The Conversation -- December 21, 2024

Minho Kim of the New York Times: "President Biden on Saturday signed the spending package that allowed federal funds to keep flowing until mid-March, formally ending the week's unexpected drama over the issue a few hours after the deadline for a shutdown had technically passed." The AP report is here.

Really, My Dear, One Hasn't the Time to Report. Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "Justice Clarence Thomas failed to disclose two additional trips from a billionaire patron that had not previously come to light, Senate Democrats revealed on Saturday after conducting a 20-month investigation into ethics practices at the Supreme Court. The findings were part of a 93-page report released by Democratic staff members of the Judiciary Committee along with about 800 pages of documents. It said the two trips, both of which had been previously unknown to the public, took place in 2021 and were provided by Harlan Crow, a real estate magnate in Texas and a frequent patron of Justice Thomas's. One trip took place that July by private jet from Nebraska to Saranac, N.Y., where Justice Thomas stayed at Mr. Crow's upstate retreat for five days. The other came in October, when Mr. Crow hosted Justice Thomas overnight in New York on his yacht after flying him from the District of Columbia to New Jersey for the dedication of a statue.... Justice Thomas had not disclosed the trips, even after refiling some of his past financial forms, and the committee learned about them through a subpoena to Mr. Crow, the report said." The AP's report is here. ~~~

      ~~~ Josh Gerstein of Politico: "Senate Democrats wrapped up their extensive investigation of Supreme Court justices' ethics practices Saturday, issuing a report blasting two conservative justices [Clarence Thomas & Samuel Alito] for accepting expensive gifts from wealthy benefactors and slamming Chief Justice John Roberts for a lackadaisical response to ethical lapses by his colleagues. 'Now more than ever before, as a result of information gathered by subpoenas, we know the extent to which the Supreme Court is mired in an ethical crisis of its own making,' outgoing Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin said in a statement. 'Whether failing to disclose lavish gifts or failing to recuse from cases with apparent conflicts of interest, it's clear that the justices are losing the trust of the American people at the hands of a gaggle of fawning billionaires.'" MB: Gee, Dick, couldn't you find a better time to bury this story than the Saturday before Christmas? AND Hanukkah? ~~~

     ~~~ The Senate Majority report, via Politico, is here.

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⭐Once Again, Democrats Keep the Lights On. Carl Hulse & Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "The Senate approved a spending measure early Saturday to keep government money flowing through mid-March, sending it to President Biden for his expected signature and closing a chaotic endgame in Congress minutes after federal funding had lapsed. The 85-to-11 Senate vote followed earlier House passage of the legislation, which also provided $100 billion in disaster relief for parts of the nation still reeling from storms. The action pushed major spending decisions into 2025 and the first months of the incoming Trump administration and a fully Republican-controlled Congress. The White House said that President Biden would sign the measure on Saturday and that no agencies would shut down despite the technical lapse in funding. The end to days of shutdown drama came after House Republicans stripped out a provision demanded by ... Donald J. Trump to suspend the federal debt limit and spare him the usually politically charged task of doing so when he takes office. But that demand sparked a revolt by dozens of Republicans on Thursday and led to a major defeat on the House floor....

"Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, said the final product was not all Democrats wanted, but avoided a crisis.... The vote in the House capped an extraordinary week of Republican chaos and dysfunction in which Speaker Mike Johnson cut a deal with Democrats to avert a shutdown, only to see it torpedoed by the billionaire Elon Musk and Mr. Trump, who demanded a different plan, which was promptly defeated by Republicans with help from Democrats. After the vote, Mr. Johnson, who faced questions about his ability to continue as speaker next year after the tumult of the past few days, said he had been in constant contact with Mr. Trump and had talked with Mr. Musk...." ~~~

~~~ Yesterday the New York Times liveblogged developments in the shutdown standoff in the House. Here are the Washington Post's live updates of developments in the countdown to shutdown. CNN's live updates are here. And here was the Hill's live coverage yesterday. (All linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Watch the first six-and-a-half minutes for a reasonable perspective on what went down:

The Speaker did a good job here, given the circumstances. It went from a bill that weighed pounds to a bill that weighed ounces. -- Elon Musk ~~~

~~~ Marie: Just before the Alex Wagner segment embedded above aired, former Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) appeared on Chris Hayes' show and pointed out that the actual dollar amount in the two versions of the spending bill was about the same; the major difference was that the new, ounces-rather-than-pounds bill contained few policy prescriptions. Policies are laid out in, you know, words, Edwards explained. Hayes agreed that Musk's lauding a bill because it "weighed less" was both absurd and stupid. ~~~

~~~ Jeff Stein, et al., of the Washington Post: "Both the original measure and the one that passed kept the government operating until mid-March and devoted about $110 billion in aid to victims of natural disasters and farmers. Brian Riedl, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative-leaning think tank, pointed out that the revised legislation wouldn't really have saved taxpayers any money, despite the shorter page count. Here are eight policies included in the original bill that Johnson and GOP leaders left out of the revised proposal." Among them, reauthorization of funding for childhood cancer research and a pay raise for members of Congress. ~~~

It's the most incongruous messaging to say: 'Don't vote for this bill, it's bloated spending. By the way, get rid of the debt ceiling so I can spend more.'... The last 24 hours does not portend well [for Republicans' plans to tackle border and tax policies in 2025...,], as you can see from this exercise. -- Marc Short, Director of Legislative Affairs in Trump's first administration & Chief of State to Mike Pence ~~~

~~~ Some "Mandate." Marianne LeVine, et al., of the Washington Post: "Trump has repeatedly described his election victory as a 'mandate,' telling Time magazine recently that 'the mandate was massive.' Trump won the election comfortably, prevailing in every battleground state as Republicans seized full control of Congress. He also became the first Republican presidential candidate to win the popular vote in 20 years, improving on his 2016 performance. Yet the election results reflect a country that remains deeply divided, leaving the GOP with narrow margins in Congress next year. Trump's win hinged on about 230,000 votes across three 'blue wall' states that could have tipped the race to Vice President Kamala Harris. His margin of victory in the popular vote, roughly 2.3 million, is smaller than President Joe Biden's of more than 7 million votes in 2020. And Republicans will have an even slimmer House majority in the House than they did this year." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: BTW, I'd like to remind Marc Short that raising the debt limit does not really allow the government or the president* to "spend more." It only allows the government to pay the bills for the spending Congress (and the president*) have previously approved.

Quack, Quack. Eric Levitz of Vox: "... this week's government funding fight ... revealed something that could have profound implications for the next four years of governance: Trump's power over the congressional GOP is quite limited.... House conservatives' defiance of Trump is partly attributable to ideological differences.... For dozens of House conservatives, the idea of voting for a spending bill devoid of any major funding cuts that also suspended the debt limit was more odious than the prospect of defying Trump.... After Thursday, it appears less certain that the president-elect actually boasts [much] power over the House GOP's backbenchers. It is worth recalling that Trump is a 78-year-old lame duck.... Trump is poised to wield a disconcerting amount of personal power over the executive branch come next year. But he may find that his capacity to dictate terms to Congress is ... limited...."

Arsonist Again Blames Fire Department for Conflagration. Michael Shear & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump, who derailed a bipartisan spending deal in Congress, tried on Friday to escape responsibility for the consequences, saying it would be better to let the government shut down under President Biden's watch than to allow a politically damaging stalemate once he takes office next month. 'This is a Biden problem to solve, but if Republicans can help solve it, they will!' Mr. Trump said in a social media post Friday morning. Earlier, at 1:16 a.m., Mr. Trump said he wanted Mr. Biden to be blamed for whatever political fallout might come, writing to Republicans: 'Remember, the pressure is on whoever is President.'... But even with a shutdown averted, the episode demonstrated a well-established pattern by Mr. Trump. He often purposely blew up congressional negotiations during his first term, often with a tweet, only to be forced to retreat or give up his position in the face of an angry reaction from both allies and adversaries."

Maya Miller of the New York Times: "The Senate passed bipartisan legislation early Saturday that would give full Social Security benefits to a group of public sector retirees who currently receive them at a reduced level, sending the bill to President Biden. The vote to clear the measure was a lopsided 76 to 20, reflecting the broad popularity of an effort to allow approximately more than 2.8 million public pension recipients -- some of them teachers, firefighters and police officers -- to collect Social Security benefits at the same level as other beneficiaries. The House passed the bill by a wide margin of 327 to 75 last month after a bipartisan group of lawmakers forced it to the floor, and ... Donald J. Trump recently threw his support behind it. The rapid and resounding approval of the measure, which would cost nearly $196 billion over a decade, was notable at a time when Congress is in a protracted dispute over spending and debt, with Republicans promising huge cuts and members of both parties routinely lamenting the ballooning of the nation's debt." MB: This must upset Ebenezer Musk, the World's Richest Man.

