The latest Beverages, Books, and More newsletter is posted. Enclosed are: Quick video reviews of booze books, two drinks recommendations, and word about two spas where you can soak in tubs of beer. Enjoy! beveragesbooksandmore.substack.com/p/quick-vide...

Question: How many press secretaries does it take to change a lightbulb? Answer: I don’t have anything on that, but I’ll get back to you. RIP, Steve Hess. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/u...

"DOGE did not reduce federal spending in any meaningful way, because only Congress can durably cut spending. Appropriations were on a continuing resolution throughout much of 2025, which meant Biden-era spending levels remained in place..." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

Secret Congress. “You’re never in the stands watching it because it’s so boring,” House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole told TMD. “....There’s nothing going on down there. That’s perfect. That’s the way Congress should work.” thedispatch.com/newsletter/m...

No matter what you read (including in Politico 🙄) the Trump I presidential records don't become "publicly available" today; NARA begins *accepting FOIA requests* for (some of) them today. Based on recent prior presidential records, the agency could take a decade or more to fulfill the requests. And

My new piece for the Examiner, with quotes of Prof. Matt Green and Prof. Sarah Binder. Legislative Tool to Circumvent House Leadership Gets Biggest Win Yet on Obamacare Subsidies Vote www.washingtonexaminer.com/premium/4407... @sarahbinder.bsky.social @mattngreen.bsky.social

“As long as the people of America elect angry, confrontational people, don’t be surprised that democracy works and you get an angry, confrontational Congress,” Hoyer said. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Why did the House bother to vote to extend Obamacare subsidies? Might a shrinking GOP majority portend more bipartisanship? And my answers are... here: kevinrkosar.substack.com/p/why-did-th...

The age-old relationship between food, drink, and politicking in Washington, DC. Read it at beveragesbooksandmore.substack.com

"Federal law is very clear. Members of Congress can show up at an immigration detention facility run by ICE - without notice - for an oversight visit.... But after last week’s ICE shooting in Minneapolis, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi changed the rules." jamiedupree.substack.com/p/dhs-blocks...

1. The shill economy on social media. "Last summer... Alex Bruesewitz had some new advice for the president: reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug. “Nearly 70% of Republican voters support Trump on this. No brainer!,” he said to more than 640,000 followers on X."

No, tariffs will not pay for a big ramp-up of defense spending. Source: www.crfb.org/blogs/15-tri...

1. "Let the parties decide how they want to recruit, support, and endorse candidates, and let the public use our publicly funded election system to organize elections in the best interest of voters...." www.understandingcongress.org/podcast/what...

"The first Speaker of the House, Patrick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania, wielded little formal power. The first session of the First Congress was dominated in the House by James Madison, who had no formal position besides member." -Jay Cost www.understandingcongress.org/2026/01/05/c...

Discharge rule continues campaign for 2025 MVP award🏆! Coalition to extend ACA support hits 218 signatures, matching record 4 "entered" discharge petitions set 90 years ago (1937-8). Speakers today may have peak agenda power, but that's no match for angry 218 (and an organized minority).

Thursday, January 8 at 4pm (ET): We are hosting a program to discuss this book and its assessment of urban problems and policy interventions. I hope you will attend or participate online. www.aei.org/events/the-u...

RIP. Bob was a wonderful columnist. He wrote a beautiful tribute to Edward C. Banfield, titled "The Gift of a Great Teacher," which you can find at www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/... www.nytimes.com/2025/12/15/b...

My latest piece for the Examiner: House Republicans Want to Show Voters They Can Get Things Done. Can They? www.understandingcongress.org/2025/12/15/h...

"Mr. Trump’s Make America Great Again “movement” is that it isn’t a movement. MAGA, as I am not the first to observe, is Mr. Trump and nothing else. When he changes his mind or reverses course, as he often does, his enthusiasts do the same. That isn’t a movement." www.wsj.com/opinion/2028...

"The final version of the NDAA for 2026 does not change the official name for the Pentagon. If you go through the bill text, there are zero mentions of the ‘Department of War.’ There are 597 mentions in the bill of the ‘Department of Defense.’" jamiedupree.substack.com/p/trump-fume...

And if voters continue to feel the chafe of inflation and elevated interest rates... Yep, the next election could wash out a lot of Republicans.

Wow.

Banfield: "The position taken here, however, is that time horizon is a social, not a biological, product." (p. 52)

FYI, Banfield left because his classes were disrupted so frequently & he was stalked by a student. After arriving at Penn, he was shocked to find his stalker had followed him there. He went back to Harvard after they promised his classes would not be disrupted by protesters.

