Bolton Busted; A Piece of Peace; & Shutdown Marches On - “The Sunday Political Brunch”
Mark Curtis, MINDSETTER™
Bolton Busted; A Piece of Peace; & Shutdown Marches On - “The Sunday Political Brunch”
“Bolton in Court” – To no one’s surprise, former Trump National Security Advisor John Bolton was indicted this week for the alleged mishandling of classified documents. Bolton, once a Trump backer, and now a critic, said when his house and office were raided several weeks ago, “Now I have become the latest target in weaponizing of the Justice Department to those he (Trump) deems to be his enemies.” When Trump was asked about Bolton, he said, “I think he’s a bad person. I think he’s a bad guy.” Bolton now joins former FBI Director James Comey, and New York Attorney General Letitia James to be charged by the Trump Justice Department.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTBolton pleaded not guilty in federal court on Friday.
“A Fragile Peace?” – On Monday, Hamas released 20 live Israeli hostages, and in exchange, Israel released an estimated 1,900 Palestinian prisoners it was holding. The goal is to end the bloody two-year battle between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. My first cousin, Hugh Dugan, was the former Acting Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs in the first Trump term. He complimented President Trump, who was in Israel for the release. On Fox News, Dugan also took a jab at the Nobel Peace Prize committee, saying, “Well, the president inherited a truck deep in the mud, and he pulled it out before it became quicksand. And I think if he can chalk this up as another world-changing resolution of a conflict, of this year, maybe the eighth one, then the Nobel brand comes up short.” Still, Dugan warns Hamas supporters could reignite the conflict, saying, “Apparently, they still have backers in Iran or elsewhere because they’ve been able to sustain their onslaught and the abuse of the Palestinian people apart from the hostages themselves.”
“Democrats Praising Trump” – It hasn’t always been adhered to in U.S. politics, but there’s an old saying that “politics stops at the water’s edge,” meaning Congress would embrace a president on foreign affairs. Indeed, this week, there was praise from across the aisle. Former President Joe Biden issued a statement saying, "The road to this deal was not easy… "My Administration worked relentlessly to bring hostages home, get relief to Palestinian civilians, and end the war." Biden gave Trump credit for getting "a renewed ceasefire deal over the finish line." Even 2016 election foe Hillary Clinton was adding rare praise, saying on CBS News, “I really commend President Trump and his administration.” She praised others, too, saying, “As well as Arab leaders in the region, for making the commitment to the 20-point plan and seeing a path forward for what’s often called the day after.”
“Shutdown Slow Down” – For now, things remain with the status quo standstill. Democrats are insisting that Obamacare subsidies must be protected and that Medicaid cuts to the states must be restored. Republicans say those two items are non-starters. “We’re barreling toward one of the longest shutdowns in American history,” said Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (D) Louisiana. House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D) New York said Republicans are “Gutting the health care of the American people.” Last week, Russell Vought, the Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), predicted 4,100 federal workers would be fired in the shutdown. Now, Vought says the number "could grow higher. I think we'll probably end up being somewhere north of 10,000." There appears to be no end in sight for the shutdown. Late Wednesday, a federal judge in San Francisco put a halt to the shutdown firings, but the White House is sure to appeal.
“So, Who’s Most to Blame?” – As we’ve seen for weeks now, Democrats blame Republicans for the shutdown, and Republicans blame the Democrats. But in both cases, that’s just partisan political finger-pointing. What does the public say? Well, a new AP News-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll says, the answer is basically “all of the above.” Fifty-eight percent of respondents to the survey say President Trump bears a “great deal” or “quite a bit” of responsibility for the shutdown. Fifty-eight percent said the same thing about Republicans in Congress, while fifty-four percent said Democrats are mostly to blame. I interpret this to mean that incumbents in both parties are nearly equally to blame. It's not necessarily one side or the other; it’s the lawmakers who have failed to do the jobs they were elected to do. This could be a very good omen for primary challengers in both parties.
