CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins caught House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) in an outright lie about the ongoing government shutdown, pushing back immediately when he claimed that Republican leaders were not engaging on the issues that might finally get the government reopened.
Collins spoke with Jeffries on Wednesday&#8217;s broadcast of &#8220;The Source,&#8221; on the eve of the shutdown&#8217;s 30th day, and she challenged him directly on his claim that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) was not willing to even sit down and &#8220;have a conversation&#8221; with him.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins: “You said that Mike Johnson isn’t willing to sit down and have a conversation. Y’all did have a phone conversation, I believe you said earlier today. Who initiated that call?”
Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY): “It was a call from Mike Johnson. It was very brief and… <a href="https://t.co/Shi8jhAYWo">pic.twitter.com/Shi8jhAYWo</a>
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) <a href="https://twitter.com/RedWave_Press/status/1983864038187503695?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;You said that Mike Johnson isn’t willing to sit down and have a conversation. Y’all did have a phone conversation, I believe you said earlier today,&#8221; Collins pointed out. &#8220;Who — who initiated that call? Was that you or was that Speaker Johnson?&#8221;
&#8220;It was a call from Mike Johnson,&#8221; Jeffries admitted. &#8220;It was very brief and it wasn’t a substantive discussion in terms of finding a path forward.&#8221;
Collins pressed again, asking, &#8220;But was he calling to talk about the government shutdown?&#8221;
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&#8220;I mean, you could say that — that was in the ballpark,&#8221; Jeffries conceded her point, but then attempted to cover: &#8220;But it was a private conversation that will remain private. However, nothing meaningful came out of it, again, because Donald Trump has not given Mike Johnson permission to enter into a bipartisan negotiation.&#8221;
Jeffries then reverted to his previous talking point, claiming that Republicans had been on vacation for the last five weeks.
Collins also played a clip of Jeffries from 2013 — in which he claimed that government shutdowns caused unnecessary pain to the American people and demanded the passage of a clean continuing resolution — and then asked Jeffries whether he had changed.
&#8220;The Hakeem Jeffries of today definitively agrees with the Hakeem Jeffries of yesterday,&#8221; Jeffries claimed — despite the fact that Republicans have repeatedly offered Democrats the chance to reopen the government via a clean CR — and then attempted to explain why demanding the exact opposite now was somehow the same.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins: *Plays clip of Hakeem Jeffries from 2013 blasting a government shutdown, declaring it unnecessarily hurts Americans.*
Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY): “The Hakeem Jeffries of today definitely agrees with the Hakeem Jeffries of yesterday.” <a href="https://t.co/gZe5MpRE7u">pic.twitter.com/gZe5MpRE7u</a>
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) <a href="https://twitter.com/RedWave_Press/status/1983867542293852647?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

House Minority Leader Jeffries Holds Capitol Hill Press Conference

CNN Catches Hakeem Jeffries In Straight-Up Lie About Government Shutdown

Government Shutdown

Hakeem Jeffries

Kaitlan Collins

Media

Mike Johnson

Politics

CNN&#8217;s chief data analyst delivered bad news to climate alarmists all across the United States on Wednesday, saying that polling indicates very few Americans view the potential threat of climate change as a major issue going into the 2026 midterm elections.
Harry Enten discussed the topic with host John Berman, and he shared data showing that the percentage of Americans who were &#8220;greatly worried&#8221; about climate change had not changed drastically in nearly four decades — and had even dropped off somewhat in the last five years.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Re: Bill Gates &amp; climate change&#8230; He&#8217;s not alone in doubting a doomsday scenario.
Only 2% rank climate change as the top issue facing the USA. The % who are greatly worried has been steady since 1989.
Just 17% say climate change will make it harder to stay in their home area. <a href="https://t.co/T9rOtT2JqP">pic.twitter.com/T9rOtT2JqP</a>
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) <a href="https://twitter.com/ForecasterEnten/status/1983546202692948354?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On the heels of a comment from Berman about billionaire Bill Gates — who has been at the forefront of the climate conversation — Enten observed that even with prominent messengers, the climate alarmist narrative has not really resonated.
&#8220;Yeah, I think a lot of people will agree with Bill Gates that maybe this wouldn’t be the end of humanity,&#8221; he said of the Microsoft creator&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bill-gates-walks-back-climate-doom-it-will-not-lead-to-humanitys-demise">recent pivot</a>.
&#8220;And I think, you know, we’ve been talking about climate change now for decades, upon decades, upon decades,&#8221; Enten continued. &#8220;And the worry in terms of climate change, simply put, hasn’t shifted; it has not reached the majority of Americans.&#8221;
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&#8220;What are we talking about? Greatly worried about climate change. You go all the way back to 1989, it was 35%. 2000, 40%.  2020, 46%. And in 2025, look at that, it’s 40%,&#8221; Enten added, noting the recent drop off. &#8220;The same number as we had 25 years ago, back in 2000, and then only just five points higher than we had back in 1989. Really, we’ve just seen consistency on this issue.&#8221;
&#8220;The bottom line is that the climate change message that folks who, of course, believe that climate change is real and is quite worrisome, simply put, has not really worked with the American people,&#8221; he concluded, noting that just two percent of Americans believed climate change was a &#8220;top issue&#8221; facing the United States.

