What’s Up

No false equivalencies. No echo chambers. A fact-based center column with civil discussion from the left, liberals and progressives in the left column and anti- and pro-Trump conservatives in the right column.

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Questions for This Week

•The Hill counts 11 times that President Biden said publicly he would not pardon his son, Hunter, before announcing Sunday that he would pardon his son, Hunter. What are your thoughts about Biden’s about-face? (In his first administration, President Trump pardoned his daughter's father-in-law, Charles Kushner, who now is the president-elect's choice for US ambassador to France.)

•After coordinating a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, which Israel has been fighting in southern Lebanon, what are the chances the Biden administration can reach a similar agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, before President-elect Trump’s January 20 inauguration?

•Your thoughts on President-elect Trump’s naming uber-MAGAist Kash Patel to replace Christopher Wray as FBI director?

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MONDAY 12/2/24

…meanwhile…

The economy added a healthy 227,000 jobs in November, the Labor Department reports, with an unemployment rate of 4.2%. That’s up slightly from 4.1% in September and October, though new jobs in October were stifled by hurricanes Helene and Milton, and by a strike at aircraft manufacturer Boeing. November job growth was strongest in health care, leisure and hospitality, government and social assistance, while the retail trade lost jobs. CHART: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

FRIDAY 12/6/24

Notre Dame Reopens – President-elect Trump will attend opening ceremonies for Notre Dame in Paris, The Guardian reports, as well as President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Trump has found a European ally in French President Emmanuel Macron, who has taken credit for Notre Dame’s deadline-beating five-year reconstruction following a severe fire at the cathedral.

Macron is on the political ropes, however, for a looming budget crisis. Earlier this week, an unlikely coalition of hard-left and hard-right lawmakers removed Macron’s hand-picked prime minister, Michel Barnier, in the nation’s first successful vote of no-confidence since 1962.

•••

CBP Director Named – President-elect Trump named in a statement released Thursday former US Border Patrol chief Rodney Scott to lead Customs and Border Protection, according to NPR’s Morning Edition. Scott served the Trump 45 and Biden administrations for 19 months as Border Patrol head, implementing key border enforcement policies Title 42 and the Migrant Protection Protocol, a.k.a. “Remain in Mexico.”

CPB has more than 600,000 employees covering more than 300 airport, seaport and land border points of entry.

•••

Buying With Crypto – Venture capitalist David Sacks, who worked with Elon Musk more than two decades ago at PayPal, is the president-elect’s choice for White House AI & Crypto czar, Donald J. Trump announced on his Truth Social, according to The Wall Street Journal, which notes that Sacks hosted a June fundraiser in San Francisco for the Trump campaign, raising more than $12 million. Musk and Vice President-elect JD Vance congratulated Sacks on Musk’s X-Twitter.

--TL

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...meanwhile...

THURSDAY 12/5/24

Pre-Emptive Pardons Pondered – The Biden White House is said to be considering pardons for President-elect Trump’s known enemies, “senior Democrats familiar with discussions” have told Politico. The list includes Sen.-elect Adam Schiff (D-CA), former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases chief Anthony Fauci and, of course, former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), who was lead Republican on the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6^th Attack on the United States Capitol.

And yes, in case you were wondering, if Trump’s choice for FBI director, Kash Patel, and/or his choice for attorney general, Pam Bondi, were to target any of these individuals, it would be a sign our democracy indeed is faltering.

•••

Hegseth Won’t Back Down – Allegations of serious misogyny and an excessive drinking problem aren’t affecting former Fox & Friends Weekend host Pete Hegseth’s resolve in becoming the next Trump administration’s Defense secretary.

“I spoke to the president this morning, he supports me fully,” Hegseth said Wednesday after meeting with incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), according to The Wall Street Journal, which earlier this week broke the story that Team Trump is now in negotiations with Ron DeSantis to make the Florida governor the president-elect’s nominee, instead. “We’re not going anywhere.”

•••

Two More Named – Per Politico, President-elect Trump Wednesday named former senator from Georgia Kelly Loeffler – who lost to Democrat Raphael Warnock in 2020 – to head the Small Business Administration. Loeffler serves as co-chair of Trump’s second inaugural committee. More intriguingly, Loeffler is former CEO of Bakkt, a commodity and cryptocurrency platform in talks to be purchased by Trump’s Truth Social platform.

Trump also named to run the Social Security Administration Frank Bisignano, CEO of fintech and payments company Fiserv.

--TL

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Florida Men (and Women) – Donald J. Trump is looking at replacing ex-Fox News personality Pete Hegseth with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as his choice for Defense secretary, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing “people familiar with the discussions.” Hegseth has been the subject of deep scrutiny over his personal life -- including reports of a 2017 sexual assault allegation which he paid for to keep secret -- since Trump named him as the man he wants to lead the Pentagon.

Trump and DeSantis visited a memorial service together in Palm Beach, Florida, Tuesday, for fallen law enforcement, according to the report.

DeSantis, aka “DeSanctimonious,” drew Trump’s ire when he challenged the former and future president for the GOP nomination early this year. Some of the closest members of Trump’s inner-circle are said to oppose making the Florida governor Hegseth’s replacement-nominee. DeSantis is a former US Navy attorney who served at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.

If Trump chooses DeSantis, which would happen within a couple of days as Hegseth’s personal life remains pinned under a microscope, it would accelerate the game of musical chairs being played by the Florida GOP. DeSantis already has the task of replacing Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who faces near-certain Senate confirmation as Trump’s choice for secretary of state. Trump’s closest loyalists want DeSantis to name the president-elect’s daughter-in-law and co-chair of the Republican National Convention, Lara Trump, as Rubio’s replacement, the WSJ says.

Then there’s Florida’s governor’s office, which presumably would go to Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez (R). DeSantis is term-limited from running for governor again in 2026, and there has been speculation that former Trump attorney general nominee and former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) will run after next year.

