Lesley Abravanel

Public reaction to a recent Christmas card greeting posted on the White House's official X account probably isn't what President Donald Trump was expecting.

A graphic of Trump giving his signature thumbs up, along with the words "Daddy's Home," accompanies the White House's exuberant greeting of "HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS!" posted late Wednesday night.

The phrase "daddy's home" has been adopted by Trump's supporters and used in official White House communications as a catchphrase and meme, particularly during the holiday season and following a NATO summit event in 2025. ...

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) "prefers secrecy to sunlight" when it comes to his probe of former counsel Jack Smith, writes MS NOW's Steve Benen.

House Republicans, led by Jordan, subpoenaed Smith for a closed-door deposition on December 17, 2025, as part of their oversight investigation into his probes into President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his handling of classified documents.

Smith's lawyers have stated he volunteered to appear for an open, public hearing but will comply with the deposition request. ...

President Donald Trump is worried that Republicans will lose a seat in Congress if Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) moves to Texas to run for a redistricted seat there, according to Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX).

Journalist Mark Davis posted on X, "Per Rep @LanceGooden: Rep Ronny Jackson informs the TX delegation that Pres Trump has asked Issa to run in his current seat “because they are worried a new person has no chance of winning it and the President thinks Darrell can.”

According to a report by Punchbowl News, Issa is considering a run for a House seat in Texas if the Supreme Court upholds California's redrawn congressional district map....

Republicans are growing increasingly frustrated on their inability to sell the American people on the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," reports Al Weaver in The Hill.

"Talk about the massive tax package largely evaporated after Labor Day amid high-stakes fights over releasing documents related to Jeffrey Epstein and the 43-day government shutdown. Yet even before those controversies, polls showed the GOP legislation was unpopular," Weaver writes.

As Democrats hammer Republicans on the issue of affordability, he writes, GOP lawmakers are concerned by their lackluster sales pitch on their party's signature accomplishment....

Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, the married hosts of MS NOW's "Morning Joe" have been conspicuously absent lately and are sending the show's producers into a panic, reported RadarOnline.

"Insiders now claim the couple's increasingly high number of absences has sparked a 'workplace meltdown' as the network scrambles to cover for them," Radar reported.

Before the network rebranded from MSNBC, the hosts "reportedly appeared together in just 70 of 124 episodes," Radar noted....