New York Times: “A look at the people who influence the world’s richest man, and those who stand to gain from their association with him now.”
Greenland Is ‘Not for Sale’
Greenland’s prime minister said Monday the autonomous island is not for sale after President-elect Donald Trump said owning Greenland “is an absolute necessity” for the U.S., The Hill reports.
Said Prime Minister Múte Egede: “Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale.”
Biden Signs Defense Bill Despite Objections
“President Joe Biden on Monday signed into law a defense bill that authorizes significant pay raises for junior enlisted service members, aims to counter China’s growing power and boosts overall military spending to $895 billion despite his objections to language stripping coverage of transgender medical treatments for children in military families,” NBC News reports.
Biden Vetos Bill to Add More Federal Judges
“President Joe Biden has vetoed bipartisan legislation that would have added dozens of new federal judge positions in the coming years,” Politico reports.
“The president had threatened to veto the bill because he didn’t want to give the president-elect new appointment opportunities, according to one of the outgoing president’s closest allies.”
Get Ready for Turf Battles Among Trump’s Many Envoys
“President-elect Donald Trump has tapped multiple people for overlapping foreign affairs posts. Get ready for turf battles and confusion over who’s in charge,” Politico reports.
“The positions include special envoys whose exact responsibilities are unusually vague and that echo roles traditionally played by ambassadors, assistant secretaries of State and National Security Council staffers.”
Matt Gaetz’s Winning Streak Is Over
Elaine Godfrey: “The normal rules of public disgrace may no longer apply to Donald Trump. But at least some expectation of good behavior remains, it seems, for a politician in Trump’s orbit…”
“A man who reportedly dreams of being Florida governor is now facing the blunt reality of his own political irrelevance.”
A Pro-Trump Group’s Risky Bet on Infrequent Voters
New York Times: “Heading into the 2024 election, the conservative group Turning Point Action made a risky and expensive bet as it tried to fix Republicans’ early-voting problem: It zeroed in on infrequent voters who seemed to lean to the right.”
“Calling its effort ‘Chase the Vote,’ the group focused heavily on Arizona, where it is based and says it spent tens of millions of dollars to help elect Donald Trump. Hundreds of paid staff members worked to build enduring relationships with Arizonans whom Turning Point saw as friendly to Republicans, targeting a smaller universe of voters than traditional canvassing operations.”
“Turning Point’s gamble appears to have paid off, at least in Arizona.”
The Potential Backlash to Trump Unbound
Ron Brownstein: “This time, Trump’s fate will be much more in his own hands. If he can deliver greater economic stability for working families, while avoiding too many firefights on militant MAGA priorities, strategists in both parties agree that he will be in a strong position to consolidate the gains he’s made among traditionally Democratic constituencies, such as Black, Latino, and younger white men.”
“But if an unbound Trump veers in directions that too many voters don’t want to follow—including vaccine skepticism, politicizing the criminal-justice system against his opponents, and the separation of undocumented parents from their U.S.-citizen children—he could quickly shrink his coalition again. And if his economic agenda rekindles inflation, as many independent analysts forecast, that effect will only be stronger.”
“Even in our highly polarized age, the fundamental hydraulics of America’s two-party system still govern elections: When one party falls in the public’s esteem, the other inevitably rises.”
The Matt Gaetz Report
The House Ethics Committee officially released its report into former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL).
Associated Press: “While ethics reports have previously been released after a member’s resignation, it is extremely rare.”
Trump to Bring Back Mount McKinley
President-elect Donald Trump announced he will bring back Mount McKinley after the mountain was changed in favor of the native population.
Said Trump: “We’re going to bring back the name of Mount McKinley. He deserves it.”
Democrats Won’t Save Mike Johnson Again
“House Democrats are sending an early warning signal to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) that he shouldn’t count on them to rescue him again,” Axios reports.
“Johnson will have the barest of majorities next year — and he’s staring down growing unrest within the Republican conference.”
Said one swing state Democrat: “I have thought multiple times that I would help Johnson in a tough Speaker vote because he was true to his word even in hard times. That has absolutely changed now. Trust is all we have in these negotiations. I thought Johnson was truly different. He’s no better than McCarthy. He’s getting no help from me and I know many of my colleagues feel the same.”
Gaetz Sues Ethics Committee to Block Release of Report
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) on Monday filed a lawsuit against the House Ethics Committee in a last-minute attempt to block the panel from releasing its report on the Florida Republican, The Hill reports.
Of course, the report has already been leaked.
Trump Allies Want to Ban Drug Ads on Television
New York Times: “The push against TV drug ads threatens to dent the revenues of pharmaceutical companies, which can make back in sales five times as much as they spend on commercials, according to some analysts. It could also create uncertainty for major television networks, which bring in substantial revenue from pharmaceutical advertisers trying to reach older viewers, who tend to take more medications.”
“Though it’s not clear how such a ban might happen — Mr. Kennedy has called for an executive order — any attempt would face an uphill battle. Efforts to modestly restrict drug ads have repeatedly been defeated in the courts, often on First Amendment grounds. The first Trump administration tried to require that commercials mention the drug’s price, but a judge blocked the move, saying that it lacked authority from Congress.”
How Countries Are Preparing for Trump 2.0
Semafor: “Trump is inheriting a particularly strong post-pandemic economy, meaning he enters office with considerable leverage in trade negotiations, The Wall Street Journal reported. Already, the president-elect has floated a blanket 10% tariff on all imported goods, a 25% tariff on Canadian and Mexican products, and levies of up to 60% on Chinese goods.”
“But the Republican’s notorious unpredictability means many world leaders are unclear exactly how to prepare for Trump 2.0, with many hoping to score a meeting with him and begin negotiations even before he takes office.”
Nebraska Governor Injured After Being Thrown from Horse
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen (R) was hospitalized after being bucked off a horse he was riding on Sunday, the Lincoln Journal Star reports.
Democrats Have a Major Image Problem
New data from the progressive group Navigator Research shows that “even voters who previously backed Democrats cast the party as weak and overly focused on diversity and elites,” Politico reports.
“When asked to compare the Democratic Party to an animal, one participant compared the party to an ostrich because ‘they’ve got their heads in the sand and are absolutely committed to their own ideas, even when they’re failing.’”
“Democrats, another said, are ‘not a friend of the working class anymore.’”
Quote of the Day
“Everyone keeps asking me if I’m pregnant. Actually, a member, a Republican, came to me on the floor this week and asked me if I was pregnant… I’m not pregnant guys. I had a lot of food at Thanksgiving, OK? It happens.”
— Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), quoted by the Daily Beast.
Trump Is Very Upset with Mike Johnson
Rachel Bade: “After the House passed a shutdown-averting spending bill Friday, a very relieved Speaker Mike Johnson proclaimed to reporters that President-elect Donald Trump was ‘certainly happy about this outcome.’”
“Not by a long shot.”
“Amid the chaos in Washington, I was in Palm Beach talking to people close to the past and future president and called up other confidants afterward. This much became clear to me: Not only is Trump unhappy with the funding deal, he’s unhappy with Johnson, too.”
Playbook: “Trump is backing away from Johnson just at the moment where the speaker most needs the new president’s help. Johnson won’t be able to lose more than four Republican votes on Jan. 3, and it’s impossible to see him mustering that kind of unity without Trump’s vocal backing.”
“His best friend right now? Circumstance. No Republican wants a reprise of last fall’s two-week power vacuum, least of all with the official electoral college tally scheduled for just three days later. No elected speaker means no certification. And it definitely means no progress on reconciliation — forget the one-bill-or-two debate.”
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