•••

Briefing Room Shuffle? – The incoming Trump administration is looking at clearing out the White House James Brady Briefing Room of news outlets that are not loyal to the president-elect, The Hill reports. Outlets including NBC News, CBS News, ABC News and Reuters, which traditionally have seats in the front row along with Fox News, and in the second row The Wall Street Journal, CBS News Radio, NPR, The New York Times, The Washington Post and Bloomberg News would be replaced by podcasters, internet personalities and media “deemed more friendly” to Trump, according to The Hill, which traditionally is in the fourth row.

“It would be a total mess,” a White House reporter told The Hill. “I would expect people would probably boycott the briefings, though that would put certain outlets in a tough spot deciding if they want to go along with what the people are trying to pull.”

--TL

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...meanwhile...

TUESDAY 12/3/24

Martial Law in South Korea – Yoon Suk Yeol, president of South Korea declared an “emergency martial law” on TV overnight, accusing opposition forces of an “insurgency” and of trying to control parliament, sympathizing with North Korea and paralyzing his government with “anti-state activities” (per BBC, AP and The New York Times). It’s the first declaration of martial law in South Korea since 1980, the BBC reports. One source told the BBC the streets of Seoul are quiet, but “The people here certainly look bewildered.”

Netanyahu’s playbook? … In his television address, Yoon accused those government opposition forces of “trying to overthrow the free democracy.” President since 2022, Yoon has been facing potential impeachment amid calls for independent investigations of scandals involving his wife and top officials.

•••

Advances Against Assad – Rebel group Haý at Tahrir al-Sham has taken over Syria’s second-largest city, Aleppo, and are advancing on the capital of Damascus in an uprising that began last week after nearly 14 years of civil war, NPR’s Morning Edition reports. Fighting between rebels and President Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian Armed Forces had been halted by a 2020 cease-fire. Assad’s allies Iran and Russia have had to divert military assistance to the Hezbollah-Israeli conflict and war in Ukraine, respectively, the last US ambassador to Syria (2011-14), Robert Ford, told NPR’s Leila Fadel.

So the Russian-Syrian connection could have implications for Ukraine after President-elect Trump takes office next month.

But Atlantic Council non-resident fellow Omer Ozkizilcik believes Russia will make Ukraine, and not Syria, its priority.

“I do highly doubt that Russia will accept to stall its advance in Ukraine, in the battlefield, for protecting the Assad regime in Syria,” Ozkizilcik told Al Jazeera. “And it’s very unlikely for the Russians to step up and rescue the Assad regime.”

•••

No Payout, Yet, for Musk – Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick, the Delaware judge who negated Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s multi-billion-dollar pay package last January, Monday ordered the package to be rescinded after shareholders voted its approval, The Wall Street Journal reports. McCormick said she was not swayed by shareholder approval coming after her January ruling, saying directors were beholden to Musk, and that the approval was “tainted” and lacks transparency.

Jumping for Trump … Musk’s stock-option pay package was valued at roughly $44-45 billion early this year. But Tesla shares have rallied since Donald J. Trump’s presidential election victory November 5 and Musk’s package is currently valued at $55.8 billion, according to the WSJ.

•••

Oxford Word of the Year – Is “brain rot” (though we count two words). Sure. Why not?

--TL

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While We've Been Feasting

MONDAY 12/2/24

Art of Ukraine’s NATO Deal – With the threat of President-elect Trump’s plan to end the Russian-Ukraine war on Day One looming over the invaded country, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week suggested that perhaps it’s time to fast-track Ukraine into NATO membership, at the alliance’s Foreign Ministerial meeting Tuesday and Wednesday. The plan outlined by Zelenskyy would end the “hot phase” of the war in exchange for NATO membership. It would not immediately include territories already occupied by Russia.

“We understand that Article 5, when you’re a member of NATO, cannot apply to the entire territory of Ukraine during wartime, as countries are against the risks of being drawn into war,” Zelenskyy said at a news conference with Antonio Costa, the new president of the European Council, The Kyiv Independent reports.

•••

Biden’s Last Victory? – Israel signed a 60-day cease-fire with Hezbollah, in which it will gradually withdraw its forces from Lebanon, and Hezbollah will not entrench itself near the Israeli border, according to The New York Times. More to come … and as always, your opinions and perspectives are welcome. Email editors@thehustings.news and please indicate your political leanings in the subject line.

•••

He Is Trump’s Retribution – While noise from the opposition to Trump nominees ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz (withdrawn) for attorney general, Peter Hegseth for Defense secretary and Orbánophile Sebastian Gorka as administrative assistant to the president nearly drowns each other out, controversy is hitting new heights with the president-elect’s choice for FBI director. Donald J. Trump has named one of his most loyal followers, Kash Patel, to replace Christopher Wray as FBI director. Trump appointed Wray seven years ago, which means the incoming president wants him removed with three years left in his term.

What would happen to the FBI under Patel? It seems the entire Trump administration will be quite busy on “day one.”

“I’d shut down the FBI Hoover building on day one and then reopen it the next day as a museum of the deep state,” he said, according to NBC News.

Short-lived Trump administration National Security Advisor John Bolton reacted in this statement to NBC News’ Meet the Press: “Trump has nominated Kash Patel to be his Lavrentiy Beria,” a reference to Stalin’s much-feared secret police chief. “Fortunately, the FBI is not the NKVD. The Senate should reject the nomination 100-0.”

Nepo in-laws … Last Saturday, Trump appointed Charles Kushner, father of son-in-law Jared, to be US ambassador to France, and Massad Boulos, the Lebanese-American father-in-law of Tiffany Trump, to be senior advisor of Arab and Middle-Eastern affairs (per The Forward).

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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MONDAY 12/2/24

He Could Have Been Really Good, If Not Best

By Stephen Macaulay

You may recall the campaign kicked off by Melania Trump in May 2018, “Be Best.”

Well, maybe you don’t. According to the most recent Siena College Expert Survey of American First Ladies, released in December 2020, Melania Trump, when it came to metrics including such things as “value to the country,” “accomplishments,” “leadership,” and “public image” (who can forget the jacket with “I really don’t care, do u?” inscribed on the back when she went to visit a child migrant detention center?), of the 40 first ladies assessed, Mrs. Trump came in last, behind Eliza Johnson (36), Letitia Tyler (37), Margaret Taylor (38), and Jane Pierce (39).

