![](https://img.semafor.com/3a8b8334d5449a2d371e9173bd15ea7385a48c45-1065x498.png?w=1140&h=533&q=95&auto=format) Beltway NewslettersPunchbowl News: The math doesn’t look good for Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., when he faces another expulsion vote next month. If all 213 Democrats vote to expel him, just 77 Republicans would have to back the measure, which now “seems very likely to happen.” Playbook: “Idiot” Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla. infuriated a colleague’s wife on a 2015 AIPAC trip to Israel with juvenile behavior. The Early 202: President Biden’s comment referring to Chinese leader Xi Jinping as a “dictator” came as an off-script moment: Biden was slated to take four questions from reporters, but answered a fifth shouted question after he’d started walking away. (Video of the exchange showed aides visibly grimacing.) Axios: Biden’s campaign has been privately considering whether to join TikTok in an attempt to boost his support among young voters. White House- Remember how there was a whole special counsel investigation into President Biden and his staff’s potential mishandling of classified documents? CNN reports that Special Counsel Robert Hur won’t be filing charges, but will write up an extensive report.
- Biden and first lady Jill Biden will visit Norfolk, Va., on Sunday to host a “Friendsgiving” with U.S. service members and their families ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
- In exchange for cooperation on curbing fentanyl, the Biden administration is relaxing restrictions on China’s Ministry of Public Security’s Institute for Forensic Science, an organization accused of human rights abuses. — Bloomberg
- China’s Foreign Minister called Biden’s remark about Xi Jinping being a dictator “extremely wrong” and an “irresponsible political manipulation.”
- White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the Biden administration would “absolutely welcome” the return of pandas to the U.S., but that it’s ultimately China’s decision.
- The mother of Hunter Biden’s young daughter Navy wrote an op-ed in the Daily Mail defending him, despite their recent child support battle. “I’ve never written him off as a ‘deadbeat dad’ because I know Hunter, I’ve witnessed the kind of person he is and the love he has for his children and people in general,” writes Lunden Roberts.
- White House spokesman Andrew Bates criticized videos spreading on TikTok that promoted Osama bin Laden’s 2002 “Letter to America.” TikTok said the company is “aggressively removing” the content.
Congress- Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich. is retiring, leaving an open swing seat next year. — Politico
- Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas will visit New Hampshire this weekend as a surrogate for former President Donald Trump, Semafor’s Kadia Goba reports. He will deliver a speech at the New Hampshire Federation of Republican Women’s Empowerment Luncheon.
- The group End Citizens United is reupping its call for House Republicans to return or donate campaign funds they received from Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y. “George Santos is clearly corrupt, and anyone who holds onto his tainted money is endorsing his fraud,” Tiffany Muller, the president of ECU, said in a statement. Of the 13 members who received money from him, Reps. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., Max Miller, R-Ohio, and Brandon Williams, R-N.Y. previously voted to expel Santos.
- Thursday’s tweet of the day undoubtedly goes to Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y. (known lover of all things Israel and regular Santos antagonist): “George Santos, who illegally spent campaign funds on porn sites and Botox, has announced he is no longer seeking re-election. I will be the sole surviving Jew-ish gay Latino Congressman from New York.”
EconomyThe Treasury Department unveiled new sanctions on businesses and ships accused of violating the price cap on Russian oil. Media- The Los Angeles Times barred staff from covering the Gaza war for at least three months if they signed an open letter criticizing Israel’s military operations, Semafor’s Max Tani reports.
- Another Max scoop: The powerful right-wing talker Mark Levin has been boosting Ron DeSantis — without mentioning that his stepson works for the Florida governor.
Courts- The Supreme Court declined to intervene in a case involving a Florida law restricting drag shows, meaning the law will remain blocked by a lower court.
- Paul Pelosi’s attacker, David DePape, was found guilty of attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assault.
- Donald Trump’s classified documents trial doesn’t look like it will begin in May 2024.
PollsAmerican Jews are still giving President Biden high marks. Sixty-six percent approve of his performance as president, and 76% approve of how he has responded to the Israel-Gaza war, according to a major new survey from the Jewish Electorate Institute. There is an age gap, with young adults more critical of how the president has handled the war. Still, 53% of 18-to-35-year-old Jews said they at least somewhat approved of how he’s handled the conflict. Big ReadQatar is in the middle of Gaza hostage talks, putting the tiny, wealthy Gulf nation again in the center of a geopolitical storm. But Qatar has long experience in this strange role, Joel Simon explains in the New Yorker: Though the country’s officials say that they are guided by humanitarian principles and a desire to reduce conflict and promote stability, they have clearly used their leverage to gain influence and visibility, a posture which they believe enhances their security in a volatile region. “That’s the double game, the gray zone,” says a French journalist whose release Qatar helped secure. BlindspotStories that are being largely ignored by either left-leaning or right-leaning outlets, according to data from our partners at Ground News. What the Left isn’t reading: FBI Director Christopher Wray testified before Congress that migrants who escape from the custody of Border Patrol agents are a matter of “great concern.” What the Right isn’t reading: A Republican-led effort to overcome Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s, R-Ala. hold on military nominations earlier this week failed. Principals TeamEditors: Benjy Sarlin, Jordan Weissmann, Morgan Chalfant Editor-at-Large: Steve Clemons Reporters: Kadia Goba, Joseph Zeballos-Roig, Shelby Talcott, David Weigel |