“It’s a criminal offense—war crimes or murder are criminal offenses. Hegseth doesn’t have the immunity that the President of the United States does.”
— Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), quoted by Time, on Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s role in the boat strikes.
A businessman who has President Trump’s backing for the presidency of Honduras was locked in a “technical tie” with a rightwing TV host after a preliminary vote count, CBS News reports.
Financial Times: Trump vows “hell to pay” if Honduras changes election results.
“Republicans are looking to hang on to a ruby-red congressional district Tuesday in a surprisingly competitive special election that has become a high-profile test of voters’ attitudes about President Donald Trump’s agenda and Democrats’ response less than a year before the midterm elections,” the Washington Post reports.
“The contest in Tennessee’s 7th District, which Trump won by more than 20 percentage points in 2024, has put the GOP on edge, while raising Democratic hopes about a massive upset or overperformance weeks after a strong showing in off-year elections across several states. Strategists in both parties say they see a competitive race that tilts toward the Republican candidate as each side has flooded the district with money, ads and prominent surrogates not typically seen in such a partisan stronghold.”
For members: An Early Test of a Midterm Wave
“Jersey City voters will head to the polls Tuesday for a runoff to decide whether Jim McGreevey, who resigned from the New Jersey governorship in scandal more than 20 years ago, will complete a political comeback and become their next mayor,” CNN reports.
“McGreevey stepped down less than halfway into his first term, admitting to an extramarital affair and disclosing that he was gay, amid accusations that he abused his official power to pursue a romantic relationship with an aide.”
“Michael Dell, founder and CEO of Dell Technologies, is contributing more than $6 billion to President Donald Trump’s new accounts for newborn babies ‒ and the president wants others in the business world to follow the billionaire tech executive’s lead,” USA Today reports.
“It used to be that once your star had fallen in Donald Trump’s orbit, it was destined never to rise again. Any number of discarded former allies stretching back to Trump’s first term of office could testify as much,” The Guardian reports.
“One who has emerged from a political black hole to return to the president’s firmament is the billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman, who will on Wednesday tell senators – for the second time – why he is the best person to lead the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.”
“Isaacman’s return to the launchpad is an intriguing tale of politics, ambition and above all the vanity of a president determined to ensure the US flag is planted back on the surface of the moon before he leaves office in January 2029.”
“The publisher of Franklin the Turtle, a Canadian book franchise aimed at preschoolers, has expressed criticism after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared to make light of deadly boat strikes in Latin America by posting a doctored image that showed the well-known turtle character attacking the crew of a narcotics vessel,” the Washington Post reports.
“In a post on X over the weekend, Hegseth shared an image of a doctored book cover, titled ‘Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists,’ that depicted the primary-school-aged turtle firing a rocket-propelled grenade at apparent drug traffickers.”
Daily Beast: “Incredibly, Trump posted over 160 times between 7:09 p.m. ET and 11:57 p.m. ET, with most posts shared twice. At one point the president was firing off more than a post a minute.”
Playbook: “It’s a strange place, Washington in 2025, but rarely stranger than when the president assembles his Cabinet for the TV cameras. This town is well acquainted with long, pointless meetings packed full of boastful claims, but these truly bizarre White House events stand out even in such a crowded field.”
“So once again this morning, we’ll see some of America’s most successful business leaders, politicians, war veterans and legal minds crowd into a room at the White House to pay homage to their boss…”
“It’s not entirely clear what the purpose of all this actually is. No other democracy in the Western world showcases its officials paying homage like this to their leader. And how many people are even watching a three-hour Cabinet meeting on live TV?”
“In this season of giving thanks, there is one Democrat that the White House is particularly grateful for: Gretchen Whitmer,” Politico reports.
“President Donald Trump and the Michigan governor, an oft-talked about 2028 presidential candidate, have developed a surprisingly productive and affable relationship.”
Punchbowl News: “The speaker is staring down an excruciatingly difficult stretch over the next 11 months that will test the Republican Conference’s patience, his own political savvy and President Donald Trump’s power within the GOP.”
“Johnson has made no secret about his exhaustion with the speakership, a job he was thrown into with almost no experience more than two years ago following the sudden ousting of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.”
“But the scary news for the 53-year-old Johnson is that the worst may be yet to come.”
Former Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (D) launched his bid to replace retiring Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday, joining an already crowded and competitive Democratic primary, Politico reports.
New York Times: “A progressive who has maintained a large fund-raising network since his Senate race, Mr. Barnes is broadly well liked by fellow Wisconsin Democrats, though he faces some skepticism in the state’s political class about his ability to win a general election.”
“Senators have about a week before they’re set to vote on soon-to-expire Affordable Care Act subsidies. Most of them already believe the chances for a bipartisan breakthrough by then are roughly zero,” Politico reports.
“There’s no clear momentum for any plan that would avoid a lapse in tax credits that could raise insurance premiums for 20 million Americans.”
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“Another self-proclaimed democratic socialist is jumping into a big-city mayoral race, this time in Washington, D.C.,” NOTUS reports.
“Council member Janeese Lewis George, 37, on Monday announced her candidacy with a platform highlighting affordability and housing concerns across the District, echoing campaign issues that propelled New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to victory in his race last month.”
Just published: The Great Heist: China’s Epic Campaign to Steal America’s Secrets by David Shedd and Andrew Badger.
A definitive, headline-making exposé of how the Chinese Communist Party has carried out the largest-scale theft of intellectual property, technology, and data in history.
New York Times: “The economy. Venezuela. Division in the Republican Party. And, more decisions coming from Supreme Court.”
“Members of the House of Representatives are quitting Congress at a record rate, with Republican retirements and resignations outpacing Democrats by a nearly 2-to-1 ratio in the first 11 months of the year,” Axios reports.
“In previous cycles, the party with more departures tends to lose seats — if not the majority.”
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
