It's Friday. 'Twas the week before Thanksgiving across Capitol Hill, no sounds were stirring except for crickets (and the occasional George Santos joke). Everyone is SO ready for Thanksgiving break. Here's what is happening today: - House Ethics Committee Chair Michael Guest (R-Miss.) introduced a resolution to expel Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) from Congress. It would be a really big deal if Santos gets booted from Congress — and there is growing support among House lawmakers to do so.
- President Biden is meeting with the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, today in San Francisco. Keep in mind that both Biden and López Obrador are in the midst of high-stakes presidential elections.
- I asked members of Congress about their favorite Thanksgiving dishes. A few lawmakers even shared their recipes!
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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Sephora & Botox & Only Fans — this sounds like a deleted scene from 'The Hangover': |
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If you've been on X, formerly known as Twitter, in the past 24 hours, you've likely seen lots of jokes and references to these companies. That's because the House Ethics Committee released its report on Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), detailing improper use of campaign funds for luxury goods. Some of the notable expenses in question: - $1,500 expense for Botox
- $1,029.30 in cosmetic expenses
- $2,281.52 at Atlantic City, N.J., resorts
- $1,400 at a skincare spa
- $3,332.81 for an Airbnb while Santos was "off at [the] Hampton's."
- $6,000 at Ferragamo
- $4,127.80 at Hermès
Will he be booted from Congress?: The report did not go as far as to recommend any formal sanctions against Santos. But there is growing support among House lawmakers to expel him. House Ethics Committee Chair Michael Guest (R-Miss.) introduced a resolution on Friday to expel Santos from Congress, citing "substantial evidence" and his 23 federal criminal charges. Read Guest's expulsion resolution And least two other lawmakers — Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) and Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) — have also said they plan to force a vote to oust him. This would be the third effort to boot Santos: Earlier this month, the House voted 213-179-19 against a resolution to expel him from Congress, falling well short of the two-thirds needed. There is growing momentum to expel him: Several lawmakers who voted to keep him in the House now say they would switch their votes. Including: Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Jeff Jackson (D-N.C.), Ken Buck (R-Colo.) and Deborah Ross (D-N.C.). 💡 Why this matters: It would be a big deal historically and politically if he is kicked out of Congress. "If expelled, Santos would become the sixth lawmaker ever removed from the House, and the first without having been convicted on criminal charges or accused of being disloyal to the Union. His ouster would also put Republicans down a member in the already slim House GOP majority, and it would trigger a special election in New York's 3rd Congressional District." The 5 members who have been expelled from the House |
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➤ HEADLINES ON THE SANTOS NEWS: |
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➤ I MEAN, THE JOKES WRITE THEMSELVES: |
Late-night talk show hosts had some fun with the Santos report. Here are their segments: |
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Biden likely won't be charged in handling of classified documents: |
Special counsel Robert Hur is expected to release a critical report in President Biden's mishandling of classified documents, but The Wall Street Journal reports that Hur's report will not likely result in criminal charges. What documents?: The documents, which were found at Biden's office at a Washington, D.C., think tank and in the garage of his Delaware home, were from Biden's time serving as former President Obama's vice president. How the probe has been going: "Since his appointment in January, Special Counsel Robert Hur has interviewed roughly 100 of Biden's aides, colleagues and family members, including his son, Hunter, culminating in a two-day interview with the president last month." (The Wall Street Journal) | |
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➤ TRUMP HAD SOME CHOICE WORDS ON THE CASE:
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"Wow! Fake news CNN, through a leak from the Department of Injustice, has just reported that no charges will be filed in the (much bigger than mine!!!) Crooked Joe Biden documents case," former President Trump posted on Truth Social. "We are living in a very corrupt country!" |
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Signed, sealed, delivered — it's funded!: |
© GIPHY/Bachelor in Paradise |
President Biden signed the government funding bill Sunday to officially avert a shutdown at midnight tonight. There was no drama on whether Biden would sign it, so it was basically a formality. (The Hill) |
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| Tensions mount as Tuberville blocks 400 military promotions: |
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) has been blocking more than 400 military officers' promotions for months over the Pentagon's abortion policy. Well, Democrats drafted a resolution to circumvent Tuberville's blanket blockade — and Republicans seem on board to vote on the Democratic plan before Christmas. (The Hill) 💡 Why this matters: Frustrations are brewing between pro-defense Republicans and conservative populists. Tuberville's blanket blockade on military promotions has angered many Republicans and has spilled into public view. Republicans are banding together with Democrats to stop Tuberville's move. If you haven't been following this story: The Associated Press has a helpful explainer on Tuberville's play. |
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🍯 Celebrate: Today is National Baklava Day!
🦃 In Claire Saffitz we trust: Cookbook author Claire Saffitz breaks down "a stunning (but not stressful) Thanksgiving menu that lets you enjoy the day." Here are the pared-down recipes in The New York Times 👙 Skims is coming to Georgetown: Kim Kardashian's clothing line, Skims, is planning to open a shop in Georgetown in addition to its planned Los Angeles and New York stores. (DC News Now 💬 A fix to the green bubble problem!: "Here's a glimmer of hope for anyone who has ever felt the social stigma that comes with forcing a text exchange into green bubbles rather than blue. Starting on Friday, the London-based device maker Nothing will roll out an early version of a new messaging app called Nothing Chats. In addition to sending standard texts, Nothing Chatters can send iMessages to friends with iPhones…" (The Washington Post) |
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What is your favorite Thanksgiving dish and why is it stuffing?:
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With Thanksgiving right around the corner and another intense month of news, I thought we could lighten things a bit. So I've been asking members of Congress to share their favorite Thanksgiving dishes. A few lawmakers even sent me their recipes: |
🍠 Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) both love sweet potatoes. Lummis specified that she adds mandarin oranges. 🥘 Sen. Jon Ossoff's (D-Ga.) favorite dish is his "mum's homemade cranberry sauce." 🍞 Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith's (R-Miss.) favorite is dressing. Her least favorite is giblet gravy. 🍊 Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) likes his mother's cranberry orange relish and his brother's turkey stuffing. 🍋 Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) loves lemon meringue pie, specifically her grandmother's recipe from 1930, which calls for "as much butter as you can afford." — I love this sentiment about butter. 🍚 Rep. Judy Chu's (D-Calf.) favorite dish is Chinese Sticky Rice Stuffing. She shared the recipe and it is making me SO hungry. 🥘 Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said he loves anything made by his wife. His least favorite dish is green bean casserole, though. 🧈 Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) loves Butterscotch Rolls. "His grandma made them when he was a kid, and he prefers them over other desserts!" 🍞 Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) is not a huge fan of Thanksgiving — "he prefers a Noche Buena style menu on the holidays" — but he does like a savory stuffing with no raisins. — I feel very strongly that stuffing should never include raisins!
Note to Hill staffers — If I haven't talked to your office yet, shoot me an email me with your boss's favorite Thanksgiving dish. I'll include it in Monday's edition! cmartel@thehill.com And note to readers — Feel free to send me your own favorite Thanksgiving recipes! |
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The House and Senate are out. President Biden is in San Francisco. Vice President Harris is in Los Angeles with no public events scheduled. (all times Eastern) |
- 1 p.m.: Biden meets with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. 💻 Livestream 💡 Why the meeting comes at a jittery time for both
- 2 p.m.: Biden hosts the APEC Leaders Retreat. He then flies to Delaware. 💻 Livestream
- 4 p.m.: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy speak at the Family Leader Thanksgiving Family Forum in Des Moines, Iowa. 💻 Livestream
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