TOPSHOT-KENYA-CLIMATE-DEMO

CNN Pollster Has Bad News For Climate Doomsday Cult

CNN Pollster Has Bad News For Climate Doomsday Cult: No One Cares

Harry Enten

Polls

Thanks to valiant efforts from on-air personalities Kasie Hunt and Kaitlan Collins, CNN managed to deliver two acts of actual journalism in the same 24-hour period — on two different topics.
The first came on Monday evening from Collins, who was discussing the political hot topics of the day with Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) on &#8220;The Source&#8221; and took a moment to fact-check the Texas Democrat when she played fast and loose with the context of a statement made earlier in the day by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Jasmine Crockett immediately runs the debunked &#8220;Trump’s main priority is the ballroom” hoax on her CNN hit.
The lie is so egregious, she actually gets fact-checked by Kaitlan Collins. <a href="https://t.co/HRfeoTZ3ys">https://t.co/HRfeoTZ3ys</a> <a href="https://t.co/lvdp4gkuGu">pic.twitter.com/lvdp4gkuGu</a>
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) <a href="https://twitter.com/WesternLensman/status/1982988988072722491?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
When asked whether she thought the ongoing government shutdown was likely to end any time soon, Crockett attempted to make it look like President Donald Trump was going out of his way to prioritize other things.
&#8220;The president has time to do everything but what he needs to focus on. In fact, we heard the press secretary say his main priority is the ballroom — the ballroom that no one asked for. The ballroom that requires him to destroy historic pieces of the White House. And so it doesn’t seem like he’s interested [in the shutdown],&#8221; Crockett claimed.
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Collins pushed back immediately, noting that Leavitt had said the ballroom was the president&#8217;s top priority — but that she had been specifically referring to construction and renovation projects at the White House.
&#8220;Yeah, and that context of the comment from Karoline Leavitt, she was asked if the president was working on any other renovations when it came to the White House, and she was saying his focus was the ballroom,&#8221; Collins said.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Karoline Leavitt was asked if &#8220;the president is looking at any other renovations&#8221; at the White House?
Karoline answered: &#8220;At this moment in time of course, the ballroom is really the president&#8217;s main priority.&#8221;
This is how easily Democrats lie about stupid stuff. <a href="https://t.co/qGuZkvYYPV">https://t.co/qGuZkvYYPV</a> <a href="https://t.co/1fBzh8sdRN">pic.twitter.com/1fBzh8sdRN</a>
— Andrew Kolvet (@AndrewKolvet) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewKolvet/status/1981491616591597662?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Less than 24 hours later, Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) joined host Kasie Hunt to discuss the ongoing shutdown — and she pressed him repeatedly on his party&#8217;s evolving position on keeping the government shuttered in order to leverage political gains.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Ruben Gallego just got wrecked on CNN for his hypocritical stance on shutdowns reverting to a &#8220;BUT TRUMP&#8221; response:
Host: &#8220;Why is it suddenly right to do it this way?&#8221;
Gallego: &#8220;It&#8217;s DONALD TRUMP &#8230; it&#8217;s all out the window Casey.&#8221;
There is nothing that Democrats have aside… <a href="https://t.co/sZKARGLRKA">pic.twitter.com/sZKARGLRKA</a>
— Andrew Kolvet (@AndrewKolvet) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewKolvet/status/1983278331157196951?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;So I think my question is this, I mean, I take your point about these millions of people, the cost of living is incredibly high, but also Republicans control the White House, they control the Senate, they control the House, and in the past, Democrats, when Republicans have tried to do something like this, Democrats have argued that the norms of our government should be that you negotiate policy outside of a government shutdown,&#8221; Hunt confronted Gallego right from the start. &#8220;I mean, over many years covering Washington, people have said that over and over and over again.&#8221;
&#8220;Now I have neighbors in the D.C. area who are both employed by the federal government who are having to use food banks. We are heading into Thanksgiving. Why is it suddenly right to do it this way and to do it for this long when it didn’t used to be the right way in Democrats&#8217; view?&#8221; Hunt asked directly.
&#8220;Oh, that’s an easy answer. It’s Donald Trump,&#8221; Gallego replied, spinning quickly to change the topic. &#8220;You’re talking about norms in the time of Donald Trump? It’s also normal not for you to tear down the East Wing.&#8221;
Hunt did not budge: &#8220;Right, but Democrats have spent so much time arguing about how maintaining those norms is actually incredibly important in the face of Donald Trump.&#8221;
&#8220;It doesn’t. It’s all out the window. It is all out of the window, Kasie,&#8221; Gallego insisted, arguing that because he and Democrats did not like what Trump was doing, they were justified in breaking rules in order to level the playing field. &#8220;No. When you’re doing this time with Donald Trump, this is the man that is extorting people. He’s literally breaking every rule. We’re not going to go back and play by the norms when we know that&#8217;s what’s on the line. What’s on the line is 24 million people are going to have their insurance rates premiums doubled. That’s a new thing, by the way. And the fact is the president and everyone expects us to play by these old norms.&#8221;
&#8220;But didn’t Democrats kind of set that up in the bill that you passed, though, that these subsidies were going to expire?&#8221; Hunt was clearly not convinced.
Gallego admitted that Hunt was, in fact, correct — but once again attempted to spin, blaming Republicans for not wanting to pony up billions of taxpayer dollars to fund endless subsidies, all just to rescue the Affordable Care Act they hadn&#8217;t supported in the first place.
&#8220;When we passed the bills and back in the day, as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, of course we were trying to maybe hope for the best that this country and our Republican colleagues would understand that raising insurance rates on people is a bad thing. I’m sorry they don’t see it that way, but it’s also not my job to make their job easier,&#8221; he said. &#8220;My job is to make sure that the premiums of 24 million Americans does not double overnight. And if it makes it harder on the Republicans that we’re putting them in a very difficult position, then they have to answer for that &#8230; But I’m not gonna abide by old norms, especially when you’re dealing with this presidency, this administration, and how the Republicans themselves have been acting.&#8221;