So one could argue that there isn’t a lot of residual impact of her first go round as First Lady.

But the “Be Best” concept came to mind when I was thinking about Donald Trump and his selections for cabinet positions.

In the 2021 C-SPAN Historians Survey of Presidential Leadership, the Top 10 presidents are:

Abraham Lincoln
George Washington
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Theodor Roosevelt
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Harry S Truman
Thomas Jefferson
John F. Kennedy
Ronald Reagan
Barack Obama

The Bottom 5:

James Buchanan
Andrew Johnson
Franklin Pierce
William Henry Harrison
Donald Trump

Claims about how he’s better than every president in history (and probably better than all of those who will exist in the future) notwithstanding, it seems likely that he isn’t going to do well in history books, and when you are 78, it is probably a good time to consider just how you will be thought of when you have departed this veil of tears.

One of the simple things that Trump could have done in order to rocket up that list is to make “Be Best” cabinet nominees.

Consider that the in-coming president could contact the most talented, respected, capable, educated, experienced, and not under suspicion for various imbroglios, sexual, financial, political.

Amazing diplomats. Renowned medical experts. Nobel-winning economists. Lauded business executives.

Trump could have created a cabinet full of people that would have made Thomas Jefferson seem like a dullard.

The world would have been amazed at the incredible collection of people that Trump brought together.

But what did he do?

Picked a group of people whose qualifications seem to be mainly appearing on Fox News, appealing to his sense of power (Trump undoubtedly feels a bit of jealousy about Kennedy’s Camelot so giving RFK Jr. a job he is imminently unqualified for puts Trump, he thinks, one up on JFK), or who have simply been lickspittles.

As you may recall, during the first meeting of Trump’s first cabinet in June 2017 Trump had each of the people, in effect, praise and offer fealty to him. Presumably it is going to be smarmier this time.

Consider: Rex Tillerson had been the CEO of ExxonMobil before becoming Trump’s first secretary of state. This time it is Marco Rubio, a man who Trump demeaned repeatedly, and who wilted under this — just the sort of behavior you want for someone who will be negotiating with people like Vladimir Putin.

James Mattis commanded U.S. Joint Forces Command, was NATO’s Supreme Allied Command for Transformation, and U.S. Central Command. Pete Hegseth is to be respected for his service, but his resume is a bit light command-wise, which is important for running the Department of Defense.

John F. Kelly, who enlisted in the Marines in 1970, was the commander of the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) which had him working closely with US law enforcement personnel and the secretary of Homeland Security before being named secretary of Homeland Security. Kristi Noem in the governor with a state that has a population approximately that of Austin, Texas.

When history is written, Trump could have been not simply a contender, but a champ.

His cabinet picks show that isn’t something important to him.

Apparently there is more of a “I really don’t care, do u?” approach to his forthcoming presidency.

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MONDAY 12/2/24

What’s Left

No echo chambers. No false equivalencies. Free, fair and civil discussion of political news/news aggregate, in our center column, for liberals and conservatives. This is what we are about; the anti-X/Twitter.

Go to the top of Page 2, where contributor Hugh Hansen’s thoughts about the presidential election appear in the left column, and pundit-at-large Stephen Macaulay’s thoughts appear in the right column.

You are encouraged to participate in this humble endeavor. Email your Comments to editors@thehustings.news and please indicate in the subject line your political leanings, so we post them in the proper column.

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Thanksgiving Wk 2024

Happy Thanksgiving

Before we take a week off for Thanksgiving, let’s get you caught up with President-elect Trump’s picks for his cabinet, and other key appointments. Trump named the following on Friday …

Requires Senate Confirmation

•Labor secretary – Lori Chavez-DeRemer

•CIA director – John Ratcliffe

•Environmental Protection Agency director – Lee Zeldin

•Treasury secretary – Scott Bessent

•Agriculture secretary – Brooke Rollins

•Commerce – Howard Lutnick

•Food and Drug Administration director – Martin A. Makary

•North Atlantic Treaty Organization ambassador – Matthew G. Whitaker

•Housing secretary – Scott Turner

•Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director – Dave Welden

•Surgeon General – Janette Nesheiwat

•Office of Management and Budget director – Russell T. Vought

No Senate Confirmation

•Deputy Chiefs of Staff -- James Blair, Taylor Budowich, Stephen Miller, Dan Scavino

•Border czar – Thomas Homan

•National Security Advisor – Michael Waltz

•White House Council – Bill McGinley

•Communication director – Steven Cheung

•Press secretary – Karoline Leavitt

•Staff secretary – Will Scharf

•Personnel – Sergio Gor

•Federal Communications Commission chair – Brendan Carr

•Deputy National Security advisor – Alex Wong

•Deputy assistant to the president – Sebastian Gorka

--TL

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Thanksgiving Wk 2024

What’s Right

Pundit-at-Large Stephen Macaulay has had a lot to say about Donald J. Trump’s stunning electoral college and popular vote win on November 5. Scroll down the page with the trackbar on the far right to read …

•”Drive, He Said”

•”Matt Gaetz: A Very Clever Man”

•”Help Wanted, Experience Irrelevant”

You will notice that our pundit-at-large is a conservative, but also cut from the never-Trumper cloth. That does not mean we want to discourage commentary from pro-Trump conservatives. As we ask all our readers (and expect from our contributors) please express your comments with civility and with adherence to the facts.

Go to Page 2 to see what a page of The Hustings will look like when contributors and readers from the left and the right participate at the same time. At the top of the next page you will find straight coverage of the presidential election in the center column, with Hugh Hansen’s “Silver Linings?” in the left column and Macaulay’s “Those Who Need to Know Don’t” in the right column.

We encourage you to participate along with Hansen and Macaulay. Email your Comments to editors@thehustings.news and please indicate in the subject line your political leanings, so we post them in the proper column.

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Thanksgiving Week 2024

Left to Your Devices

Last Friday, the real CEO of The Onion’s owner Global Tetrahedron, Ben Collins, told NPR’s All Things Considered he hopes to use his company’s purchase out of bankruptcy of Alex Jones’ Infowars as a way to fight extremist conspiracy theories dominating social media. We applaud this: If The Hustings had a better sense of humor (and the necessary funds) we would try to do exactly the same thing.

