Public Schools Are Failing And Parents Are Bailing

Authored by Larry Sand via American Greatness,

Students attending American public schools are struggling. Test scores from the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), released this year, indicate that 33% of 8th graders—a greater percentage than ever before—are reading at the “below basic” level.

Additionally, only 22% of high school seniors are proficient or above in math, down from 24% in 2019, and only 35% are proficient in reading—the lowest score since NAEP began in 1969—down from 37% in 2019. Also, a record-high percentage scored at “below basic” levels in both math and reading compared to all previous assessments.

Parents across the country, especially in big cities, have become aware of the problem and are removing their children.

In Chicago, public school enrollment has decreased significantly over the past 15 years, from nearly 403,000 students in 2010-11 to just over 316,000 in 2025-26, according to the Illinois Policy Institute. Most recently, the district reported a decline of 9,081 students between 2024-25 and 2025-26. IPI states that more than one in three desks in the district are empty.

For the 2025–26 school year, the New York City Department of Education discloses that 793,300 students are enrolled in K-12 grades. That’s a 2.3% decrease from the previous year and a nearly 10% drop since 2020. The data also show that 112 of the city’s public schools have fewer than 150 students, up from 80 schools just two years ago.

Twenty years ago, the Los Angeles Unified School District had 737,000 students, but that number has now fallen to approximately 408,000, reflecting a decline of over 40%.

Among students who haven’t withdrawn, many are chronically absent. Using data from 44 states and Washington, DC, Nat Malkus, the director of education policy at the American Enterprise Institute, writes that the alarming rate of chronic absenteeism—students missing more than 10% of school days annually—was 23.5% in 2024.

This problem, too, is especially serious in our large urban areas. In Los Angeles, over 32% of students were chronically absent in the 2023-2024 school year, 34 elementary schools have fewer than 200 students, and 29 use less than half of the building. Even worse, Chicago’s chronic absentee rate is 41%.

As government-run schools are shrinking, private schools are expanding substantially.

Participation in private school choice—when students use public funds for private school tuition—has risen 25%, from just over one million students in 2024 to 1.3 million this year, according to a new analysis by EdChoice, a school choice advocacy group.

This has been the largest year-to-year increase since EdChoice started tracking the data in 2000, said Robert Enlow, president and CEO of EdChoice. He noted that it took about 24 years for private school choice participation to reach one million students, and this year it hit 1.3 million.

Florida educates over 500,000 students through its universal voucher and scholarship programs. Utah’s Fits All Scholarship launched in 2024 with about 10,000 seats and was immediately oversubscribed. Iowa’s Students First Educational Savings Account program enrolled nearly 28,000 students in its second year, surpassing projections.

Additionally, many parents have chosen to homeschool. In fact, homeschooling has reached an all-time high.

Angela Watson of the Johns Hopkins University School of Education’s Homeschool Hub wrote earlier this month, “In the 2024-2025 school year, homeschooling continued to grow across the United States, increasing at an average rate of 5.4%. This is nearly three times the pre-pandemic homeschooling growth rate of around 2%. Notably, 36% of reporting states recorded their highest homeschool enrollment numbers ever—exceeding even the peaks reached during the pandemic.”

It’s not just parents who are dissatisfied with public schools; only 26% of teachers believe K-12 education is heading in the right direction nationwide, a 5-point drop from the spring, when 31% felt optimistic.

Of course, the public school monopolists, especially the teachers’ unions, are upset about the advancement of school choice, but their reasons are baseless. One argument they use is that choice increases segregation. American Federation of Teachers’ president Randi Weingarten nonsensically claims school choice was designed to keep schools segregated.

Wrong.

Researcher Greg Forster states that ten empirical studies have examined private school choice programs and their effect on segregation. Nine of these studies found that the programs reduced segregation, while one found no noticeable impact. None of the studies indicated that choice encourages racial discrimination.

No matter. The teachers’ unions, realizing they are losing in the court of public opinion, have resorted to litigation in various state courts. Wyoming, Missouri, Utah, South Carolina, and Montana have faced legal action from the unions, which are desperately afraid that parental choice will severely impact their bottom line.

So far, the unions’ efforts have been successful in two states.

In Wyoming, lawmakers launched the state’s first K-12 education savings account (ESA) program last year, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year. The $7,000 accounts can be used for private school tuition, tutors, homeschooling, or other education-related expenses. Nearly 4,000 students applied for them this fall.

However, the Wyoming Education Association, representing about 6,000 public school teachers, opposes using taxpayer dollars for a private option. In a lawsuit filed in June, the union and nine parents sued the state, arguing that the Steamboat Legacy Scholarship Act is unconstitutional because it violates a state regulation requiring a “complete and uniform system of public instruction.” The union was successful when a District Court judge issued a preliminary injunction against the voucher program in July.

In Utah, the state affiliate of the National Education Association successfully sued the state last year, arguing that the Utah Fits All Scholarship Program violates the state constitution by diverting tax revenue to private schools that aren’t free, accessible to all students, and supervised by the state board of education. The Utah Supreme Court is scheduled to review an appeal later this year.

In summary, we are engaged in a turf war. Parents, whose primary concern is their children’s education, are battling the establishment, particularly the teachers’ unions, whose aim is to protect their profits and maintain their toxic influence over K-12 education.

Tyler Durden Wed, 11/26/2025 - 18:55

Public Schools Are Failing And Parents Are Bailing

Authored by Larry Sand via American Greatness,

Students attending American public schools are struggling. Test scores from the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), released this year, indicate that 33% of 8th graders—a greater percentage than ever before—are reading at the “below basic” level.

Additionally, only 22% of high school seniors are proficient or above in math, down from 24% in 2019, and only 35% are proficient in reading—the lowest score since NAEP began in 1969—down from 37% in 2019. Also, a record-high percentage scored at “below basic” levels in both math and reading compared to all previous assessments.

Parents across the country, especially in big cities, have become aware of the problem and are removing their children.

In Chicago, public school enrollment has decreased significantly over the past 15 years, from nearly 403,000 students in 2010-11 to just over 316,000 in 2025-26, according to the Illinois Policy Institute. Most recently, the district reported a decline of 9,081 students between 2024-25 and 2025-26. IPI states that more than one in three desks in the district are empty.

For the 2025–26 school year, the New York City Department of Education discloses that 793,300 students are enrolled in K-12 grades. That’s a 2.3% decrease from the previous year and a nearly 10% drop since 2020. The data also show that 112 of the city’s public schools have fewer than 150 students, up from 80 schools just two years ago.

Twenty years ago, the Los Angeles Unified School District had 737,000 students, but that number has now fallen to approximately 408,000, reflecting a decline of over 40%.

Among students who haven’t withdrawn, many are chronically absent. Using data from 44 states and Washington, DC, Nat Malkus, the director of education policy at the American Enterprise Institute, writes that the alarming rate of chronic absenteeism—students missing more than 10% of school days annually—was 23.5% in 2024.

This problem, too, is especially serious in our large urban areas. In Los Angeles, over 32% of students were chronically absent in the 2023-2024 school year, 34 elementary schools have fewer than 200 students, and 29 use less than half of the building. Even worse, Chicago’s chronic absentee rate is 41%.

As government-run schools are shrinking, private schools are expanding substantially.

Participation in private school choice—when students use public funds for private school tuition—has risen 25%, from just over one million students in 2024 to 1.3 million this year, according to a new analysis by EdChoice, a school choice advocacy group.

This has been the largest year-to-year increase since EdChoice started tracking the data in 2000, said Robert Enlow, president and CEO of EdChoice. He noted that it took about 24 years for private school choice participation to reach one million students, and this year it hit 1.3 million.

Florida educates over 500,000 students through its universal voucher and scholarship programs. Utah’s Fits All Scholarship launched in 2024 with about 10,000 seats and was immediately oversubscribed. Iowa’s Students First Educational Savings Account program enrolled nearly 28,000 students in its second year, surpassing projections.

Additionally, many parents have chosen to homeschool. In fact, homeschooling has reached an all-time high.

Angela Watson of the Johns Hopkins University School of Education’s Homeschool Hub wrote earlier this month, “In the 2024-2025 school year, homeschooling continued to grow across the United States, increasing at an average rate of 5.4%. This is nearly three times the pre-pandemic homeschooling growth rate of around 2%. Notably, 36% of reporting states recorded their highest homeschool enrollment numbers ever—exceeding even the peaks reached during the pandemic.”

It’s not just parents who are dissatisfied with public schools; only 26% of teachers believe K-12 education is heading in the right direction nationwide, a 5-point drop from the spring, when 31% felt optimistic.

Of course, the public school monopolists, especially the teachers’ unions, are upset about the advancement of school choice, but their reasons are baseless. One argument they use is that choice increases segregation. American Federation of Teachers’ president Randi Weingarten nonsensically claims school choice was designed to keep schools segregated.

Wrong.

Researcher Greg Forster states that ten empirical studies have examined private school choice programs and their effect on segregation. Nine of these studies found that the programs reduced segregation, while one found no noticeable impact. None of the studies indicated that choice encourages racial discrimination.

No matter. The teachers’ unions, realizing they are losing in the court of public opinion, have resorted to litigation in various state courts. Wyoming, Missouri, Utah, South Carolina, and Montana have faced legal action from the unions, which are desperately afraid that parental choice will severely impact their bottom line.

So far, the unions’ efforts have been successful in two states.

