November 19, 2025 – Short News

Comey pushes back again - and puts Trump’s Justice Department under pressure!

James Comey is making another attempt to get his indictment dismissed. His lawyers aim to convince the court that the prosecution is politically motivated and rooted in Trump’s personal animosity toward him. The case appears increasingly unstable after a judge sharply criticized the Justice Department’s conduct. Comey continues to plead not guilty and denies making any false statements. His team argues that the indictment is an act of retaliation for his work on the Russia investigation and therefore illegitimate.

When the National Bird Takes Over the Tee-off!

In Georgia there are the annual eagle migrations. Groups with several hundred animals gather on open areas during wet weather. This was documented especially in late fall

Golf courses are ideal landing spots Golfers at the Old Toccoa Farm Golf Course in the state of Georgia had to delay their morning tee times after hundreds of bald eagles settled on one of the greens and completely blocked the fairway. The staff paused play “out of respect for the national bird” for a short time. Only when the eagles eventually lifted off together and cleared the hole in a single, impressive flock flight could the round continue.

What bald eagles really sound like - and why Hollywood portrays them incorrectly

Anyone living in the United States knows the mythological sound of the “eagle scream” from movies and commercials - a deep, powerful call that seems to tear the sky open. But that sound does not come from the bald eagle - it almost always comes from the red tailed hawk. Hollywood swaps the sound because it seems more dramatic. The real eagle sounds completely different. The call of a bald eagle is surprisingly high. It sounds almost whistling, sometimes thin, sometimes like a chattering, squeaking tone. Characteristic are short, bright sequences - “kii-kii-kiii” or “klee-klee-klee”. It has something light, almost childlike, and it lacks the majestic force that films assign to it. Anyone who hears the real call is often surprised how small it sounds compared to the animal itself.

In addition to their classic call, bald eagles use a whole range of other sounds. They cackle - a rapidly repeated “kek-kek-kek” that occurs mostly in social situations. They chirp, utter soft, short sounds in the nest, and use harsh, compressed calls during attacks. None of this has the heavy tone that is culturally associated with eagles. It becomes especially impressive when many eagles appear at the same time - as in the rare scene on the golf course in Georgia. In such moments a multi-voiced, high mix of whistles and scream fragments arises, interspersed with the dull sound of wings and the noises of landing. When all the eagles take off together, a broad air sound emerges that resembles a gust of wind more than individual wing beats. Anyone expecting a flock of bald eagles to sound like a chorus of deep calls will be surprised - their soundscape is not a roar but a bright, nervous chorus - lively, intense, but far removed from the Hollywood myth.

Forensic analysis

There are videos you have to watch twice to understand what is really happening. This one belongs to that category. A golf course in northern Georgia, the cold, clear winter air over the Appalachians, moist fairway grass glowing in a muted, rich green, and in front of it a golfer leaning against his cart as if he first needed to make sure that his eyes were not deceiving him. In front of him, on the gently sloping fairway, sit dozens, perhaps more than a hundred bald eagles, so densely packed that the contours between bird and landscape begin to blur. It is an image that almost feels as if it came from another continent: the massive bodies, the white heads, the unagitated calm of these animals that are normally seen only individually or in small groups in the southeastern United States. Yet nothing in this scene is constructed. No pixel is artificial, no bird inserted. They lift off, glide, settle again, a nearly choreographed serenity as if they were waiting together for a silent impulse that only they can hear.

Forensic evaluations leave no doubt: These are adult bald eagles. The clearly defined white heads, the massive chests, the broad, almost rectangular wings that draw long gliding phases during takeoff, every detail fits precisely. The behavior, as unreal as it appears, is biologically explainable. In rare years, when a sudden temperature drop disrupts the fish population in a river or when current and cold drive dead or weakened fish to the banks, eagles from multiple territories gather in the same places. The Toccoa River lies less than a hundred meters from the fairways. A narrow, clear mountain river winding through the slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains, capable of cooling abruptly in winter. If something happened in the water there, a nighttime temperature collapse, a cluster of dead trout or shiners, or simply a concentration of fish along the calm bank area of the golf course, then that explains the unusual density of the animals. Too much food in one place, too abruptly available, to be ignored by a single territorial eagle.

