š¦ House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries?
Republicans fret they may lose their congressional majority even before the midterms, Donald Trump ponders axing FBI Director Kash Patel, and the skyrocketing cost of Turkey Day.
šš¦ On this day in 1789, at the request of Congress, President George Washington issued a proclamation that established November 26 as a āday of public *thanksgiving* and prayer.ā The āfourth Thursday of Novemberā tradition became standard decades later after a decree from Abraham Lincoln.
Good morning! Peter here with so much gratitude this Thanksgiving Eve. Iām grateful Mehdi trusted me to write this newsletter. Iām grateful Melanie, Laurin-Whitney, Akshay, Minnah, JP, Andrew, and Prem routinely save my butt and actually cobble together āFirst Draft.ā Iām grateful Swin has subbed in not once but twice now and has done such a stellar job. Iām grateful for my family and friends (even those of you who donāt read every edition). And Iām so grateful for the opportunity to have gotten to know all of you in the Zeteo community. I feel like I won the lottery. Thank you all! Weāll be off for the rest of the week, but I wonāt leave you high and dry! If youāre bored, read the story of my favorite Thanksgiving ever. It was at Hooters!
In todayās āFirst Draft,ā miserable House Republicans reckon with what could be a resignation crisis, Donald Trump weighs whether to ditch his shock jock-turned-top cop, Kash Patel, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro begins his 27-year prison sentence, and some great recommendations for (long) weekend reads.
Currently, anyone can read āFirst Draft,ā but it wonāt always be free! Take advantage of our Black Friday + Cyber Monday sale and get 25% off an annual Zeteo subscription. The offer ends Dec. 1 at 11:59pm ET! If youāre already a paid subscriber, you can always support our journalism even further with a donation.
Hakeem the Supreme?
A mere four weeks ago, in an interview with the Economist, former Trump adviser and human-shaped mass of bedbugs Steve Bannon proclaimed: āheās gonna get a third term... Trump is gonna be president in ā28, and people just sort of [need to] get accommodated with that.ā
What a century the last month has been!
In late October, Democrats were shaking in their bleeding-heart-liberal boots at the prospect of everlasting fascist autocracy. The Bad Orange Man, many feared, was an American Viktor OrbĆ”n, jonesing to throttle US democracy in its relative cradle. Cards on the table, I myself penned an edition of āFirst Draftā centered on the presidentās not-so-subtle campaign for an unconstitutional third term. I was concerned!
Fast forward one lunar cycle, and we all look like hysterical ninnies.
Post shutdown, Donald Trumpās net approval rating stands at -15, the lowest it has been during his entire second term in office. Heās done nothing to address either inflation or AIās disastrous impact on energy bills and the job market. GOP lawmakers have all but abandoned him, voting for the release of the Epstein files despite his vociferous protest, right up until it was clear all was lost. And arguably his one-time closest ally, the high priestess of MAGA, Marjorie Taylor Greene, not only spearheaded that quasi-coup against him but has also now announced her resignation from Congress and effectively renounced his entire political project.
All of the above, dear reader, may be old news. This, however, will pique your interest: thereās reporting that Marjorie Taylor Greene may be just the beginning. The GOP may be careening towards a resignation crisis that will result in it losing the House majority well before Novemberās midterm elections next year.
You see, per Punchbowlās reporting, a handful of House Grand Olā Partiers are planning to Irish exit the GOP and retire in the middle of their terms. Consider just this one quote provided to Punchbowl from a senior Republican in the lower chamber: āThis entire White House team has treated ALL members like garbageā¦ That is the sentiment of nearly all ā appropriators, authorizers, hawks, doves, rank and fileā¦ Members know they are going into the minority after the midtermsā¦ More explosive early resignations are coming.ā
My friend, tell me how you really feel!
Now, put aside for a moment the fact that members of the House GOP are starting to get a taste of their own medicine; maybe they should join a support group with DOGEād federal employees, SNAP recipients, transgender service members, and anyone with darker skin standing outside a Home Depot!
For a moment, letās be unapologetically and brazenly political. The reality is that Republican backbenchers have *vewy* hurt feelings. And they have good reason.
Last week, an NPR/PBS News/Marist poll showed Democrats hold a MASSIVE 14-point advantage over Republicans on the generic ballot ahead of the 2026 midterms. For context, in advance of the Tea Partyās red tsunami in 2010, Republicans held a 10-point lead on the generic ballot.
