MORNING REPORT

Friday, December 12 | By Elliott Davis and Jonathan Carter

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In today's issue:

▪ Trump poised to hit the road in new year

▪ Indiana Republicans reject redistricting

▪ White House doubles down on Venezuela

▪ Supreme Court considers taking up gun cases

Trump eyes road show after GOP losses

President Trump relayed to a crowd of supporters in Pennsylvania earlier this week that chief of staff Susie Wiles told him to "start campaigning," an apparent nudge following a stretch of defeats for the Republican Party and backlash over his handling of Americans' affordability concerns.

Those comments appear to be setting the stage for Trump to hit the road more often in 2026 and defend his record after a relatively light interstate travel schedule during his first year back in the Oval Office.

The Hill's Julia Manchester reports that the GOP is spooked by recent special election losses and underperformances in Republican strongholds, as the party heads into next year's midterm elections with pressure to hold onto its slim majorities in both the House and Senate.

The president's Pennsylvania pitstop marked what the White House said would be the first in a series of trips focusing on the issue of affordability, Manchester reports. Wiles herself said Trump will ramp up his travel ahead of the midterms, telling the "Mom View" podcast that the president is "going to campaign like it's 2024 again."

Republicans have faced jitters after a string of party losses in local and statewide elections across the country this fall.

Trump drew a more direct rebuke Thursday when the Republican-led Indiana Legislature rejected a new GOP-favored U.S. House map, despite intense lobbying by the president, The Hill's Caroline Vakil writes.

The state Senate voted 31-19 against the map, which would have likely netted the GOP two more U.S. House seats. For weeks legislators had voiced skepticism about the redistricting effort, but the vote was notable as it marked a rare moment of GOP defiance against the president's wishes.

Trump vowed to primary Indiana Republicans who didn't vote for the map, escalating already simmering party tensions.

"If Republicans will not do what is necessary to save our Country, they will eventually lose everything to the Democrats," Trump warned Wednesday on Truth Social.

▪ The Hill: Indiana Senate rejects new House map, defying Trump

▪ Indiana Capital Chronicle: Senate Republicans reject Trump's plea for gerrymandered maps

Thursday's setback for Trump followed a set of GOP electoral headaches after losing various races across the country in recent weeks.

Eileen Higgins won Miami's mayoral election on Tuesday, becoming the first Democrat elected mayor of the South Florida city in three decades. Miami narrowly went for former Vice President Kamala Harris last year, but Trump flipped Miami-Dade County, which includes the city.

Democrats also flipped a conservative-leaning state House district in Georgia that the president carried by 12 points last year.

And while a Republican candidate won last week's special election in Tennessee, Rep. Matt Van Epps (R) triumphed by roughly 9 points, a far smaller margin than the 22 points Trump carried the district by in 2024.

Democrats also won all key races in November's off-year elections.

"There's a lot of digging our heads in the sand and acting as if we don't have a five-alarm fire going off," a source close to the White House told Manchester.

The defeats for Trump and the GOP have run parallel to the criticisms the president has endured around affordability, which he called a "Democrat scam" but more recently has attempted to change the narrative about.

An AP-NORC survey released Thursday found just 31 percent of respondents favor the president's handling of the economy — a new low.

On Tuesday in Mount Pocono, Pa., the president acknowledged prices need to come down even as he touted the economy in his second term.

"I can't say affordability hoax because I agree the prices were too high, so I can't call it a hoax because they'll misconstrue that,'" Trump said.

▪ NPR: Trump calls affordability crisis a 'hoax.' The data tells a different story

▪ The Hill: GOP lawmakers unhappy with Trump's affordability message: 'You can't call it a hoax'

Trump is not the only one with a beefed-up travel schedule.

Vice President Vance is scheduled to visit the Keystone State next week, with planned remarks in Allentown on Tuesday where he will reportedly echo Trump's message on the economy.

If the president does attend more rallies in 2026 as the White House has promised, it will mark a change from this year, when his trips have mostly focused on international travel.

