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It has been a busy holiday week for the news makers, albeit one that has been deeply flawed. In remarkable fashion, it has been a steady stream of flawed reporting on the administration, as if there had to be expedient reporting before cutting out for Thanksgiving.
This makes for a column that is dedicated to the Low-Octane Gaslighting category, as the press has been almost impressive with the glut of screwed up journalism this week.
Reuters – DOGE
Its Sunday report had the press complex buzzing, suggesting that the media-reviled agency was quietly shuttering.
Exclusive: DOGE 'doesn't exist' with eight months left on its charter https://t.co/Ku9U9Lf94E https://t.co/Ku9U9Lf94E
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 23, 2025
That the Reuters report was based mostly on a solitary source was lightly regarded, and then two members of DOGE management quickly came out to disavow the report. This, of course, was not as vigorously covered by the outlets.
As usual, this is fake news from @Reuters. President Trump was given a mandate by the American people to modernize the federal government and reduce waste, fraud and abuse. Just last week, DOGE terminated 78 wasteful contracts and saved taxpayers $335M. We’ll be back in a few… https://t.co/S1pSmx26s0
— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) November 24, 2025
MS NOW – Kash Patel
A trio of the network's intelligence reporters, including the reliably unreliable Ken Dilanian, reported that the administration is supposedly frustrated with the FBI director and his ouster is being plotted. As has become the norm, the messaging came from who the hell knows, as we get the usual gauzy sourcing of "according to three people with knowledge of the situation."
MS NOW EXCLUSIVE:
— MS NOW (@MSNOWNews) November 25, 2025
“President Trump is considering removing Kash Patel as FBI director in the coming months, as he and his top aides have grown increasingly frustrated by the unflattering headlines Patel has recently generated.”https://t.co/C6d4N2WVgo
This was quickly disputed by the White House, as Patel was in the Oval Office for a press and lauded by President Trump. Karoline Leavitt also brushed aside the claims, saying that Patel was gathered with the leadership and they laughed as the news was coming out.
This story is completely made up.
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) November 25, 2025
In fact, when this Fake News published, I was in the Oval Office, where President Trump was meeting with his law enforcement team, including FBI Director Kash Patel.
I read the headline to the President and he laughed. He said: “What? That’s… https://t.co/qbsy0nW2Bg pic.twitter.com/aNL5Qw9MA8
CNN – DHS
CNN tried to suggest that a major shakeup may happen at DHS. It then declared that Kristi Noem is highly regarded, with numerous officials disputing that she is threatened, so the attention has to turn to Corey Lewandowski, as he supposedly is causing discord within the agency. But the suggestion is neutered by the reality that examples shown by the network were of Lewandowski getting impatient with those in DHS working against the administration. That hardly spells out anger from the president.
NEW: The White House is preparing for possible turnover in the Cabinet after President Trump reaches the one-year mark of his term. At least one of the agencies that could see change is the Department of Homeland Security. W/ @KristenhCNN + @jeffzeleny: https://t.co/f3aTBvzt3E
— Priscilla Alvarez (@priscialva) November 21, 2025
THE DAILY BEAST – Susie Wiles
Supposedly, there will be a shakeup inside the White House itself, according to the outlet. The first step is to make overblown a series of setbacks in the past couple of weeks. This leads to Trump's Chief of Staff Susie Wiles being supposedly on the hot seat, chopping block, getting the pink slip, or whichever career immolation metaphor you choose. Except…the basis of this claim is rooted in select influencers on social media carping about these challenges.
Donald Trump’s longtime supporters are coming for White House gatekeeper Susie Wiles, blaming the president’s so-called “Ice Maiden” for his missteps on everything from the Jeffrey Epstein files to his America First agenda.https://t.co/y57ktzEwAJ
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) November 15, 2025
VARIOUS OUTLETS – Putin Rejects Peace Plan
After the administration announced that a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia is the closest to a resolution, possibly by the end of this month, the press has been bothered by the prospect. This week, a wide range of reports stated that Vladimir Putin was rejecting the proposal, except these were mostly delivered with a key qualifier – the word "likely." Meanwhile, the chief U.S. negotiator, Steve Witkoff, is set for a trip to Moscow to continue the peace talks.
When pressed by NewsNation's @LibbeyDean_ on board Air Force One if Witkoff is going to meet with Putin next week, if this means the Thanksgiving deadline doesn't stand anymore, President Trump said, "we'll see what happens. They set up a date and the date is going to be sometime… https://t.co/Nbs32qVnSo
— Kellie Meyer (@KellieMeyerNews) November 26, 2025
