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Politico
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Politico
Men in DC are getting their jawlines done
Washington is looking a little different lately — and not just politically. Even the faces of powerful men are beginning to change, as surgeons and dermatologists get more and more male clients looking to enhance their jawlines. 'The surgeons and dermatologists who treat the D.C. power class will never share their patients' secrets,' writes Joanna Weiss in this week's Friday Read. 'Some doctors strategically time surgeries during congressional recess, and many go out of their way to make sure their clients aren't even seen entering the office, using a spy-movie-like web of hidden entries and secret back doors. But they will also tell you that, among the political power set, jaws are currently hot.' In a government led by a TV-obsessed commander-in-chief, appearances are more important in politics than ever. And lately, it's the pursuit of a Chad-like chin that's driving men under the knife. After all, looking weak could be a vulnerability. 'Across the internet and the gossip-journalism universe, it's not hard to find speculation about the mandibles of everyone from the Trump sons to Elon Musk,' Weiss writes. 'And if you're watching TV and wondering if some D.C. figure has a jawline that's newly strong and square … well, you might be right.' Read the story. 'Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.' Can you guess who said this about the president? Scroll to the bottom for the answer.** Trump vs. Pride … Dupont Circle is the traditional heart of Washington's local gay community, but you won't see rainbow flags waving through the park for Pride this weekend, as the Trump administration has fenced it off. 'The Park Service claims this is to prevent damage by revelers,' writes Capital City columnist Michael Schaffer. 'But plenty of outraged locals see a more sinister motivation.' Wait, why is everyone talking about a breakup? If you somehow missed the spectacular scrap between Elon Musk and Donald Trump, study up on these talking points so your friends won't think you're living under a rock. (From Associate Editor Dylon Jones) — Make yourself sound like an expert analyst with a word of warning for Trump: 'Seventy-six percent of Republicans view Musk favorably — more than House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and just about everyone else. He could become a real chaos agent who rocks Trump's midterm plans.' — As a political expert, you can speak to the bigger-picture divisions behind this feud: 'This is just the personification of the tech right vs. MAGA populist divide. This was inevitable ever since the H-1B visa debate picked up within the GOP coalition.' — Make sure to bring up Musk's main MAGA antagonist, Steve Bannon. 'Did you see that Bannon quote Rachel Bade got in POLITICO Magazine? 'MAGA's done with him.' He's even suggesting Trump consider deporting him.' — Bring in a dispatch from the podcast circuit for your liberal friends who never tune in: 'JD Vance told Theo Von that he hopes Musk comes back over to their side, but 'maybe that's not possible now because he's gone so nuclear.'' Is MAGA Losing the Tech Right? … Elon Musk's dramatic breakup with President Donald Trump isn't just a sign of two strong personalities that had become allies inevitably clashing. It's also a sign of two strong ideologies that had become allies inevitably clashing. There's the tech right Musk embodies, which supports H-1B visas that promote highly skilled immigration, and there's the MAGA populist right, led by Steve Bannon, that staunchly opposes immigration writ large. They had seemed to have struck an uneasy truce. 'But the renewal of hostilities between Trump and Musk this week shows that the underlying ideological disagreement between the two factions was never really resolved,' writes Ian Ward. Butterworth's Doesn't Care About the Bromance Blow-Up … The Musk vs. Trump earthquake was a tectonic event on the internet, but it hardly registered on the Richter scale over at Butterworth's, the fashionable MAGA bistro on Capitol Hill. 'As the denizens of Butterworth's saw things, the kerfuffle was simply the temper tantrum of a disgruntled administration official who'd run afoul of a popular president,' writes Ben Jacobs. 