Samuel Rubenfeld (he/him)

NEW: The situation in the Hulyaipole direction is deteriorating, although Russian forces will probably spend considerable time setting conditions for efforts to seize the settlement.

Read the full update: isw.pub/UkrWar111225

Russian Trademark Poachers Are Targeting Brands Like Armani and Amazon More than 300 foreign companies have found their trademarks under legal threat in Russia since the start of 2024.

Russian trademark poachers are targeting US and European companies that pulled out of the country after its invasion of Ukraine.

By Not Funding Food Stamps, Trump Risks Lasting Damage to Safety Net

NEW: The shutdown is ending. The damage to food stamps may not be. Trump's halt to funds has undermined faith in the program and left many to question whether the government will protect its citizens from harm.

The lingering impact of the last 40+ days:

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...

This is bad.

I don't think I've ever seen anything like this in my lifetime

It is unclear precisely what diverted IRS-CI agents are doing. An unknown number of IRS-CI agents were involved in Trump’s attempted takeover of Washington’s local police. Men in IRS-CI vests have been seen at Metro stops in the Washington DC area, apparently working to catch riders evading a $2 Metro fare. IRS-CI also reportedly participated in a military-style raid against street vendors on New York City’s Canal Street.

An estimated one-quarter of IRS tax evasion agents have been repurposed to immigration enforcement. Instead of tracking high-end tax evaders, they are looking for metro fare evaders. donmoynihan.substack.com/p/five-quest...

Five Questions for IRS CEO Frank Bisignano The IRS has a new leader – maybe he can tell us whats happening

New at Can We Still Govern: The IRS is a key agency and its decline is emblematic of Trump-era mismanagement.

@vanessawilliamson.bsky.social & Eliis Chen lay out the questions that Democrats should be asking its new leader.

Incredibly informative piece.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/five-quest...

What Climate Change Will Do to America by Mid-Century Many places may become uninhabitable. Many people may be on their own.

The Uninhabitable United States

For folks (and journalists) who want to search the Oversight Committee email texts, I made a database for searching the 20k text files:

splendorous-chaja-f79791.netlify.app

Fresh Thailand-Cambodia Scuffle Risks Collapsing Trump Peace Pact Cambodia said one of its civilians was killed in a fresh border shooting with Thailand, raising prospects of renewed conflict that could unravel a peace deal brokered by US President Donald Trump.

Cambodia says one of its civilians was killed in a fresh border shooting with Thailand, raising prospects of renewed conflict that could unravel a peace deal brokered by US President Trump

Syria’s Leaders Pledge to Join Fight Against Islamic State Large parts of Syria were once overrun by the terrorist group Islamic State. The country’s new government has just committed to a global effort to fight the group.

Syria was once a stronghold for the Islamic State. Now, its government has pledged to cooperate with international efforts to fight the group. Here's what to know.

Newly released Epstein emails resurrect Russiagate: ‘Lavrov can get insight on talking to me’ Meduza breaks down today’s biggest Russia-related news stories, November 12, 2025 — Meduza Congressional investigators on Wednesday released hundreds of emails from the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, revealing his extensive network of foreign contacts and his attempts…

The latest Epstein Files update features a major return of Russiagate. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

The elite Russian unit hunting Ukraine’s drone warriors Moscow’s new Rubikon team upends Kyiv’s control of the electronic battlefield

The elite Russian unit hunting Ukraine’s drone warriors on.ft.com/3LELNsL

Brown said he was disappointed by his team blaming/arguing with the officials in the first half. “We fouled them.”

Said they were the culprits.

Mentioned the first three or four possessions.

Venezuelans voice uncertainty, fear and skepticism after arrival of US aircraft carrier in region | CNN From concern to skepticism, Venezuelans in Caracas are expressing a range of emotions a day after the United States’ most advanced aircraft carrier strike group arrived in the Latin American region an...

From concern to skepticism, Venezuelans in Caracas are expressing a range of emotions a day after the United States’ most advanced aircraft carrier strike group arrived in the Latin American region and intensified the friction between both nations.

A panel of U.S. appeals court judges on Wednesday voiced concerns that the National Labor Relations Board has gone too far in policing employers' restrictions on workers wearing union apparel, grappling with the issue in a case involving Starbucks reut.rs/4nY74eD

Trump Already Backtracking on Key Dem Shutdown Concession The GOP’s majority whip has revealed a crucial omission from the Democrats’ deal.