Maegan Flynn, et al., of the Washington Post: "Congress has passed legislation giving D.C. control of RFK Stadium and allowing the city to redevelop more than 170 acres of federal property surrounding it, a political miracle that came in the twilight hours of the year's congressional session and after almost every avenue for the legislation appeared exhausted. The U.S. Senate passed the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act by unanimous consent at about 1:15 a.m. Saturday -- a Hail Mary action that required the support of all senators present without objection.. The bill cleared the House in February on a broad bipartisan basis.... Passage of the legislation, which transfers control of the land to D.C. at no cost, is a tremendous win for Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), who for years has sought to turn the property surrounding the decaying football stadium into a major new attraction and possibly bring the Washington Commanders back to their old home. The bill, which must still be signed by the president, will allow Bowser to formally negotiate with the Commanders...."

A quarter of all the judges are now on the federal bench from the four years we were here.... It's going to have a profound effect on people's lives. This was an accomplishment that will last generations. -- Sen. Chuck Schumer, Majority Leader ~~~

~~~ Carl Hulse of the New York Times: "The Senate confirmed on Friday the 235th lifetime federal judge nominated by President Biden, topping the four-year record set during the first Trump administration by a single judge in a drive that significantly reshaped the federal courts to be more ethnically and professionally diverse. The approval of Serena Raquel Murillo of California to be a judge in the state's central district wrapped up a push by Democrats to fill as many vacancies as possible on the bench before turning the majority over to Senate Republicans on Jan. 3. Democrats celebrated not only the number of judges confirmed but also their varying ethnicities and legal experience compared with the longstanding practice by past presidents of both parties of installing mostly white former prosecutors and corporate lawyers." (Also linked yesterday.) An AP story is here.

Digby in Salon lays out how Elon snookered Donald: Trump thought he could shunt Musk aside by putting him in charge of a powerless, non-governmental "commission" where Elon & Vivek would "recommend" federal spending cuts. But Elon demanded that Congress follow his cues as to how to fund the government. And then, and then. "Those rascally, backbench Tea Party/Freedom Caucus ideologues finally got the leader they've been waiting for and his name is Elon Musk, the richest man in the world.... It's Elon Musk's House now. In fact, a bunch of Republicans are proposing that they fire [Mike] Johnson and make him Speaker instead.... Trump wanted the richest man in the world by his side, for both the glamour and the lucre he brings with him, and it's blowing up in his face. How's Trump going to get rid of Musk now that he's shown he has more clout with the base than he does? Who owns the MAGA brand now? " (Also linked yesterday.)

Melissa Goldin of the AP: "... Donald Trump's billionaire ally Elon Musk played a key role this week in killing a bipartisan funding proposal..., railing against the plan in a torrent of more than 100 X posts that included multiple false claims. The X owner ... not only used his outsize influence on the platform to help sway Congress, he did so without regard for the facts and gave a preview of the role he could play in government over the next four years.... John Mark Hansen, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago, said in an email, 'Trump's done this kind of thing before, blowing up a bill at the last minute. This time, though, it looks like he was afraid of Musk upstaging him. Now there's a new social media bully in town, pushing the champion social media bully around.'" Goldin lists some of the lies Musk told and reminds us, "Trump led Republicans into the longest government shutdown in history in his first term during the 2018 Christmas season, and interrupted the holidays in 2020 by tanking a bipartisan COVID-relief bill and forcing a do-over."

just seen on Fox News -- Trump narrating an ad for Trump bibles pic.twitter.com/3dC1UjHJgG

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 19, 2024

~~~ Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "The ad ... can most concisely be summarized as 'schlocky.'... 'We love God, and we have to protect anything that is pro-God,' the infamously areligious former president asserts as a plinky piano version of 'O, Come All Ye Faithful' plays in the background.... Trump, wearing a festive red tie with white stripes, is shown standing in front of two American flags. In the foreground, computer-generated Christmas tree ornaments and streamers dangle from the top of the screen.... The obvious question here is what advertisements for what products will air after Jan. 20.... Speaking of, Trump is going to need a Bible for that [inauguration] ceremony. What an amazing cross-branding opportunity that presents." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Oh, Phil! It's so wrong to be cynical at Christmas time!

Heil Elon! Christopher Schuetze & Mark Landler of the New York Times: "Elon Musk, the world's richest man and a close adviser to ... Donald J. Trump, on Friday endorsed Germany's far-right party, a group with ties to neo-Nazis whose youth wing has been classified as 'confirmed extremist' by German domestic intelligence. 'Only the AfD can save Germany,' Mr. Musk posted to X, referring to the anti-immigrant party, the Alternative for Germany, by its German initials." Politico's story is here. MB: Oh, it was a great day for this Master of the Universe, endorsing Nazis & watching his own government nearly shutter at his behest. (Also linked yesterday.)

The chaos is only the showy part of the problem. The real problem is experienced by the people they hurt ~~~

~~~~ Zach Montague & Vimal Patel of the New York Times: "The Biden administration on Friday withdrew some of its main outstanding plans to enact significant federal student loan forgiveness and to set rules around the participation of transgender athletes on school sports teams. The regulations were, at one time, among the administration's top education policy priorities, and the decision to pull down the proposed regulations was a tacit acknowledgment that they would go nowhere under the [incoming] administration of ... Donald J. Trump. Criticizing protections for transgender people was a central theme during Mr. Trump's campaign, and he routinely attacked student debt reform."

Feliz Navidad, Papa Francisco! From DJT. Azi Paybarah & Michelle Boorstein of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump announced on Friday his plan to nominate Brian Burch, president of CatholicVote and a papal critic, as the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See.... Burch co-founded Catholic Vote, a lay advocacy group in 2005. The organization backed Trump in 2020 and 2024.... Burch has criticized Pope Francis, most notably after the pontiff moved against some conservative church leaders, ousting one in Texas after a Vatican investigation.... After Pope Francis said in 2023 that priests should be allowed to bless same-sex unions, Burch told an interviewer that the Pope had created 'confusion,' inside the church, which has historically opposed homosexuality, according to the National Catholic Reporter. Also in 2023 Burch ... suggest[ed] a connection between FBI searches of certain churches and 'the Pope and others' who had been 'railing against these same parishes.'"

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New York. Uh, Somebody in That Perp Walk Looks Familiar. Emma Fitzsimmons of the New York Times: "As perp walks go, few have been more cinematic: Luigi Mangione, handcuffed and wearing an orange jumpsuit, surrounded by a phalanx of armed law enforcement officers as they led him off a helipad. And there, in the left of the scrum, Mayor Eric Adams walked behind, wearing a navy blue overcoat and a stern look on his face.... Most mayors do not personally oversee the handling of people in federal custody.... Some legal experts and elected officials said the choreographed scene and the mayor's appearance at the perp walk was a blatant and unnecessary attempt at self-promotion. Others worried that the spectacle would boost Mr. Mangione's image as a folk hero."

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Canada. With Friends Like This.... Ian Austen of the New York Times: "As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada tried to reverse his plunging fortunes on Friday by rearranging his cabinet, a key political ally called Mr. Trudeau a failed leader and vowed to bring down his government. Jagmeet Singh, whose New Democratic Party has provided Mr. Trudeau's Liberal Party with the votes it needed to move legislation through Parliament, released a scathing letter promising to bring a motion to defeat the government in the House of Commons after Parliament returns from a holiday break next month." ~~~

~~~ Ephrat Livni & Ian Austen of the New York Times: "Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada is under intense pressure to step down after the abrupt and acrimonious resignation of a key deputy on Monday highlighted his deep unpopularity after nearly a decade in power.... According to a new poll by Ipsos, 73 percent of Canadians think that Mr. Trudeau should resign as leader of the Liberal Party, including 43 percent of Liberal voters." The reporters provide background, try to explain why Trudeau is so unpopular and suggest what will happen if Trudeau resigns.

Syria/U.S. That's Diplomacy! John Hudson of the Washington Post: "Senior U.S. diplomats on Friday held their first formal talks in Damascus with the leader of the Islamist rebels who overthrew the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a discussion they later characterized as 'good' and 'thorough.' During the meeting, the U.S. officials informed Ahmed al-Sharaa, head of the U.S.-designated terrorist group Hayʼat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), that the United States was lifting a $1o million bounty on him, Barbara Leaf, the top diplomat for the Middle East, told reporters. Leaf provided the assurance after he agreed to a U.S. demand that he not allow terrorist groups in Syria to pose a threat to the United States or Syria's neighbors. 'Ahmed al-Sharaa committed to this,' she said."

