“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would be willing to pull troops out of the eastern region of Donetsk and create a demilitarized free economic zone as part of a potential peace deal, provided Russia took similar steps to withdraw from areas it controls,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
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Inside Trump’s Gilded Oval Office
New York Times: “It’s not unusual for presidents to decorate the space to their own tastes. They often choose art or items meant to evoke meaning and a historical connection to past political eras.”
“But in his second term, Mr. Trump has placed a connection to his lavish decorating style above all else. His tastes veer toward the gilded, triumphal style of Louis XIV, a theme that shows up in his own properties.”
“About a third of the walls are now covered in gold — appliqués, frames or other decorations.”
Boom Times for the Rich in Trump’s Economy
Politico: “The top 10 percent of U.S. earners spent $20.3 trillion through the first half of 2025 — nearly matching the $22.5 trillion shelled out by everyone else…”
“That splurge has been primed by a buoyant stock market, elevated real estate prices and solid wage gains for the wealthy. … But the robust numbers mask the extent to which the wealthy are driving growth.”
“Even as growth and asset prices soar, Trump’s approval ratings are sagging. For some of his allies, that’s baffling.”
Expect More Epstein Files Over the Holidays
“The Trump administration estimates it has about one week to go — and as many as 700,000 more pages to review — before it finishes releasing all the Jeffrey Epstein files,” Axios reports.
“Meanwhile, they’ll lose the PR war, day after day.”
“No other controversy has sandbagged President Trump and his administration like the Epstein files, the subject of a rare revolt by congressional Republicans and endless guilt-by-association news stories and social media commentary.”
Trump’s Tanker Crackdown Paralyzes Venezuelan Oil
New York Times: “Venezuela’s ports are piling up with tankers filled with oil, as officials fear releasing them into international waters … Tankers bound for Venezuela have turned around midway, shipping data shows. And shipowners are canceling contracts to load crude.”
Internal Dispute Could Derail GOP’s 2026 Agenda
Politico: “GOP factions have been divided for months about the prospect of a second reconciliation bill.”
“Some rank-and-file conservatives in the House and Senate are privately discussing a potential centerpiece for a second reconciliation bill: using tariff revenues to send taxpayers cash to address rising health care costs after enhanced Obamacare subsidies expire Dec. 31.”
“The pressure from the right is threatening to outweigh skepticism from many senior Republicans who are deeply wary about moving forward.”
Trump Rants About News Coverage
President Trump, on Truth Social:
“If Network NEWSCASTS, and their Late Night Shows, are almost 100% Negative to President Donald J. Trump, MAGA, and the Republican Party, shouldn’t their very valuable Broadcast Licenses be terminated? I say, YES!”
Student Loan Borrowers Could See Wages Garnished
“The Trump administration will begin to garnish the pay of student loan borrowers in January, the Department of Education said Tuesday, stepping up a repayment enforcement effort that began this year,” the New York Times reports.
Holiday Volunteers Needed to Redact Epstein Files
“The Justice Department’s leadership asked career prosecutors in Florida to volunteer over the ‘next several days’ to help redact the Epstein files, in the latest Trump administration push toward releasing the hundreds of thousands of photos, internal memos and other evidence around the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein,” CNN reports.
Inside the New Fast Track to a Presidential Pardon
Wall Street Journal: “In the first year of his first term, Trump granted a single pardon and commuted one sentence. He waited until his final day in office to issue around 140 additional acts of clemency. This term, he pardoned more than 1,500 people on his first day alone, and has since granted clemency to a further 87 people and companies.”
“The new approach—driven in part by Trump’s own experience as a criminal defendant, people close to him say—has spawned a pardon-shopping industry where lobbyists say their going rate is $1 million. Pardon-seekers have offered some lobbyists close to the president success fees of as much as $6 million if they can close the deal, according to people familiar with the offers.”
Hunter Biden Says He’s $15 Million in Debt
Hunter Biden estimated in a new interview that he is in debt to the tune of up to $15 million, and admitted that “I have no idea” how to pay that amount back, the New York Post reports.
Said Biden: “Nobody’s riding to the rescue for Hunter Biden. My dad, you know, entered the presidency as the poorest man to ever take the office. And he left the presidency as the, you know, not poorest, I mean, he’s fine, but he has no, we have no generational wealth.
Epstein’s Brother Says Jeffrey Was Ready to ‘Name Names’
Mark Epstein, brother of child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein, alleged to the FBI in 2023 that his brother was murdered because he was ready to “name names” and even claimed President Trump was behind the death, Mediaite reports.
Athletes Crowd Republican Tickets in 2026
Politico: “Athletes and coaches are playing in some of the highest-profile races of the 2026 cycle, with control over Congress up for grabs in a year expected to favor Democrats.”
“In Georgia, former University of Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley is hoping to capitalize on his athletic experience — and his father’s football fame in Athens — to break through in a competitive Republican primary and unseat Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff. Former NFL kicker Jay Feely is running for Congress in Arizona. And former MLB star Mark Teixeira is a front-runner for Rep. Chip Roy’s open House seat in Texas.”
Bari Weiss Plans Overhaul of CBS News
“CBS News’ new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss is planning to create a masthead for the broadcaster as part of a broader overhaul of standards and procedures,“ Axios reports.
“The masthead is meant to drive a more streamlined hierarchy and set of processes across show and news gathering teams that are intended to prevent disparate editorial procedures and standards.”
House Republicans Aren’t Having Any Fun
Elaine Godfrey and Russell Berman: “Johnson’s own members, in the past month, have accused him of stretching if not wholly disregarding the truth, and his assertion last Wednesday that he has a firm grip on power was correct only in the most technical sense. On the day he uttered it, a group of Johnson’s most electorally vulnerable soldiers abandoned him to help Democrats force a vote on extending health-care subsidies, and a longtime lawmaker became the 25th House Republican—with many more expected to follow—to announce that he would not seek reelection next year.”
Said Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY): “This place is disgraceful.”
“In the preceding weeks, a member of the speaker’s leadership team—Representative Elise Stefanik of New York—publicly denounced Johnson as ineffective (shortly before she announced that she was, for now, quitting politics altogether), and another high-profile (albeit perpetually aggrieved) Republican, Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina, pined, in the pages of The New York Times, for the sturdy hand of Nancy Pelosi.”
U.S. Moves Troops and Aircraft Into Caribbean
“The U.S. moved large numbers of special-operations aircraft, troops and equipment into the Caribbean area this week, giving Washington additional options for possible military action in Venezuela,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“President Trump has ramped up pressure on Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro in recent days, ordering a blockade of oil tankers going in and out of the country. Trump has declared that the airspace around Venezuela should be considered closed and has refused to rule out airstrikes on the country.”
Inside ICE’s Media Machine
Washington Post: ““ICE’s public affairs arm has rapidly transformed into an influencer-style media machine, churning out flashy videos of tactical operations and immigration raids.”
“The internal communications reviewed by The Post show how the ICE team has coordinated with the White House, working to satisfy Trump aides’ demands to ‘flood the airwaves’”
“They also show federal officials mocking immigrants in crass terms and discussing video edits that might help legitimize the administration’s aggressive stance. The team also knowingly used copyright-protected music without permission from the rights holders.”
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