Instead, we are here to bring together citizens from various points on the left and right sides of the political horseshoe to discuss and argue – in a civil manner – real, fact-based news/news aggregate, and push back against the same sort of social media BS. We are the anti-X/Twitter.

No echo chambers. No false equivalency. Facts, useful analysis and context for political animals and the politically curious.

No matter which side of the political horseshoe you are on, we humbly solicit your thoughts and opinions on the latest political news and issues.

Email your COMMENTS to editors@thehustings.news and please indicate your political leanings in the subject line – you do not have to tow your side’s line on a specific issue, but we do want to post your comments in the appropriate column – right or left.

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TUESDAY 11/19/24

Trump’s AG and Russian Missiles

Joe Biden became the first US president to visit ‘Earth’s lungs,’ the Brazilian rainforest, Sunday, on his way to a G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro. (White House photo) ... Biden later skipped the official G20 photo and refused to answer reporters' questions.

Bondi – President-elect Trump’s quick pivot from ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) as his choice for attorney general to a “fellow loyalist” (Politico) from Florida, Pam Bondi, happened so quickly Thursday it seems like it has to have been planned this way all along. The remaining question is whether Gaetz might try to reclaim his House seat, as Pundit-at-Large Stephen Macaulay predicted, or whether he might run for Florida governor when Ron DeSantis is term-limited out in two years.

If Gaetz wants to return to the House, that would reignite the Ethics Committee’s investigation. But even if he doesn’t, the committee still may release its investigation of him.

Bondi was Florida’s attorney general from 2011 to 2019 when she defended Trump in his first impeachment trial. She reappeared with Trump on the campaign trail in the final days of this year’s campaign, according to Politico and in the interim has served as the co-chair of the America First Policy Institute’s law and justice division, an organization described as a “Trump administration in waiting.”

Trump reportedly picked Gaetz after a Trump jet flight in which the president-elect was unhappy with his AG choices, and the then-representative suggested himself. Was Bondi to be shadow-AG to Gaetz? Was all this folderol over the Gaetz pick some sort of television performance art worthy of The Apprentice? (Trump’s TV show, not the new movie about Roy Cohn and DJT.)

•••

Correction – Russia hit Dnipro, Ukraine, not with an intercontinental ballistic missile as reported Thursday, but with an “experimental” intermediate-range ballistic missile. Like an ICBM however, the “Oreshnik” (Russian for “hazel”) missile could carry a nuclear warhead although this one didn’t. Vladimir Putin described Oreshnik on Russian TV, according to NPR’s Morning Edition.

“This is an obvious and serious increase in the scale and brutality of war,” Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on his Telegram messaging app.

--TL

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...meanwhile...THURSDAY 11/21/24

Gaetz Withdraws -- Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) he is withdrawing his name to become President-elect Trump's US attorney general, Reuters reports.

•••

ICC Arrest Warrants for Netanyahu – Alleging Israel has used starvation as a weapon and directs attacks against civilians, the International Criminal Court Thursday has issued an arrest warrant for war crimes for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant (per The Wall Street Journal). ICC prosecution drew praise from many countries, but outrage from the Biden administration and much of US Congress last May when it first sought the warrants. Several Hamas leaders who were also named in the ICC warrant have been killed by the Israeli Defense Force.

•••

ICBMs Hit Dnipro, Ukraine – Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile on Dnipro Thursday morning, Kyiv’s air force reported according to The Kyiv Independent. ICBMs are capable of carrying nuclear warheads – though obviously not in this case. The ICBM triggered a country-wide air raid alert.

•••

Gaetz Headed for Hearing – It looks like President-elect Trump’s choice for attorney general, ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is headed for a Senate confirmation hearing, as Republican members of the Judiciary Committee said he should be given the opportunity to address misconduct allegations (per CQ Roll Call).

“I fear the process surrounding the Gaetz nomination is turning into an angry mob, and unverified allegations are being treated as if they are true,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, top Republican on Judiciary. “I have seen this movie before.”

Meanwhile… Speaking of unverified, the House Ethics Committee will not release findings of its investigation of Gaetz for alleged sexual misconduct and drug use, committee Chairman Michael Guest (R-MS) announced. The committee’s ranking Democrat, Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA) indicated a 5-5 split between Republicans and Democrats on whether to release the report. At least one committee Republican would have to vote with the five Democrats to break the tie. Wild said the committee will reconvene Dec. 5 to further consider the matter, per NPR.

•••

Speaker Backs Mace – Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has backed Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) in her efforts to keep the first transgender woman elected to the House of Representatives out of women’s restrooms.

“Transgender women should not use women’s bathrooms in the House,” Johnson said Wednesday (per Roll Call). “All single-use facilities in the Capitol and House Office Building – such as restrooms, changing rooms, and locker rooms – are reserved for individuals of that biological sex.”

Mace called for the restrictions earlier this week ahead of Rep.-elect Sarah McBride (D-DE), who will be sworn into the 119^thCongress January 3.

--TL

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WEDNESDAY 11/20/24

Billionaires, TV Stars – Donald J. Trump’s appointee for Commerce secretary, chief of investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald Howard Lutnick, is the billionaire. Dr. Mehmet Oz, the television physician with nine daytime Emmys and a history of promoting quack medicine, whom the president-elect has chosen to lead the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (including the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare) is the latest on the growing list of TV stars.

Oz is best-known politics-wise as the Republican Senate candidate for Pennsylvania who lost to Democrat John Fetterman in the 2022 midterms..

Linda McMahon bridges both descriptions as a retired pro-wrestler who with her husband, Vince, founded Titan Sports, which became World Wrestling Entertainment – better known as the WWE. McMahon, who ran the Small Business Administration for Trump from 2017-19 is his choice to become what Newsweek says “may be America’s last Education secretary.”

