Just One Thing: MTG won't be "a (political) battered wife"
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) announced her resignation on Friday, though it won't take effect until early January (so that her congressional pension will vest, though she didn't explain that part.)
I have quite a few thoughts and I hope you'll read there here and subscribe to my Substack (it's free!)
MTG departs - by Ross Kaminsky - The Ross Report
Georgia Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene is unfit to be in Congress but in recent months I've developed a (very) slight respect for her
President Trump was quite pleased to see the news:
I'll have a lot to say about this during the show. I wonder if MTG's departure represents just one congressional troll leaving for greener pastures or whether it's representative of a bigger issue within the GOP: Trump (slightly) losing grip over MAGA, especially over the most "America First" part of MAGA which likely sees Trump as abandoning them on a range of issues.
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Meanwhile, in other political insanity
Also on Friday, President Trump met with Zohran "Commie" Mamdani (that's Trump's nickname for him) at the White House. And while people were wondering if the scene would be a lot like the horrendous blowup between Trump and Zelenskyy, it turned out quite the opposite: All smiles, back-slapping, and this unbelievable moment:
This came up on Meet the Press on Sunday and Mamdani reaffirmed his view without hesitation
Afterwards, Trump posed these happy-happy-joy-joy pictures:
Here's my take: This really is extremely strange. But I suspect Trump thinks it will hurt Mamdani with his rabid anti-Trump base to see the two of them getting along and maybe they'll wonder what Mamdani promised Trump, etc. It definitely will cause more consternation with Mamdani's base than with Trump's base to see these two palling around. HOWEVER, just because it's worse for Mamdani than for Trump doesn't mean it's a good idea for Trump because it certainly takes away what was going to be a significant talking point for Republican candidates next year: that the socialist Mamdani represents the Democratic Party and that voters should be upset and/or afraid.
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Today's Guests
George Brauchler is the (first ever) District Attorney of the (new) 23rd Judicial District. We'll talk about the ballot measure that Colorados will likely be voting on that would make possession of any amount of fentanyl a felony.
CO ballot measure would increase penalties for fentanyl-related crimes
Colorado ballot measure for tougher fentanyl penalties moves forward - Colorado Politics
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Kevin Ingham is a repeat guest on the show and the Democratic pollster for the bipartisan Colorado Polling Institute. We'll discuss some of the interesting findings of their new poll. I doubt these results will make Republicans happy but we're here to talk about reality:
2025-11: November Statewide Poll - Colorado Polling Institute
Some fascinating data in the poll, including that Coloradans are 50% more likely than the nation as a whole to say they are planning to cut non-essential spending in the next year.
As always, CPI published the full questionnaire, cross tabs, and analysis deck at the link above - offering full methodological transparency for anyone interested in how the poll was conducted. I don't know of other pollsters who do that.
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Other Stuff
Really, Scott? Americans will just save the money? I don't think so. First, it's not really in the nature of such a consumption-based culture. Second, to the extent that people have a concern that inflation is going to stick with us for a while, it will be rational to spend the money rather than save it.
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A remarkable American story with an uncomfortable parallel to the (worse) stories from England where groups of Pakistani Muslim men sexually abused young girls for years and were not stopped even though police and politicians were aware of it -- because of fear of appearing "racist".
Minnesota Welfare Fraud: Some Funds Went to Al-Shabaab
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A wickedly big movie opening:
Box Office: 'Wicked For Good' Opens to Record-Smashing $150M in U.S.
Weekend Box Office: Wicked: For Good Soars to $150 Million Opening | Rotten Tomatoes
(Critics liked it a lot and audiences seem to be absolutely loving it.)
From the Hollywood Reporter article above: “Wicked: For Good is a needed jolt for the struggling North American box office in particular, which has suffered the worst fall in decades due to a glut of male-skewing pics and a lack of product for females and families. The movie’s better-than-expected performance more than proves the buying power of girls and women; nearly 70 percent of audience were females.”
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Don't drive fast in (or just don't drive in) Kersey, Colorado. Per Steve Staeger at 9News, Kersey has taken in over $316,000 in speed-camera tickets by charging amounts that appear to violate the city's own law, and perhaps state law as well. (The potential loophole for the town applies to people who were driving at least 25 mph over the speed limit. The speed camera is located where the speed limit drops 20 mph in less than a quarter-mile. By the way, if they've really taken in that much money, that means they've issued and collected payment on over 900 of these tickets.
Actually, the power of TV exposure has caused the town to pause what looks like illegal behavior by their police department. But it looks like the town is still going to try to claim they're in the right and not refund the (probably stolen) money: Kersey pauses $340 photo radar tickets amid questions about town’s law | 9news.com
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Oh hell no: Xcel Energy-Colorado seeks electric rate increase to cover investments
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Dan Hannan (a friend of mine, former member of the European Parliament, current member of the House of Lords, and one of the smartest people I've ever met) offers a harsh assessment of Trump's truly awful "peace plan" for Ukraine. I agree with Dan's argument: Trump is behaving precisely as he would if he were a Russian asset
HOWEVER, it seems as if the pushback from pretty much everywhere except Russia against the disgusting first version of this "peace plan" has caused the Trump administration to recalibrate. Seems like Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in particular, disliked the original product (because he's not insane, although Axios reports that he was at least kept informed throughout the drafting) and so now we get this: Joint Statement on United States-Ukraine Meeting – The White House
How Trump's 28-point plan for Ukraine shocked the world
More: US senators favor pressure on Russia amid Ukraine peace talks | Semafor
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Here's a quandary for today's MAGA: an Israeli-American who wants to run for office as a Republican to honor the legacy of Charlie Kirk: 'ShamWow' guy, Vince Shlomi, files to run for Congress in Texas as a Republican | Fox News
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This seems right to me: The Real Reason You Get Overlooked At Work (And How To Fix It)
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If this were just part of normal human nature, wouldn't we have seen it long ago? I think it's more of a cultural phenomenon driven by young people with zero attention span. Boreout is the new workplace trend that’s crushing productivity and costing companies hundreds of millions. Can you relate?
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I don't like or trust these radical organizations at all but I do find their proposal thought-provoking. I mean, after thinking about it, I think it's wrong, but it's still kinda interesting. What do you think?
Designers offer no-widening alternatives for helping I-270
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Obviously, my gut reaction is "yeech" but really it's kinda clever. I wonder if the market is ready for it but the market wasn't ready for lots of things that eventually they were ready for, like a $500 iPhone: Beer made from recycled shower and laundry water available in select states | FOX31 Denver
Epic Cleantec OneWater System: The 200 Best Inventions of 2022 | TIME
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This was the good headline a few days ago: Chances for ACA subsidy extension mostly dead (Axios.com)
And now: Trump to push new Republican plan on ACA subsidies
President Trump set to propose health care plan to fix Obamacare subsidies
(I hate to say "I told you so" but I've said on the show a few times that I thought the first prominent Republican to cave in on extending these expensive TEMPORARY subsidies would be Trump. Never forget that he is NOT a fiscal conservative.)
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What's your favorite pie for Thanksgiving? Pumpkin or apple? America’s fiercest Thanksgiving dessert debate heats up | New York Post
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I think there could be some real nostalgia value here for parents: Toys”R”Us opens Colorado store Saturday, holiday pop-up store planned
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Today's Videos
Who knew a turkey could be so dangerous? (Seriously, if you're using this kind of fryer, be VERY careful that you don't have so much oil that it will overflow when you put the bird in.)
Love this story (well, the happy ending I mean) although it is also ridiculous how long it took and how it happened