'And Trump's counter attacks dismissing the world's richest man as 'going CRAZY'? Now that was gospel.' Andrew Yang Has a Pitch for Elon Musk … Andrew Yang has been pushing his independent Forward Party for years. But the recent falling out between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump has given him a new opportunity to bring the world's richest man into the fold — or, at least, to try. 'Elon has built world-class companies from nothing more than an idea multiple times, and in this instance, you have the vast majority of Americans who are hungry for a new approach,' Yang tells Assistant Editor Catherine Kim. 'I'm happy to spell it out for Elon or anyone else who wants to head down this road: A third party can succeed very quickly.' From the drafting table of editorial cartoonist Matt Wuerker. Who Dissed? answer: That would be his erstwhile ally, Elon Musk, who dropped the allegation in a since-deleted post on X. politicoweekend@
Politico
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Doug Wilson's holy war
The gospels according to Pastor Doug Wilson offer a choice: Christ or chaos. America, he believes, has too long chosen the latter. For the past 50 years, the self-described Christian theocrat has been trying to convince the country that it should choose the former — by which he means a 'reformation' that would reshape America into a Christian republic where women are subservient to men, same-sex marriage is outlawed, non-Christians are barred from elected office and the very concept of secularism is jettisoned from society. For much of Wilson's career, the conservative mainstream has shunned him over his extremist views on gender and theocratic rule, as well as his reactionary views on race. (He once co-authored as pamphlet offering a Biblical defense of slavery.) 'But in recent years, Wilson has been making inroads into the Republican establishment, aided by a growing audience for his work among allies of President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement,' writes Ian Ward in this week's Friday Read. In just the last year, Wilson has appeared on Tucker Carlson's podcast, spoken at an event hosted by Charlie Kirk and delivered a speech on Capitol Hill hosted by American Moment, a MAGA-aligned group. He gained even more prominence in January, when Pete Hegseth — a member of the intercontinental network of churches Wilson founded in the late 1990s — was confirmed as secretary of Defense. Ward traveled to Moscow, Idaho, where Wilson has built 'a sprawling evangelical empire around his theological principles,' to find out what makes MAGA's spiritual leader tick — and what he wants to accomplish in Washington. 'In recent years, a growing number of Republican elites clustered around the 'New Right' of the GOP have been looking to Wilson's work as a kind of how-to manual for injecting a hardline conservative form of Protestant Christianity into public life,' he writes, 'a project that ranges from outlawing abortion at the federal level to amending the Constitution to acknowledging the truth of the Bible.' Read the story. 'I think the puppy killer is not that smart …' Can you guess who said this about DHS Secretary Kristi Noem? Scroll to the bottom for the answer.** Is DC Still Safe for Diplomats? … For years, foreign diplomats breathed a sigh of relief when they scored a posting in Washington. It was about as safe as such a job could be. And when violence did target diplomats in D.C., it was usually because trouble followed them here from back home, not Made-in-America terror. The killing of two Israeli embassy staffers at the Jewish Museum might change that, writes Capital City columnist Michael Schaffer. The shootings have 'alerted our home-grown population of angry gunmen to the fact that there are representatives of foreign governments strolling around town at any minute.' Hearing the words 'big' and 'beautiful' a little more than usual? That might have something to do with a certain bill that passed the House while you weren't paying attention — but your politically obsessed friends don't need to know that. Just use these talking points over the holiday weekend, and you'll sound like you spent the week watching C-SPAN. (From Associate Editor Dylon Jones) — Talking to a Republican crowd? They're not likely to care about all the liberals criticizing the bill as an upward transfer of wealth — but they might listen to MAGA's top economist. Tell folks that 'Oren Cass