In Wyoming, lawmakers launched the state’s first K-12 education savings account (ESA) program last year, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year. The $7,000 accounts can be used for private school tuition, tutors, homeschooling, or other education-related expenses. Nearly 4,000 students applied for them this fall.

However, the Wyoming Education Association, representing about 6,000 public school teachers, opposes using taxpayer dollars for a private option. In a lawsuit filed in June, the union and nine parents sued the state, arguing that the Steamboat Legacy Scholarship Act is unconstitutional because it violates a state regulation requiring a “complete and uniform system of public instruction.” The union was successful when a District Court judge issued a preliminary injunction against the voucher program in July.

In Utah, the state affiliate of the National Education Association successfully sued the state last year, arguing that the Utah Fits All Scholarship Program violates the state constitution by diverting tax revenue to private schools that aren’t free, accessible to all students, and supervised by the state board of education. The Utah Supreme Court is scheduled to review an appeal later this year.

In summary, we are engaged in a turf war. Parents, whose primary concern is their children’s education, are battling the establishment, particularly the teachers’ unions, whose aim is to protect their profits and maintain their toxic influence over K-12 education.

Tyler Durden Wed, 11/26/2025 - 18:55

Trump-MbS Meeting Was Strained Behind Closed Doors: 'Disappointment & Irritation'

Axios reported some new details this week related to the recent meeting between US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House.

There were more tensions in the private dialogue between the two leaders than previously known, and some significant disagreements centered on policy toward Israel.

While the two leaders exchanged compliments in front of the cameras, aspects of the private discussion were strained, Axios noted. Officials described Trump as being frustrated by the resistance he encountered from the crown prince on joining the Abraham Accords.

Bin Salman presented his stance that a firm commitment toward a two-state solution involving the Palestinians must be made for Saudi Arabia to join the accords.

Behind closed doors the crown prince reportedly pushed back when Trump pressed him to formally join the Abraham Accords which establishes normalization with Israel.

via Al Jazeera

MbS reportedly argued that he has to represent his people at a moment Saudi public sentiment has turned sharply against Israel in the aftermath the Gaza war.

But Trump had "pressed hard" on the issue in the November 18 meeting, Axios underscored. One unnamed admin official explained in the meeting's aftermath, "The best way to say it is disappointment and irritation. The president really wants them to join the Abraham Accord. He tried very hard to talk him. It was an honest discussion. But MBS is a strong man. He stood his ground."

The Saudis are insisting that Israel must agree to "an irreversible, credible and time-bound path" for a Palestinian state, but the Netanyahu government has firmly rejected this possibility, especially in the wake of the Oct.7, 2023 terror attack.

Another US official said, "MBS never said no to normalization. The door is open for doing it later. But the two-state solution is an issue."

In relation to the Hamas Oct.7 attack, there's long been speculation that the terror raids on southern Israel were launched precisely because the militant group was worried that as more and more regional countries join the Abraham Accords, the question of Palestinian statehood would be permanently abandoned.

According to this theory, the brazen and history-altering attack was meant once again to sow deep division among the 'Arab world' and Israel. To some degree, this may have succeeded as a broader geopolitical goal, given the Abraham Accords have indeed been stalled. But it also backfired, given Iran and Hezbollah are more weakened than ever, and the Syrian government was overthrown a year ago. These were all key, well-armed and historic resisters of Israeli expansion and Zionist hegemony. 

Tyler Durden Wed, 11/26/2025 - 18:30

Why No COVID Commission In The US?

Authored by Jeffrey Tucker via The Epoch Times,

They were the hardest years of our lives, marked by the dissolution of rights, liberties, and hope. Sadness swept the land, as forced physical isolation and shattered civic life mutated toward mandates to wear masks and eventually to accept a new injection product.

The liturgy of life fundamentally disrupted, we lost track of the passage of time and saw our social and community networks decimated. Government spending and money printing exploded as never before. For many the whole period feels like a blur, one that resulted in a dramatic devaluation in the value of income and savings.

I speak of course of the COVID years, 2020–2023. Agencies at all levels cancelled religious holidays, closed small businesses and schools, imposed limits on house parties, and overturned traditional election protocols. It went on for three years. It was in the name of health but health collapsed during this period. It all feels like madness in retrospect.

People these days barely want to speak about the subject, because it is still somewhat divisive but mainly because it is deeply painful. It was this way following the Great War, a trauma on a similar scale. Most people just wanted it to go away, and to put it all in the rearview mirror.

That said, when people do open up about what happened, they share shocking stories of personal tragedy and loss. Only this past week, a man told me about his dream business he had started 10 years ago and then built into a growing wholesale machine with 200-plus employees and bright prospects ahead. With the lockdowns, all orders for his project stopped. The company collapsed in two weeks. All employees lost their jobs and he and his wife lost their dreams. They divorced soon after.

Today his idea and a version of his project is in most major stories, as manufactured by huge corporate enterprises. He changed professions and is still digging out from a financial hole.

It’s just one story but something replicated in some form millions of times over. Kids who experienced this will never forget it, and parents have few choices but to describe the whole thing as a time when adults lost their minds.

Remember that all of this happened not just in the United States but in 194 countries around the world. The policies were strikingly similar everywhere. It was a time in which human interaction was described as disease spreading and therefore to be avoided in the interest of “slowing the spread.”

Only a few nations resisted: Sweden, Tanzania, Nicaragua, and Belarus. Sweden in particular experienced far better outcomes even from the targeted pathogen, the best in Europe. The population in general avoided trauma.

After all this time, one might suppose that the world would be awash in apologies along with pledges never to do anything like this again. One possible path to making this happen might be a COVID Commission. The United States has never formed one. Early on, there was talk about such a thing but it never came to fruition. Even now, there are no plans for such a thing.

This is for a reason. An honest report, one informed and written by independent researchers, would implicate both political parties, most universities, many government agencies, the Big Tech and pharmaceutical sectors, churches and schools that went along, in addition to a massive swath of incumbent elites in foundations.

Sadly, that is just not going to happen. I wish it were otherwise. Any official commission report written as a coverup would be dead on arrival. Not even the establishment is that dumb.

I would like to live in a society in which mistakes are admitted, brutality is repudiated, institutions adapt in light of failure, and leadership is mature enough to seek forgiveness for wrongdoing. We hope for a narrative of history that is self-correcting in real time: error followed by pledges to improve and sin by repentance and propitiation.

Sadly none of that is to be.

Somehow it came to be that the United Kingdom did put together an official commission.

It has spent upwards of 500 million pounds and taken years in testimony. The second part of the report just appeared. It features a helpful summary of its conclusions for those who do not want to slog through the entire thing. It is one that could have been predicted from the start. It comes down to four words:

“Too little, too late.”

Translation: The commission has decided that the UK waited too long to issue stay-at-home orders and shut businesses, churches, and schools. If it had acted in February rather than March 2020 and with greater ferocity, they have declared, somehow the outcomes would have been better. In short, there is no regret at all except for one point: it should have been more and sooner.

They know this because computer models tell them so.

Sure, the report admits, there were all sorts of mistakes in coordination, communication, and costing. This is bureaucratic speak for: we need more money next time. The report takes no issue with the disease modeling that gave rise to the lockdowns in the first place. The ineffective shot is not addressed in this particular report but we can anticipate what later reports will say: its only failure traces to slow uptake and vaccine resistance.

The huge lesson: “Governments must act swiftly and decisively to stand any chance of stopping the spread of a virus.”

In other words, they are going to do it again, more quickly and harder.

There is a feature of this report that simply breaks my heart. This is because I seriously doubt that anyone really believes in the truth of it. The claim is utterly unsustainable in light of any and all evidence. The Swedish experience is not discussed in any depth. It cannot because the Swedish experience disproves everything in this report.

I’ve been writing about this topic for five going on six years. My first piece was from January 2020, and it warned that if governments try to take on the microbial kingdom it will lose and utterly discredit themselves. I said this before we even knew of the thousand-fold differential in medically significant impact between the young and elderly and infirm. Even if the virus had been more serious, the result would have been the same.

Another reason that this report is demoralizing: tens and hundreds of thousands of actual experts the world over have debunked the pandemic response in countless numbers of papers, articles, and books. Have these protests made no difference at all? Are officials at all levels going to pretend forever as if these do not exist?

I don’t know the answer but this much I know: We cannot look to official statements of these sorts to codify truth. Instead, we can only count on them to be self-serving, a means of protecting the reputations and jobs of the very people who made such dreadful errors.

Just as no one should look to government to stop a fast-spreading and fast-mutating respiratory virus, we should not be looking to government commissions to admit error and pledge to do better next time. Just as the pandemic response discredited so many institutions, kicking off a new age of widespread distrust of everything and everyone, so too will more such reports entrench our culture of incredulity.

Given these conditions, the United States is better off with no commission at all. That said, it would be good for at least one legislative body to speak clearly and plainly about all that went wrong. My choice would be the U.S. Senate.

Maybe there is some chance of that with enough push from the grassroots. So long as there are no admissions of wrongdoing, there will be no healing from the anger and distrust that characterizes our times. This problem is not going away. As time has rolled on, the reality of what happened is ever more present in our lives.

Tyler Durden Wed, 11/26/2025 - 18:05

Is A Trump UFO Bombshell Incoming?

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

Documentary filmmaker Dan Farah has boldly predicted that President Trump could be the first world leader to spill the beans on UFOs, dropping a “major announcement” about non-human tech and extraterrestrial intel—sparking feverish speculation: Is this engineered hype to divert from global flashpoints, or a seismic shift toward transparency? 

