“A state judge on Monday struck down Wyoming’s overall ban on abortion and its first-in-the-nation explicit prohibition on the use of medication to end pregnancy.” CNN reports.
Prosecutors Face Decision in Trump ‘Hush Money’ Case
“Manhattan prosecutors face a Tuesday deadline to tell a judge how they want to proceed with Donald Trump’s 34-felony convictions hush money case now that he is the president-elect,” the Washington Post reports.
“The expected court filing will help determine whether Trump returns to the White House after his inauguration Jan. 20 as the only president convicted and sentenced in a crime.”
Quote of the Day
“To be as clear as I can be, the second Trump administration with Elon Musk embedded within it represents the most direct and sustained threat to the First Amendment and the freedom of the press any of us will ever experience.”
— Nilay Patel, editor-in-chief of The Verge, in an interview with Status.
Inside Mike Johnson’s ‘Epic’ Weekend with Trump
Associated Press: “The images from Johnson’s wild weekend with Trump provide a snapshot of his proximity to power, the former religious rights attorney just a year on the job as House speaker, now dining at Mar-a-Lago, flying on Trump Force One, appearing near-ringside in Manhattan — and riding shotgun to Trump’s second term in the White House.”
“Taken together the photographs, which boomeranged around social media with stunning disbelief and mocking commentaries, put on vivid display Trump’s command of the Republican Party. It spotlighted not only a political force that has swept control of the government in Washington but a cultural moment for the hypermasculine, partygoing, men, and some women, propelling the movement.”
The Hill: Speaker Johnson becomes ‘MAGA’ Mike, cementing place in Trump’s circle.
Why Joe and Mika Reached Out to Trump
Brian Stelter: “According to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter, Scarborough and Brzezinski were credibly concerned that they could face governmental and legal harassment from the incoming Trump administration. Knowing that Trump has threatened retribution against his perceived political opponents, and that Trump has promoted lies about Scarborough and Brzezinski in the past, the MSNBC hosts decided to reach out to the president-elect.”
“The two sources generally agreed with Joe and Mika’s impression of the situation at hand – namely, that the incoming Trump administration could use its wide-ranging powers to punish people deemed enemies.”
Senate Republicans Say Gaetz Nomination in Jeopardy
“Numerous Republican lawmakers told Donald Trump and his team that they believe his pick to be attorney general, controversial Rep. Matt Gaetz, has little chance of being confirmed,” Politico reports.
“And they’re privately hoping Trump doesn’t make them walk the plank.”
Washington Examiner: Trump looks for workarounds to install Gaetz without Senate.
Thom Tillis Faces an Early Trump Loyalty Test
NOTUS: “More than any other Senate Republican, the North Carolina lawmaker is stuck between the demands of a restive MAGA base and an expected reelection campaign in 2026 in which Democrats consider him a top electoral target.”
“Vote against a cadre of Trump’s most controversial picks — including Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the Health and Human Services Department and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence — and Tillis risks a serious primary challenge; support all of them, and he could be vulnerable to a political backlash that gives Democrats a chance to win his seat.”
Trump Now Receiving Intelligence Briefings
“President-elect Donald Trump, the only former president to have been charged with mishandling classified information, has begun receiving intelligence briefings,” the Washington Post reports.
“Trump declined classified briefings during the campaign, saying he feared being accused of leaking classified secrets.”
Israel Finds Russian Arms in Hezbollah’s Hands
“As Israel advances its invasion of southern Lebanon, its troops are finding large troves of Russian weapons, confirming longstanding suspicions in Israel that Hezbollah is enhancing its fighting capacity with the help of sophisticated Russian arms,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Trump Unlikely to Limit Financial Conflicts
As he prepares to enter the White House again, Donald Trump has not made any moves to divest from his financial interests, the Washington Post reports.
Said Dan Fox, former acting director of the Office of Government Ethics: “We’re in a worse position now than we were when he first took office.”
Most Ukrainians Want Quick, Negotiated End to War
Gallup: “After more than two years of grinding conflict, Ukrainians are increasingly weary of the war with Russia. In Gallup’s latest surveys of Ukraine, conducted in August and October 2024, an average of 52% of Ukrainians would like to see their country negotiate an end to the war as soon as possible.”
“Nearly four in 10 Ukrainians (38%) believe their country should keep fighting until victory.”
RFK Jr. Did Eat McDonalds
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) confirmed Robert F. Kennedy did eat McDonalds fast food over the weekend: “I think he did actually eat some of the McDonalds, I am not sure if I should say that, but I think he did.”
Ranked Choice Voting Survives in Alaska
“A ballot measure seeking to repeal open primaries and ranked choice voting in Alaska is narrowly on track to lose, after the state Division of Elections counted almost 4,000 absentee ballots on Monday,” the Anchorage Daily News reports.
Quote of the Day
“People come to me all the time, saying, ‘You’re so negative, and you’re so hard, and you come across with so much vitriol and so much meanness.’ I go, ‘Dude, this ain’t morning in America.’”
— Steve Bannon, quoted by New York Magazine.
Only Johnson Wants Short Term Funding Bill
Speaker Mike Johnson is alone in his desire to punt the government funding debate to the first quarter of Donald Trump’s presidency, Punchbowl News reports.
Trump Would Use Tariffs to Fund Tax Cuts
Politico: “Trump advisers and important congressional players are already discussing the contours of a bill that would use tariffs as a way to partially fund tax cuts. That would be a particularly notable victory for protectionists responding to globalization, which has lowered consumer prices but also hurt domestic manufacturing workers.”
“Congress has not raised tariffs through legislation in almost 100 years — since the infamous Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930. In the century that followed, lawmakers have delegated much of their authority to the president, and legislative action has almost always leaned toward implementing trade deals lowering duties.”
U,S. Will Push Google to Sell Chrome
“Top Justice Department antitrust officials have decided to ask a judge to force Alphabet Inc.’s Google to sell off its Chrome browser in what would be a historic crackdown on one of the world’s biggest tech companies,” Bloomberg reports.
A Tax Break to Join the Trump Administration
“Democrats’ dreams of imposing stiff tax increases on the rich have gone poof, and now some super-wealthy people who campaigned for Donald Trump could get a sweet tax break just for serving in his administration,” Politico reports.
“There’s an arcane provision in the tax code that allows people who join the federal government to sell stock and other assets and put off paying the capital gains tax they’d owe.”
