#i would have given anything for a scene of orrin with one of his friends or literally anyone from surda

[alagaesia-headcanons]

A few times I've expressed how I feel like the later parts of the series really screw over Orrin and treat his character poorly. And I've seen some other people say similar things. But for a long while know, I've been conflicted about how exactly the books disservices him. Because, since writing this character analysis of him, I found that I don't disagree with the actual things he says and does. Like I mentioned there, I think the way his composure crumbles and how he becomes more aggressive and unreasonable makes a lot of sense in the context of what he's going through. He's lost everyone and he turns to drinking as anger and fear eat away at him. I think it works as a character arc, albeit a very sad one. And yet, I still get the feeling of the books doing wrong by Orrin and I've been trying to wrap my mind around why.

I was rereading the scene where Orrin wants to send an envoy to Uru'baen and Roran demands that he doesn't. Initially, I felt like this was one of the few moments where it does feel out of character for him, simply for the story to paint him in an exaggeratedly bad light. But I tried to reason out in what way it maybe could be in character (because I live for that). And it clicked into place. Orrin says it right there! "'But they can see us,' protested Orrin. 'We're camped right outside their walls. It would be... rude not to send an envoy to state our position. You are both commoners; I would not expect you to understand. Royalty demands certain courtesies, even if we are at war.'"

The issue at hand here is that Roran is arguing that sending an envoy to Galbatorix might provoke him to attack them. What Orrin is saying is that, as opposed to Roran and Jormundur, he knows what a king would expect to deal with when under attack, which includes envoys. If it would be perceived as rude and disrespectful to not send one, that insult could just as well be provoke Galbatorix into attacking. It makes perfect sense that, if Orrin sees this as a courtesy a king would feel entitled to, he believes it would be dangerous to risk slighting Galbatorix by failing to do it. Roran tells him, "'I won't let you endanger the rest of us just to satisfy your royal... pride.'" But it seems infinitely more likely that Orrin is attempting to satisfy Galbatorix's royal pride. I do think that not sending an envoy is a bit more sensible because, as Roran says, Galbatorix was born a commoner and likely has his own expectations (though what he goes on to say has flaws), but Orrin is still raising a very fair point by arguing that they should send one. And honestly, given what we see of Galbatorix, I don't think there was any danger of an envoy provoking him either.

But the more important thing about that realization that struck me is that I read that section at least 6 times before it occurred to me. I read it over and over while thinking "Orrin's argument doesn't make any sense, I don't know why he's saying this" before realizing it actually makes perfect sense. And it's because I believe that the true way that the series disservices Orrin's character is through the bias of the other characters and their narrations. This exchange is written in Roran's POV and it's riddled with his derision towards Orrin, his insistence that he's wrong, that he'll get them killed, and his overall very low opinion of him which colors how he sees all of Orrin's acts. And Jormundur shares his distaste and expresses his own.

Out of curiosity, I cut everything but the dialogue (sans 2 irrelevant lines) to see how it would read. It's very different; it shows how Orrin is reasonable at the start and how unwarranted Roran's combative and brazenly insulting response is. It really changes this scene from "Roran heroically saving everyone from the fallout of Orrin's stupid, careless choice," and reveals that it's just an argument- unhelpful and devolving where they both end up making inappropriate mistakes, one after the other.

Of course, there are real issues with Orrin's actions, in this case namely that his very wound up fear and frustration make him intensely volatile, enough that he tries to attack Roran here. That is egregious. But then that's compounded upon by all these other "flaws" perceived by the other characters in such an exaggerated way to the point of being fabricated. Roran sees him as dangerously stupid and vainglorious for wanting to send an envoy, despite putting absolutely no effort into learning his reason. It's just real rich that Roran then thinks, "Orrin was like a yearling mule: stubborn, overconfident, and all too willing to kick you in the gut if you gave him the opportunity." Lmao! Bitch look in the mirror, that's literally you!!!

This kind of depiction epitomizes Orrin's presence through the entire series. Every single POV characters has reason to be against him, starting with Nasuada. As a result of both of their respective positions, she sees him as a potential threat and obstacle to her goals. Through his connection to her, Eragon sees him the same way and Saphira follows suit. And Roran adopts the opinion of his cousin and his commander. So all of the POV characters are adverse to Orrin, but also, so is every single background character.

