Pentagon stunned. That’s how The Associated Press describes off-the-record responses within the military to Donald Trump’s choice for defense secretary: Fox News host Pete Hegseth.
■ A defense industry lobbyist is more blunt to Politico: “Who the fuck is this guy?”
■ Trump’s reportedly considering creating a “warrior board” to weed out “woke generals.”
‘Why does the Dept of Government Efficiency have two co-chairs?’ Washington Post data reporter Caitlin Gilbert is puzzled by Trump’s pick of Twitter X, Tesla and SpaceX overlord Elon Musk and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to lead efforts to overhaul the government.
■ The acronym for the “department”—which isn’t really one—is a nod to Musk’s favorite dog-themed cryptocurrency: DOGE.
■ Some Trump insiders suggest Musk’s starting to wear out his welcome—one telling Politico “Elon is getting a little big for his britches.”
Sick of Twitter X? Users tired of Musk and his social media platform are leaving in droves to join upstart Bluesky.
■ Among Bluesky’s converts: Media critic and former Tribune and Sun-Times editor Mark Jacob and Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Will Bunch.
■ Your Chicago Public Square columnist’s here.
■ ZDNET has a guide for migrating your X followers to Bluesky. (Note: The website is nonintuitive: bsky.app.)
■ The Guardian’s kissing X goodbye, too.
‘We gotta get used to talking to regular-ass people.’ Environmentalists are plotting new strategy in the face of Trump’s pick to head the EPA: An ex-Republican congressman with what Slate calls an “abysmal environmental record.”
■ Cartoonist/columnist Jack Ohman on Trump’s selection of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to serve as U.S. ambassador to Israel: “White Christian Nationalists now have their guy in place to make sure that Bibi gets exactly what he wants.”
■ Former Illinois Republican Rep. turned Trump antagonist Adam Kinzinger: “Coming soon to a country near you—Project 2025. Expect Trump to implement the plan he disavowed.”■ Author Brian Tyler Cohen calls out right-wing media outlets for their unquestioning descriptions of Trump’s emerging cabinet.
■ Trump’s reportedly cool with House Speaker Mike Johnson keeping that job.
■ Updating coverage: Who else has Trump tabbed?
Trump’s appointment ‘express lane.’ The Post explains the president-elect’s demand that the Senate let him slap together his cabinet without its input …
■ … so that he can, as Lyz Dye puts it at Public Notice, “install the entire Star Wars Bar as high officials in his administration.”
■ Columnist Jeff Tiedrich: “America’s getting a clown show—and not a funny ha ha! clown show. Nope, we’re getting sewer clowns.”
■ Blocked by Republicans—notably, Ohio Sen. and Vice President-elect JD Vance—from becoming Chicago’s first female U.S. attorney, former prosecutor April Perry has instead been confirmed as a federal judge.
■ Special counsel Jack Smith, who’s been leading federal criminal cases against Trump, reportedly plans to quit—along with his whole team—before Trump takes office Jan. 20.
‘A devastating blow.’ The former federal prosecutor overseeing court-ordered Chicago police reforms says Mayor Johnson’s proposed budget cuts spell “a step backward … just when progress is starting to be felt.”
■ The family of an officer slain last week is asking the mayor and Gov. Pritzker to stay away from the funeral.
■ As the Illinois General Assembly gets back to business, security’s been tightened at the state capitol.
The end is near. The new AP Stylebook is OK with the phrase very unique.
■ The Los Angeles Times’ publisher’s promising an editorial shift to the right.
Thanks not given. HuffPost columnist Andrea Tate: “My husband and his family voted for Trump—so I’m canceling Thanksgiving and Christmas.”
■ Fox News host Jesse Watters’ liberal mom has disinvited him to Thanksgiving dinner.
■ The AP: In the face of Trump’s pledge to roll back protections for transgender students, they’re flooding crisis hotlines.
■ Looking for a dinner-table conversation starter? Consider American Prospect columnist Rick Perlstein’s grudging admiration for a Trump campaign “pièce de résistance, that feigned blow job.”
Farewell, Freevee. Amazon’s shutting down its free streaming TV service and folding its shows into Prime Video—but those shows will still be free to non-members of Amazon’s Prime service.
■ Aldi’s abruptly shuttered a South Side grocery store …
■ … days after opening a new store in the western suburb of Forest Park.
Careful what you search. If you Google something obscure, beware malicious websites that can prove potentially disastrous for users—created by “search engine optimization poisoners” who can get a top-rated link by seeming to answer questions few others have tackled.
■ Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ malignant Infowars media empire was up for auction today …
Thanks. Chris Koenig made this edition better.
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