“President Donald Trump’s White House is planning more than $250,000 in work on its private bowling alley, reviving a renovation target that previously sparked Republican outrage over taxpayer spending during the Obama administration,” Mediaite reports.

“President Trump and his senior aides have been considering waging limited strikes in the Strait of Hormuz to prevent Iran from reconstituting its radar and missile capabilities to attack ships,” Axios reports.

“As the leaders of China, Russia, India, Iran and other nations converged on Central Asia for a two-day summit beginning on Monday, one thing was clear from the outset. Even as President Trump tries to bend the world to revolve around Washington, Xi Jinping of China has his own powerful orbit,” the New York Times […]

“Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Monday called Rep. Max Miller (R-OH) a ‘great member of Congress’ and endorsed Miller’s bid for a third term, despite allegations of domestic violence by his ex-wife,” the Washington Post reports. Said Johnson: “Yes. He has been a great member of Congress. He has some issues in his personal life […]

“House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries blasted Republicans Monday for being ‘pro-data center without any restraints,’ making his strongest rebuke yet of the tech industry’s massive infrastructure buildout as it becomes a key issue in midterm campaigns,” Politico reports. Said Jeffries: “Donald Trump and Republicans are divorced from reality. They think that the affordability crisis is […]

“Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has submitted his resignation to President Trump following months of tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the direction of the service and the ouster of numerous senior Army officers,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“President Donald Trump said Monday that the U.S. economy could grow at rates as high as 20%, while arguing that even such rapid growth should not prompt the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates,” CNBC reports. Said Trump: “We could have a GDP of 14, 15, 16 and 20. Success in growth does not cause […]

“Calling it a matter of ‘exceptional importance,’ the Trump administration has filed an urgent appeal with the Supreme Court seeking the immediate removal of 29 active-duty service members who are transgender even before their case challenging the Pentagon ban goes to trial in January,” ABC News reports.

“The U.S. military is not planning to send troops or personnel to polling places during the 2026 midterm elections, according to Gen. Dan Caine, the country’s highest-ranking military officer,” NBC News reports.

“The amount of money the Internal Revenue Service collected from audits dropped dramatically last year after the Trump administration pushed out many of the agency’s employees, according to a watchdog report released on Monday,” the New York Times reports. “The report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, called TIGTA, showed that IRS audits […]

A new University of Massachusetts Amherst poll finds President Trump’s approval at a dismal 32%, while 64% disapprove. Trump Approval Approve 32%   Disapprove 64%   University of Massachusetts Amherst poll · ±3.5%

“A divided Supreme Court on Monday allowed the White House to continue construction on a $400 million ballroom project as lawsuits play out,” the Associated Press reports. “The decision replaces a temporary order from Chief Justice John Roberts previously issued hours before a lower-court decision halting the work would have gone into effect.”

“Vice President JD Vance described Abdul El-Sayed, Michigan’s Democratic nominee for Senate, as ‘evil’ during a campaign rally here Monday,” NBC News reports. Said Vance: “I realize that there’s something about Abdul El-Sayed that is very, very evil and on the rise in the United States of America today.” He added: “And it’s people who […]

A new University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll in New Hampshire finds John E. Sununu (R) ahead of Chris Pappas (D) in the U.S. Senate race, 45% to 43%. New Hampshire Senate Race John E. Sununu (R) 45%   Chris Pappas (D) 43%   University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll

“The Alaska Democratic Party is encouraging its members to back independent Bill Hill in the state’s sole House seat,” the Washington Post reports.

“Online prediction market Kalshi suspended a Republican House candidate Monday after it found that she was wagering on her own race,” the Washington Post reports. “The candidate, Laurie Buckhout, is running in a district in northeastern North Carolina, a swing district that Republicans see as a pick-up opportunity.”

“President Trump on Monday announced the next round of pricing deals with drugmakers, with nine new companies joining the 17 that reached agreements with the administration previously,” Stat reports. Bloomberg: Trump strikes Medicaid drug price deals with nine pharma firms.

“It has been touted by the manufacturer as the ballistic missile of the future: lethal, long-range and pinpoint. Lockheed Martin’s Precision Strike Missile has the U.S. military investing billions to update its arsenal,” the Associated Press reports. “But a close look at what is believed to be its first use in combat — on the […]

“Russia’s finance minister made a surprise appearance at a gathering of top global economic policymakers on Monday after a prolonged absence, an invitation that was extended by the Trump administration but drew rebukes and protests from European officials committed to isolating Moscow for its war against Ukraine,” the New York Times reports.

David Frum: “Americans are not accustomed to learning lessons about democracy from Nigeria, Peru, or the Philippines. That disregard may soon change. Those countries offer examples of what it looks like to reclaim stolen or swindled wealth from fallen authoritarian rulers…” “Trump has abused his office to enrich himself and his family in ways that […]

“Central bankers’ great fear is that we’re entering a new era of ‘fiscal dominance,’ in which the money supply is being managed not to achieve low and stable inflation, but to help elected politicians avoid hard choices around taxes and spending,” Axios reports. “It comes as inflation has already been elevated in much of the […]

“President Trump and his team frequently tout the president as the most media-accessible in history — but female reporters in his orbit are often disparaged and belittled,” an Axios analysis of his remarks shows.

Rolling Stone: “AI slop continues to deliver insight into the mind of Donald Trump, who has relied increasingly on hallucinogenic visuals spat out by generative computer algorithms to reinforce his delusions. As the war with Iran continues to drag out — and drag down his approval ratings — Trump is resorting to increasingly desperate ploys […]

Punchbowl News: “The turnover rocking the Senate will trigger a wave of change atop major committees next year, which means new policy priorities and oversight angles coming in 2027.” “The sheer scale of the change is striking: almost a dozen Republicans or Democrats in top committee roles are retiring, lost their reelection bids or are […]

“Fuel price increases in the first six months of the Iran conflict are costing U.S. drivers far more than the same stretch after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pushed up costs,” Axios reports. “Trump administration officials have emphasized — correctly — that gasoline hit an all-time high under Biden of over $5 per gallon, well above […]

“Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent took a snarky swipe Monday at Canada’s military preparedness after the trade war between the two neighbors deepened in recent days,” the New York Post reports. Said Bessent: “What are they going to do — take their two submarines from the Edmonton Mall and sic them on us?”

“President Trump warned Monday that communities that don’t embrace data centers will ‘end up being backwards and poor,’ putting himself at odds with most Americans who say they don’t want the facilities that power AI to be built near them,” the Wall Street Journal reports. Said Trump: “The only reason that communities throughout the USA […]

President Trump “knocked U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, who has overseen the case over the Kennedy Center and the president’s attempts to refurbish and rename the living memorial, as ‘highly conflicted,'” NewsNation reports.

New York Magazine: “Over the weekend, Google announced that it would comply with Donald Trump’s executive order directing the official renaming of Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America,’ at least for those using Google Maps in the United States.” “Apple hasn’t yet followed suit on its mapping software, but President Trump is apparently taking time out […]

“Fox News host Trey Gowdy asked him a question and President Donald Trump answered… and answered… and answered,” Mediaite reports. “He gave an uninterrupted 7 minute and 55 second answer which also weaved in one of his favorite moves: bashing ex-president Joe Biden.”