Trump Supporter Stumped When Asked A Simple Civics Question

 

TYT pins down a Trump supporter for details on communism, socialism and joblessness. Michael Shure reports for TYT outside the 'Team Trump Iowa Commit to Caucus' Event in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

Informed Comment daily updates (11/22/2023)

 

50 Israeli Hostages to be exchanged for 150 Palestinian “Prisoners” — Why the Prisoners are also Hostages Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Al Jazeera reports that Qatar successfully brokered the exchange of 50 Israeli hostages held by Hamas for 150 Palestinians held in Israeli jails (who are also hostages, as I will explain). The deal, which was approved by Israel’s national unity cabinet on Tuesday evening, also provides for a four-day humanitarian […]

Israel’s Sustained Bombing Created Massive Gaza Disease Risk: Overcrowded Shelters, Dirty Water and breakdown of Basic Sanitation By Yara M. Asi, University of Central Florida | – (The Conversation) – After more than a month of being subjected to sustained bombing, the besieged people of the Gaza Strip are now confronted with another threat to life: disease. Overcrowding at shelters, a breakdown of basic sanitation, the rising number of unburied dead and […]

When Palestinians “Die” and Israelis get “Killed” in the same War Written bySafa Written byMariam A. Federal Building, San Francisco, October 20, 2023. Hundreds of people from many backgrounds came together outside Senator Nancy Pelosi’s office, to paint a giant street mural. The message: BIDEN, PELOSI: DON’T AID AND ABET WAR CRIMES, and calling for a CEASEFIRE! With Jewish Voice for Peace Bay Area, The Peace […]

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The Israeli Right Wing’s Genocidal Dream of the “River to the Sea” The Media must stop Enabling Trump’s Attention-Seeking use of Fascist Rhetoric The Humanitarian Paradigm and the Normalization of Ethnic Cleansing Having Vanquished Gaza’s Hospitals, Israel Turns to bombing Schools, Killing Dozens Is there any Hope of a Ceasefire in Gaza? Gaza/ Hiroshima: Could Israel Nuke the Palestinians? What does the Gaza Conflict Mean for the UAE, the Abraham Accords and Saudi Normalization?

Nikki Haley: Sure, I'll Cut Social Security Because It's What My Billionaire Friends Want

 

Nikki Haley says she's fine with "reforming entitlements" because it's what her billionaire friends want. Ana Kasparian and Cenk Uygur discuss on The Young Turks.

Six Big Banks Forced to Declare $9.3 Billion in Additional FDIC Expenses; Another Reason Their Talons Are Out for FDIC Chair Gruenberg

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Six Big Banks Forced to Declare $9.3 Billion in Additional FDIC Expenses; Another Reason Their Talons Are Out for FDIC Chair Gruenberg

By Pam Martens and Russ Martens: November 22, 2023 ~

The biggest banks in the U.S. that have been serially bailed out by the Federal Reserve since they blew up the financial system in 2008, are ripping mad at the Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Martin Gruenberg.

In addition to the FDIC and other federal banking regulators’ proposed rule to increase capital requirements on the largest banks, the FDIC just issued a final rule on November 16 that will force six banks to report an FDIC special assessment expense totaling more than $9.3 billion in the final quarter of this year. (See chart above.)

Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase, is hair-on-fire mad because his bank is getting hit with the whopping figure of approximately $3 billion according to the firm’s most recent quarterly filing (10-Q) with the SEC.

The most recent 10-Q filings with the SEC for the other five banks estimate their FDIC special assessments as follows: $1.9 billion at Bank of America; $1.8 billion at Wells Fargo; $1.5 billion at Citigroup’s Citibank; $650 million at U.S. Bancorp; and $460 million at Truist.

The FDIC’s special assessment results from the failure of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in March, where banking regulators made a Systemic Risk Determination to cover uninsured deposits at the two banks to stem a spreading banking panic. The FDIC’s Deposit Insurance Fund that protects depositors at the nation’s commercial banks and savings associations experienced a related loss of $16.3 billion attributable to the protection of uninsured depositors. The FDIC’s governing law allows it to impose this special assessment on insured depository institutions to make up for the losses.

What the big banks don’t like is that they are picking up the lion’s share of the losses. The FDIC argues that large amounts of uninsured deposits inherently make the banking system less safe and the banks that had the largest amounts of uninsured deposits as of December 31, 2022 must pay the piper for their imprudent concern for safety and soundness. (See our report: International Bank Study, Using 150 Years of Data, Shows Mega Banks Like the Big Four in the U.S. Produce Financial Instability and More Severe Crises.)

Out of the approximate 4,100 federally-insured commercial banks in the U.S., the FDIC estimates that only 114 banks will be subject to the special assessment. That’s because the vast majority of banks in the U.S. honor the concept of being a federally-insured bank and keep the bulk of their deposits under the FDIC insurance cap of $250,000 per depositor, per bank. (See our report: At Year End, 4,127 U.S. Banks Held $7.7 Trillion in Uninsured Deposits; JPMorgan Chase, BofA, Wells Fargo and Citi Accounted for 43 Percent of That.)

The figures presented in the chart above may actually underestimate the final dollar figures that will be paid by the banks. When the banks published those estimates in their 10-Qs, the FDIC had estimated the losses to the Deposit Insurance Fund at $15.8 billion from covering uninsured deposits at the two banks. As of November 16 when the final rule was passed, those losses had grown to $16.3 billion according to the FDIC.

Another thing that has riled up the mega banks on Wall Street and have them whispering in the ears of their captured members of Congress to sack FDIC Chair Gruenberg, is that the FDIC dismissed out of hand their 12-page letter of objections to the methodology of the special assessment. (What good is paying millions of dollars to lobby  if you don’t get what you paid for?)

The letter was sent by the Bank Policy Institute, whose Board of Directors is Chaired by none other than Jamie Dimon and includes the CEOs of the biggest banks in the U.S.

For how the big banks are lobbying on the still-in-the-works capital rule, see our report: Meet the Banking Cartel that Is Planting the Seeds for the Next Banking Panic and Bailout.

As a prime example of just how casino-like the U.S. banking system has become, Goldman Sachs, the “great vampire squid,” is allowed to own a federally-insured bank. (In October 2020, the vampire squid was criminally charged by the Justice Department for looting the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, 1MDB in a grand bribery conspiracy.)

Goldman Sachs owns the federally-insured Goldman Sachs Banks USA, which is currently ranked by the Federal Reserve as the 7th largest federally-insured bank in the United States. Never mind that Goldman Sachs is also running an octopus of an international Dark Pool trading operation and has $57 trillion (yes, trillion) in opaque derivatives while its CEO, David Solomon, moonlights as a DJ. (You can’t make this stuff up.)

Goldman Sachs was peculiarly silent in its most recent 10-Q filing on how much its bank expects to pay for its share of the FDIC’s special assessment. But its 10-Q filing for the second quarter of this year estimated its tab at “$400 million (pre-tax).”

PNC Bank’s publicly traded parent has also previously reported to the SEC that it estimates that its special assessment expense, to be taken in full in the fourth quarter, will be approximately $370 million after-tax.

https://wallstreetonparade.com/2023/11/six-big-banks-forced-to-declare-9-3-billion-in-additional-fdic-expenses-another-reason-their-talons-are-out-for-fdic-chair-gruenberg/

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Big day for ballot questions

 

BY KELLY GARRITY AND MIA MCCARTHY PROGRAMMING NOTE: Massachusetts Playbook won’t publish Thursday and Friday. Have a happy Thanksgiving, and we’ll be back in your inboxes on Monday! WHO’S IN, WHO’S OUT — Ballot questions that got the nod from the state attorney general in September face their first big obstacle today. Questions seeking to end MCAS as a high school graduation requirement, legalize psychedelics and require tipped workers be paid the minimum wage on top of tips are all one step closer to being on the ballot in 2024, after supporters submitted more than 74,574 signatures to local clerks. Also advancing: state Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s last hope for auditing the Legislature. A DiZoglio-aligned group said yesterday that an oddball coalition of left-leaning activists and Republicans collected more than 100,000 signatures. It’s a crucial milestone for DiZoglio, who’s gone all-in on the ballot question after Democratic legislative leaders refused to comply with her probe, and the attorney general blocked her from forcing their cooperation. DiZoglio has poured tens of thousands of dollars of her own money and all of her campaign cash into the effort. A ballot battle is also brewing between dueling questions surrounding the status of app-based drivers. One set of questions would continue to classify those drivers as independent contractors while another would allow them to unionize. Both sides collected enough signatures to move forward, setting up what’s likely to be an expensive showdown (Uber, Lyft, Instacart and DoorDash contributed close to $44 million to last year’s push to classify drivers as independent contractors before the measure was killed by the SJC.) Groups have until 5 p.m. today to submit their signatures to city and town registrars for certification. Then they have two weeks to send them to the secretary of state’s office. Rideshare drivers supporting the question that would let them unionize say they plan to deliver some signatures to Secretary of State Bill Galvin’s office today. Ballot questions that officially clear the signature hurdle move on to the Legislature, where lawmakers can decide to approve them, propose an alternative or decline to do either — which sends them back for more signatures. Some of these questions could also draw legal challenges that could derail their progress to the 2024 ballot. But one closely-watched and controversial question has already met the end of the road. Supporters ended their push for a question on local-option rent control after they were tracking tens of thousands of signatures short of the threshold. GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey swears in Michael Pineault as associate justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court at 10 a.m. at the State House. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has no public events. Tips? Scoops? Birthdays? Thanksgiving recipes your Playbook authors have to try? Email us: kgarrity@politico.com and mmccarthy@politico.com.   GO INSIDE THE CAPITOL DOME: From the outset, POLITICO has been your eyes and ears on Capitol Hill, providing the most thorough Congress coverage — from political characters and emerging leaders to leadership squabbles and policy nuggets during committee markups and hearings. We're stepping up our game to ensure you’re fully informed on every key detail inside the Capitol Dome, all day, every day. Start your day with Playbook AM, refuel at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report and enrich your evening discussions with Huddle. Plus, stay updated with real-time buzz all day through our brand new Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here.     DATELINE BEACON HILL IN MEMORIAM — “Former Merrimack Valley Lawmaker Sue Tucker Dies, At 79,” by Sam Doran, State House News Service (paywall). CHAMBER OF COMMERCE = REPUBLICANS Some of the spending will create jobs.  Some of the spending will SAVE ENERGY, reducing expenses of consumers.  Rather than setting off alarms, maybe careful consideration is mandated.  — “Mass. business leaders want Beacon Hill lawmakers to ‘exercise control’ with spending,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “Business leaders from across Massachusetts warned Tuesday that state spending far outpaced inflation over the past five fiscal years, and cautioned lawmakers to ‘exercise control’ as the fiscal 2025 budget process kicks off next month. Red flags from chamber of commerce leaders up and down the coast and out west come after top lawmakers painted a grim fiscal picture last week for Massachusetts, airing concerns that four consecutive months of below benchmark revenue collections this fiscal year could bode poorly for the state.” E(X)ODUS — State Senate President Karen Spilka is leaving X (formerly Twitter) she announced yesterday, in response to Elon Musk’s recent promotion of an antisemitic post on the platform. Musk has “long promoted and enabled hateful speech,” Spilka said in a statement, and with his “endorsement of a monstrous and dangerous antisemitic lie, I can no longer justify using the X platform for any reason.” Spilka isn’t the only one fleeing — big advertisers like Disney, IBM and Apple are also pausing activity on the site, according to CNN , after a Media Matters report found ads appearing alongside pro-Nazi content. — “ Convention Center Authority executive director out, ” by Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald: “ The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority’s long-serving executive director is parting ways with the agency, according to the chair of the Board of Directors. In a statement shared with the Herald, Board Chair Emme Handy said the decision to have a change at the top of the pseudo-governmental body, which oversees the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center and the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center was a mutual one.” — “ Mass. awards $27 million to help ‘decarbonize’ hundreds of affordable housing units, ” by Miriam Wasser, WBUR: “The Healey administration awarded $27 million to several affordable housing developments on Tuesday to help them reduce planet-warming emissions and increase energy efficiency in more than 700 units across the state.” — “ METCO program worried a level budget effectively cuts funds, ” by Katie Lannan, GBH News: “This year’s state budget marked the first time in five years that the METCO program did not receive a funding boost that at least keeps pace with inflation, and leaders at the school desegregation initiative have been calling for lawmakers to step in with additional money. The budget Gov. Maura Healey signed in August included $29.4 million for METCO, the state-funded program through which more than 3,000 Boston students enroll in and attend suburban schools.”   GET A BACKSTAGE PASS TO COP28 WITH GLOBAL PLAYBOOK : Get insider access to the conference that sets the tone of the global climate agenda with POLITICO's Global Playbook newsletter. Authored by Suzanne Lynch, Global Playbook delivers exclusive, daily insights and comprehensive coverage that will keep you informed about the most crucial climate summit of the year. Dive deep into the critical discussions and developments at COP28 from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12.. SUBSCRIBE NOW .     MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS NEW THIS A.M. — United Way has awarded the first temporary shelter grant to Catholic Charities Boston, which opened a site Tuesday evening that will provide beds and meals for up to 27 wait-listed families. PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES — “ Nine slow zones eliminated on Red Line, MBTA says, ” by Travis Andersen, Boston Globe: “Red Line passengers received some encouraging news Tuesday when the MBTA announced it had eliminated nine slow zones between JFK/UMass and Park Street stations. Shuttle bus service had replaced trains on that stretch during the evenings from Nov. 14 to Nov. 16 and “all day” Saturday and Sunday to allow for repairs to remove the slow zones, the MBTA said in a statement. ” DATELINE D.C. — “ President Biden to celebrate Thanksgiving, continue birthday festivities with coconut cake on Nantucket, ” by Emily Sweeney, Boston Globe: “President Biden celebrated his 81st birthday on Monday and plans to continue the festivities on Nantucket this week. Biden will spend Thanksgiving on the island with his family, as he does every year, the Associated Press reported.” MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS — “ Cannabis challenges are causing contraction across the industry, ” by Cassie McGrath, Boston Business Journal: “Since the first cannabis companies opened in Massachusetts in 2018, owners have been talking about the unique struggles of the state-regulated industry. But only recently have the full effects of those challenges come into focus.” THE LOCAL ANGLE — “Hunger is something we can solve’: Annual march raises $458K for Food Bank of Western Massachusetts,” by Mary Byrne, Greenfield Recorder: “...The two-day, 43-mile walk began at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Springfield on Monday morning. Joined by legislators and community members from across the region, [Christopher 'Monte'] Belmonte [the radio personality who launched the fundraiser in 2010] pushed his famous shopping cart through Springfield, Chicopee, Holyoke and a sliver of Easthampton before getting to Northampton that afternoon. … And for the first time since 2010, a sitting governor joined the western Massachusetts community for a portion of the trek from Springfield to Greenfield — a move that didn’t go unnoticed by members of the region’s delegation.” — “ Official state ice cream? Here's why Mass. takes its state symbols seriously, ” by Kinga Borondy, Worcester Telegram & Gazette: “Does Massachusetts really need a signature ice cream flavor? A jazz song? A Jurassic-era armored mud ball? Enough people seem to think so, apparently, to have a joint committee of state government dedicate a portion of its hearing time to proposals brought forth by local residents and legislators.” HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE! WELCOME TO PLYMOUTH — The Plymouth Independent , a Plymouth-based nonprofit news organization, launched Tuesday under editor and CEO Mark Pothier. Read Pothier’s letter on why he started the local news website. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Lauren Goldman Moran, chief of the MassAGO’s fair labor division, and her twin sister Michelle Goldman, assistant clerk magistrate at Middlesex Superior Court. HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY  — to Keith Boynton , Tory Stephens , Joel McAuliffe and Matt Stromski who celebrate Thursday; Sonia Ballard and Mass DPH’s Alison Cohen , who celebrate Friday; Leah Regan and Allie Strom , who celebrate Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-ers Maggie Cohen , Ben Gubits and Bob Dunn. Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com .   Follow us on Twitter Lisa Kashinsky @lisakashinsky Kelly Garrity @KellyGarrity3   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters FOLLOW US

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MAGA is portraying Ashley Babbitt as a victim again.

 

Just the facts.

By Liz Giorgetti Katzen, PhD, Clinical Psychologist

MAGA is portraying Ashley Babbitt as a victim again.

A pattern: Ashli Babbitt goes berserk and, with depraved indifference to her own safety and the safety of others, violently smashes things to harm people when she is clearly the person in the wrong.

In 2016, Babbitt was criminally charged with reckless endangerment after she repeatedly smashed her SUV into a vehicle driven by an ex-girlfriend of Aaron Babbitt. The victim had been living with Mr. Babbitt when he had an affair with a coworker, Ashli, whom he later married. The victim moved on from her relationship with Mr. Babbitt, but she had to take out repeated restraining orders against Ashli Babbitt, culminating in the violent SUV attack that led to criminal charges.

In 2021, Ashli Babbitt was with a mob at the Capitol, violently and repeatedly smashing locked doors, until she was shot climbing through a smashed window to enter a part of the Capitol that hadn't been fully evacuated. The Capitol police lieutenant who subsequently shot her was visibly pointing a gun at her, and the mob was shouting "gun," but Ashli, perhaps fueled by manic rage, grandiosity, and entitlement, ignored the warnings, which ended in her being shot dead.

There are psychological echoes of the first incident in the second incident. The reckless, baseless rage, the smashing, depraved indifference to mortal danger--This was Ashli's M.O. when she became uncorked.

Of course, we cannot forget that Ashli Babbitt was shot that day doing what Donald Trump sent her there to do, which makes it doubly disgusting every time Trump blames the heroic Capitol police officer for her death. Ashli Babbitt was a reckless fool, but Donald Trump sent her on that fool's errand.

