Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to resign; Trump meets with New York mayor-elect Mamdani
This version of Rcrd93437 - Politics and Government | NBC News Clone was adapted by NBC News Clone to help readers digest key facts more efficiently.
Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani struck a cordial tone this afternoon in the Oval Office.
Highlights from Nov. 21, 2025
- GREENE EXITS: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., announced tonight that she will leave Congress in January 2026.
- MAMDANI MEETING: President Donald Trump met with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in the Oval Office this afternoon. The two leaders had an unexpectedly friendly repartee as they discussed ways to work together.
- 'SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR': Trump defended comments he made yesterday on social media when he accused a group of Democratic lawmakers of "seditious treason" and threatened the death penalty. He said this morning, "I’m not threatening death, but I think they’re in serious trouble."
- UKRAINE PEACE DEAL: Trump said that he wants Ukraine to accept a new peace deal by Thanksgiving, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned the deal was forcing his country to choose between its “dignity” and a “key partner.”
Mamdani highlights his discussion with Trump today about affordability
Mamdani posted about his meeting with Trump on social media, emphasizing the two leaders discussion on affordability.
"Working people have been left behind in New York. In the wealthiest city in the world, one in five can’t afford $2.90 for the train or bus," Mamdani wrote on X. "As I told Trump today— it’s time to put those people right back at the heart of our politics."
Mamdani told reporters in the Oval Office following his sit-down with Trump today that he is "really looking forward to delivering for New Yorkers in partnership with the president on the affordability agenda" which was a key focus of his campaign.
Trump also posted on Truth Social tonight that it was a "Great Honor" meeting the mayor-elect.
Supreme Court temporarily reinstates Texas Republicans’ redrawn congressional map
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito today temporarily permitted Texas to use Republicans’ redrawn congressional map that a federal court blocked earlier this week.
Alito’s order comes after Texas asked the high court to intervene following a ruling from a panel of federal judges on Tuesday that barred the state from using new district lines designed to help Republicans pick up an additional five House seats in next year’s midterm elections.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to resign in January
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., announced on Friday that she is resigning from her seat, following weeks of clashing with President Donald Trump.
“If I am cast aside by MAGA Inc and replaced by Neocons, Big Pharma, Big Tech, Military Industrial War Complex, foreign leaders, and the elite donor class that can’t even relate to real Americans, then many common Americans have been cast aside and replaced as well,” Greene said in a statement posted to social media.
Texas asks Supreme Court to overturn Texas congressional map ruling
The state of Texas is asking the Supreme Court tonight for an emergency pause and administrative stay pending appeal of a U.S. district court ruling that blocked Texas Republicans’ redrawn congressional map.
A panel of federal judges earlier this week blocked Texas from using its new congressional map, which Republicans drew earlier this year in an effort to ensure a GOP House majority in next year’s midterm elections.
"This summer, the Texas Legislature did what legislatures do: politics," Texas Solicitor General William Peterson wrote in his SCOTUS application. "It redistricted the State’s 38 congressional districts mid-decade to secure five additional Republican seats in the U.S. House of Representatives."
"Plaintiffs answered with litigation, asking a three-judge district court to preliminarily enjoin Texas’s map for use in the upcoming 2026 elections. And over a dissent, the panel majority did just that, recasting Texas’s partisan gerrymander as a racial one and allowing Plaintiffs to use the court as a “weapo[n] of political warfare."
That ruling, signed by Judge Jeffrey Brown — a Trump nominee — ordered Texas to use its previous map that was drawn in 2021, instead.
CORRECTION (Nov. 21, 2025, 9:44 p.m. ET): A previous version of this post misidentified the lower court that issued the ruling blocking the map. It is a U.S. district court, not the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit.
Kathy Hochul welcomes Trump's 'renewed commitment' to New York
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has offered praise of Trump's meeting with Mamdani at the White House this afternoon.
“I welcome President Trump’s renewed commitment today to New York’s success and his acknowledgment of our shared priorities: lowering costs and improving public safety," Hochul said in a statement today.
Hochul also acknowledged Trump for saying he disagreed with the "jihadist" label — one that Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who launched a bid for governor, has used against the mayor-elect.
"There's no place for rhetoric like that in our politics or in New York," Hochul said.
“I look forward to working with President Trump and Mayor-Elect Mamdani to deliver for New Yorkers," she added.
Kennedy ordered language change on CDC website about vaccines and autism
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. prompted the dramatic change in messaging about any link between vaccines and autism on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website, an HHS spokesman confirmed Friday.
