Tag Archives: donald trump

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Epstein vote looms over House

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WASHINGTON — Lawmakers seeking to force the release of files related to the sex trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein are predicting a big win in the House this week, with a “deluge of Republicans” expected to vote for their bill. This would buck GOP leadership and President Donald Trump, who for months have disparaged the effort.

The bill aims to compel the Justice Department to release all files and communications related to Epstein, as well as any information concerning the investigation into his death in federal prison. Information about Epstein’s victims or ongoing federal investigations could be redacted.

“There could be 100 or more” Republican votes, said Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) during Sunday news show appearances discussing the legislation. “I’m hoping to get a veto-proof majority on this legislation when it comes up for a vote.”

Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) introduced a discharge petition in July to force a vote on their bill. This is a rarely successful tool that allows a majority of members to bypass House leadership and bring a floor vote.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) criticized the discharge petition effort and even sent members home early for their August recess when the GOP’s legislative agenda was disrupted by the push for an Epstein vote. Democrats also claim that the seating of Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) was stalled to delay her becoming the 218th member to sign the petition, which is the threshold needed to force a vote. She became the 218th signature moments after taking the oath of office last week.

Massie said Johnson, Trump, and others who have been critical of his efforts will be “taking a big loss this week.”

“I’m not tired of winning yet, but we are winning,” Massie added.

### The View from GOP Leadership

Johnson seems to expect the House will decisively back the Epstein bill.

“We’ll just get this done and move it on. There’s nothing to hide,” he said, noting that the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has already been releasing “far more information than the discharge petition, their little gambit.”

The vote comes as new documents raise fresh questions about Epstein and his associates, including a 2019 email Epstein wrote to a journalist stating that Trump “knew about the girls.” The White House has accused Democrats of selectively leaking these emails to smear the Republican president.

Johnson insisted that Trump “has nothing to hide from this.”

“They’re doing this to go after President Trump on this theory that he has something to do with it. He does not,” Johnson said.

Trump’s association with Epstein is well-established, and the president’s name was included in records released by his own Justice Department in February as part of an effort to satisfy public interest in the sex trafficking investigation. Trump has never been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, and the mere inclusion of a name in the investigation files does not imply guilt.

Epstein, who killed himself in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial, had many prominent acquaintances in political and celebrity circles besides Trump.

### Modest Expectations and Calls for Accountability

Khanna expressed more modest expectations for the vote count than Massie but hoped for 40 or more Republicans to join the bipartisan effort.

“I don’t even know how involved Trump was,” Khanna said. “There are a lot of other people involved who have to be held accountable.”

Khanna also urged Trump to meet with survivors of abuse. Some of those survivors will be at the Capitol on Tuesday for a news conference, he said.

Massie warned that Republican lawmakers who fear losing Trump’s endorsement because of how they vote will have a mark on their record if they vote “no,” which could hurt their political prospects in the long term.

“The record of this vote will last longer than Donald Trump’s presidency,” Massie said.

On the Republican side, three members have joined Massie in signing the discharge petition: Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Nancy Mace (S.C.), and Lauren Boebert (Colo.).
https://www.bostonherald.com/2025/11/16/epstein-vote-looms-over-house/

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Trump Makes Indiana ‘RINO’ State Senators Famous in Blistering Takedown As They Defy Him on Redistricting

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President Donald Trump has weighed in on a pair of Indiana Republicans involved in thwarting redistricting efforts in the Hoosier State ahead of next year’s midterm elections. As you might have guessed, he wasn’t pleased with their actions.

As reported by RedState’s Teri Christoph, Indiana’s Republican Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray announced earlier this week that the chamber, controlled by the GOP, would not reconvene in December to vote on redistricting. Bray, along with state Sen. Greg Goode (R), became the targets of the President’s ire as he railed against their “politically correct” cowardice for developing an acute case of weak knees at the thought of redistricting.

“Very disappointed in Indiana State Senate Republicans, led by RINO Senators Rod Bray and Greg Goode, for not wanting to redistrict their State, allowing the United States Congress to perhaps gain two more Republican seats,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social media platform.

