November 13

USDA uses keyword searches including "diversity" and "climate modeling" to target grants for cancellation

Internal USDA documents obtained by Reuters showed that staff at the Department of Agriculture had been directed to search grant databases for keyword terms — including "diversity," "equity," "climate modeling," "environmental justice," and "gender" — to identify grants for potential cancellation. The keyword-screening approach bypassed the peer-review process that normally governs grant decisions and substituted ideological filtering for scientific evaluation. Affected grants included research on sustainable agriculture, rural food security, soil carbon sequestration, and crop adaptation to changing temperatures. Scientists whose multi-year grants were flagged by keyword had no opportunity to respond before their funding was frozen pending review. The revelation exposed how a mechanized, automated approach to ideological screening could operate across an entire federal grant portfolio, touching thousands of awards across dozens of fields without any case-by-case scientific judgment.

Trump proposes 50-year mortgage despite Dodd-Frank barrier and expert warnings

In mid-November 2025, President Trump proposed 50-year mortgages to address housing affordability. Under Dodd-Frank, mortgages longer than 30 years do not qualify as "qualified mortgages" and cannot receive Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac backing, making lender participation unlikely without legislation. FHFA Director Bill Pulte called it a "game changer," but housing economists warned longer terms increase total interest costs, slow equity building, and could inflate home prices.

Federal workers await backpay after missing two paychecks during shutdown

As the 43-day shutdown ended November 13, 2025, over 1.4 million federal employees awaited backpay for nearly $14 billion in withheld wages. Workers expected first partial payments November 16–19 covering only base pay through November 1. Contract workers — not covered by the 2019 Government Employee Fair Treatment Act — received no guaranteed backpay.

Supreme Court agrees to hear Watson v. RNC on Mississippi mail-in ballot deadline

The Supreme Court agreed to hear Watson v. Republican National Committee, a challenge to Mississippi's law allowing mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted if received within five days after. The RNC argues the law extends Election Day in violation of federal statute. A ruling could force 17 states and D.C. to change their ballot receipt laws, affecting tens of millions of voters. Oral arguments expected spring 2026; ruling by summer 2026.

Trump signs the "Fostering the Future" executive order on foster care

President Trump signed the "Fostering the Future" executive order on November 13, 2025, championed by First Lady Melania Trump. The EO directed federal agencies to modernize foster care by creating an online platform connecting youth to housing, education, and career resources. OPM opened federal hiring pathways for former foster youth; HUD and Treasury committed to financial literacy roundtables.

Shutdown Ends After 43 Days but SNAP Restoration Uneven Across States

Trump signed legislation ending the 43-day federal government shutdown on November 12, 2025, surpassing the 2018-2019 record to become the longest shutdown in US history. The reopening bill explicitly funded SNAP through September 30, 2026, but immediate benefit restoration was uneven: states with contingency funds restored full benefits within days while Mississippi and Alabama left recipients without November assistance for additional days. Food Bank of East Alabama executive director Martha Henk described the situation as chaotic, with calls from families and volunteers spiking sharply.

ACA enhanced subsidies expire after Senate leaves extension out of shutdown deal

The November 2025 shutdown deal that ended the 43-day funding lapse did not include an extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, which were set to expire December 31, 2025. Republicans held firm against including subsidy extensions. A Senate vote in December also failed to advance either party's health care plan, leaving millions facing premium hikes of up to $794/person beginning January 2026.

Hegseth announces Operation Southern Spear

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Operation Southern Spear on Nov. 13, 2025, putting a formal name on strikes U.S. Southern Command had run since September. He said the mission defends the homeland and removes narco-terrorists from the hemisphere. The announcement followed the 20th strike, with at least 80 people killed. A classified Justice Department memo recast the people on the boats as unlawful combatants the military could kill.

Ohio National Guard members form Signal chat to question Trump's city deployments

NPR reported on November 10 and 13, 2025 that Ohio National Guard members had formed an encrypted Signal group chat to share alarm about President Trump's orders deploying Guard units inside American cities. Three Guard members, identified only by initials to avoid retaliation, told NPR they questioned whether the deployments were legal and worried about being ordered to act against American citizens they would later have to answer for. The members described deployment orders as unusually vague, lacking clear missions, rules of engagement, or legal authority.

Harrell concedes Seattle mayor race to Wilson by 1,976 votes

The Seattle Times called the mayoral race for Katie Wilson on November 12, 2025, and Mayor Bruce Harrell conceded at Seattle City Hall on November 13. Wilson won with 50.20% of the vote to Harrell's 49.47%, a margin of 1,976 votes out of approximately 275,000 cast — the closest Seattle mayoral race in decades. Wilson became the first democratic socialist elected mayor of Seattle and the city's first mayor in nearly two decades without prior elected office experience.

CBS News reports Charlotte and New Orleans as next Border Patrol targets

Internal DHS documents reviewed by CBS News listed Charlotte and New Orleans as the next targets of the Trump administration's deportation campaign. The plans showed Border Patrol requesting armored vehicles and special operations teams for both cities, and DHS confirmed the Charlotte deployment publicly the next day.

GOP leaders brace for mass Republican defections as Johnson schedules the Epstein vote

CNN reported on Nov. 13, 2025 that House Republican leaders were bracing for a significant number of their members to defy President Trump and vote to release the Epstein files. The same day, Speaker Mike Johnson dropped his resistance and said he would put the bill on the floor the following week.

