RETRIBUTION? NO. ACCOUNTABILITY/JUSTICE? YES!

CNN PROJECTS THAT SCOTT COLOM WINS THE SENATE RACE IN MISSISSIPPI!

I asked Hakeem Jeffries about attendance appearing decisive in the Pete Hegseth vote. (11 House Dems did not vote tonight.) He told me and reporters: "I haven't had a conversation with anyone on the floor team about what may or may not have happened in terms of the Hegseth resolution, but this is not the end of it. It's just the beginning."

Sunday: Jeffries says he's a "hard yes" on impeaching Hegseth. Tuesday: no whip, 11 Dems no-show, GOP buries it 211–204. Every day in the job is an audition for the next one. If you can't find 11 votes in the minority, you don't get the gavel in the majority.

🚨BREAKING NEWS in @PunchbowlNews AM The White House counsel warned Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the incoming House Oversight Committee chair, in a new letter that some of the new majority’s investigations could cross the line into criminal behavior. It’s an audacious claim that signals the White House is taking an aggressive — and hugely controversial — stance toward Democratic oversight in the 120th Congress. The letter, penned by White House counsel Will Scharf, says that Congress can only investigate matters for a legislative purpose — a position that Republicans have relied on and stretched in recent years. Further, the Scharf letter, sent to Garcia on Monday, says that Democratic investigations are designed to “harass and aggrandize rather than to advance any legitimate legislative end.” punchbowl.news/wh-hill_lette…

I had a few things to say on CNN about Pete Hegseth’s impeachment and Democrats in the new Congress, Don’t be scared to go after everyone around Trump!

🔥Russians are panicking over Ukraine’s new refinery strike tactics. Drones reportedly switch targets mid-flight, and Trump can no longer simply pull the plug. The Russian Telegram channel *Дневник Разведчика* (Intelligence Officer’s Diary, 147,800 subscribers) describes a major shift in Ukraine’s long-range drone campaign following the strikes on Kstovo, Samara and Yaroslavl. Previously, Ukrainian drones were sent toward predetermined targets. If the first drones successfully hit a refinery unit, the rest continued toward the same target. Now, according to the Russian channel, Ukrainian operators can monitor strikes in real time and redirect incoming drones while they are still in flight. Once a primary distillation unit is hit, subsequent drones can be redirected toward storage tanks, cracking units, electrical substations or other critical equipment. Instead of concentrating an entire wave on one target, Ukraine can distribute the damage across multiple parts of the refinery. The Russians are describing something far more dangerous for their oil industry than simply larger drone attacks: the ability to adapt an entire strike while it is happening. The channel attributes this capability to Israeli HiSKY SmartLight satellite communications terminals, which it says Ukraine is using as an alternative to Starlink. It claims the terminals allow two-way communication over Russian territory, making it possible to adjust flight paths, identify air-defence positions and redirect drones around interception zones. And then comes the most revealing part. The Russian channel argues that American restrictions on Starlink have backfired spectacularly. Its conclusion: "Trump has simply lost his leverage over Kyiv’s long-range strikes." And: "Ukraine has slipped off the American leash and found a commercial alternative that the White House cannot switch off with a phone call." That is coming from a Russian military channel, not Ukrainian propaganda. Moscow is now discussing a scenario in which Ukraine can strike multiple critical refinery units in a single operation, adapt to Russian air defences in real time and continue its campaign without depending on American-controlled communications. Putin has been trying to get Trump to restrain Ukraine’s refinery strikes. Now Russian military commentators are warning that even American pressure may no longer be enough. The irony is extraordinary. Washington reportedly tried to limit Ukraine’s options. The Russians are now complaining that Ukraine has found a way around those limits. The HiSKY deployment, electronic-warfare resistance and real-time retargeting capabilities are claims made by the Russian channel, not independently established technical facts. The attribution in the draft matters, especially for the claims about Trump’s leverage.

New: In the year I spent examining Pennsylvania’s troubled legal system, I found that Superior Court judges have blasted lawyers for abandoning clients and judges for mishandling cases. One called a case an “embarrassing saga.” propub.li/4it1Urw

If you're not a Bulwark member, here's what you missed: @SarahLongwell25 progressively losing her mind on election night.

Tired of being humble. Black Women saved the ENTIRE planet on Tuesday.

The midterms are over & GOP got wiped, so now we'll see folks come out of the woodwork with a newfound set of balls. After Trump's 2024 victory, a lot of NatSec folks began self-censoring; others sought to curry favor with the Administration. I kept receipts & I see you, cowards.