https://apnews.com/article/trump-pardon-biden-justice-department-ed-martin-d525b1911534a40f70394fddf396acc1

Justice Department quietly replaced ‘identical’ Trump signatures on recent pardons

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department posted pardons online bearing identical copies of President Donald Trump’s signature before quietly correcting them this week after what the agency called a “technical error.”

The replacements came after online commenters seized on striking similarities in the president’s signature across a series of pardons dated Nov. 7, including those granted to former New York Mets player Darryl Strawberry, former Tennessee House speaker Glen Casada and former New York police sergeant Michael McMahon. In fact, the signatures on several pardons initially uploaded to the Justice Department’s website were identical, two forensic document experts confirmed to The Associated Press.

Within hours of the online speculation, the administration replaced copies of the pardons with new ones that did not feature identical signatures. It insisted Trump, who mercilessly mocked his predecessor’s use of an autopen, had originally signed all the Nov. 7 pardons himself and blamed “technical” and staffing issues for the error, which has no bearing on the validity of the clemency actions.

The questions about Trump’s signature come amid a new flurry of clemency and weeks after the president claimed to not even know Changpeng Zhao, a crypto billionaire he pardoned last month. He said in an interview with 60 Minutes that the case had been “a Biden witch hunt.”

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/17/trump-ready-to-sign-security-agreement-with-saudi-arabia-deepening-us-commitment-00653108

President Donald Trump is making a high-profile overture to Saudi Arabia and its polarizing de facto leader — even as some major MAGA figures say the White House is too focused on foreign affairs at the expense of domestic issues.

When Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrives at the White House on Tuesday, it will mark the first such visit since he was implicated in the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in 2018.

And he will be feted as one of the United States’s closest allies, expected to receive significant economic and national security wins.

Trump, who will also host Mohammed at a lavish dinner, is considering a bilateral security agreement pledging to defend Saudi Arabia in the event of any attack, according to a person familiar with the plans who was granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. It would mark the second such NATO-style pact with a Gulf ally, coming on the heels of Trump’s executive order in September promising to defend Qatar.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/nov/15/fly-tippers-dump-mountain-of-waste-in-oxfordshire-field

>Fly-tippers dump ‘mountain’ of waste in Oxfordshire field

>Area’s MP says it would cost more than local council’s annual budget to remove the 10-metre high pile of waste

Fly-tippers have dumped a “mountain of illegal waste” in Oxfordshire so large that removing it could cost more than the local council’s annual budget, the area’s MP has said.

Hundreds of tonnes of waste, stacked 10 metres high, appeared in a field between the River Cherwell and the A34 near Kidlington. One charity called the huge dump of rubbish “an environmental catastrophe unfolding in plain sight”.

Calum Miller, the Liberal Democrat MP for Bicester and Woodstock, told parliament the “estimated cost of removal is greater than the entire annual budget of the local district council”.

He added: “Criminals have dumped a mountain of illegal waste weighing hundreds of tonnes in my constituency on a floodplain adjacent to the River Cherwell. The Environment Agency said it has limited resources for enforcement.”

Friends of the Thames said the illegal rubbish dump was created about a month ago by an organised crime group. It said no visible containment or mitigation measures appeared to be in place.

The charity’s chief executive, Laura Reineke, said: “This is an environmental catastrophe unfolding in plain sight.

“A mountain of waste has been allowed to build up just metres from the Rver Cherwell – an illegal landfill sitting on the floodplain of one of our most important waterways.

“Every day that passes increases the risk of toxic runoff entering the river system, poisoning wildlife and threatening the health of the entire catchment.

“The Environment Agency must act now, not in months or years – which is their usual reaction time.”

> Thread theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xhy3G7-2fcY

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/social-media-erupts-far-left-163050898.html

> Social media erupts after far-left mayor gives victory speech in foreign language: 'Humiliating'

Newly re-elected Minneapolis Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey is facing backlash from conservatives for giving a victory speech in Somali and saying that Minneapolis welcomes Somalians.

In a video of the speech posted online, Frey can be seen leading chants in Somali as the crowd responds and applauds.

Popular conservative influencer Paul Szypula ripped into the progressive mayor, writing, "The pandering here is insane."

"Mayor Jacob Frey, as he won reelection, spoke almost a minute in Somalia then said Minneapolis belongs to Somalia," said Szypula.

In a second round of nonpartisan ranked-choice voting, Frey narrowly defeated a challenge from socialist Minneapolis state Sen. Omar Fateh. Fateh is the first Somali American and first Muslim to serve in the state Senate.

Fateh had the backing of the Twin Cities' chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America and "Squad" member Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who represents Minneapolis in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, former Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate last year who is up for re-election next year, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., endorsed Frey's campaign this year.

https://www.reuters.com/business/trump-cuts-tariffs-beef-coffee-other-foods-inflation-concerns-mount-2025-11-14/
WASHINGTON, Nov 14 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order to exempt a wide range of food imports, including beef, tomatoes, coffee and bananas, from sweeping tariffs imposed earlier this year on nearly every country, the White House said.
The order is part of a major push by Trump and his top officials to address Americans' growing concerns about persistently high grocery prices.

