Beltway NewslettersPunchbowl News: JD Vance and Russ Vought, who is Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Office of Management and Budget, are meeting with the House Freedom Caucus this morning in Speaker Mike Johnson’s office to attempt to resolve the funding impasse. Playbook: Trump and Johnson are contemplating the upsides of a shutdown. WaPo: The 38 Republicans who opposed the new funding bill last night did so largely because of the proposed increase of the debt ceiling. Axios: Podcaster (and ex-Washington Post reporter) Kara Swisher is trying to buy the Post. BlindspotStories that are being largely ignored by either left-leaning or right-leaning outlets, curated with help from our partners at Ground News. What the Left isn’t reading: President Biden’s aides went to great lengths to prevent him from “making gaffes or missteps that could damage his image, create political headaches or upset the world order.” That includes limiting who spoke to him and what they said, including some Cabinet secretaries, The Wall Street Journal reported. What the Right isn’t reading: A BBC report claims that Facebook restricted the reach of Palestinian news outlets during the Gaza war. White House- President Biden and first lady Jill Biden are making a holiday visit to Children’s National Hospital this afternoon.
- Biden will visit Rome from Jan. 9-12 to meet with Pope Francis as well as Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Congress- Legislation that would end double taxation of Americans living overseas appears to be gaining traction.
TransitionOutside the Beltway- Ingrid Lewis-Martin, who resigned earlier this week as chief adviser to New York Mayor Eric Adams, was indicted on bribery and conspiracy charges.
- Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo intends to sue a former aide who accused him of sexual harassment while he was in office.
Economy- The US will release the November personal consumption expenditures price index — the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge — later this morning.
- US gross domestic product grew more than initial estimates during the third quarter of this year.
Business- Unionized Starbucks baristas in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle are beginning a five-day strike today.
Courts- An appeals court in Georgia disqualified Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from Donald Trump’s state prosecution on election interference charges.
- Accused UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter Luigi Mangione faces additional federal charges.
National SecurityForeign Policy- The US has about 2,000 troops in Syria to fight the Islamic State — double the previous number — a change the Pentagon said preceded the toppling of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would meet Donald Trump “whenever.”
Technology- The White House is working on an executive order that would allow for data centers and electrical power plants to be built on federal land to help power AI systems. — WaPo
- The US government asked Nvidia to look into how its chips found their way into China. — The Information
Media- Donald Trump transferred his nearly 114.8 million Trump Media shares to a revocable trust of which he is the only beneficiary.
- Neil Cavuto is departing Fox News. — Mediaite
Principals Team- Editors: Benjy Sarlin, Elana Schor, Morgan Chalfant
- Reporters: Burgess Everett, Kadia Goba, Shelby Talcott, David Weigel
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