Farah made the claim on Joe Rogan’s podcast while promoting a new documentary titled The Age of Disclosure. As Farah teases amnesty for black-budget insiders, is Trump poised to unmask aliens, or is this another misdirect?

Farah asserted: “I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens soon after the film comes out — the sitting president has to step to the microphone and say: humanity is not alone in the universe. We have recovered technology of non-human origin. So have other nations. There is a high-stakes, secret cold war race to reverse engineer this technology. We need to win this race.” 

UFO expert Dan Farah just told Joe Rogan he believes a sitting president will finally come clean about the UAP phenomenon…and he thinks that president will be Donald Trump.

Then he dropped a bombshell about what Trump has already tasked Tulsi Gabbard with investigating.… pic.twitter.com/TsMb2WRm2q

— Overton (@overton_news) November 21, 2025

Rogan quipped, “I think Trump might be the only guy that’s willing to do something that crazy.” 

Farah replied: “I know he is aware of what people in his administration say in the film… And I know that they are discussing internally how they’re going to react to the film publicly.”

The filmmaker also claimed that Trump was contemplating basic disclosure during his first tenure as President and has now tasked United States Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard with getting to the bottom of what is gong on with the UFO/UAP phenomenon.

Throughout the podcast he detailed how insiders have revealed to him that there have been multiple UFO contact events with the U.S. military, including multiple face to face encounters with non-human entities.

Dan Farah tells Joe Rogan there have been multiple UFO contact events with our military and even describes the types of beings involved. ? pic.twitter.com/weBCa1fbIz

— Astral? (@The_Astral_) November 21, 2025

The Age of Disclosure director/producer Dan Farah tells Joe Rogan the U.S. conducted nuclear weapon tests with the specific intent to recover crashed UFOs.

Farah: “One of the realizations early on was that atomic weapon testing has a ripple effect that can down these things. So… pic.twitter.com/6TVlvi9tGo

— UAP James (@UAPJames) November 21, 2025

Full interview here:

Farah’s call for “amnesty” for UFO cover-up insiders mirrors Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s previous on-camera plea: “I’m not trying to punish anyone. I need to know what they learned, because taxpayers paid for this and it’s in our interest to know what’s going on.” 

But is this real reckoning or red herring? Intelligence Whistleblower Edward Snowden’s warned in 2023 that such flaps are “engineered” to bury scandals like Nord Stream.

“I wish it were aliens,” but it’s bait to “wipe the infinitely more awkward Seymour Hersh story from the headlines,” he noted at the time.

Farah also claimed that according to insiders, over a trillion dollars has been poured into “reverse-engineering” recovered craft.

Ex-intel officer Luis Elizondo’s 2024 drone-UFO intercept revelations—“true UAP events followed by a Department of Defense response”—have hinted at a hidden arms race.

In 2023 the NSC claimed that UAPs are having a “real impact” on pilots—claiming “there’s something our pilots are seeing.”

White House National Security Council Coordinator, Admiral John Kirby was asked about Senator Schumer’s UAP legislation. ?

-White House takes it seriously

“Some of these phenomena we know have already had an impact on our training ranges.” pic.twitter.com/CNeJ8Efj6z

— UAP News (@HighPeaks77) July 17, 2023

Under Trump, could this be significant truth-telling, unearthing black-budget secrets? Or, as Snowden posited, another “distraction” from wars or woes? 

Farah’s hope—Trump as the “only guy” wild enough—clashes with skeptics seeing psyop. 

Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.

Tyler Durden Wed, 11/26/2025 - 15:45

'Seditious Six' Democrats Freak Out Over FBI Investigation

Democrats are losing it after the Trump administration opened an investigation into six Democratic lawmakers following the posting of a Nov. 18 social-media video in which they advised U.S. service members that they are obligated to follow lawful, not illegal, orders under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

The video - featuring lawmakers with national security backgrounds - reflected a familiar line of Democratic criticism of President Donald Trump during his term: questioning the president’s adherence to constitutional constraints and norms of military authority.

We want to speak directly to members of the Military and the Intelligence Community.

The American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution.

Don’t give up the ship. pic.twitter.com/N8lW0EpQ7r

— Sen. Elissa Slotkin (@SenatorSlotkin) November 18, 2025

On Monday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he may take disciplinary action against Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), who participated in the video and served as a U.S. Navy captain and astronaut before entering public office. Hegseth directed Navy Secretary John Phelan to review Kelly’s remarks and provide guidance by Dec. 10.

The video made by the “Seditious Six” was despicable, reckless, and false. Encouraging our warriors to ignore the orders of their Commanders undermines every aspect of “good order and discipline.” Their foolish screed sows doubt and confusion — which only puts our warriors in danger.

Five of the six individuals in that video do not fall under @DeptofWar jurisdiction (one is CIA and four are former military but not “retired”, so they are no longer subject to UCMJ). However, Mark Kelly (retired Navy Commander) is still subject to UCMJ—and he knows that. -Pete Hegseth

The following day, all six lawmakers said the FBI had asked to interview them. In addition to Kelly, the Democrats are: Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado, a former Army officer; Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, a former Air Force captain; Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania, a former Navy lieutenant who served in Iraq; Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, a Navy reserve veteran; and Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, who previously worked at the CIA. Slotkin said the outreach came from the FBI’s counterterrorism division, Punchbowl News reports.

“No amount of intimidation or harassment will ever stop us from doing our jobs and honoring our Constitution,” the four House members said in a joint statement. The FBI declined to comment on the agency’s inquiry.

While Kelly remains subject to court-martial as a retired naval officer, pursuing charges against a sitting senator for public remarks would have little historical precedent. The matter could ultimately require judicial interpretation.

The case raises constitutional questions, particularly under Article I, which affords lawmakers certain protections for statements made in the course of legislative - or in some interpretations, public - duties. Legal scholars note that this dynamic may force the courts to balance military conduct statutes with congressional speech protections.

GOP Reaction and Divisions

With Congress out of session for Thanksgiving, Republican lawmakers have been slow to offer comment, though two GOP senators voiced immediate concern about the inquiry.

Sen. John Curtis (R-UT) said he respects Kelly personally, while Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said that “to accuse him and other lawmakers of treason and sedition for rightfully pointing out that servicemembers can refuse illegal orders is reckless and flat-out wrong.”

On Truth Social, Mr. Trump reacted sharply to the video, accusing the Democratic lawmakers of “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” He also amplified a user repost calling for their hanging.

The controversy emerges at a time when both Hegseth and FBI Director Kash Patel face heightened internal scrutiny. Hegseth’s authority has been unusually overshadowed by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, a Yale Law acquaintance of Vice President JD Vance. Driscoll has been tasked with exploring diplomatic channels in Ukraine amid ongoing hostilities with Russia.

Patel, meanwhile, has drawn criticism for deploying local FBI tactical resources for personal security purposes involving his girlfriend. MSNOW reported that Patel’s tenure atop the FBI “may be numbered,” however the Trump administration pushed back, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posting on X: "This story is completely made up. In fact, when this Fake News published, I was in the Oval Office, where President Trump was meeting with his law enforcement team, including FBI Director Kash Patel."

Trump later said that Patel is "doing a great job." 

Politically, Hegseth’s posture may inadvertently bolster Kelly, who is considered by some Democrats as a potential 2028 presidential contender. But the public exposure has carried risk for the Democrats involved: several have reported an escalation in threats. Slotkin now receives security protection from Capitol Police.

Tyler Durden Wed, 11/26/2025 - 15:25

Forged Letters, Luxury Lifestyle: Takeaways So Far From Trial Of Accused Chinese Agent And Hochul, Cuomo Aide

Authored by Nichaolas Zifcak via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

In the trial of Linda Sun, the former aide to New York governors who is accused of acting as a Chinese agent, the court has heard evidence that Sun forged the signature of Gov. Kathy Hochul, had close contact with Chinese consular staff, and purchased luxury items with payouts from China.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's former aide, Linda Sun (R), and her husband, Christopher Hu, leave federal court after their arraignment in New York City on Sept. 3, 2024. Corey Sipkin/AP Photo

The former aide to Hochul and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was indicted in 2024 over allegedly using her position to push the agenda of the Chinese Communist Party in return for millions of dollars paid to her husband’s business. Sun has pleaded not guilty.

Sun is on trial in federal court in the Eastern District of New York in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, with former colleagues and coworkers taking the stand to testify.

After almost two weeks of a trial that is expected to run until mid-December, here are some key takeaways so far.

Delegation Invitation Letters Allegedly Forged

Federal prosecutors alleged that Sun put together an official invitation letter to help Chinese officials travel to New York state. Without approval, she allegedly signed then-Lt. Gov. Hochul’s signature on the letter, which was on official letterhead. According to the prosecution, officials from Henan Province, China, used that letter to apply for visas to travel to the United States.

Prosecutors showed the letter to Jeffrey Lewis, who worked for Hochul for 13 years, including as her chief of staff. Lewis was authorized to use her signature.

Lewis testified that the signature on the invitation for Henan officials was not Hochul’s. He explained that Hochul connects and merges the “h” and “y” in Kathy; that the “h” in Hochul is connected with the “o”; and that the “h,“ ”u,“ and ”l” run together.

Lewis also testified that the only Chinese delegation invitation letter he could recall that Gov. Cuomo requested Lt. Gov. Hochul write was one in 2017, for a delegation from Jiangxi Province.

