“Sprawling defense legislation set for a vote as soon as this week would place new restrictions on reducing troop levels in Europe, a bipartisan rebuke of Trump administration moves that lawmakers fear would limit U.S. commitments on the continent,” Politico reports.
Trump Raises Concerns About Netflix-Warner Deal
President Trump gushed over Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandso calling him “fantastic” and more but also noted that a combined Netflix-Warner Bros. Discovery would “have a great big market share,” Deadline reports.
He added that’s “for some economists” to look at “and I’ll be involved in that decision.”
Variety reports Trump said that the government review of Netflix’s proposed $83 billion deal for Warner Bros. must “go through a process, and we’ll see what happens.”
GOP Lawmakers Weigh Their Futures
Puck: “House Republicans got everything they could have asked for in 2024—not just a powerful (albeit small) majority in their own chamber, but also control of the Senate and the presidency.”
“Still, that governing trifecta has been less productive and more acrimonious than anyone hoped: The electoral high has long since worn off, replaced by stalled legislation, a capricious and vindictive White House, and the possibility of a midterm beating that could relegate them to the minority.”
“These days, many House Republicans are wondering if their future includes another term in Congress at all.”
Trump Weighs Moving on From Kristi Noem
The Bulwark: “For weeks, a rumor has been circulating in political circles that Noem may soon be on the outs. It briefly surfaced in a CNN report a few weeks back that listed her first among the cabinet officials who could be caught in a year-end turnover, noting that while Trump himself has been happy with Noem, top White House officials have grown frustrated with her tenure—specifically, her employment of her divisive and combustible chief adviser, Corey Lewandowski.”
“Noem has downplayed any tensions or concerns. And in a text to me, Lewandowski called bullshit on any talk of turnover.”
“But in conversations with three former DHS officials—who served in both the Biden and Trump administrations and are still in touch with current staff—it was made clear that Trump is indeed considering moving on from Noem.”
Netflix Chief Met with Trump
“Netflix taking pole position to win the race for Warner Bros. Discovery sent shockwaves through Hollywood, partially because it was presumed that Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison had the support of President Donald Trump,” according to the Hollywood Reporter.
“Now multiple sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that Netflix may also have received some sort of blessing by Trump, or at least his ear. Insiders says that Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos spoke with the President in the last couple of weeks in a confab that lasted about two hours.”
Clyburn Agrees America Not Ready for Woman President
Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) said he agrees with Michelle Obama that the U.S. is not yet ready for a woman president, but he still intends to support women candidates, Politico reports.
Said Clyburn: “As we saw in this past election, sadly we ain’t ready. That’s why I’m like, ‘Don’t even look at me about running because you all are lying. You’re not ready for a woman.’”
Quote of the Day
“I watched many of my colleagues go from making fun of him, making fun of how he talks — making fun of me constantly for supporting him — to when he won the primary in 2024 they all started — excuse my language, Lesley, kissing his ass and decided to put on a MAGA hat for the first time.”
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), on 60 Minutes.
Justices to Hear Trump’s Plans to Shatter the Bureaucracy
“The Supreme Court will debate Monday whether to finally finish off a teetering, 90-year-old precedent that limited presidents’ power over many federal agencies,” Politico reports.
“But lurking in the wings is a far more radical bid by the Trump administration to remake the federal government from top to bottom by ending the concept of the civil service.”
“Indeed, some legal experts say that as a practical matter, the administration — emboldened by the justices — has already managed to eliminate job protections that have been on the books for nearly 150 years.”
Trump’s Presidential Library May Be a Skyscraper
Politico: “Forget glamor-free presidential libraries in towns like Little Rock or Grand Rapids. Sometime after 2029, enthusiasts might be able to take in a facility whose possible elements include a 47-story tower, a hotel, a rooftop restaurant, and a prime perch in the Miami skyline. Donald Trump’s presidential library, like Donald Trump’s presidency, is already breaking molds — and it hasn’t even been commissioned yet.”
“The hype around the building gathered force back in September, when Trump’s son Eric — a trustee of The Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation — announced the location, proclaiming the library would be ‘one of the most beautiful buildings ever built’ and ‘an Icon on the Miami skyline.’ No official plans have been released, but in conversations with Florida power players, local activists, real estate pros and Trump insiders familiar with the discussions, it appears that the project is shaping up to be a lot more glamorous, a lot pricier, and a whole lot more lucrative than the libraries of his predecessors.”
