It's Thursday. If you listen closely, you can hear the popping of champagne corks from Capitol Hill staffers. Both the House and Senate have left town, with no threat of a shutdown until mid-January. Enjoy your break, everyone! Here's what's happening today: - President Biden had a productive meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but referred to him as a "dictator" right after. 😬
- The House Ethics Committee released a scathing report on Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), arguing there is clear evidence he committed serious crimes, prompting him to announce he won't run for reelection.
- Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was on Capitol Hill yesterday. My X feed was filled with photos of staffers and police officers trying to get pictures with him.
- Protests calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war became violent outside the DNC headquarters last night. Lawmakers had to be evacuated.
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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Which of these words doesn't belong: Nice, productive, dictator, good…: |
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President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping had a productive, four-hour meeting in California yesterday — with a little hiccup at the end. The good: Biden and Xi agreed to resuming direct military-to-military communication and containing fentanyl. The bad: Biden said he still believes Xi is a "dictator." "Look, he is. He's a dictator in the sense that he's a guy who runs a country that is a communist country that is based on a form of government totally different from ours," Biden said in off-the-cuff remarks. Watch Biden's comment 💡 Why this matters: Biden's dictator comment is likely to further agitate already tense relations between the U.S. and China. Read Alex Gangitano's reporting from Woodside, Calif. |
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➤ SIGHTS AND SOUNDS FROM THE TRIP: |
If you're nosy (like me) and want to see what they ate for lunch: It involved artichoke crisps, ravioli, a tarragon roasted chicken and an almond meringue cake. The full menu — I want to try that concord grape sauce. A little stroll through the gardens: Here is video of Biden and Xi walking through the grounds of the Filoli estate. Watch Each rolled up with their crew: Here's a photo of Biden's team and Xi's team sitting at the table. Biden really helped out Xi on this one: The Hill's Alex Gangitano pointed out in her pool report that Biden wished Xi's wife a happy birthday — she and Biden have the same birthday. "Xi said he was embarrassed, had been working so hard and had forgotten that his wife's birthday was next week. He thanked Biden for reminding him." |
Chinese President Xi Jinping hinted that China may send more pandas to the U.S., calling them "envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples." Where?!: Xi suggested California. (The Hill) |
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George Santos is in some deep you-know-what:
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Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) said he will *not* seek reelection in 2024, shortly after the House Ethics Committee released its long-awaited, scathing report on the allegations against him. The gist of the report: The report argues there is "substantial evidence" that Santos committed federal crimes and referred its findings to the Department of Justice. However, it does not go as far as recommending formal sanctions against him. (The Hill) What happens now?: Several New York Republicans have been trying to expel Santos for months. But some lawmakers argue he shouldn't be booted from Congress without a conviction. At least one lawmaker who was previously opposed to expulsion has been swayed by the report: Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.). "The report's findings are extremely fanning and I would vote to expel," Raskin told The Hill in a text message Thursday. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) said in a statement he plans to submit a privileged resolution to expel Santos when the House returns Nov. 28 after the Thanksgiving holiday. Read Santos's reaction to the report: He called it "biased" and accused the committee of "smearing" him. Read Santos's announcement and reaction |
The Rock rolls up to the Hill: |
My social media feeds are filled photos of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. Why was he there?: Meetings on military recruitment and the XFL, a football league that he partially owns. Now, onto what we all want to see: Photo of The Rock posing with U.S. Capitol Police officers: "We talked to a potential new recruit today... and we think he will pass the fitness test," they posted. He made a bit of a scene: Photos of Johnson getting swarmed by staffers and officers He met with Schumer: Here's a photo of Johnson shaking Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-N.Y.) hand. Schumer looks so small next to him lol. "Who do you think's bigger and tougher?" Schumer joked while posing for a photo. Watch the clip |
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Senators worked late last night to pass Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) short-term funding bill and then left for the Thanksgiving recess. Were there any hiccups?: Not really. The bill passed with a bipartisan, 87-11 vote — 10 Republicans and one Democrat voted "no." 💡 What this means: Democrats helped out Johnson by helping him to avert a shutdown. Conservatives gave Johnson a free pass to do what got former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) booted last month — pass a clean bill with no significant spending cuts — in hopes that it buys more time to negotiate. This also means there won't be a threat of a government shutdown around the holidays. That never happens! |
➤ I KNOW I KEEP MENTIONING TWO DEADLINES: |
Parts of the government will be funded through Jan. 19 and the remaining parts through Feb. 2. But here's what I mean by that: What runs out Jan. 19: Military construction and funding for the Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Energy departments. What runs out Feb. 2: Everything else, including funding for the Department of Defense Floating: The bill doesn't include funding for Ukraine, Israel, the Indo-Pacific or border security. These priorities will be tied into those funding fights. |
This *perfectly* described the vibe: Hill staffer Abigail Jackson posted a photo of the mood in the House vs. the Senate yesterday afternoon. For anyone who is on Capitol Hill today: The Senate carryout has a special Thanksgiving menu today! The menu |
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Trump is in his revenge era: |
Earlier this year, former President Trump told his supporters there would be "retribution" if he is reelected to the White House. Well, The Hill's Brett Samuels has a fascinating report on what Trump has said and what that second term could look like. Trump is fixated on his political opponents: "Trump's own words have made increasingly clear how fixated he is on revenge and targeting his perceived enemies if he wins a second term in the White House next November. The former president has openly mused in recent days that his own indictment has 'released the genie out of the box' and would allow him to weaponize the government against his opponents." Needless to say, this sentiment has raised alarm bells among critics. (The Hill) 💡 Why this matters: In addition to the concerns over Trump using his power in a potential second presidential term to punish his political opponents, the rhetoric is spreading to Capitol Hill. Trump-allied conservatives in Congress are now using the forceful tactics. I.e.: Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) threatening to start a physical fight during a Senate hearing. |
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Lawmakers had to be evacuated due to protests: |
The Capitol Police evacuated the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters last night when a demonstration calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war turned violent. All lawmakers were evacuated: Including Reps. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) and Sean Casten (D-Ill.). The Capitol was also placed on lockdown as a precaution. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) posted that she, her husband and her newborn were in her office during the lockdown. The videos of the incident are pretty intense: Here's one video. Another video. More videos |
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🍟 Celebrate: Today is National Fast Food Day! 🐎 I'm sorry, what?: An airplane was forced to return to JFK Airport after a horse escaped its stall and ran loose in the cargo hold. (CNN) 🥧 Yay, friends!: The Hill hosted a newsroom Friendsgiving on Wednesday. More photos if you want to peep our newsroom |
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The House and Senate are o-u-t, OUT. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in San Francisco. (all times Eastern) |
- 1:45 p.m.: Biden delivers remarks at the APEC CEO Summit. 💻 Livestream
3 p.m.: Biden takes a family photo with APEC economies and guest economies, followed by a working lunch. 💻 Livestream
4:25 p.m.: Harris delivers remarks at the APEC Women's Economic Participation in the Industries of the Future meeting.
6:30 p.m.: Biden delivers remarks and participates in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework family photo. 💻 Livestream
6:30 p.m.: Lester Holt interviews Secretary of State Antony Blinken on "NBC Nightly News."
7 p.m.: Harris hosts the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) meeting, speaks at a campaign reception and then flies to Los Angeles.
10:45 p.m.: Biden and first lady Jill Biden host an APEC dinner. 💻 Livestream
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