TODAY'S TOP NEWS - YESTERDAY'S BEST BLOG POSTS NOVEMBER 13, 2026

 

  TODAY’S TOP NEWS - YESTERDAY’S BEST BLOG POSTS

 NOVEMBER 13, 2026

U.S. News

1. California voters rejected Prop. 40, the one-time 5% billionaire wealth tax, which got about 47% of the vote. They did approve Prop. 38, an $8.4 billion bond for immunology and immunotherapy research. kffhealthnews
2. A Washington Post review of records exposed in a DHS hack found that some quickly hired ICE officers had past misconduct or criminality. kffhealthnews
3. A helicopter pilot reported losing engine power and crash-landed on a pier outside New York City. Google News
4. Santa Barbara police are investigating after more than two dozen half-marathon runners went to the hospital with unusual symptoms. kffhealthnews
5. The Supreme Court seemed likely to limit federal inmates’ ability to sue over inadequate prison medical care. kffhealthnews
6. Colorado voters approved Prop. 135, banning certain gender-related surgeries for minors. kffhealthnews

Politics

1. Democrats won both chambers of Congress and flipped five governorships. Jim Jordan is expected to become House minority leader in January. k12divewyso
2. Democrat Scott Colom defeated Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi after a prolonged count, and she conceded. He is the first Democrat elected to the state’s Senate delegation since 1982. timesofisraelAxios
3. Alaska is the last undecided Senate seat. Mary Peltola led Sen. Dan Sullivan by about 2,500 votes with 76% counted as of Tuesday, and ranked-choice tabulation starts Nov 18 if no one reaches a majority. About a dozen House races are still open. Substack
4. Trump said Stephen Miller is replacing Susie Wiles as chief of staff, days after Republicans lost Congress. itv
5. Trump said he “might have been too tough” on deportations and thinks he can work with Democrats on an immigration deal. ajc
6. The Senate voted 73-25 on Nov 9 to advance a bipartisan energy permitting bill, but it was a procedural vote, and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries opposes the current text. riotimesonline
7. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott was swept out of office along with every other Republican on the statewide ballot. kffhealthnews

World Affairs

1. Iran and Hormuz: Iran’s security chief says reports of talks are false and that Hormuz stays shut until the U.S. meets Iran’s conditions. Tanker incidents continue, CENTCOM calls its blockade “ironclad,” and WSJ reports Vance is weighing face-to-face talks. Substack
2. Ukraine: Russia and Ukraine agreed in principle to a prisoner swap as the Abu Dhabi talks ended without a breakthrough. Kushner and Witkoff landed in Moscow Thursday to meet Putin. Ukraine rejected a U.S. territorial proposal on parts of Donbas. Substackbuymeacoffee
3. The Justice Department charged three Iran-backed men over a plot against RAF Fairford in Britain. Prosecutors tie the network to about 18 attacks in Europe and two in Canada since March, and Iran denies involvement. Substack
4. Canada’s Carney is in Dublin for a European leaders’ summit, where an undefined “associate member” status for Canada has been floated. His tour ends at the APEC summit in Shenzhen on Nov 18-19. riotimesonline
5. Trump and Xi are set to meet at APEC next week, though major deliverables are expected to wait for the G20. Substack
6. Overnight, Russia hit six electricity substations in central Ukraine, and a strike on a market in the Odesa region killed three people. Substack

U.S. Education

1. Schools are bracing for changes from the Democratic wave, on issues from DEI policies to teachers union involvement, though experts say the needle may not move much in some areas. k12dive
2. The Supreme Court heard St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy, which could let some private religious schools in a state-funded preschool program exclude children of LGBTQ+ parents. The conservative justices signaled openness to that. k12dive
3. Google will turn off Search, Gemini and related AI tools by default for K-12 student accounts nationwide, though administrators can switch them back on. California’s education department is encouraging schools to incorporate AI responsibly. k12diveedsource
4. School closures are spreading. Colorado’s Poudre district approved closing or consolidating 8 schools, and St. Louis voted to close 9. A Pennsylvania district warned schools could shut in January without a state budget. k12diveedweek
5. The Education and Justice departments said seven guidance documents are “no longer enforceable.” edweek
6. A proposed SNAP rule would threaten nearly 2 million children’s access to school meals. k12dive
7. More than 138,000 NYC public school students were homeless last school year, the first decrease since the pandemic began. kffhealthnews

