HERE IS THE LATEST–
- President Donald Trump on Monday told reporters that he believes the war in Iran “militarily is effectively over.” The president made a surprise visit to White House briefing room after meeting with Qatar’s prime minister. Trump added that Iran has been “decapitated” but is still looking to make sure there’s a long-term solution to ensuring that Iran’s nuclear program is defanged.
- Earlier on Monday, Rep. Thomas Massie moved to force a vote to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth based largely on the war in Iran. The impeachment resolution also includes references to Hegseth’s role in carrying out military actions in Yemen and Venezuela. A vote in the House could come by mid-week.
- Hegseth said he would hold a press conference on Tuesday — his first in over 180 days — on the impeachment threat, adding that the war was necessary, even if unpopular.
- Massie filed the impeachment resolution as soon as the House opened for the first day of sessions after the midterms. Lawmakers are returning to Washington for just six short weeks — a lame-duck sprint to finish the Republican agenda before the GOP majorities end with the change of power on Jan. 3, 2027.
Johnson vague about how long he’ll stay in Congress
House Speaker Mike Johnson is being noncommittal when asked about serving out his term in the next Congress.
Johnson said his plan is focused on finishing the current Congress strong.
“I’m still in charge here until early January. And we’re going to do our duty, and after that my commitment and my objective is to help my team ensure that the Republican Party has a very successful 120th Congress. We’ll see how all that develops and that’s my commitment.”
Johnson won reelection to a sixth term last week, but he announced the following day after the poor election results for Republicans that he would not run to become the next House Republican leader.
“I just didn’t feel after a lot of prayer and reflection, I didn’t feel like that was the best thing for me to do,” Johnson said.
House GOP campaign chair ‘surprised’ by level of voter dissatisfaction
Republican Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, who lost his own reelection in the midterm wipeout, said voters were clearly angry.
“It was really people coming out to send a message,” Hudson said in a brief interview with AP at the Capitol.
“They, rightly so, felt gas was too high, things were still too expensive,” he said. “And I think the mistake Republicans made is we didn’t convey to them that we cared about that, and cared about them.”
Her race still not called, a Mississippi senator declines to answer questions at the Capitol
Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith dodged reporters in the Capitol on Monday as she returned to vote while her reelection bid still has not been called.
Hyde-Smith declined to answer questions and walked briskly down a stairway, saying only that “they are counting votes.”
“I don’t do hallway interviews,” she told reporters.
Nearly 2,500 votes separated Democrat Scott Colom and Hyde-Smith in the contest with ballots still being counted. If elected, Colom would be the first Black senator from this Deep South state since post-Civil War Reconstruction.
Trump declines to say whether John Thune should stay as leader
The president did say the outgoing Senate majority leader is a “very fine man.”
“I know him very well, but that’s really up to the Senate,” Trump said Monday of whether Thune should remain as Senate Republican leader.
Trump said he wished the GOP-controlled Senate could have gotten more accomplished, such as his wide-reaching voter restrictions bill.
GOP Sen. Josh Hawley calls for fasting, prayer after ‘shocking’ midterm results
Saying the election results that brought the end of his party’s control in Congress called for a “historic response,” the Missouri Republican said Monday that he would be hosting “a time of fasting and prayer for the nation” at the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 15.
“Christian need to gather and seek the Lord,” Sen. Hawley wrote on social media in a post Monday.
In Christianity, prayer and fasting are intended to allow intense focus on God’s presence.
Congress went back into session Monday in a changed Washington after the Democrats trounced Republicans in the recent midterm elections.
Trump rejects amnesty for people living in the US illegally
After suggesting he was open to negotiating a deal with Democrats on immigration policy that he acknowledged might have been too tough, Trump on Monday said an amnesty was off the table.
“There won’t be amnesty,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “Somebody suggested, will there be amnesty? No, but— they came in. They knew the law.”
Trump defended his administration’s deportation policy as “very strong.” Asked if he had talked with his newly promoted chief of staff, Stephen Miller, about immigration changes, Trump said no.
“My policy hasn’t changed,” he said, adding that the focus will be on removing “the worst of the worst.”
Trump says he’ll support Hegseth through impeachment
“I’ll stand by him,” Trump told reporters on Monday, hours after the introduction of an impeachment resolution for his Defense secretary, Pete Hegseth.
U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, read the resolution from the House floor on the first day of sessions after the midterm election.
It largely focuses on the war in Iran but also includes references to Hegseth’s role in carrying out military actions in Yemen and Venezuela, with Massie saying Hegseth “knowingly executed and implemented unlawful orders” and “remains a threat to the Constitution.”
On Monday, Trump commended Hegseth for having “won the war” in Venezuela and for “winning the war” in Iran, which still drags on.
Trump also criticized Massie as a “sick guy,” and said, “I don’t watch Massie.” He called the outgoing congressman a “loser” who “shouldn’t be taking up the time of Congress or the Senate or anything that he’s doing.”
Trump says FBI is ‘looking into it’ after Nvidia CEO acknowledges affair
Trump spoke highly of Jensen Huang after Huang acknowledged he had been intimate with a business executive who, according to The New York Times, U.S. intelligence determined was gathering information for China.
“He’s an amazing guy, I hope there’s no problem,” Trump told journalists at the White House. “If there is a problem, we’ll let you know about it.”
“I know the FBI is looking into it in terms of something else, and I think that he’ll be in good shape,” Trump added.
He said Huang told him Monday “he had absolutely no idea that the person in question was a spy.”
Asked whether he’ll bring up Huang when he speaks to Chinese President Xi Jinping, he said, “No, I don’t think so.” China’s Foreign Ministry has dismissed the spying allegations as a smear campaign against Beijing.
Trump delivers his most definitive statement on Iran since the US midterm elections
President Donald Trump says he believes the war in Iran “militarily is effectively over.” The president made a surprise visit to the White House briefing room after meeting with Qatar’s prime minister earlier Monday.
“Iran militarily is effectively over,” Trump said. “We’re just keeping it the status quo.”
Trump added that Iran has been “decapitated” but said he is still looking to make sure there’s a long-term solution to ensuring that Iran’s nuclear program is defanged.
The president’s comments were his most definitive about moving away from his threat to resume strikes on Iran after the Democratic sweep of the U.S. midterm elections.
Democratic Leader Jeffries calls Stephen Miller a ‘stone-cold racist’
The House Democratic leader was asked during a press conference at the Capitol if the new White House chief of staff could be a viable partner as Democrats take charge of Congress.
Jeffries responded flatly: No.
“Stephen Miller is a stone-cold racist,” Jeffries said. “His track record speaks for itself.”
Jeffries, who is in line to become the House speaker in the new Congress, said: “I’ve gotten zero interest in working with that kind of individual.”
The key architect of President Trump’s hardline immigration agenda, Stephen Miller, was elevated Friday to become Trump’s chief of staff.
AP