The Conversation -- December 20, 2024

⭐From the New York Times liveblog, also linked next: "The House approved legislation on Friday to avert a federal government shutdown that was just hours away, with lawmakers extending funding into mid-March and approving disaster relief for parts of the nation still recovering from storms. The measure now goes to the Senate. The House vote came after Republicans stripped out a provision sought by President-elect Donald J. Trump to suspend the federal debt limit and spare him the usually politically difficult task of doing so when he takes office.... The measure that passed on Friday, by a vote of 366 to 34, must still be approved by the Senate and sent to President Biden to keep dollars flowing to federal agencies. Otherwise, funding will lapse at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. All 34 'no' votes were from Republicans; one Democrat, Jasmine Crockett of Texas, voted present. Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, said he expected the Senate to quickly take up the bill and pass it. 'Though this bill does not include everything Democrats fought for, there are major victories in this bill for American families,' he said." ~~~

~~~ The New York Times is liveblogging developments in the shutdown standoff: "With a possible government shutdown looming at day's end..., Donald J. Trump early Friday renewed his demand that Congress suspend the debt ceiling, intensifying a face-off with lawmakers from his own party as Republicans run short of options before a midnight deadline." ~~~

~~~ Here are the Washington Post's live updates of developments in the countdown to shutdown: "The White House Office of Management and Budget alerted federal agencies Friday morning to prepare for an imminent government shutdown, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal communications. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre lashed out at Republicans who had agreed to a bipartisan deal and then abandoned it. 'This is a mess that Speaker [Mike] Johnson created, that is his mess to fix,' she told reporters at the daily briefing, adding that there was 'still time' for Republicans to 'do the right thing.' On Capitol Hill, House Republicans were discussing voting on separate policy bills to fund the government ahead of a midnight deadline in hopes of avoiding a shutdown. They were meeting to consider separate bills that would extend current fiscal levels into the new year, send $110 billion to natural disaster victims, and another to extend the farm bill that requires reauthorization." CNN's live updates are here. ~~~

     ~~~ Mike Lillis, et al., of the Hill: "Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he has a plan C to avert a shutdown and the House will vote Friday morning on the legislation -- but Republicans indicated there is not yet widespread agreement. 'Yeah, yeah, we have a plan,' Johnson said Friday morning as he entered the Capitol. 'We're expecting votes this morning, so you all stay tuned....'" ~~~

     ~~~ Here's the Hill's live coverage.

A quarter of all the judges are now on the federal bench from the four years we were here.... It's going to have a profound effect on people's lives. This was an accomplishment that will last generations. -- Sen. Chuck Schumer, Majority Leader ~~~

~~~ Carl Hulse of the New York Times: "The Senate confirmed on Friday the 235th lifetime federal judge nominated by President Biden, topping the four-year record set during the first Trump administration by a single judge in a drive that significantly reshaped the federal courts to be more ethnically and professionally diverse. The approval of Serena Raquel Murillo of California to be a judge in the state's central district wrapped up a push by Democrats to fill as many vacancies as possible on the bench before turning the majority over to Senate Republicans on Jan. 3. Democrats celebrated not only the number of judges confirmed but also their varying ethnicities and legal experience compared with the longstanding practice by past presidents of both parties of installing mostly white former prosecutors and corporate lawyers."

Digby in Salon lays out how Elon snookered Donald: Trump thought he could shunt Musk aside by putting him in charge of a powerless, non-governmental "commission" where Elon & Vivek would "recommend" federal spending cuts. But Elon demanded that Congress follow his cues as to how to fund the government. And then, and then. "Those rascally, backbench Tea Party/Freedom Caucus ideologues finally got the leader they've been waiting for and his name is Elon Musk, the richest man in the world.... It's Elon Musk's House now. In fact, a bunch of Republicans are proposing that they fire [Mike] Johnson and make him Speaker instead.... Trump wanted the richest man in the world by his side, for both the glamour and the lucre he brings with him, and it's blowing up in his face. How's Trump going to get rid of Musk now that he's shown he has more clout with the base than he does? Who owns the MAGA brand now? "

Heil Elon! Christopher Schuetze & Mark Landler of the New York Times: "Elon Musk, the world's richest man and a close adviser to ... Donald J. Trump, on Friday endorsed Germany's far-right party, a group with ties to neo-Nazis whose youth wing has been classified as 'confirmed extremist' by German domestic intelligence. 'Only the AfD can save Germany,' Mr. Musk posted to X, referring to the anti-immigrant party, the Alternative for Germany, by its German initials." Politico's story is here. MB: Oh, it's a great day for Elon, endorsing Nazis & watching his own government shutter at his behest.

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Once again, Not-President Trump -- this time with his co-president* (or his puppetmaster) Elon Musk -- has sent a normally-chaotic Washington into utter disarray. Why, one just might think this is what they want. ~~~

One or two puppet masters weigh in and extreme MAGA Republicans decide to do the bidding of the wealthy, the well-connected, the millionaires and billionaires, not working-class people all across America.... The bill that is before us today is just part of an effort to shut down the government. -- Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, on the House floor, Thursday ~~~

~~~ Jacob Bogage & Marianna Sotomayor of the Washington Post: "The federal government moved closer to a weekend shutdown Thursday, after the House overwhelmingly voted down Speaker Mike Johnson's new plan to extend the deadline despite support from ... Donald Trump and his billionaire adviser Elon Musk. The GOP proposal would have extended federal operations into mid-March sent more than $100 billion to natural-disaster survivors and suspended the country's borrowing limit for two years. But it needed the support of two-thirds of the House to pass, and it went down by a 235-174 vote, with one member voting present. It wasn't clear Thursday night what the next move will be....

"Only two Democrats supported the legislation, with 197 of them opposing it. But 38 Republicans also voted no -- an indication of how difficult finding an alternative solution before the shutdown deadline may be for the GOP leader. The bipartisan legislation the House GOP scrapped Wednesday was substantially similar to the bill that Johnson tried to advance Thursday, though he dropped some provisions unrelated to spending and added -- at Trump's request -- a suspension of the debt limit." This is an update of a story linked earlier Thursday. (Also linked yesterday.) Politico's story is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Scott Wong, et al., of NBC News: "The rejected measure leaves Congress without a clear plan to avoid a looming government shutdown with less than 30 hours left before the deadline, driving up the odds of a funding lapse just ahead of the holidays. A shutdown is scheduled to begin at 12:01 a.m. ET Saturday. Asked by reporters whether a new funding bill would be released Friday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said 'we'll see' as he left the Capitol on Thursday night." ~~~

     ~~~ Michael Shear of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump's hammerlock on the Republican Party was shaken on Thursday night when 38 of his party's lawmakers in the House voted to defy his command to support a spending and debt deal. Writing on social media, Mr. Trump had told Republicans to 'vote "YES" for this Bill, TONIGHT!'... For the better part of a decade, that kind of dictate has usually been enough for Mr. Trump, who has methodically seized control of the Republican Party at all levels. But [yesterday] ... Mr. Trump found out that at least some of his followers were willing to buck his leadership.... The defiance came ... from ... conservatives who would normally align themselves with Mr. Trump's philosophy...." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: But they are falling in line with Elon, aren't they? ~~~

~~~ Cat Zakrzewski, et al., of the Washington Post: "... this week, critics of the world's richest man [Elon Musk] say he attained a new title: 'shadow president' of the United States. In a matter of hours on Wednesday, Musk wielded his powerful X account to pressure House Republicans to torpedo a spending bill that would have kept the federal government open for three months.... The second Trump-backed measure went down to a broad and swift defeat in the House on Thursday evening, raising the chances of a shutdown beginning at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. Musk's outsize role in sending the federal government careening toward a potential shutdown before Christmas has alarmed Democrats, academics and watchdog groups, while some Republicans said his intervention was uninformed.... The outrage reverberated on X, which Musk owns and where 'President Musk' became a trending topic." See Akhilleus' comment in yesterday's thread on Mickey Musk. ~~~

~~~ Here's Donald trying to save face: ~~~

     ~~~ Kelsey Walsh of ABC News: "... Donald Trump, after rejecting House Speaker Mike Johnson's plan to avoid a government shutdown, worked the phones on Thursday, showing wavering confidence in Johnson and claiming he is aligned with billionaire Elon Musk, who first posted multiple calls to kill the GOP-brokered spending deal. 'If the speaker acts decisively, and tough, and gets rid of all of the traps being set by the Democrats, which will economically and, in other ways, destroy our country, he will easily remain speaker,' Trump told Fox News Digital. In an separate interview, Trump suggested that Johnson's proposed continuing resolution -- which would keep spending going at current levels -- was 'unacceptable.'... Trump also indicated that he had discussed his views on the bill with social media giant Musk and granted the billionaire permission to trash the government spending bill on his social media platform. 'I told him that if he agrees with me, that he could put out a statement,' Trump said. Musk then conducted an all-out pressure campaign flooding his platform with dozens of posts threatening members of Congress to block Johnson's government funding bill." ~~~

     ~~~ But Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) is sure Elon is in charge. Michael Luciano of Mediaite reports on Goldman's comments to Chris Hayes of MSNBC: "... there does appear to be one president. It's Elon Musk, who has his own very self-interested view of everything, including the fact that he wanted to remove restrictions on investing -- U.S. companies investing in China.... He has no idea how government operates or how government runs. But he spent nearly $300 million to get Donald Trump elected. There are rumors that he is going to use X to buy or merge with Truth Social, which would give Donald Trump a tremendous windfall.... And it is very clear that Elon Musk is now calling the shots."