He rightly points out that Democrats have engaged in this practice for years, but when it comes time for the GOP to fight fire with fire, they can’t summon the courage and instead fall back on their tired, losing strategies.

“Because of these two politically correct type ‘gentlemen,’ and a few others, they could be depriving Republicans of a Majority in the House,” Trump said, noting that in a highly contentious midterm race to control Congress, it amounts to “a very big deal! California is trying to pick up five seats, and no one is complaining about that,” he continued.

“It’s weak ‘Republicans’ that cause our Country such problems. It’s why we have crazy Policies and Ideas that are so bad for America.”

### Trump Criticizes Governor Mike Braun

The President also took aim at Indiana Governor Mike Braun (R), whom he refers to as a friend, for not getting his party in line on the redistricting effort.

“Braun, perhaps, is not working the way he should to get the necessary votes,” he said, before making the subtle suggestion that any Republican opposed to redistricting “should be primaried.”

For his part, Braun has expressed his own disgust on the matter.

“I called for our legislators to convene to ensure Hoosiers’ voices in Washington, D.C., are not diluted by the Democrats’ gerrymandering,” Braun said. “Our state senators need to do the right thing and show up to vote for fair maps. Hoosiers deserve to know where their elected officials stand on important issues.”

However, the President seems unimpressed with the effort so far. He demanded that Bray and Goode get on board with the voters in Indiana, a state he carried by nearly 20 points, and warned that any other Republicans in opposition would be publicly named later today.

They “should do their job, and do it now,” Trump insisted in all caps. “If not, let’s get them out of office, ASAP.”

### Reactions from Trump Supporters and the Republicans Named

Several Trump supporters on social media, as Christoph highlighted, were outraged at the Indiana GOP for taking an ‘L’ on what many saw as an easy win that could help keep control of the House.

Trump advisor Alex Brueswitz described the complete surrender as “a monumental betrayal” of the president.

“Spineless RINO ‘legislators’ have sabotaged and buried Republicans’ vital redistricting push. And they are letting Gavin Newsom & left-wing Democrats get closer to stealing the House,” Brueswitz said.

For his part, Senator Greg Goode has insisted all along that he’s not about to succumb to “bullying.”

“For those trying to bully me on redistricting, I love you,” he wrote on X. “I pray to our Lord and Savior for wisdom and reflect on political heroes who stood up for the greater good above the politics of the day.”

Making that claim while bowing down to bullying redistricting efforts by the Democrats is an extreme lack of self-awareness.

—

**Editor’s Note:**
Do you enjoy RedState’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
https://redstate.com/rusty-weiss/2025/11/16/trump-makes-indiana-rino-state-senators-famous-in-blistering-takedown-as-they-defy-him-on-redistricting-n2196251

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‘Nose-diving confidence’ in Trump’s economy has experts making a suggestion

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Despite President Donald Trump’s message of affordability resonating with working-class Americans in 2024, that pattern is shifting as “diverging fortunes for wealthy and poor Americans has tanked confidence in the economy—and the president who promised to solve the affordability crisis in the U.S.,” writes Sasha Rogelberg in *Fortune*.

While a wave of working-class voters flooded the Republican Party ahead of the 2024 presidential election, that same group sent a loud message in the early November off-year elections, electing Democrats in every single race in which they were running, Rogelberg notes.

Economists say that all Trump has done thus far is make the rich richer and the poor poorer. Apollo chief economist Trosten Slok pointed out that wage growth for the lowest-income Americans plummeted to its lowest level in about a decade, while wage growth for the highest-income group surpassed all other income levels, citing data from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

The housing market has become “frozen,” Rogelberg adds, because “it’s simply unaffordable to sell your house and buy another one with mortgage rates above 6 percent.” Sean Dobson, CEO of The Amherst Group, says, “We’ve probably made housing unaffordable for a whole generation of Americans.”

