Good Morning, Newsies! Today’s GNR title comes from this BlueSky contributor, Lisa Reyna Loe:
🎩
Lots today so let’s get straight to the news.
😡 Republicans in Disarray 😫
Things are so unnervingly awful that we forget just how much the Republicans are unraveling. They are rushing to try to grab power corruptly because they know they cannot win legitimately. They are panicky because they know that terrible secrets may be uncovered at any moment. They are increasing their violence and cruelty because they are weak and terrified of the far greater majority of we, the people.
And most of all, their corrupt chaotic movement is under the thrall of a shambolic, senile old crook, incapable of even the most rudimentary understanding of politics or history and possessing even less empathy than understanding. What an utterly despicable loser.
Chaotic, Incoherent Corruptor in Chief Continues
CBS Edits Out Trump Corruption Meltdown From 60 Minutes Interview, Hafiz Rashid, The New Republic, November 3, 2025.
Trump’s televised interview was only 28 minutes long, with CBS also releasing a 73-minute extended cut online. But neither video contained Trump’s full answer after interviewer Norah O’Donnell asked the president about people he pardoned, specifically Changpeng Zhao, the co-founder and former CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Binance.✂️
Trump’s full response was missing from video posted online but was in CBS’s published transcript.
“I can’t say, because—I can’t say—I’m not concerned. I don’t—I’d rather not have you ask the question. But I let you ask it. You just came to me and you said, ‘Can I ask another question?’ And I said, yeah. This is the question …” Trump replied, going on to dodge the question and touting cryptocurrency.
“We’re No. 1 in crypto in the whole world,” Trump said. “Other people wanna be. They’re fighting like hell to be. But we’re No. 1 in crypto because I’m the president.… We are No. 1 in crypto, and that’s the only thing I care about. I don’t want China or anybody else to take it away. It’s a massive industry,” Trump said.
⬆️ ⬇️ Telling on himself...
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Granted the transcript of Trump's interview last night indicated he was his usual incoherent self, but I thought he said they had agreed to send these chips? Did I misread? Did he misspeak? Or is he clueless about what his own admin is doing?
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— Khashoggi's Ghost (@urocklive1.bsky.social) November 3, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Trump reverses course on attending Supreme Court arguments this week, Josh Gerstein and Alex Gangitano, Politico, November 3, 2025.
The justices are set to weigh a pair of legal challenges to Trump’s use of emergency powers to impose tariffs on several countries by invoking a nearly 50-year-old law. No president before Trump has used the law, known as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, to impose tariffs, which have brought in tens of billions of dollars to the U.S. government.
Trump’s decision came after at least one prominent Trump ally indicated it would be unwise for the president to attend.
“I think it’s a mistake,” Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana told POLITICO last week. “I’m sure the president is interested in the arguments,” Kennedy added. “Some may interpret it as an attempt to put pressure on the justices, and I think if the justices receive it that way, I’m not saying they will or they won’t, but if they do perceive it that way, I think it will backfire.”
Like all malignant narcissists, he always tells on himself. He undermines the cover up every time they try to create one. This is why they will all go down to defeat — his own pathology will bring him down (along with the Republicans who propped him up):
Know-Nothing Republikkkans
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RAJU: Last week you were very critical of Biden's use of the autopen. But Trump admitted on 60 Minutes to not knowing he pardoned a crypto billionaire who pleaded guilty to money laundering. Does that also concern you?
MIKE JOHNSON: I don't know anything about that. I didn't see it. I'm not sure.
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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) November 3, 2025 at 9:26 AM
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Mike Johnson’s entire strategy has been an objective failure that’s tanking the entire Republican Party, yet he continues to go out there every day and do the exact same thing. Truly incredible to watch. Keep going, MAGA Mike!