Kennedy has long been known as anti-vaccine. During his time at HHS, he has fired independent members of a key vaccine committee at the CDC and downplayed the efficacy and safety of vaccines.
On Wednesday, the CDC’s webpage about vaccine safety changed abruptly, from stating that vaccines do not cause autism to suggesting that there may be a link between the shots and autism because “studies have not ruled out the possibility.”
HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon said that Kennedy did not personally write the updated language on the CDC website. He declined to provide the names of those who did.
The New York Times was first to report that Kennedy was behind the change.
Pediatricians, infectious disease experts, scientists and autism specialists all say that decades of research has never proven any link between vaccines and autism.
Why Trump’s claim of falling food stamp use might not mean the economy is improving
Trump has recently turned to a new economic indicator in his push to convince Americans that his policies are boosting the economy: the number of people receiving federal food benefits.
“In nine months, we’ve lifted over 600,000 Americans off food stamps,” he said Tuesday at the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum in Washington.
A few days earlier, Trump cited the figure at the McDonald’s Impact Summit, saying, “It’s really because we really have a strong economy.” And last month, he also highlighted the number at a gathering of business executives in South Korea.
But a deeper dive into the data paints a more complex picture. Even though fewer people are receiving federal food assistance, lower-wage workers continue to face a slowing job market and persistent inflation cutting into their wage growth, researchers and economists said. At the same time, food banks say they have been seeing growing demand, suggesting a continued struggle among people to be able to put food on the table.
Trump says he doesn't view Mamdani as a 'jihadist,' despite name-calling from Rep. Elise Stefanik
Trump declined to condemn comments made by Rep. Elise Stefanik, R.N.Y., who recently launched a bid for New York governor, that referred to Mamdani as a "jihadist."
Trump was asked by a reporter this afternoon about Stefanik's repeated name-calling and whether he viewed Mamdani, who is Muslim, as a jihadist.
"No, I don’t, but she’s out there campaigning, and you say things sometimes in a campaign ... she's a very capable person, but you really have to ask her about that,” Trump said.
Trump also praised Mamdani, calling him "a very rational person."
"I met with a man who wants to see, really wants to see, New York be great again," Trump said.
Stefanik called Mamdani a "jihadist Communist" and referred to him as "the definition of a jihadist" in a social media post last month, before his election win.
Chair of Senate Armed Services Committee says new Ukraine peace plan has 'real problems'
Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said this afternoon that the new peace plan has “real problems,” adding that he is dubious on whether it will yield peace.
“Ukraine should not be forced to give up its lands to one of the world’s most flagrant war criminals in Vladimir Putin,” Wicker said in a statement.
“In particular, any suggestion that we can pursue arms control with a serial liar and killer like Putin should be treated with great skepticism,” Wicker added.
Trump today asked Kyiv to sign off by Thanksgiving on a “framework” to end the war with Russia, based on a U.S.-crafted, 28-point peace plan.
Watch Mamdani and Trump meet in the Oval Office
Trump brushes off Mamdani's fascist comment
Mamdani was asked about a recent interview in which he called Trump a fascist. Mamdani began to answer the question before Trump cut him off.
“That’s OK, you can just say it,” Trump said, jokingly. “It’s easier, it’s easier than explaining it.”
Trump praises Mamdani for retaining NYC Police Commissioner Tisch
Trump praised Mamdani for keeping New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
“He just retained a great Police Commissioner, I believe, right. Yes, if the newspapers are correct,” Trump said, which Mamdani confirmed.
“He retained, I think, somebody that is a good friend of some of the people in my family of Ivanka, and they say she’s really good, really competent, and he just retained her. So that’s a good sign,” Trump said, jumping in as Mamdani was answering a question about his plans for the NYPD.
Mamdani’s move to keep Tisch, something he pledged to do during his campaign, could serve to assuage constituent concerns that he
Trump says Mamdani is 'focused' on NYC
Asked by reporters if he thought Mamdani was the new face of the Democratic Party, Trump said that he believes Mamdani is "focused on New York City."
"Well, look, I hope they have great leaders," Trump said. "This is a man that, right now, I think, is focused on New York City.
Republicans tried to paint Mamdani as the future of the Democratic Party after his mayoral win, attempting to show voters that the party had swung too far left. Trump has also repeatedly derogatorily called Mamdani a communist and said that his mayoralty would harm New York City.
Trump says Mamdani could do a 'great job,' would be open to moving back to NYC
Trump said he thinks Mamdani could do some things that are “really great.”
