DOMINION & SMARTMATIC lawsuits - EDUCATION begins with challenging pre-digested disinformation.
Many of those lawsuits are still pending & include those that TRUMP recently pardoned even though no federal charges were ever brought against them.
FOX NEWS VIEWERS single source their disinformation & never viewed the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF LIES & CONSPIRACY THEORIES....the publicly released emails & depositions were damning!
Consider how many ELECTION DENIERS still spew the same LIES & PROPAGANDA - all devoted TRUMP CULT followers.
FOX NEWS = FAKE NEWS LIARS knew the ELECTION LIES & DOMINION attacks were FALSE, but knew their viewers were DUMB enough to believe their LIES & CONSPIRACY THEORIES: Fox Viewers Are A Bunch Of 'Cousin F*ckers'....
$787.5 MILLION SETTLEMENT IS TAX-DEDUCTIBLE:
excerpt:
Settlement
With the jury seated and attorneys about to make their opening statements, Davis announced Dominion and Fox News had reached a settlement. Fox agreed to pay Dominion $787.5 million. At the time of the settlement, Fox Corporation had $4.1 billion cash on hand.[59] Deadline Hollywood reported that the payment would be tax-deductible for Fox.[60] The settlement was one of the largest defamation settlements in U.S. history,[59] and is believed to be the largest defamation settlement in U.S. history by a media organization.[61]
FROM WIKIPEDIA:
Dominion Voting Systems v. Fox News Network
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominion_Voting_Systems_v._Fox_News_Network
Tucker's Ex-Producer: Fox Viewers Are A Bunch Of 'Cousin F*ckers'
He knew those idiots would believe the lies.
By Conover Kennard — March 13, 2023
excerpts:
Tucker Carlson and other Fox News personalities knew that Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 election. They all knew, but they continued to spoon-feed their viewers dangerous lies about the election and hosted conspiracy theorists like the Kraken lady Sidney Powell, who one Fox star noted in a text that her evidence of voter fraud was "kooky."
Dominion Voting Systems is suing the network for a whopping $1.6 billion for defamation. So, why would the network continue to air such flagrant lies? Money. Ratings. And they did not respect their viewers.
Raj Shah, who had served as a senior aide in Trump's White House for two years before his hiring at Fox, said in a text about Rudy Giuliani's speech that featured the former New York City mayor with hair dye running down his face: "This sounds SO F------ CRAZY btw."
Via The Washington Post:
So when a Fox News reporter went live on air just after Giuliani's news conference concluded and declared that some of what the president's lawyer had said was "simply not true," Shah reacted with alarm.
"This is the kinda s--- that will kill us," he texted the deputy. "we cover it wall to wall and then we burn that down with all the skepticism."
But he knew that the election was fair. And Tucker Carlson's producer at the time, Alex Pfeiffer, thought Carlson's viewers were a bunch of dumb cousin fuckers.
Despite his behind-the-scenes lobbying, Shah counseled a middle course in dealing with her claims on air. On the day after Carlson publicly challenged Powell, Shah and a Carlson producer weighed whether Carlson should devote time in his next show to Powell's claim that she had an affidavit that would link Dominion to Venezuela.
"Might wanna address this, but this stuff is so f------ insane. Vote rigging to the tune of millions? C'mon," Shah wrote.
Carlson's producer, Alex Pfeiffer, responded: "It is so insane but our viewers believe it, so addressing against how her stupid Venezuela affidavit isn't proof might insult them."
Shah advised that Carlson should mention the affidavit noting it was "not new info, not proof" but then quickly "pivot to being deferential."
Pfeiffer, who has since left the network, answered that the delicate dance was "surreal."
"Like negotiating with terrorists," he added, "but especially dumb ones. Cousin f----- types not Saudi royalty."
He's not wrong, but he kept propagating the Big Lie because he knew Fox News' viewers were a bunch of dumb "cousin-fucking types" that would eat it up. And that's disgusting for a so-called news network.
https://crooksandliars.com/2023/03/tuckers-ex-producer-fox-viewers-are-bunch
When an old wllted...dementia ridden....hate filled narcissst with giant cankles and a vagina neck is backed into a corner........Narcs turn extra deadly. Any empathy that man-baby had is now in a stinking, dripping overflowing Depends.
This souless bottom feeding asshole would destroy the world and not give a shit.
And America now has its own version of a madman king, akin to England’s Henry the 8th.
Drum role please. I give you Douchebag Donny the First (and hopefully the ONLY).