Elon Musk has Donald Trump in a vise.

     ~~~ So then Donald pulls this: ~~~

     ~~~ Colby Hall of Mediaite: "Trump took to social media amid growing discontent over congressional dysfunction to keep the government open over the holidays, and suggested that he's more interested in the government shutting down over the holidays during the Biden administration than trying to help find a solution to a problem largely undermined [MB: s/b "caused"] by his most significant advisor, billionaire Elon Musk. 'If there is going to be a shutdown of the government, let it begin now, under the Biden Administration, not after January 20th, under "TRUMP."' the President-elect wrote on Truth Social. 'This is a Biden problem to solve, but if Republicans can help solve it, they will!'" ~~~

     ~~~ That's right: Trump, Musk & Congressional Republicans are shutting down the government, and Trump says Biden should fix their massive fuck-up. ~~~

~~~ BUT Biden Has Left the Building. Adam Cancryn of Politico: "Joe Biden may still occupy the Oval Office, but it's clearer than ever that he's no longer in charge of Washington. More than a half-dozen House Democratic lawmakers said Thursday that the conference had yet to hear from the president, even as Congress scrambled to salvage a funding deal and avoid shutting down the government. In the 24 hours since ... Donald Trump and close ally Elon Musk abruptly derailed the bipartisan agreement, Biden has remained conspicuously absent outside a brief statement issued by his press secretary -- and for now, Democrats said there was little clamor for him to return."

There's This. Lolita Baldor & Tara Copp of the AP: "Republicans'decision to abandon a congressional spending plan will cost troops their paychecks over the holidays unless some agreement is reached before Friday's deadline to prevent a government shutdown, the Pentagon warned. Even if they don't get paid, those troops will be required to report for duty both overseas and at home, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Thursday. Without an agreement to fund the government, troops will not receive their end-of-month paychecks, reservists drilling after Friday will not be paid, and federal civilians who are required to work during a shutdown also will not be paid, he said. The military payroll is just one of thousands of federal accounts that would be affected, but one of the most visible." ~~~

~~~ AND There's This. Alice Ollstein & Gavin Bade of Politico: "The collapse of Congress' spending negotiations is throwing the presidential transition and preparations for ... Donald Trump's second inauguration into chaos as Washington stares down the prospect of a government shutdown just after midnight Friday. Federal agencies only this week began briefing the Trump transition's 'landing teams,' which began their work more than a month later than their predecessors. Now, if Congress can't cut a deal in the next couple days, those agencies could be forced to furlough much of the staff doing that work and shut down the government offices where it's taking place -- impeding the incoming officials' access to documents and further slowing down already-delayed preparations to take over the federal government next month."

Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "They're baaaack. Just six weeks ago, voters elected Donald Trump by the slimmest of margins in hopes that he would lower the cost of living. But Trump quickly walked back that promise, saying 'it's very hard' to reduce prices. Instead, he has already returned the country to the unrelenting chaos, and the government to the ludicrous dysfunction, that dominated his first term. And he hasn't even taken office yet.... [The impending government shutdown Musk & Trump caused] is just the first act of what promises to be a four-year circus.... For those too young to remember the last go-round, this is wha governing looks like under Trump. Musk's destruction of the spending bill was particularly ugly, for it showed that, with Trump in charge, an unelected megabillionaire can bring the U.S. government to a halt by employing MAGA's trademark mixture of vitriol, threat and disinformation.... Shutting down the government because of the rants and threats of an erratic billionaire is no way to run a country. But this is where we are."

Matthew Goldstein of the New York Times: "...Donald J. Trump transferred all of his shares in the social media company that bears his name to a trust controlled by his eldest son, according to a regulatory filing on Thursday night. The filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission said Mr. Trump moved his roughly 115 million shares in Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social, to the trust. He did not sell the shares or receive any financial consideration for the transfer, which was described as a gift to the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust. Mr. Trump is the largest shareholder of Trump Media & Technology Group, and his nearly 53 percent stake is worth about $4 billion. Trump Media, which is losing money, has taken in just a few million dollars in revenue. Mr. Trump's ownership was one of his most valuable assets based on Trump Media's market valuation."

You know those classic rom-coms where a couple meets at work, hilarity ensues, and everything works out in the end? They are fiction, people! ~~~

~~~ Danny Hakim & Richard Fausset of the New York Times: "Georgia's Court of Appeals on Thursday disqualified the Atlanta prosecutor who brought an election interference case against ... Donald J. Trump and his allies, a surprise move that threw the entire case into disarray. In a 2-1 decision, a three-judge panel reversed the trial judge, who in March had allowed Fani T. Willis, the district attorney of Fulton County, Ga., to keep the case, despite revelations about a romantic relationship she had with the lawyer who was hired to manage the prosecution. All three of the appeals judges are Republican appointees. While the decision is likely to be appealed to the full court, if it stands, it could doom the entire case, which is the last active criminal prosecution involving charges against Mr. Trump." (Also linked yesterday.) CNN's report is here.

Jeanna Smialek & Ana Swanson of the New York Times: "The U.S. economy is pulling ahead of its global peers. Inflation is moderating, and the Federal Reserve is cutting interest rates.... The unemployment rate is low. Consumers are spending.... Add in a decrease in unlawful southern border crossings and revved-up domestic production in several critical industries and they amount to a rough list of Donald J. Trump's campaign promises. It's a list of economic wins that Mr. Trump is inheriting in large part because of policies that the Federal Reserve and Biden administration have pursued in recent years.... But a variety of risks -- some sheer happenstance, some floated by Mr Trump -- could interfere with that rosy outcome just as ... [he] takes office.... Economists have ... warned that Mr. Trump's own policies could lift inflation." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Partly but not wholly because Congressional Republicans oppose most laws designed to help ordinary Americans, Joe (Biden) & Jay (Powell) did not do enough to make the U.S. economy work ideally for its people. But in an irony upon irony, Joe & Jay did manage to make ours the best economy in the world, and now Trump, who promised butterflies and rainbows, is poised to wreck all that.

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs of the New York Times: "The 26-year-old man accused of murdering a health care executive in Manhattan agreed at a court hearing on Thursday to be extradited to New York, where he is facing a first-degree murder charge. The man, Luigi Mangione, was being held at a prison in Pennsylvania after he was spotted in a McDonald's in the central part of the state and arrested by the local police. The Manhattan district attorney's office sought to bring him to New York to prosecute him for the death of Brian Thompson, the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare.... After his arrest last week, Mr. Mangione initially indicated through his lawyer that he would contest extradition to New York. Mr. Mangione has been represented by a lawyer in Pennsylvania, but he has also hired a prominent New York defense lawyer who formerly worked as a top prosecutor in the Manhattan district attorney's office." (Also linked yesterday.)

Molly Nagle of ABC News: "President Joe Biden's administration will announce on Friday another $4.28 billion dollars in student loan relief for nearly 55,000 public service workers. The announcement will bring the total loan forgiveness by the Biden administration to 'approximately $180 billion for nearly 5 million Americans,' according to a fact sheet from the Department of Education. The forgiveness will be delivered to individuals enrolled in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF), which allows for debt forgiveness for people in jobs like firefighting, nursing and teaching after 10 years of continuous payment."

Benjamin Weiser of the New York Times: "Federal prosecutors on Thursday unsealed a murder case against the suspect in the shooting of UnitedHealthcare's chief executive, holding out the possibility of the death penalty even after a trial on separate state charges. The federal criminal complaint against the suspect, Luigi Mangione, 26, includes one count of using a firearm to commit murder, which carries a maximum potential sentence of death, along with two stalking counts and a firearms offense. It came two days after the Manhattan district attorney filed state murder and terror charges against Mr. Mangione in the killing of the executive, Brian Thompson."

