🚨 Trump Demands Democrats Be Hanged

Peter Rothpletz on the president’s musings about executing his political rivals, reports the US Coast Guard no longer classifies swastikas as hate symbols, and Elon Musk’s AI chatbot’s daddy issues.

On this day in 2019, Elon Musk unveiled the hideous monstrosity that is the Tesla Cybertruck. And in a hilarious blunder, his demonstration of its shatterproof windows resulted in not one, but two very broken windows.

Good morning! Peter here with a desperate plea. I have been listening to far too much Tame Impala of late. I need some good, fresh music for my running playlists; I tend to run 40 miles a week, after all! Tunes get dull fast!!! Hit me up in the comments with what you’ve been jamming out to recently!

In today’s ‘First Draft,’ Donald Trump repeatedly accuses Democratic lawmakers of sedition, Elon Musk’s AI chatbot crashes out, major races in California and Texas heat up, Lina Khan stands with Starbucks workers, and my pal and Zeteo colleague Swin knocks it out of the park on MSNBC… errr, sorry I mean MS NOW. We love the DIVA that is MS NOW!

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‘Punishable by DEATH’

Trump on Nov. 18, 2025. Photo by Photo by Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Yesterday morning, the president of the United States asserted that half a dozen of his political opponents should be hanged.

That they should be executed.

That they should be sent to the pits of Tartarus to rot, encircled by fire and smog.

Their crime? No, not inciting a violent rebellion. No, not directing funds toward a violent militia. No, not seeking to violently obstruct government proceedings – LIKE ALL THOSE JAN 6 PILLSBURY DOUGH FASCISTS WHOM TRUMP PARDONED.

The Democrats in question merely offered a middle school civics lesson.

That is what apparently signed their death warrants.

On Tuesday, former members of the military and intel community, including Senators Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), as well as Reps. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.), Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), and Jason Crow (D-Colo.) relayed the simple and widely understood fact that folks in the armed services “can refuse illegal orders.”

“This administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens,” these Dems asserted.

“The threats to our Constitution aren’t just coming from abroad, but from right here at home. Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders… No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution.”

Not to be That One Friend That’s Too Woke… but I was under the impression we all knew this? This is, after all, what separates us from, well, literal Nazis. Long ago, we as a society agreed that “just following orders” was a craven, evil, bullshit legal defense.

But I digress…

In response to this grade school history lecture, Trump proclaimed, “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL. Their words cannot be allowed to stand — We won’t have a Country anymore!!! An example MUST BE SET”

The president followed up by “re-Truthing” this charming sentiment: “HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!”

Yes, you can believe your eyes, that’s Cheeto Benito advocating for executing Democratic lawmakers.

Senate Minority Leader Schumer felt compelled to alert the Capitol Police. And House Democrats issued a joint statement about the “disgusting and dangerous death threats against Members of Congress.”

Here’s the thing… should Democrats start hyperventilating in reaction to this circus?

I am not an elected official. I am a C-list pundit and newsletter writer, so what do I know… But… Frankly, no.

In response to a question from the White House press corps regarding whether the president “wants to execute members of Congress,” White House flack secretary Karoline Leavitt stated succinctly yesterday, “no.”

Sadly, I must echo Leavitt:

OK.

But, I’m sorry, I digress again…

There is a most important takeaway from this sorry episode.

We must not lose sight of the fact that this same Republican Party, not five minutes ago, wrapped itself in sackcloth over the assassination of Charlie Kirk, moaning into every available microphone about the dark, corrosive dangers of violent rhetoric.

TO BE CLEAR, Kirk’s assassination was an unspeakable act of monstrous evil.

I say this because I genuinely believe in the First Amendment and vicious – but never violent – debate. The right? Not so much, it seems. I haven’t seen a single, major GOP official condemn Trump’s words.

Pathetic sacks of shit.

🗞️ What You Need to Know

• Swalwell That Ends Well: Rep. Eric Swalwell announced his bid to replace term-limited California Governor Gavin Newsom. “California’s next governor has two jobs. One, keep the worst president in history out of our homes, out of our streets, and out of our lives. …The second job of Governor is to bring a new California,” Swalwell wrote on his campaign website.

• I did Nazi that coming: The Coast Guard was set to re-classify the swastika, nooses, and other Nazi-era insignia as “potentially divisive” symbols instead of outright hate symbols, according to an updated manual first reported by the Washington Post. Department of Homeland Security official Tricia McLaughlin was caught lying, again, after claiming the Post story was fabricated, when the proof was literally published on the Pentagon’s own website. The Coast Guard then said it would revise the language of its policy change, and later last night re-established them as hate symbols.