even compared it to a 'death march through a series of choices that nobody really wanted to be making' in POLITICO Magazine.' — Make sure to mention Trump's blowup at conservative holdouts who had withheld their support of the bill, yet another sign of his power over the GOP: 'The president had Rep. Andy Harris and other conservatives in the Cabinet Room, and he just flat-out told them: 'Enough is enough. Get it done.' Then he walked out of the room. Lo and behold, the bill passed the House.' — Trump isn't the only one who gets credit. Remind your friends that 'House Speaker Mike Johnson had been putting out fires for months. The morning of the vote, he was talking to Rep. Michael Cloud — who previously said the bill 'fell short' — at 3 a.m. Later that morning he was sitting with Rep. Andrew Clyde, who got a concession on the taxation of gun silencers. And not long before the bill passed at 7 a.m., he was shaking hands with Rep. Max Miller, who had been irritated with the process. It was like a victory lap. You've got to imagine Johnson is celebrating this weekend.' — Trump told hardliners not to 'fuck around with Medicaid,' but the bill does include cuts to Medicaid spending — opening up an attack line for Democrats looking to pull the rug out from under the administration in the midterms. Tell your friends that 'the Democrats are ready to pounce: They're about to roll out attack ads over Medicaid cuts in 25 battleground districts.' Your Roommate Is a Recession Indicator … Fears of a recession have abounded since Trump kicked off his volatile trade wars. But how will we really know when a recession is upon us? Catherine Kim asked five economists for the recession indicators we should look for, especially the ones that are easy to overlook — and their answers might surprise you. MAGA Economist: The Big Beautiful Bill Is a Bust … Conservative populists have looked with mounting hope to the Trump administration to move away from Republican economic orthodoxy — but they won't find much to celebrate in the 'big, beautiful bill' that just passed the House, says Oren Cass, the MAGA movement's top economic mind. '[It's] not something that has an especially coherent logic to it or much prospect of actually accomplishing the things that I think people want,' he tells Ian Ward. This Pro-Trump Rapper Is Getting Deported … In 2023, Cuban rapper El Funky won praise from conservatives like then-Sen. Marco Rubio when he released the Grammy-winning protest anthem 'Patria y Vida,' or 'Homeland and Life,' rebuking Fidel Castro's regime. But now, El Funky's residency application has been denied, and he faces deportation and likely imprisonment as a dissenter in Cuba. Nonetheless, he still considers himself a Trump supporter, he tells Achy Obejas. 'I understand trying to get rid of those who shouldn't be here. But Trump should look at each individual case,' he says. 'Like mine.' MAGA's Menswear Mastermind … Those of you in politics know Michael Anton as a conservative official in the Trump administration. But Derek Guy — or the Twitter menswear guy, as he's affectionately known online — knows him as Manton, the imperious and respected menswear critic on StyleForum, where aficionados and connoisseurs debate the finer points of men's fashion. He was known for the concept of 'Conservative Business Dress' — a standard of dressing that his coworkers in the White House routinely fail to meet. ('trump=bad' he once posted on StyleForum.) Guy takes us on a comprehensive tour of Anton's alter-ego as the fashion police. An Intimate Look at the New York Mayor's Race … The New York mayor's race is heating up, with the controversial former Gov. of New York, Andrew Cuomo, facing off against a pack of Democratic challengers led by young socialist Zohran Mamdani. With the June 24 Democratic primary fast approaching, photographer Mark Ostow hit the trail to capture the top contenders in his signature, stark style. Get ready to see the mayor's race like you've never seen it before. From the drafting table of editorial cartoonist Matt Wuerker. Who Dissed? answer: It was Sunny Hostin, one of the hosts of The View, talking about Noem's inability to correctly define 'habeas corpus' during a Senate hearing. Hostin was also referencing Noem's memoir, in which she wrote about shooting and killing her dog. politicoweekend@
Politico
10-05-2025
- Business
- Politico
Can MAGA take down monopolies?
