• The Schumer Shutdown is over! After 43 days, the government shutdown has ended and funding has been restored. Senate Democrats, led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, held up a continuing resolution to fund the government for 41 days before eight Democrats, including Minority Whip Dick Durbin, voted with Republicans to pass the legislation. The Senate amended the legislation to extend funding through January 30, requiring the House to pass it once again on Wednesday evening in a 220-209 vote. Last night, Donald Trump officially signed the bill to reopen the government. Schumer led the shutdown over expiring ObamaCare subsidies but failed to secure any meaningful concessions from Republicans. House Speaker Mike Johnson said of the shutdown, “We didn’t give them anything — any of their radical, crazy demands.” Democrats managed to shut down the government, claim Republicans were hurting people, and also be angry that it’s over.

• Shutdown surprise: Far from achieving any meaningful results from their 43-day government shutdown, Democrats actually allowed Republicans to insert a provision into the continuing resolution that will enable senators targeted by the politically motivated Arctic Frost investigation to sue for damages. The provision applies broadly to any situation where a senator’s data was “acquired, subpoenaed, searched, accessed, or disclosed pursuant to a search, seizure, or demand for information without notice being provided.” Qualified or even absolute immunity is no protection for such a violation, as the provision clearly states. Any senator who successfully brings a suit within five years of learning of a breach could be entitled to $500,000 per violation. Since Jack Smith’s Arctic Frost scheme committed exactly this kind of violation, the eight named senators targeted are likely anticipating a nice half-million-dollar payday after this week.

• Dems block effort to vote on Epstein files: On Wednesday, Tennessee Republican Rep. Tim Burchett exposed the ongoing political gamesmanship behind the Jeffrey Epstein files saga. “Just left the House floor, and I tried to do a UC, unanimous consent, tried to get the Epstein files, get it straight to the floor, cut out all this nonsense,” Burchett explained. “The Democrats blocked it, oddly enough. Now, here they’ve had it for four years, and obviously, if there’s something there about Trump, they would have released it. And now they’re all ‘let’s get it out, let’s get it out.’” He added, “So, this is politics. It has nothing to do with doing what’s right. It’s Washington, DC to a T.” Burchett’s claim came hours after Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released a number of selected Epstein emails in an obvious effort to paint President Trump in a nefarious light.

• USA observes Anti-Communism Week: On November 7, President Trump announced that the U.S. would be observing Anti-Communism Week and remembering the 100 million lives lost to that evil ideology. The proclamation served to “renew our national promise to stand firm against communism,” which surely came as a blow to voters in New York City. Trump warned against trusting the government and trading the “promise of prosperity for the empty comfort of control.” At a time when populism is becoming, well, more popular, Trump is taking the time to highlight the dangers of communism, which can arise from populist instincts. Roughly 1.5 billion people in five countries still live under communism despite the victory over the Soviet Union in the Cold War.

• Patel’s fentanyl-focused Beijing trip: At a White House press briefing on Wednesday, FBI Director Kash Patel discussed his recent trip to Beijing, where he met with Chinese government officials regarding the Trump administration’s expanded effort to combat the fentanyl crisis in the U.S. As Patel explained, “This was a historic trip for the FBI and America’s national security — the first time in a decade that an FBI Director has been to China and received an audience with his counterpart to discuss the fentanyl crisis.” Patel noted that China had agreed to list 13 precursors and restrict seven chemicals used to make fentanyl. He called the agreement “a victory that will ultimately crush fentanyl traffickers and save so many American lives for generations to come.” So far this year, the FBI has seized roughly 1,900 kilograms of fentanyl, a 31% increase over last year, an amount that could kill 127 million Americans.

• Sen. Duckworth staffer allegedly schemed to free illegal alien: A staffer from Illinois Democrat Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s office has been accused by DHS of illegally seeking to free an illegal alien detained at an ICE facility in East St. Louis, Illinois. The illegal alien in question has four prior deportations and a DUI conviction. According to ICE, Duckworth’s staff member falsely identified as the illegal alien’s lawyer “to gain access to the detainee and seek his release from custody, and he accomplished it by falsifying an official Department of Homeland Security (DHS) form.” DHS wants to know about the staffer’s employment and whether he acted with knowledge of other members of her staff. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons also implored “all members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, as well as their staff, to stop the political games that put law enforcement and detainees at risk.”

• California moves to revoke 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses for immigrants: Fatal and well-publicized truck crashes in Texas, Alabama, Florida, and California this year have sparked changes. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has imposed new restrictions on which visa holders qualify for commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs), disqualifying 190,000 of the 200,000 current noncitizen CDL holders. Duffy sees California’s move to revoke 17,000 licenses as an admission that licenses were being issued illegally. Duffy’s team examined 145 California-issued CDLs in September and found that a quarter were issued incorrectly, including four that remained valid for years after work permits expired. California Governor Gavin Newsom insists that the issued licenses complied with Department of Homeland Security guidance and that the drivers had valid work authorizations.

• The penny is history: A penny for your thoughts may become just a colloquialism from a bygone era, as Wednesday marked the last day the U.S. one-cent copper coin was produced at the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia, the last of America’s mints to produce it. This marks the end of a 230-year history of the production of America’s most abundant coin, first introduced in 1793. Treasurer Brandon Beach explained that ending the penny production would “save the taxpayers $56 million.” Before yesterday, the last U.S. coin to be discontinued was the half-cent way back in 1857. Despite the fact that no more pennies will be minted, billions of the coins will still remain in circulation and legal tender.

• Ukraine’s government shaken by $100M corruption scandal: Volodymyr Zelensky, who was elected in part on an anti-corruption platform, finds himself ensnared in a scandal that directly affects his inner circle and a particularly sensitive sector. A sweeping $100 million energy kickback scam has led to charges against at least five people. Herman Halushchenko, former energy minister in Zelensky’s government, has been suspended, and the adviser to the now-suspended minister is also facing charges. Timur Mindich, Zelensky’s longtime political ally, is also charged in the case. The Washington Times reports, “The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office disclosed details of their investigations into the state-owned nuclear energy firm Energoatom, which allegedly forced contractors to pay kickbacks of up to 15% to avoid being blocked from contract payments or being removed from supplier rosters.” A Kyiv-based back office controlled by Mindich was steering the operation.

Headlines

• Michael Wolff encouraged Jeffrey Epstein to blackmail candidate Trump (NY Post)

• Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff indicted on public corruption charges (National Review)

• IAEA unable to check Iran’s uranium since June war (Times of Israel)

• Trump asks Israel’s president to pardon Netanyahu (WSJ)

• Record 40% of young women want to flee U.S. (Fox News)

• Number of babies killed annually during IVF is now more than those lost to abortion (Not the Bee)

• U.S. Catholic bishops ban “gender-affirming care” at Catholic hospitals (National Review)

• Humor: Democrats somberly remove sombreros, signaling end of shutdown (Babylon Bee)

For the Executive Summary archive, click here.