~~~~~~~~~~

Syria, etc. Edward Wong of the New York Times: "The State Department said early Friday that three senior American diplomats had arrived in Damascus, the capital of Syria, to meet with leaders of the militias that have seized control of the country, and to look for signs of the journalist Austin Tice and other missing U.S. citizens. They are the first American diplomats to enter Damascus since the crumbling of the old government. The visit represents a tentative step toward engagement in Syria, a nation in which U.S. involvement in recent years has usually involved the military, not diplomacy. The Biden administration has been in contact with militia leaders but has wrestled with how directly to engage, partly because the United States designated a precursor of the lead rebel group as terrorists." ~~~

~~~ Helene Cooper of the New York Times: "The Pentagon said on Thursday that 2,000 American troops were in Syria, more than twice the number officials had cited for months. Why the Defense Department delayed disclosing the number is unclear. Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, told reporters that he became aware of the additional troops on Thursday morning. They are in Syria on a 'temporary' basis, he said, to support what he called the 'core official deployed forces' participating in the Pentagon's mission to keep Islamic State forces from reconstituting. General Ryder said the increase in the number of troops was unrelated to the fall of President Bashar al-Assad to rebel forces in early December."

Ukraine/Russia, et al. David Stern & Serhii Korolchuk of the Washington Post: "Russia unleashed a barrage of ballistic missiles on Kyiv early Friday, killing at least one person and injuring 12, city officials said. The attacks came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was in Brussels, where Kyiv's European allies are seriously considering the idea of deploying troops to Ukraine in the event of a deal with Russia to stop the war. Hours earlier, Zelensky had posted a tweet that called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a 'dumbass' in response to the Russian leader's mocking remarks in a year-end news conference about a missile 'duel' with Ukraine's allies."

⭐Republicans will regain the Senate majority. As of Thursday, November 14, they hold 53 seats (when including Pennsylvania, where Democrat Bob Casey has not conceded).

Unless otherwise indicated, the AP has called these races:

⭐Arizona. Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego is projected to have defeated the execrable Kari Lake.

California. Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff is projected to win. Schiff will have won both the general election and a special election to fill the seat of former Sen. Dianne Feinstein, deceased, which is currently held by Laphonza Butler, a "placeholder" appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). Schiff will be seated immediately.

Connecticut: Democrat Chris Murphy is projected to win re-election.

Delaware: Democrat Lisa Blunt is projected to win.

Florida: Republican Rick Scott is projected to win re-election.

Hawaii. Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono is projected to win re-election.

Indiana: Republican Jim Banks is projected to win.

Maine: Independent Sen. Angus King is projected to win re-election. King caucuses with Democrats.

Maryland. Democrat Angela Alsobrooks is projected to win over former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan. Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin (D) is retiring.

Massachusetts: Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren is projected to win re-election.

Michigan: Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin is projected to win.

Minnesota. Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar is projected to win re-election.

Mississippi: Republican Roger Wicker is projected to win re-election.

Missouri. Republican Road Runner Sen. Josh Hawley is projected to win re-election.

Montana. Republican Tim Somebody-Shot-Me-Sometime Sheehy is projected to have defeated Sen. Jon Tester.

Nebraska. Republican Sen. Deb Fischer has held off a challenge from an Independent candidate.

Nebraska. Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts is projected to win re-election. This is a special election.

Nevada: Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen is (at long last) projected to win re-election.

New Jersey: Democrat Rep. Andy Kim is projected to win the seat previously vacated by Democrat Bob Menendez, who resigned in disgrace after being convicted on federal bribery & corruption charges. Kim will be the first Korean-American to hold a U.S. Senate seat.

New Mexico. Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich is projected to win re-election.

New York. Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is projected to win re-election.

North Dakota. Republican Sen. Kevin Kramer is projected to win re-election.

⭐ Ohio. Republican Bernie Moreno is projected to have defeated Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. This is the second pick-up for Republicans.

⭐Pennsylvania. Republican Dave McCormick is projected to have defeated incumbent Democrat Bob Casey, although Casey has not conceded.

Rhode Island: Democrat Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse is projected to win re-election.

Tennessee: Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn is projected to win re-election.

Texas: Republic Sen. Ted Cruz, the most unpopular U.S. senator, is projected to win re-election.

Utah. Republican Rep. John Curtis is projected to win the seat currently held by Sen. Mitt Romney (R).

Vermont: Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders is projected to win re-election.

Virginia. Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine is projected by NBC News to win re-election.

Washington. Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell is projected to win re-election.

West Virginia: Republican Gov. Jim Justice is projected to win the seat currently held by Independent Joe Manchin, who is retiring.

Wisconsin. Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin is projected to win re-election. Hurrah!

Wyoming. Republican Sen. John Barrasso is projected to win re-election.

On Tuesday, December 3, the AP called the last undecided House race for the Democrat Adam Gray over incumbent Republican John Duarte of California's Central Valley, leaving the final count Democrats 215 seats and Republicans 220. (A majority is 220 218.) (NYT link.)

New York Times: "Though the G.O.P. has won more than the 218 seats necessary to control the House, ... Trump wants two of the Republican House members to serve in his administration. A third, Matt Gaetz, resigned last month after Mr. Trump announced that he intended to nominate him for attorney general."

~~~~~~~~~~

Germany. New York Times: "A driver plowed a vehicle into a Christmas market in the city of Magdeburg in central Germany on Friday evening, killing at least two people -- an adult and a small child -- and injuring dozens of others, in what officials indicated was a targeted attack. The driver was arrested, the authorities said. He was identified as a 50-year-old Saudi Arabian citizen who first came to Germany in 2006 and worked as a doctor in a small town 25 miles south of Magdeburg, officials said. Saudi Arabia condemned the attack in a statement by its Foreign Ministry that did not mention the suspect. 'The Kingdom expresses its solidarity with the German people and the families of the victims.' the statement said. More than 65 people were injured, 14 of them severely, said Michael Reif, the spokesman for Magdeburg. The authorities say they believe it was a deliberate attack." ~~~

     ~~~ In an early December 21 update, the Washington Post reports that at least five people were killed and more than 200 were wounded in the Christmas market attack.

New York Times: "Joanne Pierce Misko, a former Roman Catholic nun who in 1972 became one of the first two women sworn in as special agents for the F.B.I., breaking the bureau's longstanding bar against women in frontline law-enforcement roles, died on Friday in Wheatfield, N.Y., east of Niagara Falls. She was 83."

The Conversation -- December 19, 2024

Once again, Not-President Trump -- this time with his co-president* (or his puppetmaster) Elon Musk -- has sent a normally-chaotic Washington into utter disarray. Why, one just might think this is what they want. ~~~

One or two puppet masters weigh in and extreme MAGA Republicans decide to do the bidding of the wealthy, the well-connected, the millionaires and billionaires, not working-class people all across America.... The bill that is before us today is just part of an effort to shut down the government. -- Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, House floor, Thursday ~~~

~~~ Jacob Bogage & Marianna Sotomayor of the Washington Post: "The federal government moved closer to a weekend shutdown Thursday, after the House overwhelmingly voted down Speaker Mike Johnson's new plan to extend the deadline despite support from ... Donald Trump and his billionaire adviser Elon Musk. The GOP proposal would have extended federal operations into mid-March, sent more than $100 billion to natural-disaster survivors and suspended the country's borrowing limit for two years. But it needed the support of two-thirds of the House to pass, and it went down by a 235-174 vote, with one member voting present. It wasn't clear Thursday night what the next move will be....

"Only two Democrats supported the legislation, with 197 of them opposing it. But 38 Republicans also voted no -- an indication of how difficult finding an alternative solution before the shutdown deadline may be for the GOP leader. The bipartisan legislation the House GOP scrapped Wednesday was substantially similar to the bill that Johnson tried to advance Thursday, though he dropped some provisions unrelated to spending and added -- at Trump's request -- a suspension of the debt limit." This is an update of a story linked earlier Thursday.

You know those classic rom-coms where a couple meets at work, hilarity ensues, and everything works out in the end? They are fiction, people! ~~~

~~~ Danny Hakim & Richard Fausset of the New York Times: "Georgia's Court of Appeals on Thursday disqualified the Atlanta prosecutor who brought an election interference case against ... Donald J. Trump and his allies, a surprise move that threw the entire case into disarray. In a 2-1 decision, a three-judge panel reversed the trial judge, who in March had allowed Fani T. Willis, the district attorney of Fulton County, Ga., to keep the case, despite revelations about a romantic relationship she had with the lawyer who was hired to manage the prosecution. All three of the appeals judges are Republican appointees. While the decision is likely to be appealed to the full court, if it stands, it could doom the entire case, which is the last active criminal prosecution involving charges against Mr. Trump."

