Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Zelenskyy gets a deadline: “President Donald Trump said Friday that he wants Ukraine to accept a new peace deal by Thanksgiving, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned the deal was forcing his country to choose between its ‘dignity’ and a ‘key partner.’ The White House wants Kyiv to sign off on a ‘framework’ to end the war in Ukraine based upon the U.S.-crafted 28-point peace plan by Thursday, according to three U.S. officials.”
* This meeting wasn’t even close to what I was expecting: “After spending the last several months warning that Zohran Mamdani posed an existential threat to New York City, President Trump ended his first face-to-face meeting with the mayor-elect stressing common goals and trading praise. … In a striking turnabout, Mr. Trump and Mr. Mamdani, who had lobbed labels like ‘communist’ and ‘despot’ at one another during a mayoral campaign filled with vitriol, nodded when the other spoke and smiled at each other supportively.”
* A welcome reversal: “The Trump administration’s promised overhaul of the nation’s largest food aid program will rely on existing policies rather than forcing people to reapply for benefits, according to two people granted anonymity to discuss the plans.”
* The White House will not like the new CBO report: “President Donald Trump’s tariff increases on imports from foreign countries will reduce U.S. deficits by $3 trillion if they are maintained through 2035, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimated on Thursday, instead of the $4 trillion the agency projected in August.”
* Trump’s words carry consequences: “An Indiana senator’s business was the target of a bomb threat, making him at least the seventh Indiana senator to face a violent threat or swatting attempt this week as Republican leaders urge an end to the intimidation tactics leveled against lawmakers.”
* This seems like something else the “most transparent White House ever” will want to keep hidden: “Representative Eugene Vindman, Democrat of Virginia, called on Friday for the declassification of what he described as a ‘highly disturbing’ 2019 phone call between President Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia after the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi.”
* An investigation worth keeping an eye on: “The ranking Democrat on the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, which oversees public buildings, is investigating leadership at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for what he says are ‘millions in lost revenue, luxury spending, and preferential treatment for Trump allies.’”
* They’re right: “Government employees asked a federal judge Wednesday to block the Trump administration from encouraging job applicants to demonstrate their loyalty to the president’s agenda.”
Have a safe weekend.
