Politico: “The U.S. has pledged to deploy so much firepower to the Indo-Pacific in 2023 that China won’t even consider invading Taiwan. Lawmakers and allies say it’s already too late.”
Kristi Noem Got a Flamethrower for Christmas
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s (R) staff gave her a flamethrower for Christmas.
Fourth Japanese Cabinet Minister Sacked
“Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday dismissed his fourth minister in two months to patch a scandal-tainted Cabinet that has raised questions over his judgment of staff credentials,” the AP reports.
“Kenya Akiba, minister in charge of reconstruction of Fukushima and other disaster-hit areas, has faced allegations of mishandling political and election funds and of ties to the Unification Church, whose practices and huge donations have raised controversy.”
Republican Jewish Group Says George Santos Not Welcome
The Republican Jewish Coalition said Rep.-elect George Santos (R-NY) “deceived” the organization and “misrepresented” his Jewish heritage, adding the incoming lawmaker is no longer welcome at its events, The Hill reports.
Aaron Blake: The scale of George Santos’s deceit — and the remaining questions.
Most Pro-Union President Ever Runs Into Doubts
New York Times: “In recent weeks, after Mr. Biden helped impose a contract on railroad workers that four unions had rejected, partly over its lack of paid sick days, many labor activists and scholars have begun to ask: How supportive is the president, really?”
“To those reassessing Mr. Biden, the concern is that the president, by asking Congress to intervene and avert a strike, missed a rare opportunity to improve workers’ bargaining power in ways that could extend beyond the rail sector. They worry that the move essentially validated an employer strategy of waiting out workers in hopes that the pressure would fizzle.”
Three States Had Mixed Result on Public Option
Politico: “With Republicans set to take control of the House in January, progressive plans to build on Obamacare at the federal level are going nowhere, leaving it to state lawmakers to inch toward Democrats’ goal of universal health coverage. The rocky implementation of the public option plans in these three western states illustrates the challenges the left faces in doing so as blue state ambitions run up against a powerful health care industry accustomed to getting its way.”
U.S. Jewish Leaders Warn Over New Israeli Government
“Several U.S. Jewish leaders during a meeting with Israeli officials earlier this month warned that racist and extremist moves by the new Israeli government could seriously hamper support for Israel among Jews in the U.S.,” Axios reports.
Russia Bans Sales of Oil to Countries with Price Cap
“Russian President Vladimir Putin banned the supply of Russian oil and oil products to countries that impose a price cap, allowing deliveries to those nations only on the basis of a special permission for the Kremlin leader,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The European Union and the U.K. earlier this month banned the import of seaborne Russian crude, while the Group of Seven nations put a ceiling on other sales by barring Western companies from insuring, financing or shipping Russian crude at above $60 a barrel.”
Quote of the Day
“Wanted – a 51-to-65-year-old governor with business experience and willing to compromise to get things done. Military experience a bonus.”
— Pollster David Paleologos, quoted by USA Today, on what Americans tell pollsters would be the ideal presidential biography.
Biden’s Ambition Clear After First Two Years
Associated Press: “When he ran for the White House, Joe Biden told voters his presidency would be a bridge to the next generation. His first two years on the job have revealed it to be a much more ambitious venture.”
“As he nears the halfway mark on his first term, Biden is pointing to legacy-defining achievements on climate change, domestic manufacturing and progress on the COVID-19 pandemic — all accomplished with razor-thin majorities on Capitol Hill and rather dim views from the public.”
Pennsylvania Finally Certifies Midterm Election Results
“Pennsylvania’s top elections official fully certified results from the November vote late last week after recount petitions in some counties had delayed the process,” the AP reports.
Leader of Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Gets 16 Years
“More than two years after his arrest, Adam Fox was sentenced to 16 years in prison for plotting the kidnap of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) in what the government has described as one of the biggest domestic terrorism cases in recent American history,” the Detroit Free Press reports.
“The government had sought a life sentence for Fox, arguing he was part of a violent extremism movement that sought not only to kidnap the governor, but to spark a civil uprising.”
“But the judge gave Fox the mercy he was looking for as his lawyer, Christopher Gibbons, had long argued against a life sentence, maintaining: Fox was a follower, not a leader, and looked up to FBI informants and undercover agents who had accompanied Fox and others during training sessions and reconnaissance of the governor’s vacation home near Traverse City.”
Santos Declared Himself ‘Proud American Jew’
Rep.-elect George Santos (R-NY), “who reportedly lied about his Jewish heritage and has admitted he fabricated key details of his resume, said in an interview Monday evening that he never claimed to be Jewish,” the Forward reports.
Said Santos “I said I was ‘Jew-ish.'”
“However, in a position paper shared with Jewish and pro-Israel leaders during the campaign and obtained by the Forward, Santos called himself ‘a proud American Jew.'”
Monkeypox Fades Away
Politico: “National case counts have plunged from an average of more than 450 a day to just five. The persistent vaccine shortages that drove fears of another entrenched epidemic have largely abated.”
Bolsonaro to Spend New Year’s with Trump
Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro won’t attend Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s inauguration as the country’s next president, and will instead spend New Year’s at Mar-a-Lago with Donald Trump.
The GOP’s Anti-Woke Crusade Splits Corporate America
Politico: “The political isolation of the world’s largest money managers is a window into how the GOP’s recent pivot to populism on Big Business can paralyze industry lobbying efforts. It’s also forcing companies to rethink how they message environmental and social goals, even if they’re aimed at satisfying customers, investors and employees.”
“A growing list of major companies — not just limited to finance — are facing ire from Republican officials at the state and federal levels for their stances on climate and issues such as race, voting rights and guns.”
Gas Prices Could Rise in the Spring
“Gas prices will probably be significantly cheaper overall next year. Yet the national average could still climb back above the $4-a-gallon threshold as soon as May,” CNN reports.
Mike Pence Did Not File to Run for President
Former Vice President Mike Pence did not file to run for president for 2024 on Monday after hoax screenshots of a Federal Election Commission posting began circulating online, USA Today reports.
