It’s Tuesday. The U.S. Capitol Christmas tree will be lit later today! 🎄 I love the holiday festivities. Here’s what else is happening: - Trump’s Patel nomination has had a lukewarm reception.
- An incoming Trump aide deleted a pro-Mike Pence certification post
- The Supreme Court is hearing a gender-affirming care case.
I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. |
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Biden may have done some damage to his legacy:
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President Biden spent months promising not to pardon his son Hunter Biden in his two federal cases. He broke that assurance Sunday when he announced a full absolution of those charges — and The Hill’s Brett Samuels explains how that may tarnish his whole legacy.
“Biden is set to conclude his one term as president with a string of notable legislative achievements, a fundamentally strong economy and having navigated the end of a once in a generation pandemic. But his final few months, which included his refusal to drop his reelection bid until late July and his decision to pardon Hunter Biden after repeatedly saying he would not do so, is casting a cloud over the Biden presidency.”
💡 Why this matters: Biden repeatedly stressed the importance of respecting our justice system and its decisions. That message was particularly important following the first Trump administration where Trump frequently ignored that separation of power. Biden may have undone his reputation for respecting those institutions’ decisions. Read more: ‘Biden’s pardon of son Hunter threatens to tarnish legacy’ |
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➤ MORE REACTIONS TO BIDEN’S CONTROVERSIAL MOVE: |
Democratic strategist David Axelrod had his criticism: “It was just handled poorly, on top of everything,” Axelrod told CNN’s Anderson Cooper.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) sympathized: “Well, I’ll put it this way, if it was my son, I’d pardon him, too,” Tuberville told reporters Monday. “But here’s what I didn’t like. Don’t lie to us,” he added. “Don’t tell us you’re not going to do it and then do it.” |
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➤ HOW DEMOCRATS VIEW THIS: |
“In the eyes of many, the Biden pardon cedes the moral high ground that the president and his party have spent years staking out. It also offers generous leeway to President-elect Trump for his own efforts to bend the justice system to his will.” Read Niall Stanage’s column: ‘Democrats hit Biden for pardon that they see as gift to Trump’ |
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Kash Patel is getting a frosty reception:
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President-elect Trump’s nomination of Kash Patel to lead the FBI — suggesting Trump will force out current FBI Director Christopher Wray before the end of his 10-year term — has ruffled some feathers on Capitol Hill.
Some Republicans are on board with Patel’s nomination: Like Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas) and Bill Hagerty (Tenn.)
But others want to know more about him first: Like Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Thom Tillis (N.C.) and John Thune (S.D.)
A sensitive question for Senate Republicans: Whether to insist on an FBI background check for Patel. The Trump team hasn’t signed the paperwork to allow the bureau to investigate his nominees. Vox explainer on the FBI background checks
Read more on Patel: ‘Trump FBI pick Kash Patel gets lukewarm reception from GOP senators’ More analysis, via The New York Times: ‘Pardoning Hunter Complicates the Legacy That Biden Envisioned’ |
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➤ SOME REACTIONS TO PATEL’S NOMINATION:
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From Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), who sits on the Judiciary Committee: Padilla called the FBI nomination “offensive.”
New York Rep. Dan Goldman (D) thinks Patel will ‘weaponize’ the government: “Kash Patel is a danger because he is unqualified and because he is out for revenge on behalf of Donald Trump,” Goldman told CNN’s Brianna Keilar.
From Trump’s ex-White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci: “It‘s the same thing with Matt Gaetz,” Scaramucci told CNN’s Anderson Cooper. “The president-elect feels he's got a slate of people that are MAGA people. He‘s going to put those up if they can get through.”
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A little factoid about Trump’s new press secretary: |
President-elect Trump selected 27-year-old Karoline Leavitt to be his incoming White House press secretary. Leavitt unsuccessfully ran for Congress in New Hampshire in 2022 and then later rose to be Trump’s campaign press secretary.
Well, CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski discovered that shortly after the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, she shared two social media posts praising then-Vice President Mike Pence for certifying the election. She later deleted the posts and then ran for Congress as an election denier. One of the posts includes Pence calling the riot “a dark day in the history of the United States Capitol.” The other praised a Capitol Hill police officer who kept rioters away from lawmakers as “a hero.” Read the CNN investigation |
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➤ MORE READS ON THE INCOMING TRUMP ADMINISTRATION:
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- The Washington Post: No more daylight saving time? Musk, Ramaswamy muse on ending clock changes.
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The Wall Street Journal: ‘Crunchy Moms’ Found a Hero in RFK Jr.
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The New York Times: Project 2025, Mar-a-Lago and Fox News: What Connects Trump’s New Staff Picks
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The Hill: Trump appointments set off special elections to fill House seats: What to know
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The Atlantic: Misogyny Comes Roaring Back
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Fox News: McConnell criticizes federal judges for reversing retirement decisions as 'open partisanship'
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Happening today — a case about gender-affirming care:
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“The Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday in a lawsuit challenging Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming medical care for minors, a landmark case whose outcome could have wide-reaching implications for the future of transgender health care in the U.S.,” reports The Hill’s Brooke Migdon. This is a big deal: “It marks the first time the justices will weigh in on the issue, which could impact laws passed by 24 Republican-led states since 2021 that ban medications like puberty blockers and hormones for transgender children and teens.”
Explainer on the case: ‘Supreme Court will weigh Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care’ |
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An evolving situation in South Korea:
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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law this morning amid a clash with political protesters. Yoon argued that the opposition has made his country vulnerable to North Korean “communist forces.” (WSJ)
Keep in mind: This is the first time martial law has been declared by a South Korean president since the 1980s. What we know, via The New York Times
Read Yoon’s speech where he made the declaration. |
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🍵 Celebrate: Today is National Peppermint Latte Day!
🏃♂️ The commitment to the bit is remarkable: A man spent 10 months, 121 runs and roughly 700 miles to make his route map look like a dancing stick figure. 📹 You must watch his 27-second video |
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The House and Senate are in. President Biden is in Angola. Vice President Harris is in Washington. (all times Eastern) |
- 11:45 p.m.: Biden delivered remarks on the relationship between the U.S. and Angola. 💻 Livestream
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1:15 p.m.: State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel briefs reporters. 💻 Livestream
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5 p.m.: The U.S. Capitol Christmas tree will be lit. 💻 Livestream
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6:30 p.m.: First and last House votes. 📆 Today’s agenda
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