politics

Summary

Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana announced she won’t participate in the House Republican Conference or committees during her next term due to her party’s reluctance to make significant changes.

Spartz plans to collaborate with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy on Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency.

Her decision comes as Republicans face slim majorities in Congress.

This decision could leave Spartz out of legislative discussions and priorities led by House Republicans in the next Congress.

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday cleared a national defense authorization bill celebrated for troop pay raises but condemned by Democrats for targeting transgender children in military families, sending the bill to President Joe Biden’s desk.

Senators voted 83-12, with five not voting, to approve the $884.9 billion National Defense Authorization Act that received bipartisan praise for the pay bump, upgrades to military housing and investments in artificial intelligence and other advanced technology.

But the annual legislation drew ire this year from Democrats for a provision banning the military’s health program from covering certain treatments for youth experiencing gender dysphoria, defined by doctors as the mismatch between a person’s sex assigned at birth and the gender they experience in everyday life.

All Democrats present for the Dec. 11 U.S. House vote opposed the defense package, which passed along party lines under the Republican majority.

The White House has not released its position on the bill, as it generally does with legislation ready for the president’s signature.

One interesting quote that stood out to me:

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), asked if he thinks Ocasio-Cortez will make it into leadership in the near term, told Axios: "Yes."

We speak with the husband and sister of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, the 26-year-old Turkish American activist killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank in September, who have criticized the Biden administration for failing to independently investigate her death. The recent University of Washington graduate was fatally shot in the head after taking part in a weekly protest against illegal Israeli settlements in the town of Beita, which she attended as an international observer. Witnesses say she was shot by an Israeli sniper after the demonstration had already dispersed. Members of Eygi’s family spoke with Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier this week but left the meeting with little hope the U.S. would hold Israel accountable. “Accountability starts with an investigation by the U.S. of the killing of one of its own citizens by an ally,” says Eygi’s husband Hamid Ali. “The answer to the question of why my wife is not getting justice is because Israel enjoys this level of impunity throughout its existence that no other country, no other state in the world enjoys.”

“COL raise for me but not for thee.”

Summary

The House Ethics Committee voted to release its report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz, reversing an earlier decision to withhold it.

The report, expected after Congress adjourns for the year, concludes a years-long investigation into allegations including sexual misconduct, drug use, and misuse of campaign funds, all of which Gaetz denies.

The decision follows Gaetz’s resignation after being briefly considered for attorney general by Donald Trump.

Speaker Mike Johnson opposed the report’s release, but some Republicans sided with Democrats to make it public. Gaetz plans to join One America News Network in January.

Summary

Progressives criticized House Democrats for choosing Rep. Gerry Connolly over Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for the top Democratic seat on the House Oversight Committee.

The 131-84 vote, reportedly influenced by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, sparked backlash against the party’s “gerontocracy,” with critics like MSNBC’s Joy Reid and others arguing it prioritizes seniority over fresh ideas.

Connolly defended the decision, citing his experience, but progressives argued it reflects the Democratic Party’s resistance to change, hindering its ability to address future challenges and energize younger voters.

Summary

Donald Trump has escalated his attacks on the press, filing lawsuits against outlets like the Des Moines Register and CBS over alleged fraud and defamation.

These moves come amid his broader campaign to weaken press freedoms, including efforts to overturn New York Times v. Sullivan, a landmark ruling protecting journalists from frivolous lawsuits.

While some media outlets have caved under pressure, Trump's critics warn this undermines free speech.

Legal battles and backlash from alleged ties between pro-Trump groups and pollsters could complicate his crusade. Trump remains emboldened by his legal and political maneuvers.