Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) may have endorsed the Democratic Mayor-elect of New York City, but she&#8217;s making it clear that she&#8217;s not all-in on his progressive policy proposals — especially if they would place a greater burden on a system that is already strapped.
Hochul endorsed Zohran Mamdani — a self-described Democratic socialist — despite his unwillingness to do the same for her, but she said on Saturday that she couldn&#8217;t get on board with his calls for free buses in New York City.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Kathy Kochul says no to Zohran Mamdani&#8217;s 
free NYC bus plan. The transit system relies on the fares to function. <a href="https://t.co/52xgCMxCrA">pic.twitter.com/52xgCMxCrA</a>
— Libby Emmons (@libbyemmons) <a href="https://twitter.com/libbyemmons/status/1987532950284451991?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
&#8220;I cannot set forth a plan right now that takes money out of a system that relies on the fares of the buses and the subways,&#8221; she said during a Saturday press conference. &#8220;But can we find a path to make it more affordable for people who need help? of course we can.&#8221;
Hochul went on to say that she&#8217;d had a number of conversations with Mamdani and that she wanted to work with him where she could — but that she wasn&#8217;t going to suddenly change her position on an issue solely due to public pressure.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
NEWS: <a href="https://twitter.com/GovKathyHochul?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovKathyHochul</a> right now is a no on <a href="https://twitter.com/ZohranKMamdani?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ZohranKMamdani</a>’s free bus promise.
“I cannot set forth a plan right now that takes money out of a system that relies on the fares of the busses and the subways.”
She’s then pressed on “Tax the Rich” chants: <a href="https://t.co/M0wa9SEDMA">pic.twitter.com/M0wa9SEDMA</a>
— Bernadette Hogan (@bern_hogan) <a href="https://twitter.com/bern_hogan/status/1987188552216506417?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
&#8220;We&#8217;re aligned on some of these issues. I&#8217;ve made it clear where I have strong disagreements with issues that really do not pertain to the governance of New York City,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;I&#8217;m looking forward to having our teams keep the conversation — a lot of conversations going with our teams.&#8221;
She went on to say that her current focus was doing whatever she could to prevent an influx of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents operating in New York City.

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Mamdani-Supporting Kathy Hochul Dumps Cold Water On One Of His Key Policies

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Comedian and HBO host Bill Maher ripped into media for leaning into panic in the framing of stories about President Donald Trump&#8217;s renovations at the White House — specifically the ballroom construction that required demolition of the East Wing.
Maher argued that people shouldn&#8217;t be so worked up over the fact that the president was making improvements to the White House — and he discussed the outrage over the construction project on Friday&#8217;s episode of &#8220;Real Time&#8221; alongside Bill O&#8217;Reilly and Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL).
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Bill Maher on Real Time dismisses outrage over Trump&#8217;s ballroom.
&#8220;I really don&#8217;t give a shit. It shows you how the media is.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/BwZLmsRX3W">pic.twitter.com/BwZLmsRX3W</a>
— Zachary Leeman (@WritingLeeman) <a href="https://twitter.com/WritingLeeman/status/1987245656889503824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
&#8220;The ballroom, I don’t give a s**t,&#8221; Maher explained, saying that ultimately the White House is &#8220;just a building&#8221; and might need a few updates from time to time anyway.
&#8220;I was reading — it shows you how the media is. Everything is always on one side or the other. When [Trump] first mentioned it, it was all about, ‘Oh, my God, he’s desecrating the White House.’ Then I finally read, ‘Oh, well, they’ve done s**t to the White House before,'&#8221; Maher said.
&#8220;I realized after reading other people, we don’t have a place when they have state dinners,&#8221; Maher added, noting that when presidents did entertain visiting heads of state, they did so in temporary structures. &#8220;They’re doing it in a tent! This is America! So do I give a s**t that he’s doing this to the White House? I really don’t&#8221;
Maher&#8217;s initial comments about the ballroom were mocking, as he marveled over the fact that Trump hadn&#8217;t had to go through the tedious process of getting permits to carry out the project.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Bill Maher on President Trump’s ballroom: “Presidents have changed the White House in little ways before, but you know they always got approval from Congress… As a constitutionalist, I must say I find this appalling. As the guy who took 3 years to get my f—king solar panels in —… <a href="https://t.co/CGOdXRsv3t">pic.twitter.com/CGOdXRsv3t</a>
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) <a href="https://twitter.com/RedWave_Press/status/1981909872217092338?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
&#8220;Presidents have changed the White House in little ways before, but you know they always got approval from Congress,&#8221; Maher said at the time. &#8220;As a constitutionalist, I must say I find this appalling. As the guy who took 3 years to get my f***ing solar panels in — I’m kind of jealous. I’m kind of in awe because I live in LA where you need 13 permits to put a bird feeder on your deck.&#8221;
Trump also announced in recent weeks that the Lincoln Bathroom had been renovated, marking the first update to that room since the 1940s.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨JUST POSTED🚨
President Donald Trump has renovated the Lincoln bathroom.
He announced, “I renovated the Lincoln Bathroom in the White House. It was renovated in the 1940s in an art deco green tile style, which was totally inappropriate for the Lincoln Era. I did it in black… <a href="https://t.co/FT4AJxymAH">pic.twitter.com/FT4AJxymAH</a>
— Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) <a href="https://twitter.com/BreannaMorello/status/1984305356298678664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2025</a></blockquote>