Trump also has named his first term’s national intelligence director, John Ratcliffe, to become head of the CIA,

As for the elephant in the elephant’s room, there is much speculation among the punditocracy that Trump’s chosen attorney general, ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, is actually, in political animal terms, a “sacrificial lamb” meant to divert the Senate’s attention from Trump’s other choices. Theory goes that were a few Republican senators to join Democrats in defeating Gaetz’s nomination, he would move on to run for Florida governor in a couple of years.

But Trump has made it clear he wants Gaetz to be his AG, which seems more a case of the president-elect testing how far he can push things – his “mandate,” or agenda. Or as Mike Davis, president of the Article III Project nonprofit formed to defend Trump against criminal charges against him told The Washington Post at Mar-a-Lago: “It’s a hostile takeover on behalf of the American people.”

--TL

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TUESDAY 11/19/24

On the 1,000^th Day – Ukraine on Tuesday fired six US-made ATACMS – Army Tactical Missile System – missiles at Russia’s Bryansk region, sparking a fire but with no initial damage or casualties, Russia’s defense ministry said, according to the AP. The attack comes on the 1,000^thday of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and two days after President Biden eased restrictions of Ukraine’s use of American-made weapons, which in turn prompted Dictator/President Vladimir Putin to lower the Kremlin’s threshold for using nuclear arms (per The New York Times).

The Biden administration “strongly supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the lame-duck president told leaders at the G20 summit in Brazil.

United Russia Minister of Parliament Maria Butina said Monday that the US is “actually pushing the world to a very dangerous red line,” (per the BBC). Yes, that’s the same Maria Butina who five years ago pleaded guilty before US District Judge Tanya Chutkin to conspiracy charges for infiltrating conservative groups, including the National Rifle Association, for the goal of advancing Russian interests.

Meanwhile… President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented in an address Tuesday to Ukraine’s parliament a 10-point plan for “internal resilience,” The Kyiv Independent reports.

“Ukraine may need to outlive someone in Moscow to achieve all the goals,” Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy was criticized earlier this autumn, before Donald J. Trump won the November 5 presidential election, for presenting a victory plan that focused primarily on requests from external parties while lacking domestic reform, according to the Independent’s report.

•••

Another Fox Celeb for Trump’s Cabinet – President-elect Trump has named Fox Business’ The Bottom Line host Sean Duffy to be his transportation secretary (per The Hill). Duffy was US representative for Wisconsin from 2011 to 2019, where he was a loyal supporter of Trump during his first presidential term, according to his Wikipedia page. Duffy began his television career in a slew of MTV reality shows; The Real World: Boston, Road Rules: All Stars and Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Battle of the Seasons. He is married to Rachel Campos Duffy, co-host with Trump’s choice for Defense secretary Pete Hesgeth on Fox & Friends: Weekend.

Meanwhile… Senate Republicans and “people around Trump” say the president-elect has been told that former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has “little chance” of confirmation as attorney general, Politico reports, adding that the GOP senators are “privately hoping” Trump “doesn’t make them walk the plank.”

ICYMI… Trump has nominated Chris Wright, CEO of the Denver-based fracking company Liberty Energy to be his Energy secretary; former US Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) from 2015-23 to head the Environmental Protection Agency; and John Ratcliffe, Trump’s national intelligence director from 2020-21 to head the CIA.

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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TUESDAY 11/19/24

Drive, He Said

“There’ll be spandex jackets, one for everyone. . . .”

By Stephen Macaulay

In announcing fellow former reality TV player Sean P. Duffy as his selection to be the Secretary of Transportation, Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social:

“Sean will use his experience and the relationships he has built over many years in Congress to maintain and rebuild our Nation’s Infrastructure, and full fill our Mission of ushering in The Golden Age of Travel, focusing on Safety, Efficiency, and Innovation. Importantly, he will greatly elevate the Travel Experience for all Americans!”

Which is an absolutely consistent statement with all of the other statements that Trump tends to make about things.

First, let’s give Trump a pass for his tendency to capitalize Nouns whenever He wants to make a Point about Something. Maybe He thinks that’s what the Kids are doing.

The nation’s Infrastructure is currently being maintained and rebuilt as a result of the Biden Administration’s $1.2-trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed into law November 15, 2021.

Trump, during his presidency, rolled out with various “infrastructure weeks.” There were numerous infrastructure plans.

None of these came to fruition.

Remember, during his first two years in office the Republicans controlled the House and Senate (January 2017 to January 2019).

Similarly, during Biden’s first two years (January 2021 to January 2023) the Democrats controlled both, too.

But Biden got something done with regard to infrastructure.

The most curious aspect of Trump’s announcement about Duffy — who, it should be noted, was on MTV’s Road Rules: All Stars, which put him and his colleagues in a Winnebago traveling around America, presumably hands-on experience for running an organization in charge of the US transportation system — is the “our Mission of ushering in The Golden Age of Travel.”

Does anyone know when The Golden Age of Travel occurred?

Perhaps this was about the time when Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act, which created the interstate highway system. That was in 1956, when Trump was 10.

Big-finned Cadillacs. Cheap gas.

But then there’s this: In 1957 the traffic fatality rate was 5.9 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled — now it is down to 1.17 deaths.

So much for Golden. More like Bloody.

But then there’s claim “elevate the Travel Experience for all Americans!”

That is possibly more perplexing than “Golden Age.”

Now the Department of Transportation does have the Federal Aviation Administraation under its purview, which could be the “elevate” aspect.

But then there’s “all Americans.”

According to the Bureau of Transportation, in 2022 US airlines carried some 853 million Americans.

The same year, according to AAA, Americans made 227 billion trips by auto.

That means the air trips are 0.38% of the number of car trips.

So presumably Trump plans to do something to the ground-based travel experience for Americans. Whatever it is must be special. Flying cars for everyone, perhaps?

Let’s face it: that Truth Social post is like other pronouncements made by Donald Trump in that it sounds good (who doesn’t want a Golden Age of Transportation or an elevated Travel Experience?) but is quite meaningless.

What are the metrics for these things? How will it be known if he accomplished it?

And therein lies part of the rhetorical genius of Donald Trump: sound and fury signifying nothing.