Much of these indicators can be traced directly to Trump, according to Pantheon Macroeconomics analysts Samuel Tombs and Oliver Allen. “Data show wage growth has slowed more in the trade and transportation sector, and to a lower level, than any other major sector since the end of last year. Fears workers would be able to secure larger wage increases in response to the tariffs look highly unlikely to be realized,” the analysts write.

Under Trump, the economy is what Peter Atwater, adjunct professor of economics at William & Mary, calls K-shaped, in which different sectors or groups experience wildly different outcomes—like the two diverging arms of a “K.”

“What we have today is a small group of individuals who feel intense certainty paired with relentless power control—and on the other, it is a sea of despair,” Atwater tells *Fortune*. “And that’s the piece that never gets talked about.”

Robert Armstrong agrees with Atwater in his *Financial Times* column, writing, “It could be that after five years of going nowhere, households in the bottom half of the wealth and income distributions have started to anticipate a bleaker future and are changing their spending habits accordingly.”

Rogelberg points out that nose-diving confidence in the U.S. economy is reflected in the attitudes of Republicans and independents who voted for Trump. According to a national NBC News poll, about 30 percent of Republicans believe Trump has fallen short of their expectations regarding the economy.

Two-thirds of independents blamed Trump for increasing inflation, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll, and CNN polling data shows Trump’s approval rating has reached its lowest level since he took office the second time.

Peter Loge, professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University and former senior advisor to the FDA commissioner under President Barack Obama, says that Trump’s struggling economy is a clarion call for change.

“People want to know that they can afford a medical bill if they get sick, their kids will have a better future than they do, or have a chance of a better future. And if voters feel like things aren’t working, they fire their politicians in charge to hire new ones,” Loge explains.

“Voters are pretty well saying, ‘We don’t think whatever the Republicans are doing is making stuff less expensive. We need life to be more affordable and less chaotic. It’s pretty unavoidably chaotic. Now we’re going to bring in new people to try a new thing,’” he adds.
https://www.alternet.org/trump-economy-nosedive/

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The timeline for SNAP benefits remains uncertain, even after Congress agrees to end the shutdown

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**Congress Moves to Reopen Government, But SNAP Benefit Timing Remains Uncertain**

*By Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press*

Congress has taken a major step toward reopening the government, but there’s still uncertainty about when one of the most far-reaching impacts of the closure will be resolved: when all 42 million Americans who receive SNAP food aid will have access to their full November benefits.

On Wednesday, the House adopted a plan to reopen and sent it to President Donald Trump to sign. One provision calls for restarting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), but it does not clarify exactly when benefits will be loaded onto the debit cards beneficiaries use to buy groceries.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which runs SNAP, said in an email Wednesday that funds could be available “upon the government reopening, within 24 hours for most states.” The department did not immediately answer questions about which states might face delays or whether the 24-hour timeline applies to states or directly to the cards used by recipients.

There has been a series of court battles over the fate of the nation’s largest government food program, which serves about 1 in 8 Americans. Here are some key points about the situation:

### When SNAP Funds Become Available Could Vary by State

Seesawing court rulings and changing guidance from the USDA have led to unequal distribution of benefits across states. Some beneficiaries have already received their full monthly allocations, while others have received nothing. A few states have issued only partial payments.

States report it’s faster to provide full benefits than to do the calculations and computer programming required for partial payments. At least 19 states plus the District of Columbia issued full benefits to at least some recipients last week, according to an Associated Press tally. Many did so within a day, during the narrow window between a Nov. 6 court ruling requiring full payments and a Nov. 7 U.S. Supreme Court decision halting them.

Jessica Garon, spokesperson for the American Public Human Services Association, anticipates most states will be able to issue full benefits within three days after receiving the go-ahead, while others may take up to a week. States that have sent no November benefits yet, such as South Carolina and West Virginia, will likely be the quickest to disburse funds. However, sixteen states have already loaded EBT cards with partial benefits, and some may face technical hurdles issuing the remaining amount, according to Carolyn Vega, a policy analyst at advocacy group Share Our Strength.

### Delays in Benefits Are a Problem for Recipients

For millions of Americans, even knowing benefits are on the way is not enough—when they arrive matters. About 42 million lower-income Americans receive SNAP benefits, averaging around $190 monthly per person. Many say the benefits do not—and are not intended to—cover the full cost of groceries in a normal month, even with careful budgeting. Delays make matters worse.

Doretha Washington, 41, of St. Louis, has a husband and six children, but not enough money to cover all their food needs. Even though her husband works servicing heating and cooling systems, the family relies on SNAP. They had received nothing in November, although Missouri announced Tuesday that partial benefits would be issued.

“Now it’s making things difficult because we can’t pay our bills in full and keep food in here,” Washington said this week. “I’m down to three days of food and trying to figure out what to do.” She has been rationing what they have. Others have turned to food charities, but report long lines and low supplies.

### Cutting Off Funds Left State Governments Scrambling

The USDA told states on Oct. 24 that it would not fund SNAP for November if the shutdown continued, leaving states scrambling. Most Democratic-led states sued to have the funding restored. Both Democratic and Republican-led states also launched emergency efforts, including using state funds to pay for benefits, boosting food banks, and deploying the National Guard to help with food distribution.

Other states used their allotted SNAP money only after a judge ordered the Trump administration to cover the full cost for the month. The legislation to reopen the government, passed by the Senate on Monday, calls for states to be reimbursed for funds spent running programs typically paid for by the federal government. However, it’s not immediately clear which situations will qualify in the case of SNAP.

In the meantime, the USDA told states Tuesday that it would reimburse them for paying out partial SNAP benefits, under a system where recipients get up to 65% of their regular allocations—and even states that paid the full amount can receive partial reimbursements. It also assured states it would not reduce amounts on cards for recipients in states that paid full benefits.

Democratic-led states that sued for benefits to be released said in a filing Wednesday that the late-breaking information “illustrates the chaos and confusion occasioned by USDA’s multiple, conflicting guidance documents.”

*Associated Press reporters Margery A. Beck and David A. Lieb contributed to this story.*
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/12/timeline-for-snap-benefits/

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Klein: Democrats were on a roll. Why stop now?

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Back in September, when I was reporting an article on whether Democrats should shut down the government, I kept hearing the same warning from veterans of past shutdown fights: The president controls the bully pulpit. He controls, to some degree, which parts of the government stay open and which parts close. It is very, very hard for the opposition party to win a shutdown.

Which makes it all the more remarkable that Democrats were winning this one.

Polls showed that most voters blamed Republicans, not Democrats, for the current shutdown—perhaps because President Donald Trump was bulldozing the East Wing of the White House rather than negotiating to reopen the government. Trump’s approval rating has been falling in CNN’s tracking poll; it dipped into the 30s for the first time since he took office again.

And last week, Democrats wrecked Republicans in the elections, and Trump blamed his party’s losses in part on the shutdown. Democrats were riding higher than they have been in months.

### Fruitless Deal

Then, over the weekend, a group of Senate Democrats broke ranks and negotiated a deal to end the shutdown in return for—if we’re being honest—very little.

The guts of the deal are this: Food assistance—both SNAP and WIC, I was told—will get a bit more funding, and there are a few other modest concessions on spending levels elsewhere in the government. Laid-off federal workers will be rehired, and furloughed federal workers given back pay. Most of the government is funded only until the end of January. (So get ready: We could be doing this again in a few months.)

Most gallingly, the deal does nothing to extend the expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits over which Democrats ostensibly shut down the government in the first place. All it offers is a promise from Republicans to hold a vote on the tax credits in the future. Of the dozen or so House and Senate Democrats I spoke to over the past 24 hours, every one expected that vote to fail.

### The Strange Role of ACA Subsidies

To understand why the shutdown ended with such a whimper, you need to understand the strange role the ACA subsidies played in it. Democrats said the shutdown was about the subsidies, but for most of them, it wasn’t. It was about Trump’s authoritarianism. It was about showing their base—and themselves—that they could fight back. It was about treating an abnormal political moment abnormally.