“I expect to be helping him, not hurting him. A big help, because I want New York City to be great,” Trump said. “I think this mayor can do some things that are going to be really great.”
Trump added that he would “absolutely” feel comfortable moving back to his home of New York City under a Mamdani administration, saying, “We agree on a lot more than I would have thought...I want him to do a great job, and we’ll help him do a great job.”
Trump and Mamdani say they'll work together on key issues
Mamdani and Trump said they spoke about a number of issues on which they would work together, including crime, cost of living, energy and the Middle East. When the president was asked about how he and the mayor-elect would get over their political differences, he replied, "Well, I think we're going to work them out."
"We can talk about anything you want," Trump said, emphasizing safety reforms in New York City. "If you don’t have safe streets, it’s not going to be a success. So, we’re going to work together."
Mamdani told reporters that he was "really looking forward" to addressing cost of living issues, a key focus in his campaign, with Trump.
"When we spoke to those voters who voted for President Trump, we heard them speak about cost of living," Mamdani said. "We focused on that same cost of living, and that's where I am really looking forward to delivering for New Yorkers in partnership with the president on the affordability agenda."
Trump says he thinks Mamdani will 'change his mind' after calling him a despot
The mood was friendly as Trump and Mamdani answered questions from reporters in the Oval Office this afternoon.
A reporter asked Mamdani after his meeting with Trump today whether he would recant any of his criticisms of Trump including referring to the president as a “despot.”
Trump cut in and said, "I‘ve been called much worse than a despot ... it’s not that insulting. Maybe, I think he’ll change his mind after we get to working together."
Mamdani said that the two leaders "were very clear about our positions and our views."
"What I really appreciate about the president is the meeting that we had focused not on places of disagreement" but instead on the shared goal of serving New Yorkers, Mamdani said, highlighting a commitment to alleviate what he referred to as a "cost of living crisis."
Mamdani says he and Trump spoke about affordability in New York City
Discussing what they talked about during their meeting, Mamdani said that the two had focused on affordability for New Yorkers.
“I appreciated the meeting with the President, and as he said, it was a productive meeting focused on a place of shared admiration and love, which is New York City and the need to deliver affordability to New Yorkers, the eight and a half million people who call our city their home, who are struggling to afford life in the most expensive city of the United States of America,” Mamdani said.
“We spoke about rent, we spoke about groceries, we spoke about utilities, we spoke about the different ways in which people are being pushed out. And I appreciated the time with the President,” Mamdani added.
Mamdani arrives at the White House
A White House official confirmed to NBC News that Mamdani has arrived at the White House.
Trump and Mamdani in the Oval Office today. Jim Watson / AFP - Getty Images
Vindman calls on Trump to release transcript of call with Saudi crown prince after Khashoggi's death
Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Va., called on Trump to release the transcript of a call he had with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after Jamal Khashoggi was murdered.
“The Khashoggi family and the American people deserve to know what was said on that call,” he said, adding that the transcript “will raise serious questions and they will be shocking.”
The congressman — who was joined at his news conference by Hanan Elatr Khashoggi, the widow of Jamal Khashoggi — said that when “a president sidelines his own intelligence community to shield a foreign leader, America’s credibility is at stake.”
Vindman was involved in the disclosure of Trump's 2019 phone call in which the president urged Zelenskyy to investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden.
Hanan Elatr Khashoggi speaks alongside Rep. Eugene Vindman at the Capitol today. Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images
Trump plays down Mamdani's past criticism: 'I was hitting him a little hard too, in all fairness'
Trump downplayed Mamdani's past criticism of him during an interview, hours before they were set to meet at the Oval Office.
Telling Fox News' Brian Kilmeade that he "give[s] him a lot of credit for the run, a successful run," he said that he expects to "get along fine" with Mamdani when they speak despite their "very different philosophy."
Pressed repeatedly with clips and quotes of Mamdani's past criticism of Trump, the president largely didn't take the bait and evoked his own negative comments about the Democrat.
"I was hitting him a little hard, too, in all fairness. It's hard to be totally friendly toward the opponent," Trump said. "But he ran a good race."
Territorial concessions by Ukraine, a capped army and security guarantees: What’s in Trump’s draft plan
The 28 points, published by Axios and confirmed to NBC News as accurate by a source familiar with the matter who has seen different drafts of the plan, suggest that Russia would be granted even more Ukrainian territory than it already holds and that Ukraine would have to limit the size of its army and agree to never join NATO.