_______________________________________________

Monday’s center column, “Is Our Democracy Done?” asks whether Donald J. Trump’s incoming term already is proving to be as authoritarian, even fascist, as the failed Democratic presidential campaign had warned, as evidenced by his four most controversial staff and cabinet choices. Scroll down with the far-right trackbar to read our news aggregate and analysis.

The center column is accompanied by Pundit-at-Large Stephen Macaulay’s commentary, “Matt Gaetz: A Very Clever Man,” on how the ex-US representative from Florida could return to the House sans the Ethics Committee report on him. Scroll down further to read Macaulay’s “Help Wanted. Experience Irrelevant.”

Scroll down yet further, but still on the home page, to read Macaulay’s reaction to the November 5 elections, “Those Who Need to Know Don’t.” Read contributor Hugh Hansen’s left-column response, “Silver Linings?”

Email your own Comments, whether pro-MAGA, never-Trumper right, moderate left or progressive – or virtually anything in-between as long as you are civil – to editors@thehustings.news.

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TUESDAY 11/19/24

Your Turn

Is our center-column analysis of the Trump transition team’s quickly moving plans for January 20 and beyond, unfair? Unbalanced? This is your chance to make your case for why the second term of Donald J. Trump would be good for our democracy.

Of course, this column is for left/liberal/progressive opinion. If you are conservative – whether pro-MAGA or never-Trumper, we will post your comments in the right column.

Simply email your civil, fact-based Comments to editors@thehustings.news and please be sure to indicate your political leanings in the subject line [we do not dismiss the possibility that some readers who lean left might take exception with the center column.]

Also, be sure to read Pundit-at-Large Stephen Macaulay’s take on President-elect Trump’s choice of ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) for attorney general, “Matt Gaetz: A Very Clever Man.”

Subscribe to our free Substack newsletter here.

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MONDAY 11/18/24

Is Our Democracy Done?

HHS chief nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (far right) shows loyalty to President-elect Trump by eating a McDonald’s Big Mac. Also in this “viral” picture on Trump's jet (L-R): Elon Musk, Trump, Donald Trump Jr., House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).

By Todd Lassa

Was Donald J. Trump joking when he said earlier this year he would be a dictator only on Day One of his second administration? There are pretty clear signs that the president-elect’s plans to transform our democratic republic into something different already is underway. Consider his four most controversial proposed appointments, announced rapid-fire only in the week after Vice President Kamala Harris’ decisive defeat.

The president-elect wants (Ex-) Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), one of the most loyal Trumpists in Congress these last four years to be his attorney general, knowing he will investigate politicians and government officials Trump feels have aggrieved him.

Trump’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic was a key reason he lost his first re-election campaign. Anti-vaxxer/conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is his choice for secretary of Health & Human Services.

Pete Hesgeth is a Fox News weekend host and an Army National Guard officer who is not a general who would resist any attempt to politicize the military. He is Trump’s choice for Defense secretary.

After a private meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Helsinki six years ago, Trump told a press conference he trusted the dictator more than US intelligence about whether Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election. Trump’s choice for national intelligence director is former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), who has been supportive of Russia and has visited Syria’s strongman-president, Bashar Assad.

‘Warrior Board’

Whether or not he will, officially, implement key planks in The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, Trump has made it clear he plans to dismantle pillars of the federal government, beginning with firing four-star generals and admirals he wants to purge from the military. Trump’s transition team is considering a draft executive order, which The Wall Street Journal has reviewed, that would establish a “warrior board” of retired senior military personnel with power to review three- and four-star officers and recommend removing those deemed unfit – i.e., those devoted to diversity, equity and inclusion. Trump has in the past made a vow to fire “woke generals.”

As commander-in-chief, Trump already will have the ability to “fire at will,” but such an outside board as outlined in the draft EO would bypass the Pentagon’s regular promotional system, and hints at a wide-scale purge, according to the WSJ.

Two purges Trump might have wanted to make years ago are his former chief of staff, retired Marine Gen. John Kelly and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during his first term, Gen. Mark Milley. Both publicly warned prior to the November 5 election they believe Trump is a fascist.

A progressive military group, VoteVets, warns that the “warrior board” in the proposed executive order would “politicize” the military, according to Newsweek, which dubs the potential plan in its headline, “MAGA Military.”

Musk and Ramaswamy

Then there’s the proposal for a Department of Government Efficiency to be led by Tesla/SpaceX/Starlink CEO Elon Musk (who apparently has become a perennial guest at Mar-a-Lago) and his fellow billionaire, pharmaceutical exec and former candidate for the GOP presidential nomination, Vivek Ramaswamy. The department would not be a government entity so to avoid Musk and Ramaswamy having to divest themselves of any corporate holdings or interest, and has been compared with President Reagan’s Grace Commission, which got nothing substantial accomplished. Musk says he wants to use the Efficiency Department to cut $2 trillion out from the $6.75 trillion federal budget.

That sort of cut is widely considered impossible, but even managing a small fraction would have a profound effect on the federal government, not to mention on the unemployment rate and overall economy.

The Fourth Senator

Three Republican senators likely to push back against at least some of Trump’s nominees are Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, Susan Collins, of Maine, and Todd Young, of Indiana, each of whom did not vote for their party’s leader November 5. If these three plus 47 Democratic senators vote against any Trump nominees, the incoming vice president, JD Vance, will cast the tiebreaker on a 50-50 vote.

The Trump team also has floated the possibility of recess appointments, which the former and future president used extensively in his first term in order to fill key positions.

Meanwhile … One of the 53 Republicans making up the Senate majority is freshman Sen.-elect David McCormick. The Associated Press called the Pennsylvania senate race for McCormick over three-time incumbent Democrat Bob Casey after it concluded there weren’t enough remaining ballots left to be counted in precincts where Casey was leading. McCormick’s 29,000-vote lead is well within the 0.5% margin that triggers an automatic recount, which Casey has refused to waive.

Pennsylvania counties have until Wednesday, November 20, to begin the recount and must finish by noon on Tuesday, November 26.

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MONDAY 11/18/24

Matt Gaetz: A Very Clever Man

By Stephen Macaulay

On January 3, 2025, the 118^th Congress comes to an end and the 119^th session begins.

