Mon Blogcast: Shutdown ends; 50-year mortgages?; Rowing the pacific; ROTN

Welcome to the new show!

Today is the first day of my new show, Ross Kaminsky on the News, with Jeana Gondek. (Mandy has decided the acronym is ROTN.) The show, which airs 6 AM to 9 AM weekdays, will certainly evolve over time so please don't be shy about emailing me about things you'd like to hear more of (and also things you'd like to hear less of.)

The show will be very similar to my previous 9 AM to noon show in terms of content but with a couple of important changes: We (meaning primarily Jeana) will bring you news and traffic four times an hour (but the newscasts will be concise so we have plenty of time to react to the news and to talk about other things.) And Jeana will participate in the show...in amounts and ways that we'll figure out as we go along.

I've really enjoyed my somewhat limited radio interactions with Jeana over the past few years and am really looking forward to working with her in this new venture.

We'll aim to bring you a show that's informative, entertaining and at least a little unpredictable.

I know that a lot of folks are used to a "just news" show during the "morning drive" hours on the radio. And some folks will be resistant to this kind of change but we think we can still bring you excellent news coverage while also adding the fun and thought-provoking aspects of talk radio. So even if you are the sort who reflexively will not like the change at first, please stick with us...I think you'll come to like this new format for morning drive.

We hope you enjoy it and if you do please encourage your friends to give us a listen.

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Shutdown ends (I think)

Trump Live Updates: Senate Moves to Vote as Democratic Defectors Relent on Shutdown - The New York Times

Senate Clears Key Hurdle Toward Ending Government Shutdown - WSJ

There appears to be a multi-part agreement to reopen the government, one that doesn't seem to give the Democrats much of what they wanted. I'm not very partisan but I've said all along in this mess that Republicans should not give Democrats an inch. Republicans passed a "clean CR" at Biden levels of spending and the subsidies for Obamacare that Dems are upset about were set by Democrats when they were in charge to expire.

Looks like Dems will get a promise of a vote next month, that they'll lose, on extending those subsidies to people earning over 400% of the federal poverty level.

Senate reaches deal on ending the shutdown - POLITICO

NONE of the 8 Dems who voted to reopen the gov’t faces re-election next year. Also, four of the yes Dem votes, including Shaheen are former governors.

The left-wing base of the party is pissed! Quite a way to take the air out of their sails right after a big win in last Tuesday's elections.

See Hickenlooper quote…shows how stupid this game is: Semafor Washington, DC: Here’s the deal | Semafor

I mean, couldn't Republicans just replay insanity like this?

Republicans should have been winning the shutdown battle as far as political messaging goes but they really didn't, as shown in part by what happened in Tuesday's elections (though that election was about much more than the shutdown). It should be (or have been) SO EASY for them to say repeatedly, and for Trump to say repeatedly, that all they need to do is sign the clean CR (continuing resolution) that continues government spending at the prior Joe Biden levels. They could add all the rhetoric from Democrats who did vote for such a thing in the prior shutdown. But Republicans are almost always bad at messaging and Trump is typically only good at it when it's an aggressive Trumpy position and his own idea. So he hasn't been out there saying it nearly as much as he should. Trump's shutdown confusion: How his messaging contradictions have dragged the GOP That said, it looks like it's over with what an objective observer would have to call a complete Republican victory, leaving Dems to join friendly news anchors who ask softball questions so Democrats can try to spin it as if they won something.

On the one hand, this was a REALLY bad look for the GOP as far as the politics of the shutdown, separate from its actual impact on people: Trump administration demands states ‘undo’ full SNAP payouts. On the other hand, this probably put so much pressure on Democrats that they caved in. I think they didn't think Trump would be willing to go as far as he did with food stamp money; which is a weird mistake to make. So, on the one hand, it was something of a bad look for the Trump administration to fight so hard to block SNAP benefits. On the other hand, it likely proved to Democrats that their efforts to force the GOP's hand and get some big Dem win would be fruitless.

Actually, I found a video of Donald Trump surrounded by Democratic senators who were thinking they could use the SNAP situation to get their way:

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Just One Thing: A 50-year mortgage?

The Trump administration is looking at proposing a 50-year mortgage, something which would require a change in law not just in what a bank or other lender might choose to offer. It does feel a little bit like Trump's obsession with having a bigger number than the other guys regardless of the context.

Trump administration ‘working on’ 50-year mortgage to boost housing affordability - Denver Gazette

One thing to note: It's definitely NOT going to be a "complete game-changer". I wrote a Substack note about why and I hope you'll give it a read, and please also subscribe (for free).