— MeidasTouch (@meidastouch.com) November 3, 2025 at 9:24 AM
Note the weird performance going on about the filibuster. Both Moses Mike and the WSJ are singing from the same hymn book. Huh. 🤔
Mike Johnson openly defies Trump's shutdown demand, Alexander Willis, Raw Story, November 3, 2025.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) publicly broke with President Donald Trump Monday after speaking out against eliminating the filibuster, which Trump has demanded Republicans do in recent days.
Trump ordered Republicans “terminate the filibuster” – a procedural rule in the Senate that allows a member to block a measure that receives less than 60 votes – as recently as Sunday night as a way to circumvent the 60-vote threshold required to adopt a spending bill in the Senate and re-open the government, now on its 34th day as of Monday and just a day away from tying the record for the longest-government shutdown in history.✂️
“As much as I have wanted to blow up the filibuster sometimes as a House member when we're not getting what we wanted done in our agenda, I hear my Senate Republican colleagues – some of the most conservative people in Congress – who say it's an important safe guard. It holds us back from the Democrats' worst impulses.”
Seems more like a trap WSJ is trying to set for Dems, but go on…
Both Johnson and the WSJ recited a litany of Democratic wish list items that nuking the filibuster would supposedly have allowed or would allow in some imagined future. These remarks seem aimed more at frustrated Democrats, but what do I know 🤷🏼♀️
'Dumb': WSJ editorial warns Trump's wild demand will send GOP into devastating trap, Matthew Chapman, Raw Story, November 3, 2025.
As President Donald Trump grows increasingly shocked and frustratedthat Democrats in Congress haven't caved to him yet in the weekslong federal government shutdown, he is ramping up demands for Republicans in the Senate to do away with the legislative filibuster — the rule requiring 60 votes to pass most bills — and steamroll Democrats to reopen the government without them.✂️
"Republicans would be dumb and hurt the country by breaking the filibuster," wrote the board. "Republicans could end the government shutdown on a partisan vote, but then what? The GOP will have taken the fraught step of breaking the filibuster for appropriations. Democrats will pound the table in faux outrage, but they’ll privately be cheering at what they’ll be able to pass the next time they control Washington — perhaps as soon as 2029 when Mr. Trump is out of office."
But this would be a huge mistake, warned the conservative Wall Street Journal editorial board. In fact, he would deliver the whole GOP into a trap that hands Democrats far more power in the long run.✂️
NYC Mayoral Election
Republicans are as weird as ever, even in otherwise cool NYC! 😎
LOL, it will never happen (come on, not even MAGA NYers will move away from the second greatest city in the USA 😁), and yet a liberal can dream! 😴😉
😘 Here’s hoping...
😆 lol
Cuomo also got a frantic half caps, last-minute endorsement from 45 — hopefully that will be the final nail in the coffin of his benighted campaign. 🤞🙏🏼
In other news...
Did someone say poll?
Even though he is hiding from the campaign trail, you can be sure that 45 is as obsessed with his “numbers” as ever. And these polling numbers are bad news for him (so good news for us!)
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New WaPo/ABC poll:
45% of Americans blame Trump and congressional Republicans for the shutdown. 33% blame Democrats.
By a 2-to-1 margin, Independents blame Trump and Republicans over Democrats: 46% to 23%.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1.bsky.social) October 31, 2025 at 3:15 PM
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It's not accurate to claim that Trump's support is cratering. We also shouldn't assume there isn't a floor to his approval. But there is one shift that should worry him: Republican support going from strong to weak. www.pbump.net/o/the-number...
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— Philip Bump (@pbump.com) November 3, 2025 at 12:50 PM
It remains incredible to me that Trump is not out campaigning anywhere for any candidate. It’s a sign of how weak and unpopular he has become. He always needs to be the center of attention and yet here we are in the closing days of the election and he remains cloistered, weary of and distant from the people, as he has become in his decline, his madness, his corrupt “more for me and less for all of you” authoritarianism.
