The Full Belmonte, 12/21/2024
Limits of the MAGA-verse
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
“The MAGA-verse — with President-elect Trump and Elon Musk at the helm — is wielding unprecedented power over Congress. But this week also revealed limits, Axios' Stef W. Kight reports.
Why it matters: Three times now, influential voices surrounding Trump — often organizing on X — have failed to get exactly what they wanted.
Since Trump and congressional Republicans ran the table 46 days ago ...
John Thune of South Dakota was elected Senate majority leader, despite a fevered push by Trump allies to elect Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.). Scott didn't even make it past the first round of votes.
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) was forced to withdraw from consideration to be attorney general. Despite being celebrated by some in Trump's orbit, the votes weren't there from Senate Republicans.
38 House Republicans defied Trump on Thursday by voting against a short-term spending deal he explicitly asked for.
Congressional Republicans went against Trump's wishes again yesterday by voting for a spending bill that didn't include an increase in the country's debt ceiling.
Between the lines: There's no denying that an X post from Musk or a Truth Social post from Trump still hold huge sway over GOP lawmakers.
But the MAGA-verse has proven more effective at shooting down ideas and plans, rather than making the case for things.
A big exception: An outpouring of support from Trump and his online backers solidified the chances his pick for the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, with wavering senators.” [Axios]
How it happened
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer celebrates as the Senate begins voting. Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/AP
“The Senate made it official at 12:38 a.m., sending a last-minute, three-month funding bill to President Biden, 85-11, and averting a government shutdown, Axios' Stephen Neukam reports.
Government funding technically lapsed for a short time, but the White House had ceased shutdown preparations since passage was imminent.
The fractured House had passed the package at 6 p.m. with a 366-34 vote that pushed President-elect Trump's demand for a debt limit increase into '25.
House Speaker Mike Johnson talks to reporters after passing the funding bill. Photo: Jose Luis Magana/AP
Hail Mary action: At 1:15 a.m., the Senate passed surprise legislation giving D.C. control of RFK Stadium and the 170+ acres of federal property around it.
It was ‘a political miracle that came in the twilight hours of the year's congressional session and after almost every avenue for the legislation appeared exhausted,’ The Washington Post reports.
The move lets the city redevelop the area — and could bring the Washington Commanders back to D.C. from Maryland, Axios' Cuneyt Dil writes.” [Axios]
Lead stories of today's New York Times, Washington Post
Go deeper: Mike Johnson's magic debt ceiling promise ... Scoop: Hakeem Jeffries' plan to kill the debt ceiling forever
What the rebels want
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
“House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) notched a big win by averting a government shutdown. But that hasn't taken him out of the woods in his fight to retain the speaker's gavel on Jan. 3, Axios' Andrew Solender reports.
Why it matters: Johnson likely can suffer only one GOP defection and still win. Many in the right-wing Freedom Caucus aren't committing to vote for him yet.
‘Everybody's got different issues,’ Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) said of his fellow undecideds — including opinions on what Johnson ‘should be doing to rally support for various issues.’
Norman said some wish the notoriously congenial speaker was ‘more forceful like Nancy Pelosi.’
State of play: Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said this week he'll vote for an alternative candidate — burning the single vote Johnson will likely have to spare in his incoming 219-215 majority.
Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-Md.), who told Axios on Wednesday he was supporting Johnson, tweeted after yesterday's vote that he's ‘now undecided.’
Plenty more say they're undecided, including Norman and Reps. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Troy Nehls (R-Texas) and Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.).
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) floated making Elon Musk speaker, and sent out an email survey from her congressional office.
Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.), asked after yesterday's vote whether he'll support Johnson on Jan. 3, told Axios: ‘No comment.’
Reality check: For the moment, Johnson retains by far the biggest asset of any GOP speaker candidate — the support of President-elect Trump.
The bottom line: Johnson will likely need to deploy a whip operation ahead of the vote ... 13 days from now.” [Axios]
By Eugene Daniels and Rachael Bade
Last night, the House and Senate passed a spending patch that funds the government at its current levels until March. | Angelina Katsanis/POLITICO
“FOOD FOR THOUGHT — “The ABC Settlement Doesn’t Mean the Press Is Caving to Trump,” by Ankush Khardori: ‘There were good legal reasons for the network to avoid a trial.’