It is conditions like these that trigger these rare gatherings. And as they sit there, the entire logic becomes visible: The eagles are not resting in trees, as one might expect, but on the ground, spread out as if on an open assembly field. This behavior appears when they have already eaten or when they are waiting together for the next wave of dead fish. The calm they radiate, the deep, almost stoic presence, is typical of satiated eagles. No screeching, no pushing, no territorial disputes. Only muted waiting.

The surroundings also speak a clear language. The trees at the edge of the fairway, leafless oaks, hickories, maple species, and individual sweetgum trees whose dried seed pods create dark point patterns in winter, correspond exactly to the vegetation of the region around Blue Ridge. The ground is gently sloped, like a natural hillside transitioning into an open, wide fairway. The edge of the fairway shows the characteristic mowing pattern of the course: slightly curved transitions between the short-cut zoysia grass and the somewhat taller fescue border. Even the golf cart the man in the video is leaning against fits the scene: an EZ-GO RXV, gray-beige, with the slightly backward-curved roofline that Old Toccoa Farm has used for years.

Court halts Texas map - Trump’s plan risks backfiring!

Trump had urged Republicans to redraw congressional districts mid-decade to preserve their House majority. A federal court has now blocked the new Texas map, calling it racially gerrymandered. The decision may ultimately give Democrats additional winnable seats. Experts say Trump “may have let the genie out of the bottle” but is not getting the outcome he expected.

Summers resigns - Epstein emails catch up with the former treasury secretary!

Larry Summers is stepping down from the OpenAI board. The move follows the release of emails showing he maintained a friendly relationship with Jeffrey Epstein even after Epstein’s conviction. Summers’ resignation comes only two years after joining the board, which had been seeking stability following the turbulence around CEO Sam Altman.

Melania Trump and Usha Vance visit military families in North Carolina!

The First Lady and the vice president’s wife are traveling together for the first time to meet Marines and their families at Camp Lejeune. They plan to honor the service of military personnel and highlight the importance of families within the military community. Their appearances focus on service members, their children, and relatives ahead of the holiday season.

Washington delivers again - a Patriot deal for Kyiv!

The U.S. government has approved an arms package worth 105 million dollars for Ukraine. It concerns spare parts, modernization of the launch units and technical support for the Patriot air defense system. According to the State Department, the deal strengthens “the security of a partner that stands for stability in Europe.” What remains striking is that Trump has been back and forth on weapons supplies for months - sometimes demanding territorial concessions to Moscow, then again declaring that Ukraine could retake every occupied region. This package shows that behind the scenes, deliveries continue anyway.

Trump and the crown prince - next appearance at the investment summit!

On Wednesday, Trump plans to appear alongside Mohammed bin Salman at the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum. The event is scheduled for midday in the official White House agenda. At the summit, some of the most powerful corporate leaders in the world will be at the table - from Salesforce and Qualcomm to Pfizer and the Cleveland Clinic to Chevron and Aramco. For Trump, it is the next step in publicly staging the economic partnership with Riyadh, just one day after the ceremonial reception at the White House.

“Things happen” - Trump’s coldness in the Khashoggi case!

During the meeting with the Saudi crown prince in Washington, Trump tried to play down the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. When Mohammed bin Salman was asked about it, he intervened: “Things happen.” U.S. intelligence agencies had long determined that the crown prince likely ordered the agents to carry out the killing. The message of the evening was still clear: Trump rolled out the red carpet - for a man whose government killed a journalist. One sentence that describes the president’s attitude better than any long explanation.

A ministry dismantles itself - and Trump tightens the screws!

The Trump administration is pushing forward the dismantling of the Department of Education, and this time it is no longer just about cutting jobs. Six new agreements shift billions of dollars in grant programs to other agencies. Particularly explosive: From now on, the Department of Labor will decide over central funds for schools in low-income districts. Critics warn that this will hit exactly those children who already have hardly any chances. But the White House continues to move forward - step by step toward the goal of making the department disappear.