Lewis also pointed out that the alleged forged letters were on a generic letterhead from the governor’s office, which is distinct from the letterhead of the lieutenant governor, which was used in the Jiangxi letter. In 2018 and 2019, the years in which the Henan letters were issued, Sun worked in the office of the governor.

Liaison With Chinese Consular Staff

Prosecutors presented evidence suggesting that Sun prioritized requests of the Chinese Consulate over her duty to the state of New York.

In 2019, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen traveled to New York City and held a banquet on July 12. Taiwan’s representatives there invited Cuomo to join the event.

Prosecutors presented emails at trial that showed that when Sun received the banquet invitation for the governor, her first action was not to forward it to the governor’s scheduler, but to immediately alert the Chinese Consulate.

The emails showed that Sun received the invitation on July 5 at 6:32 p.m. One minute later, at 6:33 p.m., she emailed her contact at the Chinese Consulate in New York City, Li Li Hu, with the text “FYI.”

The following day, Sun replied to the representative for Taiwan and declined the invitation on the governor’s behalf.

According to Jessica Pulver, who worked in the governor’s Invitations Office in 2019, the office never received the invitation for Cuomo to join the banquet with Tsai. In testimony at the trial, Pulver explained that the expectation was that all invitations for the governor would be forwarded.

The incident is one example of the close collaborative relationship Sun had with the Chinese Consulate, according to prosecutors. When Consul General Zhang Qiyue left her post in New York City in May 2018, she sent Sun a farewell letter that ended with, “Your personal friendship and kind support will always be cherished.”

Luxury Goods

During FBI searches of Sun’s and her parents’ homes, the FBI found luxury cars, watches, and designer handbags. These items, prosecutors said, suggest means beyond that of her state employee salary, which in 2021 was $144,000.

In addition, documents and gifts from Chinese officials show a pattern of close ties with Chinese officials, according to prosecutors.

In July 2024, the FBI searched Sun’s home in Manhasset, New York, and her parents’ apartment in the Flushing neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens, as well as their TD Bank deposit box.

During those searches, the FBI found luxury goods including a Rolex Submariner, a Patek Philippe Aquanaut watch, and several Hermès Birkin handbags.

Authorities also found several high-end cars—a 2024 Ferrari Roma, a 2024 Range Rover, a 2022 Mercedes GLB SUV, and an Audi Q5—as well as a deposit box with $130,000 in cash.

FBI agents also testified to finding a number of documents in Chinese and objects associated with the Chinese regime, including a 1-kilogram friendship coin of solid silver, likely worth more than $1,600 today.

Tyler Durden Wed, 11/26/2025 - 15:05

Were The Brits Behind Bloomberg's Russian-US Leaks?

Authored by Andrew Korybko via Substack,

Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service warned earlier the same day as Bloomberg’s report that the Brits are hellbent on discrediting Trump in order to undermine his latest peace efforts for resolving the conflict from which they profit.

Bloomberg shared what it claimed to be the transcripts of calls between Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Putin’s top foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov as well as between Ushakov and Putin’s other advisor Kirill Dmitriev about the Ukrainian peace process. The gist of the Witkoff-Ushakov call was Witkoff’s proposal to have Putin suggest a Gaza-like 20-point peace deal for Ukraine during an upcoming call with Trump while the Ushakov-Dmitriev one implied that the leaked draft was Russian-influenced.

Ushakov declined to comment on his talks with Witkoff but said that “Somebody tapped, somebody leaked, but not us” whereas Dmitriev flat-out described his purported call with Ushakov as “fake”. For his part, Trump defended Witkoff’s alleged “coaching” of Ushakov on how Putin should deal with him by reminding everyone “That’s what a dealmaker does. You got to say, ‘Look, they want this – you got to convince them with this.’ That’s a very standard form of negotiations.”

As regards the possibility that the draft framework was Russian-influenced, the notion of which has been pushed by the legacy media to discredit the proposed mutual compromises therein, that was already debunked. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also serves as National Security Advisor, said that “The peace proposal was authored by the U.S. It is offered as a strong framework for ongoing negotiations It is based on input from the Russian side. But it is also based on previous and ongoing input from Ukraine.”

Therefore, neither transcript is scandalous even if their contents were accurately reported, yet the question arises of who might have tapped and leaked these calls. Intriguingly, earlier the same day that Bloomberg later published their report, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service warned that the UK “aims to undermine Trump’s efforts to resolve the conflict by discrediting him.” Readers will recall the UK’s role in Russiagate, which they conspired with the CIA, FBI, and the Clinton camp to cook up to against him.

Seeing as how they can no longer collude in this way with their three prior conspirators, the UK might therefore have resorted to leaking those two calls with Ushakov that they might have tapped (possibly among many others) as a last-ditch attempt to discredit the latest unprecedented progress towards peace. This provocation might also have been meant to make Trump panic and fire Witkoff out of fear of another Russiagate 2.0 investigation if this scandal helps the Democrats flip Congress next year.

Firing Witkoff, who’s been central to the recent progress towards peace, could ruin the process right at its most pivotal moment as Zelensky is reportedly considering meeting with Trump very soon to finalize the details of the US-mediated peace framework with Russia. By holding firm, Trump is therefore obstructing efforts to ruin everything that he’s achieved thus far on a Russian-Ukrainian peace deal and consequently revive the Russiagate hoax for helping the Democrats during next year’s midterms.

Accordingly, Bloomberg’ Russian-US leaks can be considered a British intelligence operation for derailing the peace process and perpetuating the conflict from which the UK profits, not to mention meddling in the midterms by giving a fake news-driven boost to the Democrats. Trump revealed that Witkoff will meet with Putin on Monday and might even be joined by his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who helped negotiate the Gaza deal, so more British provocations are expected out of desperation to ruin their talks.

*  *  * BLACK FRIDAY STARTS NOW

Tyler Durden Wed, 11/26/2025 - 14:45

Legal Cases Challenging Trump's Agenda - Key Issues To Watch

Authored by Stacy Robinson and Sam Dorman via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

A flood of litigation continues to hamper President Donald Trump’s agenda, with hundreds of lawsuits challenging his actions on gender issues, tariffs, immigration, National Guard deployment, and other matters.

Illustration by The Epoch Times, Getty Images, Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

A common theme of many lawsuits is the claim that the president has overstepped his executive authority.

Some of the cases have already reached the Supreme Court, where Trump scored a major win in June and a series of wins on the emergency docket.

Eventual decisions on outstanding cases could have long-lasting effects. If Trump wins, he can press forward with his key policies and the court will have carved out a clearer scope of executive power.

Here are some of the key issues, the legal battlegrounds in which they will be fought, hints on how judges might rule, and their implications for the future.

Tariffs, Emergency Economic Powers

Trump’s broad tariff agenda sparked a legal battle that has been heard by the Supreme Court. Judgment is pending.

A group of states and businesses have challenged the tariffs the president imposed on Canada and Mexico over their failure to police drug trafficking and illegal immigration at their borders, as well as the reciprocal tariffs he imposed on scores of other countries.

Trump issued those tariffs under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which allows the president to take actions such as regulating imports during a national emergency. Before Trump, presidents had used the law only to impose sanctions.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in May that the IEEPA does not authorize the president to impose tariffs.

In a separate case in May, the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that Trump’s tariffs did not address the issue of drug trafficking, and were therefore unjustified. It also ruled that the IEEPA does not give Trump power to impose “unlimited” tariffs because that power belongs to Congress and has not been delegated to the president.

Those cases eventually reached the Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments on Nov. 5 and is yet to issue its decision.

During oral arguments, some justices expressed skepticism that Congress had authorized the type of tariffs Trump imposed.

The Supreme Court is also considering whether the law—if it does, in fact, authorize Trump’s tariffs—upsets the nation’s separation of powers and is therefore unconstitutional.

“Congress, as a practical matter, can’t get this power back once it’s handed it over to the President,” Justice Neil Gorsuch said. “It’s a one-way ratchet toward the gradual, but continual, accretion of power in the executive branch and away from the people’s elected representatives.”

At one point during the Nov. 5 hearing, Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh seemed more sympathetic to the administration’s position. They questioned how, as one attorney argued, the law could allow Trump to impose something as large as a complete embargo but not a small tariff.

The U.S. Court of International Trade in New York City on May 29, 2025. The court ruled that the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act did not give President Donald Trump power to impose “unlimited” tariffs. Spencer Platt/Getty Images National Guard, Posse Comitatus

Citing high crime rates, Trump has attempted to federalize and deploy National Guard troops to major cities across the United States.

Officials in Memphis, Tennessee, welcomed the move, but state and local governments have sued to block the action in Chicago, Washington, Los Angeles, and Portland, Oregon.

The lawsuits challenge Trump’s invocation of Section 12406 of Title 10 of the U.S. Code, which allows presidents to federalize state National Guard troops under certain conditions.

The Trump administration has pointed to two of those conditions in particular: when the president is unable to execute the law using regular forces and when there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion.

Trump’s challengers have found limited success in courts, winning lower court blocks but facing hurdles in the appeals process.

Most recently, Judge Jia Cobb of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled on Nov. 20 that the president must end troop deployment in Washington, saying that the president can deploy troops only to address a specific situation, not for “whatever reason” he chooses. She paused that order to give the government time to appeal.

Judges in Oregon and Illinois also blocked Trump’s deployments while expressing doubt that the National Guard was needed to address crime in those areas. And a California judge ruled in September that Trump had violated a law known as the Posse Comitatus Act, which prevents federal troops from engaging in civilian law enforcement.