Democrats ended the government shutdown that was hurting Trump so that Trump could continue the government shutdown that is hurting everyone else.

www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump...

great point. Dems have a lot more wiggle room on this stuff than the “popularist” people say

Seasonal hiring dries up ahead of holidays, reports show Retailers are projected to add the fewest seasonal roles since the Great Recession in the face of economic uncertainty and rising AI adoption.

Companies normally hoard workers for the holiday shopping rush, but seasonal work is scarcer than it has been in years as firms increasingly look to do more with less amid economic uncertainty and rising AI adoption.

Planned Parenthood closes 20 clinics after Medicaid cuts, warns of grim future In a new report, Planned Parenthood said it covered the cost of $45 million in health care services in September, the first month when it could not bill Medicaid.

Planned Parenthood has closed 20 clinics since the Trump administration barred it from billing Medicaid for non-abortion care. Its leaders say weathering funding cut on its own will soon become untenable.

To force deserters back to war, Russia’s military is torturing their families — Meduza The Russian army has swelled since Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Months into the war, Russia conducted a “partial mobilization” for several chaotic weeks...

This is a grim story even by the Russian military's standards.

meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Anthropic to spend $50 billion on U.S. AI infrastructure, starting with Texas, New York data centers Anthropic rival OpenAI has secured more than $1.4 trillion worth of deals with Nvidia, Broadcom, Oracle and the major cloud providers.

businesses that don't make money get to spend money like it's monopoly money, but us working stiffs have money taken away from us just by existing--often to have the government use our money to pay those companies that don't make any money.

www.cnbc.com/2025/11/12/a...

DHS Kept Chicago Police Records for Months in Violation of Domestic Espionage Rules The Department of Homeland Security collected data on Chicago residents accused of gang ties to test if police files could feed an FBI watchlist. Months passed before anyone noticed it wasn’t deleted.

NEW: DHS secretly obtained Chicago police data on 900 residents accused of gang ties. It was quietly deleted after intelligence officers violated rules against domestic spying.

The handoff came well after city inspectors formally announced CPD's gang data was deeply flawed and infected w/ bias.

Supreme Court disquieted by increased judicial discretion over compassionate release The justices were skeptical that Congress wanted judges to offer sentencing reductions for factors like trial errors or changes in the law.

Supreme Court disquieted by increased judicial discretion over compassionate release @courthousenews.bsky.social www.courthousenews.com/supreme-cour...

By Not Funding Food Stamps, Trump Risks Lasting Damage to Safety Net

NEW: Soon, food stamps will resume flowing to millions of Americans.

But the damage wrought by Trump's refusal to fully fund aid in the longest shutdown in history could leave lasting damage, eroding public faith in the government's guarantee to protect its own

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...

US court temporarily blocks USDOT order to unwind Delta, Aeromexico joint venture A U.S. appeals court late on Wednesday temporarily halted a government agency's order to force Delta Air Lines and Aeromexico to unwind a joint venture by January 1.

A U.S. appeals court late on Wednesday temporarily halted a government agency's order to force Delta Air Lines and Aeromexico to unwind a joint venture by January 1.

Iraq’s Prime Minister Leads in Elections but May Struggle to Form a Government Mohammed al-Sudani pitches himself as someone who can keep Iranian influence in check, but his vote share may not be big enough to ensure a clear political victory.

A coalition headed by Iraq’s prime minister is leading in a parliamentary election, but he may struggle to form a government. nyti.ms/4oAxWSO

U.S. troops not liable in boat strikes, classified Justice Dept. memo says In a classified memo, the Office of Legal Counsel said U.S. troops would not be liable for participating in boat strikes on alleged narco-traffickers.

This is as bogus as the Torture Memos: www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Adams Administration Gives Middle Finger to Mamdani (and Homeless Seniors) and Turns Elizabeth Street Garden Into Parkland First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro was behind the move, which will make it much harder for the new administration to build affordable housing on the site.

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has said he would evict the Elizabeth Street Garden in his first year in office.

That promise just got a lot more complicated, thanks to Mayor Adams's First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro.

hellgatenyc.com/adams-declar...