The rash of polls we received in recent days all tell the same story - he and his agenda are incredibly unpopular.✂️
And it is important to note that the national political dynamic now isn’t just Trump’s struggles - our brand has begun to recover and gain strength, something I discuss and write about at length here. Sherrill and Spanberger have been consistently over 50% in polls this past week. Yes On 50 has a big lead in California. As I’ve been sharing Dems now lead in most polls on the economy and inflation, a seismic shift in our politics.
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Trump's job approval in polls since Friday:
- 37%-63% (-26) CNN
- 41%-59% (-18) CBS
- 41%-56% (-15) Strength In Numbers
- 43%-57% (-14) ABC/Washington Post
- 43%-56% (-13) NewsNation
- 43%-55% (-12) NBC News
There's a reason he isn't campaigning.
www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/trump-limp...
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— Simon Rosenberg (@simonwdc.bsky.social) November 3, 2025 at 10:10 AM
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The corporate media isn't reflecting how unpopular Trump is right now, but his approval rating is primed to go even lower -- consumers are now feeling the price hikes from tariffs, the government shutdown has claimed SNAP, and ICE lawlessness is ramping up. At some point soon, it will break through.
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— Kevin M. Kruse (@kevinmkruse.bsky.social) November 3, 2025 at 4:08 PM
💙 Democrats are Great 💙
Federal Dems
Democrats are in the minority in Congress and therefore have limited power, but they are using the leverage they do have to push back against this corrupt maladministration.
Leader Jeffries (D-NY)
Hakeem Jeffries Says Trump Is Running “Pedophile Protection Program”, Hafiz Rashid, The New Republic, November 3, 2025.
Jeffries said that Grijalva hasn’t been sworn in by House Speaker Johnson because she would be the deciding vote on legislation requiring the Department of Justice to release the Epstein files.
“Week after week after week have gone by, and Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva is unable to serve 800,000 people in the state of Arizona all because of the pedophile protection program being run by Mike Johnson and House Republicans at the direction of their boss, Donald J. Trump,” Jeffries added.✂️
Johnson has set a record by how long he is taking to swear in Grijalva and is refusing to do so until the government reopens. Meanwhile, Trump is trying his best to dismiss the files’ importance, likely because he’s mentioned in them, and the GOP continues to cover for him.
Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR)
Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA 37)
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@sydneykamlager.bsky.social: Trump "is out of touch with reality. I think he is in cognitive decline, but he did not run to be president to actually help this country. He ran to exert maximum pain, as he and speaker Mike Johnson have said over and over during the course of the shutdown."
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— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen.bsky.social) November 3, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Rep. Leigh Finke (D-MN)
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there is no hierarchy of citizenship.
there are only citizens. All citizens are imbued with the same legal protections and rights in the U.S.
Some citizens born, some citizens are naturalized, both are fully and equally citizens.
the end.
— Rep. Leigh Finke (@leighfinke.bsky.social) November 2, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS)
DNC Chair Ken Martin
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DNC Chair Ken Martin: You have Trump throwing Great Gatsby parties while people are starving in this country. At a time when people are getting kicked off of their health insurance, Trump is focused on marble bathrooms in the White House. The Democrats are focused on actually improving your life.
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— FactPost (@factpostnews.bsky.social) November 3, 2025 at 10:45 AM
State Dems
Gov. J B Pritzker (D-IL)
Pritzker Tells Trump To F*ck Off On Education, No Really, Frances Langum, Crooks and Liars, November 3, 2025.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker brings the fire before the American Federation of Teachers last month (video went viral this weekend) and wins this season's Don't Sugarcoat It Award:
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA)
Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA)
Gov. Shapiro signs disaster declaration, announces $5M in funding for Pennsylvania food banks, WXPI, October 31, 2025.
Pennsylvanians who rely on SNAP benefits are getting some help from the state.
Gov. Josh Shapiro on Friday announced $5 million in state funding to Feeding Pennsylvania, which will distribute funds through its network of food banks.
Shapiro also signed a declaration of disaster emergency to speed up funding and hasten the delivery of state resources.
