“In 2016, as then-presidential candidate Donald Trump vowed that US troops would carry out even his most extreme battlefield orders as commander in chief — some of which former military leaders said would be illegal — Pete Hegseth warned that service members had a duty to refuse unlawful orders from a potential President Trump,” CNN reports.
Republicans Look to Quell Rebellion in the Senate
“Senate Republican leaders are hoping that President Trump will intervene to quell a conservative rebellion in the upper chamber against a package of spending bills that Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is trying to advance before Christmas,” NewsNation reports.
“Conservative Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT), Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Rick Scott (R-FL) have brought a package of five appropriations bills — the so-called mini-bus — to a standstill because they object to the dozens of earmarks in the bill, a controversial practice that has divided Republicans for years.”
Zelensky Says No Accord Yet
“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said negotiators discussing a US-brokered peace initiative remain divided over territory as President Donald Trump expressed disappointment in Kyiv’s handling of the deal,” Bloomberg reports.
Andy Beshear Raises His National Profile
“Gov. Andy Beshear has spent years building a distinct political identity in the reliably red commonwealth of Kentucky by winning statewide as a Democrat even as Republican power has surrounded him,” CBS News reports.
“He’s now playing a crucial role that will influence whether there will be others like him around the country.”
“Heading into what could be a favorable national political environment in the 2026 midterms, Beshear is leading the Democratic Governors Association as it tries to win in states where his party has either lost ground or are hoping to hold on to critical seats.”
Obamacare More Popular Than Ever
A new Gallup poll finds 57% of Americans approve of the Affordable Care Act, three points higher than last year’s reading and a record high since Gallup started asking the question in 2012.
Trump Is Making the Same Mistake as Biden
David Axelrod: “Donald Trump recaptured the White House in part by relentlessly exploiting Joe Biden’s failure to heed widespread concerns about the rising cost of living.”
“Now, bizarrely, President Trump is walking himself—and his party—into the same perilous trap by denying the economic reality that working families are living.”
Trump’s Bleak, Incoherent Foreign-Policy Strategy
The Economist: “You might think that in Trumpworld a new National Security Strategy would not count for all that much. John Bolton, a national security adviser in Donald Trump’s first term, frequently laments that his boss had no strategy at all. Instead, the president worked by impulse—and without the encumbrance of too many briefings. From one day to the next, he veered in opposing directions.”
“Despite that, the new NSS matters. Released, weirdly, in the dead of night on December 4th/5th, it will be pored over by soldiers, diplomats and advisers in America and around the world. It is the latest and fullest statement of what ‘America First’ means in foreign policy. It sets the terms for a soon-expected review of military power, and lays out the priorities for all those trying to interpret the president’s wishes. And, for many of its readers, it will be profoundly alarming.”
The Trump Show Hits the Stage
Playbook: “The first reviews are in … and it seems Donald Trump’s performance at the Kennedy Center Honors wasn’t half bad. The president had expected to get panned by critics after appointing himself emcee of the center’s flagship annual awards.”
“But the president is nothing if not a showman.”
Dan Diamond: “He’s been loose and funny. And his delivery is far tighter and on-script than usual speeches.”
Trump’s Own Mortgages Match His Description of Fraud
ProPublica: “For months, the Trump administration has been accusing its political enemies of mortgage fraud for claiming more than one primary residence.
“President Donald Trump branded one foe who did so ‘deceitful and potentially criminal.’ He called another ‘CROOKED’ on Truth Social and pushed the attorney general to take action.”
“But years earlier, Trump did the very thing he’s accusing his enemies of, records show.”
Supreme Court Gets Chance to Remake Government
“President Trump’s firing spree at federal agencies has snowballed into a Supreme Court showdown over how modern American government should work,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Dangling by a thread is the tradition that certain sensitive policy details—from regulating nuclear reactors to setting safety standards for consumer products—should be managed by bipartisan panels of technocrats, whose jobs are insulated from political pressure.”