Antitrust law has not exactly been the Republican Party's highest priority over the years. After all, this was the party of Ronald Reagan. The GOP styled itself as the most pro-business party in the world, a foil to the Democrats lurking around corporations with their red tape at the ready. But under the Trump administration, that seems to be shifting — and one woman is at the forefront of the Republican Party's new antitrust mission. Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust Gail Slater, President Donald Trump's top cop on corporate monopolies, is on a crusade against one of his favorite targets: Big Tech. A longtime Republican known as someone who can reach across the aisle, she has long harbored a disdain for monopoly power — but now, her party is starting to come around to her way of thinking, with a surging antitrust legal agenda remade in the image of MAGA. Slater is overseeing lawsuits against Google and Apple, as well as supporting the FTC's suit against Meta over its purchase of Instagram and WhatsApp. But will courts see them as genuine antitrust suits, or merely Trump's personal grievances against tech companies making their way into the judicial system? 'To deliver on Trump's mandate for her in this role — much of which is also the goal of a growing part of the right and many advocates on the left — of checking Silicon Valley's power, Slater will have to develop and persuade judges of legal arguments against that concentration of that power,' writes Nancy Scola in this week's Friday Read. Which means Slater faces an obvious risk: 'Many have pointed to the possibility that Trump could easily go on X or Truth Social, take shots at tech companies and blow Slater's chances in court.' Read the story. 'WOKE MARXIST POPE' Can you guess who said this about Pope Leo XIV? Scroll to the bottom for the answer.** LV Things to Know About the Pope … One thing you should know about Pope Leo XIV: He's the first American pope ever. But that's just scratching the surface, so Bill Duryea and Michael Kruse gave him POLITICO Magazine's famous '55 Things' treatment. Here are the 55 things you need to know about the new Bishop of Rome. Prison Advice for George Santos … Infamous fabulist and former Rep. George Santos copped an 87-month prison sentence for committing wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. But he won't be the first person to go from Congress to the slammer. So we asked former Rep. Bob Ney, who has spent time behind bars himself, what advice he'd share with Santos. 'If you can survive the Hill,' he said, 'you can survive things in prison.' Didn't catch that puff of white smoke? God knows you weren't paying attention, but your friends don't have to. Just follow these talking points, and everyone will think you were practically waiting outside the Vatican when the new pope was chosen. (From Associate Editor Dylon Jones) — Suggest a deep-dish pizza night to your friends. Those who know anything about Chicago will get it. Even better: Buy a round of Malört, and when everyone makes the mistake of drinking that heretofore unholy Windy City concoction, say, 'The blood of Christ.' Amen. — If your friends are overly online, drop them a link to this tweet under then-Cardinal Robert Prevost's name calling out Vice President JD Vance. If you're feeling bold, brag about surfacing it early: 'I saw this before Laura Loomer did.' Or, depending on how much of that Malört you all consumed, try sending it with a joke: 'Ordo amor-this!' — Everyone knows he's the first American pope, so you'll need to pull out some top-shelf trivia: 'Did you all know he's also the first Augustinian pope? Yep, he went to St. Augustine Seminary High School in Michigan.' — If any of your friends acts a little too full of themselves, hit them with some Pope Leo wisdom to show them you're hip to his quotes already: 'The bishop is not supposed to be a little prince sitting in his kingdom.' That one's gonna get some serious mileage in D.C. Will the Supreme Court Lose Its Patience? … Judges tend to trust lawyers for the Justice Department. They're highly qualified, obligated to defend the Constitution and uphold the public interest. Which is part of why the Justice Department has a 95 percent conviction rate in criminal cases. But that assumed trust could be about to change. Judges across the country are getting frustrated with lawyers in some of the Trump administration's most high-profile cases. (Here's a grab bag of quotes from judges on DOJ lawyers under Trump 2.0: 'I expect more from the government than this kind of very shoddy work.' 'This exchange does not reflect the diligence the Court expects from any litigant, let alone the United States Department of Justice.' 'Oh, give me a break.') The Supreme Court's recent middle-of-the-night order halting the deportations of Venezuelan migrants detained under the Alien Enemies Act could be a sign that even the nation's highest court is about to reach its wit's end. 'Whether the Supreme Court grows more skeptical toward the Trump administration's credibility — and its broader agenda — may become clear in the coming weeks,' writes legal columnist Ankush Khardori. Trump's War On Trans Troops … On Tuesday, the Supreme Court cleared the way for Trump to proceed with his plans to ban transgender people from the military, even as lower courts continue to debate the legality of the move. In the wake of the decision, Katherine Long spoke with Commander Emily Shilling, a transgender servicemember who has served in the Navy for nearly 20 years. 'I'm heartbroken,' she said. 'It was the honor of a lifetime to serve in the U.S. Navy, and I just hope that they live up to the sacrifice that we've made.' From the drafting table of editorial cartoonist Matt Wuerker. Who Dissed? answer: That would be far-right influencer Laura Loomer. politicoweekend@
