Democrats Concede Shutdown Fight Without Health Care Win in Hand (Bloomberg)

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Democrats entered the shutdown seeking to renew tax credits to stave off insurance premium price hikes and to show voters they have the stomach for hardball negotiations in President Donald Trump’s Washington.

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As the record-long shutdown neared its end more than a month later, they failed to achieve either goal.

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A group of eight Democrats on Sunday broke with the rest of their party — including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer — to vote with Republicans to advance a bill to re-open the government on the impasse’s 40th day.
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US Airports Hit by Shutdown: Hundreds of Weekend Flights Canceled as Government Shutdown Creates Travel Chaos (Bloomberg)

US airlines canceled hundreds more flights this weekend, causing delays at major airports in New York City and elsewhere as federal authorities curtailed air traffic because of the government shutdown.

Many flights that did eventually take off were delayed by hours. On Friday, airlines canceled about 3% of 25,375 scheduled flights.

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The airport chaos came after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the federal government would cut flights by 10% by the end of the week because of a shortage of air-traffic controllers who were furloughed because of the shutdown.

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On Saturday, Newark Airport was experiencing average delays of over four hours, according to Federal Aviation Administration data. JFK, Atlanta and San Francisco International Airport all saw average delays of around two hours.

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Climate Talks Open in Brazil

Negotiators From 200 Countries Begin Hammering Out Technical Details for Cutting Emissions, Climate Resilience (Bloomberg)

197 countries have gathered on the edge of the Amazon rainforest in Belém, Brazil for the opening of the COP30 World Leaders Summit.

Over the next two weeks, negotiators from these countries will thrash out the technical details on everything from how best to cut emissions to the structure of funds to help the poorest deal with the impacts of increasingly extreme weather.

Before the summit’s official opening, climate talks and welcome events were in full swing. Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva gathered leaders from over 30 nations to launch the Tropical Forests Forever Facility, a new initiative to channel finance for tropical forest protection (left), as Prime Minister Keir Starmer, President Lula, and Prince William met for discussions (right).

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Any final deal at COP30 will mean somehow finding a consensus that can be tolerated by both the world’s biggest fossil fuel producers and the small island states on the frontlines of sea level rise, at a time when other issues, like trade and war, are displacing climate from the top of the international agenda.

“This is really going to be a very different COP” from United Nations Conference of the Parties summits held in recent years, COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago said last week. “It touches so many sectors of the economy that countries really have to be very careful, because no country in the world is ready for the transition.”

The Impact of Paris: 10 Years After a Breakthrough Climate Agreement, Emissions Not Rising As Fast As They Were (New York Times)

Almost exactly 10 years ago, a remarkable thing happened in a conference hall on the outskirts of Paris: After years of bitter negotiations, the leaders of nearly every country agreed to try to slow down global warming in an effort to head off its most devastating effects, the New York Times reported.

So, has anything changed over those 10 years? Actually, yes. Quite a bit, for the better and the worse. The New York Times highlights 10 big things that have happened in the last decade since the Paris Agreement.

For one thing, every country remains committed to the Paris Agreement, except one. That’s the United States.

Emissions are still rising, but not as fast as they were, and solar power and electric vehicles are spreading faster than expected.

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Currently, electric vehicles are displacing 2 million barrels of oil demand per day, roughly equal to Germany’s total daily demand, according to BloombergNEF.

In other hopeful news for the climate, the growth of coal is slowing worldwide. That matters because coal, which powered the modern industrial economy, is the dirtiest fossil fuel.

Still, the past decade has been the hottest on record, forests are losing their climate superpower, and the physical damage inflicted by global warming costs the global economy around $1.4 trillion a year, according to BloombergNEF. Read the Times' full report here. 

Economy Latest

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Confidence Plummets Under Trump: US Consumer Sentiment Declines to Near Lowest on Record (Bloomberg)
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US consumer sentiment fell to a more than three-year low as the government shutdown weighs on the economic outlook and high prices sour views about personal finances.
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The preliminary November sentiment index dropped to 50.3, the lowest since June 2022, from 53.6 in the prior month, according to the University of Michigan. That was weaker than all but one estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists.
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A measure of current economic conditions slumped 6.3 points to a record low of 52.3 as anxiety mounted about the impact from the government shutdown.

Numbers in Limbo: Data Fog Intensifying for Fed as Shutdown Delays US Inflation Numbers (Bloomberg)
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Two monthly jobs reports have fallen victim to the longest US government shutdown and a key inflation snapshot due in the coming week is also in jeopardy, illustrating a thickening data fog for a Federal Reserve that’s the most divided in recent memory.
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics was scheduled to report the October consumer price index on Thursday, yet the government’s closure has not only delayed its release but also halted in-person data collection. It’s increasingly likely the BLS will forgo issuing an October CPI report altogether.

Assuming the government reopens and statistics start moving again, Fed officials will still be confronted with data compiled via retroactive surveys and other methods — if the figures are published at all. And while several private-sector reports on the job market are helping to fill the void of official data, alternatives to government inflation figures are harder to come by and more limited in scope.

Employment Hope Up North: Canada’s Second Monthly Job Surprise Reverses Recent Decline (Bloomberg)

What I'm Reading

No MAGA Left Behind: Trump Pardons 80 Allies Accused of 2020 Election Interference (Politico)
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While you were sleeping: President Donald Trump announced pardons for nearly 80 prominent allies who backed his effort to subvert the 2020 election.
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Names on the list posted by Ed “The Eagle” Martin, Trump’s controversial pardon attorney, shortly before 11 PM last night included Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Sidney Powell, Boris Epshteyn, John Eastman and Kenneth Chesebro.