There is no one to offer or even contemplate a differing opinion in the face of the main characters' unilateral distaste. Once, literally once do we see Orrin talking to another Surdan. He gets a single line in the scene where Nasuada is appointed leader of their combined forces. Never again. We never see him interact with anyone not predisposed against him. None of his advisors, his soldiers, his friends. Every moment of Orrin's life involving the people who'd have a basis to get along with, or even like him go unseen by the entire story. And on the other side, that also means we never get to see how Orrin would interact with anyone without an incentive to work against him. So the narrative's bias against Orrin goes completely uninterrupted and unchallenged. It shows itself virtually every time he's present.

That is why the series feels so unfair towards Orrin, because in order to understand his actual intentions, it demands that the reader consider a perspective that the story refuses to ever provide. It requires ignoring perspectives that narrate everything and then giving a great deal of focus to Orrin's actions in isolation. It sets him up to be misunderstood and disliked because the easiest way to read his story is to follow along with the misunderstanding and dislike all the other characters express. The books actively obscure the true nature of Orrin's character.

[takebackthedream]

Kavanaugh and the Confirmation of Third-Branch Bias by Daniel Karon

Is there anything left in GOP politics that doesn’t involve sex? If you ask Lindsey Graham, the “single, white male from South Carolina [who] will not shut up,” or Orrin Hatch, the tone-deaf octogenarian who knows an “attractive” and “pleasing” victim of sex abuse when he sees one, it seems not.

Congress has long buried its head in the sand when it comes to women’s issues. But in the fight over the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, these issues were unavoidable.

It’s about damn time.

If anyone thought Washington was devoid of leaders or heroes, they need look no further than Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. Lacking any discernible motive and with no interest in getting involved, the California professor – who goes by Christine Blasey in her academic work – subjected herself to loaded-for-bear questioning by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

During her almost four hours of testimony, Democratic senators on the committee sought to score political points by lobbing her softballs. Republican senators, meanwhile, hid behind a cold-and-calculating Arizona prosecutor (in what wasn’t a criminal proceeding) who sought, yet failed, to surgically slice holes in her memory and shred her credibility.

Despite Senator Grassley’s interruptions, Blasey calmly described in detail the scene of her assault – the bedroom, the bathroom and her escape. She explained her lifelong fear of confined spaces and her insistence on a second front door as part of a home-renovation project.

Through it all, Blasey stuck to the facts, often channeling them through her knowledge of neuroscience to explain why her most grotesque memories remained so vivid.

“Indelible in the hippocampus is the laughter, the uproarious laughter, and their having fun at my expense,” she told the Senators, looking into her lap. “I was underneath one of them while the two laughed. Two friends having a really good time with one another.”

The Republican senators gasped for air in the ensuing silence, surely calculating how Dr. Blasey Ford’s testimony would affect their prospects for reelection, and the number of women’s votes they were losing by the minute.

Who came next was intended to right the ship. Or so the Republicans hoped. But Kavanaugh couldn’t have created a starker contrast in his testimony. Where Blasey was cool and dignified, at times offering the prosecutor help and apologizing when she lacked complete answers, Kavanaugh was angry and belligerent.

Fidgeting with his cuffs, anxiously unscrewing the caps of water bottles and sniffling ceaselessly, Kavanaugh spent his first half hour railing against enemies seeking “revenge on behalf of the Clintons,” and he condemned unidentified “outside left-wing opposition groups,” promising “what goes around comes around.”

Considering Kavanaugh’s disposition, I wouldn’t want to represent the Democrat in next campaign-finance case that comes before the Supreme Court.

And Kavanaugh repeatedly disrespected Democratic senators – refusing to answer some questions and answering others in ways that strained credulity. He talked over Senator Feinstein and sidestepped Senator Durbin’s queries about whether he wanted the FBI to investigate. When Senator Klobuchar – the daughter of a ninety-year-old, recovering-alcoholic father who still attends AA meetings – asked him whether he had ever blacked out from drinking, he snapped, “I’m curious if you have.”

Had Blasey answered her questions the insolent way Kavanaugh did, she’d have looked foolish at best or like an unreliable drunk at worst. And had a female Supreme Court nominee answered her questions the way Kavanaugh did, neither the Judiciary Committee nor the full Senate would have considered her suitable for the Court.

By the time the spectacle ended, it was no longer Blasey v. Kavanaugh. Nor was it was Republican v. Democrat. It was #MeToo v. Trump. But President Trump didn’t mind. Commenting on Kavanaugh’s enraged performance, he tweeted, “Judge Kavanaugh showed America exactly why I nominated him.”

Trump then attacked Democrats and others for offering Blasey’s allegations, branding Democrats “con artists [who] know it’s a big, fat con job,” and surmising that “they go into a room and I guarantee you they laugh like hell at what they’ve pulled off on you and on the public.”

