The Morning Sixpack - November 6, 2025
Chaos reigns: Trump’s shutdown deepens (Day #37), Pelosi announces retirement, Mamdani upends NYC elites, the skies snarl, and paranoia grips the presidency. Release the #EpsteinFiles
Grounded Flights and Grounded Government: America’s Shutdown Takes Off
Millions of Thanksgiving travelers just got an early gift from Uncle Sam—mass flight chaos. With the U.S. government shutdown dragging into its 30th day, airlines are slashing routes, passengers are panicking, and air traffic controllers are being pushed past their limits. Welcome to the nation’s longest shutdown, now officially taking off into disaster territory.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced steep flight cuts this week, citing safety risks from burned-out air traffic control staff forced to work without pay. The first round hits Friday, chopping about 4% of scheduled flights, ramping up to 10% if the shutdown drags on. That’s potentially millions of passengers grounded—right before Thanksgiving.
Airlines like Delta, United, and American are scrambling to rejig schedules and soothe furious travelers flooding their X (Twitter) feeds. “Please... issue all cancellations at least a week in advance,” one user pleaded with United. Unfortunately, government dysfunction doesn’t take customer service requests.
Meanwhile, the FAA’s already short 3,500 controllers, many working six-day weeks on mandatory overtime even before the shutdown. “This is a fluid situation, but we believe the impact is more manageable than headlines imply,” said TD Cowen analyst Tom Fitzgerald. Tell that to the families camped out at airports eating Cinnabons for dinner.
Unless Congress and the White House pull their collective heads out of the overhead compartment, this Thanksgiving could see more people grounded than gravy boats. A shutdown that started as a budget standoff is now bleeding into the country’s veins—one delayed departure at a time.
Source: Reuters
Editor: Nothing screams “fiscal responsibility” like tanking the economy, stranding millions, and stiffing federal employees just in time for the holidays. Maybe next year’s turkey can double as a congressional peace offering.
Trump Turns on GOP as Record Shutdown Drags Into Day #37
President Trump is blaming everyone but himself for the government shutdown that’s now the longest in U.S. history—37 days and counting. After weeks of silence and golf outings, he’s suddenly demanding Senate Republicans scrap the filibuster to break the stalemate he created, even as millions of Americans face missed paychecks, flight delays, and rising health costs. The country’s patience—and its infrastructure—is wearing thin.
At a Wednesday breakfast with Senate Republicans, Trump called the shutdown a “big factor, negative” in recent GOP election losses, then tried to bully his party into nuking the filibuster. “It’s time for Republicans to do what they have to do, and that’s terminate the filibuster,” he said. Senate Majority Leader John Thune immediately shot that down, saying the idea is “not happening.” Translation: even his own allies aren’t buying what he’s selling.
Meanwhile, Democrats—riding high after sweeping victories in Virginia, New Jersey, and New York—are in no mood to play ball. “The election results ought to send a much-needed bolt of lightning to Donald Trump that he should meet with us to end this crisis,” said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. But Trump’s attention span seems locked elsewhere—mostly on self-preservation and assigning blame.
The shutdown’s damage is no longer hypothetical. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers are either furloughed or working unpaid. Air traffic cuts begin Friday, health care subsidies are expiring, and families across America are bracing for a miserable Thanksgiving. “Can this be over now? Have the American people suffered enough?” Thune asked after leaving the White House meeting. If he has to ask, the answer is obvious.
Trump’s “leadership” on this crisis—if you can call it that—has consisted of finger-pointing, grandstanding, and hiding behind closed doors. Even some Republicans are starting to show cracks, whispering about off-ramps while Democrats stand united. But with health care funding, air travel, and basic government functions on the line, the clock is ticking. Unfortunately, the only person who can end this seems more interested in breaking records than fixing problems.
Source: Associated Press
Editor: The man who promised to “run government like a business” has done exactly that—run it right into the ground, with unpaid employees, furious customers, and a CEO demanding applause for record-breaking incompetence.