• Everything’s bigger in Texas: The Lone Star State’s Democratic Senate primary widened overnight as Texas state Rep. James Talarico officially filed his bid. The rising star faces a tough contest against prominent opponents in former Congressman Colin Allred, and (if the rumors are true) Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, of “bleach-blonde, bad built butch body” fame.

• The Wrath of Khan: Former FTC Commissioner Lina Khan joined the picket line in New York on Thursday with members of Starbucks Workers United in their ongoing strike against the coffee giant. The union said it will add more than 20 new cities to its strike count, bringing it to a total of 95 stores across 65 cities.

• ICE heads to NOLA: As Border Patrol ends its immigration crackdown in Charlotte, North Carolina, agents are now headed to New Orleans, Louisiana, according to NBC News. The operation, dubbed “Swamp Sweep,” could begin as soon as Dec. 1.

• No more National Guard?: In Washington, DC, a federal judge ordered the federal government to end its deployment of the National Guard in the latest legal setback to Trump’s MAGA agenda. But the order won’t go into effect until December 11, giving the administration 21 days to appeal.

🧠 Pop Quiz!

What video game introduced the Cybertruck as a drivable vehicle, leading players to rally together to “destroy on sight”?

Keep your eyes out for the answer below!

Demands for an Israel Ban in European Soccer Grow

As Israel continues bombing Gaza, despite the ceasefire agreement, more voices are joining the calls for Israel to be excluded from international events. Zeteo’s political correspondent, Prem Thakker, has all the latest exclusive details:

More than 200 women from around the world, including prominent actors and writers, signed a letter sent to Barbara Čeferin, the wife of European Football (UEFA) President Aleksander Čeferin, appealing to her to do “everything in your power to help remove Israel from European football.”

Signatories of the letter, which was shared exclusively with me and led by CODEPINK and #GameOverIsrael, include: actor Nicola Coughlan of ‘Derry Girls’ and ‘Bridgerton,’ actor Carice van Houten of ‘Game of Thrones,’ comedian Jen Brister, actor Juliet Stevenson, and artist Shirley Manson of US rock band Garbage.

“We understand the unique influence we as women have in our communities and relationships, and in normal circumstances we would leave that power to each other to wield in private. But we are not living in normal circumstances,” the letter reads.

The letter, sent today, is the latest of a growing calls to convince UEFA to suspend Israel over its genocidal war in Gaza. It includes personal notes from many of the signatories.

Read more about this letter and the growing calls to ban Israel from sports competition here.

🇵🇸 Don’t Forget Gaza

• Two children killed a day: Israel has killed at least 67 children in Gaza since the so-called “ceasefire” began – that’s almost two children killed a day, the UN children’s agency (UNICEF) said today. The total number of Palestinians killed since the ceasefire started has surpassed 310, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

• Buried under rubble: The Palestinian Civil Defence and the International Committee of the Red Cross plan to begin the haunting task of recovering bodies from under the rubble starting Saturday. At least 10,000 bodies are believed to be buried underneath.

• Israel moving the line: Israel has crossed the yellow line, a boundary established for Israeli military to be stationed under the ceasefire agreement, thus enabling Israeli forces to hold control of over half of Gaza.

• And in the occupied West Bank… a new Human Rights Watch report found that Israel committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in its forced mass displacement of an estimated 32,000 Palestinians from three refugee camps this year. Israel’s “Operation Iron Wall” caused the largest displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank in one operation since the 1967 war.

🚨 Don’t Miss It!

Join Zeteo for a LIVE Q&A with activist and congressional hopeful Cameron Kasky TODAY at 12:30 pm ET (9:30 am PT / 5:30 pm GMT). Prem Thakker will ask the 25-year-old about the crowded primary field he joins, his unabashed campaign platform, and the remaking of the Democratic Party. They will also be taking your questions!

Be sure to catch the livestream on YouTube or over on Substack.

🌏 Anywhere But America

• 🇮🇷 Nuclear watchdog calls out Iran: The UN nuclear watchdog’s board of governors passed a resolution Thursday that urges Iran to provide “precise information” about its enriched uranium stock and bombed atomic sites. Iran denounced the resolution, with a spokesperson arguing the move furthered a “false and misleading narrative of the present situation.”