Politico
15-03-2025
- Politics
- Politico
The Congress Issue
After nearly three decades on Capitol Hill, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) reached the apex of his career as the new Senate majority leader and head of the Republican caucus. But he's also reached a personal crossroads — and how he navigates it will determine his legacy and the future of the American experiment. There's no question that Thune is a conservative who supports President Donald Trump's agenda, despite his previous opposition to Trump becoming the GOP nominee. But temperamentally, he'd seem to be at odds with Trump's aggressive, norm-breaking approach to the presidency. 'In a move-fast-and-break-things era of anti-government ardor, he's virtually a public-sector lifer, an easy-does-it institutionalist,' writes Michael Kruse in this week's Friday Read. 'The subject of nary a scandal and scant few lengthy profiles for somebody of his stature, John Randolph Thune — by upbringing, experience and disposition — is the utter antithesis of Donald John Trump.' The question for Thune is whether he wants to be remembered as the man who tolerated Trump's worst excesses in service of his political project, or as the institutionalist who drew a line in the sand. And so far — to the delight of MAGA skeptics and the chagrin of Democrats and anti-Trump Republicans who respect Thune — he's choosing the first path. 'I would hope there's a little inner turmoil,' said longtime John McCain adviser Mark Salter. 'You are watching the executive branch usurp all the power and authorities given Congress under Article I,' he continued. 'Maybe he thinks, 'I'll preserve my influence, and down the road, when something worse comes along, I'll be able to stop him from doing it' — but it's going to get harder to oppose him, not easier.' Read the story. 'WTF? @SenSchumer please grow a spine. And quickly.' Can you guess who tweeted this at Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer? Scroll to the bottom for the answer.** How the Media Missed the Missing Congresswoman … The first notable thing about the news that Texas Rep. Kay Granger had been living in an assisted-living facility with dementia for months was that a sitting member of Congress was unable to carry out her duties. The second notable thing was that no one had noticed. Washington probably has the highest journalist-to-everyone-else ratio of any city in the country, and yet it was a small conservative website called The Dallas Express that got the scoop. A Congresswoman vanished — and not one D.C. outlet reported it. Why? In this week's Capital City column, Michael Schaffer digs into the story of how the media missed the story. Wait, was something supposed to happen on Saturday? Why are all your Democratic friends mad at Chuck Schumer? No one needs to know that you missed one of the most dramatic government shutdown showdowns in history. Just use these talking points and everyone will think you were practically glued to C-SPAN this week. (From Associate Editor Dylon Jones) The 5 Most Stylish Men in Congress … Congress may be dysfunctional, but that doesn't mean it can't be fashionable. There are a handful of members who know how to turn a look — if not how to turn a bill into law. Menswear critic Derek Guy highlights the five most stylish men in Congress, and what makes them stand out from their frumpy colleagues. The Navy SEALs Take Congress … One group of Americans has recently achieved greater representation in Congress than ever before: Navy SEALs. There are seven Navy SEAL vets in Congress, and their ascension marks a notable shift both in the military and in politics. Compared to past veteran lawmakers, 'the current generation of ex-SEALs, who mostly came of fighting age during the Gulf War and the war on terror, have eagerly embraced a more combative style of politics,' writes Ian Ward, 'one that favors partisan warfare, legislative brinkmanship and an open embrace of Trump.' D.C.'s Big-Dollar Dining Habits Exposed … When members of Congress use campaign or PAC funds to wine and dine, they have to report that spending. So Senior Data Reporter Jessica Piper crunched the numbers to find out where Democrats and Republicans like to crunch on grub — and found a feast of insights. Any guesses which party prefers steakhouses and which one likes European bistros? How about what representative spent $155,563.09 at The Capital Grille alone? Your smorgasbord of delicious D.C. dining details is served. Congress Spills Secrets on Congress ... Last week, we got 25 members of Congress to give us their unvarnished view of insider life on the Hill — and they did not hold back. We're talking sex, drinking and dementia — which colleagues they can't stand and how they'd change the institution if given a chance. Get ready to see Congress like you've never seen it before. From the drafting table of editorial cartoonist Matt Wuerker. Who Dissed? Answer: That would be one of former President Joe Biden's old advisers, Susan Rice. politicoweekend@
