THE NARATIV — Wed, Nov 26, 2025
The new daily newsletter from the Narativ team
📍 THREE STORIES TO WATCH
WITKOFF LEAKS: TIME TO END THE CHARADE
Bloomberg’s leaked transcripts strip away the fiction that Trump is brokering peace in Ukraine. His envoy Steve Witkoff coached Putin’s top aide on how to flatter Trump: call him before Zelensky visits, congratulate him on Gaza. Then Witkoff handed Russia the playbook: “I know what it’s going to take—Donetsk and maybe a land swap.” The Kremlin drafted its own terms knowing Witkoff would keep them “as close to Russia’s version as possible.” Trump’s defense: “Standard negotiation.” Standard for a cutout, maybe.
🔍 KASH ON THIN ICE — BUT THE CLOCK’S TICKING
The White House denies Kash Patel is being ousted. Trump laughed when told about the MSNOW report. But here’s what nobody’s talking about: Deputy Director Andrew Bailey hits his 90-day mark on December 15—the moment he becomes eligible to replace Patel as acting director under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. No Senate confirmation required. Meanwhile, Kash is doing the press rounds telling Catherine Herridge he found “garbage bags” in an adjoining office at FBI HQ—actually standard burn bags left during the Wray transition—claiming the documents inside prove a conspiracy against Trump. He says they “know” who put them there (the former director’s staff per protocol perhaps?). The stagecraft is getting desperate.
🚨 TRUMP PULLS THE EMERGENCY CORD IN INDIANA
After threatening primaries, after swatting attacks on lawmakers who resisted, Indiana’s Senate caved. They’ll now vote December 8th on redistricting maps designed to eliminate Democratic seats. The fierce urgency of now—Trump’s playbook is coercion, intimidation, then compliance. Democracy dies one statehouse at a time.
📖 READ: THE FIERCE URGENCY OF NOW
How Democrats Can Elect a President in 11 Months
The 2026 midterms aren’t just a congressional election—they’re a presidential election. If Democrats take the House, they elect a Speaker in January 2027. That Speaker’s first order of business: impeach Trump, Vance, and the regime. If 67 senators convict, the Speaker becomes President. Not in 2029. In 2027. The Speaker doesn’t have to be a House member—it can be anyone the majority chooses. Newsom. Buttigieg. AOC. Kelly. Moore. Obama—yes, either one can serve. The founders built this emergency hatch for exactly this moment. The question isn’t whether it’s possible. It’s whether anyone has the courage to lead.
📅 COMING SUNDAY: The Greatest Heist Book 2 | Chapter 4: The Storm
Brace yourself!
📅 COMING MONDAY
We’re breaking the most stunning election-rigging story you’ve heard to date—a collaboration with one of my favorite big Substacks!
📅 LATER TODAY
THANKSGIVING EVE FIVESTACK — WEDNESDAY
Join Dean and me for our holiday countdown before you stuff the bird.
Dear Friends,
Tomorrow we gather—some with family who see the world differently, some with chosen families who share our fight, some alone.
The challenges we face are real. And serious. We track them daily.
But imagine not having freedom. Imagine not being able to say what you think. To live your life the way you want. To fashion your own identity and path.
And that’s the real news we can report to you on this national day of gratitude: in America, we still can. We can do all those things and much more.
That’s your Thanksgiving.
And why we do what we do.
Happy Thanksgiving
—Zev
Watch Narativ Live | Subscribe at narativ.org
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Narativ with Zev Shalev to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.