Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) “was invited last month to attend the grand opening of Trump’s ‘Rose Garden Club’ at the White House, but she turned it down,” NBC News reports.
A Quarter of FBI Agents Are Working on Deportations
“Nearly a quarter of FBI agents across the country are currently assigned to immigration enforcement, with the number climbing to upward of 40 percent in the nation’s largest field offices,” the Washington Post reports.
“The intense focus on immigration has raised alarm among current and former FBI agents who say morale is low across the bureau as agents have less time to dedicate to the often complex cases they were hired to work on.”
Speaker Clashes with Democratic Senators
“Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday had a heated, face-to-face exchange with two Democratic senators over the government shutdown and the swearing-in of Arizona’s Democratic Rep-elect Adelita Grijalva, who will be the 218th signature on an effort to end-run Johnson and force a vote on releasing Jeffrey Epstein-related documents,” Politico reports.
“Arizona Sens. Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly were talking to reporters outside Johnson’s office about what they said was the speaker’s failure to swear-in Grijalva.”
“But Gallego accused Johnson of wanting to ‘cover up for pedophiles on the Epstein list.'”
FBI Fires Special Agents Who Worked with Jack Smith
“The FBI has fired at least three special agents who worked in connection with former special counsel Jack Smith’s probe of now-President Donald Trump,” NBC News reports.
Senate Talks Result in Breakthrough
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) agreed to buy cookies from Sen. John Fetterman’s (D-PA) kid during a one-on-one meeting between the two senators, NBC News reports.
Man Who Led Insurrection Threatens to Invent Another
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DNC Briefs Top Democrats on 2024 Election Autopsy
“Late spending, exacerbated by a mid-battle candidate switch, and lack of attention to voters’ top concerns are among the reasons Democrats’ lost the White House last year, the Democratic National Committee says in its assessment of the defeat,” Politico reports.
“DNC officials argued Democrats didn’t spend early or consistently enough to engage and persuade voters, one of several problems the party faced in 2024… Swapping Joe Biden with Kamala Harris atop the ticket intensified those systemic, long-term problems for the party… So far, Biden’s age has not come up.”
Americans Don’t Support National Guard Deployments
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll found that around 58 percent of Americans — including seven in 10 Democrats and half of Republicans — feel that the president should only deploy armed troops to “face external threats.”
The poll also showed Trump’s approval rating ticking down to 40%.
Americans Largely Back Deportation Push
Nine months into President Trump’s mass deportation campaign, registered voters largely support the idea of removing immigrants who have arrived in the country illegally, even as majorities say they feel his methods have gone too far, according to a new New York Times/Siena poll.
Central Witness Undermines Case Against James Comey
“Federal prosecutors investigating former FBI Director James Comey for allegedly making false statements to Congress determined that a central witness in their probe would prove ‘problematic’ and likely prevent them from establishing their case to a jury,” ABC News reports.
“Daniel Richman — a law professor who prosecutors allege Comey authorized to leak information to the press — told investigators that the former FBI director instructed him not to engage with the media on at least two occasions and unequivocally said Comey never authorized him to provide information to a reporter anonymously ahead of the 2016 election.”
Pam Bondi’s Fake Orgasm
Rick Wilson compares Attorney General Pam Bondi’s testimony before a Senate committee to a fake orgasm — “loud, theatrical, sweaty, and meant to trick just one man into keeping her around by flattering his ego.”
Johnson Rules Out Standalone Vote on Troops’ Pay
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) ruled out taking up legislation to ensure military paychecks keep flowing during the government shutdown, Axios reports.
Said Johnson: “The job in the House is done.”
He added: “Hakeem Jeffries and the House Democrats are clamoring to get back here and have another vote, because some of them want to get on record and say they’re for paying the troops. We already had that vote.”
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl
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Trumpworld’s Least Favorite Cabinet Secretaries
Wired: “In a highly informal Inner Loop poll of presidential advisers conducted over the past week, I found that there’s a consensus building around which top officials are on the ropes. I asked these sources to rank, in order, the five Cabinet-level officials they thought were in the worst standing with Trump…”
“At the top of everyone’s lists was either commerce secretary Howard Lutnick or attorney general Pam Bondi.”
Trump Won’t Explain Qatar’s Security Guarantee
Bloomberg: “With the stroke of his pen last week, President Donald Trump offered the tiny Gulf nation of Qatar a prize many nations have sought but few have been given: a security guarantee pledging US help if it comes under attack.”
“The agreement was made with little fanfare, no Senate approval and very little explanation. A week later, the White House still hasn’t explained in detail how it came about or what exactly it commits the US to doing, though Trump and other officials have suggested Qatar’s role in helping mediate talks to end the Gaza conflict played a role.”
‘Are Aliens Real?’
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) is running for reelection with a unique message, NewsNation reports.
From her fundraising email: “For decades, our government has shrouded the truth about UFOs in a veil of secrecy. Strange crafts have been spotted soaring through our skies, defying the laws of physics, and yet the bureaucrats in Washington act like we’re too NAIVE to handle the facts.”
It adds: “They tell us we’re crazy like we can’t see these things flying through the air with our own eyes.”
James Comey Pleads Not Guilty
Former FBI director James Comey pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Wednesday morning in federal court in Alexandria, VA, the New York Times reports.
Comey’s lawyer entered the plea on behalf of his client and requested a trial by jury. The judge set a trial date of January 5.
‘Tennessee Three’ Member Challenges Steve Cohen
Tennessee state Rep. Justin Pearson (D), who rose to national prominence in 2023 when he was expelled from his legislative seat as one of the “Tennessee Three,” is launching a primary challenge against Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), Axios reports.
Pearson, 30, is the latest young Democrat looking to unseat an older incumbent Democrat as a debate over generational change roils the party. Cohen is 76.
