A WHITE HOUSE FIRST: History will be made Monday when Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with Trump in Washington, the first visit by a Syrian president to the White House.
Trump and al-Sharaa previously met in May in Saudi Arabia, the first meeting between the leaders of the United States and Syria in 25 years. But the conference Monday will mark a further development in Syria's potential reemergence in the international community following former Syrian dictator Bashar Assad's ouster last December.
Al-Sharaa himself has undergone a significant transformation, going from a jihadist with ties to al Qaeda fighting U.S. troops in Iraq to a statesman pushing for reform in Syria as it reemerges on the global stage.
In the year since al-Sharaa led an offensive to topple Assad, the Biden and Trump administrations both embraced him as the best chance for a new Syria coming off more than a decade of civil war.
The Hill's Laura Kelly reports that Syria's inclusion on the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism is likely to end next month after more than 40 years, as Trump works to lift all sanctions on the country.
The State Department announced on Friday that it would lift the terrorist designation for al-Sharaa, along with Syrian Interior Minister Anas Hasan Khattab.
"These actions are being taken in recognition of the progress demonstrated by the Syrian leadership after the departure of Bashar al-Assad and more than 50 years of repression under the Assad regime," State Department principal deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement, saying that it "recognizes Syria's transition to a new chapter."
At the meeting, al-Sharaa is expected to announce that Syria will join the international coalition to defeat the Islamic State group. Although the group has lost essentially all the territory it once held in Syria, remnants have continued a counterinsurgency and still pose a threat across the region.
But some lawmakers remain skeptical about Trump's approach to al-Sharaa and his intention to reduce sanctions, including House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Brian Mast (R-Fla.).
Mast is part of a small bipartisan group cautious about a full repeal of the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, enacted in 2019 to impose sanctions and essentially block international financing for Syria's government under Assad amid evidence of major atrocities committed by his regime.
But Kelly reports that a larger group has said the legislation served its purpose and would hinder the new government's attempts to rebuild the country.
▪ The Guardian: Syria conducts pre-emptive raids on Islamic State.
▪ The Jerusalem Post: Video of al-Sharaa playing basketball goes viral.
DEMS EYEING MOMENTUM: Democrats are bullish about their chances in the 2026 midterms following their sweeping success in last week's election.
That's particularly true in the battleground state of Georgia, where they flipped two seats on the Georgia Public Service Commission in special elections. Those are relatively low-profile positions, but it was notable as they were the first Democratic wins in a statewide election for state office in almost 20 years.
The Hill's Caroline Vakil reports that Democrats are pointing to the results as reason to feel optimistic about their chances in the state's key Senate and gubernatorial races next year. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) is set to run for a second term in one of the most competitive Senate elections of 2026, while Gov. Brian Kemp (R) is term-limited, leaving the governor's race open.
Democrats had framed the public service commissioner races as a referendum on the high cost of living in the state and the GOP-controlled commission, with Georgia Power customers having seen six rate increases over two years.
But Republicans brushed off the results, arguing that municipal elections drove stronger Democratic turnout. The city of Atlanta also had its mayoral election, in which voters overwhelmingly reelected Mayor Andre Dickens (D) to a second term.
Comparing off-year elections to midterms can be difficult as more voters turn out in midterm years, changing the electorate.
But Democrats also broadly received a boost from their performance among Latino voters, a key group that the GOP made significant gains with in 2024. CNN exit polling shows New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill (D) won 68 percent of Latino votes, while Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger (D) won 67 percent.
The Hill's Julia Manchester reports that Republicans are sounding the alarm over the shift after they had hoped last year's presidential election could mark a turning point with this demographic.
"Unfortunately, Latinos are leaving the Republican Party after giving us a monumental chance in 2024," Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) said in a video posted on X, adding this is "our wake-up call."
Some said the community's concerns about affordability and immigration enforcement and a lack of "authenticity" in outreach from Republicans caused the shift. But some Republicans said they weren't as concerned, pointing to how the group has changed politically since Trump was first elected in 2016.
The National Republican Congressional Committee has already started appealing to Hispanic voters with ads tying Democrats to New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (D), who identifies as a democratic socialist.
▪ The Hill: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) says redistricting battle shows Democratic energy.
▪ The Hill: Bill O'Reilly says anger drove Democrats' sweep.
TRUMP TARIFF CHECKS? Trump said people will receive at least $2,000 each from the revenue the administration has collected through tariffs.
The president made the announcement in a Truth Social post on Sunday, adding that it won't go to "high income people." He has previously raised the idea of Americans receiving tariff checks, though it has been controversial among members of both parties.
That type of proposal would likely need congressional authorization to reach fruition.
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley (R) introduced a bill this summer to provide $600 tariff rebates to almost all Americans and their dependent children.
But Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said paying down the national debt, which totals more than $38 trillion, is the administration's priority. Trump said in his Sunday post that tariff revenue would also pay down the debt.
The Treasury Department has taken in $195 billion from tariffs through the first three quarters of the year, according to a statement in September.
But the tariffs themselves have also hit consumers hard as other countries have responded to them, leading to rising costs for goods. The Yale Budget Lab reported last month that consumers face an average effective tariff rate of 18 percent, the highest level since 1934.
▪ The Hill: What if the Supreme Court strikes down Trump's tariffs?
JUDGE RESIGNS: A federal judge has resigned from his position in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, citing that he wanted to speak out against an "existential threat to democracy" posed by Trump.
Mark L. Wolf, an appointee of former President Reagan who had been serving in senior status for a decade, wrote in The Atlantic to explain why he felt he needed to step down.
"My reason is simple: I no longer can bear to be restrained by what judges can say publicly or do outside the courtroom," Wolf said. "President Donald Trump is using the law for partisan purposes, targeting his adversaries while sparing his friends and donors from investigation, prosecution, and possible punishment."
"This is contrary to everything that I have stood for in my more than 50 years in the Department of Justice and on the bench," he continued. "The White House's assault on the rule of law is so deeply disturbing to me that I feel compelled to speak out. Silence, for me, is now intolerable."
Wolf told The New York Times in an interview that he resigned to allow himself to speak not just about his own views but those of his colleagues who cannot speak out as well.
He slammed Trump's alleged politicization of the Justice Department, pointing to a Truth Social post in which Trump publicly urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to bring charges against three of his political opponents, former FBI Director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).
Comey and James have since both been indicted and denied the allegations against them.
"Americans proudly say that we live in the longest-lived democracy in the world," Wolf told the Times. "But that should teach us that all the others failed."
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