2024 Republican National Convention: Day 1

PLOT TWIST: CNN Commits Two Acts Of Journalism In The Same Day

CNN Commits Two Acts Of Journalism In The Same Day

Donald Trump

Journalism

Karoline Leavitt

Kasie Hunt

Legacy Media

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten voiced his own surprise on Tuesday as polls indicate that Republicans are not seeing a drop in popularity due to the ongoing government shutdown.
Enten joined CNN host John Berman to discuss the shutdown and how it might eventually come to an end — and Berman predicted that &#8220;political pain,&#8221; for one party or the other, would be what ultimately brought people to the table. Enten pushed back, noting that Democrats might be the ones feeling the pain.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BREAKING</a>: Republicans&#8217; polling has improved during Democrat government shutdown
CNN: &#8220;The Republican brand in Congress has actually improved&#8221; incl. with Independents 📈
Plus alarm bells for Democrats: &#8220;The worst position Democrats have been…in the last 20 years&#8221; 🚩 <a href="https://t.co/g0hWYhsChM">pic.twitter.com/g0hWYhsChM</a>
— Ben Petersen (@bennpetersen) <a href="https://twitter.com/bennpetersen/status/1983171790601105409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;One thing that might end a shutdown is political pain, if parties start to feel that it’s hurting them. So let’s talk about that, starting with Republicans. How has the shutdown seemed to have affected their political standing?&#8221; Berman prompted.
&#8220;Yeah, you might think, given that the Republicans are in charge of both the House and the Senate, that a government shutdown might actually hurt the Republican brand. But in fact, it hasn’t!&#8221; Enten replied. &#8220;If anything, it’s been helped a little bit! Take a look here, the shift in net popularity versus pre-shutdown. When we’re looking at the Republican Party overall, that brand, actually up two points. That’s within the margin of error, but clearly it hasn’t dropped. Come over to this side of the screen, look at the net approval ratings for Republicans in Congress. It’s actually up five points since pre-shutdown! So what we’re seeing here is the Republican brand in Congress has actually improved somewhat compared to where we were pre-shutdown, despite the fact that Republicans control. And that’s the math that John Thune and Mike Johnson are looking at is, &#8216;Hey, why should we give in, electorally speaking, when our brand has actually improved a little bit?'&#8221;
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Berman pressed for details, asking whether Republicans were only getting more popular with die-hards or were they making gains across other demographics: &#8220;Now we say their position is getting better, with whom?&#8221;
&#8220;It’s rallying the base for sure. Look at this, the net approval rating up 12 points versus pre-shutdown,&#8221; Enten began — but he did not stop there. &#8220;But it’s not just with the base, it’s also with the middle of the electorate. Look at this among independents, it’s up eight points as well! So we’ve got a situation here where Republicans with the shutdown are actually rallying their base, but it’s also something that’s not hurting them with the folks in the middle. If anything, it’s helping them with folks in the middle, and this is the type of math that if you’re Republicans, you like to see, right? Because something could rally the base, but alienate those in the middle, or something could rally those in the middle, but alienate the base.&#8221;
&#8220;But the truth is, we’re not seeing that. What we’re seeing is the Republican brand has actually gotten better among independents and it’s also gotten better among Republicans as well, that Republican brand when it comes to those in Congress,&#8221; Enten added. &#8220;So again, what’s the electoral reason that Republicans would give in at this point?&#8221;
&#8220;And Democrats, of course, they have their eyes on the midterm elections. Yeah, we have elections one week from today, but what Democrats in Congress are mostly focused on are one year and one week from today, from the midterms. So how do Democrats, how are they positioned right now?&#8221; Berman asked.
Enten broke out the worst news, noting that Democrats were actually losing ground as the midterms crept closer. &#8220;You look at this point back when Trump was president the first time around, Democrats were up 11 points. Look at where it is now. Democrats are ahead, but they’re actually only up three points. This is, in fact, the worst position Democrats have been on in a generic ballot at this time in a midterm when there was a Republican president in the last 20 years. And this is no different from pre-shutdown. So Republicans aren’t losing on this metric either. They’ve become more popular, and they’re in a pretty good position for them historically when it comes to the generic congressional ballot.&#8221;
&#8220;This is a concerning number for Democrats, are you saying?&#8221; Berman tried one more time.
&#8220;This is a concerning number for Democrats, because it’s considerably worse than they traditionally do in midterm elections when there’s a Republican president,&#8221; Enten confirmed the worst.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson

‘They’ve Become More Popular!’: CNN Pollster Shocked As GOP Gets Shutdown ‘Bump’

'They've Become More Popular!': CNN Pollster Shocked As GOP Gets Shutdown 'Bump'

Republicans

Actor and former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) quickly terminated CNN anchor Jake Tapper&#8217;s argument that the Republican Party was largely responsible for gerrymandered congressional maps all across the United States.
Schwarzenegger, who served as California&#8217;s governor from 2003-2011, joined Tapper on Sunday&#8217;s broadcast of &#8220;State of the Union&#8221; and argued that &#8220;extreme gerrymandering&#8221; had been happening for decades and would only end up hurting the American people.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
NEW: Arnold Schwarzenegger claps back at CNN&#8217;s Jake Tapper, calls out &#8220;extreme gerrymandering&#8221; in blue states.
Tapper: &#8220;Do you believe that the Republican Party is starting this?&#8221;
Schwarzenegger: &#8220;No, Jake. There has been gerrymandering going on for 200 years.&#8221;
&#8220;There is such… <a href="https://t.co/ovxGJ6ll8p">pic.twitter.com/ovxGJ6ll8p</a>
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) <a href="https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/1982528723674071061?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;As you&#8217;ve acknowledged, this all started because of redistricting in Texas — and this was Trump pushing Republican-controlled states to throw out their current congressional maps so as to cook the books so that there is less — it is less likely for Democrats to retake control of the House during the next year midterms,&#8221; Tapper began. &#8220;I mean, is it fair to argue that — do you believe that the Republican Party is starting this?&#8221;
&#8220;No, Jake. No, Jake. There has been gerrymandering going on for 200 years,&#8221; Schwarzenegger replied, shaking his head. &#8220;There is such extreme gerrymandering going on that in a state like Massachusetts, it has like 40% of the people voting for Trump, they only — they have zero representatives. The Republican Party has zero representatives sent to the House. Think about that.&#8221;
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&#8220;In New Mexico, 45% of the people voted for Trump and vote Republican, and zero is sent to the House, zero representatives from the Republican Party,&#8221; the &#8220;Terminator&#8221; actor continued. &#8220;So there&#8217;s gerrymandering — crazy gerrymandering — going on all over the country, and we wanted to try to stop it in California, and we did stop it in California.&#8221;
This is not the first time Schwarzenegger has vocally opposed gerrymandering — regardless of which party was redrawing the maps. In 2019, he joined with Governor Larry Hogan (R-MD) <a href="https://schwarzenegger.usc.edu/institute_in_action/governor-arnold-schwarzenegger-took-his-mission-to-terminate-gerrymandering-to-dc/">in opposition</a> to a New Democrat-favored map in Maryland and a Republican-favored map in North Carolina.
&#8220;It is a national scandal with what is going on with the gerrymandering and the way our politicians draw the district lines. Both parties are doing it. Democrats are gerrymandering, Republicans are gerrymandering. It is a real disservice to the people. It is not a representative government, but a mis-representative government,&#8221; he said at the time.

