🐄 Holy Cow

Good morning, and Happy Monday.

I have two words for you on this fine November day: holy cow.

That was my reaction to YOUR reaction about us pausing this newsletter. I’m going to be honest, I didn’t know you liked this daily briefing so much.

It actually means the world to us because this is the first product we ever launched, all the way back in 2016 when everything started to get funky, media-wise, that is.

Here’s the thing: this newsletter is not profitable.

I’ve been funding it because I love the mission and the brand, but at the end of the day, it’s not making a ton of money.

And I think it goes without saying: we need money to pay our wonderful writers and editors who work on this every — single — day.

So anyway, here’s the deal:

I do not want to rely on sponsorships and advertising for this newsletter anymore.

This is why we will run a subscription push from now until the end of the year, December 31, 2024.

It’s a very simple proposition: if we get 1000 paying subscribers, we’ll continue this newsletter in 2025. Otherwise, we will discontinue it. We are capitalists, so we will let the market (aka, YOU) decide whether or not this newsletter should live or die.

We have two options for you to choose from:

• $3/mo: You’ll get our Sunday newsletter too.

• $7/mo: You’ll get our Sunday newsletter and an ad-free experience.

The clock starts today. We have 44 days to reach 1000 subscribers.

TRENDING

Right: Democrats Unwilling To Face Facts, Joel Kotkin, UnHerd

Right: House Probe Into Matt Gaetz Relies On Witnesses DOJ Found Lacked Credibility, Mollie Hemingway, The Federalist

Right: Thune Must Fill Trump's Cabinet in Next 30-45 Days, Charlie Kirk, Real America's Voice

Left: Party Under Country: Dissecting the Democratic Malaise, John Ganz, The Nation

Left: Democrats' Attitude Toward Voters of Color Hits a Wall, Zeeshan Aleem, MSNBC

Left: Gaetz Is a Reckless Pick Even by Trump's Standards, Ian Millhiser, Vox

TRUMP

Cabinet Controversies

Today’s Top Story: President-elect Donald Trump's recent nominations for key cabinet positions have sparked significant debate across the political spectrum.

Reporting from the Right: Trump's speedy Cabinet picks show his 'priority to put America first'. (Fox News)

Reporting from the Left: Trump’s team skips FBI background checks for some Cabinet picks (CNN)

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Trump's Cabinet is the “Dream Team”

The Top Argument From The Right: Bill Ackman: Trump's Cabinet Picks Are The "Dream Team," Elon Musk Is The Most Important Figure Of Our Time, Ian Schwartz, RCP: Megyn Kelly expressed enthusiasm for Trump’s unconventional cabinet picks, embracing his focus on loyalists and rejecting establishment norms. Bill Ackman called the selections a “Dream Team,” praising Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy for their talent and influence. Kelly noted The New York Times’ criticism of Musk’s new role due to his legal troubles but defended his willingness to serve the government. Ackman countered by hailing Musk as a transformative global figure and the most impactful non-political leader of our time. He celebrated Musk’s involvement in the administration, calling it a “home run” and expressing renewed pride in America’s future.

Honorable Mention #1: Give the President the Cabinet He Wants, Jim Geraghty, National Review

Honorable Mention #2: Trump cabinet nominations ‘a big middle finger’ to anti-Israel progressives, Jewish News Syndicate, New York Post

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Yikes

The Top Argument From The Left: How freaked out should we be about Trump’s Cabinet? Megan McArdle, Washington Post: “President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet picks have stirred significant debate, marked by unconventional and controversial choices such as Matt Gaetz for Attorney General and Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence. Megan McArdle, James Hohmann, and Theodore R. Johnson analyzed the nominations, highlighting themes of loyalty and telegenic appeal over merit. Concerns were raised about Gaetz’s ethics investigation and the feasibility of appointees executing Trump’s agenda. While Susie Wiles and Marco Rubio were viewed as stabilizing influences, the overall direction was criticized as prioritizing disruption and performance over governance. The panel concluded that inefficiency and rhetorical victories might overshadow substantive outcomes.”

Honorable Mention #1: Maddow on Trump’s Cabinet choices: ‘It's meant to shock us, and adjust our sense of what is normal’ Rachel Maddow, MSNBC

Honorable Mention #2: Haberman: Trump trying to ‘shock and overwhelm’ system with Cabinet selections, Juliann Ventura, The Hill

FLAG THIS

Can He Succeed With His Team?

According to YouGov, “Nearly half (47%) of Americans — including 21% of Harris voters and 86% of Trump voters — expect Trump to accomplish more in his second term than in his first term; 16% expect he will accomplish less…

About half (49%) expect Trump will try to keep most or all of his campaign promises; fewer (39%) say he will be able to keep most or all of them”

44 DAYS TO GO

If we get 1000 paying subscribers by December 31, we’ll continue this newsletter in 2025. If we don’t, we will discontinue.

We are capitalists so we’re going to let the market (aka, YOU) decide whether or not this newsletter should live or die.

We have two options for you to choose from:

• $3/mo: You’ll get our Sunday newsletter too.

• $7/mo: You’ll get our Sunday newsletter and an ad-free experience.

The clock starts today. We have 44 days to reach 1000 subscribers.

WATERCOOLER

Train Time Zones, Lil’ M-Pain, Largest Veteran Employer

On This Day in 1883, At exactly noon, American and Canadian railroads begin using four continental time zones to end the confusion of dealing with thousands of local times. The bold move was emblematic of the power shared by the railroad companies.

CNBC: I bought 2 abandoned homes in Detroit for $3,300 and spent over $100,000 renovating them—take a look inside

The Verge: Mark Zuckerberg just dropped a single with T-Pain

Vox: Why everyone you know is running a marathon

Today I Learned: The federal government is by far the largest employer of veterans in the United States.

44 DAYS TO GO

If we get 1000 paying subscribers by December 31, we’ll continue this newsletter in 2025. If we don’t, we will discontinue.

We are capitalists so we’re going to let the market (aka, YOU) decide whether or not this newsletter should live or die.

We have two options for you to choose from:

• $3/mo: You’ll get our Sunday newsletter too.

• $7/mo: You’ll get our Sunday newsletter and an ad-free experience.

The clock starts today. We have 44 days to reach 1000 subscribers.