NY AG Letitia James
Municipal Dems
Zohran Mamdani knows how to win, Amanda Marcotte, Salon, November 3, 2025.
Not just in New York — Mamdani's campaign shows how to inspire voters nationwide
“After this campaign, I definitely will be a lot more involved in politics going forward and volunteering for other campaigns.”
These words, from a 27-year-old supporter of Zohran Mamdani, perfectly distills why the fresh-faced candidate for New York City‘s mayor has a lot to teach Democrats nationwide. As Salon’s Russell Payne reported last week, one reason Mamdani has pulled ahead in the polls, despite a coordinated effortbetween Republicans and old guard Democrats to stop him, is that “Mamdani’s campaign has stood up an army of more than 90,000 volunteers in the general election.”✂️
Among the centrist pundit class, it’s become standard to claim that Mamdani’s campaign is not a national story, that the rise of this self-described democratic socialist is unique to the bright blue environs of New York City. But the staggering rate of volunteerism on behalf of Mamdani’s campaign is evidence that the story of his candidacy — and what it could portend for Democrats — reaches far beyond the five boroughs. And the monied set’s tantrum certainly suggests this isn’t just a local story of no great importance.
Democratic Voters
Democrats are more enthusiastic about the midterms as Trump’s approval hits a second-term low, CNN poll finds, Jennifer Agiesta, CNN, November 3, 2025.
One year out from the midterm elections, the Democratic Party holds a sizable enthusiasm advantage as views of President Donald Trump dip further into negative territory, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS.✂️
Registered voters who are Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents are far more likely than Republican-aligned voters to say they are extremely motivated to vote next year (67% compared with 46%). Those Democratic-aligned voters who consider the state of democracy to be a top concern are perhaps the most fired up within the party: 82% in that group say they are deeply motivated to vote, compared with 57 % among Democratic-aligned voters who call the economy their top concern.
CNN’s poll results suggest that the Democratic Party’s ongoing internal image troubles may not necessarily translate into defections at the ballot box. Democratic-aligned voters remain far less fond of their own party (65% have a favorable view of the Democratic Party) than Republican-aligned voters (80% have a favorable view of the GOP), but even those Democratic-aligned voters with a negative view of the party are almost universally behind the Democratic candidate in their district (93%) and broadly motivated to vote (71% say they are extremely motivated).
People are always more positive when they see themselves as on the winning side (here, R voters), so no surprises on that score. What matters is who is planning to VOTE and for whom. The Dems have the lead there.
⚖️ Courts Holding to the Law ⚖️
Obviously there are bad actors placed on the courts by the corrupt Republican administrations over the years, but still the courts seem to be mostly holding the line on the rule of law.
A Step Closer to the Release of Volume II of Jack Smith's Final Report, Allison Gill, The Breakdown, November 3, 2025.
The Knight Institute - a Columbia University non-profit then filed a Freedom of Information Act request, which Trump’s DOJ promptly denied - citing Judge Cannon’s injunction. You would think that since there’s no further proceedings in this case, and given the massive public interest, the report could be released. But no.
On February 14th, the Knight Institute filed a motion to intervene in the criminal case on Judge Cannon’s docket - which she has ignored for the past 8 months.
About a month ago, The Knight Institute filed a writ of mandamus with the 11th Circuit, asking them to order Judge Cannon to rule on their petition. Today, the 11 Circuit Court of Appeals gave her 60 days to do so✂️
You can read the 11th Circuit’s ruling here.
The three-judge panel is comprised of an Obama appointee, a Biden appointee, and a Trump appointee; Jill Pryor, Abudu, and Grant.
(Side note: Interesting connection with Columbia University. I wonder if that is what set 45 off to go after Columbia last spring? 🤔)
Meanwhile, Jack Smith is determined to present his case:
'Unintimidated' Jack Smith vows to present case against Trump: report, David Badash, Raw Story, November 3, 2025.