Who needs a 50-year mortgage? - by Ross Kaminsky

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Today's Guests

Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Admiral James Stavridis (6:34 AM) joins us to talk about Veterans Day (tomorrow) and, as former SouthCom commander, his take on the Trump administration's recent attacks on (claimed) drug dealer boats in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific. The current admiral running SouthCom has announced his (early) retirement leading some to wonder whether it's due to opposition to the Trump policy. And if we have time, we'll talk about this: War Secretary Hegseth compares Pentagon bureaucracy to Soviet planning | Fox News (More here: Hegseth unveils ‘transformation’ of DoD acquisition system)

Admiral Stavridis is a best-selling author of both fiction and non-fiction and I commend all of his books to you, including his first novel, 2034, and his most recent non-fiction, The Admiral's Bookshelf.

Home - Admiral James Stavridis

U.S. Southern Command Official Website

US Navy commander overseeing Venezuelan boat strikes steps down

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Governor Jared Polis (8:34 AM) joins us to discuss his "roadmap" (if you'll pardon the obvious pun) to reduce the cost of auto insurance in Colorado.

Roadmap to Reduce Auto Insurance Premiums | Gov. Office - Operations

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Other Stuff

An interesting idea from Republicans. On the one hand, having so much government involvement in health care is exactly why the system is so expensive and so unpopular. This does almost nothing to fix it. And politicians will keep bidding against each other to raise the bribes to voters. This could be a small positive in terms of getting customers/patients to focus on costs and not overconsume healthcare but it's fraught with peril. Meanwhile, if this is really a good idea, why not just double everybody's taxes and then give it all back to people. No, all these programs are stupid it's just that they might be slightly less stupid than the other government-based alternative.

I'm surprised that the idea might come up for a vote very soon (even if it's not actually part of ending the shutdown.) A little scary to think that a plan this big might be enacted with so very little congressional debate or public understanding of the details. I hope it gets much more examination before a vote: Senate Closes In on Vote on Ending Government Shutdown - WSJ

Oh, speaking of bad ideas, this is much worse than a 50-year mortgage: Trump again promises $2,000 tariff dividend as SCOTUS decision looms

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Pro sports has some work to do to regain and maintain an image of being fair and honest, but the story just keeps getting worse: Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase, Luis Ortiz indicted in gambling-scheme bombshell

Isaac Dulgarian's coach speaks out amid UFC betting controversy, boots Dulgarian off team - Yahoo Sports

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James Watson (co-discoverer of the structure of DNA), RIP

James Watson, Who Helped Discover the Structure of DNA, Is Dead at 97 - The New York Times

James Watson – Biographical - NobelPrize.org

This is fascinating: Photo 51 - Wikipedia

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I wrote a long note pondering the implications of last week's elections. If you'd like to read it (and hopefully subscribe to my Substack for free), it's here: Weekend thoughts: Trump's troubles - by Ross Kaminsky

As an add-on to the point I made in that note about overly aggressive immigration enforcement hurting the Trump administration politically, here's a good local example. IF the facts as laid out in this story are true, this is a travesty: ICE arrests Afghan immigrant who helped U.S. fight Taliban

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BBC execs fall on their swords (as they should). But will anything change? BBC director general Tim Davie and News CEO Deborah Turness resign over Trump documentary edit

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Mostly symbolic but still, wow: Trump pardons top allies who aided bid to subvert the 2020 election - POLITICO

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I just love this story: Mamdani Taking Heat for Charging Loyal Supporters $13 a Beer at Campaign Victory Party

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Good point by Jon re MM margin of victory vs FF a few years ago: Colorado’s commie election | CALDARA - Denver Gazette

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I absolutely need to buy this and we absolutely need Jeana, Dragon, and I to try it on the air: Kraft Releases Apple Pie-Flavored Mac and Cheese Meant for Thanksgiving

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I'm surprised it took this long to get this bad. This was almost the most likely pressure point to force the gov't to re-open but SNAP is in that conversation now as well: Travel misery at airports as FAA cuts lead to thousands of cancellations and delays

It's silly that air traffic control is a government function at this point. We've been through this before and we should long ago have put it under the auspices of, for example, a non-profit funded by the airlines and/or airports. Then this problem goes away. As I've said before, there are bureaucrats and politicians who like the power they have if they're in the business of regulating this part of the industry so they will resist. We should remove them from their jobs and offices when they do so.

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Interesting article about Colorado wolves: The Facebook surveillance group tracking wolves in Colorado

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Pretty good accomplishment by Trump, but the problems with drug pricing will not be solved one or two drugs at a time: Trump, Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk unveil deals to cut obesity drug prices

Axios Future of Health Care - Details of GLP-1 deals

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Good for her: Jennifer Lawrence Admits Why She Stopped Talking About Donald Trump

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Today's Video

It's probably worth going (or going back) to Egypt just to go to this museum