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December 5, 2024
Trump Picks Banking Executive to Lead Social Security Administration
(New York Times) President-elect Trump announced on Wednesday night that he had chosen Frank Bisignano, the chairman of the payment processing behemoth Fiserv, to be the commissioner of the Social Security Administration, a sizable federal agency with more than 1,200 field offices and almost 60,000 employees. Mr. Bisignano vaulted into one of the most coveted positions in the New York finance world in his late 20s as a senior vice president of what was then known as Shearson Lehman Brothers, the investment bank whose collapse in 2008 helped set off a global recession.
Go to discussionHegseth promises to stop drinking if confirmed, GOP senators say
(ABC) Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for defense secretary, said on Wednesday he would not "back down" as new misconduct allegations cause growing concern among Republican senators tasked with whether to confirm him. Going public in his own defense, Hegseth also directly addressed several of the accusations for the first time in an interview with Megyn Kelly. He denied many of the claims he mistreated women and pushed back on reports he was forced out from two veterans' nonprofit groups. He's also promised senators he's stopped drinking and won't drink if confirmed, according to Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt. Some of the misconduct accusations included claims he has been drunk in public.
Go to discussionLindsey Graham Rapidly Reverses His Take on the Hegseth Allegations: 'None of It Counts'
(Daily Beast) Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) pulled off a flip-flop in near-record time Wednesday, dismissing a litany of misconduct allegations against Pete Hegseth that just a day earlier he called “very disturbing.” Hegseth, who President-elect Donald Trump says he intends to nominate for defense secretary, was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a hotel room in 2017, which he denies.
Go to discussionTrump team considers 'illegal' workaround to speed up key campaign promise: report
(Raw Story) Donald Trump's incoming administration intends to deport migrants to countries they've never visited if their home countries refuse to accept them, according to a new report. Three sources familiar with the plans say administration officials are preparing a list of countries – including but limited to Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, Panama and Grenada – where they would send undocumented migrants as part of planned mass deportations, although it's not clear they would be allowed to legally work or live in those nations, reported NBC News.
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Effort to cut federal workforce takes aim at key US jobs engine
(Financial Times) Elon Musk’s plan to slash the federal workforce under Donald Trump is poised to upend one of the strongest engines of the US labour market: the government. Government and healthcare jobs have been the biggest source of employment in the past year, particularly for knowledge workers, data shows. US job recruiters, economists and labour leaders fear the plan to cut the workforce could crimp the number of good available jobs at a time of declining private-sector employment, compounding already-stiff competition for white-collar jobs.
Go to discussionJeffries Stays Out of the Way as Democrats Mutiny
(Political Wire) “House Democrats are poised to unseat several senior committee leaders, and Hakeem Jeffries is letting it happen,” Politico reports. “It’s akin to a mutiny, especially given Democrats’ typical deference to seniority in who leads panels. But party lawmakers are increasingly anxious about the incoming Trump administration and full GOP control of Congress. Many feel it’s crucial to have leaders who are proven fighters and can effectively push back on Republican priorities like harsh limits on legal immigration.”
Go to discussionAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez expected to run for top Oversight Committee role
(Axios) Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is expected to enter the race for ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, four House Democrats with knowledge of her plans told Axios. The 35-year-old lawmaker would easily be House Democrats' youngest committee leader at a time when some of their oldest are facing insurgent challenges. "It's going to happen soon," said one of the House Democrats. A senior House Democrat said "she has talked to" colleagues saying she is running. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) is already running for the role, with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) also expressing interest in a run as well.
Go to discussion46 Senators Call on Biden to Certify Equal Rights Amendment as GOP Control Looms
(Common Dreams) Emphasizing that the Equal Rights Amendment is the only proposed constitutional amendment that has yet to be certified, 46 U.S. senators have joined the growing national call for President Joe Biden to ensure the proposed statute is part of the Constitution when he leaves office in January. Reporting on the letter on Tuesday, the Virginia-based publication Style Weekly noted that the state's two Democratic senators—Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine—joined almost the entire Democratic caucus in sending the letter to Biden on November 22.
Go to discussionTrump's transition was supposed to be a show of force. What happened?
(Politico) Over the last 24 hours, Donald Trump lost his pick to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration. His choice for Defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, is struggling to gain support from Senate Republicans. The president-elect is now even considering his onetime rival, Gov. Ron DeSantis, to lead the Pentagon. And these shake-ups to his not-yet-formed administration come after former Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration as Trump’s choice for attorney general.
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