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Social Media Erupts as US Flag Seen on the Ground Behind Trump at White House

Tom Durante Mon, November 17, 2025 at 11:11 AM CST (Screenshot/Jose Luis Magana/AP photo) It’s a scar-spangled banner for President Donald Trump. As the president returned from Palm Beach on Monday night, some social media users were quick to point out that as he walked, an American flag could be seen on the ground behind him, a clear violation of the U.S. Flag code. The code states the following: “The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or ...

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Trump says he's talking to Democrats about direct health care payment plan

11/17/25 8:38 AM ET President Trump said he is talking with Democrats about a direct health care payment plan Sunday amid negotiations to tackle rising health insurance premiums. “I’ve had personal talks with some Democrats,” Trump told reporters in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Sunday before returning to Washington. The president did not name the Democrats he said has been speaking to, but said he has talked to them “about paying large amounts of dollars back to the people.” The president h ...

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Supreme Court won't review loudspeaker prayers at state football championship

November 17, 2025 WASHINGTON (CN) — The Supreme Court refused on Monday to put prayers at high school football games back in the spotlight. Three years ago, the high court ruled in favor of a coach’s mid-field prayers during games in Washington state. A Florida Christian school asked if such conduct could be broadcast over a loudspeaker. “Nearly a decade ago, a bureaucrat decided that allowing two Christian schools to audibly pray in a stadium would breach the ‘separation of church and state ...

highplainsdem

Peter Thiel Is Reportedly Dumping Nvidia Stock Amid AI Bubble Jitters

According to regulatory filings, the billionaire's hedge fund, Thiel Macro, has offloaded its entire stake in Nvidia. The firm has sold 537,742 shares in its third quarter, which would have been worth around $100 million, according to Reuters estimates. There are many reasons why investors might decide to sell off their stake in a company, and not all of those reasons are worth giant alarm bells. But it does pique interest when those stakes belong to the world's most valuable company, and the d ...

Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin

Elizabeth Warren calls on Harvard to sever ties with Larry Summers after new Jeffrey Epstein emails

Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Harvard University should sever ties with Larry Summers, the school’s former president and one of its most prominent faculty members — putting new pressure on the elite university to hold Summers accountable for his close friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. New details of Summers’ relationship with Epstein emerged last week when a House committee released emails showing years of personal correspondence between the two men, including Summers making ...

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House Republican leaders aiming to hold Tuesday vote on forcing release of Epstein files

(CBS News) House Republican leaders are aiming to hold a vote Tuesday on legislation to force the full release of the Justice Department's files on Jeffrey Epstein, sources familiar with the vote tell CBS. All Democrats and four Republican House members last week successfully brought a petition to the floor to force a vote to release the full Justice Department files on Epstein, circumventing GOP leaders. House Speaker Mike Johnson said the vote will happen this upcoming week.

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US House speaker says 'nothing to hide' in Epstein files

(Reuters) U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson said on Sunday he believed the approaching vote on releasing Justice Department files related to Jeffrey Epstein should help put to rest allegations that President Donald Trump had any connection to the late sex offender's abuse and trafficking of underage girls. "They're doing this to go after President Trump on this theory that he has something to do with it. He does not," Johnson, the Republican leader in the House, said on "Fox News Sunday."

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US may have discussions with Maduro as aircraft carrier arrives in Caribbean, Trump says

(AP) President Donald Trump said Sunday the U.S. “may be having some discussions” with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a potential diplomatic avenue as the U.S. further builds up its military presence near the South American country with the arrival of its most advanced aircraft carrier. Trump didn’t offer details about the possible discussions with Maduro, but he said “Venezuela would like to talk.”

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Indiana Republican called out by Trump on redistricting is swatted

(Politico) An Indiana Senate Republican who President Donald Trump called out in a Truth Social post Sunday for not backing the White House’s plan to draw new congressional maps was later targeted by a swatting, according to local authorities. Greg Goode, who Trump posted was a “RINO” he was “Very disappointed in” Sunday was targeted hours later by what Vigo County Sheriff Derek Fell called a “swatting” in a statement.

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Tennessee judge blocks deployment of National Guard in Memphis

21 min ago - November 17, 2025 11:10 PM ET MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Tennessee judge on Monday night blocked the use of the National Guard in Memphis under a crimefighting operation by President Donald Trump but also put the order on hold, giving the government fiv ... (NPR)

President Trump says he will meet with NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani

44 min ago - Updated Nov. 17, 2025, 3:42 p.m. ET President Donald Trump said he is planning on meeting with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. Trump has repeatedly bashed Mamdani, calling him a communist and endorsing opponent Andrew Cuomo, the former Demo ... (USA Today)

Matt Gaetz's producer fired after posting wildly antisemitic video that sparked turmoil at the MAGA network

1 hr ago - Monday 17 November 2025 15:11 EST A producer for Matt Gaetz’s One America Network show has been fired after he sparked turmoil at the MAGA network for sharing a blatantly antisemitic video on social media, prompting at least one anchor to public ... (The Independent)

The Fed Is Cutting Bank Oversight. Critics See Risks.