The administration is appealing each of those cases, and the Illinois ruling has reached the Supreme Court. The court has requested a briefing, asking both sides to clarify their interpretation of the line in Section 12406 stating that the president may call up the National Guard if he is “unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States.”

National Guard members patrol the National Mall in Washington on Aug. 27, 2025. On Nov. 20, Judge Jia Cobb of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ordered the president to end the troop deployment, ruling that he may deploy troops for only a specific situation, not “whatever reason” he chooses. She then stayed her order to give the government time to appeal. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times Illegal Immigrants

Trump has focused on enforcing immigration laws, including through a ramp-up of deportations.

Previously, expedited removals were reserved for illegal immigrants detained within 100 miles of the U.S. border and within 14 days of illegal entry.

When he took office, Trump expanded rapid deportations to include illegal immigrants nationwide who had been in the country longer than two weeks, but less than two years.

On Jan. 22, advocacy group Make the Road New York sued, arguing that illegal immigrants were being removed without due process. A federal judge blocked the government’s policy in August, and on Nov. 22, a court of appeals declined to put that ruling on hold pending appeal.

Trump’s executive order in January revoking birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants was challenged by numerous plaintiffs across the country. Those challenges were consolidated into Trump v. CASA.

When the case reached the Supreme Court, the justices did not rule on the legality of the executive order or the question of birthright citizenship, but instead ruled that such nationwide blocks—called universal or nationwide injunctions—are likely an abuse of lower courts’ power.

This ruling signaled to lower courts that they should issue such nationwide injunctions against a president’s policies sparingly.

President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the James S. Brady Briefing Room at the White House on June 27, 2025. Mehmet Eser/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images Alien Enemies Act

Part of Trump’s deportation plan involved using the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, which allows swift deportations during an invasion, to remove alleged criminals and transnational gang members from groups such as Tren de Aragua.

Trump invoked that law and used it against the Venezuelan gang in March, but lower courts temporarily blocked the plan in April when a group of deportees sued.

The Supreme Court at first upheld the block, but later ruled that the Venezuelan plaintiffs were each required to bring a habeas petition individually challenging his or her removal and must be given time to do so.

In one ongoing case, W.M.M. v. Trump, an appeals court ruled 2–1 that the mass illegal entry of Tren de Aragua gang members does not necessarily constitute an “invasion” as defined by the Alien Enemies Act.

Circuit Judge Andrew Oldham of the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, dissenting from the majority, highlighted the current friction between Trump and the judiciary.

“The majority’s approach to this case is not only unprecedented—it is contrary to more than 200 years of precedent,” he wrote in his dissent.

“It reflects a view of the Judicial power that is not only muscular—it is herculean. And it reflects a view of the Executive power that is not only diminutive—it is made subservient to the foreign-policy and public-safety hunches of every federal district judge in the country.”

The Fifth Circuit vacated that ruling at the end of September and plans to hold an en banc hearing; the full slate of circuit judges may reach a different conclusion.

In another case, J.G.G. v. Trump, a federal judge ordered the government to halt deportation flights headed to El Salvador’s Terrorist Confinement Center.

The judge is pursuing a criminal contempt-of-court inquiry against the Trump administration, alleging that the order was ignored.

Read the rest here...

Tyler Durden Wed, 11/26/2025 - 14:25

"It's Utilities Versus Rent" - Data Centers Send Energy Prices Soaring

The surge in data center construction to power today’s AI and cloud computing demands has sent electricity prices skyrocketing over the last few years. And, as Bloomberg reports, it is only getting worse.

With electricity costs now as much as 267% higher compared to five years ago in some parts of the US, fingers are being pointed directly at data center activity for blame. And while some - especially generously funded lobbies - are eager to dissemble and distort, claiming that on the contrary, electricity prices are barely keeping up with inflation and that data centers have little to no impact on electrical bills, the map below shows that more than 70% of the nodes that recorded pricing increases are located within 50 miles of significant data center activity.

Take Nicole Pasture: the Baltimore resident said her utility bills are up 50% over the past year. She is also a judge who rules on rental disputes in the city’s district court and sees people struggling with their power bills.

“It’s utilities versus rent,” she said. “They want to stay in their home, but they also want to keep their lights on.”

New data center construction projects are announced weekly, sometimes every day. Some of the construction timelines have upwards of 100 MW of new data center demand being built only two years from groundbreaking. This has to be contrasted against the rate of new energy generation construction, with the recent vite among PJM Interconnection stakeholders resulting in a failure to even select a plan for how to add data centers to the grid. 

“The voting reflects the nearly impossible challenge of trying to ensure resource adequacy and control ratepayer costs, while also allowing data center development in a market that is already short on generation supply and faces a 5-to-7 year timeline to bring on new large-scale generating resources,” Jon Gordon, a director at Advanced Energy United, a clean energy trade group, said in a bulletin on the meeting.

While some utilities have been able to pass the burden of higher electricity costs onto the owners of the large loads, most of the costs of expanding grid capacity inevitably find their way to consumers.

According to Bloomberg, in northern Virginia, Dominion Energy cited data center demand, inflation and higher fuel costs when asking regulators to raise its customer bills by about $20 a month for the average residential user over the next two years. Dominion also forecasts peak demand would rise by more than 75% by 2039 with data centers. It would be just 10% without.

And it's only getting worse: with hundreds of gigawatts of future power demand from data centers built by companies like Oracle and Microsoft, Goldman writes that "eight out of the 13 US regional power markets are already at or below critical spare capacity levels."

"eight out of the 13 US regional power markets are already at or below critical spare capacity levels." - Goldman https://t.co/YYAGUukfwR pic.twitter.com/eU4XPFAMrp

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) November 23, 2025

In other words, the electricity crisis is not around the corner: it's here already.

And since surging electricity costs are borne by everyone, the topic is rapidly becoming a political one...

In one year, this will be the most popular chart on this site pic.twitter.com/h93gWXMoNL

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) August 11, 2025

... and we previously highlighted that the blame game has already started between Republicans and Democrats. Yet some localities seem to be more focused on solving the problem than merely grandstanding: consider the case of Texas where most data centers already have their own "behind the meter" onsite power generation, a key step to keeping overall power costs contained.

To prevent skyrocketing electric bills, every state has to follow the Texas example: each data center must have its own "behind the meter" onsite power generation.

“We believe data centers should pay for the full cost of their power,” Dominion Energy spokesperson Aaron Ruby… https://t.co/0u1owTeAs8 pic.twitter.com/8W421s3rzV

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) November 23, 2025

Luckily for US consumers, the race for data center developers to secure behind the meter power is already on, with demand for modular reactors ratcheting higher.

We recently we highlighted the $700 million capital raise for privately-held modular reactor developer X-energy, as Amazon backs their 12-reactor project in Washington State to meet data center demand. We also highlighted the recent announcement between Nano Nuclear and BaRupOn for potentially developing upwards of 1 GW worth of nuclear energy to power the LAMP and Innovation Hub in Texas. Fermi America’s Matador Project, also in Texas, will utilize nuclear energy among other power generation sources, including gas, wind, and solar, to power a massive data center campus using a behind the meter grid.

So while power bills are soaring due to the ongoing avalanche of data center deployment to power the chatbot revolution (because someone has to write junior's high school essay), there is some hope that recent developments will put a lid on just how high the prices rise.

Tyler Durden Wed, 11/26/2025 - 14:00

Why Are The Elites Moving Into High Security 'Fortress Communities'

Authored by Michael Snyder via TheMostImportantNews.com,

The elite aren’t stupid. They can see that our society is coming apart at the seams all around us, and so they want to live some place safe. In fact, for many among the elite security has become the number one priority when choosing a new home. Unfortunately, the vast majority of us do not have the resources to move into high security communities guarded by teams of armed professionals. When things really start hitting the fan, most Americans are just going to have to deal with the chaos that is suddenly erupting all around them.

But for the ultra-wealthy, one of the benefits of having so much money is being able to shut yourself off from the rest of the world.

In Delray Beach, Florida a community known as Stone Creek Ranch has become extremely trendy among the elite for one particular reason.

It has a heavily armed security unit that watches over it 24 hours a day…

On paper, Stone Creek Ranch—a “prestigious” enclave made up of less than 40 luxury homes—is a world away from Miami, Manalapan, and Palm Beach: It offers no beaches, no celebrity-approved nightlife, and no glitzy designer shopping.

Yet it offers one very particular luxury that is proving to be quite the draw among the one percent: total and absolute privacy that is safeguarded by a team of armed professionals who watch over the community 24/7—a majority of whom come from previous jobs in law enforcement or the military.

Prospective residents’ entry into the community is policed just as carefully: Any homebuyers seeking to purchase one of just 37 private residences within Stone Creek are required to go through rigorous criminal background checks before they can even attempt to secure a home there.

Considering how fast conditions in our society are deteriorating, it sounds like a wonderful place.

But you will never get to live there unless you have tens of millions of dollars…

Just last month, Hollywood A-lister Mark Wahlberg made headlines when he dropped $37 million on a newly constructed megamansion inside the enclave — only to be followed weeks later by Rockstar energy drink founder Russ Weiner, who is in contract on two properties in the community, worth a total of $43 million.

Indian Creek Village is another high security community in southern Florida.

The island boasts “a high-tech security system that’s straight out of a spy movie”, and the list of residents includes Tom Brady and Jeff Bezos…

Indian Creek Village, known as the “Billionaire Bunker,” isn’t just another gated community. It’s the ultimate fortress for the ultrarich. Nestled in South Florida’s Biscayne Bay, this private island is where some of the world’s wealthiest people, including Jeff Bezos and Tom Brady, have decided to stake their claim. But living here isn’t just about luxury. It’s about security and lots of it.