Jeanna Smialek & Ana Swanson of the New York Times: "The U.S. economy is pulling ahead of its global peers. Inflation is moderating, and the Federal Reserve is cutting interest rates.... The unemployment rate is low. Consumers are spending.... Add in a decrease in unlawful southern border crossings and revved-up domestic production in several critical industries and they amount to a rough list of Donald J. Trump's campaign promises. It's a list of economic wins that Mr. Trump is inheriting in large part because of policies that the Federal Reserve and Biden administration have pursued in recent years.... But a variety of risks -- some sheer happenstance, some floated by Mr. Trump -- could interfere with that rosy outcome just as ... [he] takes office.... Economists have ... warned that Mr. Trump's own policies could lift inflation." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Partly but not wholly because Congressional Republicans oppose most laws designed to help ordinary Americans, Joe (Biden) & Jay (Powell) did not do enough to make the U.S. economy work ideally for its people. But in an irony upon irony, Joe & Jay did manage to make ours the best economy in the world, and now Trump, who promised butterflies and rainbows, is poised to wreck all that.

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs of the New York Times: "The 26-year-old man accused of murdering a health care executive in Manhattan agreed at a court hearing on Thursday to be extradited to New York, where he is facing a first-degree murder charge. The man, Luigi Mangione, was being held at a prison in Pennsylvania after he was spotted in a McDonald's in the central part of the state and arrested by the local police. The Manhattan district attorney's office sought to bring him to New York to prosecute him for the death of Brian Thompson, the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare.... After his arrest last week, Mr. Mangione initially indicated through his lawyer that he would contest extradition to New York. Mr. Mangione has been represented by a lawyer in Pennsylvania, but he has also hired a prominent New York defense lawyer who formerly worked as a top prosecutor in the Manhattan district attorney's office."

~~~~~~~~~~

Maxine Joselow of the Washington Post: "President Joe Biden announced Thursday that the United States would aim to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by between 61 and 66 percent by 2035, compared with 2005 levels, even as the nation remains far off-track from meeting the climate goal he laid out for the end of the decade. The action comes despite the fact that ... Donald Trump has vowed to scrap dozens of climate rules and policies."

This is extraordinary. The Count of Mar-a-Lardo, who is currently an unemployed layabout, is about to shut down the government of one of the most important countries on Earth (as of this writing): ~~~

~~~ Catie Edmondson & Carl Hulse of the New York Times: "A bipartisan spending deal to avert a shutdown was on life support on Wednesday after ... Donald J. Trump condemned it, leaving lawmakers without a strategy to fund the government past a Friday night deadline. Mr. Trump issued a scathing statement ordering Republicans not to support the sprawling bill, piling on to a barrage of criticism from Elon Musk, who spent Wednesday trashing the measure on social media and threatening any Republican who supported it with political ruin. It was not yet clear how Speaker Mike Johnson planned to proceed as the package.... The bill appeared doomed when Mr. Trump weighed in late Wednesday afternoon, saying lawmakers needed to pass a 'temporary funding bill WITHOUT DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS,' and said it should be combined with an increase in the debt ceiling.... It reflected a recognition by the president-elect that his party would have a difficult time raising the limit next year when they have full control of Congress, and that he would not want to sign such a measure." JayDee cosigned Trump's statement, and apparently Elon has a sidekick, too, as the report notes that Vivek Ramaswamy "joined" him in deriding the deal. Kinda sweet. Everybody will have someone to dance with at the inaugural ball. The AP's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Jacob Bogage & Marianna Sotomayor of the Washington Post: "The federal government is careening toward a weekend government shutdown deadline as congressional Republicans, egged on by ... Donald Trump and Elon Musk, feud over legislation to keep agencies open over the Christmas holiday. Republicans on Wednesday rejected a plan by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) for a three-month stopgap funding extension, called a continuing resolution or CR, with more than $100 billion in aid for natural disaster survivors, bipartisan health-care policy changes and other unrelated provisions. In scrapping Johnson's plan, Republicans cast doubt on his ability to maintain the speaker's gavel in next year's Congress."

     ~~~ Marie: The NYT report linked above says the government will probably run out of money in January. Still, it seems to me that Trump's push to raise the debt ceiling also is a tacit acknowledgment that he's going to drive up the national debt with his plans to continue tax cuts for corporations & the wealthy. ~~~

     ~~~ Or Is Trump Merely Elon's Puppet? Faiz Siddiqui, et al., of the Washington Post: "With a five-word post on X, [Elon] Musk threw the process [of passing a CR to keep the government running] into chaos. 'This bill should not pass,' [Musk] wrote at 4:15 a.m. Eastern time.... Over the ensuing 12 hours, Musk went on a prolific tirade against the bill -- with more than 60 updates, some of which boosted false claims -- that stood out even for a chronic poster who has commanded an audience of more than 200 million followers by broadcasting his largely uninhibited views on the site he owns. By midday, Musk's barrage was increasingly acerbic, decrying the bill as 'terrible,' criminal,' 'outrageous,' 'horrible,' 'unconscionable,' 'crazy' and, ultimately, 'an insane crime.'... 'Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!' Musk wrote shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday.... Trump stayed largely silent on the measure through Wednesday afternoon, putting Musk in the unusual position of exerting more influence on the bill than the incoming president. Finally, by late afternoon, Trump, too, aired his opposition." ~~~

     ~~~ Apparently "Vice President Trump" and "President Musk" were trending on X. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Michael Luciano of Mediaite: "'What was confusing to me is Musk sends out one of his tweets, and he says no one should do anything until January 20th when Trump gets there,' [David Axelrod] noted [on CNN last night]. 'Trump sends out a tweet saying they ought to pass a clean, a clean [continuing resolution].... So they seem to be saying different things, and eventually they're gonna have to get together and decide who the president is.' The crack prompted former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) to laugh. Earlier in the segment, Kinzinger referred to Musk as 'President Elon.'" AND ~~~

     ~~~ Alex Griffing of Mediaite: "Rep. Daniel Goldman (D-NY) accused ... Donald Trump of being Elon Musk's 'puppet' on Wednesday after Trump followed Musk's lead in opposing House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-LA) continuing resolution to keep the government open. 'As the shadow Pres-Elect, Elon Musk is now calling the shots for House Rs on government funding while Trump hides in Mar-a-Lago behind his handlers,' Goldman wrote on X...." MB: Ha ha. All this has to really irritate Trump.

~~~ Daniella Diaz & Katherine Tully-McManus of Politico: "Among the 100-plus tweets Musk sent as part of his campaign were a number of misleading or outright false claims -- a possible preview of the mogul's new role as co-leader of a Trump-blessed effort to slash government funding. Musk didn't seem to think a government shutdown would have significant consequences for the country.... [But] a A five-week shutdown from 2018 to 2019 caused the economy to lose about $3 billion, according to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office. The billionaire falsely claimed that members of Congress would get a 40 percent pay raise as part of the package -- something both Musk and the X account for his so-called Department of Government Efficiency got wrong.... Musk reposted a claim that the bill would provide $3 billion for a new NFL stadium in Washington. Not true.... He's also wrong that the bill shields the Jan. 6 committee -- a claim that may have helped draw Trump further into the debate." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Surely a number of GOP Congressmen who swore off the bill knew Musk was lying about it. But that didn't matter. ~~~

~~~ Mike Lillis of the Hill: "House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) suggested Wednesday that Democrats will oppose any federal spending bill that strays from the bipartisan deal announced a day before, accusing GOP leaders of reneging on the agreement at risk of a government shutdown. In a brief statement, Jeffries invoked the growing conservative outcry over the negotiated continuing resolution (CR) -- including opposition from ... Trump -- and warned Republicans that they will 'own' the economic and political fallout if a shutdown occurs."

Amy Gardner of the Washington Post: "The electoral college convened in all 50 states Tuesday to elect Donald Trump to be the 47th president of the United States over Vice President Kamala Harris by a vote of 312 to 226. The gatherings unfolded uneventfully.... Although Trump won the electoral college comfortably this time, and he defeated Harris in the popular vote by more than 2 million votes, his share of the popular vote when third-party candidate totals are included falls slightly below a majority, at 49.9 percent, according to data compiled by the Associated Press." (Also linked yesterday.) MB: Despite this, we are now unsure as to who will be the new president*.