”Raising Hope for Climate Justice” Conference Opens

Arnold Schwarzenegger Terminates Jake Tapper’s Effort To Blame GOP For Gerrymandering

Arnold Schwarzenegger Terminates Jake Tapper's Effort To Blame GOP For Gerrymandering

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Jake Tapper

Redistricting

Democrats and media talking heads have voiced their opposition, on multiple occasions, to President Donald Trump&#8217;s efforts to prevent narco-terrorists — by whatever means necessary — from continuing to flood the United States with fentanyl and other drugs.
For those who don&#8217;t spend their Sunday mornings glued to the television — and their Sunday afternoons attempting to dig through a week&#8217;s worth of network and cable news media spin — The Daily Wire has compiled a short summary of what you may have missed.
The federal government has been shut down for nearly one full month — and although Democrats have done their best to reassure the public that the blame for that lies with Republicans, the fact remains that Democrats are the ones refusing to accept a clean continuing resolution that would reopen the government or even vote on a measure that would make sure military service members continue to receive pay.
And while some of the conversation on the Sunday morning talk shows was focused on the shutdown and how to bring it to an end, a lot was also focused on Trump&#8217;s efforts to take out drug runners before they were able to reach the United States.
On ABC&#8217;s &#8220;Meet the Press,&#8221; Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) said that recent strikes on boats that reportedly contained drugs and were headed toward the United States were, at best, &#8220;questionable.&#8221;
&#8220;The White House and the Department of Defense could not give us a logical explanation on how this is legal,&#8221; he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Sen. Mark Kelly tells <a href="https://twitter.com/MarthaRaddatz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MarthaRaddatz</a> that the U.S. military&#8217;s recent strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat is &#8220;questionable.&#8221;
&#8220;The White House and the Department of Defense could not give us a logical explanation on how this is legal.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/c5ou1EVNTV">https://t.co/c5ou1EVNTV</a> <a href="https://t.co/EVP53aCZfd">pic.twitter.com/EVP53aCZfd</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1982459545478709337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) supported President Trump&#8217;s actions, telling host Margaret Brennan on CBS News&#8217; &#8220;Face the Nation&#8221; that he believed Trump was acting well within his authority to strike the boats carrying drugs and traffickers.
He went on to tell Brennan that he saw it as &#8220;a real possibility&#8221; that Trump would also authorize strikes on land in Venezuela in order to stop the flow of drugs into the United States. Graham said that he expected the president to brief Congress about his next moves, adding, &#8220;I support that idea. But I think he has all the authority he needs.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
U.S. land strikes on Venezuela are “a real possibility,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) says, telling <a href="https://twitter.com/margbrennan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@margbrennan</a> President Trump plans to brief Congress about potentially expanding the U.S. military operations “from the sea to the land.”
“I support that idea. But I think he has… <a href="https://t.co/q7iBG7D0H7">pic.twitter.com/q7iBG7D0H7</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1982479665525613037?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Graham also responded to criticisms of Trump from within the Republican Party — namely from Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and James Lankford (R-OK) — telling Brennan, &#8220;Rand Paul, I just fundamentally disagree with. To the other senators, you deserve more information and you&#8217;re going to get more information. But there is no requirement for Congress to declare war before the commander-in-chief can use force.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is pushing back against criticism by Democrats and some Republicans, including Sens. Rand Paul and James Lankford, that the Trump administration is not providing enough information to Congress about its strikes on alleged drug boats off the coast of… <a href="https://t.co/KjrqzPW36x">pic.twitter.com/KjrqzPW36x</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1982480379844931876?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;It’s time for Maduro to go. I hope Maduro would leave peacefully, but I don&#8217;t think he&#8217;s going to stay around much longer,&#8221; Graham added. &#8220;The game is changing when it comes to drug traffickers and drug cartels. We&#8217;re going to use military force like we have in the past to protect our country &#8230; And if I were Maduro, I&#8217;d find a way to leave before heat goes down.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
On the U.S. potentially expanding its operations to on the ground inside Venezuela and whether that would include U.S. troops, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) says “It’s time for Maduro to go. I hope Maduro would leave peacefully, but I don&#8217;t think he&#8217;s going to stay around much… <a href="https://t.co/42tYbYWOrE">pic.twitter.com/42tYbYWOrE</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1982483129349861497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
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On NBC&#8217;s &#8220;Meet the Press,&#8221; Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) referred to the targeted strikes as &#8220;sanctioned murder.&#8221; He told host Kristen Welker, &#8220;This is murder. It&#8217;s sanctioned murder that he is doing.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Sen. Ruben Gallego on the strikes on drug boats: &#8220;This is murder. It&#8217;s sanctioned murder that he is doing.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/n4i9WWj9RA">pic.twitter.com/n4i9WWj9RA</a>
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) <a href="https://twitter.com/TPostMillennial/status/1982549544182374444?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Gallego claimed that a declaration of war would be necessary if Trump planned to continue to target such boats.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Trump is blasting Venezuelan ships out of the water to make himself feel tough.
Either send the Coast Guard onto these ships or come to Congress for a declaration of war. Plain and simple. <a href="https://t.co/7zZ5td7RLz">pic.twitter.com/7zZ5td7RLz</a>
— Senator Ruben Gallego (@SenRubenGallego) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenRubenGallego/status/1982497980725838112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Meanwhile, as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Welker on &#8220;Meet the Press,&#8221; Democrats&#8217; refusal to put an end to the shutdown are starting to cause real problems: &#8220;Chuck Schumer is trading off his polls. What&#8217;s different than when he passed a clean CR in the spring? It&#8217;s his polls &#8230; We&#8217;re starting to eat into muscle here &#8230; I don&#8217;t know what the purpose is. I&#8217;m not sure they do.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;Chuck Schumer is trading off his polls. What&#8217;s different than when he passed a clean CR in the spring? It&#8217;s his polls,&#8221; says <a href="https://twitter.com/SecScottBessent?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecScottBessent</a> on the Democrat Shutdown.
&#8220;We&#8217;re starting to eat into muscle here&#8230; I don&#8217;t know what the purpose is. I&#8217;m not sure they do.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/Bt0ej6d8yF">pic.twitter.com/Bt0ej6d8yF</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1982443342110613889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Spin Cycle: The War On Trump’s War On Drugs

