Ukraine has agreed to the core elements of a peace proposal brokered by the Trump administration, with some details still to be worked out, The Hill reports.
The Clean-Up Man
Politico: “The head-spinning and chaotic past week of U.S. diplomacy has made plain two truths about Rubio’s role in the administration.”
“First, foreign and congressional interlocutors regard him as a clean-up hand on the Russia-Ukraine file, coming in to restore order and realign Washington with its allies and partners, rather than Moscow.”
“Second, Trump’s preference for jettisoning traditional policy coordination across Cabinet departments has bred a turbulent foreign policy with an array of senior principals operating in their own lanes.”
Trump Complicates Elise Stefanik’s Path to Governor
“President Donald Trump’s astonishingly chummy Oval Office meeting with New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani could not have come at a worse time for Rep. Elise Stefanik,” Politico reports.
“The New York Republican is mounting an uphill gubernatorial bid in a deep blue state, building her campaign on the argument that Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul is the nation’s worst chief executive — and tying Hochul to the 34-year-old democratic socialist who will soon lead New York City.”
“Trump blew up that message in minutes.”
McCarthy Warns More Retirements Are Coming
Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy told Fox News that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene isn’t the only one on retirement watch.
Said McCarthy: “She’s almost like the canary in the coal mine. And this is something inside Congress, they’d better wake up, because they are going to get a lot of people retiring, and they’ve got to focus.”
He added: “I think keeping members out of Congress — you only get two years to be in the majority, and if the Democrats get you not to work everyday for two months, that’s losing two months of the majority.”
The Murky Plan That Ensures a Future War
Anne Applebaum: “The 28-point peace plan that the United States and Russia want to impose on Ukraine and Europe is misnamed. It is not a peace plan. It is a proposal that weakens Ukraine and divides America from Europe, preparing the way for a larger war in the future. In the meantime, it benefits unnamed Russian and American investors, at the expense of everyone else.”
Johnson’s Chaotic House
Jonathan Bernstein: “Several of us have been calling the Republican Party dysfunctional, and House Republicans as the most dysfunctional of all, for quite some time. Hard as it is to believe, it’s actually getting worse.”
“The party remains unable to maintain control of the House floor, and there’s now a vague (although still unlikely) possibility they could manage to lose their majority altogether even before it’s most likely lost in next November’s elections.”
No Plans
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Daily Mail she has “PTSD about making plans” due to her job as press secretary and her frenetic schedule, so instead she just doesn’t.
U.S. and Russia Hold Peace Talks
“Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will huddle with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday about a peace plan to end the Ukraine war, a rare meeting between the countries’ top military leaders and one that will not include Secretary of State Marco Rubio or other U.S. negotiators,” Politico reports.
Playbook: “It’s no reflection on Driscoll’s abilities to point out, again, that this is an extraordinary assignment. Hollywood script writers would be turned down for such a plot.”
“Negotiating with top-level Russian officials is something for which top Western diplomats train for years. Driscoll has been involved in this process for a matter of days. And the stakes could hardly be higher, with tens of thousands of lives on the line as Europe’s biggest war since 1945 rumbles on.”
Trump’s Obamacare Mess
“President Donald Trump appeared ready to roll out a health care proposal intended to address an imminent Obamacare subsidy cliff — a sign the White House is eager to avoid the political blowback that would likely result from a sharp rise in health care premiums,” Punchbowl News reports.
“But the White House’s decision to press pause on the rollout Monday just as quickly as they floated it underscores how difficult it’ll be, especially at this late stage, to get a bill over the finish line.”
“The fact that the White House was even seriously working on a plan caught Hill Republicans by surprise when news of it leaked on Sunday.”
Mike Johnson Flashes Red on Trump’s Healthcare Push
“Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) cautioned the White House that most House Republicans don’t have an appetite for extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, showing how hard it will be politically to stave off sharp increases in healthcare costs next year for many Americans,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The message from Johnson, in a phone call with administration officials, came as President Trump’s advisers were drafting a healthcare plan that extended the subsidies for two years.”
Punchbowl News: “As part of the deal that ended the shutdown, Senate Majority Leader John Thune promised to hold a vote on the Obamacare subsidies by Dec. 12. That’ll be just 11 days from next Monday, when both chambers return from the Thanksgiving recess.”
Politico: Trump was going to roll out a health care plan. Then Republicans weighed in.
Jim Justice Sued for $5 Million in Back Taxes
“The U.S. government on Monday sued Sen. Jim Justice, a West Virginia Republican, and his wife for more than $5 million in unpaid federal income taxes, penalties, and interest dating to the 2009 tax filing year,” CNBC reports.
Bacon Weighed Resigning Over Trump’s Ukraine Plan
Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) “was so appalled by the Trump administration’s proposed Russia-Ukraine peace plan that he considered resigning in protest,” Axios reports.
“Bacon’s threat is not an idle one — his early resignation would further dwindle an already narrow House Republican majority and suddenly put his highly competitive seat in play.”
Trump Administration Snaps Up Stakes in Private Firms
“The Trump administration is snapping up ownership shares of private companies it deems essential to national security. It is an unusual new strategy that has already committed more than $10 billion in taxpayer funds and shows little sign of slowing,” the New York Times reports.
“The government’s growing portfolio of corporate ownership involves minority stakes, or the option to take them in the future, in at least nine companies involved in steel, minerals, nuclear energy and semiconductors, a New York Times analysis found. The deals were all struck in the past six months, with the bulk made in October and November.”
House Republicans Mull Quitting
“Death threats and infighting are spurring House Republicans to contemplate whether they want to stay in Congress — or even leave early,” Axios reports.
Overall: “41 members have already announced they plan to call it quits at the end of their term, with more expected to follow.“
Europe Toils to Have a Say in Trump’s Ukraine Plan
“For Europe’s leaders, the weekend began with another threat to their relevance, courtesy of President Trump. Would the Americans really force Ukraine to capitulate, embrace President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and undermine NATO — all without even bothering to consult with them?,” the New York Times reports.
“By Tuesday, the latest diplomatic emergency seemed to have been averted for the moment, if hardly resolved, thanks to a how-to-handle-Trump playbook that European leaders have honed over a year of similar episodes.”
Fed May Generate Sugar Rush in 2026
Reuters: “The Federal Reserve’s stance has recently shifted from dovish to hawkish and back again, leaving investors uncertain about the prospect of aggressive U.S. interest rate cuts next year.”
“But the central bank remains under political pressure to ease quickly. So if history is any guide, we may yet see a sugar rush economy in 2026.”
How the U.S. Drafted Russia-Friendly Plan for Ukraine
“It started with an October order from President Trump to his national security team: Come up with a plan to end the Ukraine war just as they had halted the fighting in Gaza,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“On a flight back from the Middle East, in the afterglow of brokering a deal between Israel and Hamas, envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner began writing the first draft of what would eventually become a 28-point peace framework to end the four-year war.”
Republicans Already Balking at Trump’s Health Plan
“President Donald Trump hasn’t officially unveiled his new health care plan. But plenty in his party already oppose it,” CNN reports.
“The White House on Monday delayed its proposal for averting a spike in Affordable Care Act premiums amid harsh blowback from an array of Republican allies and lawmakers.”
“The planned rollout had sparked immediate consternation on Capitol Hill, where many Republicans said they only learned about it after details leaked to the press. The proposal drew heavy criticism from conservatives who panned the proposal for including an extension of key enhanced ACA subsidies that are due to expire at the end of the year.”
Associated Press: White House circulates a plan to extend Obamacare subsidies as Trump pledges health care fix.
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