What happened
Steve Bannon, a far-right influencer and longtime adviser to Donald Trump, was released from federal prison Tuesday, returning to his "War Room" podcast to agitate for a MAGA victory one week before polls close on Election Day.
Who said what
"They were going to silence me and break me," Bannon said to reporters. "I'm not broken. I'm empowered." He "wasted little time" returning to his role as "one of the leading provocateurs of the former president's political movement," The New York Times said. Bannon "bashed Democrats and their agenda" during his first few hours of freedom, The Associated Press said. While in prison, Bannon had been "receiving daily updates from his daughter" about Trump's presidential campaign, Politico said.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
Bannon's "MAGA megaphone has suffered in his absence," CNN said. It will "take some time to bring the audience back and to mobilize them," liberal media analyst Madeline Peltz said to the broadcaster. While the week before the election likely won't be "enough time to complete that," Bannon will likely "kick into high gear in the post-election chaos that we're all sort of anticipating."
He is due to appear in New York state court Dec. 9 for a separate criminal trial on money laundering and fraud charges for allegedly duping donors to a private effort to build Trump's border wall. Trump pardoned Bannon on similar federal charges in one of his final acts as president.
-
Rothermere’s Telegraph takeover: ‘a right-leaning media powerhouse’Talking Point Deal gives Daily Mail and General Trust more than 50% of circulation in the UK newspaper market
-
The US-Saudi relationship: too big to fail?Talking Point With the Saudis investing $1 trillion into the US, and Trump granting them ‘major non-Nato ally’ status, for now the two countries need each other
-
Sudoku medium: November 30, 2025The daily medium sudoku puzzle from The Week
-
The US-Saudi relationship: too big to fail?
Talking Point With the Saudis investing $1 trillion into the US, and Trump granting them ‘major non-Nato ally’ status, for now the two countries need each other
-
Could Trump run for a third term?The Explainer Constitutional amendment limits US presidents to two terms, but Trump diehards claim there is a loophole
-
Trump’s Ukraine peace talks advance amid leaked callSpeed Read Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff is set to visit Russia next week
-
Memo signals Trump review of 233k refugeesSpeed Read The memo also ordered all green card applications for the refugees to be halted
-
Pentagon targets Kelly over ‘illegal orders’ videoSpeed Read The Pentagon threatened to recall Kelly to active duty
-
Judge tosses Trump DOJ cases against Comey, JamesSpeed Read Both cases could potentially be brought again
-
X’s location update exposes international troll industryIn the Spotlight Social media platform’s new transparency feature reveals ‘scope and geographical breadth’ of accounts spreading misinformation
-
Tariffs: Will Trump’s reversal lower prices?Feature Retailers may not pass on the savings from tariff reductions to consumers