The relative lack of U.S. trips pale in comparison to the aftermath of the 2016 election, when Trump held a Florida campaign rally in February 2017 — less than a month into his first term.

Republicans are hoping that a more visible Trump next year will provide a boost for GOP candidates heading into the crucial midterms.

"I'm all for it, I think we should try it out," Mike Dubke, who served as White House communications director during Trump's first administration, told Manchester.

3 Things to Know Today

Trump on Thursday night signed an executive order to impose a national standard on artificial intelligence, seeking to limit states' efforts to enact their own AI laws.
The Department of Justice again failed to secure a new indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) after its initial case against her was dismissed, marking the second time a grand jury has refused to approve charges against her this month.
A federal judge ordered immigration officials to immediately release Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador earlier this year. He still faces criminal charges in the U.S.

LEADING THE DAY

NOW WHAT?: The Senate on Thursday failed to advance dueling bills tied to the soon-to-expire Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced subsidies, teeing up a January health care battle ahead of another potential government shutdown.

The GOP-led proposal would have converted funding for the ACA tax credits into contributions toward health savings accounts to pay for out-of-pocket costs.

The other bill that failed, championed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), proposed a three-year extension of the subsidies.

While the competing legislation went down largely along party lines, four GOP lawmakers backed the Democratic proposal: Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Dan Sullivan (Alaska) and Josh Hawley (Mo.). Collins and Sullivan are both up for reelection next year.

"I'm really an all-of-the-above-approach kind of guy. At this point, I think we need to do everything we can to bring down the cost of premiums," Hawley told reporters Thursday.

▪ The Hill: More on the four GOP senators who broke ranks.

▪ The New York Times: Senate Deadlocks on Health Care, Leaving Subsidies to Expire.

The attention will now turn to the House, where Republican leaders are preparing a vote on another partisan health care package that does not include the ACA subsidies.

But The Hill's Nathaniel Weixel and Mike Lillis report that rank-and-file moderates in both parties are agitating for compromise, launching a pair of discharge petitions this week designed to force votes over the opposition of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and other GOP leaders.

Still, lawmakers in both parties say there's almost no chance that a breakthrough deal will emerge before Congress leaves Washington for the long December break.

"I would not bet on that at all. I think it's destined for January," Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) told The Hill.

REACTIONS TO INDIANA: Trump on Thursday lashed out at Indiana state Senate Republican Leader Rodric Bray, predicting he will lose his next primary following the Legislature's failed redistricting vote.

"I heard he was against it. He'll probably lose his next primary whenever that is. I hope he does because he's done a tremendous disservice," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

The Indiana effort was important for the president, who for months has pushed Republican-led states to redraw their district maps to give the GOP a boost heading into the midterms.

Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz echoed the president's frustrations on Thursday night.

"The spineless RINOs in Indiana, many hailing from districts where President Trump won by over 20% just last November have stabbed their own voters in the back and sold out America!" Bruesewitz wrote on the social platform X.

Speaker Johnson said that while the result was a "disappointing outcome," he is "bullish" on next year's elections.

"There's about 14 states at some stage of the process now, either litigation or redistricting. So, we shall see," he said. "I know that we are going to win because we have a great record to run on."

▪ Fox News: Trump dealt major blow as Indiana Senate rejects new map.

▪ The New York Times: Trump Offers Symbolic Pardon for Clerk Convicted of Election Tampering.

OIL TANKER FALLOUT: A day after the U.S. seized a Venezuelan oil tanker off the country's coast, Democrats are sounding alarm bells and saying the move could lead to increased conflict or even war in the region.

The seizure marked the latest move in Trump's campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whom the administration has accused of leading a drug cartel in the South American country.

Maduro has denied the allegations, but the U.S. has nonetheless amassed a significant military presence in the region in recent months. Trump has also hinted at ordering strikes on drug traffickers in Venezuela, saying in the Oval Office on Thursday night that such attacks could start on land "pretty soon."