But what if Dr. Blasey Ford’s story is true?

President Trump expressed no interest in finding out, insisting that he “won’t get into that game [because] these [allegations] are all false to me.”

When one reporter asked the president why he always gives the benefit of the doubt to the man in matters concerning sexual misconduct, he turned the topic to himself and quipped, “because I’ve had a lot of false charges made at me.” At least nineteen women have brought sexual-misconduct allegations against the president. The official White House line is that all nineteen are lying, and that when several recanted the media refused to cover it.

President Trump even sought cover by suggesting that George Washington, too, may have committed indiscretions: “[H]e may have had a bad past, who knows, you know? He may have had some, I think, accusations made. Didn’t he have a couple things in his past?”

Finally, President Trump and others aligned with Kavanaugh fussed that if decades-old allegations of sexual misconduct are given attention, then qualified men like, say, Roy Moore, will be afraid to subject themselves to the judicial nomination process.

First, Mr. President, that’s nonsense. Second, if you were so concerned, you should have nominated a woman.

Through his confessions and commentary, President Trump made clear that he cares far less for judicial temperament than for those who share his Trumpian temperament: an attitude that doesn’t care about whether Kavanaugh assaulted Blasey, or about the #MeToo movement.

This attitude was mirrored by each of eleven old, white Republicans on the Judiciary Committee who didn’t criticize Blasey’s testimony so much as they pretended that what she testified about never happened.

The hearings articulated what many of us already knew. Social scientists widely describe President Trump’s election as a backlash against social progress. Now, his bias has infected the judicial branch. For Trump, it’s about beating back the #MeToo movement in all three branches of government and keeping white men in power – never mind the truth.

Senator Graham certified this mandate when he proclaimed the plight of the single, white male who will not shut up. By painting himself as a victim, he sought to hijack feminists’ and progressives’ core argument, earned from hostile sexism and racism that he has neither experienced nor would ever want to. But honestly, no risk exists that white men will ever be silenced. They control virtually every walk of American life and largely decide who will join and succeed them.

Graham’s callous and contrived outburst was noteworthy for the confession that he didn’t intend. It wasn’t a rant about partisanship, or who deserves to be on the Supreme Court. It certainly had nothing to do with the truth. Instead, it ripped off the Band-Aid and exposed how badly the judiciary needs to be part of the #MeToo conversation.

In light of the FBI’s limited investigation, we’ll probably never know whether Blasey told the truth any better than we’ll know whether Kavanaugh did. More than seven hours of Judicial Committee histrionics produced little more than news clips of senators shouting past each other. The event was a choreographed circus that pitted raw chauvinism against honesty.

Let’s hope the truth prevails and our call to cure the more solemn issue of sexism is one that this President can’t shut up.

[everettwilkinson]

POLITICO Playbook: BIG WEEK: Gov’t funding runs out Friday, House-Senate tax negotiations to begin

Good Monday morning. JUST POSTED — THE POLITICO PLAYBOOK POWER LIST: 18 TO WATCH IN 18. Next year — 2018 — is shaping up to be a momentous one in politics. Midterm elections are less than a year away, with the backdrop of an unfolding federal investigation into a foreign power’s influence into our political system. The collective Playbook team — reporters in six states and Washington — selected 18 political figures worth keeping an eye on over the next 12 months. The list http://politi.co/2jKHziP

REMINDER — BIG WEEK — Congress must pass a government-funding bill by Friday, or else the federal government will shut down. The House is expected to try to pass a two-week funding bill early this week. Democrats are, for the moment, on the sideline, and don’t seem to be in a cooperative mood. John Bresnahan: “Congress faces frantic week with possible shutdown, taxes, Russia” http://politi.co/2jMvNV7

Story Continued Below

— THE HOUSE is expected to vote to go to conference this evening for the tax bill. … WSJ: “Key Issues to Resolve in Congress’s Tax Bill” http://on.wsj.com/2ihwMfL

CONGRESSIONAL INSIDERS involved in the tax debate say the conference could be wrapped up in roughly one week.

CAROL LEONNIG, JOHN WAGNER and ELLEN NAKASHIMA: “Trump lawyer says president knew Flynn had given FBI the same account he gave to vice president”: “President Trump’s personal lawyer said on Sunday that the president knew in late January that then-national security adviser Michael Flynn had probably given FBI agents the same inaccurate account he provided to Vice President Pence about a call with the Russian ambassador.

