Washington, DC

1. GOP win in Tennessee
2. No progress on Ukraine
3. RFK’s pointed silence
4. ‘Trump Accounts’ popular
5. Nvidia CEO in DC
6. ACA deal unlikely
7. New Texas poll

PDB: Trump threatens wider campaign against alleged drug traffickers

NASA nominee Isaacman testifies … Macron in China … ADP releases private sector jobs data

What Tennessee means for the GOP

House Republicans’ narrow majority won’t get any smaller after they avoided an embarrassing defeat in a solidly red district in Tennessee. Republican Matt Van Epps was projected to defeat Democrat Aftyn Behn in the special election to replace former Rep. Mark Green on Tuesday in a race that President Donald Trump said “the whole world” was watching. But the results will do little to settle Republican jitters about next year’s midterm elections: Van Epps defeated Behn by roughly nine percentage points, per the Associated Press, a much narrower margin than the 22 points Trump won the 7th congressional district by in 2024. And Van Epps’ victory followed a major infusion of resources — by both parties, but especially from Republicans — into the race. Democrats are jubilant following off-year election victories in Virginia and New Jersey. DNC Chair Ken Martin said Republicans should be “shaking in their boots.”

US-Russia peace talks yield little progress

Trump’s latest push to end the nearly four-year war in Ukraine is looking uncertain, after a five-hour meeting in Moscow between his envoy Steve Witkoff, son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Russian President Vladimir Putin yielded little progress. Kirill Dmitriev — whose contact with Witkoff helped produce the controversial 28-point peace plan that kickstarted the latest talks — attended the meeting, Russian state media photos showed. But Russia refused to accept an altered version of the plan endorsed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and territorial control remains a key sticking point. “We have not come up with a compromise version yet,” a top aide to Putin said. Putin also warned ahead of the meeting that Moscow was “ready” for war with Europe, calling European countries’ demands unacceptable. Putin and Kushner are expected to brief Zelenskyy on the talks today, per Axios.

Kennedy to stay silent in Nuzzi-Lizza feud

As the messy public breakup between journalists Olivia Nuzzi and Ryan Lizza keeps Washington insiders buzzing, the third party at the center of the story has been noticeably silent. And HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who denied the digital affair with Nuzzi when it was first reported more than a year ago, is likely to stay quiet. “This is solely about book sales and revenge — book sales for her [Nuzzi] and revenge for him [Lizza], and there’s zero upside in engaging here,” one person familiar with the dynamic told Semafor. “Bobby and [wife] Cheryl [Hines] and the administration moved on from this a year ago.” An HHS spokesperson declined to comment on Kennedy-related allegations that Lizza attributed to Nuzzi, including that the now-secretary used ketamine and was aware of an operation Nuzzi orchestrated to secretly record Trump.

— Shelby Talcott

Trump leans into popular child accounts

Trump is leaning into the rare economic policy that pleases members of both parties and Wall Street: “Trump accounts” for children, created by Republicans’ summertime tax bill and set for formal implementation next year. New accounts will be seeded with $1,000 government contributions for US citizen children born between 2025 and 2028, the administration announced Tuesday. And 25 million younger children who don’t qualify for that boost will get $250 for their accounts, thanks to a gift unveiled by tech CEO Michael Dell and his wife. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., hailed the idea’s similarities to his own past “baby bonds” proposal as he joined Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in urging CEOs to promote the accounts. Speaking to Semafor’s Liz Hoffman, former SEC Chair Jay Clayton praised Dell’s plan as a way to show youth “what it means to be invested in America.”

Nvidia CEO meets with lawmakers

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is back in Washington today as lawmakers weigh next steps on artificial intelligence policy. Huang is slated to meet with Senate Banking Committee members this afternoon, according to a Senate aide, though at least some Democrats on the committee didn’t receive invites. He’ll also speak at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, where he’ll delve into the US-China AI race and national security (and likely discuss his position on export controls). AI is a hot topic on the Hill these days, as lawmakers grapple with a White House push to bar states from regulating it; that provision was floated as an add to the must-pass defense policy bill, but Republicans removed it amid pushback. Nvidia opposes a measure limiting AI chip exports to China, but Punchbowl News reported that the provision is also likely to be removed from the defense bill.

— Morgan Chalfant

Senate ACA deal unlikely before vote

Senators are still searching for an elusive bipartisan deal to prevent the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced tax credits from expiring — and they’re unlikely to get one by the end of next week, when Democrats get a vote on a health care proposal of their choosing. Democrats are currently leaning toward taking up a straight extension of the tax credits. “I think we will propose something very simple, realistic and straightforward,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told Semafor. Unless there’s a last-minute breakthrough by centrists in both parties who have tried for agreement, that option may get some Republican support, but almost surely not enough to get to Trump’s desk. “Unfortunately, the ACA subsidies aren’t being extended in time for people to buy health insurance by Dec. 15,” said Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., predicting buyers will end up having “really expensive policies.”

— Burgess Everett

Cornyn trails Paxton in new Dem poll

A new survey shows Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, may still have work to do in his primary against Texas Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas. In a three-way matchup, Paxton gets 32% of the vote while Hunt and Cornyn each pick up 22%, with 24% undecided, according to new polling from Public Policy Polling commissioned by the Democratic Senate Majority PAC. Both Paxton and Hunt lead Cornyn in head-to-head matchups too, though with roughly a quarter of voters unsure. Cornyn has led several recent polls; his campaign adviser Matt Mackowiak said the incumbent senator will win and that “Democrats are desperate to run against fatally flawed homewrecker Ken Paxton and cost the GOP a critically valuable Senate seat and as much as $200M in the general election.” Lauren French, a Senate Majority PAC spokeswoman, called that response “weak, half-hearted spin.”

— Burgess Everett

In Washington, economic power no longer follows party lines. The old frameworks — left vs. right, House vs. Senate, Republican vs. Democrat — no longer fully explain how economic power moves in the Capitol. Today’s influence moves through a wide network, from traditional power brokers to ideological outliers, dealmakers, and policy entrepreneurs. Join us Dec. 10 for one-on-one conversations with leaders including Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), and Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), as we map the people moving capital, shaping policy, and redrawing the blueprint of economic power.

Dec. 10 | Washington, DC | Request Invitation

Blindspot: Soldiers and Sabrina

Stories that are being largely ignored by either left-leaning or right-leaning outlets, curated with help from our partners at Ground News.

What the Left isn’t reading: First lady Melania Trump and second lady Usha Vance prepared care packages for military members at Joint Base Andrews this week.

What the Right isn’t reading: Pop star Sabrina Carpenter rebuked the White House for using her song Juno in a video about immigration raids. 

Beltway Newsletters

Punchbowl News: “Tonight’s results make it clear: No House Republican’s reelection should be considered safe next November,” a spokesperson for the Democratic-aligned House Majority PAC said of the Tennessee special election.

Playbook: “Tonight is a sign that 2026 is going to be a b*tch of an election cycle,” a House Republican said.

Axios: “Private wealth has become an operational arm of the Trump presidency, bankrolling pet projects and policies on a scale unmatched by any previous administration.”

WaPo: “We’ve got to finish the job,” said Rep. María Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., of the US pressure campaign on Venezuela, arguing it should lead to the ouster of President Nicolás Maduro.

White House