11-22-25
From the desk of Rich Stephens
News for the week ending 11-22-25
Below find the expanded text from tonight’s broadcast. For corrections or additions, contact Rich directly.
Politics
Epstein Files Transparency Act
Tuesday, the house passed S.2557, known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Introduced in July of this year congress voted 427-1 with Clay Higgins the lone dissenting vote. The Senate approved the measure by unanimous consent, sending the bill to President Trump’s desk where it was signed on Wednesday. The Department of Justice now has 30 days to make all files related to Jeffrey Epstein, his associates, investigations, and please available. They must be publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format. Higgins stated that the bill did not provide proper protections for witnesses and other people not accused of wrongdoing.
Texas Redistricting Update
A 3 judge panel in the 5th US court of appeals ruled against redrawn Texas congressional district maps this week. The court cited a dilution of minority voting power, saying that while partisan advantage is permissible, race was the predominant factor in the drawing of districts. This was determined to be unconstitutional and the court ordered an injunction against the maps. The court ruled 2-3 with a Trump appointed judge being one of the votes against the map. The dissent came from Judge Jerry Smith, a Reagan appointee. Governor Abbott has signaled he will appeal.
Democrats Message To Military Members
A half dozen democrats released a video this week, urging active duty military to refuse illegal orders. Senator Elizabeth Slotkin accused President Trump of attempting to send the 82nd airborne to DC in 202 with orders to “Shoot them in the legs”. The president characterized their statements as seditious and suggested they should be tried. Hakeem Jeffries released a statement condemning the presidents “disgusting and dangerous death threats against members of congress”.
Dem Response to Trump Response
Mamdani Visits Oval Office
New York City Mayor Elect Zohran Mamdani met with President Trump in the oval office Friday. The president congratulated Mamdani and expressed his intention to help the Mayor and the city. While they admitted to differences of viewpoints, both agreed that they want to see the city flourish. Both stated willingness to work together to make NYC safer and more affordable.
Dick Cheney Funeral
The funeral for former Vice President Dick Cheney was held Thursday at Washington National Cathedral. Former Vice Presidents, Pence, Harris, Biden and Gore were all in attendance as well as George W Bush who delivered a eulogy. The White House lowered flags to half staff as required by statute, but neither Trump nor Vance were in attendance. Neither the Clintons, nor the Obamas attended either.
Current Events
Indian River County Deputy Shooting
Friday, while serving an eviction notice, three Indian River County Sheriff’s deputies were shot at by the evictee. 47 year old Terri Mashkow did not survive her wounds. Both the shooter and a locksmith who was there to change the locks were struck and listed in critical condition Friday night. FBI Director Kash Patel, Governor Ron Desantis, FDLE and others expressed grief and support online.
ICE Operation Charlotte’s Web
This week ICE launched operation Charlotte’s Web. Over 3 day, they affected 44 arrests of undocumented aliens. Included were individuals previously convicted of DUI, Aggravated Assault, hit and run, and assault of a police officer. Known members of MS-13 and the 18th street gang were also among those arrested. City officials published a joint statement condemning the operation, asserting that “our diversity makes us stronger”. They said that ICE operations caused unnecessary fear and uncertainty.
NTSB Preliminary Report On UPS Crash
On November 4, 2025, a McDonnell-Douglas MD-11F operated by UPS crashed shortly after takeoff from Louisville when its left engine and pylon separated from the wing. The NTSB’s preliminary findings identify fatigue cracks and overstress failure in the pylon mount structure as key factors. The aircraft never climbed more than about 30 feet before impacting a warehouse and industrial site, killing the three crew members and 11 people on the ground.
Ryan Wedding Indictment
Olympic snowboarder turned drug trafficker Ryan Wedding is on the FBI most wanted list. 10 arrests were made this week as part of operation “Giant Slalom”. Wedding is a Canadian national, is involved in drug trafficking and is affiliated with the Sinaloa Cartel. He is accused of witness intimidation tactics up to and including murder and there is now a $15M reward for information leading to his arrest.
Denver Fentanyl Seizure
DEA Officials in Denver announced a record Fentanyl Seizure Monday. 198 kilograms, made up of 1.7M counterfeit Fentanyl pills and 12 kilograms of powder. The largest ever seizure in Colorado and the 6th largest in the US. Deputies (November 11) went to a storage unit that had been purchased legally at auction. They realized the unit was full of illegal drugs and called the police. Officials indicated that the person who rented the storage space has been in custody for some time.
Press Conference (Not complete – unavailable)
Colorado State Police Statement
World
Israel Gaza
In World News, Israel said Monday that Hamas has continued to violate the ceasefire almost every day. Spokeswoman Shosh Bedrozian said those who are recognizing a Palestinian state while hostages remain in captivity in Gaza are rewarding terrorism with a huge prize. Israel has asserted that it will not allow a “launching pad for terror to be next to…the only Jewish state in the world” with the goal to annihilate Jews and the state of Israel.
UN Gaza
The United Nations security council adopted a US sponsored resolution on Gaza. While UN ambassador Mike Waltz urged that people read the full text of the resolution, it is not publicly available from the UN or the US government, so I can’t tell you what’s in it. The president and other US officials celebrated the resolution.
Full Text (Maybe – NOT official Source)
Nicki Minaj Speaks at the United Nations
Tuesday, the US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz spoke and introduced Nicki Minaj. She expressed support for president Trump, and her thankfulness for living in a country where we are free to practice religion as we believe. Her speech to the UN centered on violence against Christians in Nigeria. She urged unity and tolerance ahead of a panel discussion led by Harris Faulkner.
Finance
Jobs Report
In Financial News, The Bureau of Labor Statistics published a jobs report this week. Because of the federal shutdown, data for October was not fully collected and the November report that will be published in December will be the next full report. That said, nonfarm payroll employment rose by 119,000 in September. Unemployment held at 4.4%. Average hourly earnings rose by 0.2% for the month, coming to 3.8% over the past year. Health care and food services saw job gains while transportation, warehousing and the federal government experienced losses.
Markets
Markets were down across the board this week. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 902 points. Nasdaq closed 627 below last week. The s&p 500 lost 132 points and even gold is down $5 from the end of last week.
Sports
Formula 1
At the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, Friday night Lando Norris took pole in a wet qualifying session. Max Verstappen joined him on the front row with the Williams of Carlos Sainz starting in third. Max got a slightly better start than Lando last night, forced a mistake and took the lead into the first turn. He went on to win the race by almost 21 seconds. With both McLaren cars disqualified for illegal plank wear, Russel was promoted to second with his rookie teammate Antonelli being promoted from 5th to 3rd. With two races remaining, Verstappen and Piastri are now tied and trail Norris by 24 points in the drivers championship.
Telemetry Analysis (4:30 for Start Data)
NCAA Football
In college football yesterday, 22nd ranked Missouri kept number 8 Oklahoma honest, but lost 17-6. Alabama blanked Eastern Illinois 56-0. Texas A&M shut out Samford 48-0. Fourth ranked Georgia allowed Charlotte a field goal in a 35-3 victory. Ohio State gave up 9 points to Rutgers in a 42-9 win. Unranked Pitt took down 16th ranked Georgia Tech 42-28 on the road. Next weekend is rivalry week.
Rich Stephens
The Cold Take