Abbreviated Pundit Roundup: The Secretary of War Crimes gave the orders

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Saturday November 29, 2025 · 4:00 AM PST

2025/11/29 · 04:00

no image description available — Pete Hegseth is in a world of trouble

Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all

As two men clung to a stricken, burning ship targeted by SEAL Team 6, the Joint Special Operations commander followed the defense secretary’s order to leave no survivors.

The Special Operations commander overseeing the Sept. 2 attack — the opening salvo in the Trump administration’s war on suspected drug traffickers in the Western Hemisphere — ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions, two people familiar with the matter said. The two men were blown apart in the water.

Hegseth’s order, which has not been previously reported, adds another dimension to the campaign against suspected drug traffickers. Some current and former U.S. officials and law-of-war experts have said that the Pentagon’s lethal campaign — which has killed more than 80 people to date — is unlawful and may expose those most directly involved to future prosecution.

Greg Dworkin

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Friday November 28, 2025 · 4:00 AM PST

2025/11/28 · 04:00

POLITICO:

Why voters may not buy Trump's messaging on food prices

The president says Thanksgiving food prices are down. But Americans are still feeling stretched thin by their grocery costs.

Sure, consumers are seeing savings on their table centerpiece, with retail turkey prices having dropped 16 percent since last year, per the American Farm Bureau Federation. Supermarkets like Target and Aldi revealed a price decline on popular side dishes. But the hidden reality is that grocers are eating some of those costs just for the holiday season, and several food industry groups and supply chain analysts predict prices will increase as soon as January — especially as bird flu resurges.

Greg Dworkin

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Wednesday November 26, 2025 · 4:00 AM PST

2025/11/26 · 04:00

Punchbowl had a scathing newsletter Monday:

Why MTG's missive rang true for House GOP

MTG’s four-page note was stinging for House Republicans. Why? Because the message rang true to so many in the House GOP.

In fact, a few other GOP members messaged us over the weekend saying that they, too, are considering retiring in the middle of the term.

Here’s one particularly exercised senior House Republican:

“This entire White House team has treated ALL members like garbage. ALL. And Mike Johnson has let it happen because he wanted it to happen. That is the sentiment of nearly all — appropriators, authorizers, hawks, doves, rank and file. The arrogance of this White House team is off putting to members who are run roughshod and threatened. They don’t even allow little wins like announcing small grants or even responding from agencies. Not even the high profile, the regular rank and file random members are more upset than ever. Members know they are going into the minority after the midterms.

“More explosive early resignations are coming. It’s a tinder box. Morale has never been lower. Mike Johnson will be stripped of his gavel and they will lose the majority before this term is out.”

Of course, Johnson’s team points out they have impossibly small margins and believe they are doing what they can with the hand they were dealt.

But the idea that Republicans could lose their majority this Congress is no longer far-fetched.

Many blame Trump, at least privately, but everyone blames Mike Johnson, some publicly. Truth is they are all correct.

That doesn’t mean what’s laid out will come to pass, but it does confirm that Johnson is a weak and disrespected functionary.

Greg Dworkin

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday November 24, 2025 · 4:00 AM PST

2025/11/24 · 04:00

Idrees Kahloon/The Atlantic:

The GOP Is Realizing That Trump Won’t Be Around Forever

The intra-party fight over the Epstein files was only the prelude.

The reality that Donald Trump’s presidency will end in January 2029 is already making Republicans restless. Normally, Trump angers, exhausts, and eventually prevails over elected Republicans—not vice versa. Just this week, though, rebellious Republicans forced the release of the so-called Epstein files in defiance of Trump, who had spent months trying to suppress them before abruptly reversing course. Plenty of other cracks are showing too: Staunch allies of the president are mouthing critiques that would have been unfathomable a year ago. These disputes are the prelude to an ugly battle over the post-Trump Republican Party.

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