“Trump lawyer John Dowd said the information was passed to Trump by White House counsel Donald McGahn, who had been warned about Flynn’s statement to the vice president by a senior Justice Department official. The vice president said publicly at the time that Flynn had told him he had not discussed sanctions with the Russian diplomat — a statement disproved by a U.S. intelligence intercept of a phone call between Flynn and then-Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

“Trump was aware of the issue a couple of weeks before a conversation with then-FBI Director James B. Comey in which Comey said the president asked him if he could be lenient while investigating Flynn, whom Trump had just fired for misleading Pence about the nature of his conversations with the Russian.” http://wapo.st/2jf2Odg

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TALKER — FIRST PERSON – BILLY BUSH in the NYT, “Yes, Donald Trump, You Said That”: “He said it. ‘Grab ’em by the pussy.’ Of course he said it. And we laughed along, without a single doubt that this was hypothetical hot air from America’s highest-rated bloviator. Along with Donald Trump and me, there were seven other guys present on the bus at the time, and every single one of us assumed we were listening to a crass standup act. He was performing. Surely, we thought, none of this was real. We now know better. Recently I sat down and read an article dating from October of 2016; it was published days after my departure from NBC, a time when I wasn’t processing anything productively. In it, the author reviewed the various firsthand accounts about Mr. Trump that, at that point, had come from 20 women.

“Some of what Natasha Stoynoff, Rachel Crooks, Jessica Leeds and Jill Harth alleged involved forceful kissing. Ms. Harth said he pushed her up against a wall, with his hands all over her, trying to kiss her. ‘He was relentless,’ she said. ‘I didn’t know how to handle it.’ Her story makes the whole ‘better use some Tic Tacs’ and ‘just start kissing them’ routine real. I believe her. Kristin Anderson said that Mr. Trump reached under her skirt and ‘touched her vagina through her underwear’ while they were at a New York nightclub in the 1990s. That makes the ‘grab ’em by the pussy’ routine real. I believe her.” http://nyti.ms/2A0uYDc

WHAT THE PENTAGON IS READING — “Trump’s military buildup still a mirage,” by Connor O’Brien and Bryan Bender in Simi Valley, Calif.: “President Donald Trump came into office pledging the largest defense spending spree since the administration of Ronald Reagan — assuring the troops that they would see ‘beautiful new planes and beautiful new equipment.’ But that vision remains little more than a mirage, top Pentagon officials, lawmakers and defense industry executives lamented during a gathering this weekend at Reagan’s presidential library — undermined by congressional gridlock on spending priorities and a tax overhaul expected to add more than a trillion dollars to the national debt.

“‘Nobody wants to pay more taxes, everyone wants to have the programs they like protected and everybody wants defense … and they want the deficit to go away,’ Gen. Robert Neller, the commandant of the Marine Corps, said in an interview, echoing the sentiments of several leading advocates for a more robustly funded military. ‘The math just isn’t there.’ … lawmakers and the administration have taken few concrete steps to lock in any sustained increase in defense spending close to the 3 percent to 5 percent a year that Defense Secretary James Mattis says is needed to make the vision a reality.” http://politi.co/2iMqfO0

THE LATEST ON TAX REFORM — “Passage of Senate Tax Bill Puts R&D Tax Credit in Doubt,” by WSJ’s Rich Rubin: “Senate Republicans, in their push to pass a sweeping tax bill, undermined a research-and-development tax credit many companies use to encourage innovation, and business interests are in revolt. Late Friday, just hours before the Senate voted for the bill, Republicans decided to preserve the corporate alternative minimum tax instead of repealing it as planned. The change gave them money for lawmakers’ other priorities, but it could force many companies to lose tax breaks the bill’s authors intended to protect.

“Addressing this problem is one of many challenges congressional Republicans face as they shepherd a final tax bill with implications for middle-class households, American businesses and the health-care system. The House and Senate passed competing bills that will now be merged into one. Among other thorny issues, Republicans will wrangle over international tax rules, a new system for taxing pass-through businesses such as partnerships and the fate of the estate tax.

“Also surprisingly up for grabs: the corporate tax rate. President Donald Trump, after insisting on a 20% rate and getting it, this weekend said maybe it would land at 22%.” http://on.wsj.com/2ieFsDv

THE WHITE HOUSE POLITICAL SHOP — “Trump moves to block Romney from the Senate: The president is working hard to persuade 83-year-old Sen. Orrin Hatch to run for reelection, and Mitt isn’t happy about it, people close to him say,” by Alex Isenstadt: “Donald Trump is going all out to persuade seven-term Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch to seek reelection — a push aimed in no small part at keeping the president’s longtime nemesis, Mitt Romney, out of the Senate. Romney has been preparing to run for Hatch’s seat on the long-held assumption that the 83-year-old would retire.