What do I have in common with Cappadonna from the Wu-Tang Clan? We both were in this film. beveragesbooksandmore.substack.com/p/that-time-...

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) told The Hill that “everybody in the Republican Party, with the exception of just a few, are consigned to be automatons.” GOP House lawmaker retirements complicating midterm path to retaining majority share.google/xszvETJuVoHx...

Hoo, boy. 36% think the moon landing was faked and 51% believe the 2020 election was stolen. Source: manhattan.institute/article/the-...

Dig stamps? Then you can have this terrific, oversized book for cheap. I'm moving and I need to downsize my library. Get it at: www.ebay.com/itm/17763095...

Holiday shoppers: Signed copies of my book, Whiskey: A Global History, are $16.99 (that covers shipping). Order them at: www.ebay.com/itm/17753194... #BlackFriday

Danielle Thomsen, Molly Reynolds, Daniel Stid, and I will be on stage for this event on December 4 at 12pm. Come or tune in! www.aei.org/events/the-m...

For more on the growing interbranch conflict, see this great piece from @kevinrkosar.bsky.social www.understandingcongress.org/2025/11/14/s...

Published today! The latest classic book reprint by AEI Press. Edward C. Banfield was canceled at Harvard University for his views on the state of cities and what government should do. Read more about it and get it: amzn.to/4r5P9W8

Yep, and X.com is down. Will the Republic stand?

“The politician... must always have something to say even when nothing urgently needs to be said. If he lived in a society without problems he would have to invent some (and of course ‘solutions’ along with them) in order to attract attention.” -Edward C. Banfield Get it: amzn.to/4r5mHng

"Why run for Congress if not to do something good for the country? If Republicans don’t find an agenda to stand for in the next 12 months, they will soon find themselves in a position to pass nothing at all." www.wsj.com/opinion/repu...

My latest for the Examiner. Senate and Trump on a collision course over the leadership of the GAO www.washingtonexaminer.com/premium/3880... and www.understandingcongress.org/2025/11/14/s...

"Clay held the Union together during this tumultuous period of American history, built up Congress as an institution, and provided a vision of how republican politics could function in the legislature." - Jay Cost www.understandingcongress.org/2025/11/13/i...

By what authority can the Speaker unilaterally shut down the House? Max Spitzer, who worked in the House Parliamentarian's office, explains the backstory of this immense power. www.understandingcongress.org/2025/11/11/t...

"Forbes has calculated that in the 10 months since the election, Trump’s wealth rose by an astonishing $3 billion—from $4.3 billion to $7.3 billion." www.thefp.com/p/inside-tru...

"Lots of lonely people are gathering online in an environment of poisonous political rhetoric... They’re living with anxiety of an unbundled self and ... grasping for a sense of belonging, meaning, purpose, and perhaps most of all, community." thedispatch.com/article/mass...

I chatted with Kurt Couchman about his new book on why Congress should enact a balanced budget amendment. Listen in at www.understandingcongress.org/podcast/shou...

From last night. Capitol Hill always does Halloween right.

The new issue of Beverages, Books, and More is here: Sasquatch, celebrities and a couple of drink recommendations. beveragesbooksandmore.substack.com/p/sasquatch-...

"Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is struggling to quickly hire 10,000 qualified agents for mass deportations, even as it offers signing bonuses of up to a year's salary." -@Axios, www.axios.com/2025/10/29/i...

The new issue of Beverages, Books, and More is here: Sasquatch, celebrities and a couple of drink recommendations. beveragesbooksandmore.substack.com/p/sasquatch-...

Want a signed copy of my book, Whiskey: A Global History? You can get them here www.ebay.com/itm/17753194... or you can message me and we can handle the sale via Venmo/Zelle/PayPal. ($16.99, which includes the shipping cost.)

“An out-of-session House also means that legislation that does get passed this autumn is less likely to move through any process remotely resembling regular order,” Kosar said... rollcall.com/2025/10/29/h...

Want a signed copy of my book, Whiskey: A Global History? You can get them here www.ebay.com/itm/17753194... or you can message me and we can handle the sale via Venmo/Zelle/PayPal. ($16.99, which includes the shipping cost.)

"not only has Trump had to withdraw more nominees than any recent president in their first year in office — none have withdrawn as many nominees in their first two years as Trump has in his first." www.wakeuptopolitics.com/p/trump-has-...

The government shutdown also means military cemeteries are understaffed and cannot pay contractors to set headstones, mow the grounds, pick up trash, etc. www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news...