Friday, December 20, 2024

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1/ The House rejected the Trump-endorsed plan to fund the government and avert a shutdown after 38 Republicans joined 197 Democrats in voting against the alternative funding bill. The package — which included funding the government through March 14, suspending the debt ceiling until 2027, and disaster relief — was quickly put together Thursday afternoon after Trump and Musk urged Republicans to kill the bipartisan package. Government funding expires at the end of the day on Friday. (Politico / New York Times / Washington Post / New York Times / Axios / CNN)

2/ With less than 12 hours left before a shutdown, Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans plan to break up their previously agreed to bipartisan funding bill into three separate votes: government funding, disaster aid, and a farm bill extension. Trump’s demand to address the debt ceiling would not receive a vote. Johnson reportedly wants to try to pass that plan through the Rules Committee, which would need a simple majority to pass, but also require a lot of Democratic support. Separately, Johnson is also pursuing a second option that largely matches the Trump-endorsed package that failed in the House yesterday, except it wouldn’t include raising the debt limit. Senators said “the House needs to do its job” and “sort it themselves.” The White House, meanwhile, moved ahead with shutdown preparations, notifying federal workers they might be furloughed. (Politico / New York Times / Washington Post / NBC News / CNN / Associated Press / Wall Street Journal / ABC News)

3/ After blowing up the bipartisan funding bill at the 11th hour, Trump said any government shutdown “is a Biden problem to solve.” He added: “If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now.” Elon Musk, meanwhile, said “Either the government should pass sensible bills that actually serve the people or shut it down!” (Politico / New York Times / Associated Press / Bloomberg)

4/ Elon Musk publicly endorsed the Alt...

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Thursday, December 19, 2024

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1/ Trump killed the bipartisan spending deal to avert a shutdown, hours after Elon Musk called the plan a “piece of pork” and threatened that those who support it would “be voted out in 2 years.” Less than two days before a government shutdown, Trump demanded that everything from the package except the extension to fund the government until mid-March be stripped away, calling the add-ons “DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS” despite Republicans agreeing to all of the priorities. To be sure, the stopgap spending measure expanded to include $100 billion in new disaster aid, $10 billion in economic assistance to farmers, changes to health coverage and foreign investment policies, a 3.8% pay raise for members of Congress, and a provision granting a football stadium site in D.C. for the Washington Commanders. Nevertheless, Trump called any Republican who votes for the current spending bill “stupid” and threatened that they’ll “be primaried and disposed of as quickly as possible.” Speaker Mike Johnson will need Democratic votes to avoid a shutdown, since he can only afford to lose three Republicans on any proposal and some conservatives are unlikely to support whatever plan emerges. Democrats, however, are pressuring Johnson to stick to their original deal. Earlier in the day, Trump said Johnson will “easily remain speaker” if he “acts decisively and tough” and eliminates “all of the traps being set by Democrats” in the spending package. Meanwhile, a growing number of Republicans – including Trump – have started to publicly call for the government to shut down until the next year, with some suggesting they keep it closed until the inauguration. Congress now has until Friday night to craft a bill that can pass the Republican-led House and the Democratic-controlled Senate and be signed by Biden before the government shuts-down at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. One House Republican was overheard complaining to another member about Trump’s last-minute demands: “This is a deeply unserious party right now.” (Politico / New York Times / Washington Post / Associated Press / NBC News / Axios / Washington Post)

• Democratic lawmakers condemned Elon Musk for sinking the bipartisan government funding bill, calling him the “unelected co-president of this country.” (Axios)
• 💭 Why does this matter? The debate over Musk’s involvement in government funding decisions reflects the increasing concentration of political power in unelected, wealthy individuals. Musk’s influence challenges the foundational democratic principle that policymaking should be accountable to voters. As leaders prioritize appeasing influential figures over serving the public, the integrity of representative democracy is at risk.

2/ After sinking the bipartisan deal to fund the government, Trump demanded that Congress also eliminate the debt ceiling, a law that limits how much money the f...

