Sarah K. Burris

President Donald Trump appeared to doze during a press conference on Thursday, drawing both mockery and shock from political analysts.

In a conversation about it on Friday, however, MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace simply burst into laughter.

The discussion began with NBC News reporter Vaughn Hillyard delicately trying to dance around Trump's history of public snoozing.

"We know the president has, uh, has a history now of, Nicolle, not — we do see the president a lot more than most presidents in the past. And there have been moments in the past, including during his hush-money payment trial in New York, in which we know there were moments in which he was appearing to fall asleep as well here," Hillyard said.

"The images sometimes play out in ways that the American public are able to capture," he continued before giving props to photographers who witness such moments and bring them to the world.

"Was he, dare I say, low energy?" asked Wallace, calling back to one of Trump's favorite attacks on former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-FL).

"If Joe Biden yawned on a 30-hour flight, Fox News would cut out all their breaks for a week and stay in wall-to-wall coverage about the presidential yawn," Wallace continued.

She then pivoted to talk about the man who collapsed during the press event and Trump's strange reaction that sparked its own conversation about Trump's cognition as he stared blankly into space.

"This is someone who's got some dissonance where a person —I mean, we're New Yorkers. If someone trips in a crosswalk, traffic stops in both directions, not only until the person is up, until all their belongings are back in their hands, but until an ambulance is called or a friend is called," Wallace continued. "I mean, a human reaction in the middle of a busy city is to help someone who collapses. This is the Oval Office! He's the president of the United States! He's serving in that capacity, in that meeting as a host, and he stands there!"

"That is a real deterioration in his synapses from Trump 1.0," she added.

Rev. Al Sharpton noted that Trump "went to sleep at a public function. We're not talking about Joe Biden in private. We're talking about a public function that he was hosting in the Oval Office and he went to sleep while people were speaking about national policy. He went to sleep! And obviously, they all seem to, around him, know he would do it because no one even kind of nudged, and played, like, wake him up. They're used to this! He slept through — people are speaking!"

Wallace burst into laughter, noting that it would be the cover of the New York Post and the headline would be something to the effect of "Too Old to Stay Awake for whatever this meeting is."

It prompted her to wonder, "Why don't they care that he's either too tired to do the job?" She also noted that the people around him clearly control every piece of the press, so "why is the camera still in there?"

The Nasdaq Composite had its worst week since April this week, numbers show.

Market Watch attributed the flop to the tech industry and the government shutdown. Yahoo Finance cited "seesaw stretches for 'Magnificent Seven' stalwarts Nvidia (NVDA) and Tesla (TSLA). The S&P 500 and the Dow also closed out the bumpy week in the red as persistent worries about an AI bubble and Big Tech valuations run high."

MSNBC VP of editorial and bookings, Jesse Rodriguez, wrote on X, "US stock indexes are on track for their worst five-day start to November since 2008."

"The Warren Buffett Indicator (market cap to GDP), the Shiller CAPE ratio (stock prices to earnings), and my Dr. X bubble detector are at record highs. WHEN WILL THE BUBBLE BURST?" asked Steve Hanke, professor of applied economics at Johns Hopkins University.

"You can get people to believe a lot of things, but I guarantee you can't get them to believe grocery prices are down," said chief economist Tim Duy at SGH Macro Advisors, referring to President Donald Trump's argument that prices for everything are better.

Stock associate Mike Bostic flagged concerns over the labor market, shutdown and AI bubble as the possible cause.

"Ping! Is that the bubble bursting?! Bad day for American AI and tech stocks today..." said academic researcher Dr. Ian McCormick. He later added, "The selloff seems to be driven by anxiety over the ongoing US government shutdown, the resulting dearth of economic data, and warnings that an AI bubble might burst soon."

In the background, "Elon will be a trillionaire. Wild," said Certified Financial Education Instructor Kalu Aja.

"Thanks, Donald!" blamed media executive John Goodman.

Former special counsel Jack Smith sent Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) a new letter about setting the record straight with his public testimony, Politico reported on Friday.

The letter, written by lawyers for Smith, delivered a sly jab at President Donald Trump for leveraging law enforcement against his political enemies while alleging that Smith had done so.

“Such political meddling in prosecutorial decision making undermines the credibility of the Justice Department and the integrity of any subsequent enforcement actions,” wrote Lanny Breuer and Peter Koski, the Smith lawyers at the firm Covington & Burling.

