🚨 Partisan pranks – November 17 2025

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Lead: Epstein chess: the illusion of disclosure, the reality of control.

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President Trump now says that he wants Republicans to vote to release the Epstein files. But at the same time, he has also appointed a U.S. attorney who played a role in shutting down the Epstein investigation during his first term.

What does this mean?

It means Congress can vote to release the files on Tuesday for optics but the public won’t see them because the Justice Department will open an “active investigation” that keeps key evidence out of public view.

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that she has asked SDNY U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton to lead the renewed Epstein investigation. Whitney Webb, one of the most prominent researchers on Epstein’s network, argues that Clayton’s long-standing proximity to Epstein’s world, including emails where Epstein discusses Clayton’s private-equity advisory work, and Clayton’s later move to Leon Black’s firm after Black paid Epstein millions, raises serious concerns about placing him in charge of determining what the public gets to see.

So what does it look like will happen? Congress will vote to release the files, and the Justice Department will launch a new investigation that delays, redacts, or buries the very documents that could finally reveal the full truth.

On Sunday, a group of Epstein victims released this video demanding the files be released.

Trump Turns on His Own And the Partisan Veil Starts to Rip

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President Trump crossed a line with his supporters over the weekend by taking cheap shots at Republican politicians.

Trump taking low blows is not new but the nature of these attacks over the Epstein files at people who were loyal to him shocked his base.

He chastised Congressman Thomas Massie for remarrying after his wife died and continues to take shots at Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, calling her a traitor to her country. What did they do to cross him? They promote the America First campaign to compete with MAGA and continue to speak out against Trump’s foreign policy.

But the truth is: if you cheered Trump when he used this style against others, you always knew it could come for you. Political proximity doesn’t grant immunity.

Marjorie Taylor Greene herself appears to recognize this. She told CNN she is “sorry for taking part in the toxic politics” of the past.

There are two ways to read this moment.

The glass-half-empty view: Trump’s rhetoric was always going to turn inward. That’s the nature of following a personality-driven movement.

The glass-half-full view: Republicans are finally doing something Democrats could not do: criticizing their own leader when he betrays the people who elected him. That openness has created unexpected opportunities for realignment. Representative Ro Khanna says he welcomes “MTG voters into a new populist coalition that is antiwar, anti-corruption, and focused on reducing costs for the working class.”

So now the question is simple:

Do we use this moment to finally tear down the veil of partisan politics, or do we retreat back into it?

Fast access. Real security. No keys, no codes, no batteries.

Fantom Gangs, Real Wars

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The State Department announced that it will designate Cartel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, framing the move as a crackdown on drug trafficking into the U.S. and Europe.

That’s a nice idea but the trafficking in question has long been documented as operating with deep complicity from U.S. intelligence networks, including the CIA. This should come as no surprise to people who are read up on the drug trade. Every corner of the drug trade has the fingerprints of the CIA.

Certainly Secretary Rubio knows this which is why it is ironic that Washington is labeling as “terrorism” the very trade routes that its own apparatus exploits.

This sudden shift also arrives as the Trump administration continues launching airstrikes on naval vessels under the banner of drug interdiction, despite offering no public evidence to justify these operations.

Some analysts argue that “Cartel de los Soles” isn’t even a real cartel in the traditional sense. It is not a structured organization like, say, the Sinaloa Cartel. It is more of a political construct, a fantasy label that lets the U.S. government justify striking wherever it wants under the banner of counter-narcotics.

News By The Numbers

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$10 per pound. That is how much 1 pound of ground beef could soon cost, according to Omaha Steaks President and CEO Nate Rempe. The Trump administration says that this is a “perfect storm” of economic problems inherited from the Biden administration.

119. That is how many people were safely evacuated from a United Airlines flight on Sunday due to a bomb threat from a passenger that turned out to be a false alarm. The man was reportedly arrested.

623. That is how many items from World War II-era concentration camps were set to be auctioned but the auction was canceled due to public outcry.

 Zelensky On The Brink

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Ukrainian President Zelensky faced protests in Kiev this weekend after a corruption scandal erupted over military procurement and questions about where Western aid has actually gone. Crowds gathered in the capital demanding accountability as frustration grows over corruption, endless mobilization, mounting casualties, and a government that appears increasingly insulated from the suffering of its own people.

Russian sources claim the U.S. has been quietly searching for Zelensky’s replacement for months. Former Ukrainian prime minister Nikolay Azarov says American officials have been “actively talking to, meeting and inviting to Washington” alternative figures inside the Kiev government in an effort to gauge who might be the most reliable successor. Given how openly Washington orchestrated the 2014 coup and positioned Zelensky as the West’s wartime figurehead, the idea that they are preparing to swap him out is believable.

If these reports are accurate, Zelensky may be preparing to leave Ukraine for good. With public support collapsing, corruption scandals multiplying, and the military situation deteriorating, Washington may be ready to install a new leader more willing to follow its directives. Sources tell Redacted that he may be looking to seek asylum in Greece if the Greeks will have him.

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