Economy

1. October CPI rose 0.4% against 0.3% expected, and core CPI rose 0.3% against 0.2% expected. There is no year-over-year figure because the 2025 shutdown left a gap in October 2025 data. investingliveCBS News
2. One tracker puts December rate-hike odds at 89%. Fed Governor Waller had floated a half-point hike if the core reading ran hot. The FOMC meets Dec 8-9. hot october cpi kept a december fed hike in play +2
3. Chip stocks had their second-worst day on record on Nov 5, and the S&P 500 fell 4.36%. Stocks rallied Wednesday, with the Nasdaq up about 2%, after the 10-year Treasury yield briefly topped 5% on Tuesday. 247wallstSubstack
4. Oil is elevated, with Brent about $93.64 and WTI about $87.73 at Wednesday midday. Substack
5. A hot October jobs report also raised rate-hike odds. Jobless claims are due today, forecast at 195,000, and retail sales come Tuesday. morningstarriotimesonline

Technology

1. Anthropic IPO (my maker): Anthropic launched its roadshow, planning to sell 825 million Class A shares at $70-78 each under the Nasdaq ticker ANT. WSJ reports it is aiming to start trading next Thursday or Friday despite the tech selloff. techmemeinvestinglive
2. Nvidia and Jensen Huang: Fortune reported Nvidia’s board is preparing for Huang’s removal over a reported affair with an alleged Chinese spy. Nvidia hasn’t confirmed it, and earnings are Nov 17. The details come from anonymous sourcing, so treat them as unconfirmed. Substack
3. Nvidia fell 6.4% Tuesday after The Information raised questions about whether its chips still reached China. Filings also show Moonshot AI rented China-based servers with Nvidia B300 chips, possibly in breach of U.S. rules. finimizetechmeme
4. CoreWeave reported $3.7 billion in revenue and a $133 billion backlog, and its shares jumped about 25%. Substack
5. Meta, Anthropic, Google, ClickUp and Apple each set or changed an AI price on Nov 9, and all bill by usage. fourweekmba
6. By one count, 15 companies and banks now restrict outside AI agents. fourweekmba

Health

1. The FDA ordered GLP-1 makers to add a warning about NAION, a rare eye condition that can cause permanent sudden blindness. kffhealthnews
2. The FDA approved Bayer’s drug to reduce stroke recurrence, the first in a novel class of medications. kffhealthnews
3. A new blood pressure drug, baxdrostat, kept patients’ blood pressure improved for up to two years after a six- to 12-month course. kffhealthnews
4. Medicaid work requirements are drawing fire. Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington sued over them, and a Nebraska rollout left a cancer patient told he’d lost coverage. kffhealthnews
5. California’s West Nile season is its worst in five years. As of Nov 6, 528 people were seriously sickened and 32 died. kffhealthnews
6. The administration sent states a second $10 billion in rural health funds. Experts warn next year’s Medicaid cuts will exceed it. kffhealthnews

Sports

1. Manchester United fired Michael Carrick after the club’s worst start to a Premier League season, with U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino a potential successor. greatbendpost
2. Thursday Night Football: Commanders 24, Giants 21, per scoreboard data.
3. U.S. Soccer pulled its team from the boys’ U-17 World Cup in Qatar for security reasons. greatbendpost
4. Stephen Curry left Wednesday’s game against Houston in the first quarter with abdominal soreness, and Steve Kerr said his concern is high. greatbendpost
5. Jacob Misiorowski (NL) and Cam Schlittler (AL) were unanimous Cy Young winners. greatbendpost
6. Kirk Cousins rejoined the Vikings in a trade from the Raiders ahead of their game against Green Bay. greatbendpost
7. Georgia took the top spot in the College Football Playoff rankings, and Notre Dame jumped to No. 5. greatbendpost

Measles Reaches a New Peak, Thanks to RFK Jr. and His Opposition to Vaccines https://dianeravitch.net/2026/11/12/measles-reaches-a-new-peak-thanks-to-rfk-jr-and-his-opposition-to-vaccines/ via @dianeravitch 

Nancy Bailey: Discovery Learning or Direct Instruction? https://dianeravitch.net/2026/11/12/nancy-bailey-discovery-learning-or-direct-instruction/ via @dianeravitch 

Emily Hanford, Who Created "Science of Reading" Frenzy, Now Promotes "Direct Instruction" https://dianeravitch.net/2026/11/12/emily-hanford-who-created-science-of-reading-frenzy-now-promotes-direct-instruction/ via @dianeravitch 

Big Education Ape: THE HOUSE THAT GREED BUILT: HOW AMERICA'S OLIGARCHY ENGINEERED ITS OWN ENEMY, GUTTED ITS MIDDLE CLASS, AND NOW WANTS YOU TO PAY $1.5 TRILLION TO FIGHT THE MONSTER IT CREATED https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2026/11/the-house-that-greed-built-how-americas.html 