The ACA subsidies emerged as the shutdown demand because they could keep the caucus sufficiently united. They put Democrats on the right side of public opinion—even self-identified MAGA voters wanted the subsidies extended—and held the quivering Senate coalition together.

You shut the government down with the Democratic caucus you have, not with the Democratic caucus you want.

But the shutdown was built on a cracked foundation. There were Senate Democrats who didn’t want a shutdown at all. There were Senate Democrats who did want a shutdown but thought it strange to make their demand so narrow: Was winning on health care premiums really winning the right fight? Should Democrats really vote to fund a government turning toward authoritarianism as long as health insurance subsidies were preserved? And what if winning on the health care fight was actually a political gift to Trump?

Absent a fix, the average health insurance premium for 20 million Americans will more than double. The premium shock will hit red states particularly hard. Tony Fabrizio, Trump’s longtime pollster, had released a survey of competitive House districts showing that letting the tax credits expire might be lethal to Republican efforts to hold the House. Why were Democrats fighting so hard to neutralize their best issue in 2026?

### Inverted Logic

The political logic of the shutdown fight was inverted: If Democrats got the tax credits extended—if they “won”—they would be solving a huge electoral problem for Republicans. If Republicans successfully allowed the tax credits to expire—if they “won”—they would be handing Democrats a cudgel with which to beat them in the elections.

This is why Sen. Chuck Schumer’s compromise, which offered to reopen the government if Republicans extended the tax credits for a year, struck many Democrats as misguided. Morally, it might be worth sacrificing an electoral edge to lower health insurance premiums. But a one-year extension solved the Republicans’ electoral problem without solving the policy problem. Why on earth would they do that?

In any case, Republicans were not interested in Schumer’s offer. Trump himself has shown no interest in a deal.

Rather than negotiating over health care spending, Trump has been ratcheting up the pain the shutdown is causing. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have been furloughed or fired. The administration has been withholding food assistance from Americans who desperately need it. Airports are tipping into chaos as air traffic controllers go without pay.

More than anything else, this is what led some Senate Democrats to cut a deal: Trump’s willingness to hurt people exceeds their willingness to see people get hurt.

I want to give them their due on this: They are hearing from their constituents and seeing the mounting problems, and they are trying to do what they see as the responsible, moral thing. They do not believe that holding out will lead to Trump restoring the subsidies. They fear that their Republican colleagues would, under mounting pressure, do as Trump had demanded and abolish the filibuster. (Whether that would be a good or a bad thing is a subject for another column.)

This, in the end, is the calculation the defecting Senate Democrats are making: They don’t think a longer shutdown will cause Trump to cave. They just think it will cause more damage.

### A Difficult Choice

If I were in the Senate, I wouldn’t vote for this compromise. Shutdowns are an opportunity to make an argument, and the country was just starting to pay attention. If Trump wanted to cancel flights over Thanksgiving rather than keep health care costs down, I don’t see why Democrats should save him from making his priorities so exquisitely clear.

And I worry that Democrats have just taught Trump that they will fold under pressure. That’s the kind of lesson he remembers.

But it’s worth keeping this in perspective: The shutdown was a skirmish, not the real battle. Both sides were fighting for position, and Democrats, if you look at the polls, are ending up in a better one than they were when they started. They elevated their best issue—health care—and set the stage for voters to connect higher premiums with Republican rule.

It’s not a win, but given how badly shutdowns often go for the opposition party, it’s better than a loss.

*Ezra Klein is a New York Times columnist.*
https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/11/12/klein-democrats-were-on-a-roll-why-stop-now/

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Ghislaine Maxwell’s alleged prison perks spark Raskin probe into Trump administration

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Rep. Jamie Raskin sent a sharply worded six-page letter to President Donald Trump on Sunday following new information his committee received from a whistleblower. The whistleblower alleges that Ghislaine Maxwell is preparing a “commutation application” for the Trump administration and receiving preferential treatment while incarcerated.

Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, accused the Trump administration of allowing “a corrupt misuse of law-enforcement resources.” He demanded that Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche testify before the Judiciary Committee immediately to “answer for this corrupt misuse of law enforcement resources and potential exchange of favors for false testimony exonerating you and other Epstein accomplices.”

