Today in one sentence: A divided federal appeals court ruled that Trump can deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon; James Comey asked a federal judge to dismiss his indictment, claiming Trump ordered the prosecution “because of personal animus” and that interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan was "defectively appointed"; Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to concede the Donbas region to Russia because “Putin will destroy you if you don’t agree now”; Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed a White House “framework” to secure U.S. supplies of rare earth minerals and reduce reliance on China; nearly 7 million people joined “No Kings” protests across all 50 states on Saturday to oppose Trump’s policies and what organizers called his “authoritarian rule”; the White House began demolishing part of the East Wing to build Trump’s $250 million, 90,000-square-foot ballroom without approval from the National Capital Planning Commission; and 47% of Americans say they are “not very” or “not at all confident” they could find a good job if they wanted to.

1/ A divided federal appeals court ruled that Trump can deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, overturning a lower court order that had blocked the move. The 9th Circuit’s 2–1 decision, written by Trump appointee Judge Bridget Bade and joined by Judge Ryan Nelson, said Trump “lawfully exercised his statutory authority” to send troops after protests at a federal immigration facility. Both judges said that “even if the President may exaggerate the extent of the problem on social media,” other facts provided “a colorable basis” for his decision. Dissenting Judge Susan Graber called the ruling “not merely absurd,” but a threat to “sovereign States’ control over their militias” and First Amendment rights. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said the state would ask the full 9th Circuit to overturn the decision, warning that it would give Trump “unilateral power to put Oregon soldiers on our streets with almost no justification.” (Politico / NBC News / CNN / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / CNBC / Axios / Washington Post / New York Times / CBS News / Reuters)

  • Trump asked the Supreme Court to lift lower-court orders blocking his plan to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago to guard ICE facilities during mass deportation operations. The Justice Department claimed that the troops were needed to “prevent ongoing and intolerable risks to the lives and safety” of federal agents and argued the lower courts “imping[e] on the President’s authority.” The 7th Circuit, however, said “political opposition is not rebellion” and protests didn’t amount to insurrection. (New York Times / Washington Post / NPR / Axios / NBC News / Associated Press / Politico)

2/ James Comey asked a federal judge to dismiss his indictment, claiming Trump ordered the prosecution “because of personal animus” and that interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan was “defectively appointed.” Comey’s lawyers said the case was an “egregious abuse of power” and that “no properly appointed executive branch official” brought the charges. Prosecutors, meanwhile, said Comey’s attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald, may have a conflict because he allegedly helped “improperly disclose classified information,” a claim Fitzgerald called “demonstrably false,” saying, “There was no ‘leaking’ […] Full stop.” U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff scheduled a Nov. 19 hearing on the motions to dismiss. (Politico / Washington Post / NBC News / Bloomberg / CBS News)

3/ Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to concede the Donbas region to Russia because “Putin will destroy you if you don’t agree now.” Trump had suggested he might send Ukraine long-range Tomahawk missiles, but after a call with Putin, he backed away from the idea. At the White House meeting the next day, Trump urged both sides to “stop where they are” and said, “Let both claim victory, let history decide.” Zelensky called Trump’s message “mixed” and rejected giving up land Russia hasn’t captured, saying Ukraine’s position “remains unchanged.” European leaders, meanwhile, condemned any pressure on Kyiv to cede territory, with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warning: “Appeasement never was a road to a just and lasting peace.” (Politico / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post / The Hill / Associated Press / Axios / New York Times / The Guardian)

4/ Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed a White House “framework” to secure U.S. supplies of rare earth minerals and reduce reliance on China. The White House said the two governments would invest “more than $3 billion” in projects over the next six months, while Albanese said the overall plan could reach about $8.5 billion in future projects. The agreement is designed to fast-track mining and processing in both countries to support defense and technology manufacturing. Trump tied the deal to rising tensions with Beijing, saying, “I threaten them with tariffs,” and confirmed plans to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month. During the meeting, Trump confronted Australian Ambassador Kevin Rudd over past remarks in which Rudd called him “the most destructive president in history” and a “traitor to the West.” Trump told him, “I don’t like you either, and I probably never will.” (Politico / NBC News / New York Times / CNBC / The Hill / Washington Post / CBS News)

poll/ 47% of Americans say they are “not very” or “not at all confident” they could find a good job if they wanted to – up from 37% in October 2023. 68% describe the U.S. economy as “poor,” while 32% say it is “good.” 54% call grocery costs a “major source” of stress, 40% say the same about housing and health care, and 36% cite electricity bills. 12% say their family finances are “getting ahead,” compared with 28% who say they are “falling behind.” (Associated Press)

  • Two-thirds of the $1.2 trillion in new business costs from Trump’s tariffs are falling on U.S. consumers, leaving households paying about $2,400 more a year. (The Guardian)