Politico
01-03-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Fiscal hawk Victoria Spartz folded — this time
Indiana Rep. Victoria Spartz stuck to her principles as a fiscal hawk and opposed the GOP budget resolution that would balloon the deficit by trillions of dollars — right up until Tuesday evening. 'I don't change my mind,' she'd previously said. But minutes after GOP colleagues cornered her and her fellow Republican holdout, Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, on the House floor — and sometime after President Donald Trump reportedly excoriated her over the phone — Spartz did exactly that: She changed her mind, throwing her support behind the resolution and setting Trump's aggressive domestic agenda in motion. The decision marked an uneasy detente between Spartz and House Speaker Mike Johnson, who needed her vote to advance Trump's domestic agenda through his party's thin majority. But despite the last-minute conversion, Johnson shouldn't expect loyalty from Spartz if he doesn't deliver on her goals, writes Adam Wren in this week's Friday Read. In fact, Spartz has left a trail of burned bridges and spurned colleagues in her wake since entering the political arena. LegiStorm labeled her Washington's worst boss in 2022, and today, her office hemorrhages workers — more than a dozen have left since November. 'In interviews, more than a half-dozen current and former aides — some who spoke with me before leaving their employment in recent weeks — and GOP officials described Spartz to me as a mercurial, combative individual who is determined in pursuing what she wants,' Wren writes. Allegations range from verbal abuse to allegedly flouting congressional rules against compelling staffers into campaign work, which Spartz denies. Some Republicans back home in Indiana say that Spartz is increasingly a cause of the Congressional dysfunction they sent her to Washington to address. And one in particular — Noblesville Mayor Chris Jensen, who endorsed one of Spartz' primary challengers last May — has a word of warning for Johnson: 'Whatever she tells you she is going to do, assume she will do the exact opposite.' Read the story. 'I think it's disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office, litigating in front of the American media. Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems. You should be thanking the president for trying to bring an end to this conflict.' Can you guess who said this to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy? Scroll to the bottom for the answer.** Jeff Bezos' Unsolicited Opinion … Jeff Bezos broke with decades of journalistic tradition this week, announcing new guardrails for the paper's opinion pages, which will 'be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets' — a move that prompted Opinion Editor David Shipley to resign. 'In personally announcing that he was dramatically re-orienting the editorial line, and in fact wouldn't even run dissenting views, Bezos added another sharp example to a narrative that represents a grave threat to the Post's image,' writes Capital City columnist Michael Schaffer: 'The idea that its owner is messing around with the product in order to curry favor with his new pal Donald Trump, who has the power to withhold contracts from Amazon and other Bezos companies.' Did you miss the wild argument that broke out between Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Zelenskyy in the Oval Office Friday? Just drop these lines into your group chat and your friends will think you were tuned in like a diligent political news junkie. (From Associate Editor Dylon Jones) Can Trump Really Buy Greenland? … Trump's aggressive rhetoric about taking over Greenland has mystified foreign policy experts and raised a number of questions. For example: 'What is the future of America's relationship with Europe?' Or, 'So, uh, can he do that?' With so much confusion in the air, we decided to send Ben Schreckinger to Greenland — and he came back with answers. About That DOGE 'Backlash' … Republican lawmakers getting booed at town halls over DOGE cuts have some wondering if an anti-Elon Musk backlash could eat into Trump's support. But so far, at least, that doesn't seem to be happening with his newest converts. In 2024, he became the first Republican in a century to win Texas' heavily Latino Starr County. So David Siders headed out to see what those voters think about the president's relationship with the richest man on earth. 'The way they welcomed the disemboweling of the federal bureaucracy was in sharp contrast to what some have suggested is an emerging backlash to Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency,' he writes. From the drafting table of editorial cartoonist Matt Wuerker. Who Dissed? Answer: It was Vice President JD Vance, in a remarkable, combative exchange in front of media in the Oval Office. politicoweekend@