Trump Rips Lawmaker He Just Pardoned
“President Trump on Sunday offered more insight into his decision to pardon former Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) and his wife Imelda, who were both indicted last year on bribery charges, but criticized the former congressman for opting to run as a Democrat in 2026,” The Hill reports.
Said Trump: “Only a short time after signing the Pardon, Congressman Henry Cuellar announced that he will be ‘running’ for Congress again, in the Great State of Texas (a State where I received the highest number of votes ever recorded!), as a Democrat, continuing to work with the same Radical Left Scum that just weeks before wanted him and his wife to spend the rest of their lives in Prison – And probably still do!”
He added: “Such a lack of LOYALTY, something that Texas Voters, and Henry’s daughters, will not like. Oh well, next time, no more Mr. Nice guy!”
Hegseth Declares End to U.S. ‘Utopian Idealism’
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday launched a full-throated attack on post-Cold War U.S. foreign policy, castigating former presidents and generals by name while declaring the age of American “utopian idealism” over, Politico reports.
Abortion a Major Obstacle in the GOP Healthcare Fight
“As congressional Republicans weighed how to approach the fight over extending Affordable Care Act subsidies, powerful antiabortion groups saw an opportunity,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Led by Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, antiabortion activists began to pressure Republicans during the fall government shutdown to further restrict abortion coverage from insurance plans made cheaper by ACA subsidies at the heart of the dispute.”
“The activists’ warning was simple: Extending subsidies without such limits was a line Republicans must not cross to keep social conservative support in next year’s midterm elections.”
Trump’s Advisers Try to Shift His Focus to High Prices
Wall Street Journal: “In conversations in recent weeks, Trump’s advisers have encouraged the president to talk more about what the administration is doing to increase wages, lower the cost of housing and reduce inflation.”
“So far, Trump has largely avoided any ‘I feel your pain’ messaging, telling aides that the economy is strong. And he has dismissed Washington’s focus on affordability as a trap set by Democrats intent on papering over the administration’s economic achievements. In many of the private conversations, Trump has argued that former President Joe Biden was responsible for inflation, not him.”
Financial Times: America’s affordability crunch is real — and worse under Trump.
How Biden Lost Americans’ Faith in Immigration
“In the weeks after Joe Biden was elected president, advisers delivered a warning: His approach to immigration could prove disastrous,” the New York Times reports.
“Mr. Biden had pledged to treat unauthorized immigrants more humanely than President Donald Trump, who generated widespread backlash by separating migrant children from their parents.”
“But Mr. Biden was now president-elect, and his positions threatened to drastically increase border crossings, experts advising his transition team warned in a Zoom briefing in the final weeks of 2020…. That jump, they said, could provoke a political crisis.”
Echoes of a 1930s Supreme Court Battle
“A new president with a bold agenda, determined to exert control over government agencies to carry it out. An agency head who refused to quit, rejecting the president’s demand that he resign and insisting Congress had protected his job to keep it independent from politics,” the New York Times reports.
“Long before President Trump declared he had the power to fire independent agency leaders, the United States experienced a nearly identical test of presidential power.”
“The president then was Franklin D. Roosevelt, who wanted to oust a member of the Federal Trade Commission he believed was an obstacle to his sweeping plan to pull the nation out of the Great Depression.”
Justices Could Topple Another Campaign Finance Limit
“The Supreme Court could eliminate one of the remaining checks on money in politics in a case that worries advocates fighting the influence of deep-pocketed donors,” USA Today reports.
“In a challenge involving Vice President JD Vance, the court will consider on Dec. 9 the Republican Party’s argument for overturning a 2001 decision that upheld a rule aimed at preventing wealthy donors from bypassing limits on what they can give candidates by funneling money through political parties.”
Have Trump’s Tariffs Hit the ‘High-Water Mark’?
New York Times: “Since Mr. Trump’s exemptions, a wave of companies have begun petitioning officials in Washington for similar relief. Businesses that depend on foreign materials — from factories that import machinery to retailers selling artificial Christmas trees — argue that tariffs on their products are simply raising consumer prices and adding to Americans’ dissatisfaction with the economy, rather than encouraging more manufacturing in the United States.”
“The petitions have raised questions about the strategic direction the president’s trade policy will take in the months to come. Mr. Trump has spent the past year introducing, pausing and then reinstating more tariffs than the United States had seen in nearly a century.”
Greene Says Trump Was ‘Furious’ Over Epstein Files
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) said President Trump was furious with her after she signed a House petition compelling the release of all government files related to disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, The Hill reports.
Said Greene: “We did talk about the Epstein files and he was extremely angry at me that I signed the discharge petition to release the files.”
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