“In its place, the high court appears poised to enshrine a competing view championed by Trump: that presidents must have the power to dismiss any of these unelected experts for any reason—or no reason at all. That is the only way, proponents say, to cut red tape and ensure that regulators remain accountable to voters.”
The Year of America’s Cranky Consumer
“American households are nearing the end of the year feeling a lot more dour about the economy than they did at the beginning, even as they keep spending,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“High prices, a fragile job market and anxiety about President Trump’s tariffs have helped drag consumer sentiment, as measured by the University of Michigan, down near historic lows this year. The latest numbers were slightly improved from a previous reading freighted by government shutdown disruptions, but barely.”
The GOP Can’t Agree on a Healthcare Plan
“Republicans have yet to coalesce around a healthcare strategy just days before an expected vote on extending enhanced Obamacare subsidies, triggering concerns from some GOP lawmakers about a voter backlash,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The Senate is expected to vote this week on a Democratic-backed measure to extend the enhanced healthcare subsidies for three years. Senate Republican leaders agreed to hold the vote as a condition for ending the government shutdown.”
“The Democratic proposal isn’t expected to pass, heightening the risk that the subsidies will expire and millions of people will see their healthcare costs rise starting next month. Republicans haven’t yet united around an alternative proposal, as they struggle with how—or whether—to extend the subsidies and address issues that animate conservative such as healthcare fraud.”
China’s Trade Surplus Climbs Past $1 Trillion
“China got the world’s attention last January when it announced that its trade surplus for goods and services had hit almost $1 trillion, an excess of exports to imports that no country had ever reached,” the New York Times reports.
“Now China has surged through that milestone in just 11 months this year. China’s customs agency announced on Monday that the country’s accumulated trade surplus reached $1.08 trillion through November.”
Republicans Struggle to Act on Affordability
“Republicans want to put the economy at the center of their midterm message as they seek to protect their majorities in Congress. But as cost-of-living concerns mount across the political spectrum, the GOP is struggling to act decisively to address them,” Politico reports.
“Already top Republicans acknowledge they haven’t done enough to sell the “one big, beautiful bill,” the party-line centerpiece of their economic agenda they enacted over the summer. Now internal divisions and the need for bipartisan support in the Senate are threatening any attempt to follow up on it.”
Trump Pardons Major Drug Traffickers Despite Rhetoric
Washington Post: “Overall, Trump — who campaigned against America’s worsening drug crisis and promised to crack down on the illegal flow of deadly drugs coming across the border — has pardoned or granted clemency to at least 10 people for drug-related crimes since the beginning of his second term.”
“He also granted pardons or commutations to almost 90 others for drug-related crimes during the four years of his first term, the analysis showed.”
Defense Bill Stymies Trump on Europe Troop Withdrawals
“Sprawling defense legislation set for a vote as soon as this week would place new restrictions on reducing troop levels in Europe, a bipartisan rebuke of Trump administration moves that lawmakers fear would limit U.S. commitments on the continent,” Politico reports.
Trump Raises Concerns About Netflix-Warner Deal
President Trump gushed over Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandso calling him “fantastic” and more but also noted that a combined Netflix-Warner Bros. Discovery would “have a great big market share,” Deadline reports.
He added that’s “for some economists” to look at “and I’ll be involved in that decision.”
Variety reports Trump said that the government review of Netflix’s proposed $83 billion deal for Warner Bros. must “go through a process, and we’ll see what happens.”
GOP Lawmakers Weigh Their Futures
Puck: “House Republicans got everything they could have asked for in 2024—not just a powerful (albeit small) majority in their own chamber, but also control of the Senate and the presidency.”
“Still, that governing trifecta has been less productive and more acrimonious than anyone hoped: The electoral high has long since worn off, replaced by stalled legislation, a capricious and vindictive White House, and the possibility of a midterm beating that could relegate them to the minority.”
“These days, many House Republicans are wondering if their future includes another term in Congress at all.”
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