Spin Cycle: The War On Trump's War On Drugs

ABC News

CBS News

NBC News

NewsNation host Batya Ungar-Sargon mocked the weekend&#8217;s wave of &#8220;No Kings&#8221; protests, saying that what the people in the streets were actually protesting was not a king at all, but &#8220;American democracy&#8221; in practice.
Ungar-Sargon shared a clip of her appearance along with the caption referring to the mass protests — promoted and even joined by a number of elected Democrats — as &#8220;a mass therapy session&#8221; and arguing that President Donald Trump was simply doing what he&#8217;d been elected to do.
&#8220;I support white Boomers using their First Amendment rights to hold a mass therapy session about the fact that Trump won! But to call him a king is utterly preposterous. He won the popular vote. He is enacting the exact agenda he promised he would. They are actually protesting American democracy. The only appropriate response is to laugh!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I support white Boomers using their First Amendment rights to hold a mass therapy session about the fact that Trump won! But to call him a king is utterly preposterous. He won the popular vote. He is enacting the exact agenda he promised he would. They are actually protesting… <a href="https://t.co/4hOQaOYqpf">pic.twitter.com/4hOQaOYqpf</a>
— Batya Ungar-Sargon (@bungarsargon) <a href="https://twitter.com/bungarsargon/status/1980481661134381184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I want to start by saying I totally support the protests,&#8221; Ungar-Sargon began. &#8220;I think this is a very important part of what it means to be an American, to raise up your voice in any form that you wish. We have these First Amendment rights and they are precious and dear. I also think that this was not indicative or representative even of the mainstream Democratic Party.&#8221;
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&#8220;These protests were overwhelmingly white, they were overwhelmingly elderly, older people — again, white Boomers have the right to have a mass therapy session about the fact that Donald Trump won,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;But to call it a &#8216;No Kings&#8217; protest, to act like he is a king, is so utterly preposterous. This is a man who won the popular vote, he won every swing state, he is a person who is enacting the exact agenda he promised he was going to enact while he was campaigning — and so what they are actually protesting is the absolute perfection of American democracy where a person campaigned on an agenda, won the popular vote, and is now enacting that agenda.&#8221;
&#8220;So it was actually a protest of democracy, all of which is to say the only way to greet such a preposterous proposition, calling this a &#8216;No Kings&#8217; rally when it&#8217;s actually an anti-democracy rally, is to crap on it — I&#8217;m sorry — is to basically make fun of it,&#8221; she concluded.

‘We need to take back the flag’: Why patriotic symbols were all over the ‘No Kings’ protests

CNN Guest Mocks ‘No Kings’ Mob: ‘They’re Actually Protesting American Democracy’

Protesters

The latest CNN poll suggests that despite their attempts to spin a very different narrative, Democrats are not coming off as the winners as the government shutdown drags on — and President Donald Trump is not losing any ground at all.
CNN&#8217;s chief data analyst Harry Enten broke down the details alongside anchor John Berman, saying that there was a world of difference between the way voters viewed the current shutdown compared to how they&#8217;d viewed the 35-day shutdown – stretching from December 22, 2018, to January 25, 2019 — during President Trump&#8217;s first term.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This shutdown is a different world for Trump than the 2018-19 shutdown. He&#8217;s in a much better spot.
His net approval is up slightly during this shutdown vs. dropping during 2018-19.
Why? The % who blame him a great deal for the shutdown is down significantly now vs. 2018-19. <a href="https://t.co/WHEqHaqo4M">pic.twitter.com/WHEqHaqo4M</a>
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) <a href="https://twitter.com/ForecasterEnten/status/1980278938044694817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Turns out shutdowns are different the second time around when it comes to Donald Trump,&#8221; Enten declared. &#8220;Take a look here: you know, we speak about Donald Trump, shutdowns, net approval rating – we&#8217;re talking 20 days into it, in 2018 slash 2019, Donald Trump&#8217;s net approval rating was already falling. The shutdown was eating into his popular support, it was down three points already at this particular point and would fall considerably more, it was very much on the decline.&#8221;
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That&#8217;s not the case 20 days into the current shutdown, Enten continued: &#8220;This shutdown hasn&#8217;t eaten into Donald Trump&#8217;s support at all! His net approval rating is actually up a point, in terms of his popular support. So the bottom line is this: the first shutdown during Trump&#8217;s first term, 2018-2019, was hurting Donald Trump. This one is not hurting him at all.&#8221;
&#8220;There&#8217;s no real reason Donald Trump might say, at least when it comes to popular support, &#8216;I want to get out of this shutdown.'&#8221;
When Berman asked about the blame for the shutdown — and who might shoulder most of it — the numbers reflected a similar shift: fewer than half of those surveyed (48%) blame President Trump for the current shutdown compared to the 61% who blamed him in 2018.
&#8220;It&#8217;s a different world,&#8221; he said.