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Bill Maher Blows Off Media Panic About Trump Ballroom: ‘Do I Give A S***? I Really Don’t!’

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent flipped the script on Democratic adviser-turned-ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos during a Sunday morning interview, reminding him of what he&#8217;d said about the government shutdowns that took place in 1995 when his old boss, former President Bill Clinton, had been at odds with a Republican-controlled Congress led by then House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA).
Bessent joined Stephanopoulos to talk about the ongoing shutdown — driven by Democrat demands for a blanket extension of 2022 Obamacare subsidies that were designed to assist with shortfalls due to the COVID-19 pandemic and then sunset  after three years — and the conversation centered on how best to bring an end to the shutdown that has now lasted nearly 40 days.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
When <a href="https://twitter.com/SecScottBessent?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecScottBessent</a> reminded George Stephanopoulos “you were involved in a lot of these in the &#8217;90s. And you basically called the Republicans terrorists and, you know, you said that it is not the responsible party that keeps the government closed,” Stephanopoulos tried to shut… <a href="https://t.co/LhcfQ2KHq9">pic.twitter.com/LhcfQ2KHq9</a>
— Brent Baker 🇺🇲🇺🇦 🇮🇱 (@BrentHBaker) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrentHBaker/status/1987525865148752016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
&#8220;The president continues to post about ending the filibuster,&#8221; Stephanopoulos began. &#8220;Is that the best way to end this shutdown right now? Is that what the administration position is?&#8221;
&#8220;No, George, the best way to do it — and look, you were involved in a lot of these in the &#8217;90s. And you basically called the Republicans terrorists and, you know, you said that it is not the responsible party that keeps the government closed,” Bessent replied. &#8220;And so what we need is five brave moderate Democratic Senators to cross the aisle, because right now it is 52 to three — 52 to three — five Democrats can cross the aisle and reopen the government. That&#8217;s the best way to do it, George.&#8221;
&#8220;I can disagree with you about the history there,&#8221; Stephanopoulos said with a half smile. &#8220;We don&#8217;t have to get into a history lesson right now —&#8221;
&#8220;George —&#8221; Bessent tried to push back.
&#8220;Let&#8217;s talk about —&#8221; Stephanopoulos interrupted. &#8220;Let&#8217;s talk about what&#8217;s happening right now.&#8221;
&#8220;If you want, I&#8217;ve got all your quotes here,&#8221; Bessent offered.
&#8220;I&#8217;m sure you do, but let&#8217;s talk about the situation —&#8221; Stephanopoulos tried again.
&#8220;I read your book, so you got one purchase on Amazon this week,&#8221; Bessent quipped. &#8220;And that&#8217;s very much what you said.&#8221;
&#8220;That’s a mischaracterization of history,&#8221; Stephaopoulos claimed.
However, during a <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/clinton/interviews/stephanopoulos.html">PBS interview</a> conducted in the summer of 2000, Stephanopoulos used almost the exact words quoted by Bessent to describe the White House&#8217;s strategy — of which he was an integral part — to fight congressional Republicans during the 1995 government shutdowns that lasted five days (November 14-19) and 21 days (December 16, 1995-January 6, 1996) respectively.
The question presented to Stephanopoulos was a simple one: &#8220;In the fall of 1995, the government shutdown is dominating the government at this time. The president is doing some real brinkmanship. What was the strategy with the Republicans in the fall of 1995?&#8221;
&#8220;Our strategy was very simple,&#8221; Stephanopoulos replied. &#8220;We couldn&#8217;t buckle, and we had to say that they were blackmailing the country to get their way. In order to get their tax cut, they were willing to shut down the government, throw the country into default for the first time in its history and cut Medicare, Social Security, education and the environment just so they could get their way. And we were trying to say that they were basically terrorists, and it worked.&#8221;