“Mr. Smith, the special counsel who twice indicted Mr. Trump, appears unintimidated by the president’s demand that Republican lawmakers investigate him and that the Justice Department put him in prison for as-yet unproved and unspecified crimes,” The New York Timesreported on Monday.✂️
Remember that Jack Smith spent years at the Hague International Criminal Court prosecuting war criminals!
“Smith also said that he had ‘tons of evidence’ that Mr. Trump had willingly retained the classified documents at his residence in Mar-a-Lago and tried ‘to obstruct the investigation.'”
According to those in his “orbit,” Smith is looking forward to presenting the evidence against Trump from the two cases that were scuttled by the U.S. Supreme Court’s immunity ruling and that of a highly controversial federal judge’s decision
“Mr. Smith, who spent more than two years aggressively collecting evidence to prove Mr. Trump mishandled classified documents and tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election, appears eager to publicly challenge a foundational pillar of MAGA canon: that the president was a sinned-upon innocent who did nothing to deserve scrutiny, much less two prosecutions,” according to the Times, which notes that Smith now sits atop Trump’s “prosecutorial hit list,” along with former Biden Attorney General Merrick Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.
If you have an hour, here is a conversation between Jack Smith with Andrew Weissman held about two weeks ago: The State of the United States: A Conversation with Jack Smith, October 14, 2025.
45’s attempt to use the military against the American people may be a bridge too far even for this SCOTUS
187. "Regular Forces" and the Insurrection Act, Steve Vladeck, One First, November 4, 2025.
The fact that the Court issued this briefing order thus suggests at least four things: First, there aren’t five votes for the Trump administration on the non-reviewability issue (because, if there were, there’d be no need to ask about § 12406(3)); second, there aren’t five votes on the “rebellion” issue (ditto); third, the Court finds this argument plausible enough to at least require the Justice Department to respond; and fourth, the Court is comfortable keeping Judge Ellis’s TRO in place for at least 2.5 more weeks (the time from when it issued the briefing order through when the reply briefs are due). Whatever else might be said about the additional question the justices posed (about which more shortly), all of those are, in my view, good signs for Illinois.
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Today's "One First" dives into the question #SCOTUS is now asking in the Illinois National Guard case—and why "regular forces" *does* mean only the military; why the Trump administration should therefore *lose*; and why that *won't* necessarily provide a justification to invoke the Insurrection Act:
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— Steve Vladeck (@stevevladeck.bsky.social) November 3, 2025 at 6:29 AM
💙 To Your Good Health 💙
How are you all doing with the recent time change? It sure feels strange for a few days, doesn't it? Here are some articles on how to make it work for you:
The time change is a chance to reset your sleep schedule – especially for teens, Sarah Boden, NPR, November 2, 2025.
The switch from daylight saving to standard time offers a reprieve for those who need more sleep.
This picture doesn’t seem to have much to do with my search query for “standard time”, but I like it, so here it is anyway!
Clocks fell back an hour on Sunday morning and many people may have enjoyed an extra hour of slumber. Going forward, this change means darker evenings and brighter mornings — and you can take advantage of that morning light to reset your sleep schedule.
This can be especially helpful for teenagers who get chronically little sleep. Three out of four high school students don't get enough shut-eye, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.✂️
An hour or so of extra rest is fine, but Crowley agrees with Patel that it's best to get up at about the same time every day — even Saturdays.
And Crowley's research has found that, unfortunately, long naps can exacerbate the problem because it weakens the homeostatic sleep drive by causing teens to feel tired even later. Crowley recommends capping naps at 30 minutes.
A big challenge a lot of teens face is they just don't feel tired at night, though Crowley says the recent change to standard time is a chance to transition into a better schedule.
Say you usually go to bed at midnight. Maybe tonight, turn off the lights at 11 p.m. It will probably still feel like midnight to your body, but you'll wake up with an extra hour of rest.