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and some Democratic lawmakers expressed concern about the tanker seizure not long after it was revealed on Wednesday. Russia, meanwhile, has demanded that the administration explain why what Trump described as a "very large" tanker was taken.

"It is needlessly and recklessly escalating a potential conflict," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "Trump seems to be stumbling into war without any endgame or strategy."

▪ The Hill: US seizes oil tanker near Venezuela: What to know

▪ Reuters: US issues fresh sanctions targeting Maduro's family, Venezuela-linked oil tankers

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt downplayed the concerns on Thursday, saying the president does not view the seizure as an escalation toward war. She added that Trump is not interested in "prolonged war" with Venezuela and considers Wednesday's action as simply "effectuating the administration's sanctions policies."

"He wants peace. He also wants to see the end of illegal drugs being trafficked into the United States and taking the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans across the country," Leavitt told reporters.

AU REVOIR: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was accused by Democrats of misleading House Homeland Security Committee members on Thursday when she left a congressional hearing early to attend another meeting that was canceled.

The other meeting, a gathering of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Council, was canceled because White House officials had not been fully briefed on the latest draft of a report detailing plans to reform the agency, an administration official told The Hill's Rachel Frazin.

The official said the FEMA meeting was canceled Thursday morning while Noem was testifying before Congress and it is likely she didn't know of the cancellation at the time.

Noem's office also told The Hill's Rebecca Beitsch that the secretary only found out about the FEMA meeting after she left the witness table.

▪ Politico: Noem defiant as Democrats decry Trump administration treatment of migrants.

▪ The Washington Post: White House officials cancel meeting set to help chart FEMA's future.

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) moved to subpoena Noem to reappear before the panel, saying she shirked her duties and may have even lied about why she departed early.

The tensions come amid reported issues between Noem and the White House, though Trump has denied such reports, saying Wednesday he is "so happy with her."

WHEN & WHERE

The president will swear in the chair of the U.S. Export-Import Bank and the CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation on Friday. He is expected to attend the Army-Navy college football game on Saturday in Baltimore.
The Senate is out today.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee will meet at 9 a.m. for member day.

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ZOOM IN

SECOND AMENDMENT CHALLENGES: An unusually large number of Second Amendment challenges are stacking up at the Supreme Court, and the justices will decide behind closed doors today which ones, if any, they will consider, The Hill's Zach Schonfeld reports.

The pileup comes during an already big year for gun rights cases, as justices already decided to hear two cases early next year: One on whether unlawful drug users can carry firearms and one on Hawaii's gun permitting regime.

Most of the new challenges are concerned with regulations barring convicted felons from possessing firearms. More than 10 percent of prosecuted federal charges involve felon-in-possession convictions, according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

But the provision has come under increased scrutiny in the wake of the Supreme Court's gun rights expansion, Schonfeld writes. Three years ago, the conservative majority announced a new test that requires gun control measures to be consistent with the nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation to comply with the Second Amendment. Since that ruling, criminal defendants across the country have been asking justices to hear their constitutional defenses.

The justices have rejected many attempts, but that could change at their weekly conference today, during which they will hear more than 60 defendants' petitions challenging the law, according to a review of the docket by The Hill.

In addition to the petitions regarding felons in possession of firearms, the court will decide whether to hear a case from a lawsuit filed against Cook County, Ill., by people and gun rights groups who challenge the county's AR-15 ban, Schonfeld reports.

The court declined in June to hear a case regarding Maryland's AR-15 ban, with three justices — one short of the four required to take up the case — voting yes. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wanted to wait until the issue had percolated in other appeals courts.

"This case provides the Court with a vehicle for following through on Justice Kavanaugh's recommendation," the challengers wrote.

Like the felon-in-possession cases, the court relisted the AR-15 ban petition, meaning the justices considered them at last week's conference but took no action, The Hill's Schonfeld writes.