“Political meddling in prosecutorial actions also risks turning impartial law enforcement agencies into partisan tools to protect the President’s allies and punish his perceived adversaries," the letter continues.

Thus far, Trump has demanded his attorney general prosecute former FBI Director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA). A broader list includes people like former CIA Director John Brennan and former National Security Advisor John Bolton, who has already been indicted.

Republican lawmakers have been investigating Smith's investigation of Trump's theft of classified documents, the refusal to return them, and efforts to allegedly obstruct the investigation.

Grassley and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) want to hear from Smith directly, but he's refusing to do it behind closed doors.

“Mr. Smith is fully committed to providing information about the work of the Special Counsel’s Office, and we are committed to working with you to provide the public an opportunity to hear directly from Mr. Smith regarding his work,” the attorneys wrote.

The acquittal of Sean Dunn, also known as "Sandwich Guy," on Thursday came as a welcome "act of resistance" to President Donald Trump's takeover of Washington, D.C. Slate's legal analysts Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern discussed on Friday.

Chatting on the "Amicus" podcast, the experts called it "one of the greatest acts of resistance to the regime that you could imagine."

In many ways, the case became emblematic of the D.C. "takeover," which began in August, flooding the streets with federal agents and National Guard soldiers under the guise of reducing crime, they argued.

During the "occupation," U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro tried to throw the book at D.C. residents for minor infractions. Grand juries refused to hand her the indictments she sought. Still, the Justice Department filed lower-level federal charges against Dunn for slinging a footlong sandwich at "point-blank range" at a CPB officer wearing a bulletproof vest. The officer complained on the stand that it made his uniform smell bad.

"Before we get into jury nullification, I want to make a couple of points," Lithwick prefaced. "First of all, as a rule, Mark and I are not generally for throwing sandwiches. Let’s not do that. Second, this comes the same week that voting proves to still be salient and doable. And I do see this as a story about one person standing up and saying, to quote last week’s show, that he’s not waiting for a postcard inviting him to resist. This prosecution was, as you say, obscene overreach, and in some sense, that’s the story to tell."

The problem, they explained, is that even the lower charge, a misdemeanor, was an overreach. Dunn was alleged to have "forcibly assaulted, resisted, opposed, impeded, intimidated, or interfered" with federal officers "while engaged in or on account of the performance of official duties."

Stern wrote on Bluesky that in many ways, the furious residents of the federalized city found a unique way to fight back.

"D.C. doesn't have statehood. We don't have voting representation in Congress. We have limited home rule that can be taken away any time. When Trump oppresses us, we have few democratic means of fighting back," he said.

This trial was one of those means.

Listen to the full podcast here.

Republicans have refused to negotiate a deal with Democrats to extend healthcare subsidies under the Affordable Care Act until they pass the continuing resolution previously approved by the House.

On Friday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) introduced a public proposal on the Senate floor to do both simultaneously: pass the spending package and extend the subsidies for one year. He proposed a bipartisan working group to continue ongoing budget negotiations and explore long-term healthcare solutions.

The plan could make things more difficult in the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson has refused to bring members back to work. He has argued that they did their job and passed the spending bill. If the Senate passes Schumer's proposal, the House would theoretically return.

Johnson has been avoiding swearing in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ), who won a special election in September. Once she is sworn in, there will be enough votes to force a full House vote on releasing the full investigation files on Jeffrey Epstein.

Activists have suggested that Johnson will only swear in Grijalva once Tennessee Republican candidate for Congress, Matt Van Epps, can also be sworn in to counter her vote. Van Epps has not indicated whether he supports releasing the Epstein files.

Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-OR) was filming a video with TikTok influencer Johnny Palmadessa when a Capitol Police officer tried to remove them from the U.S. Capitol rotunda.

The Capitol rotunda requires advanced approval from both the House and Senate Galleries to film interviews as well as a permit from the U.S. Capitol Police, the rules for the electronic media website say. The rules specifically outline that the media can't stake out there.

Dexter said those rules don't apply to members of Congress filming videos themselves.

"The Sergeant at Arms wanted me to explain the requirement of a continuing resolution to use the rotunda because it's on both sides of the Congress," the Capitol Police officer said.

"Yeah, I'm not keeping anyone else from using it, so..." Dexter said.

