11/21/25

Good morning! It’s Friday, November 21st.

National Gingerbread Cookie Day

Sign me up!

And now, the news.

Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

-via CBS News

Starting with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We haven’t started there in a while! On Thursday, Ukraine’s president, Zelenskyy, confirmed that he has received a draft plan to end the war.

According to a statement from Zelenskyy’s office, "it was agreed to work on the points of the plan in such a way as to bring the war to a dignified end."

Now, on Thursday a White House official did confirm that Trump was backing a 28-point plan that envoy Steve Witkoff and AN ADVISOR TO PUTIN put together – but it’s not clear if that’s what Zelenskyy received.

Russia invaded Ukraine. Saw their land and said “I want it because I said so,” and that kicked off a war that has been going on for nearly four years – though Russia’s invasion started before that with the annexation of Crimea.

This is happening because Russia invaded Ukraine.

And the shirtless horseback riding guy that did it… gets to dictate the rules for ending it?

Unbelievably, the plan includes a call for Ukraine to abandon the Donbas region of eastern… Ukraine? Wait a minute!

Yeah so the plan that Putin helped write, with no input from Zelenskyy, just magically includes Russia getting part of the country that they’ve been after for four years and unable to get on their own.

So, four years into the war, it remains unclear how close we actually are to a peace deal.

Border Patrol Operations

-via NBC News, AP News, and NY Times

But let’s come on over to America, where everything is going really great and awesome.

Hang on, I’ve just been handed a note…

I’m sorry, I’m learning it is not, in fact, going really great and awesome.

After sweeping raids that saw the arrest of more than 250 people in Charlotte, North Carolina, and also instilled so much fear into residents and small businesses that people actually shut them down… the Border Patrol is set to leave Charlotte soon, but will head to New Orleans next, with a stated goal of arresting 5,000 people in what they’re calling “Swamp Sweep.”

These people… they spend so much time thinking about these names, and you know what? They are still lame.

They haven’t said what they’ll be in New Orleans, but it could be any day. However, apparently, they won’t begin arrests until after Thanksgiving. So at least they do understand and have SOME humanity.

But 5,000 arrests… that’s just asking for trouble. Because agents aren’t making thoughtful decisions.

And this isn’t just my incredible imagination (as incredible as it is) –

On Thursday, federal prosecutors dismissed the charges against two motorists who were accused of using their cars to “assault, impede, and interfere with the work of federal agents” during an ICE raid in Chicago.

The indictment accused the motorists of driving their car directly at an agent before shots were fired.

However, actually in court, it came out that it was the federal agents who struck the motorist’s car.

The original statement also says the drivers had guns – they did not.

Because they are not making thoughtful decisions. They are just… reacting. And then lying to clean up those reactions.

In D.C., there is some positive movement, though, as a US district judge ruled on Thursday that the hostile government takeover of the city illegally intrudes on the city’s direct law enforcement. So the judge has ordered the troops to leave, but the order is on pause for 21 days to allow for an appeal.

“Normalizing the use of military troops for domestic law enforcement sets a dangerous precedent, where the President can disregard states’ independence and deploy troops wherever and whenever he wants — with no check on his military power.”

In response, the President said – yeah, not, that’s exactly what I want. What’s… the question??

Website Changes

-via AP News

And over at the CDC, their website has been updated to include a straight-up unproven statement linking autism and vaccines.

“The statement ‘Vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim.”

Nooooo – you’re thinking about THIS claim. This is not an evidence-based claim.

They don’t. They just don’t! And you protect no one with this statement.

You’re not protecting kids, who need vaccines to be alive and turn into adults. And you’re not protecting people with autism by making it seem like there could be nothing worse, in the world, than being autistic and so it must be avoided at all costs. It would be better to die from chickenpox than have autism – that’s this statement, basically.

It also shoves research back decades. How can any research out of the CDC be taken seriously, when you’re putting out statements like this?

How can statements from the CDC be taken seriously? This is wildly dangerous. All because what? A guy’s little raven friends told him to do this?

As always… talk to real doctors about vaccines and really all medical decisions. Not the guy who once offered to eat five brain worms. By choice. Just to get onto a debate stage.

Donald Trump’s Military

-via ABC News, Newsweek, and Washington Post

And these next two stories… suck. They’re awful. So I put them into one and I guess the link is… Donald Trump is bad and he’s also the military’s commander-in-chief and that’s not great for them.

First: As I’ve mentioned once or a million times, we’re in the middle of a hostile government takeover. And Trump is using American troops, who took an oath to protect this country, to carry out this takeover. He’s attempting to pit those troops against American citizens.

In a video posted on Tuesday, congressional Democrats put out a video meant for the troops and it said: "This administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens."

Okay, true so far.

"The threats to our Constitution aren't just coming from aboard, but from right here right at home. Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders. No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution."

Now, before I go on, I want to read you something else: An order is lawful “unless it is contrary to the Constitution, the laws of the United States, or lawful superior orders or for some other reason is beyond the authority of the official issuing it.”

Those seem like they align fairly well, right?

That second one is from the Uniform Code of Military Justice (aka UCMJ). So it’s the law.

The video from the Democrats was just them reminding servicemembers of the law.

The reaction from the President?

"This is really bad, and Dangerous to our Country. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???"

And in another post he wrote: "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!"

Punishable by death.

Congressional Dems reminded servicemembers about the law – and the president of the United States’ reaction was that they should be punished by death.

Listen, I haven’t and won’t ever change my mind that no one, absolutely no one, deserves to lose their life for exercising their 1st Amendment right in public, no matter how much I disagree with that person. But everyone who came out shaking their fists after the murder of Charlie Kirk and is silent now can save it.

Because this is calling for the same thing.

So that’s one side of what’s happening with the military under Trump’s commander-in-chiefship… servicemembers have to be reminded that it’s okay to follow the law.

On the other end – The Coast Guard announced on Thursday that, starting next month, nooses, Confederate flags… and swastikas… will no longer be classified as hate symbols.

Instead, they will be downgraded to “potentially divisive.”

Swastikas.

I’d say, at the very least, you can remove the word potentially.

There is no world in which someone is using a swastika for any other reason than to be antisemitic. Period.

I… don’t even know what to say here.

I think I’m shocked to be shocked, frankly. This is an administration that started by pretending a Nazi salute wasn’t a Nazi salute.

The bar just sinks lower and lower.

And that’s it. That’s the news.

For a week.

And what a story to leave you with!

Look, here’s the thing: the Epstein stuff is getting to him. I didn’t mention this but last weekend, he was blasting, I mean like so loud you’d think there was an actual concert happening, Phantom of the Opera, from the White House. Also James Brown “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World.” And he was clearly singing along because he was hoarse the next day.

I’m taking the week off for Thanksgiving (a week and then the following Monday because not to get into the weeds but I record the night before and so that Sunday is still technically my vacation and I just need it)… every day we get closer to the deadline for the files.

He signed that bill but he was backed into a corner. That was not the bill he wanted. This is not what he wants.

He’s politically weak, from the ankles to the brain nothing works, and something very bad about him is about to come out… this sedition and punishable by death stuff? My hunch is that this is the tip of the iceberg.

And we do need to care. Obviously.

But also… we need to have free time. Time with the people we love and the food we really really love.

There are a lot of things to stay in this fight for, and most of them have to do with the people you’re going to talk to, in some shape or form, over the holidays.

So go eat some apple pie (scientifically proven to be the best pie), be among the people you love – in person or just in conversation – and remember that these are the things that matter more than anything else.

And because you’re high up on that list of things I’m thankful for… I’m proud of you.