Two additional cases the justices will consider are challenging high-capacity magazine bans. State and local governments have taken steps to ban the magazines, though the Supreme Court has not settled the issue.

Challengers to bans in California and Washington state hope their cases will change that, and the justices have relisted both petitions for today's conference.

▪ SCOTUSblog: Relist rodeo: firearm restrictions, searches incident to arrest, DNA evidence, and 'clearly established' law

ELSEWHERE

CALIFORNIA COLLISION COURSE: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and former Vice President Kamala Harris have enjoyed a kind of distanced relationship all the way back to when they were sworn in to local political offices — Harris as a city district attorney and Newsom as mayor — in San Francisco more than 20 years ago.

Both Californians have had similar voters, fundraisers, consultants and advisers but have strategically, and methodically, stayed out of each other's way.

But now, with 2028 on the horizon, they are set on a collision course, The Hill's Amie Parnes reports.

Harris, coming off a bruising and truncated 2024 campaign, is not giving up on politics. Though she's said that a 2028 campaign is not her priority, it has not been ruled out. And, with the influence — and donors — she still enjoys, it's hard to believe that she won't be a contender.

Newsom is already seen by Democrats as the party's early front-runner, though he has not yet officially launched a campaign — most likely choosing to wait until his time as governor is up in 2027.

But both politicians are eyeing one another.

"You know that expression, 'Every time a friend succeeds, I die a little?' I think there's a little bit of truth when it comes to them," Elizabeth Ashford, a Democratic consultant who served as Harris's chief of staff when she was California's attorney general, told Parnes. Ashford added that the two Californians have always been "competitive but respectful."

Newsom's allies think Harris won't run, Parnes reports, and point to her book "107 Days," a title reflecting the short period of time she had to run her 2024 campaign. In the book, she took shots at former President Biden, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) and other political figures.

But, while Harris isn't yet committing to another run for president, she's laying the same kind of groundwork one would do if planning to run. A political action committee, Fight for the People, was set up by her aides.

She's also been making the rounds on the phone, calling New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (D) the day after the democratic socialist won the race for mayor. She offered congratulations to Abigail Spanberger (D) and Mikie Sherrill (D), who respectively won the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races, along with making 40 other calls to other newly elected officials, The New York Times reported.

If they do end up running, the two California "frenemies" will force those close to them to choose a side. Donors, who are close to both, say they are also conflicted.

"I think many of us would support both in the beginning," said one donor in the state who isn't convinced Newsom and Harris will both run for the White House. "It's being asked to choose between mom and dad."

▪ New York Post: Kamala Harris flatters 'very talented' Gavin Newsom amid texting spat

OPINION

Robby Soave in The Hill: Rand Paul demands vote on war in Venezuela. Is there only one principled person left in the Senate?
Don Wolfensberger in The Hill: Should due process be observed in House ethics cases?

THE CLOSER

And finally … 👏👏👏 Congrats to this week's Morning Report quiz winners! They certainly know their stuff on the ACA!

🧩Here's who went 4/4: Richard Baznik, Stan Wasser, Rick Schmidtke, Jess Elger, Laura Rettaliata, Lori Benso, Michael Kitz, Pam Manges, Charles Cogar, Dennis Barksdale, Mark Williamson, Carmine Petracca, Robert Bradley and Linda Field.

Former President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law in 2010, but main provisions of the law didn't take effect until 2014.

Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy's (D) death in 2009 ultimately proved critical in scaling back the scope of the ACA. Republican Scott Brown pulled off an upset to win a special election to succeed Kennedy in 2010, breaking the Democrats' filibuster-proof majority with 41 Republican senators. That forced Obama and Democratic congressional leaders to make more concessions to get the law across the finish line.

GOP Sens. John McCain (Ariz.), Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) all voted against the repeal attempt, but Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) voted for it.

The latest Gallup poll showed 57 percent of Americans said they approve of the ACA, the highest percentage the pollster has recorded.