BY MATT BERG
& CROOKED MEDIA

WEDNESDAY
DECEMBER 4, 2024

I’m considering voting yes on DeSantis if he finally admits that he has lifts in his boots.” 

— Sen. John Fetterman reacting to rumors that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, long suspected of wearing lifts in his cowboy boots, could be Trump’s new pick for defense secretary. 

TENNESSEETHING

The Supreme Court’s conservative majority looks poised to uphold a Tennessee law denying gender-affirming care to transgender youth, in a decision with implications for thousands across the country.
 

- Lawyers argued in front of the nation’s highest court today about Tennessee’s ban on care for transgender youth, which denies young people access to hormones and puberty blockers for gender-affirming care, even though most prominent medical organizations say [they’re safe and effective]([link removed].). The Tennessee law took away “the only treatment that relieved years of suffering for each of the adolescent plaintiffs,” argued ACLU attorney Chase Strangio, the first openly trans lawyer to argue in front of the Supreme Court. 
 

- Unsurprisingly, conservatives weren’t buying that argument. Justice Samuel Alito brought his bigoted-rich-uncle-at-Thanksgiving energy to the proceeding, even casually dropping the phrase “a girl who wants to live like a boy.” Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh repeatedly said that such medical care should be left to state lawmakers and medical experts. That means, Roberts said, “the people’s representatives, rather than to nine people, none of whom is a doctor.” 
 

- All three liberal justices united in their opposition to the law. The arguments “sound like the same kind of arguments that were made back in the day ‘50s and ‘60s with respect to racial classifications and inconsistencies,” Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said, specifically referencing the Loving v. Virginia case that overturned a ban on interracial marriage. Tennessee isn’t worried about medical safety for trans people, Justice Sonio Sotomayor argued. Instead, conservatives only want “boys to be boys and girls to be girls,” she said.
 

- The decision [could affect thousands]([link removed]) of people who live in 23 states that have put in place similar restrictions. “You have to go into this whole different way of being when you’re constantly having to say, ‘I didn’t choose this, there are no good options,’” Kristen Chapman, who moved out of Tennessee with her teenage daughter after the law passed, told the New York Times. “It’s like a natural disaster happens in your family, because it changes how you are and where you feel OK.” About 3 percent of American high schoolers identify as transgender, [according to a recent survey]([link removed]), and 34 percent of trans youth have said [health insurance companies refuse to change]([link removed]) their records to reflect their names. (Our friends at the What A Day podcast talked with Sruti Swaminathan, a staff attorney at the ACLU, about the implications of the Supreme Court decision. [Check it out here]([link removed]).)
 

- The fight over care for young trans people isn’t going away. Opponents of the hormones and puberty blockers argue that there’s little evidence about the long-term outcomes of taking them, and clinicians around the world disagree on exactly when is the best time for people to undergo medical care. In Europe, several countries have [recently placed restrictions]([link removed]) on medications for young trans people. 

“Our fight for justice did not begin today. It will not end in June, whatever the court decides,” Strangio told activists outside the Supreme Court. “But here’s the thing — we are in it together. We’re in it together. Our power only grows.”

MAGA MOMMA'S BOY

Nothing says, “I’m fit to lead the world’s most powerful military,” like when your mom jumps in to defend you. 
 
That’s the position embattled Fox News weekend host Pete Hegseth now finds himself in, as he appears in real danger of losing his bid to become the next defense secretary. Things have gotten so bad for the scandal-plagued Hegseth that Donald Trump’s reportedly mulling replacing him with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL). 
 
Speaking on Fox News today, Hegseth’s mom, who once wrote a damning letter to her son blasting him for not respecting women, tried to walk back her criticism. 
 
“I wrote that in haste,” Penelope Hegseth, aka Pete’s mom, said. “I wrote that with deep emotions. I wrote that as a parent. I wrote that out of love … And about two hours later, I retracted it with an apology, but nobody's seen that.” She continued: “I would do anything for my son.” Clearly!
 
