Politico: “Blue cities represent the core of the Democratic base… But this year, the major cities accounted for smaller shares of the votes cast in the battleground states than four years ago — effectively ceding political power to suburban and rural voters who are, in aggregate, more conservative.”
Trump Is Casting a Made-for-TV Cabinet
“A common thread weaves through many of Donald Trump’s picks for his incoming administration, a quality the president-elect values as highly as loyalty and perhaps even more than conventional qualifications: a flair for television,” CNN reports.
“He has plucked two Fox News stars from their airwaves – Sean Duffy for Transportation secretary and Pete Hegseth to lead the Pentagon. For the agency overseeing Medicare and Medicaid, Trump has turned to Dr. Mehmet Oz, the celebrity physician known for his health show that aired for 13 seasons. His pick for the Department of Education, meanwhile, is Linda McMahon, who co-founded and built a professional wrestling and entertainment empire alongside her husband.”
Trump Considers Ex-Intelligence Chief for Ukraine Post
“President-elect Donald Trump is considering tapping Richard Grenell, his former intelligence chief, to be a special envoy for the Russia-Ukraine conflict,” USA Today reports.
“Grenell, who served as Trump’s ambassador to Germany and was acting director of national intelligence during Trump’s 2017-2021 term, would play a key role in Trump’s efforts to halt the war if he is ultimately selected for the post.”
How Scott Bessent Won the ‘Knife Fight’ for Treasury
Wall Street Journal: “Trump told friends shortly before the Bessent announcement that he trusted him to execute the administration’s policies more than any of the other contenders. Trump’s advisers also said that the president-elect, who is known to take appearance into account when hiring, felt that the gray-haired, bespectacled Bessent looked the part.”
“But Bessent’s glide path was upended by an 11th-hour play for the job by Cantor Fitzgerald Chief Executive Howard Lutnick, which culminated in Elon Musk signaling to his 200 million social media followers that he backed Lutnick and viewed Bessent as a ‘business-as-usual choice.’ As the deliberations dragged on, Trump at times expressed frustration with his options—and the many leaks about the process—prompting him to bring additional candidates into the mix.”
Axios: What to know about Scott Bessent, Trump’s Treasury pick.
Inside Trump’s Rocky Transition
Washington Post: “In any other presidential transition, such a showdown and physical confrontation between two top advisers to the president-elect would be a showstopping breakdown in decorum.”
“But in Trump’s freewheeling orbit, the incident was soon forgotten as his team has returned to the patterns of his first term in office — with shouting matches, expulsions from meetings and name-calling, all between the public celebrations and rocket-ship photo ops. As during Trump’s first term, competing factions have begun to run roughshod over each other, sometimes kicking up clouds of dust.”
What’s the Point of Election Forecasts?
New York Times: “While election polling has been around for more than a century, election forecasts have come to the forefront only in the past decade and a half. And while polls are intended to provide a snapshot in time, taking the pulse of how Americans are feeling about a race, forecasts go a step further, analyzing the polling and other data to make a prediction about who is most likely to win, and how likely.”
“But this year, with the polls already showing a razor-thin presidential race, the forecasts often indicated that the race was tied nationally or in swing states, or they gave one candidate or the other only a slight edge.”
“These results raise the question: What is the value of these election forecasts? Proponents say they help synthesize the available information and that more data is better than less. They also argue that the forecasts this year performed well, generally — capturing the uncertainty of a close race, while holding out for the possibility that Donald Trump could sweep the swing states, as he did.”
“But critics say forecasts add more noise than signal — and may even be doing harm.”
Europe’s Leaders Seek Greater Unity
“For months, European business leaders have watched as Donald Trump paved a path back to the White House by doubling down on an “America First” economic policy, putting protectionism and business-friendly tax and regulatory pledges high on the agenda,” the New York Times reports.