Trump’s Tariff Power Faces Supreme Court Skepticism
Trump’s go-it-alone tariff crusade just hit a wall of judicial skepticism. In a tense Supreme Court hearing Wednesday, justices from across the ideological map questioned whether a decades-old emergency-powers law gives the president the authority to single-handedly reshape global trade—and collect billions in taxes—without Congress’s approval. Even the conservative bloc seemed wary of letting any president wield that much unchecked power.
The case stems from Trump’s sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs announced last April under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a 1977 law meant to regulate financial dealings with foreign entities during crises—not rewrite trade policy wholesale. “It seems to me like it could be a mess,” Justice Amy Coney Barrett remarked, summing up what nearly three hours of oral arguments made clear: the justices aren’t sure how to untangle Trump’s economic overreach without wrecking global markets in the process.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor went straight to the constitutional core, warning that “if I’m going to be asked to pay for something as a citizen, that it’s through a bill that is generated through Congress.” Justice Neil Gorsuch, often a wildcard, exposed the slippery slope by asking whether a future president could slap a 50% tariff on gas-powered cars to fight climate change—an example that made the courtroom collectively wince. Solicitor General John Sauer conceded that yes, under Trump’s reading, that could happen.
Chief Justice John Roberts homed in on the “major questions” doctrine—the same principle that sank Biden’s student-loan forgiveness plan—arguing that Congress never authorized a president to impose tariffs “on any product from any country in any amount for any length of time.” Even Trump-friendly justices like Samuel Alito hinted that the administration might need to find other legal hooks for its tariff program. Translation: this ship looks wobbly.
Still, Trump remains upbeat, calling the hearing “a good day.” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent echoed that optimism on Fox Business, though trade insiders aren’t buying it. If the court rules against him, Trump could lean on backup authorities under national security laws or an obscure Trade Act provision that lets presidents impose short-term tariffs to fix trade imbalances. In other words, he’s already plotting Plan B before the gavel drops.
Source: My Daily Grind News
Editor: Only Trump could turn a 1970s emergency law into a personal ATM—and still claim victory while the justices debate how to untie his economic chaos. The man doesn’t just bend the law; he treats it like putty.
Nancy Pelosi Bids Congress Farewell After Four Decades of Political Power
Nancy Pelosi is finally hanging up the gavel. The 85-year-old former House Speaker announced she won’t seek re-election, ending one of the most consequential—and polarizing—careers in modern American politics. Love her or loathe her, Pelosi redefined what political power looks like in Washington.
In a six-minute farewell video, Pelosi told her San Francisco constituents, “I want you, my fellow San Franciscans, to be the first to know I will not be seeking re-election to Congress.” With that, the first woman ever elected Speaker of the House signaled the close of an era marked by epic legislative battles, party discipline that bordered on mythical, and an uncanny knack for surviving political firestorms that would’ve vaporized lesser mortals.
Under Pelosi’s iron-fisted leadership, Democrats passed the Affordable Care Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and impeached Donald Trump—twice. She steered the House through a pandemic, an insurrection, and the chaos of Trump’s presidency, all while outmaneuvering her own party’s infighting. As Rep. Marc Veasey put it, “Only a few are truly amongst the pantheon of great speakers... and Nancy Pelosi’s name will live forever in that very exclusive company.”
Even out of leadership, Pelosi’s influence never faded. She reportedly nudged President Biden to bow out of the 2024 race after his faltering debate performance—a move that proved she still had her hand firmly on the Democratic wheel. From clashing with Trump in viral moments (yes, including that finger-pointing photo and the infamous speech rip) to pushing through generational legislation, Pelosi became both a symbol of progress and a favorite GOP punching bag.
Now, as she prepares to leave Congress after nearly 40 years, Pelosi exits with her legacy intact and her city’s gratitude secured. The daughter of a Baltimore mayor who became America’s most powerful lawmaker, she leaves behind a trail of political victories, a transformed Democratic Party, and a message to the next generation: power isn’t given—it’s taken and wielded with precision.
Source: The Wall Street Journal (gift article)
Editor: Pelosi didn’t just break the glass ceiling—she turned it into a mirror and made every man in the room look up. Say what you will, but she played the political game better than anyone alive, and she did it in heels.