The White House insists that the plan is fair and that it was drafted in consultation with both sides.
Democrat targeted by Trump seeks police investigation into president’s posts
Rep. Jason Crow’s office has formally requested that the United States Capitol Police investigate Trump’s recent posts attacking the Democratic congressman, referring to the posts as “intimidating, threatening, and concerning,” according to a copy of the email reviewed by NBC News.
“I write to report threats made by the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, against Congressman Jason Crow,” Crow’s office said.
The email then lists Trump’s Truth Social posts attacking a group of Democrats, including Crow, for making a video urging service members to defy unlawful orders. Trump called the lawmakers “traitors,” accused them of “seditious behavior” and suggested their actions are “punishable by death.”
“All of these posts by the president of the United States are intimidating, threatening, and concerning,” the email says. “After these messages by the President, our congressional offices have seen a significant uptick in calls and emails with violent rhetoric and additional threats.”
Axios was first to report the letter. The USCP does not typically comment on potential investigations, but requesting a probe into the sitting president is a long shot.
Crow’s office, though, is making clear it sees Trump’s comments as no different than if any other individual made similar threatening remarks about the congressman.
“We will continue to report those individually to U.S. Capitol Police and ask that they be investigated immediately,” the email concludes.
The White House has disputed the notion that Trump was threatening the lawmakers with his remarks.
Trump says he wasn't threatening Democrats with death but 'they're in serious trouble'
Trump was asked on Brian Kilmeade's radio show about his Truth Social posts yesterday, where he accused Democrats of “seditious behavior, punishable by death.”
Given an opportunity to clarify what he meant, Trump just shared his reaction to the comments by Democrats and said, “In the old days, if you said a thing like that, that was punishable by death.”
Kilmeade asked the president to confirm that he was not threatening Democrats.
“I’m not threatening them, but I think they’re in serious trouble,” Trump said. “I would say they’re in serious trouble. I’m not threatening death, but I think they’re in serious trouble. In the old days, it was death.”
He later claimed they broke the law and said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was looking into it.
Trump says Ukraine peace deadline 'appropriate,' won't lift Russia sanctions
Trump said in an interview this morning on the “Brian Kilmeade Show” that he believes the Thanksgiving deadline is “appropriate” and that he won’t lift the sanctions on Russia.
Earlier this week, Trump approved of a 28-point plan for peace between Russia and Ukraine. The White House hopes Kyiv will sign off on it by next Thursday, according to three U.S. officials. Trump did not describe the goal as a strict deadline and said the deadline could be extended if “things are going well.”
Despite keeping the sanctions, Trump said Russia is “not looking for more war.”
“He’s taken punishment,” Trump said.
House Democrats’ main super PAC jumps into Tennessee special election
The main super PAC backing House Democrats is jumping into the upcoming special election in Tennessee with TV ads supporting the Democratic candidate there.
House Majority PAC is putting more than $1 million into TV and digital ad reservations, the group said, seeking to boost Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn in the deep-red 7th Congressional District.
Trump carried the district by 22 points in 2024, but national Democrats, including Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin and former Vice President Kamala Harris, have been campaigning with Behn in the district.
Likewise, national Republicans including Trump and the super PAC MAGA Inc. have backed Behn’s opponent, former state official Matt Van Epps, in the Dec. 2 special general election.
This is the first special election of Trump's second term in which House Majority PAC is getting involved. Assuming House Majority PAC follows through on the pledge, that would double the Democratic ad spending in the race, with even more money expected to flood the district in the race’s final days.
White House wants Ukraine to sign off on peace plan framework by Thanksgiving
The White House wants Kyiv to sign off on a “framework” to end the war in Ukraine based upon the U.S.-crafted 28-point peace plan by Thanksgiving, according to three U.S. officials.
The desire for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet that target by next Thursday has been communicated to the Ukrainian government, though the officials stressed this was more of a goal than a firm deadline.
Negotiations to end the conflict are expected to be quite complex and will take more than a week to hash out, the officials acknowledged.
Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell enters crowded California governor’s race
Rep. Eric Swalwell announced yesterday that he will run for California governor, the latest Democrat to join the crowded race to succeed outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Swalwell, who has served in Congress since 2013, will face a list of high-profile Democrats that includes former Rep. Katie Porter, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and activist billionaire Tom Steyer, who entered the race to lead the deep-blue state Wednesday.
Swalwell announced his gubernatorial run on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” On his new campaign website, the California Democrat focused on the need to tackle high costs and affordability as the reason he’s running for statewide office.