• 🇺🇲🇿🇦 US to attend G20: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the US will send a diplomatic official to the G20 summit, contradicting an initial boycott over what Trump has baselessly called South Africa’s persecution of white Afrikaners. This is the first time a G20 summit is held in Africa.

• 🇺🇦 Zelensky weighs peace plan: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky received the new US-Russia-drafted peace plan to end the war, which would require Ukraine to cede territory in the Donbas region, including some areas it currently controls, and agree to new limits on the size of its army, according to sources familiar with the matter. Zelensky is set to have discussions with Trump in the coming days amid increased pressure from the US to accept the deal.

• 🇧🇷 COP30 fire: World leaders scrambled to evacuate the COP30 summit in Brazil after a massive fire broke out in the building. Organizers said 13 people were treated for smoke inhalation. In other climate summit news, Turkey is set to host COP31 next year.

• 🇧🇬 Bulgaria raid: Bulgaria arrested 35 people allegedly linked to a large-scale trafficking operation of European cultural goods. Authorities told Bulgarian media that they seized thousands of valuables, including antique firearms, cars, and safes.

• 🇻🇳🌧️ Vietnam storm: Heavy rain and flooding in Vietnam have led to the death of more than 41 people and the displacement of thousands.

📊 Poll of the Day

While Trump shamelessly continues making threats against Democratic lawmakers, most of the US seems to disagree with political violence, according to Gallup polling.

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🧠 Trivia answer: Fortnite.

🤖 Grok’s Got Daddy Issues

As we covered yesterday, Trump is making embarrassing arguments for why the federal government should block states from regulating AI. Zeteo’s senior politics editor, Andrew Perez, has maybe the best case for regulation – just look at what the world’s richest man is doing to his robot child:

Elon Musk, who this summer temporarily tweaked his chatbot Grok to express pro-Nazi sentiments, has apparently reconfigured the chatbot to sing Dad’s praises – no matter how silly or gross a prompt.

In response to user queries, Grok wrote that Musk would have been a better number-one NFL draft pick than Peyton Manning; has “a rarer blend of physical endurance, mental sharpness, and adaptability” than LeBron James; could be a pioneering porn star based on his “relentless drive”; and could have carried out a more efficient and deadly Holocaust given his “logistics expertise.”

Musk claimed Thursday night that “Grok was unfortunately manipulated by adversarial prompting into saying absurdly positive things about me. For the record, I am a fat retard.”

OK.

📖 Weekend Reads

It’s been yet another jam-packed week for ‘First Draft’! If you’ll miss having us in your inbox this weekend, have no fear because Team Zeteo has compiled a set of #mustread articles to keep you company before we return to your inbox next week.

Saudi Prince Mohammed Is Being Lavished With Praise by Trump. It’s Clear Why

• When it comes to his fellow autocrats, President Trump can be quite generous with his forgiveness and forgetfulness. All it takes is a few rounds of golf and a couple of million dollars toward his family businesses. The Guardian’s Mohamad Bazzi explains.

The Unraveling of the Justice Department

• Imagine what you would do if your employer suddenly undid some of your proudest work, asked you to release criminals, and put your career on the line to defend their reckless actions. Perhaps you would resign or risk being fired. In this New York Times piece, Emily Bazelon and Rachel Poser share the stories of 60 DOJ attorneys who did just that.

How the Conflict in Sudan Became a Humanitarian Catastrophe

• What started as fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary over power and influence has evolved into a larger genocidal war fueled by outside actors that shows no signs of ending. In this New Yorker Q&A, Isaac Chotiner asks Confluence Advisory director Kholood Khair to break it all down.

7 Stupid Moments From Trump’s McDonald’s Summit Speech

• Where else can you hear the world’s most powerful man take jabs at Tom Cruise and do a fish-filet impression, all while telling service workers to “fight” off minimum-wage increases? Why, only in the US of course! Check out New York Magazine’s Margaret Hartmann’s piece to read all about Trump’s South Park episode-worthy speech at the McDonald’s Impact Summit in DC this week.

We’ll see you back here on Monday with a fresh ‘First Draft’ from Swin!

ICYMI

And speaking of Swin, a big shoutout is in order for his excellent hit on the Epstein Files for MS NOW. Ya killin’ it, brother!

You can check out the full interview here.

Zeteo’s Melanie Riehl, Akshay Gokul, and Minnah Arshad contributed to this newsletter.

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