Note to Justin: Relentless Bullies Are Relentless. Elena Giordiano of Politico: "Early on Wednesday ... [Donald Trump] suggested turning Canada into a part of the U.S., calling it 'a great idea.'... 'No one can answer why we subsidize Canada to the tune of over $100,000,000 a year? Makes no sense! Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State. They would save massively on taxes and military protection. I think it is a great idea. 51st State!!! he boomed on his social media platform.... [This and earlier] mocking posts land amid tensions between the two countries after Trump threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods and accused the government of failing to address trade and immigration issues." (Also linked yesterday.)

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Dani Anguiano of the Guardian: "Patrick Soon-Shiong, the owner of the Los Angeles Times, reportedly asked the newspaper's editorial board to 'take a break' from writing about Donald Trump, in the latest report of the billionaire owner's growing influence over the newspaper's coverage. The newspaper and its owner were embroiled in controversy for weeks this fall after Soon-Shiong blocked the board from endorsing Kamala Harris for president. The decision led to a wave of resignations on the editorial board and the loss of thousands of subscriptions.... Earlier this month, Soon-Shiong announced plans to incorporate an artificial intelligence-powered 'bias meter' into newspaper articles. He also reportedly barred the newspaper's editorial board from publishing an editorial about Trump's cabinet picks unless it also published a piece with an opposing view.... The extent of Soon-Shiong's involvement was detailed in a memo from members of the opinion section to the newspaper's executive editor that was published in the Status newsletter by the media reporter Oliver Darcy."

Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post: "Titans of industry and commerce, beware. When you bend the knee to the Mad King, when you shower him with money and bathe him in flattery, he will receive your gifts with apparent gratitude. But he will want more. He will always want more.... In Trump's worldview, loyalty flows in one direction: toward him. Don't take my word; ask Mike Pence.... If history is any guide, reasonable people who try to work with Trump eventually reach a point where they feel they have to part ways with him. And when those reasonable people tell the world why, Trump lashes out at them."

Alan Feuer & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "For years..., Donald J. Trump has made it known that people he believes to be his enemies should be prosecuted.... In a report released on Tuesday, House Republicans said [former Rep. Liz] Cheney [R-Wy.] should face an F.B.I. investigation for work she did for the congressional committee that examined Mr. Trump's attempts to cling to power after he lost the 2020 election.... The House subcommittee's report detailed a road map for what [a Justice Department] inquiry might ultimately look like -- while also relieving Mr. Trump of the potentially fraught step of explicitly ordering the inquiry himself. Appearing to have it both ways, Mr. Trump seized on the House report on Wednesday morning, saying that it could present problems for Ms. Cheney, but avoiding responsibility for having been the cause of them." A similar AP report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Wait! Doesn't Trump like to take credit for every turn of events he favors? Even if he had nothing to do with it? Well, yes, but here Trump wants the public to think that other, legitimate investigators -- prosecutors, members of Congress -- independently discovered Trump's enemies' wrongdoing and acted out of principle and the rule of law to punish/correct the bad guys. Trump can still boast that he "predicted" such actions would befall his perceived enemies. And he thinks people are dumb enough (many are!) to believe that "investigations" by toadies like Bill Barr & John Durham were a legitimate inquiries.

But the Emails! Trump & Co. Continue to Be a Major Security Threat. Alice Ollstein of Politico: "Federal officials say they're worried about sharing documents via email with Donald Trump's transition team because the incoming officials are eschewing government devices, email addresses and cybersecurity support, raising fears that they could potentially expose sensitive government data. The private emails have agency employees considering insisting on in-person meetings and document exchanges that they otherwise would have conducted electronically, according to two federal officials granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive situation. Their anxiety is particularly high in light of recent hacking attempts from China and Iran that targeted Trump, Vice President-elect JD Vance and other top officials....

"Trump -- who attacked his then-opponent Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server for official business during his first presidential run -- is overseeing a fully privatized transition that communicates from an array of @transition47.com, @trumpvancetransition.com and @djtfp24.com accounts rather than anything ending in .gov, and uses prvate servers, laptops and cell phones instead of government-issued devices.... The White House has sent guidance to federal agencies to be cautious when communicating with the Trump transition...."

Noah Berlatsky of Public Notice reviews Trump's "Person of the Year" interview with Time magazine and is reminded "He's staggeringly unfit. Always has been. Always will be.... When it's possible to decipher what Trump is trying to say, it's apparent he was trying to strike what for him him is a conciliatory tone, at least in comparison with the terrifying interview he did with Time last spring. This time around, he made mouth noise about compromise on abortion, on Ukraine, on Israel, and even, startlingly, on trans issues.... [But] even when Trump is trying to sound reasonable, he's hampered by the fact that his knowledge of issues never goes deeper than talking points. Perhaps even worse, he's clearly in thrall to the world's worst conspiracy theorists and authoritarian rulers.... Amidst all the misty and disingenuous belching of verbiage, Trump did manage to demonstrate that to the extent he's able to actually follow through on his policy agenda, it'll be very bad news for the country." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: A fun read, I guess, if you like scary stories. Thanks to Akhilleus for the lead, which he got via digby, who embeds an interview of Joe Biden & notes: "By contrast here's a 15 minute interview with the president everyone says is demented. Joe Biden is no Barack Obama or Bill Clinton when it comes to oratory or political analysis. But he's not Donald Trump either. It's amazing that America hates this man and loves the addled weirdo who clearly has no idea what he's talking about."

Olivia Rubin & Peter Charalambous of ABC News: "The state prosecution of Donald Trump on election interference charges in Georgia may be able to continue despite his impending inauguration, a lawyer for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis signaled in a court filing that urged an appeals court to reject the president-elect's request to throw out the case based on presidential immunity. The filing argued that Trump's lawyers failed to demonstrate why a state prosecution would be subject to the Department of Justice memorandum prohibiting the prosecution of a sitting presidents -- which was cited by special counsel Jack Smith when he wound down his federal cases against Trump -- or impede Trump's duties as president."

Dominick Mastrangelo & Zach Schonfeld of the Hill: "... Trump's attorney unsuccessfully asked a federal judge to move forward with his lawsuit against journalist Bob Woodward over published audio tapes of interviews the famed Watergate reporter conducted with Trump for a 2020 book. U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe, an appointee of former President George W. Bush who is overseeing the case, denied the request to expedite it around five hours after the request was filed.... The case has stalled for months as the judge weighs the defendants' bid to dismiss the lawsuit, but the sudden activity comes as Trump assumes a more emboldened posture in scrutinizing media outlets in the wake of his November presidential victory." (Also linked yesterday.)

Joe Gould of Politico: "At least a dozen senators are pushing to see the FBI's background check on Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump's embattled pick for Pentagon chief -- a rare move for the committee that oversees his confirmation and a sign the former Fox News host still faces hurdles in the Senate. Unlike some other committees, the Senate Armed Services usually limits access to these types of background checks to its two lead senators. But pressure is building from both Democrats and Republicans to provide more lawmakers with the ongoing report, whose contents could determine whether Hegseth makes it to the Pentagon.... The FBI's background investigation is expected to thoroughly examine Hegseth's personal and professional history, including interviews with associates, reviews of financial records, and queries into past legal issues."

Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt (Mo.) on Tuesday blocked a request by Democratic senators to pass legislation to protect federal workers from civil servic reforms that President-elect Trump has endorsed to fight what he calls the 'deep state' in Washington, D.C. Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine (D) stood on the Senate floor Tuesday afternoon to ask for unanimous consent to pass the Saving the Civil Service Act, warning there have been 'attempts in recent years to erode the independence of the federal civil service,' referring to Trump's efforts during his first term. Kaine and other Democrats fear that Trump, now reelected, may attempt to reclassify tens of thousands of federal workers as political appointees who could be hired and fired at will." (Also linked yesterday.)