“With the U.S. presidential inauguration less than two months away, they are now furiously lobbying policymakers in Brussels with an appeal of their own: Put Europe First.”
“Nothing has galvanized the European business community quite as urgently as the prospect of a second Trump presidency, this time with Mr. Trump wielding bolder promises to disrupt the global economic order in ways that threaten to leave Europe lagging even further behind.”
Elon Musk’s Wealth Hits Record $348 Billion
“Elon Musk’s net worth hit an all-time high of $347.8 billion on Friday, driven by Tesla Inc.’s ongoing stock rally and a new funding round valuing his artificial intelligence startup xAI at $50 billion,” Bloomberg reports.
“Musk’s numerous businesses have been surging in value since Donald Trump’s election victory propelled Musk, the so-called ‘first buddy,’ into the political spotlight.”
The SALT Wars
Abby Livingston: “While Republicans celebrate their inroads in suburban counties, an intraparty battle is brewing over a tax that disproportionately hits wealthy counties in blue states—the very places an emboldened G.O.P. wants to flip.”
Trump Picks Lori Chavez-DeRemer for Labor Secretary
President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR) as his pick to be the secretary of labor, CNN reports.
Chavez-DeRemer lost reelection to Oregon’s 5th District earlier this month.
Trump Plans to Fire Jack Smith’s Entire Team
“President-elect Donald Trump plans to fire the entire team that worked with special counsel Jack Smith to pursue two federal prosecutions against the former president, including career attorneys typically protected from political retribution,” the Washington Post reports.
“Trump is also planning to assemble investigative teams within the Justice Department to hunt for evidence in battleground states that fraud tainted the 2020 election.”
Trump Picks Scott Bessent for Treasury Secretary
President-elect Donald Trump has selected hedge-fund manager Scott Bessent to lead the Treasury Department, “elevating one of the finance world’s most vocal supporters of the president-elect to a crucial position overseeing the incoming administration’s economic agenda,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Bessent in recent months has become a key economic adviser to Trump and his team. He has defended Trump’s economic proposals in the midst of opposition from some on Wall Street, who worry that the president-elect’s pledge to impose sweeping tariffs will trigger trade wars and ultimately lead to higher prices for American consumers.”
Tulsi Gabbard Was Placed on Government Watch List
“Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump’s pick to lead the intelligence community, was briefly placed on a Transportation Security Administration list that prompts additional security screening before flights after her overseas travel patterns and foreign connections triggered a government algorithm earlier this year,” CNN reports.
Justices Take Up Case Testing Power of Agencies
“The Supreme Court agreed Friday to wade into a fight over Congress’ ability to delegate power to federal agencies — opening the next chapter in a decadeslong effort by conservatives and business interests to reduce the power of the federal government,” CNN reports.
“The appeal, filed by the Biden administration, comes months after the high court handed down a blockbuster ruling limiting the power of federal agencies to interpret vague federal laws on workplace conditions, environmental protections and consumer safeguards.”
House Democrats to Make Mike Johnson’s Life Hell
“House Democrats are gearing up to put maximum pressure on House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) agonizingly small House majority,” Axios reports.
“Just a few complications on the GOP side could hobble Johnson’s efforts to pass President-elect Trump’s sweeping agenda, fund the government and raise the debt ceiling.”
“Republicans may end up with as small as a temporary one- or two-seat majority until seats can be filled with special elections. That puts House Republicans in a significantly weaker position than they were in during Trump’s first term in 2017, when they had a 20-seat buffer.”
Matt Gaetz Has a New Gig
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is recording short videos on Cameo for $500 apiece.
Special Election for Gaetz’s Seat Set for April Fool’s Day
“Florida will conduct a special election on April 1, 2025, to fill the House seat vacated by Matt Gaetz, kicking off a sprint among Florida Republicans to represent the deep-red district,” Politico reports.
“The primaries are set for January 28, but whoever wins the GOP nomination will be the heavy favorite over the Democratic pick.”