The NPR/PBS NEW/Marist poll may very well be an outlier, but even if you cut that blue lead in halfā¦ thatās utterly devastating for conservatives. What swing district Republican wants to run in that environment?
The major issue for Speaker Mike Johnson, however, has less to do with politics and more to do with dollar signs. As Abby Livingston of Puck reports, the real siren song tempting Republican backbenchers away from their seats is the call of K Street lobbying shops. Any member who resigns now will get both a jumpstart on their legally-mandated one-year cooling-off period and hit the soul-selling job market before their colleagues doā¦ and also before Meta, Boeing, and our other corporate overlords realize that their stock is down in Speaker Hakeem Jeffriesās House.
For President Trump, who has gilded the White House and jettisoned his closest allies, the irony may be bitter, but itās objectively delicious. His formerly rabid minions are already jumping ship for the next shiny thing.
šļø What You Need to Know
MAHA madness: Trumpās Environmental Protection Agency will abandon a Biden-era rule that strengthens limits on fine-particle pollution, which experts warn could lead to more air-quality-related deaths. The move comes just days after the agency approved two new pesticides containing āforever chemicalsā for use on food. What happened to Making America Healthy Again?
Kash counts his days: Trump is considering removing Kash Patel as FBI director and replacing him with senior bureau official Andrew Bailey, according to MS NOW (formerly MSNBC). The reported news comes as Patel faces increased scrutiny for his misuse of FBI resources, like using its private jet for personal trips and enlisting SWAT teams as security details for his girlfriend.
Swalwell That Ends Well: Rep. Eric Swalwell filed a civil lawsuit against Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, who referred him to the Justice Department over allegations of mortgage fraud. The suit alleges that Pulte violated federal privacy law and abused his position by āscouringā databases for private mortgage records, and that Swalwell was targeted for his āprotected political speech and views.ā
The art of the steel: The Trump administration has committed more than $10 billion in taxpayer funds to buying shares of private companies ā like US Steel and Intel ā deemed essential to national security, according to the New York Times. The unusual move has sparked concerns of corruption, market distortion, and potential loss of taxpayer funds. In the case of Intel, shortly after the government made its investment, Trump personally purchased up to $5 million worth of Intelās corporate debt.
FBI WTF: The FBI has requested interviews with the six Democratic lawmakers who urged members of the military not to comply with Trumpās orders if they are illegal orders. Sen. Elissa Slotkin said in a statement, āIām not going to let this next step from the FBI stop me from speaking up for my country and our Constitution.ā
š§ Pop Quiz!
Which founding father is *FALSELY* known as having formally proposed the turkey as the national bird over the bald eagle?
Keep your eyes out for the answer below!
šµšø Donāt Forget Gaza
Exchange of remains: Israel handed over the remains of 15 Palestinians today after Hamas returned the body of an Israeli, as the first phase of the so-called ceasefire nears completion. The bodies of two hostages remain in Gaza, and Hamas has vowed to return them. The Gaza Health Ministry said that fewer than 100 of the total 345 Palestinian bodies returned to Gaza have been identified. Some are so mutilated that identification may never be possible, Zeteo contributor Diana Buttu recently wrote.
$70 billion to rebuild: A new report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development found that it will take more than $70 billion to rebuild Gaza. The report also found that Israelās two-year genocide has erased decades of gains for the Palestinian economy.
And in the occupied West Bankā¦ The Israeli military ordered the removal of trees spanning over 14 acres in Jenin, local Palestinian media reported, noting an uptick in such attacks on Palestinian agricultural land.
When it comes to Palestine, mainstream media outlets play the same old game. Headlines are framed to fit politics and sponsors, not people. Stories fit the narrative, not the other way around. Victimsā names vanish, and stories are buried before the truth is ever told.
Thatās where Ground News comes in. See how the same events in Gaza, Jerusalem, or Jenin are reported across the political spectrum. Ground News gathers news articles from 50,000 sources worldwide, and the innovative Blindspot feature reveals what isnāt shown ā humanitarian stories ignored by Western outlets, or global perspectives missing from regional press.
In a world where information is a weapon, full context is a superpower. With Ground Newsās Vantage Plan, youāll see the full landscape for every story and outlet.
Learn more at ground.news/zeteox and get 40% of the Vantage Plan for $5 a month.
(This portion of the post was sponsored content.)
š Anywhere But America
š·šŗ šŗšø US envoy to visit Russia: US special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to visit Moscow next week as the Trump administration continues its push for its plan to end the war in Ukraine.
