Wertheimer Political Report, November 6, 2025
D21 NEWS
“Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced today that she will retire next year at the end of her current term. Speaker Pelosi was the toughest, most skillful and most effective Speaker in modern times. She is the person most responsible for Congress passing the historic Obamacare legislation.
“I had the privilege of working closely with Speaker Pelosi and her office for more than two decades on democracy reforms. In 2007, Speaker Pelosi was the driving force in Congress for the enactment of landmark lobbying and ethics reforms. In 2008, she was responsible for the creation of the House Office of Government Ethics.
“In 2019, Speaker Pelosi led the House in passing the most sweeping democracy reforms since Watergate, including voting, campaign finance, redistricting, ethics, and other reforms. In 2021, she passed the legislation in the House again, ably assisted in both cases by Rep. John Sarbanes, the point person for the legislation, and by Rep. John Lewis. This historic reform legislation came within 2 votes of enactment in the Senate in 2022.
“For nearly 40 years, Speaker Pelosi’s leadership skills, tenacity and persistence have enormously benefited her Democratic colleagues and the country. She will be greatly missed in the halls of Congress.”
Report: Donors to Trump’s White House ballroom have $279B in federal contracts
“Most of the publicly identified donors to President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom have high-stakes business before the administration, ranging from billions in government contracts to federal investigations into their companies, according to a report released Monday by a government watchdog group.” – Washington Post
Axios Scoop: Trump’s $2 billion fundraising binge
“President Trump has raised about $1.9 billion from an array of corporate donors to help finance his political committees, White House construction projects and celebrations of the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary, sources tell Axios.” – Axios
‘Indict first, investigate second’: Judge questions DOJ in Comey case
“‘We’re in a bit of a feeling of indict first, investigate second,’ he said.” – ABC News
Why It Will Be Hard for Five Justices to Bless Trump’s Tariffs
“On Wednesday the Supreme Court heard oral arguments about the legality of President Trump’s tariffs. Earlier this week, the president said that ‘if a President was not able to quickly and nimbly use the power of Tariffs, we would be defenseless, leading perhaps even to the ruination of our Nation.’” – New York Times
Donald Trump enters his lame duck era
“Republicans are starting to contend with the fact that the president will soon be gone, and they’ll be fending for themselves.” – Politico
Judge will order federal agents in Chicago to restrict using force against protesters and media
“A judge said Thursday she will order federal agents in Chicago to restrict using force against peaceful protesters and media, saying current practices violate their constitutional rights. The preliminary injunction came in response to a lawsuit alleging federal agents have used excessive force in their immigration crackdown in the Chicago area.” – NBC News
‘Trump is against humankind’: World leaders at climate summit take swipes at absent president
“Donald Trump isn’t at the global climate summit in Brazil. But he was on the minds of some of his fellow world leaders Thursday, who used their time on stage to try to isolate the U.S. president and his hard-line opposition to their agenda.” – Politico
The Debate Dividing the Supreme Court’s Liberal Justices
“Outnumbered and facing vast stakes, Justices Kagan and Jackson are split over the best approach: investing in diplomacy inside the court or sounding the alarm outside.” – New York Times
Pelosi became the first woman to be elected speaker of the House in 2007 and is viewed as one of the most significant congressional party leaders in U.S. history. – New York Times
Thune says ending filibuster “not happening” despite Trump’s demands – ABC News
Capitol agenda: Shutdown endgame gets real. There are still many hurdles to overcome, but Republicans are readying a package that moderate Dems may well accept. – Politico
Speaker Johnson refuses to promise House vote on extending ObamaCare subsidies –The Hill
Ossoff and Collins continue to top list of at-risk incumbents amid rush of retirements – Roll Call
Elections for school boards and public service commissions aren’t as sexy as a governor’s race, but they matter — and Democrats swept them everywhere. – HuffPost
A group of Republicans wasted no time Wednesday filing a lawsuit to block a redistricting measure overwhelmingly passed by California voters just the night before. – Democracy Docket
Elections show a path to power for Democrats, even as GOP redistricts. Republicans are winning the gerrymandering arms race but Democrats can still win the House if they perform like they did in Tuesday’s elections. – Washington Post
Elections Show Trump’s Edge on the Economy Slipping – New York Times
NYC’s next mayor is a democratic socialist. What does that mean? – NPR
Maine voters on Tuesday opted against requiring that photo identification be shown at the polls in future elections, in addition to other proposed changes to state election law. These changes were proposed in Question 1 on Tuesday’s ballot, which failed with just 40.4% of the vote. Democrats harnessed worries about the cost of living, with polls showing that Republicans’ longtime advantage on the economy has evaporated. – Maine Morning Star
