Wednesday, December 3 | By Cate Martel |
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Feds launch immigration operation in New Orleans Trump pardons House Democrat Tennessee special election invigorates Dems Trump's NASA nominee testifies Republicans have an exodus problem
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New Orleans is the next immigration target: |
Federal agents have begun patrolling in New Orleans as part of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, according to The New York Times. 🔎 What we know What cities are next?: The administration is planning to launch immigration enforcement operations targeted at Somali immigrants in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn. |
Russia is not on board with Trump's peace plan: |
Russia has rejected parts of the U.S.-backed proposal to end the war with Ukraine. This is after *five hours* of talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump's top envoys. From Yury Ushakov, a top aide to Putin: "We agree with some of them, as the president has told our interlocutors, while other elements elicited some criticism," Ushakov said, "and the president made no secret of our critical and even negative attitude towards some of the proposals." |
When a loss is really a win — and a win feels like a loss: |
Republican Matt Van Epps is projected to win the Tennessee 7th Congressional District special election. While that should be a victory for Republicans, the margins are worrisome for the GOP. Trump won this district in 2024 by 22 points. As of this morning, Matt Van Epps is leading by roughly 9 points, a relatively narrow margin. That means roughly 13 percent of GOP voters in this very red district shifted their support to Democrat Aftyn Behn. This race is seen as a key metric of voter enthusiasm ahead of the 2026 midterms. Washington leaders poured a lot of resources into it. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), former Vice President Kamala Harris and the president each campaigned for their respective candidates. But it's not all bad for the GOP: The Hill's Caroline Vakil pointed out: "Republicans have their own reasons to feel encouraged. In spite of a challenging midterm environment next year, the GOP is still eyeing several states where it could redraw maps. And if the Supreme Court makes an early enough ruling that guts the Voting Rights Act, that could allow a slew of Southern states to redraw their maps before 2026 as well." The Washington Post's Paul Kane argues: The election result shows House Republicans have a base problem. 🔎 Read his column 💬 Follow today's live blog |
'House Republicans have an exodus problem': |
"More than two dozen GOP lawmakers have already announced their decision to leave their seats at the end of the term, and the number is expected to grow in the coming weeks as lawmakers visit their families for the holidays, complicating Republican efforts to fend off a blue wave and keep their slim majority," report The Hill's Sudiksha Kochi and Mike Lillis. Why?: Lawmakers have their usual reasons for retiring. "But the numbers are on track to reach 2018 levels — when Republicans got clobbered — and the dynamic is creating huge headaches for GOP leaders scrambling to protect President Trump from a Democratic House in his final years in office." The numbers: "23 House Republicans so far are retiring or seeking another office, while four Republicans have chosen to resign. In comparison, 17 Democrats are retiring or seeking another office." Read more: 'House GOP exits mount as gridlock deepens' |
Jared Isaacman, Trump's pick to lead NASA, is testifying in his Senate confirmation hearing. If you're feeling déjà vu: "Isaacman, a top ally of tech billionaire Elon Musk, was originally tapped for the role in May. Trump withdrew his nomination later that month, citing the need to review 'past associations' and whether the president's nominees aligned with his 'America First' agenda. Isaacman was renominated early last month to head the space agency." 💻 Watch the confirmation hearing |
Republicans are not letting the boat strike controversy go: |
"Republican senators are demanding answers about who at the Pentagon ordered a follow-up strike to kill the initial survivors of a missile strike against a suspected Venezuelan drug boat on Sept. 2, a potential violation of international law," reports The Hill's Alexander Bolton. It's a big deal: "A growing number of Republican senators on Tuesday said targeting defenseless survivors clinging to the wreckage of a ship is unacceptable and undercuts the United States's long tradition of following strict rules of engagement during military operations." Read more on how this could play out: 'GOP senators demand answers from Hegseth, Pentagon on targeting boat-strike survivors' From Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.): "Secretary Hegseth said he had no knowledge of this and it did not happen. It was fake news. It didn't happen," Paul said. "And then the next day, from the podium of the White House, they're saying it did happen. So, either he was lying to us on Sunday, or he's incompetent and didn't know it had happened." 👀 |
➤ INTERESTING READ ON HEGSETH: |
The Wall Street Journal's Michael R. Gordon, Alexander Ward and Vera Bergengruen report on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth: "Hegseth's Decadeslong Quest to Rewrite the Rules of Engagement." Excerpt: "The controversy was a long time coming. In books and on television, Hegseth argued for years that U.S. military leaders should relax rules for American forces, allowing them to fight unburdened by concerns of future courts-martial. More freedom to operate, he insisted, and less regulation by military lawyers would make troops more lethal and effective, and could be justified under the laws of war." |
➤ THE TALK OF DC SOCIAL MEDIA: |
Olivia Nuzzi, the political reporter who detailed her romantic relationship with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in her new book, sat down with The Bulwark's Tim Miller to talk about the scandal. It's getting a lot of attention in D.C. political circles. 💻 Watch |
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The House and Senate are in. The president is in Washington. (All times EST) |
2:30 P.M.: Trump makes an announcement. 💻 Livestream 4 P.M.: First and last House votes. 📆 |
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🥧 Celebrate: Today is National Apple Pie Day. 🤐 A new zipper has entered the villa: The zipper is getting its first big upgrade in 100 years. 📹 Watch NBC's video on the new design 🦃 I laughed out loud at some of these: Comedian Stephen Colbert worked in the call center at the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line. The poor people who got him when they called in with their Thanksgiving turkey problems. 📹 Watch 🦝 Omg: A raccoon got drunk in a liquor store in Virginia over the weekend and passed out in the bathroom. Yes, of course there's a photo. 📸 Axios made me laugh with this line: "Why it matters: The intoxicated suspect was a raccoon." (h/t The Hill's Emily Brooks) |
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