FEMA Theft, Dick Cheney Funeral, & Fibermaxxing

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Adam Rogers
November 21, 2025

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told visiting US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll he’s willing to negotiate over the Trump administration’s new peace plan — even though it requires major concessions like giving Russia territory Ukraine currently controls.
The written plan, drafted with input from Russian officials, stunned Kyiv and Europe when first revealed. Zelensky had previously resisted engaging, but shifted tone in his meeting with Driscoll, agreeing to work on the proposal’s details and explore a fast timeline for potential approval.
The US is now trying to reassure allies that the plan is flexible, but Europe wasn’t consulted, and parts of the proposal cap Ukraine’s future military strength — terms Kiev has rejected before. Zelensky’s mounting political troubles at home could put pressure on him to make a deal.

Florida Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D) was indicted on charges that she stole $5 million in FEMA disaster funds through her family’s health care company. Prosecutors say Trinity Healthcare Services took the money through an overpayment on a COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract and didn’t return it, and later funneled part of the funds into her 2021 congressional campaign.
Cherfilus-McCormick led Trinity as CEO when the alleged overbilling occurred. A Florida agency had already sued the company in 2024, saying it overcharged the state by nearly $5.8 million for pandemic work. A congressional watchdog also flagged that her income in 2021 jumped by more than $6 million due to payments from Trinity.
The charges now add a federal criminal case on top of ongoing state and House Ethics Committee investigations. If the allegations hold, she could face 53 years in prison, repayment of the funds, and possible removal from Congress.

Former presidents, top lawmakers, and past vice presidents gathered at Washington National Cathedral to honor Dick Cheney, the influential but polarizing former vice president who became a fierce critic of Donald Trump. Trump, along with his own vice president, JD Vance, was not invited and has remained publicly silent about Cheney’s death.
George W. Bush praised Cheney’s steadiness and influence, while Joe Biden, once a harsh critic, honored his loyalty to family and principle. Liz Cheney avoided direct references to Trump but emphasized her father’s belief that country should come before party, reflecting the rift that destroyed her GOP career after the Jan. 6 investigation.
Tributes highlighted Cheney’s decades-long impact on U.S. national security — from shaping the Iraq War and post-9/11 surveillance programs to navigating multiple heart crises while remaining a central Republican power broker.

Border Patrol is ending its Charlotte operation after arresting over 250 people and moving agents to New Orleans next. (More) | A federal judge ruled that President Trump’s National Guard deployment in DC was illegal. (More)

President Trump called for six Democratic lawmakers to be arrested and tried for "seditious behavior" after they made a video telling service members they can refuse illegal orders. (More)

Investigators found the UPS cargo plane that crashed two weeks ago in Kentucky, killing 14 people, had cracks in its engine mount, and it broke off during takeoff. (More)

Heavy rains killed 41 people in Vietnam, left people stranded on rooftops, and forced 62,000 to evacuate. Two recent typhoons have already battered the country. (More)

Lebanon’s army arrested fugitive drug lord Noah Zaaiter, accused of running a massive drug and weapons network and linked to Hezbollah and the Assad regime. (More)

A Philippine court sentenced former mayor Alice Guo to life in prison for trafficking hundreds of workers at a Chinese-run scam center she partly owned and helped operate. (More)

US stock markets closed lower on Thursday (S&P -1.56%, Nasdaq -2.16%, Dow -0.84%). Stocks fell as a rally from Nvidia's strong results faded and investors lost hope that the Federal Reserve would cut rates again in December. (More)

The US added 119,000 jobs in September, more than double what economists expected after losing jobs in August. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.4%, the highest since October 2021. (More)

Verizon is cutting over 13,000 jobs as new CEO Dan Schulman says the company must transform to compete better. The layoffs hit 20% of its management workforce. (More)

Fugees rapper Pras Michel got 14 years in prison for illegally funneling millions from a Malaysian billionaire to Obama's 2012 reelection campaign through fake donors. (More)

The Seattle Mariners will retire Hall of Famer Randy Johnson's No. 51 on May 2, 2026. The Big Unit went 130-74 over 10 seasons with Seattle before stardom in Arizona. (More)

Lainey Wilson won three top awards at the CMA Awards, including Entertainer of the Year. Cody Johnson and Zach Top also took home major prizes. (More)

Google released Nano Banana Pro, an upgraded image generator that creates 2K and 4K images, renders text better, and can search the web to help generate images. (More)

Scientists discovered neurons release an enzyme outside cells that switches on pain signals, potentially leading to safer pain treatments that don't cause the serious side effects of current drugs. (More)

Moss spores survived nine months outside the space station, fully exposed to space. Over 80% lived and could reproduce back on Earth. (More)

Raccoons are evolving to become more pet-like.

Why does a NYC subway station smell Christmassy?

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