  • Trump said the U.S. may buy Argentine beef to “bring our beef prices down,” but gave no details on when or how the plan would work. The proposal comes as prices stay high from drought and reduced Mexican imports. (Associated Press)

  • U.S. GDP growth in the first half of 2025 would have been just 0.1% without AI data center investment. Tech spending made up only 4% of GDP but drove 92% of total growth. (Yahoo! Finance)

✨Well, that’s fantastic. Nearly 7 million people joined “No Kings” protests across all 50 states on Saturday to oppose Trump’s policies and what organizers called his “authoritarian rule.” The demonstrations, held at more than 2,700 sites, were among the largest in U.S. history and surpassed the first “No Kings” protest in June by roughly 2 million people. It’s the biggest single-day protest since the first Earth Day in 1970. The events remained largely peaceful, with no major violence or arrests reported in most cities. Trump, meanwhile, dismissed the protests as “a joke” and “not representative of this country,” then posted an AI-generated video of himself wearing a crown and flying a jet labeled “King Trump” while dumping brown sludge on Americans exercising their First Amendment rights. The White House followed with an image of Trump and JD Vance in crowns captioned: “We’re built different.” House Speaker Mike Johnson defended Trump’s posts as “satire” and said Trump “uses social media to make a point,” while other Republicans called the events “hate America rallies.” Organizers said the record turnout showed “a fierce love for our country” and opposition to “one man’s power grab.” (NPR / New York Times / Washington Post / Associated Press / CBS News / Rolling Stone / New York Times / NBC News / Axios / NBC News / The Guardian / Mother Jones / HuffPost / 404 Media / USA Today)

⏭️ Notably Next: Your government has been shut down for 20 days; the 2026 midterms are in 379 days.

✏️ Notables.

  1. The U.S. sent two survivors of its sixth known strike on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean back to Colombia and Ecuador for prosecution. Trump said the “surviving terrorists are being returned to their Countries of origin […] for detention and prosecution,” claiming intelligence “confirmed” the vessel carried “mostly fentanyl,” but offered no evidence. (Reuters / Washington Post / CNN / New York Times)

  2. Trump said the U.S. will end aid and impose new tariffs on Colombia after President Gustavo Petro accused American forces of killing a Colombian fisherman in a September boat strike. He called Petro “an illegal drug leader” and declared, “AS OF TODAY, THESE PAYMENTS […] WILL NO LONGER BE MADE TO COLOMBIA.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth later announced a seventh U.S. strike, claiming a boat carried “substantial amounts of narcotics,” but offered no evidence. (New York Times / Axios / BBC / Associated Press)

  3. Trump commuted George Santos’s seven-year federal fraud sentence and ordered his release after less than three months in prison. Trump called Santos “somewhat of a ‘rogue’” and said, “I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY.” Santos pleaded guilty in 2024 to wire fraud and identity theft for stealing donor funds, charging supporters’ credit cards, falsifying campaign finance reports, lying about his assets, and illegally collecting unemployment benefits. (NBC News / Washington Post / NPR / Associated Press / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg)

  4. Trump appointed a former “Stop the Steal” lawyer who tried to overturn the 2020 election to “investigate” that same election from inside the White House. Kurt Olsen now has government authority to pursue voter-fraud claims he previously pushed in court and has begun requesting intelligence on voting machines while discussing the removal of officials he considers disloyal. (Wall Street Journal)

  5. The Department of Homeland Security approved spending up to $200 million on two Gulfstream G700 jets for Secretary Kristi Noem and other top officials, quadrupling the Coast Guard’s original $50 million request for one plane. DHS called the purchase a “matter of safety,” though the contract included “specialized paint” and “cabin enhancements.” (Washington Post / New York Times)

  6. Trump’s nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel sent text messages that the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday should be “tossed into the seventh circle of hell” and admitted he has “a Nazi streak.” The messages also show Paul Ingrassia calling for the elimination of Black holidays, saying “we need competent white men in positions of leadership.” His lawyer claimed the texts were “satirical” or possibly doctored, but senators have already delayed his confirmation hearing over the remarks. (Politico)

  7. The White House began demolishing part of the East Wing to build Trump’s $250 million, 90,000-square-foot ballroom without approval from the National Capital Planning Commission. Trump said the work “just started today,” contradicting earlier assurances that it wouldn’t “interfere” with the existing building. Officials, however, now confirm the ballroom will replace the East Wing and say it will seat up to 999 guests when finished before January 2029. (Associated Press / Washington Post / The Hill / New York Times)

Three years ago today: Day 639: "Democracy is working well."
Four years ago today: Day 274: "The same rotten core."
Five years ago today: Day 1370: "Open discussion."