THE SHUTDOWN THAT WASN’T — So, what the hell was that about? This week, in the closing days of the 118th Congress, a bipartisan continuing resolution that would keep the government open was killed by President-elect DONALD TRUMP and his loudest ally, ELON MUSK, and then ultimately replaced by a bill that did … mostly the same things.
Last night, the House and Senate passed a spending patch that funds the government at its current levels until March (when they get to do this all over again), provides financial aid for farmers and delivers $110 billion in disaster relief after devastating storms this fall. (As of this newsletter being sent, the bill is awaiting President JOE BIDEN’s signature.)
But it’s what isn’t in the bill that is really the most interesting.
— Lifting the debt limit. Trump was clear that he wanted this in the package so that he wouldn’t have to deal with a potential debt limit breach — and the potentially disastrous economic fallout — during his coming presidency. ‘Congress must get rid of, or extend out to, perhaps, 2029, the ridiculous Debt Ceiling,’ Trump posted on social media yesterday. ‘Remember, the pressure is on whoever is President.’
And despite playing footsie with that possibility, lifting the debt limit was cut from the bill after it was clear that adequate support for the proposal — which is highly controversial, especially among small-government conservatives — was not there. Instead, the debt limit will need to be raised in the coming months — exactly what Trump was trying to avoid.
— Year-round ethanol gasoline. Earlier versions of the continuing resolution included provisions that would allow the year-round sale of ‘so-called E-15 gasoline with a higher amount of ethanol, a major priority for lawmakers from corn-growing regions,’ Jennifer Scholtes and Katherine Tully-McManus write. That was stripped out from the final version.
Sen. JONI ERNST (R-Iowa): ‘I’m disappointed that E-15 wasn’t in there, very, very disappointed. But I do know that President Trump has been a great supporter of ethanol. So we’ll readdress it.’
— A fight against so-called ‘revenge porn.’ The proposal would have forced social media companies ‘to remove so-called revenge porn and intimate imagery posted without consent,’ per Jennifer and KTM, who shrewdly observe that both Trump and Musk own multi-billion-dollar social media companies — a reality that Sen. TED CRUZ (R-Texas), the sponsor of the anti-revenge porn policy, said is ‘completely unrelated’ to the proposal getting axed.
— A crackdown on PBMs. Pharmacy benefit managers have come under scrutiny from members of both parties, who suggest that PBMs are middlemen who raise the cost of prescriptions for Americans. The pharmaceutical industry lobbied against anti-PBM provisions.
‘Well, pharma tends to win, in the end. That’s been a consistent problem up here,’ said Sen. JOSH HAWLEY (R-Mo.). ‘So hopefully, in the new Congress, we’ll be able to do something about it.’
— Restrictions on U.S. investments in China. A proposal to expand on Treasury Department restrictions on U.S. investments in A.I. and tech sectors that could pose risks to U.S. national security was dropped from the bill amid opposition from Elon Musk, who — as the wealthiest person in the world and head of Tesla — has major business interests in China.
Yesterday, Rep. ROSA DeLAURO (D-Conn.) wrote in a letter that Musk’s ‘extensive investments in China in key sectors and his personal ties with Chinese Communist Party leadership … calls into question the real reason for Musk’s opposition to the original funding deal,’ Reuters’ David Shepardson reports. Musk responded by posting ‘a number of critical posts about DeLauro on X on Friday including one that said she ‘needs to be expelled from Congress!’ Watch for Dems to keep up this line of inquiry and attack.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: The whole saga is a reminder, especially for Republican leadership, of what things will be like with Trump back in office. For the last few years, Congress has gotten used to a fairly hands-off approach from the president in their negotiations.
It’s clear that’s all over. As NYT’s Michael Shear and Maggie Haberman report, ‘the episode demonstrated a well-established pattern by Mr. Trump. He often purposely blew up congressional negotiations during his first term, often with a tweet, only to be forced to retreat or give up his position in the face of an angry reaction from both allies and adversaries.’