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Wednesday, December 18, 2024

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1/ The House Ethics Committee secretly voted to release its report on Matt Gaetz and allegations of sex trafficking an underage girl and illicit drug use. The report is now expected to be made public as soon as this week: after the final votes of the 118th Congress but before lawmakers head home for the holidays. The yearslong investigation looked into allegations that Gaetz had engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted bribes or other improper gifts, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, and obstructed the House probe. Earlier this month, House Republicans blocked the release of the report. Gaetz abruptly resigned from Congress after Trump tapped him for attorney general last month, but two days before the bipartisan committee was set to vote on releasing the report. “It’s embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life,” Gaetz said. “I live a different life now.” (CNN / CBS News / ABC News / Associated Press / New York Times / Washington Post / Politico / USA Today / NBC News)

2/ Trump suggested that Liz Cheney “could be in a lot of trouble” following a report by House Republicans accusing her of witness tampering while serving on the Jan. 6 Select Committee, which investigated Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The report alleges that Cheney “colluded with ‘star witness’ Cassidy Hutchinson” and calls for the FBI to investigate the former lawmaker for presenting “uncorroborated, cherry-picked, and, at times, false evidence.” Hutchinson is the former Trump White House who testified before the Jan. 6 committee about the attack on the Capitol, including that Trump knew some of his supporters were armed when he directed them to march on the Capitol. Nevertheless, Barry Loudermilk, the Republican chairman of the House Administration Oversight Subcommittee, wrote in the report, “until we hold accountable those responsible, and reform our institutions, we will not fully regain trust.” Cheney, meanwhile, defended her work, and called the report “a malicious and cowardly assault on the truth.” (Associated Press / New York Times / CNN / WTF Just Happened Today? for more news and headlines, brought to you by Matt Kiser. The WTFJHT Podcast is narrated and produced by Joe Amditis.

Tuesday, December 17, 2024

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1/ A judge rejected Trump’s effort to have his felony conviction dismissed on presidential immunity grounds. Judge Juan Merchan, addressing the Supreme Court’s decision to grant presidents “absolute immunity from criminal prosecution” for “official acts,” ruled that Trump’s actions were “decidedly personal.” Merchan wrote that it was “logical and reasonable to conclude that if the act of falsifying records to cover up the payments so that the public would not be made aware is decidedly an unofficial act, so too should the communications to further that same cover-up be unofficial.” Merchan also rejected Trump’s argument that he’s protected by presidential immunity because of his election win. Trump was convicted in May of 34 counts of orchestrating an illegal conspiracy to influence the 2016 presidential election by falsifying business records. It’s unclear if the case will proceed to sentencing, and Trump’s lawyers now claim they have evidence of misconduct by a juror. (CNN / New York Times / Bloomberg / NBC News / NPR / Axios / CBS News / Associated Press)

2/ Trump filed a civil lawsuit against the Des Moines Register and Iowa pollster J. Ann Selzer, accusing them of engaging in “brazen election interference” and consumer fraud over a poll shortly before the election that showed Harris leading Trump by three points. Selzer’s prediction, however, was wrong, and Trump won Iowa by 13 percentage points. Two weeks after the election, Selzer retired from the polling business after three decades. “I’m not doing this because I want to. I’m doing this because I feel I have an obligation to,” Trump said. “We have to straighten out the press. Our press is very corrupt, almost as corrupt as our elections.” The lawsuit comes days after ABC News settled a defamation lawsuit Trump brought against them over anchor George Stephanopoulos’ using the word “rape” rather than “sexual assault” of writer E. Jean Carroll. The network agreed to pay $15 million to Trump’s presidential library. Trump is also suing CBS News for $10 billion over the network’s “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris, claiming the editing amounted to “partisan and unlawful acts of election and voter interference” intended to “mislead the public and attempt to tip the scales” of the election in her favor. Separately, Trump is suing journalist Bob Woodward, who published the audio tapes of their 19 interviews he permitted Woodward to record for his book ...

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Monday, December 16, 2024

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1/ Trump downplayed concerns that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – his pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services – will revoke the polio vaccine despite reports that RFK Jr.’s personal attorney previously lobbied the FDA to suspend its approval of the polio vaccine. Trump said he is a “big believer in the polio vaccine […] You’re not gonna lose the polio vaccine. That’s not gonna happen.” Trump added that RFK Jr. is “going to be much less radical than you would think.” Trump then cited a discredited theory that vaccines cause autism and suggested that Kennedy, a leading anti-vaccine crusader, is “going to find out about it […] Something bad’s happening.” When asked whether schools should mandate vaccines, Trump responded: “I don’t like mandates. I’m not a big mandate person.” (New York Times / Washington Post / ABC News / CNN / Associated Press / Politico / The Guardian / Axios / The Hill)

