👓 Trump Administration Suggests Furloughed Workers Do Chores for Landlords to Help Pay Rent | The Daily Beast

Read Trump Administration Suggests Furloughed Workers Do Chores for Landlords to Help Pay Rent (The Daily Beast)
Nearly 800,000 federal workers lack a paying job because of the shutdown.
For Trump, a landlord, this sounds exactly like what he’s been asking the American people to do for him for two years now.

👓 Doomed to fight the Civil War again | LA Times

Read Doomed to fight the Civil War again (LA Times)
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly is wrong about what caused the Civil War, and wrong to give the benefit of the doubt to the slavers over the slaves.

👓 Ayers not taking job as White House chief of staff | CNN

Read Ayers not taking job as White House chief of staff by Kaitlan Collins, Sophie Tatum and Jamie Gangel (CNN)
Nick Ayers, the leading candidate to replace John Kelly as President Donald Trump's chief of staff, announced Sunday he will not be taking the job, reviving discussions about who will succeed the retired Marine general when he leaves at the end of the month.

🎧 ‘The Daily’: One Family’s Reunification Story | New York Times

Listened to ‘The Daily’: One Family’s Reunification Story from New York Times

Since President Trump ended the practice of separating migrant children from their parents, few families have been reunited. Those that have are becoming national symbols.

🎧 ‘The Daily’: The U.S. as a Place of Refuge | New York Times

Listened to ‘The Daily’: The U.S. as a Place of Refuge from New York Times

As large groups of Central American migrants approach the U.S. border, the Trump administration is making it more difficult for them to apply for asylum. Is the president undermining the original concept of asylum, or is he restoring it?

👓 Why there has been no progress in nuclear talks with North Korea | The Economist

Read Why there has been no progress in nuclear talks with North Korea (The Economist)
The North is using the vague language of the Singapore agreement to stall the process

👓 Ivanka Trump Used Personal Email Account for Government Business, Review Finds | New York Times

Read Ivanka Trump Used Personal Email Account for Government Business, Review Finds (New York Times)
Ms. Trump’s use of personal email has been expected to be among the topics Democrats will address when they take control of the House next year.

👓 Troops at U.S.-Mexican border to start coming home | Politico

Read Troops at U.S.-Mexican border to start coming home (POLITICO)
All the troops should be home by Christmas, as originally expected, Army Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan said in an interview Monday.

📑 ‘Mr. President, That’s a Good One’: Congressman Replies to Trump’s Vulgar Tweet | New York Times

Annotated ‘Mr. President, That’s a Good One’: Congressman Replies to Trump’s Vulgar Tweet (New York Times)
“unpresidented” for “unprecedented,”  
Unpresidented is a great word for the Trump administration. Reminds me a bit of Jonathan Last’s recent use of the phrase “Vaporware Presidency”.

👓 The Vaporware Presidency | The Weekly Standard

Read The Vaporware Presidency (The Weekly Standard)
Step 1: Propose something ridiculous. Step 2: Cause chaos but don't deliver it. Lather, rinse, repeat.
What a great turn of phrase for this administration. Good job Mr. Last!

👓 Melania Trump leads new round of White House firing and fury | CNN

Read Melania Trump leads new round of White House firing and fury by Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN (CNN)
In this White House, no one knows when the ax will fall or who will be swinging it.

👓 How Mueller Could Defend the Russia Investigation From Interference | The Atlantic

Read How Mueller Could Defend the Russia Investigation From Interference (The Atlantic)
The special counsel could find recourse in the courts if the new acting attorney general tries to chip away at his work.

👓 How the Case for Voter Fraud Was Tested — and Utterly Failed | ProPublica

Read How the Case for Voter Fraud Was Tested — and Utterly Failed (ProPublica)
From a new Supreme Court ruling to a census question about citizenship, the campaign against illegal registration is thriving. But when the top proponent was challenged in a Kansas courtroom to prove that such fraud is rampant, the claims went up in smoke.
I knew the voter fraud panel Trump convened had fizzled, but I didn’t hear that there was a court case and the concept flopped so painfully. This is some fantastic reporting. Glad I ran back across it while looking at the midterm elections results relating to Georgia and the massive voter suppression efforts that have been happening there this year.

👓 Trump’s acting attorney general was part of firm US accused of vast scam | the Guardian

Read Trump's acting attorney general was part of firm US accused of vast scam by Jon Swaine (the Guardian)
Matthew Whitaker sat on advisory board of World Patent Marketing, which was ordered to pay $26m settlement in May