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Scott Bessent Flips Shutdown On Former Clinton Adviser George Stephanopoulos

President Donald Trump taunted Democrats on Saturday, saying that he believed their caucus was close to fracturing over the ongoing government shutdown — and then he called on Republicans to do away with the Senate filibuster once and for all, and clear the way for his agenda.
Trump issued both statements together in a post to his Truth Social platform, saying that Republicans should &#8220;blow up&#8221; the filibuster whether or not they were able to reach a deal with Democrats to end the shutdown.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://t.co/yHfTkdvywq">pic.twitter.com/yHfTkdvywq</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1987227878375698491?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
&#8220;The Democrats are cracking like dogs on the Shutdown because they are deathly afraid that I am making progress with the Republicans on TERMINATING THE FILIBUSTER!&#8221; Trump began. &#8220;Whether we make a Deal or not, THE REPUBLICANS MUST &#8216;BLOW UP&#8217; THE FILIBUSTER, AND APPROVE HUNDREDS OF LONG SOUGHT, BUT NEVER GOTTEN, POLICY WINS LIKE, AS JUST A SMALL EXAMPLE, VOTER ID (IDENTIFICATION).&#8221;
&#8220;Only a LOSER would not agree to doing this!&#8221; he added, for good measure.
Trump&#8217;s comments come just 24 hours after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) put forth a proposal to bring the shutdown to an end, saying that Democrats would come to the table if Republicans would sign off on a one-year extension of the Obamacare subsidies — a move that would bring the health care discussion back to the forefront just in time for the midterm elections.
Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) has already said that Schumer&#8217;s offer is &#8220;dead on arrival.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Nope. Schumer’s plan is dead on arrival.
— Markwayne Mullin (@SenMullin) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenMullin/status/1986918313914495288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) offered a slightly more colorful take, telling Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum, &#8220;God, please give me patience, because if you give me strength, I’m going to need bail money. What Senator Schumer is suggesting is that we do the dumbest thing possible that won’t work.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨BREAKING: Sen. Kennedy just TORCHED Schumer&#8217;s &#8220;new deal&#8221; that was just proposed.
&#8220;God, please give me patience, because if you give me strength, I’m going to need bail money. What senator Schumer is suggesting is that we do the dumbest thing possible that won’t work.&#8221;
LMFAO🤣 <a href="https://t.co/Tg7HBkBkE1">https://t.co/Tg7HBkBkE1</a> <a href="https://t.co/APrb4TftLA">pic.twitter.com/APrb4TftLA</a>
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) <a href="https://twitter.com/GuntherEagleman/status/1986891882832540054?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
But Republicans would not have been Schumer&#8217;s only hurdle — one month ago, just one week into the shutdown, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) turned down that same deal, calling it a &#8220;laughable proposition.&#8221;
The complicating factor, as Trump pointed out, is that the longer the shutdown drags on, the more talk there is about Republicans doing away with the Senate filibuster in order to reopen the government and get things moving again. And despite the fact that Democrats overwhelmingly supported ending the filibuster when President Joe Biden was still in office, the absolute last thing they want is to have it scrapped while Trump has the White House and majorities in both chambers.
CNN anchor Dana Bash cornered Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) on that topic on Friday.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Question: You wanted the filibuster to be ended under Biden. Do you still want that?
Raskin: Not so much. <a href="https://t.co/YPXEv2Pa2z">pic.twitter.com/YPXEv2Pa2z</a>
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) <a href="https://twitter.com/WesternLensman/status/1986795531914399868?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
Raskin, clearly loathe to answer the question, ultimately shrugged it off by saying that because he wasn&#8217;t in the Senate and had no power, his opinion no longer mattered.

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‘Cracking Like Dogs’: Trump Taunts Democrats, Calls For GOP To ‘Blow Up’ Filibuster ASAP