"That's not the point. It requires both the House and Senate's approval," the officer said.

"Not for a member of Congress. I can walk through any part of this and record a video," Dexter said.

House Sergeant at Arms William McFarland then approached Dexter about the matter in plain clothes.

"We can't do it in the rotunda only because we need a concurrent resolution in order to do this. We have to get the Senate to —" McFarland began.

"To record a video?" Dexter asked.

"In the rotunda. So if you're having a press conference—"

Dexter interrupted, "It's not a press conference, sir. Like, he's an influencer and we're just recording a video."

"Ok. You're not filming now are you?" asked McFarland.

"Yes I am," Palmadessa replied.

"So, is filming not allowed in the rotunda?" Dexter asked.

"Filming is allowed in the rotunda, but if you're having a press conference, of course," McFarland continued.

"But it's not," Dexter said.

"Is he asking questions to you?" McFarland asked.

"No, we're literally talking about the shutdown," Dexter said. She then walked viewers through what happened.

"It's quite literally suppressing and silencing your freedom of speech as a Congresswoman," Palmadessa said.

"Yeah, they said it's a bipartisan place. That we all have to be able to use it. I'm not impeding anyone else from using it," Dexter continued.

Palmadessa then pointed out that there weren't any other people in the rotunda.

On Wednesday, Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) was approached by Capitol Police as she was trying to get answers from Speaker Mike Johnson about negotiating with Democrats over the shutdown. Johnson has refused to have such discussions until the Senate passes his continuing resolution.

The Capitol Police officer took Houlahan by the arm and began to usher her away from the speaker before she informed the officer she was a member of Congress.

President Donald Trump gathered pharmaceutical giants to the Oval Office on Thursday to discuss weight loss drugs when a guest at the event collapsed. Trump stood from the desk, looming over the situation as Dr. Mehmet Oz rushed to the man. Trump was then photographed turning away from the scene, looking disappointed.

"Trump stands unmoved, annoyed looking, as staff rushes to revive the man," said MSNBC host Chris Hayes on Thursday night. "And you can look at this photo of Trump. It's reasonable to think that guy doesn't care about getting my costs down. Not really. People seem to forget this. We all have very short memories these days. He was president before. He was the least popular president for the duration of his first term in modern polling. He is even less popular now after seeing his approval plummet all year."

Several reports claimed the man was an executive at Novo Nordisk, though a company representative told Raw Story that was not the case. His identify is not known.

Host Jen Psaki added her comments, asking, "Did he understand what was happening?"

Psaki and Hayes weren't the only ones to notice Trump's indifference.

"This is how he reacted," said Democratic activist Harry Sisson. "A photo that perfectly encapsulates who he is."

"At the same time, HHS Secretary RFK Jr. immediately left the office, and Trump seems like posing for the camera. Cowardice, lack of empathy and fear is the trademark of this administration," Commented inHereticAI creator Mario Pawlowski.

"Someone faints in the oval office and Trump could give two s---s," said Morgan J. Freeman on X.

"Trump springs into action as a man collapses in the Oval Office," former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) says sarcastically.

"Donald Trump reacts to a man in medical distress in the Oval Office," characterized columnist Matthew Yglesias.

"A man suffers a medical emergency in the Oval Office and Trump just stands there, staring blankly, like someone shut off the robot in the Disney Hall of Presidents," quipped novelist Patrick S. Tomlinson.

Nebraska state Sen. Megan Hunt (I) recalled a 2017 report in Harper's Bazaar about an 80-year-old man who collapsed in Trump's presence and began bleeding. "Get that blood cleaned up, it's disgusting," Trump said, according to the report.

Legendary comedian and creative genius John Cleese described the photo saying, "Trump seething because he's not the centre of attention for a moment.

The man was ultimately okay, the White House said.

One CNN host lamented that the airline companies are being treated as "pawns" in President Donald Trump's game of politics.

At the top of her Thursday show, Erin Burnett noted how essential air traffic controllers are to keeping the country safe while coordinating planes going hundreds of miles an hour. They, along with TSA agents, aren't being paid during the government shutdown. In past shutdowns, there were agreements that some workers were paid or compensated afterward.

During a call with major airlines on Wednesday, Trump told them they had to cut 10% of their flight traffic by Friday. American Airlines issued a statement saying that this means 220 of its flights tomorrow will be cut.

