• Schumer shutdown — let’s talk: Now that the Democrats swept the elections they cared about in blue states, they may be ready to make a deal to reopen the government. In an insulting and factually incorrect letter to the president, Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries demanded an in-person meeting to “end the GOP shutdown.” Of course, Schumer and Jeffries know that they caused the shutdown and that Donald Trump has little to do with any negotiating for reopening the government; the people they need to be talking to are House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Republican Leader John Thune. Directing the letter to President Trump while asking for a “bipartisan meeting of legislative leaders” strikes a balance, allowing them to appear tough on Trump while acknowledging that he isn’t the person they need to convince. In any event, it seems the longest government shutdown in history is finally nearing its end.

• Jewish FDNY commish turns in his notice: On Wednesday, the day after socialist Zohran Mamdani won New York City’s mayoral election, Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker tendered his resignation. Tucker, who is Jewish and held the position for just over a year, did not offer an explanation for his decision, though he thanked Mayor Eric Adams for the opportunity to serve. According to a source, Tucker, who is a longtime supporter of Israel, found Mamdani’s anti-Israel animosity troubling, noting that his view “does not align with the new mayor.” It appears that Tucker is the first of a number of New Yorkers who are looking to leave the city now that Mamdani is taking control.

• Minneapolis chooses loony leftist over Somali loyalist: Apparently, there’s a limit even to what leftists afflicted with suicidal empathy can tolerate. Omar Fateh, a Somali loyalist who held campaign events in Somali and opened events with “As-salamu alaykum,” failed to unseat incumbent Jacob Frey, who gained national attention for weeping over George Floyd’s gold casket. The election, which was called at midday on Wednesday, was the strongest showing yet for Frey, who won over 50% of the ranked-choice vote in the first round without needing a second round. Fateh had strong support from the Somali community, including “Squad” member Ilhan Omar. Fateh briefly received the endorsement of Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor party, but it was rescinded due to procedural failures. Elsewhere in Minnesota, St. Paul elected Kaohly Her, formerly of the Minnesota House of Representatives, who falsely claimed earlier this year to be an illegal alien.

• Some sanity in VA: Democrats had significant success in Virginia on election day, with Abigail Spanberger winning the governorship and Jay Jones picked to become attorney general despite his fantasizing about murdering a Republican. However, there was one surprising election result in the commonwealth that few predicted. The transgenderism-promoting incumbent on the Loudoun County school board, Arben Istrefi, who had voted to keep Policy 8040, which allows students to use the restrooms and locker rooms of their “gender identity” and requires the use of “preferred pronouns,” lost his reelection bid. Istrefi was unseated by Amy Riccardi, who ran on highlighting how the gender-confusion issue is hurting students while noting that the rest of the school board is “using your tax dollars to violate the law and push ideology.” The trouble for Loudoun County is that the majority of its members remain supportive of trans ideology.

• Heritage president apologizes: Controversy has swirled at The Heritage Foundation following President Kevin Roberts’s disparaging comments aimed at conservatives who criticized Tucker Carlson over his supportive interview with the reprehensible Nick Fuentes, leading to the resignation of his chief of staff, Ryan Neuhaus. On Wednesday, Roberts finally offered an apology … sort of. Addressing staff members, Roberts said, “I made a mistake and I let you down and I let down this institution. Period. Full Stop.” He then claimed he was willing to resign but felt a “moral obligation” to fix the mistake. “I made the mess, let me clean it up.” Roberts also sought to explain that he should have been clearer over his comments about never canceling “our friends,” noting that there is a “limiting principle.”

• Moulton the chameleon: Any Democrats who learned from their shellacking in the 2024 election are rapidly unlearning those lessons in the wake of Zohran Mamdani’s ascendency. Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts broke with Democrat orthodoxy last year when he said, “I have two little girls. I don’t want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete. But as a Democrat, I’m supposed to be afraid to say that.” It turns out that Democrats really aren’t supposed to say that. Recently, Moulton appeared at a “No Kings” protest draped in a trans flag, and he’s engaged in a struggle session to prove that he has learned to value men in drag over his daughters’ safety. Moulton’s motivation is, of course, seeking power. He is set to run in the Senate primary against incumbent Ed Markey.

• DHS sees another record low in border encounters in October: U.S. Customs and Border Protection encountered 30,561 migrants attempting to illegally cross the southern border in October. No illegals were released into the country during that time period. It’s the lowest October figure on record and 79% lower than October 2024 under Joe Biden’s disastrous open-border policy. The all-time monthly low was set in July, but the October numbers are still superior to any given month under Biden. CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott summed up the situation at the southern border, saying, “Our mission is simple: secure the border. … No excuses. No politics.”

• Foreign agents look to influence conservative think tanks: Three of Washington’s top conservative think tanks — the Hudson Institute, The Heritage Foundation, and the American Enterprise Institute — have experienced a significant increase in foreign national lobbying interests. Meanwhile, left-wing and center-left think tanks have received less attention. This is primarily because President Trump currently resides in the White House, and foreign nations are eager to advance their interests. Unsurprisingly, one of the most aggressive nations is Taiwan, which has sought meetings with Heritage Foundation members over 30 times since Trump’s election. Interestingly, one nation that has not sought to increase its influence over conservative policymaking is Israel, which counters the claim of some online commentators like Tucker Carlson.

• Apple blasts EU over its new digital competition laws: In the most recent skirmish with EU regulations, Apple is arguing that forcing it to allow smaller rival apps into its App Store will make its platform less safe for consumers. Whether it’s “less safe” or just that the tech giant doesn’t like healthy competition ought to be left up to the consumers. In recent years, the EU has passed two major laws to govern online platforms. The Digital Services Act requires platforms to follow certain rules on illegal or harmful content and advertising to minors, and the Digital Markets Act is designed to promote online competition. Tech companies can face hefty fines for violating either law. Apple Vice President Kyle Andeer sent a letter to the European Commission on Thursday, stating that, due to recent changes, “risks to users on our devices will inevitably increase.” Time will tell if Apple is right in claiming that the EU regulations have opened the door to financial scams, pornography, privacy issues, and other problems.

Headlines

• Louisville plane crash: Death toll climbs; black box found (Cox Media Group)

• Nancy Pelosi to retire from Congress after nearly 40-year career (NY Post)

• Democrat Rep. Jared Golden won’t seek reelection in key midterm race (CBS News)

• Kansas Republicans fail to get enough support to gerrymander congressional maps (The Beacon)

• Charlie Kirk’s widow calls for cameras in courtroom at murder trial (NewsNation)

• Medical schools boost nutrition education in response to RFK Jr. (Washington Examiner)

• Humor: Zohran Mamdani horrified to discover he now has a job (Babylon Bee)

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