The letter serves as a follow-up to an August 12 letter that Raskin and other Democrats sent to the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Prisons regarding Maxwell’s transfer to Federal Prison Camp Bryan. This minimum-security facility, according to Raskin, represents an “apparent flagrant violation of BOP policies,” including one that explicitly prohibits the placement of sex offenders in such facilities.

Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence for child sex trafficking and other offenses connected to Jeffrey Epstein, the former financier and convicted sex offender who died by suicide in jail in 2019.

Previously, Maxwell was held at FCI Tallahassee in Florida, a “low security” prison for men and women. FPC Bryan, where she was transferred, is a “minimum security” camp exclusively for women. The transfer followed Maxwell’s two-day meeting in July with Deputy Attorney General Blanche in Tallahassee. During this meeting, her attorney stated that they discussed “about 100 names” associated with Epstein, after the Trump administration promised to release additional information about the deceased sex offender.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/ghislaine-maxwells-alleged-prison-perks-spark-raskin-probe/story?id=127368629

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ESPN reports Donald Trump wants new Commanders stadium named after him

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It seemed a little odd that President Donald Trump decided to attend a Washington Commanders home game this week as they hosted the Detroit Lions. The government is currently in the second month of a shutdown, and Trump’s approval ratings are tanking. But now, we may know what’s really behind the move.

On Friday, Trump’s White House announced his weekend plans through Pat McAfee, who was able to share the news exclusively on his ESPN show. Then, on Saturday, ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. and Adam Schefter reported that Trump wants the new Washington Commanders stadium planned for Washington, DC, to be named after him.

The previous Commanders stadium in DC was named after Robert F. Kennedy Sr., whose son is currently Trump’s vaccine-denying head of Health and Human Services. Instead of denying the report, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and a White House source made it clear to ESPN that they expect the naming to happen.

President Donald Trump wants the Washington Commanders to name their planned $3.7 billion stadium after him, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPN. A senior White House source revealed there have been back-channel communications with a member of the Commanders’ ownership group, led by Josh Harris, to express Trump’s desire for the domed stadium in the nation’s capital to bear his name.

The new stadium is being built on the old RFK Stadium site, which served as the team’s home from 1961 to 1996. While Leavitt declined to answer additional questions, the senior White House source told ESPN: “It’s what the president wants, and it will probably happen.”

This request is actually modest compared to some of Trump’s previous ambitions, such as his infamous demolition of parts of the White House to add a ballroom, his persistent campaign to win the Nobel Peace Prize, and his desire to have his likeness carved into Mount Rushmore.

Interestingly, instead of pursuing a typical naming rights deal tied to the Trump brand, it is reportedly expected that the stadium naming would be done as a tribute to honor Trump and “all of his Trumpiness.”

Donald Trump has made several appearances at sporting events during his second term in office. However, none of these visits had been immediately linked to an effort to secure a stadium named after him—until now.

Trump’s expansive executive power in Washington and beyond continues to be tested by the day. But according to ESPN, the ultimate decision on the stadium’s name will rest with the DC City Council and the National Park Service.
https://awfulannouncing.com/news/espn-donald-trump-commanders-stadium.html

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Changpeng Zhao Pardon: ‘I Met Eric Trump Once, That’s It,’ Says CZ

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**Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao Responds to Trump Pardon Controversy**

Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) has addressed the recent controversy surrounding his pardon by former President Donald Trump. In an exclusive interview with Fox News, CZ revealed that the pardon came as a surprise and stressed that there was no negotiation, deal, or business connection with Trump or his family.

CZ explained that he had met Eric Trump only once at a Bitcoin conference in Abu Dhabi. However, the meeting was brief and unrelated to Binance or any discussions about the pardon.

### Acknowledging Past Legal Issues

During the interview, CZ openly acknowledged his past legal troubles. In 2023, he pleaded guilty to failing to ensure proper compliance measures at Binance, resulting in a four-month prison sentence. He emphasized that taking responsibility for these issues was crucial to moving forward.

