The Morning Roundup – November 14, 2026

Good morning from The Monolith Media. This Saturday, one theme runs through the coverage: a White House getting ready for a Democratic Congress. Democrats say Trump family businesses and a jump in pardons will top their investigations, Stephen Miller is putting his own mark on the chief of staff job, and the Jensen Huang scandal keeps pulling the president in. The left is focused on pardon abuse, the Huang affair and Miller’s takeover. The center is asking which deals and state-level fights could move under divided government. The right is writing about integrity on campus and patriotism after Veterans Day.

LEFT

Amanda Carpenter (The Bulwark) – “How to Shut Down Trump’s Pardon Abuse”

Carpenter argues that, facing a wave of investigations and oversight from the new Democratic Congress arriving in January, Trump appears to be sharply escalating his use of pardons. The piece lays out how that pardon power could be checked.

Adam Cancryn and Kristen Holmes (CNN) – “Inside Stephen Miller’s aggressive first week as Trump’s chief of staff”

CNN reports on Stephen Miller’s first week as White House chief of staff. Their reporting says Miller has sent a clear message across the West Wing that he will run things very differently from his predecessor, Susie Wiles.

NBC News – “Democrats say Trump family businesses top upcoming investigations”

NBC News reports that incoming Democratic investigators plan to put the Trump family’s business dealings at the top of their oversight agenda. The piece looks at the specific deals lawmakers are questioning.

Charles P. Pierce (Esquire) – “Somehow it Makes Perfect Sense That What Jensen Huang Inspires in Trump is… Empathy”

Pierce mocks Trump’s sympathetic response to the scandal involving Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. He frames it as empathy for a philanderer who may have compromised national security, and ties it to Trump’s recent 60 Minutes interview.

Scott Raab (Esquire) – “Jensen Huang’s Shoes Were the Tell”

Raab, a former men’s shoe salesman, reads the Jensen Huang scandal through the Nvidia CEO’s footwear. He argues that a man’s shoes reveal parts of both his public persona and his private desires.

CENTER

POLITICO – “Washington’s New Game: Let’s Make a Deal”

POLITICO Magazine argues that years of gridlock have left many bipartisan deals sitting on the shelf. It sizes up 16 of them and asks which could actually move in the months ahead under divided government.

POLITICO – “'If you run, we'll chase'”

The Enforcers newsletter reports that state attorneys general are increasingly the ones setting the rules in key policy areas like antitrust, tech, energy and health care. It looks at how the AGs are planning their next moves.

POLITICO – “The grieving parents counting on Trump”

POLITICO profiles six families whose lives were upended by online child exploitation. Each family has made a direct plea to the president to act on online child safety.

RIGHT

CA Post Editorial Board (New York Post) – “College instructors used to help keep students honest. Now they’re the ones gaming the system”

The Post’s California editorial board argues that college instructors, who once policed academic honesty, are now the ones gaming the system. The board treats it as a sign of declining integrity in higher education.

John Kass (John Kass News) – “Young Miss Guesses History of Patriotism 1776-2000!”

To honor veterans this week, Kass shares a patriotic essay by Cynthia Grace Kuhn. The essay runs through the history of American patriotism from 1776 to 2000.

Nicki Gostin (Page Six) – “'The Crown' star, 58, reveals surprising menopause symptom — and why she refuses to get work done”

In a Page Six exclusive, Olivia Williams, 58, a star of “The Crown,” talks about a menopause symptom that surprised her. She also explains why she won’t get cosmetic work done.