Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) “is laying the groundwork for a 2028 presidential bid by leaning into his feud with Tucker Carlson — and staking out turf as a traditional, pro-interventionist Republican,” Axios reports.
“By poking at Carlson’s isolationist foreign policy views, accusing him of antisemitism and more, Cruz is putting himself on a collision course with Vice President Vance, a Carlson ally widely seen as the 2028 GOP frontrunner.”
“President Trump defended Tucker Carlson on Sunday for his sympathetic interview with the white nationalist and avowedly racist antisemite Nick Fuentes, breaking a conspicuous weekslong silence on an episode that had ignited bitter infighting among conservatives,” the New York Times reports.
“President Trump said his administration may hold talks with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as the U.S. military buildup near the South American country grows,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Said Trump: “We may be having some discussions with Maduro and we’ll see how that turns out. They would like to talk.”
Washington Post: Trump ups the ante in Venezuela standoff.
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Punchbowl News: “The last several weeks can be viewed as Speaker Mike Johnson flexing unprecedented muscle (for him) in ruling over the House. Johnson kept the House out of session for 54 days during the shutdown. He refused to swear in Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) despite Democratic outrage. Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune lobbied President Donald Trump against cutting a deal with Democrats during the shutdown.”
“But now, the dynamic is shifting, and rank-and-file members are getting some power back.”
“Utah Democrats just got their dream map. Now comes the circus primary,” Politico reports.
“For the first time in decades, deep-red Utah will have a safe blue congressional district after a judge installed a new map last week. That bodes well for state Democrats, who haven’t sent one of their own to Washington since 2021.”
“But it is less than ideal for former Rep. Ben McAdams, the last Democrat to represent Utah in Congress, who has built a career off of his ability to appeal to moderate voters. With the new map, McAdams now faces challengers to his left, and political moderation will not be as necessary to win the deep-blue seat.”
“Millions of Americans greeted the end of the government shutdown — and the resumption of food stamp benefits — with relief. But others are learning they could soon lose federal food aid permanently,” Politico reports.
“Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins directed USDA staff during the record-setting 43-day shutdown to continue ushering states toward compliance with Republicans’ signature tax and spending law, which is projected to kick millions out of the nation’s largest anti-hunger program in the next few months.”
In a dramatic turnaround, President Trump declared on Truth Social that House Republicans “should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party, including our recent Victory on the Democrat Shutdown.”
“I am committed, and I’ve been working on this a lot lately, to put down the knives in politics. I’m leading the way with my own example. And I hope that President Trump can do the same.”
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), quoted by Politico.
Phillip Bump: “Trump’s check distribution plan would require $218.6 billion to cover those earning less than $75,000, or $301.8 billion for those earning less than $200,000.”
“The U.S. median income in 2024, by the way, was about $84,000. That suggests that the ‘low and middle income’ line might be drawn at about $100,000 in income, requiring $249 billion — far more than has been taken in and almost all of what might be received by year’s end.”
A new CBS News Poll finds that by a wide margin, 55% to 6%, Americans say it was Republicans and President Trump who succeeded in getting more of what they wanted from the negotiations to end the shutdown.
“President Trump is making a last-ditch push to dissuade House Republicans from supporting a measure this week to release files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, in what is shaping up as a major test of GOP loyalty to the president,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Trump failed last week to stop a House petition from reaching the critical 218th signature, including those of four Republicans, prompting the House to hold a vote this coming week mandating that the Justice Department turn over its Epstein-related files. While the proposal is expected to pass with all Democrats and at least some Republicans in the narrowly divided chamber, broader GOP defections could show the limits of the White House’s power.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) said that President Trump’s recent criticism has put her “life in danger,” The Hill reports.
Said Greene; “Those are the types of words used that can radicalize people against me and put my life in danger.”
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) predicted “100 or more” House Republicans could vote in favor of releasing files and documents related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein this week, The Hill reports.
Said Massie: “I think we could have a deluge of Republicans.”
Washington Post: Despite Trump’s ire, House gaining support on Epstein files vote.
Ron Brownstein: “Over the past several decades, the general trend has been that attitudes toward presidents from both parties have exerted growing influence over other elections. But even against that broader trend, Trump stands out.”
“In this month’s elections, as in 2018 and 2020, voters who disapproved of Trump’s job performance voted for the other party’s candidates at an even higher rate than for any other recent president. The power and persistence of that pattern — in both the midterm and presidential year elections during Trump’s first term — suggests that the single most important variable in most midterm contests next year will be whether more voters in that race approve or disapprove of his record in the White House.”
“President Donald Trump has again promised a “far better and far less expensive” alternative to the Affordable Care Act, and Republicans are rushing — again — to deliver one,” the Washington Post reports.
“For weeks throughout the longest government shutdown in history, Trump avoided negotiating with Democrats on the health care concerns fueling their standoff. Now lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are speeding toward a self-imposed deadline of mid-December to hold dueling health care votes.”
“The Department of Homeland Security has diverted thousands of federal agents from their normal duties to focus on arresting undocumented immigrants, undermining a wide range of law enforcement operations in response to mounting pressure from President Trump,” the New York Times reports.
“A proposal to give Americans direct payments of $2,000 or more. An antitrust probe into allegations that meatpacking companies are colluding to drive up beef prices. And a new plan to lower tariffs on coffee, fruit and other popular products,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“President Trump and his advisers are rushing to try to lower prices for U.S. consumers after voters sent a warning shot to Republicans this month over the high cost of living.”
Jonathan Martin: “No Democrat has had a better two years than Gavin Newsom and because of it, the California governor — a national figure since he was a 36-year-old boy mayor — has claimed a new title: front-runner.”
“It’s easy to find Newsom naysayers. In fact, there may not be a modern political figure who was simultaneously so well-positioned to be his party’s nominee and so doubted by the smart set since, well, Joe Biden in 2020.”
“So let’s not make the mistake of ignoring what’s in plain view and give the governor his due.”
“By the old rules of Democratic nominations, Newsom fits neatly in the tradition of Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama: younger, outsider candidates who could credibly run fresh campaigns against the Washington status quo of both parties while claiming enough insider credentials to reassure party mandarins who care about such things.”
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
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