Bloomberg: “It’s been a year of profound political change in Africa, with struggling voters punishing ruling parties in South Africa, Botswana, Senegal and Mauritius. Ghanaians, who are reeling in the aftermath of a debt crisis and concerned about environmental damage caused by illegal mining, look set to follow suit.”
The Future of TikTok Could Be Decided This Week
Wired: “Depending on what a federal appeals court decides, TikTok’s fate might be left in the hands of president-elect Donald Trump.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I don’t think they can do much on their own. They don’t have a lot of statutory authority. I was the last person, by the way, who was in charge of government restructuring and I failed miserably because everybody was against me. The House, the Senate, even most of the agencies. I remember the secretary of defense was against the things the president wanted me to do.”
— Former Trump White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, to Piers Morgan Uncensored, on the Elon Musk effort to cut government spending.
Senate GOP Eyes Up to $85 Billion for Border Control
“Senate Republicans are eyeing a $60 billion to $85 billion price tag for their first party-line spending bill to kick off their legislative agenda next year,” Semafor reports.
“The party is looking at plowing that money into the border wall, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and detention beds… the party is looking to fund that with new energy permitting, among other proposals, while avoiding a round of deficit spending.”
Majority of French Want Macron to Resign
A majority of French people want Emmanuel Macron to resign and advance the presidential election scheduled for 2027 to next year, according to a poll by Cluster17 for Le Point magazine.
Effort to Cut Federal Workforce Takes Aim at Jobs Engine
“Elon Musk’s plan to slash the federal workforce under Donald Trump is poised to upend one of the strongest engines of the US labor market: the government,” the Financial Times reports.
“Government and healthcare jobs have been the biggest source of employment in the past year, particularly for knowledge workers, data shows. US job recruiters, economists and labor leaders fear the plan to cut the workforce could crimp the number of good available jobs at a time of declining private-sector employment, compounding already-stiff competition for white-collar jobs.”
Waiting on Joni Ernst
Playbook: “We hear Trump himself is eager to get a readout of how Hegseth’s meeting yesterday with Ernst went, knowing full-well that everyone was looking to her — the combat veteran and advocate for survivors of sexual assault in the military — to determine whether Hegseth stands any shot at surviving.”
Quote of the Day
“We know how to work with a small majority. We have nothing to spare.”
— Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), quoted by Semafor.
Trump’s Transition Runs Into Early Problems
“Donald Trump’s second transition was supposed to be different than the first, designed to be ‘orderly’ by advisers who have more eager congressional Republican allies this time around,” Semafor reports.
“Yet the consistent chaos and confusion that defined Trump’s first administration are already descending on Washington.”
“Trump may lose his second major Cabinet nominee in a matter of weeks, as Army veteran and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth faces draining allegations about his personal life and workplace record. That’s on top of a lower-ranked nominee’s sudden withdrawal, Republican clashes over how to structure their legislative agenda next year — and the awkward spillover of private Mar-a-Lago drama via an internal investigation into Trump confidant Boris Epshteyn.”
Bezos Is Optimistic About Trump’s Second Term
Jeff Bezos is optimistic about Donald Trump’s second term, and thinks the president-elect has “grown in the past eight years,” the Washington Post reports.
Said Bezos: “He seems to have a lot of energy around reducing regulation and if I can help him do that, I’m going to help him. We do have too much regulation in this country.”
Amnesty International Accuses Israel of Genocide
Amnesty International issued a 296-page report formally stating that Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in Gaza constitutes genocide.
Associated Press: “Amnesty said the United States and other allies of Israel could be complicit in genocide, and called on them to halt arms shipments.”
GOP Lawmakers Already Divided Over Trump’s Agenda
“Congressional Republicans are clashing over sweeping legislation on taxes, energy and immigration that will be the heart of President-elect Donald Trump’s legislative agenda — underscoring the hurdles ahead as the party tries to unify amid thin margins,” Politico reports.
Pete Hegseth’s Troubles at Work Raise More Questions
New York Times: “More than once during his early years at the network, Mr. Hegseth’s heavy drinking and raucous behavior at Fox News-related events escalated into episodes that were addressed by company officials or co-workers … At Fox News, the network’s human resources department looked into Mr. Hegseth’s conduct at the ‘Fox & Friends’ Christmas party in 2016 and discussed it with him…”
“The following December, Mr. Hegseth got so drunk at a wedding of a Fox News producer that he struggled to stand upright in a men’s bathroom … Friends asked a producer who was there to get Mr. Hegseth a ride home so he could make it to the set by 6 a.m., they said.”
Some Trump Allies Chafe at Potential DeSantis Appointment
“The idea of making Ron DeSantis secretary of Defense isn’t going over well with everyone at Mar-a-Lago,” Politico reports.
“While those close to Trump have stressed that the decision is ultimately the president-elect’s, some people in Trump’s orbit are chafing at news that Trump is considering DeSantis for the job. They cite the barbs DeSantis directed at Trump during the primary and his treatment of onetime confidante Susie Wiles, Trump’s incoming chief of staff.”
Biden’s Haunting Twin Sins
Axios: “Biden will limp away from the limelight — widely disliked by the public, and now loathed by many Democrats who blame him for twin sins of selfishness: running again, then pardoning Hunter after repeatedly saying he wouldn’t.”
“Some in Biden’s family have been shocked by the number of Democrats trashing his Hunter decision on the record, sources tell us. They expected some blowback — not a wicked backlash.”
“But even Biden’s best friends think it was nuts to pardon Hunter as a solo act on the same evening he left for a long-promised three-day trip to Africa.”
Biden Can’t Escape Questions About His Son’s Pardon
Wall Street Journal: “As he shuttled around the country, Biden ducked questions about the controversial pardon of his son, which was being met with outrage by Republicans as well as many in his own party back home. ‘Welcome to America,’ he joked to the Angolan delegation at the presidential palace amid shouted questions from the U.S. press about the pardon.”
“Biden, who at one point closed his eyes for an extended period during a roundtable with African leaders, didn’t hold a news conference during his trip, a once-standard practice on foreign visits.”
Trump Organization Won’t Swear Off Foreign Deals
New York Times: “In the wake of Donald Trump’s election victory, his family business is poised to capitalize on his presidency with a variety of new ventures… And unlike in his first term, the Trump Organization aims to issue a more limited ethics plan that is unlikely to significantly curb its growth.”
“As the inauguration approaches, Eric Trump, Mr. Trump’s second son and the company’s de facto leader, is expected to forgo deals directly with foreign governments. But he is not planning to revive the promise the company made eight years ago to swear off all other foreign deals while his father occupies the White House.”
Will Congress Surrender to DOGE?
Punchbowl News: “President-elect Donald Trump’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ — also known as DOGE, named for the memecoin backed by Musk — is best thought of as a mercenary-like effort.”
“Unlike previous spending-reduction initiatives, DOGE has no statutory authority or fast-track floor process, and Hill leaders have no idea how they’ll handle any of the proposed spending cuts offered by Musk and Ramaswamy…”
“Yet it’d be foolish to underestimate this effort. After spending roughly $200 million to help Trump win, Musk is very close to the president-elect. And much like when they took over the House in 2011, Republicans have a newfound ‘zeal,’ as Speaker Mike Johnson put it, for shrinking the federal government.”
“Yet there are massive hurdles here for Musk, Ramaswamy and congressional Republicans. Not the least of which is that spending cuts are great until they impact one’s own constituents. Then it gets hard.”