To optimize health, sync your habits with your body clock. Here's how, Allison Aubrey, NPR, November 3, 2025.
The body is an exquisite time-keeping machine. And growing evidence shows that if you align your daily habits with your circadian rhythms — including when you sleep, eat, and exercise — you can help fend off chronic disease and optimize good health.✂️
Light from the sun serves as the external cue to resynchronize the master clock. That's why it's helpful to open the blinds in the morning and spend time outdoors.
And, it turns out, our first bite of food each day also works as an external cue to sync the clocks in our digestive system and throughout our bodies.
"Food is also a signal to reset the clocks, especially your gut," Manoogian says. "That's one of the reasons why making sure you're eating at the right time relative to light is important."
1. Drop the late night snack, and limit the hours you eat.
2. Go to bed about the same time most nights
3. Time exercise to your 'sweet spot,' but not too late at night
Good News (you may not have heard about) in October
Repeating this from Jessiestaf’s GNR yesterday:
Music is good for your health!
You all know I am a lover of classical music, and Yo-Yo Ma is one of my favorite musicians. This delightful Q&A with him is a pleasure to watch. Enjoy!
🥘 🥙 Resistance Recipes 🍞 🥗
Artisan Bread Recipe Q&A: A note before I continue with this section: I saw a comment in my last GNR where a Newsie asked about the quick artisan bread recipe. Unfortunately, I didn’t see the question until it was too late to reply. The question was about the temperature of the water into which you dissolve the yeast. The answer and some further tips below:
1. Best to use lukewarm tap water for the Artisan Bread recipe. It will work with even cooler water (takes longer to rise, but it will), but I think you get best results in 2 hours with lukewarm water. Important: Do not use hot water, it will kill the yeast.
2. The recipe calls for kosher salt which is best. Kosher salt is coarse so 1 or 1½ tablespoons is fine. If you are using regular table salt, though, reduce the amount! I’d use ½ to 3/4 tablespoon of fine ground salt.
3. If you have a 6 qt container that is taller than it is wide (like this one I have), it is going to be necessary to mix the ingredients in a wider shallower bowl first and then turn the dough into the 6qt container to rest and rise and store in the fridge. If you try to mix it inside the taller container, the dough will get claggy and too dry before you can incorporate all of the flour. Just stir it together in a regular wide mixing bowl and then use your wooden spoon to turn out the dough directly into the storing container if you’re using one.
4. I cannot stress enough DON’T OVERWORK THE DOUGH. Literally just mix the flour and yeast mixture with a spoon until the flour is incorporated (1-2 minutes with a wooden spoon should do it) and then just let it rest and rise at room temperature. Cover it lightly (either with a clean dishtowel or the lid of the 6qt container, left slightly ajar).
5. Preheat the oven thoroughly before baking and use a bread/pizza stone if you have one. If you don’t have a stone, try using an upside down iron frying pan as the stone. You can use parchment paper under the resting loaf and that can go straight onto the stone. Be sure to use the water that is mentioned to make the oven moist for that excellent crust.
6. If you can make the dough, rise it and put it in the fridge the day before you want the bread, you will find it easier to handle. It will be fine in the fridge for a week or two (although I find it nicest to use within the first week).
7. The way to be sure your bread is fully baked is to tap it (on bottom); it should sound kind of hollow.
This recipe is FOOLPROOF as long as you follow it exactly. You will get 3-4 nice round boules from one batch of this batter and it is restaurant quality delicious, I promise!
Best of all, you don’t need any fancy equipment for it and the ingredients are cheap!
Chickpea sticks with tahini dipping sauce: Here’s a delicious and vegan-friendly recipe for a protein rich snack!
No-Bake Cheesecake: This cheesecake recipe sounds really good. I’m not usually a fan of pears in baking (I find they don’t keep a good bright flavor) — but I am still interested in trying this! If the pears don’t work out, there is always the orange marmalade that she recommended also as a variation.