Uh-Oh: CNN Poll Says Shutdown Is Not Playing Well For Dems, And Trump’s Doing Just Fine

CNN poll

Democrats

Just over a week after President Trump brokered a deal that brought home the last of the hostages held by Hamas terrorists — and laid out a plan for lasting peace between Israel and Gaza — the latest reports indicate that Hamas militants have taken to publicly executing Palestinian civilians. So of course, CNN wanted to talk about — and to — former Rep. George Santos (R-NY).
For those who don&#8217;t spend their Sunday mornings glued to the television — and their Sunday afternoons attempting to dig through a week&#8217;s worth of network and cable news media spin — The Daily Wire has compiled a short summary of what you may have missed.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-commutes-sentence-of-former-gop-rep-george-santos">Trump announced</a> on Friday that he was commuting the remainder of the 7-year sentence that Santos was serving after he pled guilty to aggravated identity theft and wire-fraud charges in relation to his 2022 congressional campaign. Prior to that he&#8217;d been ousted by Congress after serving less than a year of his first term: Lawmakers <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/12/01/gop-rep-george-santos-faces-expulsion-vote-in-house.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voted</a> 311-114 to oust Santos in December 2023 after a GOP-led House Ethics Committee report accused Santos of stealing campaign donors’ money to spend on Botox, OnlyFans, and other items.
Trump swiped at Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) in the Truth Social post announcing the commutation, saying, &#8220;I started to think about George when the subject of Democrat Senator Richard “Da Nang Dick” Blumenthal came up again. As everyone remembers, “Da Nang” stated for almost twenty years that he was a proud Vietnam Veteran, having endured the worst of the War, watching the Wounded and Dead as he raced up the hills and down the valleys, blood streaming from his face &#8230; This is far worse than what George Santos did, and at least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!&#8221;
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So on Sunday, despite the continued bloodshed in Gaza and the ongoing Democrat-driven government shutdown, much of the conversation on CNN was focused squarely on Santos.
Anchor Dana Bash started with Senator Katie Britt (R-AL), asking whether she took issue with Trump&#8217;s decision to commute the sentence of the disgraced congressman.
&#8220;[Santos] did plead guilty to defrauding his donors and constituents of hundreds of thousands of dollars, money he will no longer be required to pay back because of this commutation. Is this acceptable to you?&#8221; Bash asked.
&#8220;Look, I will let Congressman Santos speak for himself,&#8221; Britt replied. &#8220;What I appreciate is President Trump&#8217;s commitment to the American people.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BASH: “[Santos] did plead guilty to defrauding his donors and constituents of hundreds of thousands of dollars, money he will no longer be required to pay back because of this commutation. Is this acceptable to you?”
BRITT: “Look, I will let Congressman Santos speak for… <a href="https://t.co/3SvurPWDHk">pic.twitter.com/3SvurPWDHk</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1979939429633380426?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Bash then took the question to Santos directly, asking him whether he planned to make restitution.
&#8220;You were ordered by the court to pay $370,000 in restitution to the people you defrauded… Will you work to try to do that?&#8221; she asked.
&#8220;I can do my best to do whatever the law requires of me. So I don&#8217;t know what that is,&#8221; he replied. &#8220;If it&#8217;s required of me by the law, yes. If it&#8217;s not, then no.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BASH: “You were ordered by the court to pay $370,000 in restitution to the people you defrauded… Will you work to try to do that?”
SANTOS: “I can do my best to do whatever the law requires of me. So I don&#8217;t know what that is… If it&#8217;s required of me by the law, yes. If it&#8217;s… <a href="https://t.co/EVBHKzKGTg">pic.twitter.com/EVBHKzKGTg</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1979942437411057676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Bash then pivoted to note that some were critical of Trump&#8217;s decision to commute his sentence, and Santos pushed back, essentially arguing that there would be people criticizing Trump no matter what he did.
&#8220;I&#8217;m pretty confident if President Trump had pardoned Jesus Christ off the cross, he would have had critics,&#8221; Santos said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
George Santos shrugs off criticism of Trump commuting his prison sentence: “I&#8217;m pretty confident if President Trump had pardoned Jesus Christ off the cross, he would have had critics.” <a href="https://t.co/YxjwjV5F6u">pic.twitter.com/YxjwjV5F6u</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1979943369892679734?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I&#8217;m very grateful to President Trump, Dana, and I sit here quite literally, I don&#8217;t know how much more humbled I can get before people believe I&#8217;m humble or remorseful, but I can just do the best in my actions moving forward,&#8221; Santos added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
George Santos responds to former Republican colleagues who say he shouldn’t have been freed from prison: “I&#8217;m very grateful to President Trump, Dana, and I sit here quite literally, I don&#8217;t know how much more humbled I can get before people believe I&#8217;m humble or remorseful, but I… <a href="https://t.co/1TyrdeeDXl">pic.twitter.com/1TyrdeeDXl</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1979943593436479708?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
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He went on to say that he&#8217;d already thought of a way that he could potentially begin to give back, saying, &#8220;I told this to the president, that I&#8217;d love to be involved with prison reform, and not in a partisan way, in real human ways, in a way that we effect it, that it helps society, it helps these individuals rebuild their lives and we have a better system with less incarcerated people … If I can be a part of helping that, I think that would be a great road to follow in the future.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Santos: “I told this to the president, that I&#8217;d love to be involved with prison reform, and not in a partisan way, in real human ways, in a way that we effect it, that it helps society, it helps these individuals rebuild their lives and we have a better system with less… <a href="https://t.co/6qXkS9c3z3">pic.twitter.com/6qXkS9c3z3</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1979943752346353792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
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And it didn&#8217;t end there: Santos was also the topic of a panel discussion to round out &#8220;State of the Union.&#8221;
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) said she wasn&#8217;t in favor of Trump&#8217;s decision, but that she planned to withhold judgment and give Santos a chance to prove he&#8217;d changed.
&#8220;I will give him the benefit of the doubt, and I hope he is a changed person who&#8217;s going to focus on his second chance on doing good. I do not agree with the commutation. I think it was a wrong decision, primarily because this is somebody who stole millions of dollars from his donors. He defrauded the public and his voters … I wish him well. I hope he does good, and I hope he sticks to his word that he&#8217;s a renewed person.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
New York Republican Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis on Trump commuting George Santos’ prison sentence:
“I will give him the benefit of the doubt, and I hope he is a changed person who&#8217;s going to focus on his second chance on doing good. I do not agree with the commutation. I… <a href="https://t.co/I77ZfKoMw7">pic.twitter.com/I77ZfKoMw7</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1979948410368061661?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
And then Paul Begala tried to make it about Trump &#8230;
&#8220;This is a story about a con man, a liar, a grifter, somebody, a felon, disgraced his high office, and also about George Santos,&#8221; he quipped.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Paul Begala: “This is a story about a con man, a liar, a grifter, somebody, a felon, disgraced his high office, and also about George Santos.”
GOP Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, Brad Todd, and Faiz Shakir join Dana Bash to react to President Trump’s controversial decision to commute… <a href="https://t.co/W7SQ50hJpp">pic.twitter.com/W7SQ50hJpp</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1979949001135763632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
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U.S. Congressman-elect George Santos