5 hrs ago - Full/gift article at link. "Top officials at the Federal Reserve’s Washington headquarters and 12 reserve banks received a short memo on Oct. 29 with an unmistakable message. The way the central bank had long monitored and addressed risks across ... (NYT)

After Hundreds of Gazans Arrive on Mystery Flights, South Africa Asks How

5 hrs ago - Full article/gift link https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/world/africa/gaza-palestinians-south-africa-flights.html?unlocked_article_code=1.2E8.OVh2.RCJtlAP5_ZzW&smid=url-share ".... The man on the phone said he worked for a humanitarian organizat ... (NYT)

Florida grandfather, born in refugee camp, nabbed by ICE after 70 years in US

7 hrs ago - Paul John Bojerski was born to Polish parents in a German refugee camp a year after World War II ended. His family legally emigrated to the United States in 1952 when he was five. More than seven decades later, the 79-year-old Sanford grandfather ... (Tampa Bay Times)

Biofuels standards put farm, oil state members on opposite sides

8 hrs ago - Posted November 17, 2025 at 10:09am The perennial battle over EPA’s biofuels mandates is coming to a head soon as the agency works on finalizing updates to the Renewable Fuel Standard’s blending obligations. So far, the EPA’s proposal ... (Roll Call)

Summers To Step Back from Public Commitments Amid Epstein Scandal

8 hrs ago - Former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers will step back from all public commitments in an effort “to rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me,” he wrote in a statement Monday evening. The announcement comes l ... (The Harvard Crimson)

Nearly a quarter of U.S. households live paycheck to paycheck, report finds

8 hrs ago - Updated on: November 17, 2025 / 2:55 PM EST / CBS News A growing share of lower-income Americans are struggling to get by financially as their wages fail to keep up with inflation, according to a recent analysis. Roughly 29% of lower-income househol ... (CBS News)

RFK Jr. says new dietary guidelines coming soon: 'We're ending the war on saturated fats'

8 hrs ago - 11/17/25 1:17 PM ET Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Monday that new dietary guidelines are expected to be released next month that will end the “war on saturated fats.” Speaking at the Food Allergy Fund ... (The Hill)

Ecuador rejects U.S. military bases in major defeat for President Noboa

9 hrs ago - November 17, 2025 10:56 AM ET GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador — Ecuadorians voted on Sunday to reject a package of referendum measures that would have allowed foreign military bases in the country. The result is seen as a sharp political setback for Presiden ... (NPR)

Harvard Custodians Begin Two-Day Strike for New Contract

9 hrs ago - By Hugo C. Chiasson and Amann S. Mahajan, Crimson Staff Writers 9 hours ago Updated November 17, 2025, at 1:34 p.m. Harvard custodians launched a strike shortly after 10 a.m. on Monday after union negotiations broke down on the eve of their contract& ... (AP)

E.P.A. Rule Would Drastically Curb Protections for Wetlands

9 hrs ago - Nov. 17, 2025, 2:21 p.m. ET The Trump administration proposed on Monday to significantly limit the Environmental Protection Agency's authority to limit pollution in wetlands, rivers and other bodies of water across the country. The proposed rule cou ... (New York Times)

Growing number struggle to pay bills as Trump faces cost of living pressure

9 hrs ago - Monday 17 November 2025 07:40 EST A new analysis of consumer data reveals a concerning trend in the United States, with a growing number of households struggling to pay their utility bills, signalling a potential warning for the nation's economy. Acc ... (The Independent)

Defense contractors fight back against NDAA repair language

10 hrs ago - Posted November 17, 2025 at 11:43am U.S. defense contractors have launched a lobbying and public relations blitz to defeat a provision in the Senate-passed NDAA that would set strict new rules for how the Pentagon accesses their intellectual property ... (Roll Call)

Democrats seek to halt Trump's reported plan to sell off student loan portfolio

10 hrs ago - 11/17/25 10:20 AM ET More than 40 Democratic lawmakers are highlighting and trying to prevent reported Trump administration plans to sell the government’s student loan portfolio to the private market. Last month, Politico reported the Education ... (The Hill)

Federal agents make 130 arrests in 48 hours as immigration crackdown puts Charlotte on edge

10 hrs ago - Federal agents fanned out across North Carolina's largest city over the weekend, detaining more than 130 people in the first 48 hours of its immigration crackdown that has prompted protests and resistance from local leaders. Greg Bovino, commander-at ... (ABC News)

UN approves US plan authorizing an international stabilization force in Gaza

10 hrs ago - Updated 5:14 PM EST, November 17, 2025 UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council on Monday approved a U.S. plan for Gaza that authorizes an international stabilization force to provide security in the devastated territory and envisions a p ... (AP)

Indiana man charged in fatal shooting of cleaning woman who accidentally went to wrong home

11 hrs ago - An Indiana man has been charged with voluntary manslaughter for fatally shooting a cleaning woman who mistakenly went to the wrong home, prosecutors announced Monday, nearly two weeks after the mother of four was killed. The suspect, Curt Andersen, h ... (ABC News)

Congress extends critical Farm Bill for a third time. It's a relief for farmers, but raises concerns

11 hrs ago - Published November 17, 2025 at 4:00 AM CST The farm bill has been extended for another year as part of legislation re-opening the federal government. Responses from agricultural groups and policy experts have ranged from applause to subdued relief. ... (KCUR Kansas City, MO/NPR)