The kicker: Martin brazenly linked the pardons to his own X post from earlier in the year, stating: “No MAGA left behind.” (Subtle, these guys are not.)

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Another Clemency: President Trump Pardons Darryl Strawberry, Calling the Former Mets Legend to Share the News (New York Times - The Athletic)

Today in Naming Rights: Donald Trump Wants Commanders' New DC Stadium Named for Him (ESPN)

President Trump wants the Washington Commanders football team to name their planned $3.7 billion football stadium after him, as ESPN reported. 

A senior White House source said there have been back-channel communications with a member of the Commanders' ownership group, led by Josh Harris, to express Trump's desire to have the domed stadium in the nation's capital bear his name.

"That would be a beautiful name, as it was President Trump who made the rebuilding of the new stadium possible," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told ESPN on Friday night via email.

Capitol Crowd: Trump Booed at Washington Commanders Game, First Presidential Regular-Season NFL Visit Since 1978 (Associated Press)

Meanwhile - US Food Insecurity Deepens: Trump Administration Tells States to Undo Full Food-Aid Funding (Bloomberg)
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The Trump administration issued a memo telling states to “immediately undo” any action taken to fully fund November food-aid benefits, adding further uncertainty around the program that provides support to 42 million low-income Americans.
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Amid the government shutdown, the US Agriculture Department issued the directive in a Saturday memo and said that states that didn’t “comply” could face financial penalties.

John Bolton: Half a Century of Antisemitism at the UN (The Wall Street Journal - Opinion)

The United Nations made the worst mistake in its history, 50 years ago Monday, and it still hasn’t recovered. The General Assembly adopted Resolution 3379, declaring that “Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination.” By a vote of 72-35 with 32 abstentions, Resolution 3379 shattered the UN’s reputation across America and beyond.

On that grim day in 1975, one display of virtue came from Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the US ambassador to the UN His speech, probably the most important American statement ever made in those precincts, resounds to this day for its moral clarity and proof that America won’t hesitate to speak out on its own behalf and for its allies.

Victory for Viktor: Trump Grants Hungary Exemption on Russian Oil in Orban Win (Bloomberg)

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President Trump granted Hungary an exemption from sanctions on purchases of Russian oil, providing a major win for Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

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Hungary has won a “general, indefinite exemption” on purchases of Russian oil and natural gas via two main pipelines, Orban told reporters after a bilateral lunch with Trump at the White House on Friday.

Today in the Oval Office: Trump Hosts al-Sharaa in First-Ever Visit by a Syrian President to White House, Official Says (Associated Press)

European Sky Security: Britain, France and Germany Deploy Anti-Drone Teams to Belgium (Politico)

The UK is following France and Germany in providing staff and equipment to help Belgium counter drone incursions around sensitive facilities, British Chief of the Defense Staff Richard Knighton told the BBC on Sunday.

Airports in Brussels and Liège were forced to suspend flights last week after unidentified drones were spotted in their airspace, and other drones overflew the port of Antwerp recently. Even Belgium’s military bases have been targeted, Politico reported.

US Military Shakeup: Secretary Pete Hegseth Is Purging Military Leaders With Little Explanation (New York Times)
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US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired or sidelined at least two dozen generals and admirals over the past nine months in a series of ousters that could reshape the US military for years to come.
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His actions, which are without precedent in recent decades, have come with little explanation. In many cases, they have run counter to the advice of top military leaders who fought alongside the officers in combat, senior military officials said.

🎧 New Episode Alert! Stay informed with the Daily Read Podcast's AI-powered insights into today’s top stories — now streaming on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Media Fallout: BBC Chiefs Quit After Report Criticizes Editing of Trump Speech (Bloomberg)

Music Frontrunners: Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga and Bad Bunny Lead 2026 Grammy Nominees (New York Times)

NYC Parks News: Governors Island Celebrates 20 Years Since Opening to the Public, Honors Tom and Cindy Secunda (Governors Island Foundation)

Governors Island marked 20 years of being open to the public at its annual gala on Wednesday. The Governors Island Foundation honored Tom and Cindy Secunda, Trinity Church and artist Sam Van Aken, for their lasting impact on the park. The event raised $1.3 million to support the park and included a performance by the legendary Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

In a video message aired at the event, Mike Bloomberg pointed to the Secundas' early support to help turn Governors Island into the extraordinary place it is today.

Governors Island is open year round, and you can learn more about how you can visit and support the the island here.  And check out photos from the event here.

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Best of SNL

"A pharmaceutical executive collapsed in the Oval Office on Thursday and speaking of pharmaceuticals, whatever Trump's on, I want some."
-- Colin Jost, in the Weekend Update

"Don't worry by the way, the man who collapsed is totally okay, you can tell because if something was dead on the ground, RFK Jr. eats it."
-- Colin Jost, in the Weekend Update

On last week's special elections in the US:

"Republican Curtis Sliwa conceded the mayoral race last week in front of his most loyal supporters: squirrels."
-- Michael Che, in the Weekend Update

"Democrat Abigail Spanberger was elected as Virginia's first female governor, defeating Republican Winsome Earle-Sears, who will now have to change her name to Losesome Earle-Sears."
-- Michael Che, in the Weekend Update

And from the Cold Open: President Trump (played by James Austin Johnson) addresses grocery prices skyrocketing, the New York City mayoral election and more after someone collapses in the oval office. Click the photo below to watch.
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