“I’m running for Governor because prices are too high and people are scared. 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,” he said.
Comer says Clintons must appear in person for deposition as part of Epstein investigation
House Oversight Chairman James Comer told a lawyer for former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that “further delays are unacceptable” in scheduling their in-person depositions as part of the committee’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
The committee subpoenaed the Clintons in July and has been working with their lawyers to find a time to bring them in.
Comer says that the former president's deposition is scheduled for Dec. 17 and the former secretary of state's deposition is scheduled for Dec. 18.
Trump administration moves focus of key human rights report away from persecuted identity groups
The State Department’s next human rights report will move away from calling out the persecution of marginalized groups such as women, ethnic and racial minorities, people with disabilities and the LGBTQ+ community and instead focus on the “natural rights” of the individual, a senior official said yesterday.
“We believe that every individual has these rights, no matter their group identity,” the senior State Department official said in a briefing to reporters.
The official spoke on behalf of the State Department on the condition of anonymity. “It’s not because of their group identity, it’s because they have had a right taken away from them, whether it’s freedom of speech, freedom religion, you name the right, we are here to protect them and to hold governments accountable.”
New guidance was sent to all U.S. embassies and consulates yesterday, mandating U.S. diplomats also note other infringements on human rights in foreign countries, according to a second senior State Department official.
Former Rep. Tim Ryan decides not to run for Ohio governor
Former Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, has decided against a run for governor, sparing Democrats a costly and combative primary in a state that has turned deep red in the Trump era.
“After careful consideration, much prayer and reflection, and after long conversations with my family, my closest friends and advisors, I’ve made the decision not to run for governor in 2026,” Ryan said in a statement shared with NBC News.
His announcement clears the Democratic primary field for physician Amy Acton, who became a household name in Ohio as the state’s health director during the early days of the Covid pandemic.
Acton is likely to face Vivek Ramaswamy, a Trump-endorsed billionaire who made his money in biotechnology and has consolidated Republican support around his bid. Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, is prohibited from seeking a third consecutive term.
Ryan had been wrestling with a relatively late entry to the race for months, having blown past a self-imposed September deadline to decide. Signs in recent weeks had pointed to an imminent launch, with Ryan reactivating old email lists and his advisers working behind the scenes to prepare for a campaign.
But Acton has locked down support from key Democratic leaders and activists, including former Gov. Dick Celeste, who served from 1983 until 1991 and is the last Democrat to win two terms as governor in Ohio.
The only other Democrat to serve as governor since then, Ted Strickland, has long been close with Ryan but said in an October interview with WWGH radio he was “very excited about [Acton’s] candidacy.” Strickland also said then that he didn’t think Ryan would run.
Trump and Mamdani to meet in the Oval Office
Trump and Mamdani will sit down today in a highly anticipated meeting between the upstart 34-year-old mayor-elect of New York City and a president who sought to kneecap him during the campaign.
The White House and Mamdani’s team worked behind the scenes to secure a session between the two men, who will speak face-to-face for the first time. Trump announced the get-together Wednesday on social media, saying Mamdani, whom he again called a “communist,” would be coming to the Oval Office.
Trump frequently refers to Mamdani as a communist; Mamdani — a self-described democratic socialist — has rejected the label.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, Mamdani said he will “be ready for whatever happens” in his Oval Office meeting.
“I’m not concerned about this meeting. I view this meeting as an opportunity to make my case,” he said, adding, “It behooves me to leave no stone unturned in making the city more affordable.
In Nevada, economic concerns threaten to wipe away Trump and the GOP’s Latino voter gains
Matt Payan, who co-owns and operates a rare Hispanic-owned brewery in Nevada, said it was a “very slow, scary summer” for the economy in this city.
“As the summer is slowly fading, business is slowly picking up, though, but not as much as we were anticipating compared to last year’s numbers,” he said.
Payan said his business avoids politics in the taproom of his North 5th Street Brewing Co. But he said it feels the financial strain of Trump’s tariffs, which have forced the company to scale back canning its own beers, making it harder to distribute the product.
“The canning prices went up so high, we can’t keep up with that cost. So, unfortunately, we can’t can as much as we really should to keep up with demand,” Payan said, while hoping the tariffs can be reversed to make the finances more manageable.
“The cost of living has been a real toll on all of us, including our employees as well. As demand and cost gets higher, our employees need to make more money in order to just survive,” he added. “Also, the average patron that comes in is now dealing with higher cost of living, which mean our regulars tend to shy away, because now they have to save and use their resources for other important needs.”