You can’t just stroll onto Indian Creek. Not a chance. The island is locked down with a high-tech security system that’s straight out of a spy movie. “The wealthier you become, the more you want perfect security,” Setha Low, director of the Public Space Research Group at CUNY, told Business Insider recently. And Indian Creek delivers. An Israeli-designed radar system rings the island. It’s a system that can detect anyone approaching half a mile away. Cameras are everywhere: hidden in hedges, mounted on poles and linked to a command center that monitors every move.

The police force here? They’re more like personal bodyguards for the residents. With 19 officers for just 89 residents, Indian Creek has a cop-to-citizen ratio that makes New York City look understaffed. And these aren’t your average officers. They’re trained in tactical operations and armed with fully automatic weapons. They also spend most of their time patrolling the island’s perimeter, ensuring no one gets too close.

Once upon a time, the ultra-wealthy preferred living in large cities such as Los Angeles or New York City.

But now everything has changed.

On Twitter, New York City Council Member Vickie Paladino shared a very disturbing incident that just occurred in her area…

Last night in Malba, a large group of individuals from outside my district conducted an illegal ‘takeover’ of a quiet residential street at approximately 12:30am. This is not the first time it’s happened.

A private security guard attempted to calm the situation — he was assaulted by the mob and his vehicle was set on fire. He suffered significant injuries. A local resident was also assaulted.

Response to this incident was less than ideal. Residents reporting the incident to 911 were told that ‘quality of life team’ and 311 should handle the situation. Unacceptable. In fact, these violent street takeovers should be met with maximum force by the police department.

We have NEVER had these problems before. Now it’s an epidemic. What changed? We stopped arresting criminals.

I am meeting this morning with the chief of department and the local precinct at the scene to discuss exactly what happened last night. I have already been assured that Malba will receive four dedicated patrol cars from this point forward, as well as additional security upgrades that we cannot disclose.

However, the city MUST do something to stop this lawlessness. All the speed cameras in the world do absolutely NOTHING to prevent these incidents — we need police response and the most severe consequences for these criminals, not to simply allow them to drive away after they’ve completed their mayhem.

These incidents are happening citywide, and they’re happening because there are no longer any real consequences to this kind of criminality. But let me make something very clear to the criminals — you are risking your lives bringing this chaos into our neighborhoods.

Why would the elite want to live in a place where this sort of thing is happening?

Why would anyone want to live in a place where this sort of thing is happening?

Of course conditions are not just deteriorating in our core urban areas.

In southeastern Wisconsin, thieves from South America are systematically looting home after home…

A wave of high-end residential burglaries across southeastern Wisconsin has prompted a coordinated law enforcement response and drawn political attention at both the local and national levels.

The Mequon Police Department (MPD) says the burglaries share striking similarities, suggesting a professional operation.

The suspects, dressed head to toe in black, with faces covered and gloves on, have entered homes through wooded backyards, often targeting cul-de-sacs or properties near golf courses.

Stolen items include jewelry, designer handbags, watches and cash, all consistent with organized theft groups that target affluent neighborhoods nationwide.

All over the nation, crime and violence are out of control.

If you have the resources to move somewhere more secure, that is probably a good idea.

But of course most of the population doesn’t have the resources to move somewhere more secure.

In fact, we have reached a point where millions upon millions of Americans are just trying to figure out a way to keep the lights on…

Misty Pellew’s family lived in the dark for several days this month.

Pellew’s power was shut off Nov. 13 because of $602 in unpaid bills, the latest in a string of financial humiliations that began six months ago after her husband lost his $20-an-hour excavation job in northeastern Pennsylvania. The recent government shutdown dealt another blow, delaying federal funding for programs that helped the family pay for food and utilities.

Although Pellew’s lights were temporarily turned back on last week, they were set to be disconnected again if she didn’t pay another $102. With an overdrawn bank account, she was bracing to be without power again. Last time, her family ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner and slept in hoodies and gloves to keep warm.

This is what life looks like for so many people out there right now.

In New York City, residential power shutoffs are up fivefold compared to one year ago…

In some areas, such as New York City, the surge has been dramatic — with residential shutoffs in August up fivefold from a year ago, utility filings show.

Needless to say, Americans aren’t just getting behind on their power bills.

As economic conditions have steadily gotten worse, delinquency rates have risen to historic levels…

Credit card balances alone jumped $24 billion, reaching an all-time high, while the share of balances in serious delinquency—90 days past due—climbed to a nearly financial-crash level of 7.1 percent.

Auto loans tell a similar story, with serious delinquency rates at 3 percent, the highest since 2010. And a spike in resulting defaults has triggered a wave of repossessions in 2025, with 2.2 million vehicles already repossessed, per figures from the Recovery Database Network (RDN), and forecasts of a record 3 million by year’s end.

“Delinquencies, defaults, and repossessions have shot up in recent years and look alarmingly similar to trends that were apparent before the Great Recession,” the Consumer Federation of America said in a recent report.

When you are drowning in debt, relocating to a better place that will be more secure for your family is nothing but a pipe dream.

Most Americans will have to deal with whatever is ahead wherever they are located right now.

But the ultra-wealthy have enough money to live wherever they want, and the fact that so many of them are choosing to live in “fortress communities” says a lot about where things are heading.

Michael’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

*  *  * BLACK FRIDAY STARTS NOW

Tyler Durden Wed, 11/26/2025 - 13:40

Huge Explosion Kills 5 At Arms Depot In Idlib, Syria

On Wednesday a huge explosion rocked the town of Kafr Takharim in Idlib province in northwestern Syria, killing five people and injuring nine others, according to regional sources.

The blast and resulting large plume of smoke over the town unleashed immediate speculation that it could have been a US or coalition airstrike targeting terrorist entities. Israel has also frequently bombed Syria of late, so there is that possibility as well, though the Israelis don't typically bomb that far north near the Turkish border.

However, AFP is citing government security forces who say the deadly explosion was the result of an accidental detonation of a weapons depot.

Image source: Levant24

All of the deceased were workers at or near the weapons storage site, and it was "caused by a warehouse containing missiles and ammunition, and occurred due to work underway" - according to a Syrian official.

The AFP detailed, "Images circulating online showed widespread destruction, fire and damage to farmland, while videos showed shrapnel reaching shops and residential buildings."

The report reviewed further that "In August, four people were killed in an explosion at a weapons depot on the outskirts of Idlib, authorities said."

And the New Arab explains that the post-war situation has resulted in dangerous storage situations when it comes to arms and bombs:

Arms and ammunition depot explosions are common in Syria, which has been the scene of brutal conflict for 14 years and where weapons are often not properly secured, while bombs have also detonated as they are stripped down for scrap metal.

During the Obama years and first Trump administration, some US officials admitted that Idlib became the biggest al-Qaeda and terror safe-haven in the world. This is even after a US covert program helped jihadists take Idlib from Assad government forces in 2015.

Massive explosion leaves populated area completely scorched in Syria's Idlib countryside

Injuries reported after huge blast in ammo depot — SOHR pic.twitter.com/fJcT8nFwGk

— RT (@RT_com) November 26, 2025

Currently, Syrians in the region are returning to their homes only to find them occupied by foreign fighters, as even mainstream media has belatedly begun to acknowledge.

NPR this week has documented that Christians have often had their homes confiscated by Sunni jihadists, who are often foreigners. As Syrians attempt to return to their homes in the north after years of war, the following is a common scene:

He found foreign fighters living in the house. Someone had also ripped out most of his fruit trees – he never figured out who — and the harvests from his large olive groves, at the foot of the village, had been taken over by foreign fighters as well.

There were women living in his home, too. He couldn't tell who they were because he wasn't allowed to speak to them. He says they wore full black niqabs, leaving only their eyes uncovered. "The male fighters largely did not speak Arabic, so I could not communicate with them," he says.

A huge explosion rocked the Idlib countryside at what seems to be the site of an arms depot pic.twitter.com/9at5L7DMi4

— حـ ރ (@hassanspeaksss) November 26, 2025

Absurdly, the mainstream media is only now - after Assad was overthrown nearly a year ago - coming to admit and document the huge role that international jihadist terrorists played in accomplishing regime change in Damascus.

Tyler Durden Wed, 11/26/2025 - 13:20

JP Morgan Says Oil Prices Could Plunge Into $30s By 2027

Authored by Michael Kern via OilPrice.com,

• JP Morgan predicts the international crude benchmark, Brent, could drop into the $30s per barrel by 2027 due to an overwhelming market oversupply.

• Goldman Sachs forecasts the U.S. benchmark WTI Crude will average $53 per barrel in 2026 amid a 2 million bpd surplus and advises investors to short oil right now.

• The oil market is expected to rebalance in 2027 after the current large supply wave, including output from OPEC+ and non-OPEC producers in the Americas, works through the system.

The international crude benchmark, Brent, could dip to the $30s per barrel handle by 2027 as oversupply could overwhelm the market, according to a JP Morgan forecast posted by users on X.  

Brent Crude prices have dropped by 14% year to date, and traded relatively stable at $62.59 per barrel early on Monday, as the oil market awaits news from the renewed negotiations on peace in Ukraine. 

The U.S. and Ukraine held on Sunday in Geneva what the two sides described as “highly productive” talks and agreed to continue intensive work on a “refined” peace plan, which the U.S. first proposed last week. 

