Biden’s Primary Challenger? He Sounds a Lot Like a Republican
Plus: George Santos’s days in Congress are numbered. And why is one lawmaker anxious about “ghost buses”?
Good afternoon and welcome to another Thursday edition of Press Pass. A quick programming note: There won’t be any Press Pass newsletters next week. I hope you all have a lovely Thanksgiving, and I’ll be back with the regularly scheduled doom and gloom the following Tuesday.
Today’s edition looks at Biden’s new confidence in his 2024 prospects and what his newest primary challenger is up to. Then, some breaking news from this morning: The House Ethics Committee released its final report on George Santos, the committee’s chairman says he’s ready to take action, and Santos says he’s not running for re-election. Gory details below. Finally, we’ll take a look at a telling moment from the House Homeland Security Committee’s hearing on worldwide threats, during which one member warned about an X-Files-style conspiracy theory—it’s a moment that may seem wacky but is also revealing.
President Joe Biden is expressing a lot more confidence about his ability to beat Donald Trump in an electoral rematch next fall, even if right now it seems as though he’s virtually the only one feeling that way.
During remarks at a campaign reception in San Francisco on Tuesday, Biden boasted about the recent midterm election results, telling attendees, “What happened in those races is not unusual. [It’s] the continuation of what we saw in 2020, when we were told we weren’t going to win, and again in 2022, when we were supposed to get wiped out.” He added: