memeorandum: Trump's health team: RFK Jr. and 5 doctors tapped to lead ‘MAHA’ (Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech/The Hill)

10:00 AM ET, December 1, 2024

Top Items:

A Second Trump Term Poses a Crucial Test of the Senate's Independence — President-elect Donald J. Trump is threatening to challenge the institution's historic role, and the Constitution, with his prospective nominees and threats to push the boundaries of executive authority.

Discussion: USA Today and Florida Politics

Tom Nichols / The Atlantic:

The Kash Patel Principle — Trump's choice for FBI director speaks volumes about his real second-term agenda — Trump has been releasing names of his nominees for the Cabinet and other senior posts in waves. He began with some relatively conventional choices, and then unloaded one bombshell …

Discussion: RedState, Tampa Free Press, Forbes, Rolling Stone, The Independent and Alternet.org

New York Times:

Trump Says He Will Nominate Kash Patel to Run F.B.I. — President-elect Donald J. Trump turned to a firebrand loyalist to become director of the bureau, which he sees as part of a ‘deep state’ conspiracy against him. — President-elect Donald J. Trump said on Saturday that he wants …

Discussion: Axios, RedState, Raw Story, emptywheel, Digby's Hullabaloo, Althouse, The Moderate Voice, Fox News, Townhall, Twitchy, Washington Examiner, The Independent, The Daily Signal, Kevin Drum, Politico and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

Associated Press:

Trump taps Kash Patel for FBI director, an ally who would aid in his effort to upend law enforcement — President-elect Donald Trump says he will nominate Kash Patel to serve as FBI director, turning to a fierce ally to upend America's premier law enforcement agency and rid the government of perceived “conspirators.”

Discussion: Raw Story, Forbes, Alternet.org, Al Jazeera, New York Times, Townhall, HuffPost, The Hill, Fox News, Florida Politics, Axios, RedState, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller and Twitchy

NBC News:

Trump taps Kash Patel for FBI director — Patel served as chief of staff to to the acting secretary of defense during the first Trump administration. — President-elect Donald Trump announced Saturday he would pick Kash Patel, the former chief of staff to to the acting secretary …

Discussion: Raw Story, Alternet.org, PJ Media, Al Jazeera, ABC News, Tampa Free Press, USA Today, Bloomberg and The Post Millennial

Sadie Gurman / Wall Street Journal:
Trump Picks Kash Patel as FBI Director

Discussion: Washington Post, Scripps News, Associated Press, Breitbart, Mediaite, NPR, Reuters, New York Post, The Hill, One America News Network, CBS News and The Gateway Pundit

Associated Press:

Social democrats gain and incumbents are punished in Iceland's election — Voters in Iceland appeared to have rejected incumbent parties in a parliamentary election, partial results showed Sunday, with a center-left party leading the contest in the North Atlantic island nation.

Discussion: Politico, Reuters, Associated Press and Al Jazeera

Ragnhildur Sigurdardottir / Bloomberg:

Iceland's Opposition Social Democrats Score Election Victory — Party won 15 seats in Nordic nation's 63-seat parliament — Voters' dismay over sticky inflation dominated short campaign — Iceland's opposition Social Democrats won snap parliamentary elections as the ruling bloc …

Discussion: Reuters

Fatima Hussein / Associated Press:

Trump threatens 100% tariff on the BRIC bloc of nations if they act to undermine US dollar — President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday threatened 100% tariffs against a bloc of nine nations if they act to undermine the U.S. dollar. His threat was directed at countries in the so-called BRIC alliance …

Discussion: Middle East Monitor, The Hill, Fox Business, The Independent, Daily Mail and Bloomberg

John L. Dorman / Business Insider:
Trump is now threatening 100% tariffs on the BRICS group — which comprises 9 emerging market countries

Discussion: Mediaite, Breitbart, USA Today, NBC News, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, Washington Examiner, Politico, Axios, Reuters, The Post Millennial and Washington Post

Associated Press:
Canada's Trudeau returns home after Trump meeting without assurances that tariffs are off the table

Associated Press:

Putin signs off record Russian defense spending as top EU officials visit Kyiv — Russian President Vladimir Putin approved budget plans, raising 2025 military spending to record levels as Moscow seeks to prevail in the war in Ukraine. Around 32.5% of the budget posted on a government website Sunday …

Discussion: Agence France-Presse and Reuters

Claudia Chiappa / Politico:

Putin approves new budget with record defense spending — Russian President Vladimir Putin signed off the country's new budget on Sunday, which includes record spending on military needs amid Moscow's ongoing assault against Ukraine. — Around 32.5 percent of the 2025 budget …

Discussion: The Kyiv Independent and Reuters

Sudiksha Kochi / USA Today:

Trump nominates Charles Kushner, father of Jared Kushner, as US Ambassador to France — WASHINGTON - President-elect Donald Trump selected Charles Kushner, father of Jared Kushner, to serve as U.S. Ambassador to France on Saturday. — “I am pleased to nominate Charles Kusher, of New Jersey …

Azi Paybarah / Washington Post:
Charles Kushner, pardoned in 2020, to be nominated ambassador to France

Discussion: Raw Story and Axios

Zach Montague / New York Times:
Trump Names Charles Kushner as Pick for Ambassador to France

Discussion: Forbes

Associated Press:
Trump wants pardoned real estate developer Charles Kushner to become US ambassador to France

Discussion: CBS News

Reid J. Epstein / New York Times:

Wisconsin Democratic Chair Says He Is the One to Revive a Distressed Party — Ben Wikler, who has led the Wisconsin Democratic Party since 2019, announced a bid to be national party chair with a platform to “unite, fight, win.” — Ben Wikler, the Wisconsin Democratic chairman …

Discussion: Althouse

Zach LaChance / Washington Examiner:

Former House Democrat lays into ‘toxic’ party, calls for ‘rebrand’ after election blowout — As assessments of what went wrong for Democrats in the 2024 election have poured in over the past few weeks and the party searches for its next leader, one former House member is calling for a “complete rebranding.”

Zachary Leeman / Mediaite:
Ex-Dem Rep Tim Ryan Warns On MSNBC His Own Party ‘Is Toxic’ To Voters: ‘What Are We Doing?’

Discussion: The Hill, The Gateway Pundit and Balloon Juice

Ellen Knickmeyer / Associated Press:

What to know about sudden rebel gains in Syria's 13-year war and why it matters — The 13-year civil war in Syria has roared back into prominence with a surprise rebel offensive on Aleppo, one of Syria's largest cities and an ancient business hub. The push is among the rebels' strongest …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg.com, The Times of Israel, The Kyiv Independent, WPMT, Al Jazeera, New York Times, NPR, Reuters, CBS News, Exposing the role …, GB News and Politico

Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech / The Hill:

Trump's health team: RFK Jr. and 5 doctors tapped to lead ‘MAHA’ — President-elect Trump has finished making selections for the top public health roles in his incoming administration after he issued a flurry of nominations late Friday and tapped a leader for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Wednesday.

Discussion: Los Angeles Times and Breitbart

Ally Mutnick / Politico:

The congressional battlegrounds were set. Then Trump changed everything. — “There's definitely a realignment going on in American politics,” said Dan Conston, the president of the Congressional Leadership Fund. — Donald Trump's surge among Latino voters is upending the American political map.

Discussion: RedState

The White House:

Statement by NSC Spokesperson Sean Savett on Edan Alexander — The hostage video released today of American-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander is a cruel reminder of Hamas's terror against citizens of multiple countries, including our own. We have been in touch with Edan's family.