Big Education Ape: FROM TEAPOT DOME TO SEX POT DAMN: AMERICA'S CENTURY-LONG TALENT FOR SPECTACULAR SCANDAL https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2026/11/from-teapot-dome-to-sex-pot-damn.html 

Big Education Ape: "EXTRA! EXTRA! OLIGARCHS STILL OLIGARCHING! A 150-Year Investigation Finds Shockingly Little Has Changed — Except Now They Own the Pipes, Not Just the Paper" https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2026/11/extra-extra-oligarchs-still-oligarching.html 

Big Education Ape: TODAY'S TOP NEWS - YESTERDAY'S BEST BLOG POSTS NOVEMBER 12, 2026 https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2026/11/todays-top-news-yesterdays-best-blog_0542660908.html 

Big Education Ape: MORNING NEWS UPDATE: NOVEMBER 12, 2026 https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2026/11/morning-news-update-november-12-2026.html 

Billions of Dollars. Powerful Players. Broken Promises. And a Secret Hiding in Plain Sight. – Cloaking Inequity https://cloakinginequity.com/2026/11/12/billions-of-dollars-powerful-players-broken-promises-and-a-secret-hiding-in-plain-sight/ 

Here’s The Cover Of Our Next Book: The Third Edition Of “The ESL/ELL Teacher’s Survival Guide”   Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 https://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/ 

Teacher Tom: "I Wish This Connected to Something" https://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2026/11/i-wish-this-connected-to-something.html 

Revealing New Book Demonstrates the Injustice of District-Wide, Public High School Choice https://janresseger.wordpress.com/2026/11/12/50277/ via @janresseger 

Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Cheating With AI (Emma Whitford)* | National Education Policy Center https://nepc.colorado.edu/blog/cheating 

glen brown: The Enemy at Home https://teacherpoetmusicianglenbrown.blogspot.com/2026/11/the-enemy-at-home.html 

What Works?: Not US Education Reform (And Here’s Why) “I believe/My humor's wearing thin and change is what I believe in.” “I Believe,” R.E.M. PAUL THOMAS https://paulthomas701128.substack.com/p/what-works-not-us-education-reform 

Children Were on the Ballot and They Largely Won Although children could not vote on November 3, their schools, health care, food, safety, and family budgets were at the center of consequential choices on election day. BRUCE LESLEY https://brucelesley.substack.com/p/children-were-on-the-ballot-and-they 

California Schools Navigated the Pandemic Well – tultican https://tultican.com/2026/11/12/california-schools-navigated-the-pandemic-well/ 

Voucher Scheme Causing Staff Cuts in Sumner County Schools – Tennessee Education Report https://tnedreport.com/2026/11/voucher-scheme-causing-staff-cuts-in-sumner-county-schools/ 

They Call Us Bizarre Love Triangle https://blog.angryasianman.com/2026/11/they-call-us-bizarre-love-triangle.html 

Curmudgucation     Kindergarten Readiness Is In Trouble PETER GREENE https://curmudgucation.substack.com/p/kindergarten-readiness-is-in-trouble 

Curmudgucation     Navigating Public Education in the 2026-2027 School Year For The Progressive, I put together a list of the big issues for the year PETER GREENE https://curmudgucation.substack.com/p/navigating-public-education-in-the 

TRUMP IN THE NEWS TODAY

Here are the top 8 news stories involving President Donald Trump and his administration for November 12–13, 2026:

1. Trump Warns of "No Hesitation" on New Iran Strikes, Says No Peace Deal Needed

President Trump stated in a Thursday interview with conservative host Hugh Hewitt that he would "not hesitate" to renew military strikes against Iran if Tehran continues threatening U.S. allies or commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Separately on Truth Social, Trump declared that the U.S. "doesn't need a peace deal with Iran," asserting that Washington already holds "Hundreds of Billions of Dollars" in frozen Iranian funds and controls the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, Tehran rejected any removal of its enriched uranium and claimed it targeted a U.S. early-warning radar site in Bahrain.

2. Trump Moots Toppling Cuban Authorities Before Leaving Office

During the same radio interview on Thursday, Trump put a timeline on potential regime-change efforts in Havana, saying, "I want to get Cuba done before I leave" office. Calling Cuba "essentially a failed... nation," Trump said his administration is watching the island closely and claimed Secretary of State Marco Rubio "would love to do it," escalating rhetoric amid an ongoing U.S. blockade and severe power outages on the island.