The FAA said on its website that it handles, on average, 44,000 to 45,000 planes in the U.S. skies on a given day. However, that includes private planes and delivery planes like UPS, FedEx, and USPS delivering products. Those will not be restricted, only those used by everyday Americans traveling in the coming weeks.

Burnett noted that having ATC staff working extra jobs in off-hours to make ends meet means they're more exhausted during a time that they're most needed.

"It is unacceptable that it has come to this, and it's both wrong and not safe for an air traffic controller to be working as an Uber driver off shift to make ends meet. That's something we all can agree on," she said.

Trump was asked about the matter during an Oval Office discussion, and he said the reason he's cutting flights is that it isn't safe.

"The whole situation makes people feel unsafe," Burnett commented. "That's the reality. And the other reality is that it didn't have to be this way because this shutdown, like all of them, is a manufactured crisis in a country that knows nothing better than how to spend money with reckless abandon regardless of political persuasion."

But up until today, when he addressed safety, Trump has stayed with playing politics when he talks about what is now formally the most extended shutdown in American history," she continued. That, however, changed after Republicans lost the election. Polls show that Americans blame the GOP, which is in power in the House, Senate, and White House. Meanwhile, Trump is jet-setting all over the world, meeting with foreign leaders and golfing.

"So while Trump is doing all of this with foreign leaders, you know, obviously, perception can be reality," she said. "It doesn't look like he's doing anything to reopen the government. And that is leaving, now, American travelers high and dry and feeling a bit scared and unsafe when they fly."

Dan McCabe, the southern regional VP of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, told Burnett, "They're upset. They feel like pawns. They feel like they're in the middle of a fight that's not theirs. It's partisan politics. And we're stuck in the middle of it."

A former FBI agent revealed on Thursday that the Trump administration's repeated episodes of "spewing lies" have had a significant impact on his former colleagues inside federal law enforcement.

Michael Feinberg is a former FBI agent who was fired earlier this year after he was found to have socialized with President Donald Trump's foe, Peter Strzok. He discussed the impact of Trump's lies on federal law enforcement on MSNBC's "Deadline White House" with Nicolle Wallace.

"The unhesitatingly immediate jump to spewing lies and dissembling about the truth by the White House essentially means that no FBI agent and no line prosecutor is going to want to work on anything remotely politically controversial for the sheer fact that a successor administration can target them, regardless of whether they did everything right, regardless of whether the case was factually predicated, regardless of whether they had maine justice support, a president can now come in and essentially say well, the facts that you cite aren't true," said Feinberg.

He noted that a new administration could simply "quote Kellyanne Conway and say, 'we have access to alternative facts.'"

"And instead of actually trying to get to the truth, we get into some, like, satire of a graduate literature seminar where we're debating what the truth even means. This isn't how a country, let alone an investigative agency, is supposed to function," he closed.

The White House announced it would be investigating a "conspiracy" by former President Barack Obama and his top aides in trying to "subvert" the 2016 election. The effort was spearheaded not by the Justice Department or FBI but by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.

According to Trump, Obama "manufactured evidence" to justify "baseless smears against President Trump."

"Literally every line of that is untrue," Wallace said.

A federal judge issued a "sharp rebuke" of President Donald Trump's repeated attempts to prevent food assistance money from being distributed to people in need, according to a new report.

On Thursday, Politico legal reporter Kyle Cheney reported on comments U.S. District Judge John McConnell of Rhode Island made during a hearing over the Trump administration's efforts to rescind congressionally approved funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps.

McConnell had previously ordered the administration to begin disbursing the funds on November 5. On Thursday, the administration admitted it had only approved a partial disbursement of benefits. Cheney reported that McConnell wasn't happy with the administration's response.

The judge went on to say that Trump's Truth Social post was essentially an admission of his "intent to defy the court order when he said 'SNAP payments will be given only when the government opens,'" Cheney wrote. As a result, "people will go hungry, food pantries will be burdened and … suffering will occur."

"It’s likely that SNAP recipients are hungry as we sit here," McConnell continued.

The judge also said that the president and his allies have admitted publicly to withholding SNAP benefits for "political reasons" rather than to preserve child nutrition programs, which the judge said was a pretext."

McConnell ordered that the Department of Agriculture, which runs SNAP, must now make the full payments by tomorrow.

See the full thread from Cheney here.