Donald Trump will likely attend his civil fraud trial on Thursday, ABC News reports.
He is not expected to be in attendance on Wednesday when his son Eric testifies.
Kari Lake Struggles to Court Moderates
Washington Post: “The outreach, made over the course of several weeks through in-person meetings and phone calls, is a welcome sign to Washington Republicans, who would like to see Lake broaden her MAGA base in the once reliably red state and help them retake the U.S. Senate in 2024. But Lake’s effort to reassure political rivals and onetime supporters in this desert state has been met with skepticism, according to interviews with half a dozen Republicans familiar with her conversations who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to detail the private talks.”
“Most cite her refusal to acknowledge her electoral loss — even up to today — as well as the relentless demonization of members of her own party, including former Arizona governor Doug Ducey and the late U.S. senator John McCain (R-AZ).”
Eligible Voters Swept Up in Effort to Purge Voter Rolls
“Voters eligible to cast ballots are already being swept up in a grassroots effort to purge the nation’s registration rolls ahead of the 2024 presidential election,” CBS News reports.
“Fueled by doubts about the 2020 election, an army of conservative activists is poring over state voter lists, looking for registration errors that can be used to file what are known as voter challenges — questioning the registrations of thousands of Americans.”
“The undertaking, which includes the involvement of a lawyer tied to former President Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, tends to affect minority or younger voters who may be statistically more likely to vote Democrat.”
Lieberman Talks Up Nikki Haley
Former Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) seemed open to having Nikki Haley on a No Labels presidential ticket.
No New Vehicle Chargers Have Been Brought Online
“Congress at the urging of the Biden administration agreed in 2021 to spend $7.5 billion to build tens of thousands of electric vehicle chargers across the country, aiming to appease anxious drivers while tackling climate change,” Politico reports.
“Two years later, the program has yet to install a single charger.”
“States and the charger industry blame the delays mostly on the labyrinth of new contracting and performance requirements they have to navigate to receive federal funds. While federal officials have authorized more than $2 billion of the funds to be sent to states, fewer than half of states have even started to take bids from contractors to build the chargers — let alone begin construction.”
Liz Cheney Weighs Third-Party Presidential Bid
“Liz Cheney, one of the most vociferous critics of Donald Trump in the Republican Party, says she is weighing whether to mount her own third-party candidacy for the White House, as she vows to do ‘whatever it takes’ to prevent the former president from returning to office,” the Washington Post reports.
Said Cheney: “Several years ago, I would not have contemplated a third-party run. I happen to think democracy is at risk at home, obviously, as a result of Donald Trump’s continued grip on the Republican Party, and I think democracy is at risk internationally as well.”
Biden’s Challenge Is Taking Down Trump’s Poll Numbers
“With President Biden struggling to bring his polling numbers up, he and his fellow Democrats are sharpening their focus on a different task—pushing former President Donald Trump’s numbers down,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The 2024 campaign appears likely to pit two exceedingly well-known candidates against each other, an incumbent and his predecessor. Polls show that the contest is essentially tied and, to Democrats’ chagrin, that many voters remember Trump’s presidency in positive terms and think he would handle several issues better than Biden has.”
“So Biden is issuing a stark reminder of what life could be like if his rival—the expected Republican challenger—returned to the White House. In speeches, fundraising appearances and on the airwaves, Biden is laying out what he says is at stake, painting an apocalyptic picture of a second Trump term, saying his predecessor would gut the Affordable Care Act, enact a nationwide ban on abortion and ship jobs overseas if elected.”
Some Republicans Urge Christie to Drop Out
New York Times: “Republican donors, strategists and pundits are publicly pressuring Mr. Christie to follow the lead of Tim Scott and Mike Pence and formally end his campaign. Many would like him to throw his support behind Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor who has risen in the polls in early-voting states in recent weeks.”
“The focus on Mr. Christie’s bid reflects the anxiety that has consumed anti-Trump Republicans as the race moves into the final weeks before the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 15. Despite three debates, tens of millions of dollars and many months of campaigning, none of the six candidates still challenging Mr. Trump have made much of a dent in his double-digit lead. And they are rapidly running out of time.”
Liz Cheney Says GOP Majority Is Threat to U.S.
Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), once a top-ranking Republican in the House, warned that a GOP majority in 2025 “presents a threat” to the United States, The Hill reports.