3. Trump Publicly Directs JD Vance to Shift Focus After Midterm Losses

Following significant Republican losses in last week's midterm elections, Trump posted a blunt message on social media Thursday instructing Vice President JD Vance to redirect his energies toward domestic and politically salient issues. The move comes amid broader post-election recalibrations in the White House, including Trump signaling potential Cabinet shakeups after replacing Chief of Staff Susie Wiles with Stephen Miller earlier this week.

4. Justice Department Braces for Oversight Under Incoming Democratic Congress

With Democrats winning majorities in Congress and preparing wide-ranging oversight probes, Attorney General Todd Blanche stated Thursday that the Justice Department will cooperate with lawmakers while insisting, "We will not back down" from the president's agenda. Behind the scenes, top DOJ aides reportedly told prosecutors to prepare for a "wartime" footing, while Blanche denied there were any open criminal investigations into Democratic lawmakers' rhetoric regarding upcoming probes.

5. DOJ Drops California Election Lawsuit After Federal Court Losses

The Justice Department unilaterally withdrew its lawsuit seeking to challenge California's voter rolls over alleged noncitizen voting after three levels of federal courts blocked the effort. U.S. District Judge David O. Carter granted the dismissal while criticizing the administration's suit as an attempt "to disrupt an ongoing election and create confusion and uncertainty for voters and election workers alike," vacating a scheduled Friday hearing.

6. Federal Judge Presses DOJ on Second Birthright Citizenship Order

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., questioned Justice Department attorneys Thursday over the scope and lack of an explicit effective date in President Trump's second executive order restricting birthright citizenship. The order targets U.S.-born children of parents linked to designated terrorist organizations, "birth tourism," foreign diplomats, and certain U.S. territories; civil rights groups warned the lack of a start date could lead to retroactive passport revocations.

7. HHS Announces $4.9 Million for Ibogaine PTSD Research

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Thursday that the administration is awarding up to $4.9 million to lay the groundwork for the first U.S. clinical studies into ibogaine—a Schedule I psychedelic derived from a West African shrub—as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in veterans. The funding follows an executive order from Trump aimed at accelerating federal reviews of psychedelic therapies.

8. Interior Department Unveils Plan to Sell Public Lands

The Interior Department presented a new strategic roadmap for 2026–2030 proposing the sale of federal public lands to states, tribes, and local governments to "decrease the size of the federal estate" and expand land availability for housing. Democratic lawmakers on House and Senate natural resources committees immediately vowed to block the effort when the new Congress convenes.

The sometimes straightforward, sometimes befuddling certiorari process | SCOTUSblog https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/11/the-sometimes-straightforward-sometimes-befuddling-certiorari-process/ 

What is a discriminatory effect? The Montgomery County case and unpacking when schools may try for racial diversity without using race | SCOTUSblog https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/11/what-is-a-discriminatory-effect-the-montgomery-county-case-and-unpacking-when-schools-may-try-fo/ 

2028 Dems: Don’t label me - POLITICO https://www.politico.com/news/2026/11/12/2028-dems-dont-label-me-01161787 

Gen Z Optimism - The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/12/briefing/gen-z-optimism.html 

‘A Legend replaces a Legend’: Trump floats Apple’s Cook to head up Nvidia - POLITICO https://www.politico.com/news/2026/11/12/trump-apple-tim-cook-nvidia-01162128 

AI’s Long List of Problems Just Got a Whole Lot Worse – Mother Jones https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/11/ais-long-list-of-problems-just-got-a-whole-lot-worse/ 

Jensen Huang Is Out. The Misogyny Is Forever. – Mother Jones https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/11/jensen-huang-misogyny-ai-sexism-elon-musk-donald-trump/ 

Mamdani planning announcement to disband controversial NYPD unit - POLITICO https://www.politico.com/news/2026/11/12/mamdani-planning-announcement-to-disband-controversial-nypd-unit-01156871 

RFK Jr. Promotes Activist Who Called Abortion Pill ‘High-Risk’ – Mother Jones https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/11/rfk-jr-promotes-activist-who-called-abortion-pill-high-risk/ 

The Enemies List - In These Times https://inthesetimes.com/article/counterterrorism-antifa-marco-rubio-trump-left-repression-prairieland-ice 

Internal DHS messages confirm Lewandowski’s outsize power at the department - POLITICO https://www.politico.com/news/2026/11/12/internal-homeland-security-messages-corey-lewandowski-01162468 

Trump renews calls for $350B military funding package as GOP faces ticking clock - POLITICO https://www.politico.com/news/2026/11/12/trump-iran-war-funding-reconciliation-01162603 