Cheesecake, perfected with granola, Ashlie D. Stevens, Salon, October 23, 2025.
No-Bake Cheesecake with Ginger-Pear Filling and Granola
Ingredients
Crust
1 ½ cups Walker’s shortbread, or graham crackers/Biscoff/Nilla Wafers, finely crushed
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake Filling
16 oz (2 blocks) cream cheese, softened
½ cup sour cream
½ cup powdered sugar (or to taste)
1–2 teaspoons honey (optional, for golden warmth)
Zest of 1 lemon
Ginger-Pear Filling
2–3 ripe pears (Bosc, Anjou, or Bartlett), peeled, cored, and diced
1–2 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger (or ½ teaspoon ground ginger)
2–3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Optional: 1 tsp cornstarch + 1 tsp water, for quicker thickening
Alternative: ½ cup good-quality orange marmalade (for weeknight shortcuts)
Granola Topping
½–¾ cup granola, homemade or store-bought
Directions
-Make the crust: Pulse your cookies in a food processor until they resemble fine crumbs.Stir in the melted butter until the mixture holds together when pressed. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan (or individual serving glasses, if preferred). Chill in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
-Prepare the cheesecake filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sour cream together until smooth and glossy. Add the powdered sugar, honey (if using), and lemon zest; beat just until combined. Taste and adjust sweetness if needed.
-Spread the filling evenly over the chilled crust and return to the fridge while you make the fruit layer.
-Cook the ginger-pear filling: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the pears, ginger, sugar, and lemon juice. Cook until the pears soften and release their juices, about 10–15 minutes. Optional: If you want a thicker jam quickly, stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook for another 1–2 minutes until glossy and thickened. Remove from heat and let cool slightly before spooning over the cheesecake layer. (Or swap in orange marmalade for a fast weeknight version.)
-Assemble the cheesecake: Spoon the ginger-pear mixture evenly over the cheesecake filling. Sprinkle granola generously over the top, adding clusters wherever you like for that sweet, nubbly crunch.
-Chill and serve: Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 2–3 hours, or until set. Slice carefully and serve with an extra sprinkle of granola if desired.
🍹 Spiced Apple Cider Sangria~ Spiced apple cider sangria: A festive beverage that's bursting with fall flavours
Ingredients
- 2 cups apple cider, divided
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 10 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced
- 1 Honeycrisp apple, thinly sliced
- 1 orange, thinly sliced
- 1 blood orange, thinly sliced
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 (750 ml) bottle dry white wine or sparkling white wine, chilled
- ¼ cup brandy, optional
To serve:
- 1–2 cups club soda or sparkling water, chilled
- Apple slices, as desired
- Orange slices, as desired
Preparation
In a small saucepan, combine ½ cup of apple cider, the sugar, cardamom pods and ginger. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar fully dissolves. Continue to simmer for a few more minutes to allow the flavours to infuse. Remove the pan from the heat, and let the syrup cool completely. Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain the syrup into a jar and discard the solids. Set the syrup aside or, if you’re making it in advance, refrigerate up to 1 week (or 3 days if you omit the sugar).
In a large pitcher, add the apple slices, orange slices and lime juice. Pour in the syrup, remaining 1½ cups apple cider, white wine and brandy, if using. Stir well.
Cover the sangria and place it in the fridge for 2 to 4 hours to allow the flavours to develop.
When ready to serve, fill a glass two-thirds of the way with sangria. Top with club soda or sparkling water, and garnish with fruit slices as desired. Enjoy!
Serves 6 to 8
Humor Corner, Canadian Style 🎃🇨🇦😁
⚡️ Lightning RoundUp ⚡️
⚡️ Essential: The Downballot's 2025 election preview, David Nir and Jeff Singer, The Downballot, November 3, 2025.
⚡️ Helpful! Your Cheat Sheet to the 2025 General Elections, Daniel Nichanian, Bolts, October 1, 2025.