The new exemptions - which take effect retroactively at midnight on Thursday - mark a sharp reversal for Trump, who has long insisted that his import duties are not fueling inflation. They come after a string of victories for Democrats in state and local elections in Virginia, New Jersey and New York City, where affordability was a key topic.
It said any refunds due would be processed under the rules and procedures of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Trump has upended the global trading system by imposing a 10% base tariffs on imports from every country, plus additional specific duties that vary from state to state.
Friday's ordered followed framework trade deals announced on Thursday that will eliminate tariffs on certain foods and other items imported from Argentina, Ecuador, Guatemala and El Salvador, once those deals are finalized, with U.S. officials eyeing additional deals for signing before year's end.

Consumers have remained frustrated over high grocery prices, which economists say have been fueled in part by import tariffs and could rise further next year as companies start passing on the full brunt of the import duties.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/zelensky-associate-at-crux-of-ukrainian-corruption-case-said-to-have-fled-to-israel/

KYIV, Ukraine — Before the revelation of a multi-million dollar embezzlement and kickbacks scandal involving Ukraine’s state nuclear energy company brought his name to the forefront, Timur Mindich was a shadowy presence — navigating deals and moving behind the scenes with unseen influence, known to many, yet rarely spoken of.

Mindich has reportedly fled to Israel amid a probe of his growing influence within the country’s lucrative industries, and fears that his access was facilitated by his ties to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The two were once business partners, and Mindich’s influence had expanded since Zelensky was elected in 2019.

The full extent of Mindich’s influence was exposed this week when Ukraine’s anti-corruption watchdogs released the findings of a 15-month investigation, accusing him of being the mastermind behind a $100 million embezzlement scheme involving top officials and Ukraine’s state nuclear power company.

Two top Ukrainian government ministers have resigned as a result of the probe, and criminal proceedings against Mindich are likely to be carried out in absentia.

Ukrainian officials, experts and activists contend Mindich’s rise to power is closely tied to his privileged relationship with the president and Zelensky’s inner circle.

“What we were hearing only as rumors now has some evidence,” said activist Tetiana Shevchuk, of Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Action Center. “For a long time, we have heard that Timur Mindich is a shadow controller of the energy sector.”

MAGA wife Katie Miller found herself being educated on the history of immigration in American society by a guest on her own podcast.

Ex-DOGE staffer Miller is married to Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, the driving force behind the Trump administration’s deportation campaign who has pushed ICE officers to ramp up migrant arrests.

In the latest episode of The Katie Miller Podcast, the 34-year-old host interviewed Charlotte Jones, co-owner and chief brand officer of the Dallas Cowboys.

Miller asked Jones what she thought of Puerto Rican music superstar Bad Bunny being chosen as the halftime performer at next year’s Super Bowl.

Bad Bunny has 80 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone and is the most-streamed Latin artist worldwide.

“I think it’s awesome,” Jones said. “And I think our Latina fanbase is amazing. When you think about the Super Bowl, you want the No. 1 performer in the world to be there. We’re on a global stage, and we can’t ever forget that. Our game goes out to everybody around the world, and to get the premier entertainer to want to be a part of our game, I think is amazing.”

Jones raised the history of immigration in the U.S. to further her point, while praising how Bad Bunny reflected modern America.

“We have a mixed culture. I mean, our whole society is based on immigrants that have come here and founded our country. And I think we can celebrate that.”

The rapper’s Super Bowl selection in September caused MAGA outrage due to the 31-year-old’s criticisms of Donald Trump’s anti-immigration agenda. The rapper had also told i-D magazine that he did not include dates in the U.S. on his world tour as he was worried about potential immigration raids on his fans.

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/celebrity/articles/stephen-miller-wife-schooled-immigration-055119946.html

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/us-mint-philadelphia-press-final-penny-1-cent-127447997

PHILADELPHIA -- The U.S. Mint on Wednesday ended production of the penny, a change made to save money and because the 1-cent coin that could once buy a snack or a piece of candy had become increasingly irrelevant.

The last pennies were struck at the mint in Philadelphia, where the country’s smallest denomination coins have been produced since 1793, a year after Congress passed the Coinage Act. Officials said the final few pennies would be auctioned off.

“God bless America, and we’re going to save the taxpayers $56 million,” U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach said just before hitting a button to strike the final penny.

Pennies remain legal tender, but new ones will no longer be made.

The last coin to be discontinued was the half-cent in 1857, Beach said.

President Donald Trump ordered the penny's demise as costs climbed to nearly 4 cents per penny and the 1-cent valuation became somewhat obsolete. Billions of pennies remain in circulation, but they are rarely essential for financial transactions in the 21st century economy.

“For far too long the United States has minted pennies which literally cost us more than 2 cents," Trump wrote in an online post in February. "This is so wasteful!”

Still, many people have a nostalgia for them, seeing them as lucky or fun to collect. And some retailers voiced concerns in recent weeks as supplies ran low and the end of production drew near. They said the phase-out was abrupt and came with no government guidance on how to handle transactions.

Some rounded prices down to avoid shortchanging shoppers. Others pleaded with customers to bring exact change. The more creative among them gave out prizes, such as a free drink, in exchange for a pile of pennies.

have you ever considered that people engage in ban evading not because they're so bent on shitposting but because the bans are unreasonable in the first place?
https://fbi.gov