Friday, Dec. 6 | By Jonathan Easley
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Younger Democrats vie for influence in House
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A YOUTH MOVEMENT is underway among Democrats in the House. Several Democrats are challenging their older peers for key committee positions in the lower chamber, as the party reckons with an election cycle where many Democrats say President Biden belatedly passed the torch. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Friday officially launched a challenge against 74-year-old Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) for the top spot on the Oversight Committee, which could serve as a launching pad for the 35-year-old progressive's statewide or national ambitions. "Now, more than ever, we must focus on the Committee's strong history of both holding administrations accountable and taking on the economic precarity and inequality that is challenging the American way of life," Ocasio-Cortez wrote in a letter to colleagues. Rep. Raúl Grijalva (Ariz.), the 76-year-old ranking Democrat on the the House Natural Resources Committee, is stepping aside to endorse 45-year-old Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) for the job. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), who is 60, had already challenged Grijalva and has called for new blood at the top of the Democratic ranks. This comes as Rep. Jamie Raskin (Md.) is poised to succeed Rep. Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.) as the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee. Nadler, 77, was under pressure to step aside for Raskin, who is 16 years younger, after holding the perch for four terms. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) told Reuters he supports "a new generation of leadership in the party and I think that people are yearning for that." |
OBAMA ENTERS DEBATE OVER ELECTION LOSSES |
Former President Obama gave a speech at his "Democracy Forum" on Friday in which he called for a new generation of leadership to be more willing to engage with those who disagree, a concept he calls "pluralism." "The alternative is what we've seen here in the United States and in many democracies around the globe — not just more gridlock, not just public cynicism, but an increased willingness on the part of politicians and their followers to violate democratic norms, to do anything they can to get their way," Obama said. Democrats are seeking a winning message and new messengers after their disastrous 2024 election cycle. Some, such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), have called for the party to get outside the Washington bubble to better connect with the concerns of ordinary Americans. Others have said the party is out of touch due to an obsession with identity politics, which President-elect Trump effectively turned against them during this year's campaign. Not everyone agrees. Huffman told Politico Playbook that Sanders is wrong to contend Democrats don't have a compelling message to working class voters. "What a crock. What an absolute crock," he said. "Joe Biden and Democrats did more for the working class in the last four years than we've seen in a long, long time." And outgoing Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison, who is Black, said identity politics are inescapable for people of color. "When I wake up in the morning, when I look in the mirror, when I step out the door, I can't rub this off," he told The Associated Press, pointing to his face. "This is who I am. This is how the world perceives me." "That is my identity," he continued. "And it is not politics. It is my life. And the people that I need in the party, that I need to stand up for me, have to recognize that. You cannot run away from that." |
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Trump, Vance defend Hegseth with confirmation in doubt
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President-elect Trump on Friday offered a vote of confidence for Pete Hegseth, his embattled pick to lead the Department of Defense. "Pete Hegseth is doing very well," Trump posted on TruthSocial. "His support is strong and deep, much more so than the Fake News would have you believe … Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!! Vice President-elect Vance said Hegseth would push through to the confirmation hearing. "We're not abandoning this nomination." Hegseth is digging in, giving no signs that he intends to fold. "This will not be a process tried in the media," he told reporters. "I don't answer to any one in this group … none of you. I answer to President Trump, who received 76 million votes and a mandate for change. I answer to the 100 senators who are a part of this process. And I answer to my Lord and savior, and my wife and family." The Hill's Alexander Bolton reports there is a silent contingent of GOP senators who are ready to sink the nomination. Hegseth can only afford three GOP defections if every Democrat in the Senate votes against him. "It's on the death watch," one Republican senator said. "There's seven or eight [Republican] votes against him. It's a matter of time." Hegseth has been accused of sexual assault, although the accuser settled out of court and signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). Hegseth's lawyer Tim Parlatore told CNN the woman has already breached the NDA and they're considering suing her. He said the accuser is no longer bound by the agreement and is free to go on the record, but he threatened a defamation suit if she takes her allegations public. "If he is not confirmed as the secretary of Defense, we may still bring a civil extortion claim against her." |
💡Perspectives: • Matt Stoller: An assassin showed just how angry America really is. |
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Manhunt continues in killing of health insurance CEO
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Police are still searching for a person of interest in the killing of Brian Thompson, the UnitedHealthcare CEO shot to death on the sidewalk outside a Manhattan hotel as he walked to an investor conference this week. The New York Police Department on Friday tested DNA and fingerprints on a bottle and protein bar wrapper found near the scene. They released pictures of the person of interest on Thursday. UnitedHealthcare and other companies removed their leadership pages as a precautionary measure after the incident. The shocking shooting brought gloating from some corners of social media, where the killing was portrayed as the just slaying of a greedy corporate executive. Many have denounced those views, but the story has drawn attention to deep-seated frustration and anger with the state of the health insurance industry. The Hill's Niall Stanage has this analysis on the truths that have emerged between the poles of the debate: "First, there is a widespread perception that health insurance companies are characterized by avarice and callousness. Second, there is a danger of such simmering anger boiling over into violence, especially at a moment when society at large is in such a febrile state." Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) released this statement on X: "United Health is based in my district and employs 1000's of my constituents. Like other insurers, they play by rules allowing the industry to net >$100 billion/year while patients go bankrupt from medical debt. The real culprit is Congress and money in politics, and it's time for change." Gallup released a new survey on Friday that found public opinion on health care quality is at a 24-year low. |
Here's who's on the Sunday shows: NewsNation's "The Hill Sunday": Reps. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.). CNN's "State of the Union": Sens. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). FOX's "Fox News Sunday": Reps. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) and Seth Moulton (D-Mass.). NBC's "Meet the Press": President-elect Trump. |
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| Washington roundup: Johnson woos adversaries
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• Via The Hill's Emily Brooks: Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is reaching out to one-time adversaries ahead of his official election for Speaker. Johnson spoke this week with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who sought to oust him earlier this year. Massie is no longer ruling out supporting Johnson. • President-elect Trump will travel Saturday to Paris to attend the reopening of the Notre Dame cathedral amid extreme political turmoil in France. First lady Jill Biden will also be in attendance. • Vice President-elect JD Vance traveled to North Carolina on Friday to view devastation from Hurricane Helene. Vance met with the family of a firefighter who was killed during rescue efforts. • Republican senators launched an inquiry into an unpublished NIH study on puberty blockers for trans youth. The investigation follows an October New York Times report about a study of puberty-blocking drugs that went unpublished over fears that its findings would be "weaponized" by opponents of transition-related care for minors. • Elon Musk said Friday he won't be seeking revenge or targeting his business competitors as his influence grows in Washington. Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy were met with skepticism from both parties about their Department of Government Efficiency. • Stephen Miller, who Trump tapped to serve as White House deputy chief of staff for policy, says Trump will order federal workers to return to the office and not work remotely. |
💡Perspectives: • The Washington Post: Trump's disdain for the transition process is ominous. • CNN: DOGE bros are in for a rude awakening. • Fox News: DOGE can restore sanity in Washington. • The Hill: 5 reasons Trump 47 will govern like no president in history. |
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