Said Cheney: “I believe very strongly in those principles and ideals that have defined the Republican Party, but the Republican Party of today has made a choice, and they haven’t chosen the Constitution. And so I do think it presents a threat if the Republicans are in the majority in January 2025.”
The Most Expensive House Race Ever?
National Journal: “With Santos’ expulsion, Republicans can afford to lose only three votes on legislation, meaning it’s all the more important for the GOP to keep the seat. Democrats hope a win will propel them into a wave in New York and across the country, setting the stage for an expensive race that will be contested by both parties.”
“Operatives on both sides of the aisle expect this to be one of the most expensive special elections in history, and they expect both parties to invest heavily. One House Democratic strategist said spending could approach or exceed that of the 2017 special election in Georgia’s 6th District. That race, the most expensive special House election in history, saw nearly $30 million in spending.”
Four Candidates Make the GOP Debate Stage
“Four Republican candidates will take the stage in Tuscaloosa on Wednesday night for the fourth GOP primary debate: former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy,” the Washington Post reports.
“Former president Donald Trump will once again skip the event.”
Republicans Weigh Looser Rules for Debates
“The next Republican debate on Wednesday could be the last one sponsored by the Republican National Committee in the 2024 primary race, with the party considering debate rule changes that would open the door to more onstage clashes but also diminish the fanfare around them,” the New York Times reports.
“Debates are traditionally the marquee events of a presidential primary contest, with voters eagerly tuning in to watch the candidates disagree on policy and vie for their support. But the Republican front-runner’s stubborn absence this election cycle has robbed them of much of their drama.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“There’s a misunderstanding on the part of Sen. Schumer and some of our Democratic friends. This is not a traditional negotiation, where we expect to come up with a bipartisan compromise on the border. This is a price that has to be paid in order to get the supplemental.”
— Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), quoted by NBC News.
Fetterman Gets Assist in Trolling Bob Menendez
Former Rep. George Santos (R-NY) is now offering personalized video messages through Cameo and it appears one of his first customers is Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA).
What Trump’s Second Term Could Look Like
Tom Nichols: “Trump’s autocratic instincts have now fully mutated into an embrace of fascism. And yet, America shrugs: Millions of voters think of the upcoming election as just another contest between a conservative Republican and a liberal Democrat, instead of an existential contest between democracy and authoritarianism. The early hysteria about Trump has ended up submerging deep concerns about democracy in a haze of equivocation and complacency.”
“Even people who have no particular love for Trump typically argue that life under his administration was mostly normal, and that all of the fears about how Trump could collapse American democracy were just overheated rhetoric.”
“By now, I have been asked many times: What is everyone so worried about? What would it even look like for American democracy to collapse?”
Gold Bars in Menendez Home Linked to Businessman
“At least four gold bars found in the FBI search of Sen. Robert Menendez’s home had been directly linked to a New Jersey businessman now accused of bribing the state’s senior senator, Bergen County prosecutor records from a 2013 robbery case show,” NBC New York reports.
“The businessman, Fred Daibes, reported to police he was the victim of an armed robbery in 2013, and he asked police recover the gold bars stolen from him. In the 2013 robbery, Daibes reported $500,000 in cash and 22 gold bars were stolen, Edgewater police records show. Police later caught four suspects with the stolen goods…”
“A decade later, the FBI said it found four gold bars with unique serial numbers in the Clifton home of Menendez and his wife Nadine.”
Opponents of No Labels Launch Ads
“A bipartisan group founded to oppose the presidential effort of No Labels launched a small ad campaign Monday that casts any 2024 third-party effort as a threat to the nation’s democratic norms that will help elect former president Donald Trump to a second term,” the Washington Post reports.
“The initial ads by Citizens to Save Our Republic — which will run only in the D.C. area — are part of a larger campaign that the group is preparing to run in swing states next year if third-party efforts are appearing to draw significant support.”
RFK Jr. Allies Will Spend Over $10 Million on Ballot Access
“A super PAC backing the independent presidential candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is planning to spend $10 million to $15 million to get Mr. Kennedy on the ballot in 10 states, a substantial effort that, even if partly successful, could heighten Democratic concerns about his potential to play the role of spoiler in 2024,” the New York Times reports.
“The hefty sum underscores the challenge facing Mr. Kennedy, an environmental lawyer and prominent purveyor of conspiracy theories, as he pursues his long-shot White House bid. It also shows the substantial financial support he has generated so far.”