And yet, they write, ‘Trump has benefited politically over the long run by seeking to bend lawmakers to his will. His supporters returned him to the White House in the election this year in part to resume that effort, but with Republicans in control of both chambers of Congress and a president who has a better understanding of how Washington works.’
At the same time, the spectacle raises new doubts about all the talk of complete GOP unity after the election, as intraparty squabbles burst directly into view. Dozens of GOP lawmakers defied the incoming president, and roughly three dozen House Republicans voted against the bill, which was backed by more Democrats than members of the GOP. Finger-pointing has replaced all of that ‘unity’ talk, and the fissures of real deal fiscal hawks vs. those that just talk the talk is on full display and ready for a central role in the early months of Trump’s administration. Related read: “Meet the 38 Republicans Who Defied Trump on the Spending and Debt Deal,” by NYT’s Annie Karni. [POLITICO]
White House starts scrapping pending regulations on transgender athletes and student debt
“President Joe Biden is abandoning his efforts to provide some protections for transgender student athletes and cancel student loans for more than 38 million Americans, the first steps in an administration-wide plan to jettison pending regulations to prevent President-elect Donald Trump from retooling them to achieve his own aims.” Read More at AP News
“President Biden secured his 235th judicial confirmation — beating President Trump by one, and exceeding modern predecessors at this point in their terms, back to President Reagan. Two-thirds of Biden's appointees are women, and a solid majority are people of color. Keep reading ... Explore the data.” [Axios]
INTERNATIONAL
German Christmas market attack toll rises to at least five dead and over 200 injured, officials say
“Many of the injured were in critical condition, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said. The suspect, a 50-year-old Saudi doctor who arrived in Germany in 2006, had expressed anti-Islam views and described himself as a Saudi dissident, according to a German official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an open investigation.”
Read more at Washington Post
France’s anti-terrorism court convicts 8 people of involvement in the 2020 beheading of a teacher
“France’s anti-terrorism court on Friday convicted eight people of involvement in the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty outside his school near Paris four years ago, a horrific death that shocked the country. Paty, 47, was killed outside his school on Oct. 16, 2020, days after showing his class cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad during a debate on free expression.” Read More at AP News
Missiles, Drones, and Cyber Warfare
Ukrainian rescuers work to extinguish a fire at the site of a Russian missile attack in Kyiv on Dec. 20.Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images
“Russian forces have launched a massive, multifaceted attack on Ukraine over the past 24 hours. On Friday, Moscow fired five ballistic missiles at Kyiv, all of which the Ukrainian Air Force said it intercepted. Fragments of the downed missiles, however, caused some casualties and significant damage to five districts in the capital. ‘There are dead and wounded,’ Ukrainian officials said on Friday, reporting at least one person killed and another 12 people injured.
More than 600 buildings also lost heating due to the strike, at a time when Kyiv is recording temperatures close to freezing. Among those hit included the embassies of Albania, Argentina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Palestine, and Portugal, which were all located in the same building.
‘Portugal demands strict respect for international law,’ Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro posted on X in condemnation of the Kremlin’s attack. No foreign diplomats were injured during the strike.
The use of ballistic missiles is a rare occurrence for Moscow, as the weaponry costs millions of dollars to produce. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the strike on Kyiv was a response to Ukraine launching six missiles from its U.S.-made Army Tactical Missile System and four British-made Storm Shadow missiles on Wednesday. Those strikes targeted Russian plant that produces fuel for Moscow’s Iskander missiles. Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously warned that Ukraine’s use of long-range Western-supplied weapons could incite a direct war with NATO.
Moscow also fired more than 60 missiles and drones overnight at Ukrainian cities in the Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions as well as at the city of Kherson, where Russian forces tried and failed to break through Ukrainian defenses near the Dnipro River, according to local officials.
Also on Thursday, Ukrainian Justice Minister Olha Stefanishyna accused a Russian hacking group of attacking the country’s digital critical infrastructure. This was ‘the largest external cyberattack’ on Kyiv’s official online registry for legal documents, Stefanishyna wrote on Facebook. She estimated that the initial recovery time for targeted networks could take roughly two weeks.