As many as six Republican senators [are “uncomfortable” with confirming]([link removed]) Hegseth, according to NBC. And for good reason: The guy is scandalous. His issues include, but are not limited to: White nationalist tattoos, five marital affairs, and alleged booze-breath while hosting a morning show, and the time he reportedly got so drunk he had to be physically restrained from joining the dancers on stage at a strip club, [according to the New Yorker]([link removed]). Hegseth can only afford to lose three GOP votes.

Ron “DeSanctimonious,” as Trump used to call him, like Hegseth, also once served in the military. Like Hegseth, he isn't remotely qualified for the job. However, he worked on foreign policy issues while in Congress and is a relatively normie pick for a cabinet position — at least compared to the clown car Trump has assembled so far. I, for one, would love to see a defense secretary [who proudly wears heels]([link removed]).

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WHAT ELSE?

[UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed]([link removed]) outside a Hilton hotel in New York City this morning by a waiting gunman in what police called a “brazen targeted attack.” The masked assailant, who shot him in the chest and leg, still hasn’t been found. The motive remains a mystery. 

[Donald Trump replaced his original pick for White House counsel]([link removed]), William McGinley, in a fresh sign that the swirling bureaucratic chaos of the first Trump presidency is returning. McGinley will instead advise the Department of Government Efficiency. Trump’s top campaign lawyer, David Warrington, will be White House counsel. 

[Trump chose Peter Navarro, his close aide who was imprisoned]([link removed]) for defying a congressional subpoena to testify about the Capitol riots, to be the senior counselor for trade and manufacturing.

[Trump picked Jared Isaacman, an entrepreneur]([link removed]) who flew twice to orbit with SpaceX, to lead NASA. Surprise, surprise: He’s close with SpaceX owner Elon Musk, who has probably been doing his trademark embarrassing jump in celebration all day. SpaceX relies on a huge amount of its income from federal government contracts. But I’m sure this whole situation will be totally clean and transparent!

[Trump picked Paul Atkins, a lobbyist and crypto proponent]([link removed]), to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission. Big win for Trump’s crypto cronies — I’m looking at you, Justin Sun, the crypto bro [who spent $6 billion on a banana duct]([link removed]) taped to a wall, and $30 million on Trump’s own crypto project. 

[MAGA talking head Tucker Carlson traveled to Moscow]([link removed]) again to interview Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in an effort to give his audience the “Russian perspective.” Just a few months ago, Carlson conducted a laughably terrible interview with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. Between those two and Trump coverage, I think his audience gets plenty of the “Russian perspective.”

[Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced that he’s leaving]([link removed]) the Democrat Party to run as an Independent in the state’s 2026 gubernatorial race. “It’s clear to me that there are a lot of people in this country who are tired of both parties and tired of the system,” Duggan told the Associated Press.

On today’s episode of [Keep It]([link removed]), Ira & Louis are holding space to talk about the much anticipated Glicked premiere weekend. Listen to this gravity-defying episode to find out if the Wicked & Gladiator mashup will measure up to it’s not so distant predecessor, Barbenheimer. Warning: Spoiler alerts! New episodes drop every Wednesday, only on the Keep It feed - subscribe so you never miss an episode.
 
 
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[Happy Spotify Wrapped Day to those who celebrate!]([link removed]) A few highlights: I had a brat summer, judging by Charli XCX’s high placement on my list, followed by the perennial favorite, Elliott Smith. (Make what you will of that odd couple!) Taylor Swift, once again, was the most-streamed artist of the year. My editor, Greg, is apparently in the top 2 percent of Johann Sebastian Bach listeners in the world (a fact he said surprised the hell out of him).
 
Fun aside, Spotify is still a corporate behemoth that doesn’t fairly pay musicians. I recommend this [great explainer from More Perfect Union]([link removed]) about it.

[Zoo keepers in Denmark waited for four years for their prized]([link removed]) female king penguin, Maggie, to lay an egg. Well, after some testing, the keepers were shocked to discover that Maggie’s actually a male. “She kept flirting with the male penguins. There was even mating, particularly with Frank, another penguin in her enclosure,” the Washington Post writes. Nature is  beautiful, amazing, and sometimes hilarious. I wish the best to Maggie (who has now been renamed Magnus) and Frank.

[Namibia elected Nandi-Ndaitwah to be the country’s first]([link removed]) woman president, winning 57 percent of the vote.
 
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