“Yet Hatch, the longest-serving Republican senator in history, is now refusing to rule out another campaign — a circumstance Romney’s infuriated inner circle blames squarely on the president. Their suspicions are warranted: Trump has sounded off to friends about how he doesn’t like the idea of a Senator Romney. The president’s mostly behind-the-scenes campaign to sway Hatch will burst into public view on Monday, when he arrives in Salt Lake City to hold a well-choreographed event designed to showcase his affection for the powerful Senate Finance Committee chairman.” http://politi.co/2Bwmxvp

DARREN SAMUELSOHN — “White House paranoid: ‘Everyone thinks they’re being recorded’”: “Paranoia is enveloping the White House and President Donald Trump’s network of former aides and associates as Robert Mueller’s Russia probe heats up. Former national security adviser Michael Flynn agreed to cooperate with investigators as part of the plea deal he reached last week, adding to the worry already inside Trump’s circle surrounding the secret deal struck earlier this summer by former campaign aide George Papadopoulos, whose cooperation was kept quiet for months before being unsealed in late October.

“Both cases raise the possibility that other current or former colleagues have also flipped sides — and they’re prompting anxiety that those people could be wearing wires to secretly tape record conversations. ‘Everyone is paranoid,’ said a person close to Trump’s White House. ‘Everyone thinks they’re being recorded.’ Mueller is doing little to abate those suspicions. Tucked inside last week’s 10-page plea deal Flynn struck with government prosecutors is an agreement that the former White House national security adviser could avoid a potential lengthy jail term in part by ‘participating in covert law enforcement activities.’” http://politi.co/2jO6amC

****** A message from PhRMA: A medicine’s path from the biopharmaceutical company to the patient involves many entities across the supply chain. A new report examines how money flows through this system – which includes wholesalers, pharmacy benefit managers, pharmacies and insurers – and how that impacts what patients pay at the pharmacy. Read more: http://politi.co/2ngVlPj ******

BEHIND THE SCENES — “George Papadopoulos’ late night with the FBI,” by Josh Gerstein: “When former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos stepped off a flight from Germany at Dulles Airport outside Washington last July, he had no inkling of the unwelcome surprise in store for him: FBI agents waiting to place him under arrest. For the 29-year-old Chicago native, it was going to be a long night.

“Jail records obtained by POLITICO show Papadopoulos was booked in at the Alexandria (Va.) city detention center at 1:45 a.m. the following morning. Despite the late arrival at the jail and the fact that Papadopoulos later agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, his Chicago-based defense lawyers Thomas Breen and Rob Stanley said in an interview that the FBI did not attempt to interrogate him right away.” With his mugshot http://politi.co/2iMc7Eb

TWITTER EFFECT — “Trump’s uncontrollable tweeting triggers deeper anxiety among advisers,” by Andrew Restuccia: “It took nearly 24 hours for President Donald Trump to tweet about the news that his former national security adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents — a delay that Trump’s advisers said was not uncommon for the president, who often tweets after catching up on cable news. Many Republicans at first saw the radio silence as a welcome sign of restraint.

“But by Sunday, the notoriously hot-headed president had already claimed Flynn was fired earlier this year in part for lying to the FBI and had moved on to accusing the nation’s top law-enforcement agency of being ‘in tatters.’ ‘Worst in History! But fear not, we will bring it back to greatness,’ he tweeted. The tweets all combined to reignite fears among people close to Trump that the president is not taking the special counsel’s investigation seriously enough and is getting bad advice from his legal team.” http://politi.co/2BFCmkw

JARED WATCH — “Kushner upbeat, undeterred in first public remarks on Middle East peace process,” by Annie Karni: “Shorter Jared Kushner: I’m still here. On Sunday, the president’s son-in-law used his first-ever public remarks on the Middle East peace process to make a case for his own continued relevance in the Trump White House — even as the Russia probe and the more stringent reign of chief of staff John Kelly have seemingly pushed him to the margins.

“‘We do think it’s achievable,’ Kushner said of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. His comments came during a 30-minute question-and-answer session with Haim Saban, one of the Democratic Party’s biggest pro-Israel donors, at the annual Saban Forum, held at the Willard InterContinental Washington Hotel. …

“But his relaxed appearance — a blue blazer over a black sweater, with no tie — sent a clear message that Kushner is soldiering on, undeterred. His criminal attorney, Abbe Lowell, who is representing him in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of potential Russian interference in the 2016 election, was in the audience for Kushner’s talk on Sunday. But other attendees said it was simply in Lowell’s off-the-clock capacity as a longtime figure in Washington’s power Jewish community, not as a legal representative.” http://politi.co/2AL6ME4

— INTERESTING BITE: HAIM SABAN: “To achieve [Middle East peace], the team has in it an entrepreneur — you — a real estate lawyer, a bankruptcy lawyer. I don’t know how you’ve lasted eight months in this lineup. But that’s for another day. And it’s impressive that it’s still going. There’s not a Middle East macher in this group. How do you operate with people who basically…with all due respect, a bunch of orthodox Jews who have no idea about anything? What are you guys doing? Seriously I don’t understand this.” KUSHNER: “I’ll definitely say it’s not a conventional team.” The clip http://bit.ly/2AsG0hg

PEACE PROCESS UPDATE — “Talk of a Peace Plan That Snubs Palestinians Roils Middle East,” by NYT’s Anne Barnard in Beirut, David Halbfinger in Jerusalem and Peter Baker in D.C., with Maria Abi-Habib and Hwaida Saad in Beirut, Rami Nazzal in Ramallah, West Bank, Alissa J. Rubin in Paris and Nour Youssef in Cairo: “In a mysterious trip last month, Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, traveled to Saudi Arabia’s capital for consultations with the hard-charging crown prince about President Trump’s plans for Middle East peace. What was said when the doors were closed, however, has since roiled the region.

“According to Palestinian, Arab and European officials who have heard Mr. Abbas’s version of the conversation, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman presented a plan that would be more tilted toward the Israelis than any ever embraced by the American government, one that presumably no Palestinian leader could ever accept.

“The Palestinians would get a state of their own but only noncontiguous parts of the West Bank and only limited sovereignty over their own territory. The vast majority of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which most of the world considers illegal, would remain. The Palestinians would not be given East Jerusalem as their capital and there would be no right of return for Palestinian refugees and their descendants. …

“The White House on Sunday denied that was its plan, saying it was still months away from finalizing a blueprint for peace, and the Saudi government denied that it supports those positions. … Even if the account proves incomplete, it has gained currency with enough players in the Middle East to deeply alarm Palestinians and raise suspicions about Mr. Trump’s efforts. … One Lebanese government official who received a call was most surprised by what he said was a Saudi suggestion that the Palestinians could have Abu Dis, a suburb of East Jerusalem, as their capital.” http://nyti.ms/2np5ZmS

SUSAN GLASSER talks with ISRAELI AMBASSADOR RON DERMER in the latest “Global POLITICO” podcast: “Is Trump About to Blow Up Jared Kushner’s Mideast Peacemaking?”: “President Trump has talked of ‘the ultimate deal’ he’s going to strike, to finally make peace once and for all between Israel and the Palestinians. His son-in-law Jared Kushner has spent the last few months shuttling to and from the region, and speculation has been running high that the U.S. might soon unveil its own proposal for peace, or at least the basic outlines.

“Still, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, a close ally of the Trump team who has been working closely with them on the plan, says in a new interview for The Global Politico that while he’s an ‘optimist,’ chances are only ‘moderate to high’ of even restarting the dormant peace process over the next year. As for an actual deal, he wouldn’t even speculate.

“And the ambassador, Ron Dermer, one of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s closest confidants, confirmed in a rare on-the-record conversation that Trump this week is likely to take a controversial step by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital—a move that Palestinians have threatened will blow up any talks even before they start.” http://politi.co/2ASlFVY … The full transcript http://politi.co/2igOKyM

— “Trump approves National Security Strategy,” by Axios’ Jonathan Swan: “The draft is almost completed, and all the principals — James Mattis, Rex Tillerson, Steven Mnuchin, etc. — have agreed on its core components. The document will be rolled out soon. … The NSS … will explain how Trump’s ‘America First’ mantra applies to the vast range of threats America faces, including Chinese economic competition, Russian influence operations, and the weaponization of space. It’s designed to guide the Trump administration’s foreign policy and national security decisions, according to three sources familiar with it. …

“Nadia Schadlow, a well-respected member of the National Security Council and trusted confidant of H.R. McMaster, spent months drafting the document, working with Deputy National Security Adviser Dina Powell and McMaster. Schadlow and Powell met with dozens of members of Congress, cybersecurity and foreign policy experts, military strategists and CEOs.” http://bit.ly/2nr2gp2

TRUMP’S MONDAY — He is flying to Salt Lake City and will meet with leaders from and tour the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Trump will give a speech at the state capitol and then will return to D.C.