⚡️ Also helpful! Elections Mailbag: Your Questions on Next Week’s Races, Answered, Daniel Nichanian, Bolts, October 27, 2025.
⚡️ Reupping this very helpful guide: Psycho Pete's Guide for Boycotting the Big Orange Menace, Psycho Pete, July 2025.
⚡️ How Do We Rebuild After Trump? Ryan Cooper, The American Prospect, October 31, 2025.
⚡️ Most Americans Are Seeing the Dangers of Trump’s Authoritarianism, Robert P. Jones, the Contrarian, November 3, 2025.
⚡️ 📚 New book out today: ‘If it was anybody else, we’d arrest him tomorrow,' Justice Department aide said of Trump, Carol Leonnig and Aaron C. Davis, Injustice: How Politics and Fear Vanquished America’s Justice Department, November 4, 2025.
⚡️ Should Democrats Gerrymander Too? History Says Yes. Joshua Zeitz, Politico, November 3, 2025.
⚡️ Fascinating interview: One writer’s plan to rescue baseball from itself, Jason Kyle Howard, Salon, November 3, 2025.
⚡️ Excellent longer read: The Utopianism of the Meritocrats, Matthew McManus, Liberal Currents, October 25, 2025.
⚡️ What a relief! Here’s proof that those iPhone typos you keep making aren’t your fault, Filipe Esposito, MacWorld, October 27, 2025.
⚡️ If You Still Don't Believe Me About Voters, Take This Quiz, Rachel Bitecofer, The Cycle, October 30, 2025.
⚡️ 🎧 This May Be the Most Consequential Moment in US History Since the Civil War, Bernie Sanders, Common Dreams, November 3, 2025.
⚡️ 🎧 Trump’s Angry New Tirades Push Mike Johnson Into Awkward Clean-Up Mode, Greg Sargent, The Daily Blast, TNR, November 3, 2025.
⚡️ 🎧 Just Ask the Press - Democrats on the precipice of a victory? Brian Karem, Just Ask the Question, November 3, 2025.
⚡️ 🔥 🎤
💙 RoundUp WindDown 💙
That’s it from me and CG for another week and a hopeful Election Day. CG says sorry for no CG’s Picks today — it was incredible how we couldn’t find any cute animal stories! I think we were just too tired after gathering the news. Next time, CG says, she will try to bring you double!
Take good care of yourselves — eat nutritious food, get some rest and try to spend some time every day outdoors.
I’ll leave you with an excerpt from another excellent essay by A.R. Moxon. He makes an important point that echoes what Goody wrote a couple of Saturdays ago — that people follow an example, and we can provide a better example than these cruel, soulless, fascists. Let’s all do that.
I probably can't make somebody feel shame who ought to. I can't make careless people care. But I can care at least, and so can you. Those who are joining it will have their goal of carelessness complicated by the sight of us. Those who are being told by the new fascist boundaries of shame that they don't belong will be told they do belong. Those who are being ground under the wheels of this latest fascist machine will see who cares, and in that we will be situated to provide whatever assistance we can. And, by caring, we will learn how to care better. We will learn how to assist more effectively. And, wherever we stand, the line will not be redrawn, but held. It may be mixed into the tangle of confused discourse, but those interested in redemption seek it and find it. It's a bright line, and if anyone wants to follow it, they can find their redemption. Those disinterested in redemption will seek to hide it, and by their choice we will know them.
In this shameful careless age, we can and should and must choose to not be careless people.
The Death of Shame, A.R. Moxon, The Reframe, November 3, 2025.
Thank you for reading. Happy Tuesday, Gnuville!
![US Flag against blue sky. [Size small, 248 x 248] Tags Good News Gnus](https://images.dailykos.com/images/689612/large/USFlagagainstblueskysmallTagsGoodNewsGnus.jpg?1561513575 "US Flag against blue sky. [Size small, 248 x 248] Tags Good News Gnus")
