New York Times:
The Trump cabinet is mostly complete — at least until the official nomination and confirmation process — and it is quite a picture.
If, during his first administration, Mr. Trump boasted of his generals from “central casting,” now, it seems, he has applied the same principle to the whole shebang.
Tom Homan, his pick for “border czar,” is from “central casting,” he announced in a campaign speech.
Kristi Noem, the choice for homeland security, is “beautiful,” he crowed during a rally.
Matt Gaetz, the highly controversial choice for attorney general who later withdrew his name from consideration, and his wife, Ginger, are “a seriously good-looking couple,” Mr. Trump said.
While it is easy to dismiss this focus as superficial distraction, to mock Mr. Trump’s reported penchant for watching videos of potential senior staff members to see how they look and perform onscreen, and to condemn it as the latest expression of the reality TV-ification of government, underestimating the idea is a mistake. Not just because of the controversies over some of the names or their very public loyalty to Mr. Trump, but because of what they embody about his worldview.
New York Times:
Pete Hegseth’s Mother Accused Her Son of Mistreating Women for Years
Penelope Hegseth made the accusation in an email to her son in 2018, amid his contentious divorce. She said on Friday that she regretted the email and had apologized to him.
“On behalf of all the women (and I know it’s many) you have abused in some way, I say … get some help and take an honest look at yourself,” Penelope Hegseth wrote, stating that she still loved him.
She also wrote: “I have no respect for any man that belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around and uses women for his own power and ego. You are that man (and have been for years) and as your mother, it pains me and embarrasses me to say that, but it is the sad, sad truth.”
Mrs. Hegseth, in a phone interview with The New York Times on Friday, said that she had sent her son an immediate follow-up email at the time apologizing for what she had written. She said she had fired off the original email “in anger, with emotion” at a time when he and his wife were going through a very difficult divorce.
Hmmmm. That all sounds totally normal.
Jen Psaki/NBC:
Gaetz’s time as Trump’s AG pick was short-lived. But it taught us some lasting lessons.
Gaetz dropping out doesn’t mean Trump’s next choice for attorney general deserves less scrutiny. It actually means the opposite.
Now, of course, Trump took a bit of a different approach and, as we saw this week, that can come with certain consequences. There are consequences for Trump himself if his picks don’t get confirmed, for Senate Republicans who are put in an awkward spot and, more importantly, for the American people if a number of these picks manage to get through.
Consider the new details about Gaetz that were unearthed in recent days, like this document that, according to The New York Times, was prepared by federal investigators and shows a web of payments Gaetz allegedly made, including thousands of dollars to two women who testified that he hired them for sex. The former Florida congressman continues to deny the allegations, but after a steady drip of highly damaging information, Gaetz dropped his bid for attorney general after just eight crazy days.
Then there’s Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick for head of the Defense Department, and police records that were recently released that detail an allegation of sexual assault from 2017. Hegseth has said the encounter was consensual.
Jamie Dupree/Regular Order:
House GOP may be saddled with 1-seat majority
Democrats now lead in two GOP seats in California
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CALIFORNIA. With more votes trickling in last night in California, Democrats are now threatening to flip a pair of GOP seats in the Golden State. The latest vote drops in CA-13 put Democratic challenger Adam Gray ahead of Rep. John Duarte (R-CA) by 182 votes. (Duarte won this seat by just 564 votes in 2022.)
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TONIGHT. More votes - possibly leaning towards Duarte - are likely to be posted this evening in results from two other counties, Fresno and San Joaquin. So, while Democrats may have the advantage right now, we'll see if that sticks just before Thanksgiving. A recount is all but assured.
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CA-45. Meanwhile, in Southern California, Democrats last night padded their lead in CA-45, where Rep. Michelle Steel (R-CA) now trails challenger Derek Tran (D) by 613 votes. The final vote totals are expected next week, as county elections officials in California must certify their final vote totals by Dec. 3.
MAJORITY. If Democrats are able to win these two seats in California, Republicans would have the thinnest House majority since the 1930 elections. Here is the current situation in the House for the 119th Congress:
Derek tran won his race, Adam Gray will win. Subtact Elise Stefanik (headed to the UN) and likely National Security Adviser Mike Waltz for 217 until spring. That means a zero vote margin, i.e., lose one vote and any 216-216 House bill loses.
And every House member thinks they are the crucial vote.
Mark Hertling/The Bulwark:
I Helped the Army Remember Its Values. I Wish I Could Do the Same for the Country.
The virtues we uphold define who we are as soldiers or civilians, individuals or a nation.
IT’S BECOME INCREASINGLY CLEAR TO ME since I retired from the military that the problem Gen. Dempsey identified in our ethical education wasn’t just an Army problem. As a reflection of American society, the Army was merely experiencing an issue shared by the country writ large.
The inculcation of personal values, or the understanding of organizational values and values-based decision making, are not as prevalent as they may need to be. I’ve taught values-based leadership and decision-making to healthcare professionals and MBA students. When I begin teaching each class, I ask, “What are your personal values, and do they align with your organization’s stated values?” Every time, I’m met with mostly blank stares.
The same seems to be true in government. A few years ago, I was discussing some issue or another with a member of Congress. I asked him why he held a particular position on the issue, and he responded, “Because I support American values.” When I asked which specific value that policy was connected to, he couldn’t name one.
Ashton Pittman/Mississippi Free Press:
Editor’s Note | So Long, Twitter: Why I’ve Moved to Bluer Skies
For a long time, it seemed like nothing was going to replace Twitter, even as it further devolved into a hellscape that seemed as if it were overrun by the trolls of 4chan, the neo-Nazis of Stormfront and the dullest AI bots Chat GPT ever powered. Twitter transformed into X, a place where racism, misogyny, homophobia and especially transphobia run rampant under the guise of “free speech,” but where using the word “cisgender” can get your account restricted because Musk (who has described his very-much-alive transgender daughter as “dead”) considers it a slur.
I had really wanted one of the Twitter alternatives to take off, but one of the biggest impediments was the lack of buy-in from major journalists, publications, celebrities and other figures who could draw audiences away. A familiar pattern developed: People would leave X in hopes of joining another platform, then come back.
And then, all at once, things shifted quickly.
Bluesky remains a very comfortable place to post, but some essential work tools are still missing. They’ve got a small but responsive staff, so hopefully that gets addressed soon.
Cliff Schecter on Gavin Newsom:
