Good evening everyone. I just arrived home from Capitol Hill after meeting with members of Congress, and I am closely tracking a major development. Republican infighting has now fully erupted in public as Elise Stefanik, the Chairwoman of the Republican Conference, is saying that Mike Johnson has lost control of the caucus and does not have the support to remain Speaker of the House if a vote were held today. This is a stunning and significant shift inside the GOP.
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Here’s what you missed:
An explosive rift is emerging within the Republican caucus right now. Rep. Elise Stefanik publicly accused Speaker Mike Johnson of siding with Democrats by blocking her counterintelligence-oversight provision in the NDAA, prompting Johnson to deny the claim and attribute the issue to committee-level jurisdiction rather than his own decision.
Today, Stefanik told the Wall Street Journal that Speaker Mike Johnson is an ineffective leader who has lost control of the GOP conference, asserting that most House Republicans would vote to replace him if a speaker vote were held today. Remember, Stefanik is the Chairwoman of the House Republican Caucus. This is akin to someone in Democratic leadership blasting Hakeem Jeffries. That would be simply unheard of.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna launched a discharge petition to force a vote on a bipartisan bill banning members of Congress and their families from trading individual stocks, arguing lawmakers’ market access creates conflicts of interest, and seeking 218 signatures to bypass House leadership’s reluctance despite growing cross-party support.
Republicans are scrambling to craft a unified health care proposal as key ACA subsidies near expiration, but internal divisions between moderates and conservatives—and criticism that the party still lacks a credible replacement plan—leave agreement uncertain.
Trump confirmed today that land strikes on Venezuela will begin soon and that he would not approve of killing survivors from the boats, only destroying the boats themselves.
House oversight Democrats released new, never-seen images and videos from inside Jeffrey Epstein’s private island home — including bedrooms, bathrooms, a spa, and a massage room — with Rep. Robert Garcia calling them a “disturbing look” into Epstein’s world and saying they are being made public to ensure transparency.
Donald Trump pardoned Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife, Imelda, who were facing federal bribery and conspiracy charges; Trump claimed Cuellar was indicted for opposing Biden’s border policies, while Cuellar thanked him for giving his family “a clean slate” and Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries called the pardon “the right outcome.”
DHS launched its long-anticipated immigration operation in New Orleans, “Operation Catahoula Crunch,” aimed at what it calls “criminal illegal aliens” protected by sanctuary policies, and early photos already show multiple arrests underway.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faces growing scrutiny after a Pentagon inspector general report found he endangered U.S. military personnel by sharing highly sensitive attack plans for Yemen strikes via the Signal app, with the classified review concluding his actions risked compromising troops and mission objectives.
House Judiciary Republicans subpoenaed former special counsel Jack Smith for a closed-door deposition on 17 December, a move Democrats say is designed to prevent public testimony so the GOP can selectively “spin, distort, and cherrypick” his remarks.
Minneapolis officials are warning that the city’s Somali community may be targeted in imminent ICE raids, with Councilmember Jamal Osman saying Trump’s xenophobic comments and the expected immigration crackdown have created widespread fear — to the point that he is urging Somali residents to carry passports in case they are stopped.
A wrongful-death lawsuit claims UPS put profits ahead of safety by continuing to fly aging MD-11 cargo planes without increasing inspections or maintenance, leading to undetected structural cracks that caused an engine to detach during takeoff and crash in Louisville, killing 14 people, including three pilots and 11 people on the ground.
The New York Young Republican Club is set to honor Markus Frohnmaier, a senior figure in Germany’s far-right AfD party, at its gala despite recent scandals involving pro-Hitler messages in GOP youth chats and mounting criticism from Jewish groups, civil-rights organizations, and Democrats who warn the club is increasingly embracing extremist rhetoric and figures.
Iran’s rial has plunged to a record low of 1.2 million per U.S. dollar as renewed nuclear-related sanctions, stalled U.S.–Iran negotiations, and fears of conflict deepen economic strain, driving up food prices and fueling public anxiety over the government’s ability to manage its collapsing, sanction-choked economy.
President Trump’s clemency for convicted fraudster David Gentile not only commuted his seven-year sentence but also erased the $15.5 million restitution he owed for a $1.6 billion investor-fraud scheme, with the White House arguing his prosecution was part of a politically “weaponized” Justice Department.
At a NATO foreign ministers meeting, according to Politico, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau sharply criticized European allies for excluding American defense firms from EU rearmament programs, warning that “protectionist” policies weaken collective defense, escalating tensions as Europe boosts domestic arms production and the U.S. pressures the EU on trade.
More than 260,000 cases of shredded cheese sold under multiple store brands in 31 states and Puerto Rico were recalled after the FDA warned they may contain metal fragments capable of causing mouth, dental, or intestinal injuries, prompting a Class II recall from Great Lakes Cheese Co.
Good news:
Romania has achieved a stunning 94% return rate for plastic, glass, and metal beverage containers just two years after launching a nationwide deposit-return system run by public-private operator RetuRO, a program that gives retailers tax credits for return-infrastructure and rewards consumers with deposits plus bonuses—catapulting the country from roughly 11% recycling a decade ago to one of the most successful container-recycling systems in the world.
A Louisiana penitentiary hosted an emotional “Daddy-Daughter Dance” arranged by the nonprofit God Behind Bars, reuniting 29 incarcerated fathers with 37 daughters—some after years apart—with donated suits, beauty services, decorations, and a Thanksgiving meal, offering men labeled “the worst of the worst” a rare night of dignity, family connection, and restorative healing.
Scientists have deployed a vast network of AI-enhanced acoustic sensors across rainforests in Gabon, Congo, and Cameroon to detect and pinpoint gunshots from wildlife poachers in real time, using lightweight neural networks that filter jungle noise, reduce false alarms, and alert rangers with precise coordinates—offering a major breakthrough in protecting elephants and other threatened species.
See you in the morning.
— Aaron