Spin Cycle: Let’s Talk About … Santos?

Spin Cycle: Let's Talk About ... Santos?

George Santos

Prison

The Democratic Party may be regretting a Wednesday night town hall that saw CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins moderating as Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) — both of whom identify as Democratic socialists — fielded questions from the public about the ongoing government shutdown.
Collins pressed Sanders on his own previous statements — namely that government shutdowns were &#8220;dangerous&#8221; to the American people because they put at risk not just those who worked for the federal government and might be furloughed, but also anyone who depended on services provided by the federal government in their daily lives.
Quoting Sanders directly, Collins said he&#8217;d referred to shutting down the government as &#8220;a serious and dangerous action that we must do everything possible to prevent,&#8221; before asking, &#8220;What would you say to people who are missing their paychecks about why it&#8217;s worth it now?&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🤔 <a href="https://t.co/04CRYe4N5y">https://t.co/04CRYe4N5y</a> <a href="https://t.co/KIRQdiFH4Y">pic.twitter.com/KIRQdiFH4Y</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1978631136931656039?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Sanders, who has repeatedly voted against the clean continuing resolution that would reopen the government, claimed that he and other Democrats would &#8220;do everything they can&#8221; to get the government reopened quickly.
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Collins then asked Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez to explain what the end of the shutdown looked like to them — and they laughed off the idea of taking President Donald Trump and Republicans at their word that health care would be up for negotiations. Instead, Ocasio-Cortez made it clear that she wouldn&#8217;t vote to reopen the government — despite the fact that the CR in question has already passed the House in spite of her no vote — until she saw legislation guaranteeing what she wanted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
These losers — the leaders of the Democrat Party — are not serious people. They don&#8217;t have any clue what they&#8217;re talking about other than demanding free health care for illegals to vote to re-open the government.
Shame on them. <a href="https://t.co/IdygxnEB8r">pic.twitter.com/IdygxnEB8r</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1978633289742045298?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
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One question from a young woman in the audience pertained to social media messaging – and why Republicans seemed to be more effective at getting their points across. After a brief moment in which Sanders appeared to freeze like a deer in headlights, he claimed that Republicans were more effective in their messaging because their &#8220;friends&#8221; owned the big tech companies and controlled much of legacy media.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Crazy Bernie thinks Republicans are more &#8220;effective&#8221; at messaging on social media than Democrats because tech companies and the mainstream media are in the tank for us.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 <a href="https://t.co/eHDjDdKjsm">pic.twitter.com/eHDjDdKjsm</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1978635415507644451?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Sanders went on to claim — with encouragement from Ocasio-Cortez — that President Donald Trump was ordering Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to enforce federal immigration policy because he wanted legal citizens to live in fear that they, too, could be plucked off the streets without any notice.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Crazy Bernie says ICE raids — in which some of the most dangerous criminals on earth have been taken off American streets — are “about a movement toward authoritarianism.”
Absolutely deranged. <a href="https://t.co/wUoaPsrk9v">pic.twitter.com/wUoaPsrk9v</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1978640477168578733?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Things only got worse for Sanders after that, when a member of the audience — student Rohan Naval — asked him to explain how the shutdown would ultimately reflect on Senator Chuck Schumer&#8217;s (D-NY) leadership.
&#8220;I think it reflects more on [House Speaker] Mike Johnson&#8217;s leadership,&#8221; Sanders replied, failing to mention the fact that Johnson had gotten the clean CR passed in his chamber. &#8220;And President Trump&#8217;s leadership. This is a leadership that said it&#8217;s okay to — well, how do you feel? You tell me. Do you think it&#8217;s a good idea to give a trillion dollars in tax breaks to the richest people in the country and then make massive cuts to health care for working-class people?&#8221;
&#8220;I think Chuck Schumer has voted for continuing resolutions 13 times in the last four years, and he has the opportunity to vote for one again, but he‘s refusing to come to the table,&#8221; Naval responded.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Crazy Bernie just got wrecked on national television 🤣 <a href="https://t.co/G5Emm2gY6v">pic.twitter.com/G5Emm2gY6v</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1978641695760662647?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;As I have said, there are 53 Republicans in the Senate, correct? They need 60. What does that mean? It means you have to talk to the other side. Mike Johnson is not talking. John Thune is not talking. President Trump is not talking. That is the problem,&#8221; Sanders complained — but thus far, Democrats have not proposed compromises, and have instead made a list of demands that would undo provisions of duly passed legislation (the Big Beautiful Bill in particular) that they dislike.