Former President Joe Biden sent BS-meters across the country spinning out of control when he complained during a recent appearance that President Donald Trump and his family were making unprecedented profits off his time in the Oval Office.
Biden, speaking to Democrats at a gala in Omaha, Nebraska, reflected on Tuesday&#8217;s wins for the party and jabbed at Trump at every opportunity. In typical Biden fashion, he rambled from topic to topic with his tone shifting often enough — from barely above a whisper to a shout — that even <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/us/politics/biden-trump-omaha-nebraska.html">The New York Times</a> commented on it. &#8220;I just want you to know, you work for us, Mr. President. We don’t work for you,&#8221; he scolded at one point.
But at another point during the event, Biden questioned the audience directly, asking whether they had ever seen another president profit so much from the office he held.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
You can’t make this up. Joe “10% for the Big Guy” Biden is accusing the Trump family of profiting off of the White House:
“Has anyone noticed how much the Trump family has made while he’s been president? Can you imagine if any other president in American history did that?” <a href="https://t.co/6OVDvSRhMb">pic.twitter.com/6OVDvSRhMb</a>
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) <a href="https://twitter.com/_johnnymaga/status/1987007452580094285?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
&#8220;Has anyone noticed how much the Trump family has made while he’s been president? A reported $1.8 billion,&#8221; Biden began, his tone soft. He abruptly began shouting as he added, &#8220;Can you imagine if any other president in American history did that? Can you imagine what would happen?&#8221;
Critics were quick to point out just how ridiculous Biden&#8217;s accusation was, given the information that has come out over the years about his family and how they profited while he rose from the Senate to the vice presidency and then to the White House.
One solicited an explanation from Grok, which read, &#8220;Biden&#8217;s claim overlooks his family&#8217;s multimillion-dollar deals with foreign entities during and after his VP tenure, per House investigations and bank records. Trump&#8217;s family businesses operated separately, with him donating his full presidential salary to charity—hardly equivalent profiteering.&#8221;
And in addition to the fact that President Trump has donated his salary the entire time that he has been president, <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/chart-shows-net-worth-us-presidents-before-after-office-1992975">reports indicate</a> that Trump is the only president in recent history to see his net worth drop after a term or two in the Oval Office. When Trump first took office in 2017, he had an estimated net worth of $3 billion — and when he left office in early 2021, his net worth had fallen to $2.3 billion.
In contrast, President Joe Biden had a net worth of about $8 million when he took office, and $10 million when he left the White House in 2025. Former President Barack Obama saw much larger gains, going from $1.3 million to $70 million — and former President Bill Clinton&#8217;s wealth skyrocketed from $1.3 million to $120 million while he held the office of the presidency.

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Dems Send Hunter Biden’s Father To Lecture Americans On Trump ‘Profiting’ From Presidency

A panel of regular MSNBC hosts — including Lawrence O&#8217;Donnell and Rachel Maddow — spent some time during their election night recap questioning whether or not the ballroom President Donald Trump is building at the White House had been part of the reason Republicans fared so poorly in several high stakes elections.
The major elections in play were the New York City mayoral election, the New Jersey gubernatorial election, and several key elections in Virginia — and all of them were won handily by the Democrats (or the Democratic socialist, in the case of New York City) in those races. And according to O&#8217;Donnell, he&#8217;d heard from at least one voter who cited &#8220;the demolition&#8221; being done in the White House&#8217;s East Wing — to prepare for Trump&#8217;s ballroom plans — as his motivation for getting out to the polls.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BRAINWORMS: MSNBC, on two occasions, gave credence to the idea of ballroom construction being a factor in tonight&#8217;s election results <a href="https://t.co/WyYnV43qnN">pic.twitter.com/WyYnV43qnN</a>
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) <a href="https://twitter.com/BonillaJL/status/1985945115030872402?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
&#8220;Rachel, I was struck by something Vaughn Hilliard reported from a voter in New Jersey, saying that this voter was out there today voting because of, quote, this is what Vaughn said, the phrase he used, &#8216;the White House demolition,'&#8221; Lawrence said. &#8220;Donald Trump tearing down the East Wing of the White House — that sent a voter to the polls in New Jersey. Surely it sent thousands of voters to polls all around the country.&#8221;
&#8220;And the mind reels at how many ways, if you&#8217;re a Republican candidate, Donald Trump can ruin your campaign any day of your campaign,&#8221; he added, clearly amused by his own assessment, and several others on the panel laughed as he continued. &#8220;Let&#8217;s just assume Donald Trump was determined to do this to the White House. No one in the Republican Party could say to him, &#8216;Could you wait until November 5th? Could you just — November 5th. Don&#8217;t do anything before then.'&#8221;

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MSNBC: Did Trump’s Ballroom Cost GOP Wins In Deep Blue City, Blue States?

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Democrats had quite the splash in last week’s election, despite several controversial candidates on the ballot. In this episode we speak with a Republican Strategist about what went wrong, and how issues like energy costs, the economy, and the ongoing government shutdown could shape the road ahead. Get the facts first with Morning Wire.

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Democrats had quite the splash in last week’s election, despite several controversial candidates on the ballot. In this episode we speak with a Republican Strategist about what went wrong, and how issues like energy costs, the economy, and the ongoing government shutdown could shape the road ahead. Get the facts first with Morning Wire.

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Mamdani-Supporting Kathy Hochul Dumps Cold Water On One Of His Key Policies

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