Trump, Musk blame Democrats for tanking spending bill as shutdown looms: Live

A Christmas-themed version of Donald Trump’s video advert promoting his “God Bless the USA” Bibles has been spotted airing on conservative media ahead of the holiday season.

The president-elect began selling the religious texts – co-endorsed by the country music star Lee Greenwood, whose patriotic anthem “God Save the USA” was a staple at Trump’s campaign rallies – back in March, retailing for $59.99.

“We must defend God in the public square and not allow the media or the left-wing groups to silence, censor, or discriminate against us,” Trump declares in the revived video, which was posted on X by social media personality Aaron Rupar after noticing it on Fox News.

The promo now comes with added baubles and a piano version of “O Come Let Us Adore him” playing in the background.

It was not immediately clear whether Trump’s team created or officially endorsed the ad.

Here’s more on the Big Tech boss’s humiliation on Capitol Hill last night, an experience he will not have been used to or enjoyed.

Here’s a look at the serious real-world consequences of last night’s ludicrous political theatre in DC, which is no joke to working Americans.

Surely nothing this ridiculous could actually happen – or could it?

Here’s more from Josh Marcus.

The president-elect (so far) isn’t joining calls from some in his party to replace Speaker Johnson at the start of the next Congress, although things are movingly quickly and last night will not have helped the Louisana Republican’s cause.

Johnson won the gavel last October after a protracted fight following the ouster of former speaker Kevin McCarthy – an event touched off by McCarthy’s decision to allow a vote to fund the government on a bipartisan basis rather than forcing a shutdown until passage of a party-line bill more acceptable to hardline conservatives.

Here’s more from Andrew Feinberg on Trump’s current support for Johnson, which may well not last.

The president-elect issued that threat against the deeply conservative Texas GOP congressman yesterday, calling him a “Republican obstructionist” seeking only “cheap publicity for himself”:

Unbowed, Roy responed on social media and then castigated his “asinine” party on the House floor for lacking “an ounce of self-respect” as he voted down the bill:

The opposition needs to avoid gloating here as the consequences of a federal shutdown are no laughing matter for the American people but the current chaos is also an unmissable opportunity to draw attention to Republican dysfunction.

“Put on your big boy pants,” Florida Representative Jared Moskowitz told the GOP in the House yesterday, just days after he was reported to be Trump’s choice to run FEMA (and politely declined).

“Pass your own bill. We’re only here because you guys can’t agree amongst yourselves.”

Speaking in the aftermath of yesterday’s disaster, Moskowitz’s Texas colleague Jasmine Crockett told MSNBC: “I’m just gonna sit back. We’re looking at this like, this is their problem.”

She continued: “We have seen this play out over and over in the entire two years that I’ve been in Congress.

“But here’s the deal: There is no fixing this without the Democrats.

“We have seen this over and over, and I’m just gonna sit back and sip my tea and wait on them to figure it out.”

California Democratic Representative Barbara Lee warned on CNN last night that allowing Elon Musk to “run our government really has grave consequences on the American people”.

Comments like that over the last 24 hours have forced Trump’s tranisition team to insist that it is the president-elect who is really in charge of their incoming administration, not Musk, a humiliating business for all concerned and very much not a good look for the administration exactly one month before it takes office.

Here’s more from Rhian Lubin.

An agreement was struck. Washington was ready to leave for the holidays having come together on a plan to fund the government and avert a shutdown – albeit with some grumbling on the MAGA right.

But then Elon Musk jumped in.

Here’s John Bowden and Andrew Feinberg on another fine mess the unelected billionaire has gotten the GOP into.