Matt Gaetz resigned from the 118^th Congress. Max Gaetz was reelected to Florida’s 1^st District with an impressive 66% of the vote.

Does Matt Gaetz enter the 119^th session?

The man, who has been selected by President-elect Donald Trump to be attorney general, may actually be more clever than his critics give him credit for.

Gaetz was under investigation by the House Ethics Committee.

The investigation looked into an array of bad behavior, including:

Sexual misconduct
Illegal drug use
Acceptance of improper gifts

The bipartisan Ethics Committee also had the question of whether the congressman was obstructing the investigation into his conduct.

Now there are those who look at Gaetz’s educational background and experience and think they are both lacking for the role that Trump wants him to play in the forthcoming administration.

Gaetz received his undergraduate degree from Florida State in Interdisciplinary Social Science, which certainly sounds like something that the Libs would have come up with. He earned his J.D. from the William & Mary Law School* (is alum former Chief Justice John Marshall rolling around in his grave at the Shockoe Hill Cemetery?).

As for his work experience, with the exception of a couple years of private practice in Florida, he has been a creature of the government, both the Florida House and the US House. Isn’t a career politician the sort of thing that is characteristic of The Swamp?

But back to Gaetz’s cleverness.

The Ethics Committee of the 118^th Congress no longer has any authority over Gaetz because he is no longer in Congress. Even the work that they’ve accomplished could simply disappear (as Trump’s legal issues will, no matter who becomes his A.G.).

So if Gaetz returns to Washington for the 119^th session, it is possible that the Ethics Committee’s clock is set back to zero.

This means that he will have a job as the Senate considers whether to confirm him as the 87^th Attorney General and by the time that process is complete, the Ethics Committee will probably still be looking for its office supplies.

And you may have thought that Matt Gaetz was ingenious only when it comes to combing his hair.

*The William & Mary Law School is actually the oldest law school in the U.S.; it was established by and large because of Thomas Jefferson. Without being an educationalist about this, it is interesting to compare Gaetz’s education with those of the last 10 U.S. attorneys general (William Barr is both number 2 and number 10):

Merrick Garland. Undergrad: Harvard; Law school: Harvard
William Barr: Columbia; George Washington University
Jeff Sessions: Huntingdon College; University of Alabama
Loretta Lynch: Harvard; Harvard
Eric Holder: Columbia; Columbia
Michael Mukasey: Columbia; Yale
Alberto Gonzales: Rice; Harvard
John Ashcroft: Yale; University of Chicago
Janet Reno: Cornell; Harvard

And in terms of experience, before they became Attorney General:

Garland: judge on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Barr: Deputy Attorney General before his firsts term; corporate legal (e.g., Verizon) before second
Sessions: US Senator; had been Alabama Attorney General and US Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama
Lynch: US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York
Holder: Deputy Attorney General
Mukasey: judge on the US District Court for the Southern District of New York
Gonzales: White House Counsel
Ashcroft: US Senator; had been governor of Missouri and Missouri Attorney General
Reno: State Attorney for Miami-Dade County, Florida

Gaetz’s former firm, which is now known as AnchorsGordon, lists its practice areas as: Complex Business and Commercial Litigation; Business and Corporate Law; Real Estate Litigation; Community Association Law; Alternative Dispute Resolution; Government Affairs and Public Records; Labor and Employment Law. And now one of its alum may head the Department of Justice.

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MONDAY 11/18/24

Point/Counterpoint

Email COMMENTS to editors@thehustings.news and please indicate your political leanings in the subject line.

Read and subscribe to our free Substack newsletter.

The Hustings is committed to providing a safe, civil, anti-X/Twitter political news/news aggregate outlet for readers of all political stripes. We do not hide behind Section 230. Rather, like a traditional daily newspaper, we publish “letters to the editor” that adhere to the facts of an issue and maintain standards of civility – no conspiracy theories or hate-filled attacks on public figures or other readers.

Scroll down with the far-right trackbar (no pun) to read our debate on whether or not President-elect Trump will use The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 to guide his policy.

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THURSDAY 11/14/24

…meanwhile…

CPI is 2.6% -- The Consumer Price Index was up 0.2% in October, for a 2.6% annual rate, up slightly from the September annual rate of 2.4%, which came before the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate cut by a quarter-point. The October CPI for all items except food and energy was +3.3%. [CHART: Bureau of Labor Statistics]

FRIDAY 11/15/24

Not an Onion Headline – “The Onion Buys Infowars, Alex Jones’ Site, Out of Bankruptcy.” That’s from The New York Times, so you know it must be accurate.

Also accurate: Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion’s owner Global Tetrahedron says the purchase has the backing of Everytown for Gun Safety, the group founded in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting. A bankruptcy judge forced Infowars parent Free Speech Systems to the auction when Jones failed to pay a judgment totaling nearly $1.5 billion to Sandy Hook shooting victims’ families for their successful defamation suit.

The sale to Global Tetrahedron is subject to approval by a bankruptcy judge. Global Tetrahedron did not reveal the amount of its winning bid, but families reportedly support a lesser purchase price in favor of turning Infowars over to The Onion’s owners.

We’re expecting an online makeover that turns Infowars into something like Stephen Colbert’s old satire of Fox News hosts on his Comedy Central spinoff of The Daily Show, called The Colbert Report.

Sandy Hook families sued Jones in Connecticut and Texas after he repeatedly spread a vile conspiracy theory on Infowars that the shooting, in which 20-year-old Adam Lanza killed six teaching staff and 20 six- and seven-year-old children on December 14, 2012, was a “staged” TV production.

Everytown backs Global Tetrahedron’s purchase of Free Speech Systems out of bankruptcy and in fact will sponsor the new Infowars under The Onion parent’s ownership. Along with Infowars, Global Tetrahedron also obtains Free Speech Systems’ production studio and Jones’ diet supplement business.

Sandy Hook families’ suit, filed in Connecticut and Texas, was never about the money but rather about putting an end to Jones’ Infowars lies, Chris Mattei, attorney for the plaintiffs, told NPR.

When asked on NPR’s All Things Considered when Global Tetrahedron’s new Infowars would launch, CEO Collins said; “We can’t really give it away, but it’s in January.”