Fighting remains ongoing, as Moscow’s Defense Ministry claims that it has taken two more settlements in the occupied Ukrainian region of Donetsk, and Kyiv’s Defense Ministry says that Russian single-day troop losses reached 2,200 soldiers on Friday, its highest daily death toll since the Kremlin’s February 2022 invasion began.
On Thursday, Putin said he was ready to compromise over Ukraine in peace talks mediated by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. The Russian leader said he has no conditions for starting negotiations. However, he specified that he would only sign a deal with Kyiv’s legitimate authorities, which he considers just to be the Ukrainian parliament. He added that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would need to be reelected for Moscow to consider him a legitimate signatory; Zelensky has extended his presidential term, which was due to expire in May, by imposing martial law.” [Foreign Policy]
“Discussing Syria’s future. U.S. forces killed Islamic State leader Abu Yusif and another operative in Syria during a precision strike on Thursday. According to U.S. Central Command (Centcom) on Friday, ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian allies formerly controlled the targeted area. ‘[T]he United States—working with allies and partners in the region—will not allow ISIS to take advantage of the current situation in Syria and reconstitute,’ Centcom commander Gen. Michael Kurilla said, referring to Assad’s recent overthrow.
U.S. diplomats traveled to Damascus on Friday for Washington’s first official, in-person meeting with Syria’s de facto leadership, led by the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), in more than a decade. Western countries have begun to open channels of communication with HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa to discuss Syria’s future. The U.S. State Department removed a $10 million bounty on Sharaa on Friday to emphasize this new relationship.
Despite HTS officials vowing to establish representative governance and religious tolerance in Syria, many Western powers remain wary of HTS, as the group used to be an affiliate of al Qaeda. Sharaa has since tried to minimize his former ties with the militant organization by abandoning his nom de guerre, Mohammed al-Jolani.
Also on Friday, United Nations spokesperson Thameen al-Kheetan said the U.N. human rights office will send a team of officers to Syria next week to investigate alleged crimes committed during Assad’s regime. This will be the first such U.N. presence in the country in years.” [Foreign Policy]
“Cabinet shake-up. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reshuffled his cabinet on Friday, just days after Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland unexpectedly resigned. The shake-up is Trudeau’s latest effort to combat calls for his dismissal as public discontent mounts over Trump’s sweeping tariff threats and his comments suggesting that Canada should become a U.S. state.
‘No matter who is leading the Liberal Party, this government’s time is up,’ said Jagmeet Singh, the leader of the opposition New Democratic Party. ‘We will put forward a clear motion of non-confidence in the next sitting of the House of Commons.’ Canada’s next federal elections are scheduled for October 2025.
Among the new ministers, Trudeau named parliamentarian David McGuinty to be the head of public safety and lawmaker Nathaniel Erskine-Smith to oversee housing. On Monday, Trudeau filled Freeland’s seat with then-Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc.” [Foreign Policy]
“Day of mourning. A knife attack at a Croatian school on Friday killed a 7-year-old student and injured at least eight others, including several children. Authorities said the 19-year-old suspect was believed to be a former student of Precko Elementary School, where the attack occurred, in the capital of Zagreb.
Croatia is ‘appalled’ by the ‘tragedy,’ Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said, adding that the country will hold a day of mourning for the victims on Saturday and cancel some holiday festivities. School attacks are rare in Croatia and the larger Balkan region; however, two mass shootings rocked Serbia last year, the first of which killed at least nine students and a security guard at a school in Belgrade.” [Foreign Policy]
“Residents of Fukushima should start brushing up on the Japanese city’s waste disposal guidelines—or else risk public mockery. Beginning in March, the city government announced on Tuesday that local authorities will start sifting through bags of trash that fail to meet sorting laws or exceed size limits. Those who do not dispose of their rubbish correctly could have their names and businesses publicly disclosed for scrutiny and shaming.” [Foreign Policy]
HEALTH AND MEDICINE
Dustin Chambers for The New York Times
F.D.A. Approves Weight Loss Drug to Treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea
“The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the weight loss drug Zepbound to treat obstructive sleep apnea. It is the first prescription medication approved to treat the common sleep disorder.”
