Republicans’ Midterm Wipeout Reignites the War Over Tariffs

Source: Washington Sun
by Jeff Stein

“Trump’s tariff embrace has represented a revolution within the Republican Party. But even when skeptical, GOP lawmakers have begrudgingly gone along with the president for much of the last decade, wary of crossing the most popular figure in their party on one of his top priorities. Other Republicans came to agree with the president that insulating American firms from international competition could help rebuild domestic industry. Traditional conservatives are now optimistic that the party’s midterm catastrophe will mark the end of that era. A CNBC poll found 64% of voters believed Trump’s tariffs hurt their local economy, whereas just 14% said it helped. A Wall Street Journal analysis of AdImpact data also found Republicans spent $0 this campaign cycle on tariffs, either for or against. Democrats devoted $58.3 million to bashing the Trump policy.” (11/06/26)

https://archive.is/QGwDa

Thomas L. Knapp

Yemen: Houthis say at least 25 killed in Saudi air strike

Source: BBC News [UK state media]

“Media linked to the Houthi movement in Yemen say that at least 25 people, including women and children, have been killed in airstrikes by Saudi Arabia. There has been no comment from the Saudi-led coalition backing the internationally recognised government in Yemen. Live video footage on Al Masirah – a television station run by the Houthis – has shown rescuers pulling bodies out of the rubble of several buildings in al-Shariyah, a town to the east of the capital, Sanaa. The bodies of young children can be seen among those dug out from the ruins. The television station has also shown a number of injured people being carried on stretchers to hospital. Saba news agency, which is also run by the Houthis, said the attack was carried out by Saudi Arabia.” (11/07/26)

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c65yn1v99ypmo

Steve Trinward

Trump Failed to MAGA

Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger

“When Trump won the presidency in 2024, there were high hopes among his MAGA supporters that this time around, he would succeed in MAGA. They looked on him as the man on the white horse — the man who, if given free rein, would restore America to greatness. In fact, for the past two years, Trump has enjoyed extraordinary freedom to do pretty much whatever he wants. … None of this proclivity toward dictatorial power has made America great again, unless, of course, one defines ‘greatness’ as living under a powerful, tyrannical welfare-warfare state rather than in a free, peaceful, prosperous society characterized by a limited-government republic.” (11/06/26)

https://www.fff.org/2026/11/06/trump-failed-to-maga/

Thomas L. Knapp

Corporations Are Pretending to Reform Themselves

Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen

“While everyone was refreshing early election returns and exit polls and turnout models on Tuesday, something very unusual happened: A monopolist broke itself up. Health conglomerate CVS, the seventh-largest U.S. company by revenue, decided to split off its consumer-facing in-store and mail-order pharmacy business from its Aetna insurance and Caremark pharmacy benefit management (PBM) side. When asked about it on CNBC, CVS chair and CEO David Joyner said that government regulatory pressure played a role. ‘What you see in the regulatory environment is clearly one of the things that we need to make sure we’re navigating,’ Joyner said. This is not, however, an unalloyed victory over the forces of capital—and if you dig into the fine print, it’s not much of a victory at all.” (11/06/26)

https://prospect.org/2026/11/06/corporations-are-pretending-to-reform-themselves/

Steve Trinward

South Africa: ANC faces coalition scramble after electoral rout as control of key metros slips away

Source: Daily Maverick [South Africa]

“The African National Congress (ANC) faces a difficult balancing act after suffering major losses in the 2026 local government elections: regrouping quickly to negotiate from a position of strength, while determining which parties to partner with to retain municipal influence. The party has been pushed out of the leading position in several key metropolitan councils, including Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni, where the Democratic Alliance (DA) has emerged as the leading party. In eThekwini, the uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party leads, while the ANC remains the top party in Buffalo City. Mangaung also faces tight contention, making securing a governing majority a tough task for the party. The results emphasise the scale of the ANC’s electoral setback and the challenge confronting its leadership as it prepares to enter coalition negotiations across the country.” (11/07/26)

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-11-07-anc-faces-coalition-scramble-after-electoral-rout-as-control-of-key-metros-slips-away/

Thomas L. Knapp