POLITICS

Welcome, Class of 2027

Capitol Hill is crowded this week.

Newly elected lawmakers of the 120th Congress arrived for freshman orientation, and the 119th Congress returned for its lame-duck session (outgoing lawmakers, not an insult). First order of business: fund the government by December 11 to avoid a shutdown.

Also on the agenda:

• The Pentagon’s annual policy bill,
• The expired Farm Bill, which sets agriculture and food policy (think: SNAP),
• And a resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Hegseth (keep scrollin’ for more on that).

The Senate also voted 73-25 to advance legislation to speed up permitting for energy and infrastructure projects.

Both parties will elect class presidents leaders before the New Year. House Republicans elected Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) yesterday to succeed Speaker Johnson (R-LA) as the GOP’s head honcho. House Democrats are expected to nominate Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) to hold the Speaker’s gavel.

Curious about lame-duck legislators? We are, too. Stay tuned for TPO Explains on Saturday.

ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
Politicians come and go, often disappointing supporters and opponents alike. Put your hope in the Lord, Who has no term limit, Who rules with compassion, and Who executes justice perfectly.

“But the LORD sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for judgment. And he judges the world with righteousness; he executes judgment on the nations with fairness. The LORD is a refuge for the persecuted, a refuge in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you because you have not abandoned those who seek you, LORD.”
Psalm 9:7–10 (CSB) (read full passage)

POLITICS

Updated Syllabus

The Department of War is taking a red pen to its college curriculum.

Defense Secretary Hegseth ordered sweeping changes to American military colleges Monday, saying classes should be “focused on winning our nation’s wars.” The Pentagon principal’s eight-page memorandum outlines 33 education updates—including fewer seminars and more AI-assisted wargames—as part of a push to increase service members’ “combat readiness.” (Check out the new requirements.)

Meanwhile, Rep. Massie (R-KY) reintroduced impeachment articles against Secretary Hegseth, arguing he committed “high crimes” including unauthorized military ops in Iran, Venezuela, and Yemen (see a breakdown of the articles). Hegseth defended his “lawful military operations,” calling the articles a “political spectacle.”

While some lawmakers on both sides have criticized Hegseth’s war-room tactics, President Trump gave the Pentagon chief’s performance an “A-plus-plus-plus,” and a House vote last night effectively blocked the impeachment resolution from moving forward.

Verse to consider when major overhaul in your own life has your head spinning… “For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”
Proverbs 2:6 (CSB) (read full passage)

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U.S. NEWS

AI Going Public

Tech giants are hitting the business section and the tabloids.

Sunday, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admitted to an affair with a businesswoman believed by U.S. intelligence to be a Chinese spy (see his company-wide apology). Beijing allegedly recruited her to gather info on the leather-jacketed chip chief and encourage Nvidia, which controls ~90% of AI chips, to make its top products available to China.

Nvidia, whose stock fell 4.3% Monday, is investigating but sees “no reason to believe” national security was compromised. President Trump said Huang told him he had “no idea” she was a spy; China calls the claims “smears.”

(AI)so Monday, Anthropic released its first “frontier” models since CEO Dario Amodei called for an industry slowdown. Yesterday, the Claude-maker valued itself at up to $1.4T for next week’s IPO, below the ~$2T floated in September.

RADIATE HOPE
News about artificial intelligence can feel world-altering. As trillion-dollar valuations, global rivalries, and job worries swirl together to capture our gaze and captivate our hearts, live in the hope we have in the God Who made this world, died for it, and is bringing it to glory. No matter the headlines, that hope is secure.

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.”
Hebrews 6:19 (CSB) (read full passage)

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Fraternities are losing their letters. Ohio State University temporarily suspended its Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter after a viral video showed two individuals with clothes on fire at a party. Columbus Police are investigating, and both people are “receiving needed medical care.” Meanwhile, Sigma Nu’s national organization closed its NC State chapter after police discovered graphic videos tied to hazing allegations.

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The FDA is adding a “may cause vision loss” warning to GLP-1s. The agency says the medications, used primarily to treat diabetes and promote weight loss, increase the risk of a rare eye condition that can cause sudden, permanent vision loss. Roughly 11% of Americans take GLP-1s (see the skyrocketing stats); scientists expect ~2 people per 10k on the drug to develop the eye condition.


Russell Brand was sentenced to 10.5 years in prison Monday. Last week, jurors convicted him of sexual offenses against four women between 2004 and 2009, acquitting him of three other charges. The judge called the 51-year-old a “sexual predator” who showed “arrogant disregard” for women who said no; Brand maintains consensuality. Detectives are now investigating new allegations, one involving a 16-year-old.


The U.N.’s annual climate summit kicked off Monday in Antalya, Turkey, starting 12 days of debate among ~200 countries. On the COP31 agenda: aid for developing nations and getting electricity to 35% of global energy use by 2035. Uncle Sam RSVP’d “no” to the summit for the second straight year, saying it ignores the damage of “extremist climate policies.”


Some public schools are facing unwanted early dismissal. A total of 1,156 U.S. schools shuttered during the last academic year—a post-pandemic record—amid shrinking funding and declining birth rates (see the baby trends). Superintendents say closures “concentrate resources” to improve outcomes for remaining students; researchers say closing doesn’t fix budget issues; and disrupted families say school shuffling causes classroom overcrowding and student setbacks.

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