With the case now behind him, CZ expressed his desire to focus on helping the United States build a stronger cryptocurrency industry. He noted that regulations are becoming clearer and believes cryptocurrency has evolved from a niche topic to a central part of global finance.

—

### Trump: “I Don’t Know Who He Is”

When asked about the decision to grant the pardon, Donald Trump stated that he barely knows who Changpeng Zhao is. He insisted the pardon was not based on any personal relationship.

Trump highlighted his goal for the United States to lead in crypto innovation, pointing out that other nations like China and Japan are advancing rapidly in this sector. He also claimed that the previous administration treated CZ unfairly and stressed the importance of supporting crypto growth to maintain U.S. competitiveness.

Although Trump admitted that his sons are more involved in cryptocurrency than he is, he acknowledged the industry’s significance. He warned that if the U.S. fails to encourage crypto development, the industry will simply move overseas.

—

### Congressional Inquiry into the Pardon

The pardon has sparked a formal congressional inquiry. Representative Robert Garcia has requested documents and communication records from the White House concerning CZ, Binance, and the Trump family.

Garcia’s concerns stem from media reports suggesting that Binance once promoted a stablecoin linked to the Trump family and allegedly encouraged a UAE investor to use it while considering investing in Binance.

Calling for full transparency, Garcia has asked that all related records be submitted by November 20, 2025. Lawmakers are investigating whether business connections influenced the pardon, despite denials from both CZ and Trump.

—

### Crypto’s Growing Role in Global Politics and Finance

Analysts suggest the focus should move beyond whether a deal existed between CZ and Trump. The key takeaway is that cryptocurrency has entered mainstream politics and global finance.

Leading figures in the crypto industry are now meeting with world leaders, attending major summits, and shaping national policies. This represents a turning point where cryptocurrency is no longer viewed as an outsider sector but as a recognized force influencing the future of global economies and governance.

—

**FAQs**

*(Include relevant FAQs about the pardon, CZ’s legal history, and the implications for the crypto industry.)*
https://coinpedia.org/news/changpeng-zhao-pardon-i-met-eric-trump-once-thats-it-says-cz/

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Longtime Houston Rep. Al Green switching to 18th Congressional District in run for reelection

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U.S. Rep. Al Green (D-Houston) ended months of speculation Friday night by declaring himself a candidate for Texas’ 18th Congressional District in 2026.

“We are here tonight, friends, because we refuse to allow President Donald Trump to decide for us who is going to represent us in the Congress of the United States of America,” said Green, speaking at his campaign kickoff event at the Wyndam Houston near NRG Park.

Green has represented Texas’ 9th Congressional District for more than 20 years. He became one of the central targets of Republican redistricting efforts this past summer, following intense pressure from Trump and Gov. Greg Abbott. State lawmakers moved the 9th from solidly Democratic territory in south and southwest Houston to Republican-leaning areas in eastern Harris County and Liberty County.

Much of Green’s traditional base, not to mention his own home, was redrawn into the 18th Congressional District. Green had stated as early as August that, while he would be on the ballot in 2026, he would not be a candidate for the 9th.

In the March primary, he likely will face the winner of a special election runoff to complete the term of the late U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner, who served in the 18th District from January until his death in March. The runoff is between acting Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee and former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards, both fellow Democrats.

“We’re going to fight for all sides of the 18th and 9th congressional districts, because these districts have come together now as one, and while they are the 18th, the 18th is the number that’s on the district, most of the people have come from the 9th congressional district,” Green said. “And I’m going to ask that you in the 9th now and in the 18th now as they exist, let’s start now to unify.”

The redistricting map is currently under legal challenge. A collection of civil rights groups and individuals have asked a panel of three federal judges to issue an injunction blocking the map from taking effect in time for the 2026 election. The panel has yet to issue a ruling, and the candidate filing period for that election begins Saturday.

Green is trying to claim the mantle of two of the three previous members of Congress for the 18th District, both of whom he had worked alongside: U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who died in July 2024 at the age of 74, and Turner, who died in March at the age of 70. Green himself is 78 and will be 79 by Election Day 2026.

