Trump Cabinet picks’ wealth draws Dem scrutiny
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DEMOCRATS ARE TAKING AIM at the accumulated wealth of President-elect Trump’s Cabinet nominees, a sign they may be shifting their focus to class politics after racial politics dominated Trump’s first term. Several Democratic senators Thursday grilled Scott Bessent, the billionaire money manager Trump picked to lead the Treasury Department, about his own personal wealth and how that would affect his policies. Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.), the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, accused Bessent of planning to wage a “class war” against ordinary Americans.
“The ultimate distillation of the Trump agenda is paying for tax breaks for the top by increasing child hunger, booting tens of millions off their health insurance and laying off hundreds of thousands of manufacturing workers,” Wyden said.
This comes a day after President Biden warned in his final Oval Office address of a new American oligarchy led by the billionaire tech executives that are either actively working with the incoming Trump administration or have shifted to the right since Trump’s election victory.
Bessent is one of at least a dozen people Trump has tapped for his Cabinet or top government positions whose wealth is in the hundreds of millions or billions. “Do you think that when so few people have so much wealth, and so much economic and political power, that is an oligarchic society?” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) asked Bessent. Bessent responded, saying Biden last week gave the Presidential Medal of Freedom to some who would qualify as oligarchs, including liberal mega-donor George Soros. A Bloomberg analysis found the 100 wealthiest Americans became $1.5 trillion richer over the past four years. Democrats found some common ground with Bessent.
Sanders urged him to support Trump’s 10 percent cap on credit card interest rates, while Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) agreed to work with him to eliminate the debt limit. |
TECH EXECS CLUSTER AROUND TRUMP |
Some of the wealthiest and most powerful tech executives in the world are seeking to align themselves with Trump, after many clashed with him during his first term.
• Semafor reports that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and President Brad Smith had lunch with Trump, Vice President-elect JD Vance and Elon Musk at Mar-a-Lago on Wednesday.
• Politico reports Google CEO Sundar Pichai will get a prime seat at Trump’s inauguration, alongside Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will not attend the inauguration.
• Also attending the inauguration, according to The New York Times: TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew. The Supreme Court will rule soon on whether the U.S. TikTok ban goes through as scheduled on Jan. 19.
Biden signed the divest-or-ban law, citing national security concerns around the Chinese Communist Party’s data harvesting and social influence campaigns.
Republicans believe Trump will “find a way” to save TikTok, believing the app has been kind to him.
Trump on Thursday tapped actors Jon Voight, Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone to serve as “special ambassadors” to Hollywood and the entertainment industry. |
DESANTIS APPOINTS RUBIO SUCCESSOR |
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) tapped state Attorney General Ashley Moody (R) to replace Sen. Marco Rubio (R), who is poised to be confirmed as Trump’s secretary of State.
DeSantis cited Moody’s work on opioids, immigration and the second assassination attempt on Trump that took place at his Florida golf course.
In 2020, Moody backed the Texas v. Pennsylvania lawsuit that sought to challenge election results in several states that voted for President Biden.
“I will bring the same persistence, passion and tenacity that I have brought as attorney general as a United States senator,” she said Thursday.
The Hill’s Julia Manchester has a primer on Moody, who succeeded Pam Bondi as Florida’s attorney general. Bondi is Trump’s pick to be U.S. attorney general. |
TRUMP CABINET NOMINEES GRILLED ON CLIMATE CHANGE |
Several of Trump’s Cabinet nominees were probed on their views about climate change Thursday.
• Lee Zeldin, who Trump has tapped to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), acknowledged climate change is real but said “we must ensure we are protecting the environment while also protecting our economy.” Zeldin said he believes the EPA is authorized, but not required, to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.
• Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) asked Doug Burgum, who Trump tapped to lead the Interior Department, to try to open Trump’s mind to accepting that “wind power isn’t all bad.” Trump has in the past railed about how wind turbines are ugly and kill birds.
Burgum said he’d be “taking a look” at potentially continuing several planned offshore wind projects in the Gulf of Maine.
• Bessent excited conservatives with a combative exchange with Wyden.
“We are in an arms race in clean energy with China,” Wyden said. “Are you going to be on the side of people who want to unravel this?” Bessent responded: “Just so we can frame this for everyone in this room, China will build a 100 new coal plants this year. There is not a clean energy race. There’s an energy race.” |
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Welcome to Evening Report! I’m Jonathan Easley, catching you up from the afternoon and what’s coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here. |
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Attorneys for Rudy Giuliani and two former Georgia election workers reached a tentative settlement, potentially bringing an end to the workers’ efforts to collect a $146 million defamation judgment.
Windy weather has eased in Los Angeles, helping firefighters make progress against blazes that have destroyed parts of the city. The cost of the damages could be north of $250 billion. Lawmakers are involved in a high-stakes game of chicken over whether there should be strings attached to the aid California receives.
Republicans hold an edge in party affiliation for the third straight year, according to Gallup. Voters view Republicans’ and Democrats’ ideology as the most extreme in decades, the survey found.
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Film director David Lynch, an auteur drawn to the dark and dreamlike, died at the age of 78. Bob Uecker, the colorful baseball announcer and comedian, has died at 90.
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Dems fume after Johnson ousts Turner from top Intel post
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Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is facing backlash from Democrats and some Republicans after his surprise move to replace Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Turner had been a key GOP voice supporting Ukraine and a proponent of a a controversial law allowing the warrantless surveillance of foreigners traveling abroad.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) called the ouster “shameful.” Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he was “flabbergasted” by the move.
Rep. Jim Himes (Conn.), a top Democrat on the Intelligence panel, said he’s “enormously concerned.” Johnson denies that Trump was involved in the move, although Turner told CBS he suspects “concerns from Mar-a-Lago” led to his ouster. Johnson announced Thursday he’d replace Turner with Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.). The Hill’s Congressional team reports: “Johnson’s selection of Crawford, the most senior GOP lawmaker on the panel, could help calm concerns from national-security focused Republicans.” |
Israel, Hamas truce faces early test
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Will the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas last?
The peace deal announced Wednesday is already under strain, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying a “last minute crisis” with Hamas is holding up approval of the deal.
The agreement is slated to begin Sunday, but Netanyahu said his Cabinet won’t meet to officially approve the ceasefire unless Hamas drops new demands around the release of some Palestinian prisoners.
“Hamas has reneged on parts of the agreement reached with the mediators and Israel in an effort to extort last-minute concessions,” Netanyahu said. “The Israeli Cabinet will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement.”
Via The Hill’s Laura Kelly: “An Israeli official told The Hill that there are still questions on which Palestinian prisoners are going to be released, where they will go, and whether they will be exiled somewhere other than the Gaza Strip.”
The families of the captives are on edge, cautious but optimistic their loved ones will be returned. However, Israel believes that more than one-third of the estimated 100 hostages in Hamas custody might be dead. At least 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel. The Israeli military response has killed or displaced tens of thousands of Gazans in the 15 months since.
The truce between Israel and Hamas would roll out in phases, if it gets final approval from Israel’s Cabinet and Supreme Court. The first phase would require Hamas to begin releasing hostages, including two Americans. Israel would also release its Palestinian prisoners, although it plans hold on to several high-profile prisoners convicted of terrorism. Full details on the hostage release plans can be found here. Mediators from the U.S., Egypt and Qatar will supervise to ensure both parties are complying. |
💡Perspectives:
• Gideon’s: Don’t expect the cease-fire to last long.
• The Guardian: The Gaza ceasefire is tainted by Trump, Netanyahu.
• The Atlantic: A Gaza deal closed, but no closure. |
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