Read more at New York Times
“Tesla is recalling nearly 700,000 vehicles due to an issue with the tire pressure monitoring system that could fail to alert drivers to low tire pressure, increasing the risk of a crash, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.” [New York Times]
SPORTS
Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard. Michael Reaves/Getty Images
“College Football Playoff first round: The first ever 12-team playoff began last night with an in-state showdown: Notre Dame cruised past Indiana, 27-17, in a game the Fighting Irish controlled beginning to end. Three more games are on deck for today (all times Eastern):
S.M.U. vs. Penn State, 12 p.m.: Penn State is having one of its best seasons in years. It lost just two games, to Ohio State and Oregon — both of which are also in the playoff.
Clemson vs. Texas, 4 p.m.: Clemson is the only three-loss team in the playoff. It wasn’t expected to make it, but got in by upsetting S.M.U. in their conference championship game.
Tennessee vs. Ohio State, 8 p.m.: Over the six years that Ryan Day has been head coach of Ohio State, the team has been consistently very good — they’ve never lost more than two games in a season. But they also haven’t won a championship.” [New York Times]
CULTURE
THE WEEK IN CULTURE
Film and TV
Adrien Brody in “The Brutalist,” directed by Brady Corbet. Lol Crawley/A24
““The Brutalist,” which stars Adrien Brody as an architect and Holocaust survivor who lands in America, is one of the seven movies our critics are talking about this week.
Oscar season has kicked into high gear. Our awards columnist highlights the five strongest best picture bets, including “Anora” and “Conclave.”
What is a New York movie? This year, films including “A Complete Unknown” and “Saturday Night” are harking back to a city that no longer exists.
Documentaries about Israel and a union drive at Amazon are widely acclaimed, but largely unavailable to American audiences.
The spy film “Black Doves,” starring Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw, features smarts, thrills and great performances, our critic writes.
Theater
John Mulaney, left, and Simon Rich. OK McCausland for The New York Times
Former “S.N.L.” writing partners John Mulaney and Simon Rich have reunited for “All In: Comedy About Love.”
At the Theater at Madison Square Garden, Whoopi Goldberg stars as Miss Hannigan in “Annie.” Her performance reaffirms her savvy as a comic actor, Laura Collins-Hughes writes.
More Culture
Kylie Kelce in her home studio. Caroline Gutman for The New York Times
Kylie Kelce made a podcast for swearing moms — and unseated Joe Rogan’s podcast at the top of the charts.
In Fortnite, you can now wear a skibidi toilet as a backpack. Here’s what those words mean.
Megan Thee Stallion has asked a Los Angeles court to issue a restraining order against the rapper Tory Lanez, who is serving a 10-year prison sentence for shooting her.
The singer Chappell Roan and the “Anora” actress Mikey Madison made The Times’s list of the 10 breakout stars of the year.” [New York Times]
Blake Lively sues 'It Ends with Us' co-star Justin Baldoni
READ FULL STORY→ USA Today
1 for the road: Airport art
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
“Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is the world's busiest airport. It might also be the world's busiest art gallery, Axios Atlanta's Thomas Wheatley writes.
Atlanta's airport will serve roughly 3.7 million passengers during the holiday travel period beginning Dec. 20 and ending Jan. 5, officials say.
Stunning stat: According to program officials, an artwork in a prominent location in the airport could be seen by as many people in 10 days as visit New York's Museum of Modern Art in a year.
"Flight Paths" by Steve Waldeck. Photo: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Zoom in: Every year, more than a dozen spaces in the airport host roughly 35 exhibits of sculpture, photography or installations.
Passengers could pass the work of Georgia K-12 students (more than 300 every year in the T Gates and Concourse E) or crayon sculptures by Herb Williams (ascending elevator to Concourse D) on the way to their gate.
Fun fact: The Zimbabwean sculpture collection between the Concourse T and A is one of the largest outside of the country.” [Axios]