Judge Jeffrey Cummings orders release of warrantless Midway Blitz arrestees

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings ruled DHS violated the 2022 Castanon Nava consent decree by making warrantless immigration arrests in Illinois. He ordered 13 people freed immediately and hundreds more of roughly 615 warrantless arrestees released on bond into monitoring, with at least 313 by Nov. 21, and extended the decree into February 2026.

DOJ sues California over Prop 50 redistricting map but leaves Republican gerrymanders untouched

The DOJ filed suit against Gov. Newsom and CA Secretary of State Shirley Weber over Proposition 50, a voter-approved redistricting measure passed 64.4% on Nov. 4, 2025 that redrew congressional maps. AG Bondi called it a "brazen power grab" violating the Equal Protection Clause due to racial predominance. Critics noted the DOJ had not challenged Republican gerrymanders in Texas and Florida, raising selective enforcement concerns.

Hassett says October's jobs report won't include an unemployment rate

National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told reporters that the October jobs report would be released without an unemployment rate because the household survey wasn't conducted during the shutdown. "We will never know what the unemployment rate was in October," he said. It marked the first missing monthly rate since the modern series began in January 1948.

States issue uneven SNAP benefits as restoration turns chaotic after shutdown ends

When the government reopened November 13, 2025, SNAP restoration was chaotic: some states rushed to load full benefits during a narrow court-ordered window before the Supreme Court paused the order; others issued partial 65% allocations; still others issued nothing awaiting USDA guidance. USDA threatened states that had already dispersed benefits, leaving 42 million Americans in limbo.

NIH places program director Jenna Norton on administrative leave

NIH placed NIDDK program director Jenna Norton on paid administrative leave at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, the first day federal employees returned from the 43-day shutdown. The unsigned email from NIH human resources said the action was not for any disciplinary purpose, gave no reason, and cut off her email access. Norton, a lead organizer of the Bethesda Declaration, said the move was meant to scare and silence colleagues. An HHS official soon told reporters she was a radical leftist removed for criticizing the administration.

Speaker Johnson announces House vote on Epstein files for week of Nov. 17

Speaker Mike Johnson announced on Nov. 13, 2025 that the House would vote the following week on H.R. 4405, the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Johnson used his speaker authority to schedule the bill directly, bypassing the seven-legislative-day waiting period that discharge rules would have imposed. Rep. Ro Khanna said: "If you can't block the parade, you might as well get ahead of it."

Judge hears challenge to Lindsey Halligan's appointment as U.S. attorney in the Comey and James cases

U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie heard arguments in Alexandria, VA on whether AG Bondi's appointment of Lindsey Halligan as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia was lawful. Halligan signed the indictments of both James Comey and Letitia James. Their attorneys argued her 120-day appointment had expired, rendering her a private citizen when she acted before grand juries. The judge appeared skeptical and later ruled Halligan was unlawfully appointed, dismissing both cases.

FAA Maintains 6% Flight Cancellation Mandate at 40 Airports Even After Shutdown Ends

On November 13, 2025, the day after Trump signed the funding bill, the FAA ordered continued 6% flight cancellations at 40 major U.S. airports, citing persistent air traffic controller staffing shortfalls. The rate had grown from an initial 4% cut. The FAA began rolling back restrictions to 3% by November 14 as controller staffing gradually recovered, ultimately lifting all restrictions by November 16.

Trump announces trade frameworks with Argentina, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Ecuador to lower food prices

The Trump administration announced framework trade agreements with Argentina, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Ecuador on November 13, 2025, designed to lower food prices after months of denying tariff-driven inflation. Deals included removing reciprocal tariffs on certain goods and quadrupling Argentine beef import quotas. Coffee prices had spiked 18.9% and beef 14.7% year-over-year.

McConnell backed a hemp ban in the shutdown bill, threatening 300,000 jobs

Sen. Mitch McConnell was identified as the leading Senate proponent of the hemp THC ban tucked into the government shutdown deal, framing it as restoring the "original intent" of the 2018 Farm Bill he authored. McConnell's push to close the intoxicating hemp loophole before his retirement drew fierce opposition from Sen. Rand Paul, who called it job-killing overreach that would require destroying every hemp seed in the country.

Trump signs funding bill, ending record 43-day government shutdown

President Trump signed a government funding bill on November 12–13, 2025, ending a 43-day shutdown — the longest in U.S. history. The bill funded three full-year spending bills and a continuing resolution through January 30. Democrats conceded on ACA subsidy extensions. The shutdown began October 1 after Congress failed to pass appropriations, furloughing 670,000 workers and leaving 1.4 million more working without pay.

US drops reciprocal tariff on Argentine beef in further quota expansion

The Trump administration announced on November 13, 2025, that it would drop the reciprocal tariff on Argentine beef and further boost the quota, according to Roll Call reporting. The move came despite sustained opposition from Republican senators in cattle-producing states and both major beef industry trade groups. The administration framed the decision as a benefit for consumers and part of a broader trade relationship with Argentine President Javier Milei, whose economic program Trump had publicly praised.

Cornyn loses Senate majority leader race to Thune and becomes minority whip

Senate Republicans elected John Thune of South Dakota as Senate Majority Leader over John Cornyn of Texas in a 29-24 secret ballot vote, handing Cornyn a significant internal defeat. Cornyn had sought the top Senate leadership post after Mitch McConnell announced his retirement from leadership. The loss left Cornyn in a weakened institutional position heading into his 2026 reelection campaign, stripping him of the leverage that a majority leader title would have provided against a primary challenge.

Republicans secure control of the U.S. House

Republicans won the 218 seats needed to retain control of the House of Representatives. The result gave the party unified control of Congress and the presidency, though with a narrow House margin that would shape lawmaking and party discipline.