Psychiatrist Warns Trump’s Paranoia Is Making Him More Dangerous
Donald Trump’s growing paranoia is turning his presidency into a national security threat, according to a forensic psychiatrist who’s tracked his behavior for years. Dr. Bandy Lee, the former Yale psychiatrist who edited The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump, says Trump’s recent military deployments and power grabs come from “limitless insecurity,” not strategy—and that makes him increasingly volatile.
Speaking to The Daily Beast, Lee said Trump’s mobilization of thousands of immigration agents and National Guard troops is rooted in fear, not strength. “Deep down, absolutely—and that is why he is constantly on guard. He’s paranoid,” Lee said when asked if Trump knows his own limits. She argued that Trump’s obsession with authority “fuels his sense of insecurity, his own unfitness, his unbelonging,” making him “more defensive and more dangerous” with each passing day.
Lee first rose to prominence in 2017 after warning that Trump’s erratic behavior posed a public danger. That alarm hasn’t dimmed. Now 79, Trump faces renewed scrutiny after visible bruises, swollen ankles, and a recent MRI raised questions about his health. The White House insists he “remains in exceptional health,” but Lee says that’s missing the point—the danger isn’t physical, it’s psychological.
Once fired by Yale for violating the American Psychiatric Association’s Goldwater Rule—by diagnosing Trump without a formal evaluation—Lee has only grown more outspoken. She compared Trump’s behavior to violent offenders she’s treated in maximum-security prisons, warning that “once we contain him, we will see immediately how he would be reduced.” But until that happens, she urged institutions to “please consider consulting us mental health experts who deal with these situations day in and day out.”
The White House dismissed her remarks with predictable snark. Spokesperson Abigail Jackson quipped, “Hopefully this ‘doctor’ knows how to treat TDS—she can start with herself.” But the bigger question remains: if Trump’s paranoia is escalating while his grip on reality weakens, who exactly is steering the ship?
Source: The Daily Beast
Editor: When a psychiatrist says the president is acting like her prison patients, maybe it’s time to stop pretending this is normal. Power doesn’t just corrupt—it calcifies when wrapped in delusion.
Zohran Mamdani Wins NYC Mayorship—Now Billionaires Want In
Zohran Mamdani just flipped the script on New York City’s power elite—and they’re already lining up to make nice. The 34-year-old progressive firebrand won the mayor’s race Tuesday night, sending Wall Street’s billionaire class into a scramble to cozy up to the man they spent millions trying to crush.
Declared the victor by The Associated Press just after 9:30 p.m., Mamdani celebrated with a defiant jab at the ultra-rich who backed his opponent, former Governor Andrew Cuomo. “The billionaire class has sought to convince those making $30 an hour that their enemies are those earning $20 an hour,” Mamdani said. “They want the people to fight amongst ourselves so that we remain distracted from the work of remaking a long, broken system.”
Cuomo’s campaign was flooded with over $22 million from more than two dozen billionaires, including Michael Bloomberg, Bill Ackman, and members of the Lauder family. But by Wednesday morning, some of those same moguls were already playing nice. Ackman—who spent $1.75 million to stop Mamdani—posted on X, “Now you have a big responsibility… if I can help NYC, just let me know what I can do.” JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, who once called Mamdani “more Marxist than socialist,” echoed that tone, saying he’d still “offer my help.”
Crypto billionaire Mike Novogratz urged New York’s business elite to adapt, telling Bloomberg, “He’s tapping into a message that’s real: that we’ve got a tale of two cities… and can you address the affordability issue in creative ways without driving business out.” In other words, the same billionaires who bankrolled the status quo are now learning to live with the revolution.
Meanwhile, President Trump took the opposite tack, threatening to choke off federal funds for Mamdani’s administration. Calling him a “communist” on 60 Minutes, Trump said, “It’s going to be hard for me as president to give a lot of money to New York.” Mamdani shot back that Trump’s words were “a threat, not the law.” As the city’s first Muslim, South Asian, and African-born mayor prepares to take office January 1, it’s clear he’s already rewriting the rules of who gets to shape America’s biggest city.
Source: Fortune
Editor: Nothing sends billionaires running faster than a progressive with a mandate. They’ll adapt, of course—they always do—but for once, they’re not the ones writing the rules.