“[this] ‘Self-indulgent wife murderer and tyrant’ tops poll of historical writers, ahead of Edward VIII and Charles I”
“King John I may forever be known as a Bad King following that seminal history textbook 1066 and All That, but according to history authors, it is Henry VIII who should bear the title of the worst monarch in history.
“More than 60 writers were surveyed by the Historical Writers Association (HWA), with Henry VIII taking 20% of the vote to find the worst monarch and criticised for a wide range of crimes: he was “obsessive”, “syphilitic” and a “self-indulgent wife murderer and tyrant”, according to respondents.
“Robert Wilton, the author of The Spider of Sarajevo, called the Tudor king “a gross man-child, wilfully and capriciously dangerous to everything around him including the country”, adding that psychologically, Henry “barely made it out of infancy, let alone adolescence, and ruled with little more policy than petulant self-gratification”.
Sound familiar?
BREAKING: Senator Mark Kelly hits back hard after Donald Trump called for his execution — and his words brilliantly showcase the differences between the two men.
I live in a red state...thats bullshit, we pay higher compared to our income.
I live in a blue state n send you money!! WHY do the red states always vote against their own interests? Curious!
Because our state's gerrymandered and now the scotus is letting them do it again.
Racism. Blue states send them money but it never reaches the people who need it. What does reach them is the racist message that POC in the blue states get the money and they believe it. The Republicans they elect are using racism to manipulate and rob them. STOP ELECTING REPUBLICANS.
They voted for Trump because Taco "likes the uneducated".........Red hats must be so happy the Department of Eduaction is on the 2025 chopping block.
They've also decided several "professional" jobs are no longer going to be considered as professional, like engineering and nursing. What a slap in the face.
Nothing but morons running the show and they prove it every day.
I live in arkansas. People from Texas that come up here for vacation are always getting pissed off about paying state taxes on food. But our minimum wage is over $10 an hour while there’s is still 7.25. At least I can get my weed card here…😂. We need more blue-leaning people here. It is a low cost of living with higher than Federal rates of pay. Please come to Arkansas, it's beautiful. Eventually we will outnumber the racists….
Not arguing. Arkansas min wage is $11.00. My state has some minimum wages that are $20.00 .depends on the area or suburb.
And your education rating is not very high. But I’m happy that you like it there.
But we pay hefty taxes. But I would not live anywhere else!
Happy Thanksgiving 🦃
Merry Christmas 🌴🍀
I wouldn't live here if I was financially able. I guarantee that.
Bessent needs to be reminded he is Treasury Secretary for all the United States. All this red/blue state crap is designed to drive a wedge between us because that serves MAGA. And today we learn that so much of MAGA is foreign...Russia, Eastern Europe, India, Asia, Nigeria. Even Trump's MAGA isn't really American. It is Russian. We are being subverted by Russia.
Let's remember that President Biden recognized that RED STATES lagged so far behind that he targeted them with his programs to increase economic development, increase internet & cable access - REPUBLICANS continued to oppose those efforts...several REPUBLICANS were forced to reluctantly attend events that they had opposed.
Remember that the FCC has allowed limited NEWS outlets like the propaganda network SINCLAIR - that's all people hear.
PLEASE NOTE that there have been targeted efforts to get DEMOCRATS elected in some of the RED STATES to turn them around & improve legislation -- it's expensive & involves a great deal of organization, but has been successful.
It begins on the local level as well as state legislatures, congressional candidates & senators.
Pay attention to the election successes in some of those states.
Too many REPUBLICANS focus on contnuing to fight the CIVIL WAR with nonsensical issues like BATHROOM REGULATIONS, SAME SEX MARRIAGE as a distraction from the failures of their economic policies.
Try supporting those efforts - even if you can only make a $5 contribution. They add up.
TOGETHER WE CAN DO THIS!
Check out the DOWN BALLOT substack to work with those being targeted.
I’d love to smack that smirk off Bessant’s face! What an arrogant prick! The blue States are paying the taxes that are supporting the poorer Red States. I would rather pay a little more and live in a State with better education, clean water adequate energy, better roads and fewer MAGAS!
Yeah, that Bessent is an arrogant prick. He looks like he has a cactus up his backside.
- and as if he put it there himself. . .
Every time the orange shit stain makes an accusation it is a direct admission of his guilt. Glad to see he is finally saying he is a seditionists committing treason.
Slava Ukraini.
If I move it will be from my Republican state to a democrat state. And I do plan on it when I retire!
