Today’s notice: Democrats prep their confirmation hearing strategy. Oklahoma’s AG is prepping his governor’s run, and California is far from prepared for an insurance crisis.
Democrats Can’t Tank Trump’s Nominees on the Floor, But…
They do have an opportunity to exact a pound of flesh on a public stage during confirmation hearings that kick off this week. Everything from brain worms to dead dogs to alleged womanizing to ties to exiled Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad is fair game for Democrats to raise during Pete Hegseth’s, Tulsi Gabbard’s, Kash Patel’s and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s hearings.
Will Democrats go there as the party recalibrates after suffering bruising election losses? While they are, at best, skeptical of many of Donald Trump’s cabinet picks and, at worst, utterly repulsed, Dems are still adjusting to a post-#resistance era.
Sen. Cory Booker — who is piloting a new leadership position as the chair of the Strategic Communications Committee — said Democrats are “not looking to make this partisanship or tribalism,” he said. “We’re trying to refocus it.”
Booker’s guiding question: “Are they fighting for Americans, or are they going to fight for the kind of cronyism politics that’s really hurt this place?”
Sen. John Fetterman is taking this mantra to the most extreme. He met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago this weekend and has met with many of the nominees — except for Dr. Mehmet Oz, he noted to NOTUS. He said he will spend the hearings “listening.”
But that’s not every Democrat’s plan. Armed Services Committee member Sen. Mazie Hirono, who grew her profile with her aggressive questioning of Brett Kavanaugh, told NOTUS that this time around, she’s locked in on what the nominees “bring to the job.”
“Aside from 100% loyalty to Trump,” she said.
—Riley Rogerson | Read the story.
As for Republicans…
The pressure won’t only be coming from Democrats. NOTUS’ Helen Huiskes reports on Sen. Bill Cassidy and the 2026 primary bid already underway to unseat him over insufficient fealty to MAGA. Skeptics of nominees like RFK Jr. are counting on Republicans like Cassidy to buck his party. But MAGA is counting on Trump’s popularity with the GOP base to keep senators senators in line. “You know, if he’s a thorn to the side, I’d argue it would hurt him,” Louisiana political strategist Lionel Rainey told Helen.
Front Page
- Will Republicans Learn to Love a Bigger, More Expensive Child Tax Credit?: As Trump and Josh Hawley embrace the policy, others in the party ask how they would pay for it.
- Housing Advocates Don’t Know What to Expect From Trump’s HUD: “I have a vague recollection of him playing football,” Rep. Emanuel Cleaver said of Scott Turner.
NOTUS Scoop: A New Contender in Oklahoma’s Governor’s Race
First-term Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond is planning to announce a bid for governor today, NOTUS’ Reese Gorman and Em Luetkemeyer report. There are a handful of Republicans who have been floated to replace term-limited Gov. Kevin Stitt, though some prominent electeds like Rep. Kevin Hern and Sen. James Lankford have bowed out. Drummond “has already shown a willingness to throw his own money into political races,” Reese and Em write, meaning the GOP primary is “poised to be a very expensive statewide election.”
A Looming Insurance Crisis in California
The Los Angeles wildfires are devastating one of the world’s great cities. The politics of homeowner’s insurance could mean that devastation may be long-lasting for many families, report NOTUS’ Claire Heddles, Anna Kramer and Mark Alfred. “California has tried and failed to use regulation to create a Goldilocks insurance market — one where insurance is affordable, available and the insurers are solvent,” the trio report. This is a familiar problem to residents of places particularly vulnerable to climate change. The solutions remain largely unpalatable in mainstream politics. It’s a story we sadly will all be hearing a lot more about in the coming years.
The Political Power of a Glass of Wine (Or Two)
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy wants to put labels on alcoholic beverages warning they could be carcinogenic. Guess how that is landing in Congress, where the alcohol lobby spends a lot of money (and represents a lot of home state employers)? “I think just looking at the science there, and coming from the state of California, I think a glass of wine or two isn’t a bad thing,” Rep. Ami Bera told NOTUS’ Torrence Banks and Mark Alfred.
Raise a bipartisan glass to downplaying the labels.
Musk’s Political Power Has a Conflict of Interest
Speaking of bipartisanship, leaders from both parties supported a provision in last month’s failed spending deal aimed at forcing American companies to reveal a lot more about their investments in sensitive Chinese industries, NOTUS’ Haley Byrd Wilt reports. Elon Musk helped kill that bipartisan spending deal.
He also has a lot of financial interest in China. Now the bipartisan group must start over on the China bill in a Congress where Musk has a great deal of influence. “This is probably going to be a problem,” the Hudson Institute’s Michael Sobolik told Haley.
Week Ahead
- Confirmation hearings start this week. On Tuesday, Defense nominee Pete Hegseth, Interior pick Doug Burgum and Veterans Affairs nominee Doug Collins are up.
- State Department nominee Marco Rubio, AG pick Pam Bondi, Energy nominee Chris Wright, DOT pick Sean Duffy, CIA director pick John Ratcliffe, OMB director nominee Russell Vought and Homeland Security pick Kristi Noem have their hearings Wednesday. (AgSec nominee Brooke Rollins’ hearing was scheduled for Wednesday, but will be delayed due to a paperwork holdup.)
- Also on Wednesday, the Supreme Court will be issuing opinions. We’ll be watching for the fate of TikTok.
- Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump’s choice for ambassador to the United Nations, and HUD nominee Scott Turner are up on Thursday, with a second scheduled hearing for Bondi as well.
- On Thursday, the DNC and Politico are also hosting the first in-person forum for DNC leadership candidates in Detroit.
Not Us
We know NOTUS reporters can’t cover it all. Here’s some other great hits by… not us.
- The Trumps Are in Talks to Reclaim Their Prized D.C. Hotel by Craig Karmin for The Wall Street Journal
- The year ahead in 10 election days by David Weigel for Semafor
- Health Care AI, Intended To Save Money, Turns Out To Require a Lot of Expensive Humans by Darius Tahir for KFF Health News
Meet Us: Amelia Benavides-Colón
Welcome to “Meet Us” where we introduce you to a member of the NOTUS team. Up today is Amelia Benavides-Colón who is an AJI fellow and reporter covering Virginia.
- Hometown: Detroit, Michigan
- Past: Former The South End student newspaper editor-in-chief, Outlier Media’s Detroit Documenters program, The Detroit News, Crain’s Detroit Business and Detroit Free Press. Before joining AJI, I was at The Chronicle of Higher Education as its Diversity in Media scholarship winner.
- Why journalism: It feels like my duty, and doesn’t feel at all like work. I’ve had a passion for reading and writing my whole life and storytelling has always been a powerful motivator.
- AJI highlight so far: The candid, open conversations we’ve had with the best journalists in our industry.
- Thing you can’t live without: Music.
- Best advice you’ve ever been given: Never get comfortable.
Tell Us Your Thoughts
Who will be the breakout stars of Trump’s confirmation hearings?
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