Alex Karp Wants to Be Friends With Democrats Again – Mother Jones https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/11/palantir-alex-karp-trump-democrats-weinberger-ice-dhs-surveillance/ 

Oakland students demand return of college readiness funds | EdSource https://edsource.org/updates/oakland-students-protest-for-return-of-college-readiness-funds 

LAUSD launches effort to curb student use of N-word, other racial slurs | EdSource https://edsource.org/updates/lausd-launches-effort-to-curb-student-use-of-the-n-word-and-other-racial-slurs 

Jensen Huang agrees to testify before Congress - POLITICO https://www.politico.com/news/2026/11/12/jensen-huang-agrees-to-testify-01162650 

Key House intel lawmakers urge probe of Huang’s relationship with alleged Chinese spy - POLITICO https://www.politico.com/news/2026/11/12/house-intel-probe-nvidia-01162608 

ICE touts record deportations as polls show voters soured on Trump’s crackdown - POLITICO https://www.politico.com/news/2026/11/12/ice-record-deportations-voter-sentiment-01162825 

Democrats eye restoring proxy voting in the House — with limits - POLITICO https://www.politico.com/news/2026/11/12/house-democrats-proxy-voting-01162828 

Top Intelligence Democrat Says GOP Should Renew Spy Program Before Democrats Take Over – Mother Jones https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/11/fisa-surveillance-section-702-jim-himes-warrantless-communications-democrats-gop/ 

“Stop Stealing Our Imaginations”: Kids and Parents Are Protesting Google’s Classroom AI – Mother Jones https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/11/google-ai-protests-students-parents-families-new-york-nationwide-search-lawsuit/ 

Delia Ramirez Wants Democrats to Meet the Moment – Mother Jones https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/11/delia-ramirez-congress-democrats-immigration-ice-dhs-accountability/ 

Teachers unions, Anthropic sign binding AI safety and privacy pact for schools - NJTODAY.NEWS https://njtoday.news/2026/11/12/teachers-unions-anthropic-sign-binding-ai-safety-and-privacy-pact-for-schools/ 

Nonprofits sue Anthropic, Google, and other tech giants to freeze the AI arms race - POLITICO https://www.politico.com/news/2026/11/12/nonprofits-sue-ai-companies-over-existential-risk-01161965 

Meet the 27-year old behind the protein ad that helped flip Mississippi - POLITICO https://www.politico.com/news/2026/11/12/ryan-sayles-scott-colom-viral-protein-ad-01163508 

Hegseth’s future splits Dems - POLITICO https://www.politico.com/news/2026/11/12/hegseth-democrats-impeachment-01161285 

Mamdani set to release blueprint for Rikers Island closure - POLITICO https://www.politico.com/news/2026/11/12/mamdani-blueprint-rikers-island-closure-01163165 

How Jensen Huang’s ouster is paving the way for the policy outcome he fiercely battled - POLITICO https://www.politico.com/news/2026/11/12/jensen-huang-nvidia-ndaa-01163996 

John Fetterman’s First Primary Challenger Is a Progressive Born in Gaza – Mother Jones https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/11/senate-fetterman-ahmed-moor-pennsylvania-primary-democrats-israel-palestine/ 

Congressional offices paralyzed by Microsoft outage - POLITICO https://www.politico.com/news/2026/11/12/congressional-offices-paralyzed-by-microsoft-outage-01163906 

ICE WATCH: The Emotional Toll of Interviewing Detainees As an Immigration Reporter ~ L.A. TACO https://lataco.com/detentions-miller-chief-of-staff 

Lutnick’s longtime friendship with Trump may not save him - POLITICO https://www.politico.com/news/2026/11/12/howard-lutbnick-trump-nvidia-commerce-01164274 

The Gen Z Movement Sweeping France - Progressive.org https://progressive.org/latest/the-gen-z-movement-sweeping-france-naklicki-20261112/ 

It’s Time to Reform Our Immigration Courts - Progressive.org https://progressive.org/op-eds/its-time-to-reform-our-immigration-courts-meyer-20261112/ 

The Sex Worker Stories Hidden from U.S. History - Progressive.org https://progressive.org/latest/the-sex-worker-stories-hidden-from-u-s-history/ 

White House staffers can no longer meet with lobbyists without prior approval, new memo says - POLITICO https://www.politico.com/news/2026/11/12/stephen-miller-memo-lobbyists-k-street-01163700 

Megaspeed lawyers up with US firm as Nvidia scandal broadens - POLITICO https://www.politico.com/news/2026/11/12/megaspeed-lawyers-up-with-u-s-firm-as-nvidia-scandal-broadens-01164448