One Republican against all - and Clay Higgins’ lonely fight!

The Epstein file passed the House with 427 to 1. The only vote against came from Clay Higgins, a Trump loyalist from Louisiana. Higgins claims that the release endangers uninvolved people and exposes families, witnesses and peripheral figures. But the sponsors of the bill warn that exactly this argument has been used for years to protect Epstein’s circle. The Senate will not accept any changes, and Higgins suddenly stands alone - with a statement that raises more questions than it answers.

“I have been a principled no to this bill from the beginning. What was wrong with this bill three months ago is still just as wrong today. It breaks with 250 years of due process in America. As written, this bill reveals the identities of thousands of innocent people - witnesses, people who provided alibis, family members and many others. If it is implemented in this form, such a broad disclosure of investigative files, published in a greedily charged media environment, would certainly lead to innocent people being harmed. Not with my vote. The Oversight Committee is already conducting a thorough investigation and has released more than 60,000 pages from the Epstein complex. This work will continue - but in a way that ensures all necessary protections for uninvolved Americans. If the Senate changes the bill to protect the privacy of victims and all those who are mentioned but not criminally implicated, then I will vote for it when the text returns to the House.”

The next large-scale raid: 250 officers for “Swamp Sweep”!

The Department of Homeland Security is planning a massive raid in Louisiana starting December 1. Two hundred fifty federal officers are expected to arrest around 5,000 people in New Orleans and the surrounding region. The operation follows Trump’s campaign promise and targets a governor loyal to Washington - but also a city that has refused to cooperate with such actions for years. A confrontation is programmed, and once again it becomes clear how far the government is willing to go to enforce deportations.

China breaks the boycott - but Trump wants more!

China purchased another 792,000 tons of U.S. soybeans this week, bringing the total since late October to around one million tons. For agriculture, this is a breakthrough after Beijing ran a boycott for months. But Trump is not satisfied. He declared that China was “pretty much on schedule,” but at the same time ordered Scott Bessent to call Beijing and “speed it up.” China is still far from the twelve million tons that Secretary Brooke Rollins names as the target - and Beijing has never confirmed any specific quantities anyway.

A ruling with force - and Newsom presses on the wound!

Gavin Newsom did not need many words to classify the ruling against the Texas congressional map. “A victory for Texas and for everyone who fights for free elections,” he wrote. A clear message to Trump and Greg Abbott: Whoever tries to draw themselves an advantage risks losing everything. In California, Democrats are currently celebrating new districts that could give them five additional seats. Originally this was only supposed to apply if Texas succeeded with its Republican maps - but that plan is off the table. The ruling shows: The attempt to stretch the boundaries of election law to the limit can rebound faster than its architects expect. Greg Abbott calls the ruling “absurd” and announces a quick appeal. Three federal judges had determined that Texas cannot use its new map because minorities were deliberately weakened. It is a heavy blow for Trump, who had pushed several states to redraw their districts so that Republicans could win more seats in 2026. Texas was the first test and was supposed to create five new safe districts. Abbott now claims the map only reflects the “conservative preferences” of the population. But the ruling shows that this line will no longer hold. Three federal judges had decided: The new Texas congressional map is racially gerrymandered and cannot be used. This delivers the first serious blow to Trump’s strategy to influence the next election through aggressive redrawing of districts. The map would have given Republicans five new seats. Now everything is on hold. In Austin, the governor is fuming, in Washington nervousness is rising - because Texas was meant to be the model for several other states. The next round is coming.

Raid on call - and New Orleans refuses to cooperate!

The Department of Homeland Security is planning a massive arrest operation in Louisiana. Starting December 1, 250 officers are expected to apprehend around 5,000 people, with the focus on New Orleans and the surrounding region. The state is firmly in Republican hands, but the city has refused cooperation for years. The federal government is escalating anyway, as if it wanted to test how far the boundaries between federal and local authorities can be stretched. A clash already seems inevitable.