šŖšŗšŗš¦ EU strengthens defense ties with Ukraine: Amid ongoing peace talks, European Union lawmakers voted to approve Ukrainian access to the EUās Defence Investment Program, which provides roughly $345 million to strengthen Ukraineās military capabilities.
š¦šŗ Islamophobic stunt: Far-right Australian Sen. Pauline Hanson was suspended from Parliament for the remainder of the year for wearing a burqa in the chamber after she was denied permission to introduce a bill to ban the garment in public.
š¹š· 3 arrested in alleged spy plot: Three defense industry executives were arrested by Turkish authorities for allegedly providing ābiographicalā information about their employees to foreign nations.
š³š¬ Record hunger levels in Nigeria: The World Food Programme warned that nearly 35 million people in northern Nigeria will face āsevere food insecurityā between May and September 2026, caused by aid cuts and increasing insurgent attacks.
š±š§š®š± UN calls for probe of Israelās Lebanon strike: The UN human rights office called for āprompt and impartial investigationsā into Israelās strike last week on the Ein El-Hilweh refugee camp that killed 13 civilians, including 11 children, in southern Lebanon. Israel has killed at least 127 civilians in Lebanon since the ceasefire there came into effect nearly a year ago, according to the UN.
š§š· Bolsonaro begins sentence: Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro officially began his 27-year prison sentence for leading a coup attempt after his 2022 election loss.
š Chart of the Day
Your pants arenāt the only thing getting a little tighter this Thanksgiving; so are your wallets.
According to the latest analysis from Groundwork Collaborative, The Century Foundation, and AFT, the price of a Thanksgiving dinner is up 9.8% compared to 2024 ā more than triple the overall rate of inflation.
While you may be bracing yourselves for the dreaded political fight at the Thanksgiving table, at least youāll be able to steer the conversation to something voters on both sides of the aisle can agree on.
š§ Trivia answer: Benjamin Franklin! Mr. $100 never formally proposed the turkey as the national bird. However, he did write a letter to his daughter in 1784, in which he decried the bald eagle as a raptor with ābad moral characterā who ādoes not get his Living honestly.ā
š Donāt Miss It
We at Zeteo wouldnāt mark Thanksgiving without telling you what weāre grateful for. Check your inboxes tomorrow for the top seven things that had us saying āthank youā this year.
Spoiler alertā¦ You might just be on the list!
Let us know what youāre grateful for in the comments below.
š (Long) Weekend Reads
While āFirst Draftā is on a break for the holiday, we wonāt leave you empty-handed! Take a break from Black Friday shopping with a fresh list of #mustread articles compiled by Team Zeteo.
Disappeared to a Foreign Prison
Imagine you are woken up in the middle of the night by federal agents who force you into full-body restraints, all so they can drag you onto a flight heading towards a prison in an undisclosed country. Sounds like a nightmare, right? Well, for many migrants in the US, this has quickly become their reality. Learn how the Trump administration has managed to get away with such blatant human rights abuses in Sarah Stillmanās latest New Yorker piece.
How the Elite Behave When No One Is Watching: Inside the Epstein Emails
For years, many in the public have reacted with shock when big names in politics, Hollywood, and corporate America have been linked to the USās most infamous sex trafficker: Jeffrey Epstein. But in this New York Times guest essay, Anand Giridharadas argues that it should come as no surprise that those who have learned to ādisregard painā would be associated with such a man. Read the full piece to hear what the Epstein emails reveal about the modern āelite.ā
The fallout from Tanzaniaās most recent election is among some of the most under-reported stories in the media right now. In this CNN investigative article, journalists Gianluca Mezzofiore, Larry Madowo, and Florence Davey-Attlee reveal shocking footage of protesters shot dead by police, images of overflowing morgues, and evidence of mass graves.
Why Is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. So Convinced Heās Right?
In a piece featuring RFK Jrās 12-step meetings, his love for artificial tanning, and a stream of emails with links to studies like the one your crazy aunt sends, Michael Scherer of The Atlantic paints a picture of how the medical conspiracy theorist went from being a political dynasty renegade to achieving soaring popularity in post-pandemic America.
Weāll see you next week!
Zeteoās Melanie Riehl, Akshay Gokul, and Minnah Arshad contributed to this newsletter.
Still want to get Zeteo content, but not this newsletter? You can unsubscribe directly from āFirst Draftā by going to āmanage subscriptionā in Substack, scrolling down, and toggling the button for āFirst Draftā off.
I love ā¤ļø Peterās and Swinās lively writing style in the newsletter. Wish I could do as well!
NICE READ, TY š