He enters the primary just days after the first round of the special election to fill the remainder of Turner’s term. Menefee is 37, and Edwards is 43. Green alluded to the age difference, without naming his potential opponents in the Democratic primary, with a line reminiscent of one used by President Ronald Reagan against former Vice President Walter Mondale during the 1984 presidential campaign.

“There is some question about age, and I want you to know that I will not make an issue about anybody’s youthfulness,” Green said. “I think that people who are of age can run, so I want them to run.”

Green stressed his actions in office in making the case for the votes of residents of the new 18th Congressional District.

“You know that I will stand up to Donald Trump because you saw me do it,” Green said. “You know that I will fight for your health care because you’ve seen me do it. You know that I believe in raising the minimum wage to $25 an hour, because you’ve heard me say it.”

Green argued that, if Democrats retook control of both houses of Congress, they needed to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, and the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, overriding the use of the filibuster in the Senate if necessary, as Republicans had done in confirming Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Trump appointee.

“If we had used that rule, we could have prevented people from deciding now that where you are from does not allow you to buy land in the state of Texas,” Green said, in reference to Texas’ recently enacted Senate Bill 17. “We can protect people who happen to be of Asian ancestry, who have money in their pocket that they want to spend in this country to buy land, and they only want it for a residence, for a business.”

Finally, Green leaned into his record of having filed multiple articles of impeachment against Trump.

“I celebrate the people who are going to make sure that the Trumps of the world don’t have an opportunity to serve in office one day longer than they’ve already been there, which is why, when I go back to Congress, I promise you, I will file additional articles of impeachment to remove Donald Trump from office.”
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/2025/11/07/535536/al-green-18th-congressional-district-march-primary-houston-democrat/

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Trump once again nominates tech space traveler Jared Isaacman to serve as NASA administrator

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**Trump Announces Re-Nomination of Jared Isaacman as NASA Administrator**

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he has decided to nominate Jared Isaacman to serve as his NASA administrator, months after initially withdrawing the tech billionaire’s nomination due to concerns about his political leanings.

In late May, Trump had announced the withdrawal of Isaacman’s nomination following a “thorough review” of his “prior associations.” Weeks later, the president expressed further reservations about Isaacman’s Republican credentials. At the time, Trump acknowledged that he thought Isaacman “was very good,” but revealed he was “surprised to learn” that Isaacman was a “blue blooded Democrat,” who had never contributed to a Republican before.

Isaacman had received the endorsement of Trump’s former DOGE adviser and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk. Although Trump and Musk had a very public falling out earlier this year, the two are now reportedly on better terms. Last week, Trump told reporters that he and Musk have spoken “on and off” since sitting together at conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s funeral last month in Arizona, describing their current relationship as “good.”

In his Tuesday evening announcement of the re-nomination on his Truth Social platform, Trump made no mention of his previous decision to nominate and then withdraw Isaacman. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the president’s reversal.

“This evening, I am pleased to nominate Jared Isaacman, an accomplished business leader, philanthropist, pilot, and astronaut, as Administrator of NASA,” Trump posted. “Jared’s passion for space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new space economy make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new era.”

Since the departure of the previous administrator, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been serving as interim NASA administrator. Trump praised Duffy on Tuesday, saying he has done an “incredible job.”

Isaacman, CEO and founder of credit card-processing company Shift4, has been a close collaborator with Musk ever since purchasing his first chartered flight with SpaceX. He has also bought a series of spaceflights from SpaceX and conducted the first private spacewalk. SpaceX holds extensive contracts with NASA.

The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee had approved Isaacman’s nomination in late April, and a full Senate vote had been expected before Trump abruptly withdrew it.

In his own social media post Tuesday, Isaacman thanked Trump for the nomination and expressed gratitude to the “space-loving community,” without referencing the earlier nomination turmoil.
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/05/nx-s1-5599010/trump-nominates-tech-space-jared-isaacman-nasa-administrator