— TRUMP’S WEEK: Tuesday: The president and first lady host the Congressional ball at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday: Trump has a cabinet meeting at 11:30, and lunch with VP Mike Pence at 12:30 p.m. Thursday: The president and first lady host a Hanukkah reception at 7:30 p.m. Friday: The president meets with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis at 1:30 p.m.

THE JUICE …

— FWD.US is launching a six-figure digital ad buy featuring the personal stories of DACA recipients. The ads will run in Washington, Ohio and Texas and and other target states and districts. Example of Texas ad http://bit.ly/2AshGMv

YOU’RE INVITED — Our first live podcast taping is this Thursday night at 7 p.m. at Sixth and I. Our inaugural guests: MICHAEL BARBARO, host of the New York Times’ hit podcast “The Daily,” DCCC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DAN SENA and NRCC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JOHN ROGERS. And a panel of POLITICO stars: RACHAEL BADE, SEUNG MIN KIM and ANNIE KARNI. Get your tickets now! http://bit.ly/2hWK7tF

PHOTO DU JOUR: Jared Kushner speaks about Middle East peace with Haim Saban at the Saban Forum 2017 in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 3. | Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo

FOR YOUR RADAR — “Stealth jets, other aircraft fly in U.S., South Korean drills,” by AP’s Youkyung Lee in Seoul: “Hundreds of aircraft including two dozen stealth jets began training Monday as the United States and South Korea launched a massive combined air force exercise. The war games come a week after North Korea test-fired its most powerful missile ever, an ICBM that may be able to target the eastern seaboard of the United States. The five-day drill, which is called Vigilant Ace, is meant to improve the allies’ wartime capabilities and preparedness, South Korea’s defense ministry said.” http://bit.ly/2AsZfHF

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Attorney General Jeff Sessions is traveling to Cartagena, Colombia on Wednesday, to participate in the Trilateral Summit Against Transnational Organized Crime. The summit brings together attorneys general from the U.S., Colombia, and Mexico to coordinate efforts against organized crime. Sessions was invited by Colombian Attorney General Nestor Humberto Martinez.

****** A message from PhRMA: A medicine’s path from the biopharmaceutical company to the patient involves many entities across the supply chain. A new report examines how money flows through this system – which includes wholesalers, pharmacy benefit managers, pharmacies and insurers – and how that impacts what patients pay at the pharmacy. Read more: http://politi.co/2ngVlPj ******

ON THE AIR — “Giffords buys ads against 8 Republicans on concealed carry,” by Isaac Dovere: “Gabby Giffords is going up on the air Monday with a six-figure ad buy against Reps. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.) and Jason Lewis (R-Minn.) from her gun safety group. The ads come ahead of this week’s expected House vote on Concealed Carry Reciprocity, which, if enacted, would be a massive opening of gun laws across the country, forcing all states to accept gun licenses issued in any state.

“The result could lead to gun carrying laws effectively being set everywhere at the lowest level any state would allow. … Digital ads will also go out against Reps. Steve Knight (R-Calif.), Ed Royce (R-Calif.), Mimi Walters (R-Calif.), Mike Coffman (R-Colo.), Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) and Barbara Comstock (R-Va.). All of these are at the top of Democrats’ 2018 pick-up hopes. There will be a radio ad focused on the three Southern California members.” http://politi.co/2AmWZUm

BUSINESS BURST — “CVS to Buy Aetna for $69 Billion, Combining Major Health-Care Players,” by WSJ’s Sharon Terlep, Anna Wilde Mathews and Dana Cimilluca: “CVS Health Corp. agreed to buy Aetna Inc. for about $69 billion in cash and stock in a move to transform the pharmacy company and capture more of what consumers spend on health care. … The proposed deal is the latest and most dramatic sign of how the lines between traditional segments in health care are blurring as companies, saddled with mature businesses and in many cases restricted from buying rivals, enter new areas in search of growth.” http://on.wsj.com/2iM7XMO

SPOTTED: Sen. Ed. Markey (D-Mass.) chatting with Chris Matthews at a Starbucks in Washington on Sunday — pic http://bit.ly/2AtJrnQ … Omarosa last night at the Ivy City Smokehouse. She was there for a party in a private area … Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) at Jose Andres’ barmini on Saturday night.