•••

Drill, Baby, Drill – President-elect Trump has named North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) his nominee to head the Interior Department, which manages nearly 500 million acres of public land and vast coastal waters. Prime oil drilling locations, in other words.

Think of Burgum as the yin to Elon Musk’s yang.

Burgum made his fortune from software, real estate and venture capital before he ran for North Dakota governor in 2016 and is “particularly close” to Harold G. Hamm, the CEO and founder of one of the largest independent oil companies, Continental Resources, according to The New York Times, which notes that Hamm has given nearly $5 million to the Trump campaign since 2023.

--TL

_______________________________________________

THURSDAY 11/14/24

Bye-Bye Flouride? – President-elect Trump is expected to nominate vaccine-averse Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be head of the Department of Health and Human Services, Politico reports, citing a “person with direct knowledge” of the plan. When RFK Jr. was running for president this year on his own, he promised to “go wild” with health and food policy. His impending nomination to HHS is yet another sign of the added confidence to the incoming administration of Trump’s big win November 5 and the Republican Party’s Senate majority.

•••

Storming the Gaetz – It has only been nine or 10 days, and already President-elect Trump is testing the limits of his “mandate” with his nomination of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to be his attorney general. That is, ex-Rep. Gaetz, as he promptly resigned from the House of Representatives after Trump’s announcement.

Gaetz was (still is?) days away from a likely release of a “damning” House Ethics Committee report about allegations he had sex with a minor, Politico Playbook reports. His resignation effectively ended the Ethics Committee investigation, but it also “scuttled” Republican plans for a show of unity after Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) was re-elected to his House leadership role – he will remain speaker.

In the end, a majority of House Republicans might get what they want: a mostly unliked Gaetz out of the House and a Republican-controlled Senate that could use the investigation to vote against him to become Trump’s AG.

Who else? … That leaves open the question of whom Trump’s next choice for AG might be. According to the Playbook report, Gaetz was not on the president-elect’s shortlist as late as Monday, but Trump was not happy with his other choices.

Intel for Gabbard… Equally or perhaps more troubling for what’s left of mainline Republicans, and pretty much everybody else, is Trump’s choice of former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence. Her pick was first revealed by Trump confidant Roger Stone on his X/Twitter account, according to The New York Times.

Senate Democrats are sure in her confirmation hearing to raise questions about her decision to meet with Syrian president/strongman Bashar al-Assad and her pro-Russian talking points. It will also be a test of whether someone like lame-duck and pro-Ukraine Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) might put up some resistance to Gabbard’s nomination.

Others ... Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski (AK), Susan Collins (ME) and Todd Young (IN) said prior to the November 5 election they would not vote for Donald J. Trump. Along with someone like McConnell, or if a recount for the Pennsylvania Senate race flips for incumbent Democrat Bob Casey (see below), they could provide resistance against some of Trump's more controversial nominees.

•••

Another Red House – The Associated Press has called House of Representatives’ majority at 218 seats to Democrats’ 208 seats. Nine seats are yet to be determined after last week Tuesday’s elections.

Meanwhile… AP several days ago pegged the Senate’s final numbers at 53 Republicans to 47 Democrats. On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania secretary of state’s office said that a margin of less than 0.5% between Republican candidate for US Senate Dave McCormick and three-term Democratic incumbent Bob Casey has triggered a recount. McCormick has led Casey by as many as 40,000 votes since the elections, but Casey held off on conceding as about 100,000 mail-in ballots had yet to be counted. As of Wednesday, when the recount was automatically triggered McCormick was leading Casey by roughly 28,000 votes out of 6.9 million.

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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THURSDAY 11/14/24

Help Wanted. Experience Irrelevant

By Stephen Macaulay

Let’s imagine someone who was a tremendous car enthusiast from an early age. The kind of person who could identify cars by the shape of their taillights long before she was old enough to drive. Who had posters of cars on her bedroom walls rather than a poster of the contemporary heart-throb. Who drew picture of cars in her notebook rather than paying a whole lot of attention to the social studies class. Who couldn’t wait to get a license.

Given this love of cars and inattention to homework, when she graduated high school, college wasn’t in the cards and getting a job in a car plant seemed, well, not particularly appealing.

But her uncle happened to run a car dealership, so she got an entry-level job as a porter (doing things like moving cars around the lot, washing them), and with time, a desk and an in-store networked computer on it. A position as a sales person.

The love of cars was no less passionate. Doodles of cars on the margins of agendas during weekly staff meetings echoed those of years gone by.

So here’s the question: If you were in charge of design staff at General Motors or Ford, would you hire this person as a lead designer on the next car program that was absolutely key to the prospects of General Motors or Ford, a program that could almost literally make or break the company?

Which brings us to Donald Trump’s selection of individuals for his next administration.

Elise Stefanik, U.N. ambassador. You’d think that to be a diplomat you might need some diplomatic experience. Nope. What’s more, Stefanik has spoken out about defunding some U.N. agencies and even the U.N. itself. Wouldn’t that be like being vegan and getting a management position at McDonalds?
Lee Zeldin, EPA administrator. Zeldin has an impressive resume, if you were looking for someone who knows about law; when he was 23 he was sworn into the New York State Bar, making him the youngest ever at the time. Or if you were looking for someone who knows military issues; he was in the 82^nd Airborne and is a lieutenant colonel. He was a four-term congressman and on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Financial Services Committee. Environmental experience?
Kristi Noem, Homeland Security secretary. Noem went to Northern State University from 1990 to 1994 but didn’t graduate because in 1994 she took over running the family farm and ranch after her father died. The most important industry in South Dakota, of which she is currently governor, is agriculture: corn, soybeans, wheat, alfalfa, as well as livestock production. Noem, then 39, was elected to the South Dakota House in 2007, where she served until 2010. In 2011 she was elected to the U.S. House, where she served until 2019, having won the South Dakota governorship in 2018. No, she isn’t being selected for Secretary of Agriculture.

While it might be thought that based on this the woman who wants the job as car designer would be a shoo-in, that’s actually not the case.

She has too much experience.

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THURSDAY 11/14/24