And a Very Icky Christmas to All. Alayna Treene, et al., of CNN: "The House Ethics Committee secretly voted earlier this month to release its report into the conduct of former Rep. Matt Gaetz before the end of this Congress, according to multiple sources.... The report is now expected to be made public after the House's final day of votes this year.... The vote, which has not previously been reported, amounts to a stark reversal for the panel after it had voted along party lines in late November not to release the results of the investigation. The decision to release the report suggests that some Republicans ultimately decided to side with Democrats on the matter.... When the committee voted last month to shelve the report, Gaetz was ... Donald Trump's choice to be attorney general. Since then, Gaetz withdrew himself from consideration..., though he maintains frosty relations with many in his party and is still active in GOP politics." (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times' report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Matt Plots His Revenge. Sarah Rumpf of Mediaite: "In the wake of Wednesday's surprising report that the House Ethics Committee had taken a secret vote to release its investigatory report into Gaetz's conduct, the former congressman first replied with defiance -- insisting he had been 'FULLY EXONERATED' and his behavior had merely been 'embarrassing, though not criminal' -- before taking an even more aggressive stance.... Gaetz posted a new tweet that an unnamed person had 'suggested the following plan' to him, detailing how, despite his previously stated intentions to not return to Congress in January, he would nonetheless show up and briefly take his seat.... [Here's the plan, via Gaetz's tweet:] '1. Show up 1/3/2025 to congress 2. Participate in Speaker election (I was elected to the 119th Congress, after all...) 3. Take the oath 4. File a privileged motion to expose every 'me too' settlement paid using public funds (even of former members) 5. Resign and start my @OANN program at 9pm EST on January 6, 2025."

Paul Kiel of ProPublica: "Fourteen years ago, Congress ... created a new type of Medicare tax to capture the kinds of income the rich often enjoy: interest, dividends and capital gains from investments. A host of billionaires -- sports team owners, oil barons, Wall Street traders and others -- have managed to avoid paying it, ProPublica found.... We identified 17 people who, in the first six years of the law, 2013 through 2018, each shielded at least $1 billion in capital gains from the tax. Together, this small group, by collectively exempting more than $35 billion, saved about $1.3 billion in taxes. Most members of the group were able to sidestep the tax because of a huge gap written into the law, which allows owners to exempt gains from the sale of their businesses.... But others eluded the tax in ways that raise questions about how the law is being enforced." (Also linked yesterday.)

Jeanna Smialek of the New York Times: "Federal Reserve officials made their third and final rate cut of 2024 at their meeting on Wednesday. They also forecast two fewer rate reductions in 2025 than they had previously expected, as inflation lingers and the economy holds up.... Officials thought that it was clear that rates needed to come down notably from their 5.3 percent peak, and they have steadily lowered them to about 4.4 percent by making three back-to-back reductions. Policymakers do not want to cut rates so much that they reignite the economy, though -- and they have now arrived at a point where it is uncertain how much further rates should fall.... Markets shuddered at [the Fed's] assessment, with the dollar soaring and stocks plummeting. The S&P 500 index fell nearly 3 percent, its worst tumble since August. The Dow Jones industrial average fell for a 10th-straight day, its longest losing streak since October 1974."~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Oddly, Smialek doesn't mention anywhere in her report (as of 5 am ET) what the rate cut yesterday was, though the number does show up in an embedded chart. ~~~

     ~~~ Rob Wile of NBC News: "The Federal Reserve announced a quarter-point cut to its key interest rate Wednesday, an effort to keep what appears to be a steady but cooling economy stable." ~~~

     ~~~ John Towfighi & David Goldman of CNN: "The Dow plunged Wednesday on a disappointing outlook from the Federal Reserve. In the process, the blue-chip index extended its losing streak to 10 days -- the longest such stretch since Gerald Ford was president. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the day down about 1,123 points, or 2.6%, after the Fed indicated in a policy statement that it is forecasting just two interest rate cuts in 2025, not the previously projected four. The Fed now anticipates inflation will remain stubbornly above its target range for longer than it had initially expected. The Dow has fallen for 10 days in a row, the first time it has had a losing streak that long since September 20 through October 4, 1974, when the index fell for 11 sessions in a row."

Chelsia Marcius, et al., of the New York Times: "The suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive on a Manhattan sidewalk this month will now face federal charges in addition to the state murder indictment brought against him, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. It was not immediately clear what charges the suspect, Luigi Mangione, would face in the federal case, which is being brought by prosecutors with the U.S. attorney's office for the Southern District of New York. On Tuesday, state prosecutors in the office of the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, indicted Mr. Mangione, 26, on three murder charges in the shooting of the executive, Brian Thompson, two of which branded him a terrorist. Federal charges, though, would potentially allow prosecutors to pursue the death penalty, which has been outlawed in New York for decades. It was not clear whether federal prosecutors would seek the death penalty, and any decision about capital punishment would most likely fall to the Justice Department once ... Donald J. Trump has taken office."

Lauren Gurley & Carolina O'Donovan of the Washington Post: "The Teamsters are launching strikes against seven Amazon warehouses Thursday, in the union's biggest provocation yet against the nation's second-largest private employer, threatening to delay some package delivery during the busy Christmas season. The strikes will take place at sites in New York City, Atlanta, San Francisco, Skokie, Ill., and Southern California. Roughly 9,000 Amazon workers around the country have joined the Teamsters, according to the union, but Amazon has refused to recognize their union and bargain with them. The Teamsters are hoping to force Amazon to the bargaining table...."

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California. L.A. Deputy Mayor in Charge of Public Safety Likely Sent Bomb Threat to City Hall. Will McCarthy of Politico: "FBI agents searched the home of Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Brian Williams this week as part of an investigation into a bomb threat made against City Hall, where Williams oversees public safety. The threat came earlier in the year and was quickly investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department, which concluded there was no imminent danger and referred the investigation to the FBI.... City police department officials in a statement said their initial investigation found Williams was 'likely' the source of the threat, and that they referred the case because the deputy mayor supervises their department. Williams has since been placed on administrative leave."

Louisiana, California. Lena Sun of the Washington Post: "An individual in Louisiana has the first severe illness caused by bird flu in the United States, federal health officials said Wednesday.... It's the first case of H5N1 bird flu in the United States that has been linked to exposure to a backyard flock, and news of the infection comes the same day California officials declared a state of emergency to confront the outbreak spreading among dairy cows."

Michigan. Chris Benson of UPI: "A Michigan man pleaded guilty to plotting a mass shooting at a local bar and Democratic Party office over his hatred for gay people after a string of other related charges, according to court documents. Mack Davis, 22, of Owosso, pleaded guilty to a single count of committing a hate crime, according to a release Tuesday by the U.S. Justice Department. He faces a maximum penalty of life in a federal prison.... The local Owosso police previously had arrested Davis in connection to separate incidents. It's alleged he fired 60 bullets from a rifle into the property of several neighbors and vandalized the car of a neighbor he knew to be gay. He then was transferred to federal custody, where he remains."

Montana. Anna Phillips of the Washington Post: "Montana's permitting of oil, gas and coal projects without consideration for climate change violates residents' constitutional right to a clean environment, the state's Supreme Court ruled Wednesday, upholding a landmark ruling in a case brought by youth activists. The 6-1 ruling is a major, and rare, victory for climate activists.... In their decision, the Montana justices affirmed an August 2023 ruling by a state judge, who found in favor of young people alleging the state violated their right to a 'clean and healthful environment' by promoting the use of fossil fuels."

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France. Leo Sands of the Washington Post: "Judges on Thursday convicted a Frenchman of aggravated rape and other charges, after the 72-year-old admitted to repeatedly drugging his wife and recruiting dozens of other men to rape her over almost a decade. The court in Avignon, southern France, sentenced Dominique Pelicot to 20 years in prison -- the maximum sentence allowed in French law -- after finding him guilty on all charges in a case that has shocked the world. The other 50 defendants were also found guilty of various charges: 46 of rape, two of attempted rape and two of sexual assault.... The three-month trial, which took place in an open court at the request of Pelicot's former wife Gisèle Pelicot, 72 -- who said she wanted the world to know what had happened to her -- shook the country, triggering a nationwide debate about rape as well as international scrutiny of the case."

Israel/Palestine, et al. The Washington Post's live updates of developments Thursday in Israeli's wars are here: "The United States and Arab mediators continued to push for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the remaining Israeli hostages held there, as CIA Director William J. Burns arrived in Qatar on Wednesday for the latest round of talks, according to a U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details.... Meanwhile, Israeli forces are continuing to carry out airstrikes in Gaza City and elsewhere in the Gaza Strip. A strike on one of the last functioning medical facilities in northern Gaza on Tuesday killed at least eight people, according to medics.... Israel's military said Thursday it had carried out retaliatory strikes on Houthi rebel targets in Yemen, including ports and energy infrastructure, after intercepting a projectile that was launched from Yemen. Human Rights Watch in a report Thursday accused Israel of killing thousands of Palestinian civilians in Gaza by denying them adequate access to water since October 2023, which the organization said amounts to a 'crime against humanity of extermination and acts of genocide.'"