"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will heal their land."

President Donald Trump, during the annual Thanksgiving ceremony where he pardoned Gobble and Waddle, two North Carolina bred turkeys, after saying he initially wanted to name the birds “Chuck and Nancy,” a jab at Democratic leaders Charles Schumer and Nancy Pelosi. (AP News)

Broward County Democratic County Commissioner Steven Geller blasting Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia’s recent audits of county spending, a central feature of Ingoglia’s newly rebranded Florida Agency for Fiscal Oversight. Geller accused the office of using faulty math to claim Broward County wasted $189 million over five years. Speaking at the Florida Association of Counties’ 2025 legislative meeting, Geller dismissed the findings as politically driven and echoed concerns raised by other county officials who say the audits are more about generating headlines ahead of Ingoglia’s re-election bid than genuinely improving fiscal oversight. (Florida Phoenix)

Minnesota state Sen. Rob Kupec. The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party lawmaker praised Gov. Tim Walz’s record but voiced concern about Walz seeking a third term, a move some Democrats fear could be risky in a volatile political climate. Kupec said voter unpredictability makes any third-term bid challenging, even for an incumbent with significant accomplishments. His comments reflect broader unease within the party, as Democrats worry that Walz’s re-election campaign could reverberate down the ballot in a year when every statewide office, the Legislature and all eight U.S. House seats will be at stake. (Minnesota Star Tribune)

Maryland Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey, rejecting a proposal from a West Virginia lawmaker inviting three rural Western Maryland counties to secede and join his state. The legislation, framed as a bid to “strengthen regional ties and promote shared Appalachian values,” drew swift pushback from Maryland Republicans, who said residents’ frustrations don’t translate into support for leaving the state. Hershey said all of Maryland’s counties are integral to the state’s identity and aren’t up for grabs. (The Baltimore Sun)