2/ ABC News agreed to pay $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by Trump. In March, Trump sued ABC News and George Stephanopoulos after the news anchor said Trump was found “liable for rape” in a civil case brought by E. Jean Carroll. Although the jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming Carroll, it didn’t find him liable for rape because New York law defines rape as forcible penetration with the penis. The judge who oversaw the case later clarified that because of the narrow legal definition of rape, the jury’s verdict didn’t mean that Carroll had “failed to prove that Trump ‘raped’ her as many people commonly understand the word ‘rape.’” Trump was ordered to pay Carroll damages of $83.3 million. He is appealing the verdict. As part of the settlement, ABC News posted an editor’s note online expressing regret over Stephanopoulos’ statements and the network will pay $1 million in legal fees. The money will be transferred to “a Presidential foundation and museum to be established by or for” Trump. News organizations anticipate that the Trump administration will target journalists’ sources and pursue legal actions to curb critical media coverage. Discussions among Trump and his allies included subpoenaing news outlets, prosecuting journalists and their sources, revoking broadcast licenses, and cutting funding for public radio and television. (New York Times / WTF Just Happened Today? for more news and headlines, brought to you by Matt Kiser. The WTFJHT Podcast is narrated and produced by Joe Amditis.

Thursday, December 12, 2024

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1/ Trump pledged to use the first hours of his second presidency to pardon most individuals convicted in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. “I’ll be looking at J6 early on, maybe the first nine minutes,” he said in an interview with Time. “We’re going to do it very quickly, and it’s going to start in the first hour that I get into office […] A vast majority should not be in jail, and they’ve suffered gravely.” Trump suggested that the pardons would go to “nonviolent” people who were at the Capitol, which was overrun after he encouraged his supporters to “fight like hell” to stop Congress from certifying Biden as president. In response, Trump was impeached for “incitement of insurrection” for his role in the riots at the Capitol that left five people dead. Trump is the only U.S. President to have been impeached twice. (New York Times / ABC News / NPR)

• A Justice Department inspector general report found no evidence that the FBI used undercover agents or authorized illegal activities during the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. The report debunked conspiracy theories alleging FBI orchestration of the Capitol attack, noting that among 26 informants present, none were directed to incite violence or enter restricted areas. It criticized the FBI for not thoroughly canvassing sources to assess threats and for misstatements to Congress about pre-attack intelligence. (Politico / Associated Press / ABC News / CNN)

2/ Trump promised deploy the military to deport migrants living in the country without legal permission, despite federal law barring the use of the military for law enforcement on U.S. soil. “I’ll only do what the law allows, but I will go up to the maximum level of what the law allows,” Trump said, arguing that federal law permits military action “if it’s an invasion of our country, and I consider it an invasion of our country.” Trump also intends to rescind a long-standing policy that prevents Immigration and Customs Enforcement from arresting immigrants at or near so-called sensitive locations, like churches, schools, and hospitals. “Whatever it takes to get them out. I don’t care. Honestly, whatever it takes to get them out,” Trump said. He has repeatedly promised to carry out what he has said he wants to be the “largest deportation operation in American history.” (CBS News / NBC News / WTF Just Happened Today? for more news and headlines, brought to you by Matt Kiser. The WTFJHT Podcast is narrated and produced by Joe Amditis.

Wednesday, December 11, 2024

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1/ FBI Director Christopher Wray will resign at the end of Biden’s term. Wray’s resignation comes seven years into his 10-year term and follows Trump’s announcement that he would nominate loyalist Kash Patel to serve as FBI director. Although Trump picked Wray to head the FBI in 2017 after firing then-Director James Comey, Trump called Wray’s resignation “a great day for America as it will end the Weaponization of what has become known as the United States Department of Injustice.” Wray announced his plans at a town hall with the FBI workforce, telling employees: “My goal is to keep the focus on our mission — the indispensable work you’re doing on behalf of the American people every day. In my view, this is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work.” (Associated Press / Washington Post / New York Times / NPR / CNBC / ABC News / Wall Street Journal / NBC News)

• 💡 Trump’s proposed agenda for his second term relies on authoritarian tactics, including loyalty purges, expanded surveillance, and militarized enforcement, threatening democratic norms and civil liberties. Trump’s plan includes reviving “Schedule F” to remove job protections for federal employees deemed disloyal, transforming the civil service into a politically driven operation. His mass deportation agenda would require paramilitary enforcement, creating a climate of fear and suspicion. Expanding presidential powers, Trump aims to use federal agencies, surveillance, and the military to suppress opposition, control regulatory bodies, and investigate rivals. These actions would fundamentally reshape the U.S. government, undermining its impartiality and risking authoritarian governance. (Mother Jones)