POLITICO Nightly: The House GOP’s hunt for impeachment

BY MIA MCCARTHY Presented by Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Mike Johnson (R-La.), Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) at a press conference on May 11, 2023. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images SUBPOENA SEASON — The latest subpoena in the Biden impeachment inquiry was announced by House Judiciary Chair Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) just a few hours ago: Lesley Wolf, the assistant U.S. attorney overseeing the Hunter Biden investigation. The next few weeks are vital to House Republicans’ so far stalled efforts to impeach President Joe Biden and the Wolf subpoena signals the next step in a month that could define where the impeachment is headed. Republicans claim the president used his position to help his family’s business dealings, but so far have failed to provide enough proof to unite the whole conference behind an impeachment vote — leaving the House GOP divided ahead of a busy month. Impeachment is at the top of the list for conservative hardliners, some of whom criticized former Speaker Kevin McCarthy for not moving the case fast enough. But centrist Republicans, many of whom represent districts carried by Biden, aren’t on board just yet, citing a lack of evidence in the case. It’s a divide that could be costly for the GOP conference, who can only afford to lose a few votes in the narrow Republican majority. The effort also puts the spotlight on newly installed Speaker Mike Johnson. Conservative supporters view him as a partner in the cause — but a failed impeachment inquiry could be an embarrassing opening act of Johnson’s speakership. To get a better understanding of what lies ahead in the Republican effort to impeach the president, Nightly spoke with Jordain Carney , a reporter on POLITICO’s Congress team, who has been closely following Republican impeachment efforts in recent months. This interview has been edited. Where does the impeachment effort stand right now? What can we expect when the House gets back to Capitol Hill next week? House Republicans are hitting the final stage of their impeachment inquiry — with lawmakers and aides involved in the effort viewing the next four-to-six weeks as a crucial period. The big deposition they want is Hunter Biden on Dec. 13, but the committee chairs leading the investigation have also subpoenaed James Biden, the president’s brother, a business associate, a former White House counsel and others. In terms of the timeline, they are hoping to wrap up most of their interviews by the end of the year—at least one, right now, will slip until January—and then make a call as soon as next month about whether they pursue articles of impeachment against President Biden and kick things to Judiciary, which will take the lead on any impeachment articles. There’s a planned deposition of Hunter Biden in the coming weeks, but it would appear that there are considerable divisions within the House GOP over how or whether to move forward on an impeachment vote. Can you describe the different camps and what their concerns are? One of the biggest hurdles for Republicans who want to impeach Joe Biden is sort of their perennial problem: They’ve got a thin-margin that requires near unanimity to do anything along party lines and they’ve got a conference that is all over the map. You’ve got a camp of centrists and Biden-district Republicans who have warned leadership that they don’t want to move forward on impeaching Biden unless the investigators uncover a so-called “smoking gun” definitively linking actions taken by Biden as president or vice president to his family’s business deals. That’s a bar that they haven’t yet met, and some GOP lawmakers are skeptical that they are unlikely to meet—ie, in the words of one Republican, there isn’t going to be a video of Biden accepting a briefcase of cash. There’s a broader swath of governing-minded Republicans who believe the investigation has uncovered damaging information, particularly about Hunter Biden, but aren’t yet convinced it meets the bar of impeaching Biden and day-to-day on Capitol Hill this group is focused on their own stuff. Conservative Rep. Ken Buck—a Freedom Caucus member who doesn’t really fit in either of those camps—has been one of the conference’s most outspoken impeachment critics. What role is new Speaker Mike Johnson playing here? Is he a driving force? What do we know about where he stands? Before Johnson became speaker he had pretty strongly hinted that he believed Joe Biden committed impeachable offenses. As we previously reported, in a September speech, Johnson alleged that there’s “mounting evidence … shows that Joseph Biden has engaged in bribery schemes, pay-to-play schemes.” Now that he’s speaker, he’s having to navigate these competing pressure points within the conference. And he has been careful not to promise that the House will vote to impeach Biden. After a recent dust up about a meeting he had with centrists—that sparked public handwringing from his right flank, who worried he was going soft on impeachment—Johnson released a statement reiterating he supports the inquiry. What’s the definition of a successful impeachment inquiry for House Republicans? Is it different for different camps? It’s theoretically possible that they could end the inquiry without ever advancing to articles or even to a vote on the floor. But ending the investigation would be viewed as a setback for not only hardliners but Johnson (who inherited the inquiry when he became speaker). And it would be basically guaranteed to spark fierce backlash from not only the base, Trump supporters and the right flank of the conference who have been pushing for months to impeach Biden and questioned why the investigations weren’t going faster. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com . Or contact tonight’s author at mmccarthy@politico.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @Reporter_Mia . Programming note: Nightly will be off for the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, Nov. 23 and Friday, Nov. 24. We’ll be back in your inboxes on Monday, Nov. 27.   A message from The Coalition to Protect America's Regional Airports: DCA is at capacity. The airport accommodates 900 flights daily, faces a shortage of certified air traffic controllers, and manages so much traffic at its 58 gates that it often meets the industry maximum. Yet reckless efforts to bring more flights to DCA threaten to overburden the airport and risk safety for all. Say YES to safety and NO to more flights at DCA. Learn more.   WHAT'D I MISS? — Two more House lawmakers announce exits, marking retirement record: Two more House members announced they’re heading for the exits today, adding to a wave of congressional retirements fresh off a chaotic 10 weeks for the chamber. Longtime California Democrat Rep. Anna Eshoo said she will retire from her Silicon Valley seat after this term in Congress, opening a spot to represent the safe blue district for the first time in 30 years. And Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio), who leads the Energy and Commerce Environment Subcommittee, announced he’d be leaving Congress to head Youngstown State University after being offered the job by the school’s board of trustees. — Feds probe $10B deal for sandwich chain: The Federal Trade Commission is investigating if the $10 billion purchase of Subway creates a sandwich shop monopoly with Jimmy John’s and Arby’s. The latter two, in addition to McAlister’s Deli and Schlotzky’s, are owned by private equity firm Roark Capital, which inked a deal to buy Subway in August. The government is focused in part on whether the addition of Subway gives Roark too much control of a lucrative segment of the fast food industry, the people said. Roark paid around $10 billion for Subway, according to a third person with knowledge of the deal. — U.S. has sent Israel data on aid group locations to try to prevent strikes: The Biden administration has been providing Israel with the location of humanitarian groups in Gaza for weeks to prevent strikes against their facilities. But Israel has continued to hit such sites . The information included GPS coordinates of a number of medical facilities and information on movements of aid groups in Gaza to the Israeli government for at least a month, according to three people familiar with the communications. All were granted anonymity because they feared speaking publicly would make it more difficult for aid groups to operate in Gaza. Still, Israel has launched operations against Hamas in or near aid sites, including hospitals, leading to the destruction of buildings and the blocking of fuel and other critical supplies.   Enter the “room where it happens”, where global power players shape policy and politics, with Power Play. POLITICO’s brand-new podcast will host conversations with the leaders and power players shaping the biggest ideas and driving the global conversations, moderated by award-winning journalist Anne McElvoy. Sign up today to be notified of new episodes – click here .     NIGHTLY ROAD TO 2024 GO BLUE — Independent presidential hopeful Cornel West is taking aim at Michigan by courting voter groups that Joe Biden is struggling with — in a state where a single percentage point could make the difference for the president’s reelection bid. West will take his threadbare campaign to the state early next year to rally support among Arab American voters in Dearborn, “environmental justice advocates” in the majority Black city of Flint, university students and indigenous populations, according to plans shared with POLITICO. ENDORSEMENT OLYMPICS — The influential Iowa evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats plans to endorse Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida for the Republican presidential nomination today, according to a person familiar with his decision, writes the New York Times. It will be the second major endorsement DeSantis has picked up this month in Iowa, which will hold the first vote of the Republican primary season with its caucuses on Jan. 15. Kim Reynolds, the state’s popular Republican governor, announced her support two weeks ago. Vander Plaats has endorsed the last three Republicans who won contested Iowa caucuses — Mike Huckabee in 2008, Rick Santorum in 2012 and Ted Cruz in 2016 — though none of them went on to win the nomination. NEVADA IS A MESS — In January, roughly half a million Republican voters in Nevada will receive presidential primary ballots in the mail. Former President Donald Trump’s name won’t be on them. The omission is part of a tussle that has ripped open the state’s Republican party and diminished the influence of Nevada in early presidential nominating contests . State GOP officials have opted to ignore the state-mandated primary and will instead host an in-person caucus in early February where Trump is expected to rack up enough delegates to win Nevada, a strategy that his opponents see as aiding the front-runner’s candidacy. The unorthodox nominating process has left Republican voters here frustrated and confused.   