Bernie Sanders And Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Hold “Fighting Oligarchy” Rally In L.A.

Democrats Send Least Effective Messengers Possible To Defend Shutdown Stand-Off

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Chuck Schumer

Congress

Schumer Shutdown

CNN’s chief data analyst warned on Wednesday that the Democrats were quickly losing ground — and a lot of it — in their battle to retake control of the House of Representatives after the 2026 midterm elections.
Harry Enten joined anchor Kate Bolduan on CNN News Central, where he broke down the latest polls and addressed the possibility that Republicans — who currently have the slimmest of majorities in the House — could remain in control of the lower chamber after 2026.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Democrats&#8217; chance of taking the House in 2026 have plummeted, while GOP chances have skyrocketed over the last 6 months&#8230;
Why?
1. Dems aren&#8217;t keeping up with the pace they set in 2017 on the generic ballot.
2. GOP may be looking at big gains from mid-decade redistricting. <a href="https://t.co/iauGwkTmp2">pic.twitter.com/iauGwkTmp2</a>
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) <a href="https://twitter.com/ForecasterEnten/status/1978469463415755117?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“If you go back six months ago, you go back to April, Kate Bolduan, what were we looking at?” Enten began. “Well, we were looking at the Democrats with a very clear shot at taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives, according to the Kalshi prediction market odds. We saw them with an 83% chance. But those odds have gone plummeting down — now we’re talking about just a 63% chance while the GOP’s chances, up like a rocket … up from 17% to now a 37% chance.”
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“So what looked like a pretty clear, likely Democratic win in the House come next year has become much closer to a toss-up at this point, although still slightly leaning Democratic,” he added.
When Bolduan asked him to explain what was going wrong, he noted that Democrats were not gaining ground the way they did during the 2017 run-up to President Donald Trump’s first midterm elections in 2018. They also discussed the potential impact of new district maps that so far appear to favor Republicans.
The party in power — in this case, the Republican Party — typically loses seats during midterm elections, but that is not always the case. Most notably, then-President George W. Bush saw a gain of eight House seats and two Senate seats in 2002. By 2006, the political wind had changed dramatically, however, and he saw massive losses: Democrats gained 32 House seats and six Senate seats, taking control of both chambers for the last two years of Bush’s presidency.

Protesters Demonstrate In Philadelphia During The Democratic National Convention

‘Odds Have Gone Plummeting Down’: CNN Data Guru Says Democrat Hopes Of Flipping House Are Fading

CNN Data Guru Says Democrat Hopes Of Flipping House Are Fading

2026 Midterms

Washington Post columnist Shadi Hamid said on Monday that Israel cannot — and should not — root out every member of the terrorist group Hamas as it begins to implement the provisions of the peace deal brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Hamid was speaking with CNN anchor Brianna Keilar about the still-unfolding situation in Gaza when he argued that Israel should offer amnesty to &#8220;low-level&#8221; members of Hamas who have agreed to lay down their weapons — and those &#8220;who were not implicated in October 7.&#8221;
WATCH:
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On CNN, Washington Post columnist Shadi Hamid says Israel &#8220;shouldn&#8217;t kill low-level members of Hamas, people who where not implicated in October 7&#8221; because &#8220;Hamas is a popular movement&#8221; and must be integrated into the new Gaza government. <a href="https://t.co/27I823cqHN">pic.twitter.com/27I823cqHN</a>
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/1977808584512844004?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;How do you disarm Hamas – that is not quite clear how that&#8217;s to be worked out,&#8221; he began. &#8220;But also it&#8217;s good that in the 20-point plan there is a path for Hamas who commit to peaceful coexistence and give up their arms to get amnesty or to get safe passage out of Gaza, because at the end of the day, there are still going to be – there still will be a significant Hamas presence, so you can&#8217;t just pretend they don&#8217;t exist. And you can&#8217;t eradicate every single member of Hamas, nor should you, that would just be — that didn&#8217;t even happen, not that I like this comparison too much —&#8221;
&#8220;You say &#8216;nor should you,'&#8221; Keilar appeared to be taken aback. &#8220;Your case for that is what?&#8221;
&#8220;I mean you can&#8217;t — you shouldn&#8217;t kill, like, low-level members of Hamas, people who were not implicated in October 7th,&#8221; Hamid asserted. &#8220;October 7th was done by a small group of senior military commanders — Israel should have the right to kill them, and has killed many of them if not most of them, right? So — but Hamas is a popular movement and there has to be some way to bring in the low-level members into the political process because you don&#8217;t want them to play spoiler.&#8221;
&#8220;If they feel like they have no path forward, if they feel — you don&#8217;t want them to go back to arms again or to find ways to kind of undermine the path toward a kind of peaceful settlement,&#8221; he continued, comparing Hamas to the Nazis in post-war Germany. &#8220;And even if you take the example of denazification, low- and mid-level members of the Nazi Party were reintegrated into German society. It&#8217;s not as if everyone was imprisoned or executed, because you can&#8217;t do that at such a large scale. If you&#8217;re talking about a movement that has tens of thousands of people and many more sympathizers, you have to find a way to bring people into the process and integrate them.&#8221;
The peace deal currently being implemented stops short of forcing Hamas out altogether despite Israel&#8217;s repeated insistence that Hamas cannot be allowed to govern in Gaza.

TRT World Forum 2019

‘Hamas Is A Popular Movement’: WaPo Reporter Tells CNN ‘Low-Level’ Terrorists Should Get To Stay

'Hamas Is A Popular Movement': WaPo Reporter Tells CNN 'Low-Level' Terrorists Should Get To Stay

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