2/ Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is advocating for Trump to appoint his daughter-in-law as deputy CIA director so he can get to the bottom of the assassination of his uncle John F. Kennedy. Amaryllis Fox Kennedy is a former CIA operative who spent 10 years at the agency as an undercover agent. If named deputy to John Ratcliffe, Trump’s pick for CIA director, she’d be in a position to find out what the CIA knows about the assassination. Trump, meanwhile, has promised to release the last of the JFK assassination files, saying “I will establish a new independent presidential commission on assassination attempts, and they will be tasked with releasing all of the remaining documents pertaining to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.” (Axios)

3/ Trump nominated Kimberly Guilfoyle to be the U.S. ambassador to Gree...

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Tuesday, December 10, 2024

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1/ Trump’s first term Justice Department secretly obtained phone and text message records from two members of Congress, 43 staffers – including Kash Patel, his pick to lead the FBI – and eight journalists, according to a new report by the department’s internal watchdog. The report by Inspector General Michael Horowitz found that the Justice Department didn’t act with political motives, but instead failed to comply with its own procedures when it investigated who in the government had leaked classified information to journalists that detailed contacts between Trump and Russia. Prosecutors secretly used subpoenas and other legal processes to obtain communication records, including phone and email metadata but not the content itself, from third-party providers. They attached gag orders that barred the companies from informing their customers. “As a result, dozens of congressional staffers became part of the subject pool in a federal criminal investigation for nothing more than performing constitutionally authorized oversight of the executive branch,” the report said. Horowitz urged the Justice Department to strengthen policies to prevent future abuses against lawmakers, staff, and journalists, warning that its tactics “risks chilling Congress’ ability to conduct oversight of the executive branch” and could expose whistleblower activity or other sensitive information. (CNN / New York Times / NBC News / NPR / Politico / CBS News / Washington Post)

2/ Trump’s “border czar” promised that mass deportation efforts would “start right here in Chicago” immediately after Trump’s inauguration. “Chicago’s in trouble because your mayor sucks and your governor sucks,” Tom Homan said, the former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “Do not impede us.” Homan also threatened to arrest “a hell of a lot more people than our priorities,” telling Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and other Democratic officials to “get the hell out of the way.” While Homan said there was no plan to separate families, he acknowledged “it may happen” and “if you put yourself in that position it’s on you.” (Block Club Chicago / WBEZ / ABC 7 Chicago / Politico)

3/ A group of 77 Nobel laureates urged Senate lawmakers to reject Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. In an open letter, the group argued that putting Kennedy – one of the nation’s leading vaccine skeptics – in charge of HHS, which oversees agencies handling food and drug safety, disease epidemics, and health insurance would “put the pub...

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Monday, December 9, 2024

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1/ Trump “can’t guarantee anything” when asked whether his promised tariffs would increase prices for Americans, in an NBC interview. “I think tariffs are the most beautiful word. I think they’re beautiful. It’s going to make us rich,” Trump said. Economists, however, have argued that Trump’s proposal to impose a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada, along with a 10% tariff on Chinese goods, would raise prices for U.S. consumers since tariffs are paid by American companies importing the products and not by the exporting countries. When informed that economists agree that Americans would pay higher prices as a result of his plan, Trump dismissed the claim, saying, “I don’t believe that.” And when asked to guarantee American families wouldn’t pay more, Trump replied: “I can’t guarantee anything. I can’t guarantee tomorrow.” (Politico / CBS News / Associated Press / NPR)

• Trump details sweeping changes he’ll carry out on day one and beyond in an exclusive interview. “Trump vowed to launch a mass deportation effort, impose tariffs and pardon many convicted in the Jan. 6 attack.” (NBC News)
• READ: The full transcript of Trump’s interview with “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker

2/ Trump confirmed that he will “most likely” pardon his supporters involved in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. “I’m going to be acting very quickly […] First day,” Trump said. “They’ve been in there for years, and they’re in a filthy, disgusting place that shouldn’t even be allowed to be open.” Trump said there “may be some exceptions” to his pardons “if somebody was radical, crazy,” but didn’t rule out pardoning people who had pleaded guilty “because they had no choice.” On Jan. 6, 2021, Trump tried to overturn his 2020 election loss by encouraging his followers to march to the Capitol and “fight like hell” to stop Congress from certifying Biden as president. “You have to show strength and you have to be strong,” Trump said. In response, House Democrats introduced an article of impeachment against Trump for “incitement of insurrection” for his role in the riots at the Capitol that left five people dead. Seven days after the attack, Trump was impeached for a second time, with 10 Republicans joining Democrats in the vote. Trump is the only U.S. President to have been impeached twice. The Senate then voted to acquit Trump for the second time in 13 months. Trump also said that members of the Jan. 6 committee “should go to jail” for investigating him. The bipartisan committee voted unanimously to WTF Just Happened Today? for more news and headlines, brought to you by Matt Kiser. The WTFJHT Podcast is narrated and produced by Joe Amditis.

Thursday, December 5, 2024

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1/ The Biden administration is in the process of extending contracts for private immigration detention centers, expanding capacity ahead of Trump’s promised “largest deportation operation in American history.” Despite Biden’s campaign promises to end for-profit detention centers, his administration has or is renewing contracts to add at least 4,850 additional detention beds, increasing the capacity beyond the approximately 39,000 individuals already in federal immigration custody. The incoming Trump administration, meanwhile, is preparing to deport migrants to third-party countries, where they have no cultural, linguistic, or familial ties, when their home countries refuse to accept them. (The Guardian / NBC News)

2/ Biden and his staff have discussed whether to grant preemptive pardons to current and former public officials who could be targeted by Kash Patel and the incoming Trump administration. Patel has publicly vowed to pursue retribution against Trump’s adversaries and critics. Among those being considered for potential pardons include Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley, Adam Schiff, and Liz Cheney. At this same time in 2020, Trump and his team discussed but didn’t grant preemptive pardons to Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, and Rudy Giuliani. The consideration follows Biden’s full pardon for his son, Hunter Biden. (Politico / ABC News / Washington Post / CNN)

3/ Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy met with House and Senate Republicans about Trump’s plans to “dismantle” the federal government. Trump tapped the two to head his “Department of Government Efficiency,” tasked with firing federal workers, cutting government programs and spending, and paring back federal regulations. The group is dubbed the “Department of Government Efficiency” because it’s not an actual government department. Nevertheless, Musk and Ramaswamy believe they can achieve a 75% reduction in the federal workforce, a $2 trillion cut to federal spending, and the elimination of entire agencies. They have not provided specific details about these policy proposals. “We have long lamented the size and scope of the government, that it has grown too large. And let me be frank about this: Government is too big. It does too many things and it does almost nothing well,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said. (NPR / Associated Press / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / WTF Just Happened Today? for more news and headlines, brought to you by Matt Kiser. The WTFJHT Podcast is narrated and produced by Joe Amditis.

Wednesday, December 4, 2024

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1/ Trump is considering replacing his choice for defense secretary with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Pete Hegseth, who is facing allegations of sexual misconduct, financial mismanagement, and alcohol abuse, insisted “there’s no reason to back down” and that Trump told him “I got your back. It’s a fight. They’re coming after you.” At least six Senate Republicans have said they’re uncomfortable voting to confirm the former Fox News host. Hegseth’s mother, who wrote in an email that her son “belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around,” also told Fox News that “Pete is a new person.” DeSantis, meanwhile, is reportedly weighing whether to appoint Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to fill Marco Rubio’s Senate seat, who Trump nominated to be secretary of state. DeSantis’s term as governor ends in January 2027 and he can’t run again because of term limits. (New York Times / The Bulwark / Wall Street Journal / Associated Press / Politico / Washington Post / NBC News / Bloomberg / ABC News)

2/ Trump selected Peter Navarro to serve as his senior counselor for trade and manufacturing. Navarro, who served as director of the White House National Trade Council in Trump’s first administration, spent four months in federal prison earlier this year for refusing to cooperate with the congressional investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. “I am pleased to announce that Peter Navarro,” Trump said, “a man who was treated horribly by the Deep State, or whatever else you would like to call it, will serve as my Senior Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing.” (CNBC / Axios / Politico / Washington Post / Associated Press / Wall Street Journal)

3/ Trump tapped an outspoken critic of the Securities and Exchange Commission to run the agency. Paul...

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