Despite the fears of a glut, analysts and investment banks don’t see oil prices moving down to $40 or below, even as oil is set to decline in the near term with strong supply from OPEC+ and the non-OPEC producers in the Americas.  

Peace in Ukraine could also weigh on energy prices as some sanctions and restrictions on Russia could be eased, analysts say. 

Oil prices are set to further drop into next year from current levels amid a large surplus on the market, with the U.S. benchmark WTI Crude expected to average $53 per barrel in 2026, according to Goldman Sachs.

The investment bank’s call for next year is that oil prices are on track for further declines and investors should short oil right now, Daan Struyven, co-head of global commodities research at Goldman Sachs, told CNBC last week. 

The surplus next year will be 2 million bpd on average, Goldman reckons, but notes that 2026 will be the last year of the current big supply wave hitting the market.

The oil market is set to rebalance in 2027 as 2026 will see “the last big oil supply wave the market has to work through,” Goldman’s Struyven added.   

Tyler Durden Wed, 11/26/2025 - 13:00

Armed Robber Targets Sam Altman's Ex-Boyfriend's House, Forces Transfer Of $11 Million In Crypto

Updated

A thief barged into a house owned by Lachy Groom - a wealthy tech investor who once dated OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, tied up a victim, and made off with $11 million in Crypto Saturday evening in San Francisco, the NY Post reports.

Sam Altman and Lachy Groom, attend the annual Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference in 2018 in Idaho. Getty Images

Dressed as a delivery worker, the armed robber rang the door at Groom's $4.4 million home on Dorland Street while carrying a white box, asks for Joshua - who lives with Groom - while claiming to be a UPS driver. The victim answers the door and identifies himself as Joshua. 

The thief then asked for him to sign for the package - asking if he can borrow a pen. The suspect then followed Joshua inside when a loud bang can be heard. 

Robber posing as a delivery driver steals $11,000,000 in crypto after pulling a gun and duct-taping the victim in San Francisco pic.twitter.com/Jny8HfVvGC

— BAY AREA STATE OF MIND (@YayAreaNews) November 24, 2025

According to the report, the suspect pulled a gun, tied up the victim with duct tape, and then stole $11 million worth of Ethereum and Bitcoin (exact method unknown), in what is believed to have been a hit by an organized crime group that the suspect was part of.

The suspect then tortured the victim, beating him while he held a phone up on loudspeaker as foreign voices on the line repeated his personal information that they had obtained. The thief then poured liquid on the victim before the crypto wallets were emptied.

The whole thing took around 90 minutes. 

Homeowner Lachy Groom, 31, is a venture capitalist and the ex-boyfriend of Open AI’s Altman, 40, who dated the billionaire sometime before he got married in 2024, sources with knowledge of their relationship said. Groom bought the property from Altman’s brother in 2021 for $1.8 million, property records show. Details of their relationship have not previously been reported. Attempts to reach Groom were not returned.

The Post has learned Joshua is a fellow tech investor who lives with Groom at the 4-bedroom Dorland Street home. 

Altman and Groom have invested together in various companies. Groom, a native Australian, has founded four startups and sold three before he turned 18. 

Sam Altman and Lachy Groom pose together in a social media image from 2014. Lachy Groom/Facebook

Prominent San Francisco tech investor Garry Tan shared the security footage from the heist on Monday morning - writing in a since-deleted tweet: "We have to find the perpetrator," adding "Time is of the essence." 

"Self custody of crypto seems like a good idea until it isn’t. Vault storage (at Coinbase or elsewhere) for long term holding is safest," said Tan. 

Correction: Article updated to reflect that Groom was not the one who was attacked. We apologize for the error.

Tyler Durden Wed, 11/26/2025 - 12:40

Rand Paul Warns Trump War In Venezuela Will 'Fracture' MAGA Movement

Via The Libertarian Institute

Senator Rand Paul said that President Donald Trump’s warmongering in Latin America could fracture the GOP. 

"I think once there’s an invasion of Venezuela, or if they decide to re-up the subsidies and the gifts to Ukraine, I think you’ll see a splintering and a fracturing of the movement that has supported the President," Paul told Margret Brennan on Sunday. "I think a lot of people, including myself, were attracted to the president because of his reticence to get us involved in foreign war."

Getty Images

Paul has been highly critical of the President ordering strikes on drug boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. The US has destroyed 22 ships, killing at least 83 people. The Senator has condemned the strikes as extrajudicial killings. 

The US has engaged in a massive military buildup in the Caribbean and threatened Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Multiple reports have said the White House is preparing for strikes in Venezuela. 

Paul pointed to Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio for pushing regime change in Caracas.

"I think it’s clear that Senator Rubio, as a senator, was very much an advocate of regime change," he explained. 

Fractures have already emerged within Trump’s MAGA movement over his foreign policy. Some conservative commentators have demanded that Tucker Carlson and others be removed from the movement over their stance on Israel. 

Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene recently announced her resignation from Congress after sparring with Trump on the Jeffrey Epstein files, Israel, and Venezuela. 

Sen. Paul has been loudly saying Congress must be involved and it either meets the legal definition of war or not...

The Admin is pretending we’re “at war” with Venezuela to justify blowing up boats all without a vote, without transparency, and without answering to Congress. If it’s war, declare it. If it’s not, stop acting like it is. pic.twitter.com/ATntKrnvpr

— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) November 24, 2025

Multiple polls have shown that invading Venezuela is widely unpopular with Americans. A Reuters/Ipsos poll from last week has found "just 21% of Americans support the idea of using the US military to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, results that come amid a series of reports that the Trump administration is considering a regime change war in Venezuela."

Tyler Durden Wed, 11/26/2025 - 12:20

Georgia Prosecutor Nukes Trump's Election Interference Case That Fani Fumbled

Less than two weeks after a Georgia prosecutor took control of the 2020 election interference case against President Trump and several allies (the one Fani Willis fumbled), the case has been officially dropped. 

"Given the complexity of the legal issues at hand - ranging from constitutional questions and the Supremacy Clause to immunity, jurisdiction, venue, speedy-trial concerns, and access to federal records - and even assuming each of these issues were resolved in the State’s favor, bringing this case before a jury in 2029, 2030, or even 2031 would be nothing short of a remarkable feat," wrote Peter Skandalakis, executive director of the nonpartisan Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia who was tasked with finding a new prosecutor to take on the case after Willis was removed by the Georgia appellate court. 

This adds to the pile of Democrat lawfare cases that have blown up in their faces, including those brought by special counsel Jack Smith on election interference and mishandling of classified documents.

Skandalakis said that while he considered severing Trump's case from his codefendants so they could be tried first, doing so "would be both illogical and unduly burdensome and costly for the State and for Fulton County." 

The Georgia case was brought by Willis in early 2021 after a January phone call became public in which Trump expressed frustration with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger amid reports of ballots cast for Joe Biden which had been mysteriously 'found.' When Trump asked him to similarly 'find' votes for him, Democrats used it as the foundation of the case.

Willis, as we all know, tanked the case after it came out that she hired her lover to help prosecute the case - which Democrats viewed as their best chance to go to trial because it was handled by a local Georgia prosecutor vs. federal charges which could be pardoned. 

*  *  * BLACK FRIDAY STARTS NOW

Tyler Durden Wed, 11/26/2025 - 12:00

Strategy Unveils New Credit Gauge To Calm Debt Fears After Crypto Crash

Authored by Zoltan Vardai via CoinTelegraph.com,

Michael Saylor’s Strategy is attempting to calm investor concerns about its balance sheet after the recent Bitcoin market downturn and a sharp pullback in digital asset treasury (DAT) stocks.

Strategy, the world’s largest corporate Bitcoin holder, has rolled out a new credit rating dashboard based on the company’s preferred stock notional value, and claims to have another 70 years’ worth of dividend payment runway to service its debt, even if Bitcoin’s price remains flat.

“If $BTC drops to our $74K average cost basis, we still have 5.9x assets to convertible debt, which we refer to as the BTC Rating of our debt. At $25K BTC, it would be 2.0x,” said Strategy in a Tuesday X post.

The move comes as investors grow increasingly worried that falling crypto prices could force large DAT companies into liquidation, adding more selling pressure to an already weakened market.

Strategy’s BTC Credit dashboard. Source: Strategy.com

Strategy’s dividend runway and “robust” enterprise software cash flow are significantly reducing the liquidation risks for the company, according to Lacie Zhang, research analyst at Bitget Wallet.

“We view MicroStrategy’s 71-year dividend runway claim as realistic under a flat Bitcoin price scenario,” however, long-term projections are dependent on several uncertainties, including “market volatility or regulatory shifts,” Zhang told Cointelegraph.

“I’m not particularly concerned about near-term liquidations for the largest corporate BTC holder, as their diversified funding and hodl strategy positions them well for sustained growth.”

Strategy’s ongoing accumulation, she added, has contributed to broader “industry stability” and supported deeper institutional adoption.

Strategy’s hodl stance may prevent deeper Bitcoin declines, analyst says

Strategy’s ability to avoid forced selling could also help Bitcoin avoid falling below key psychological levels in future downturns, according to Ki Young Ju, founder and CEO of CryptoQuant.

Strategy’s strong financials are a positive signal for the next Bitcoin bear market, as the world’s largest corporate holder is “unlikely to sell,” he said.

This may save BTC from revisiting its realized price of around $56,000 during the next crypto bear market “because players like MSTR are unlikely to sell and those coins are effectively off the market,” wrote the analyst in a Friday X post.