A message from The Coalition to Protect America's Regional Airports:     AROUND THE WORLD Protesters at Columbia University on Nov. 20, 2023 in New York City. | Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images CEASEFIRE SOON — The U.S. has brokered a deal between Israel and Hamas to free dozens of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for a four or five day pause in fighting , according to three current U.S. officials and a former U.S. official with knowledge of the talks, reports POLITICO. The people said an announcement could come from the relevant parties as soon as today — though all stressed that arrangements can always fall apart at the last moment. Elements of the deal, including the release of some 50 hostages by Hamas, could begin within hours, they said. Two of the U.S. officials added that about 150 Palestinian prisoners will also be released from Israel as part of the arrangement. CNN reported the arrangement also includes Israel grounding surveillance drone flights for six hours a day in northern Gaza, but none of the people POLITICO spoke to were aware that element made it into the final deal. The former official said that was “a sticking point” in negotiations. All officials stressed that a deal isn’t final until it’s officially announced, and it’s unclear which party will first officially confirm the arrangement. While the broad outlines of the deal have been agreed to, Israel’s war cabinet still needs to formally approve it. That group is meeting today. Release of the hostages could lead to the first sustained pause in fighting since Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,000 people. That would allow a significant increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance flowing into Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of civilians have been living for weeks without food, water and power.   GET A BACKSTAGE PASS TO COP28 WITH GLOBAL PLAYBOOK : Get insider access to the conference that sets the tone of the global climate agenda with POLITICO's Global Playbook newsletter. Authored by Suzanne Lynch, Global Playbook delivers exclusive, daily insights and comprehensive coverage that will keep you informed about the most crucial climate summit of the year. Dive deep into the critical discussions and developments at COP28 from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12. SUBSCRIBE NOW .     NIGHTLY NUMBER $4.4 billion The amount of money that the crypto exchange Binance has agreed to pay in fines and restitution to the government on money laundering and unlicensed money transmitting charges. In addition, Binance’s CEO Changpeng Zhao pleaded guilty to money laundering charges and agreed to a $50 million fine. Zhao will also step down from Binance, as the government seeks a 18-month prison sentence, according to Justice Department officials. Binance is being booted out of the U.S. after federal prosecutors alleged the company aided terrorist networks like Hamas, violated sanctions and facilitated human and narcotics trafficking. RADAR SWEEP excerpt: Some sources tip off TMZ — which the Rupert Murdoch-controlled Fox Entertainment purchased from the then-named WarnerMedia in 2021 in a deal valued at less than $50 million — because it’s a thrill, or they’re angry. Others want a payout, which can range from a few hundred dollars to far higher. A former TMZ staffer recalls that there’s no ceiling on payments. “They have an insane amount of capital to do this kind of thing,” the person says. (The New York Post, another outlet owned by Murdoch, reported that the hotel elevator footage of Solange attacking Jay-Z was purchased for $250,000.) DEATH NOTICE — TMZ, known for its crude newsgathering and scoops, came under a fresh wave of scrutiny late last month when it first reported on Friends star Matthew Perry’s death and ran photos of his parents arriving at his Los Angeles home. Ever since they broke news of Michael Jackson’s death in 2009, this sort of reporting has become some of the site’s bread and butter , driving a lot of eyeballs and interest. But for family members or friends who have had to learn about loved ones’ deaths via TMZ, or who have had to consider the cameras alongside the rest of their grief, TMZ has meant something else: a lesson that even in death, it’s impossible to escape celebrity. Gary Baum , Ryan Gajewski and Winston Cho write for The Hollywood Reporter. PARTING IMAGE On this date in 1966: California's Democratic then-Gov. Edmund G. Brown (right) and Republican then-governor-elect Ronald Reagan shake hands at their meeting in Brown's office at the Capitol building in Sacramento. This was their first meeting since Reagan's landslide victory over Brown in the gubernatorial election. | AP Did someone forward this email to you?  Sign up here .   A message from The Coalition to Protect America's Regional Airports: The Federal Aviation Administration, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, and other experts agree – DCA is at capacity and cannot safely accommodate more flights. That’s why a bipartisan majority of House members voted against bringing more flights to the airport as part of the FAA Reauthorization bill. Now, we need the Senate to do the same. Say YES to safety and NO to more flights at DCA. DCA is home to America’s busiest commercial runway and ranks third in runway incursions among the nation’s 30 largest airports. More flights means more risks to safety at DCA. That’s why the Coalition to Protect America’s Regional Airports opposes any measures to bring more flights to this at-capacity airport. Say YES to safety and NO to more flights at DCA.     Follow us on Twitter Charlie Mahtesian @PoliticoCharlie Calder McHugh @calder_mchugh   FOLLOW US

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