WHEN YOU’RE A CZAR…

The Trump administration’s fumbling response to Tom Homan’s CAVA bag scandal is getting awkward… and Democrats are pressing for answers.

• Official etiquette can be such a thorny question. For example: How should one undertake the delicate task of giving a thing of value to President Donald Trump, his family, or his cronies? Should it be offered in crypto? Or, perhaps, delivered in the form of a luxury jetliner? Should cash be (reportedly!) placed in a paper bag from the Mediterranean fast-casual chain CAVA? And finally, when it comes to asserting that nobody did anything wrong, should officials flatly deny the payment ever happened… or bypass the details, and simply assert that nothing “criminal” or “illegal” took place?

• That last point seems to have tangled up the Trump administration as it scrambles to limit the fallout from Border Czar Tom Homan’s fresh debacle. Yesterday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt flatly denied reports from MSNBC and others that Homan received $50,000 in a CAVA bag in 2024 from undercover FBI agents in a probe into potential bribery. “Mr. Homan never took the $50,000 that you’re referring to, so you should get your facts straight,” Leavitt said.

• Homan himself then hit the airwaves… and struck a somewhat different note. On Monday evening, MAGA-friendly Fox News host Laura Ingraham asked Homan about the allegations. Homan sidestepped the details completely, and went straight to the law. “I did nothing criminal. I did nothing illegal,” he replied. But, on Monday evening at least, he left the specifics of exactly what he actually did do up to viewers’ imagination.

Now Democrats are demanding answers, and urging the Department of Justice to release the tape that the FBI reportedly made of the incident.

• Democrats in both the House and Senate Judiciary Committees launched inquiries Tuesday, demanding that the Trump FBI and DOJ explain the decision to close the Homan investigation over the summer, and to produce any recordings. “Such allegations of high-level corruption and cover-up demand your close cooperation with congressional oversight and extraordinary transparency to restore public trust,” wrote one of Trump’s favorite opponents, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA).

• Dems’ demands aren’t likely to send Trump officials scampering to comply. But they do show that confrontation-shy Democrats see enough here to challenge the limits of MAGA “deny and laugh at accountability” playbook. And they show an awareness that possible naked corruption might just still mean something to average voters. Dems don’t have subpoena power or committee gavels. But that doesn’t mean investigations can’t drive news coverage and motivate more revelations.

• What motivated Homan to go on national television and offer an alternative message to the one just put out by the White House? That part is anyone’s guess. By Tuesday, the White House seemed to be attempting to push past the situation entirely. Leavitt was tweeting hard about immigration, bullying Brazil, Rosh Hashanah, and other topics. In other words, anything but Tom Homan and that CAVA bag.

One thing we’d like to know: Did he get any extra pita bread in that CAVA bag? Maybe Democrats can figure that one out, too.

WHAT ELSE?

Ryan Routh, who attempted to assassinate President Trump at a Florida golf course last year was found guilty on five federal counts. Routh, who represented himself at trial, tried to stab himself in the neck with a pen after the jury delivered its verdict. He’s set to be sentenced December 18 by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, the same judge who dismissed charges against Trump for mishandling classified documents and obstruction of justice. Routh is facing a potential sentence of life in prison.

Donald Trump delivered an hour-long, misinformation-filled speech at the United Nations General Assembly, where he assailed other countries for “open borders” and mocked international efforts to combat climate change. Trump was also plagued by a faulty teleprompter and an uncooperative escalator.

Trump also appeared to shift his stance on Ukraine, saying in a Truth Social post that it may be able to win back all of the territory Russia seized in its invasion and subsequent war with Europe’s help. “Why not” Trump wrote after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the U.N.

Some big media companies are boycotting Jimmy Kimmel’s return to ABC tonight after the network’s clash with Trump and FCC Chair Brendan Carr over Charlie Kirk’s murder. Sinclair and Nexstar, which together own more than 70 local ABC affiliates, said they would not carry Kimmel’s show. Last year Sinclair’s CEO donated $250,000 to Turning Point USA, which Kirk cofounded, and the company has demanded that Kimmell do the same.

Trump scheduled, then cancelled, a meeting with Democratic leaders Sen. Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries intended to avert a government shutdown next week. GOP leaders Sen. John Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson reportedly encouraged Trump to nix the meeting by telling him Democrats’ demands to restore health insurance subsidies would benefit illegal immigrants.

The Trump Administration imposed sanctions on the wife of the Brazilian judge who presided over the case leading to former President Jair Bolsonaro’s conviction for attempting a coup after losing the 2022 election. America’s new foreign policy: Pro coup!

The Trump Administration is also pledging to rescue Argentina’s flagging economy and its MAGA-friendly president Javier Milei. Propping up Argentina’s economy: otherwise known as America First!

A version of the Australian film “Together” was digitally altered to turn a gay couple into a male-female couple for distribution in mainland China. A minute-long scene including the couple appeared to viewers in China to feature a man and a woman, after a male character’s face was apparently altered with AI. This tech stuff is getting downright unsettling. Kinda thinking we should all exchange our phones for tin cans connected by a string.

Light at the End of the Email…

Someone put a faux statue of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein frolicking in friendship on Washington, DC’s National Mall last night. The 12-foot statue, made of foam and wire and painted bronze, features the two pals holding hands as well as a plaque celebrating “the long-lasting bond between President Donald J. Trump and his ‘closest friend’ Jeffrey Epstein.”

The xxxxxx’s Tim Miller urged Americans to turn down the temperature and heal political divisions during an appearance on Piers Morgan’s News Nation show last night. Unfortunately, the other guests took a different approach, in an episode Miller described as a “clownshow” and “the worst 35 minutes” of his life.

Bill Nye, aka “The Science Guy” got his star on the Hollywood walk of fame! Never forget when Bill used a little shock and awe tell his audience to “grow the fuck up” and do something about the reality of climate change.

Global investment in renewable energy rose 10 percent in the first half of this year, despite Donald Trump’s attempts to curtail efforts to fight global warming. Reports like this show the fight to slow climate change isn’t dead, no matter how Trump thumps the lectern at the United Nations.