Still, some of the leading DATs suffered significant stock crashes and declines in their market net asset value (mNAV), including Strategy, Bitmine, Metaplanet, Sharplink Gaming, Upexi and DeFi Development Corp.

The mNAV ratio compares a company’s enterprise value to the value of its crypto holdings. An mNAV below 1 makes it more challenging for companies to raise funds by issuing new shares, which may limit their cryptocurrency purchases.

Strategy key metrics, including mNAV. Source: Strategy.com

Strategy’s mNAV stood at 1.16 at the time of writing, meaning the company could still theoretically issue new shares to raise additional capital, according to Strategy’s dashboard.

Tyler Durden Wed, 11/26/2025 - 11:45

WTI Steady Near One-Month Lows Amid Peace Deal Talk, Record Crude Production

Oil prices are steady this morning near one month lows, after a tempestuous few days swinging around Russia peace deal headlines.

US President Donald Trump said “there are only a few remaining points of disagreement,” as he sent negotiators to more meetings, while the Ukrainian leader’s chief of staff said talks in Geneva had laid a “good foundation.”

Goldman said a peace deal may shave off about $5 a barrel from its base-case forecast of $56 next year.

“That would put Brent in 2026 in the low $50s,” analyst Daan Struyven told Bloomberg TV.

API reported a lackluster set of inventory data that calmed the market too...

API

• Crude -1.86mm

• Cushing

• Gasoline +539k

• Distillates +753k

DOE

• Crude +2.774mm

• Cushing -68k

• Gasoline +2.513mm

• Distillates +1.147mm

US Crude stocks rose for the 3rd time in the last four weeks as did product inventories...

Source: Bloomberg

... while Cushing stocks continue to test 'tank bottoms'...

Source: Bloomberg

US Crude production continues to hover near record highs...

Source: Bloomberg

WTI is hovering around $58, near one month lows...

Source: Bloomberg

Much of Russia’s oil and fuel is subject to heavy Western sanctions, with US restrictions on the two biggest producers kicking in last week. However, China, India and Turkey have been eager buyers of the discounted crude, so the impact on global prices from any lifting of curbs is hard to gauge.

“Minute adjustments between the US, Russia, Ukraine and the EU on proposed peace deals have been carefully digested by the market,” Standard Chartered analysts including Emily Ashford wrote in a note.

“Any positive signs of collaboration or agreement have resulted in short-term sell-offs, while the dialing-back of enthusiasm has bolstered prices.”

Oil has retreated by more than a fifth since the middle of June as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies restored barrels, while producers outside of the group also pumped more. Worldwide crude supply is expected to exceed demand by a record 4 million barrels a day next year, the International Energy Agency forecast this month.

Tyler Durden Wed, 11/26/2025 - 10:38

UBS: AI Mania Has More Fuel, Dubs GenAI The "Steam Engine Of The Mind"

As chatter about an AI-driven market bubble grows louder across Wall Street, with nearly half of BofA's Fund Manager Survey respondents calling the AI/data-center boom a bubble, UBS analysts are out with a note insisting there is plenty more bubble-blowing ahead. 

UBS analyst Andrew Garthwaite wrote that his bullish target for the MSCI AC World is 1,090 by end-2026 (+11%). But he noted that if GenAI delivers even half the productivity surge that late-1990s Tech was believed to produce, the S&P 500 could "easily" justify 7,000.

"We think Gen AI - 'the steam engine of the mind' - will increase productivity more than TMT did back in the late 1990s," Garthwaite told clients. 

He continued, "We also now have all 7 preconditions for a bubble that we are not yet in (historically, the P/E at a bubble peak has been 45x-72x on 12-month trailing earnings for 30-43% of global market cap versus Mag 6 today on 33x)." 

Garthwaite pointed to a previous analysis in the UBS Global Economics and Strategy Outlook that shows today's market performance patterns are similar to those in March 1998. 

"We also highlight that we believe we are far removed from any of the major catalysts that mark a bubble peak," he said. 

The analyst continued:

We think there is more justification for a bubble (which we are not yet in) to form than any of the many others we have seen owing to the uniquely quick adoption rate of Gen AI and the threat of monetisation of government debt (which would lead to a move from nominal to real assets). We see at least a 35% chance of a bubble fully forming, and that would justify 1090 MSCI AC World.

Other factors that are supportive for equities: i) The well-behaved nature of US wage growth (this allows the Fed to be proactive if necessary); ii) the historical performance of equities when we just miss a bear market (2 years later up 43% on average versus 34.6% so far) or when the Fed cut and there is no recession (up 17% a year later); and iii) it is too early to call an end to AI or Tech+ outperformance. The P/E of Tech+ relative to the market is close to its norm, earnings growth is expected to be better than the market until Q2 27, and earnings revisions are better than the market. There are many other supports such as hyperscalers being able to increase capex by c40% before capex is above 2025 operating cash flow, with ICT investment as a % of GDP still at average levels.

Near term, there is a risk of ongoing consolidation continuing. In early November, UBS Risk Appetite had been at a 5-year high and CTA positioning at an 8-year high. These indicators are normalising but are still above average; however, we would be surprised if the sell-off extended by another 5%.

Most important charts from Garthwaite's note:

Bubble preconditions are all in place ... the only missing ingredient is looser monetary policy.

The audience at the UBS European conference held on November 11 was asked: "Are we in a bubble?" 

Here's how they responded...

"In my opinion, the justification for a bubble to form is better than any of the many other bubbles that I have seen during the past 38 years doing global strategy," Garthwaite said. 

Far removed from the peak of a bubble in terms of valuation or catalysts...

ZeroHedge Pro subs can read the full UBS note in the usual place. Notably, the bank's position contrasts sharply with our earlier reporting:

• Fund Manager Survey: Most See AI As A Bubble, Are Done With Massive CapEx Spending, And Love EMs In 2026

• The Stunning Math Behind The AI Vendor Financing "Circle Jerk"

• Oracle Is First AI Domino To Fall After Barclays Downgrades Its Debt To Sell

• AI Megacaps Throw Off New Warning Lights — Or New Fuel — Depending on Your Religion

Meanwhile...

• Hedge Funds Unleash Stock-Buying Frenzy, Cover Tech Shorts

In short, it depends on which institutional desk you read - there's clearly a gap in views about where we are in the bubble cycle. UBS believes the current phase could extend for a few years, a bullish scenario that would coincide with President Trump's affordability push for low- to middle-income households during the midterm election cycle, while higher-income households continue to benefit from market gains: a perfect scenario. 

Tyler Durden Wed, 11/26/2025 - 10:25

Don't Wear Slippers, Pajamas At Airport, Transportation Secretary Duffy Urges

Authored by Bill Pan via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is asking Americans to dress “with some respect” while flying, as part of his campaign to restore civility to air travel.

Travelers check in at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on Nov. 25, 2025. Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images

“Whether it’s a pair of jeans and a decent shirt, I would encourage people to maybe dress a little bit better, which encourages us to maybe behave a little better,” Duffy said on Nov. 24 while giving a Thanksgiving travel briefing at New Jersey’s Newark International Airport.

“Let’s try not to wear slippers and pajamas as we come to the airport,” he continued. “I think that’s positive.”

Duffy’s comments came as he warned of what he called a “degradation in civility” among plane passengers. He urged them to show more “common courtesy” and patience during the holiday rush, such as helping fellow passengers who struggle to lift bags into overhead bins and saying “please” and “thank you” to flight attendants.

He also asked travelers to curb behaviors that could irritate those around them, such as watching movies without headphones or removing shoes and placing their feet on the seatbacks in front of them.

“Just be cognizant and courteous. That’s the ask,” he said.

National Civility Push

Earlier this month, the Department of Transportation (DOT) launched a national civility campaign called “The Golden Age of Travel Starts With You.” It is intended to “jumpstart a nationwide conversation around how we can all restore courtesy and class to air travel,” the agency said.

As part of its new initiative, the department is encouraging travelers to reflect on five questions during their trip, including whether they are keeping children under control and “dressing with respect.”

The campaign invokes the memory of the mid-20th-century “Golden Age of Travel,” when Americans typically dressed up for flights. Today, comfort is often prioritized over formality, especially given the tightly spaced economy cabins and the rise of flight delays.

The campaign comes in part in response to what the department describes as a record surge in unruly passenger incidents, including confrontations with crew and fellow travelers.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reports that such incidents peaked in 2021 before dropping sharply in the years that followed, although incidents remain roughly twice as many as before the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021, the FAA started referring the most serious unruly-passenger cases to the FBI for potential criminal review. More than 310 of these cases had been referred since 2021 to the FBI under the partnership, the FAA said last August.

Thanksgiving Travel Outlook

The DOT’s civility push arrives just ahead of the Thanksgiving travel period, which the American Automobile Association expects to draw nearly 82 million people traveling at least 50 miles from home between Nov. 25 and Dec. 1.

Of those, about 6 million are expected to take domestic flights, a 2 percent increase from last year, according to the association. Air passenger volumes have hovered between 5 million and 6 million during Thanksgiving week in recent years.

Separately, on Nov. 16, the FAA announced it would roll back all restrictions on commercial flights at 40 major U.S. airports, including large hubs in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. Those limits had been imposed during the record-long federal government shutdown, which left air-traffic controllers working without pay for more than a month.

*  *  * BLACK FRIDAY STARTS NOW

Tyler Durden Wed, 11/26/2025 - 10:05