“Epstein Files in Limbo” – The full release of the Jeffrey Epstein-Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking files by the U.S. House is stalled due to the government shutdown. Right now, a handful of Republicans have joined with all House Democrats in promising to vote yes for the release. They have 217 votes, but need 218. Rep. Elect Adelita Grijalva (D), Arizona, pledges to vote yes on the release, but she has not been sworn in yet due to the shutdown. The House may not convene again until October 20 or later, and even while in session, the Speaker could stall her swearing in. Sen. Ruben Gallego (R) Arizona, accused the Speaker of “blocking” her from taking office and added, “you don’t want to be on the Epstein discharge.” Speaker Johnson said that the comment was “totally absurd.”
“A Royal Flush?” – There are various reports this week that say King Charles has told his brother Prince Andrew, that Andrew is not welcome at any royal Christmas events this year. Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, is also uninvited. Both Andrew and “Fergie” have ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew was a close Epstein friend who often visited the billionaire’s private island in the Caribbean. And, Ferguson wrote a letter to Epstein and his attorneys urging them to fight on with appeals and get his sex convictions overturned. The king is not amused by any of this, and was also mortified when a hologram of Epstein and Trump was projected onto a tower at Windsor Castle during Trump’s state visit a few weeks ago. The Epstein saga is like the seemingly infinite rings of a Sequoia tree. There appears to be no end in sight.
“Pentagon Press Protests” – Late Wednesday, about 50 members of the Pentagon’s credentialed press corps walked out in protest. They are upset about new Department of Defense rules whereby journalists could be vulnerable to expulsion if they tried to report on information, classified or unclassified, that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has not approved for release. Nancy Youseff, a reporter for The Atlantic, told the Associated Press, “It’s sad, but I’m also really proud of the press corps that we stuck together.” Hegseth calls the new rules “common sense” for dealing with a “very disruptive press.” My interpretation is that it’s just another assault on the First Amendment and will be challenged in court.
“Just Say ‘Noem’ to Shutdown Videos” – Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had a video produced in which she blames Democrats for the government shutdown. The video was intended to be played on TSA airport checkpoint monitors throughout the country. The theory was that air travelers were most likely to be affected by air traffic controllers and TSA officers walking off the job since they weren’t being paid. Well, many airports are refusing to play the videos, saying the message is highly politicized. The airports include large hubs in Miami, Minneapolis, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, and Charlotte, to name a few. While airports fall under the jurisdiction of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), most airports are locally or regionally owned and can’t be forced to play the videos. I’ve done several internet searches and have yet to find any airport that is playing the video, including in deeply red states.
“Key Senate Faceoff in Maine” – As Democrats try to seize control of the U.S. Senate, they now have a viable chance of flipping another seat. Gov. Janet Mills (D) Maine, says she will challenge incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R) Maine. Collins is seeking a sixth term. She is one of the most moderate members of the Senate, often voting against President Trump’s agenda. A new poll from Zenith Research already has Mills polling ahead of Collins by 8 points. Fellow Democrat Graham Platner, who is in a primary with Mills, also polls ahead of Collins by 14 points. The primary is May 9, 2026. But the final vote is still almost 13 months away, and a lot can change in that time. For now, call this race a toss-up.
“Redistricting Wars” – North Carolina is the latest state to announce it may redraw its Congressional district map. Texas and Missouri have already done so. California, Florida, and Kansas are thinking about it. Ohio is using a new law to redraw its map, and Utah is under court order to do so. Louisiana and Georgia are currently in court fights that could change their districts, including a Supreme Court challenge this week over Louisiana’s map. In all cases, parties are trying to leverage their power to gain seats. In deeply red Texas, Republicans could gain five seats. In deeply blue California, Democrats could also gain five seats. I don’t like this. The old tradition is that all states would redraw their districts based on the U.S. Census, which is taken every year ending in zero. So, once a decade. Look, I know that gets politicized by both parties, but this random mid-decade reapportionment is going to lead to chaos. This is akin to football officials changing the rules mid-game, without regard to the consequences or fairness. I hope the courts stop it.