SPOTTED at the Kennedy Center honors last night: British Ambassador Kim Darroch, Ambassador Stuart Bernstein, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Hilary Ross, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Louise Linton, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, VA Secretary David Shulkin, John and Anne Dickerson, Patrick Steel and Lee Satterfield, Meryl Streep, Quincy Jones, Mary Street and Clyde Tuggle, Alan Fleischmann, Lara Bergthold, Maria Pica Karp and Rick Karp, Howard Fineman, Dan and Rhoda Glickman, Rob Reiner, Queen Latifah, Capricia Marshall, Stevie Wonder, Steve Ricchetti, Joe Naylor …

… Phil Musser, Matt and Abby Echols, Tim Keating, Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Kelly Paul, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich), Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) and Megan Beyer, Glenn and Suzanne Youngkin, Valerie Jarrett and Laura Jarrett, JJ Abrams, Amb. Caroline Kennedy, Les Moonves, David Rhodes, Jackie Alemany, Nick Ayers, Adrienne Arsht, Tammy Haddad, Christine Lagarde, David Gergen, Questlove.

ENGAGED –– OBAMA ALUMNI: Eric Fanning, former Secretary of the Army and incoming President and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association, and Ben Masri-Cohen of The National Gallery of Art. “They announced to friends Saturday night at a surprise engagement party that had been disguised as a holiday party.” They first met ten years ago and have been together two years. They got engaged in Greece. Pic http://bit.ly/2zLe9rH

TRANSITIONS — Molly Drenkard is the new manager of corporate communications at Anheuser-Busch. She was previously the national press secretary for the House Republican Conference. Olivia Hnat will join the House Republican Conference as Chairman Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ (R-Wash.) national press secretary. She most recently was with Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio) and is an alumna of Speaker John Boehner’s team.

BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): Andy Surabian, who celebrated with “brunch at Cuba Libre with Steve Cheung, Cliff Sims and Kaelan Dorr from the White House. And then forcing his girlfriend to watch football with him for the rest of the day”.

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Jackie Kucinich, Washington bureau chief of The Daily Beast and a CNN political analyst. How she got her start in journalism: “My start in journalism was an exercise in good timing. I sent my resume into The Hill for an internship my senior year of college. When I didn’t hear back, I called and got then-managing editor Andy Glass on the phone. I asked him for the position and he asked me when I could start. Timing is everything!” Read her Playbook Plus Q&A: http://politi.co/2jLh3FX

BIRTHDAYS: Griffin Harris … Al Hunt is 75 … Bill Muratt, COS for Sen. Tammy Baldwin (hat tip: Hilary Rosen) … Claire Lucas … Kevin O’Neill, co-chair of Arnold & Porter’s legislative team … PBS NewsHour’s deputy senior producer Anne Davenport … Nick Gass, communications specialist at Koch Industries … Rep. Francis Rooney (R-Fla.) is 64 … Edelman alum Craig Brownstein … Peter Freeman … CNN’s Suzanne Malveaux … Ashley (Nerz) Levey, comms at LinkedIn (h/t Chip Cutter) … Ben Keller … Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) is 81 … Tyquana Henderson-Parsons … Whitney Ksiazek, a field producer for Fox News … Cesi Covey … Dani Kurtzleben, political reporter at NPR … Colin Rogero … Sarah Schanz, Duke Law student (h/t fiancé Jeremy Iloulian) … Marina McCarthy … Campbell Marshall …

… Rick Hohlt … Jennie Westbrook Courts, a principal on the communications team at Precision Strategies (h/t Tom Zigo) … Andrew Shult, digital director for Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), is 3-0 (h/t Allison Schneider) … John Neata (h/t Jon Haber) … Yesenia Chavez, VP of the LGBT Congressional Staff Association and LA for Rep. Raul Grijalva (h/t Mitchell Rivard) … Hilary Matfess, author of the new book “Women and the War on Boko Haram: Wives, Weapons, Witnesses” (h/t Ben Chang) … Jon Fleischman … Matthew Bevens, MBA student at INSEAD in Singapore … DLCC’s Shelbi Warner … Washington Institute’s Louisa Keeler … ACLU’s Sarah Baron … Joe Britton … Leigh Strope of Burson-Marsteller … Patrick Collins … WaPo’s Jennifer Hurley … Facebook’s Francesca de Quesada Covey … Nancy Rose Senich … Steve Fowler … Leslie Rhode … Laura Derby … Emily Hines … Doug Nation … Brian Svoboda, partner at Perkins Coie … Steen Hambric … Doug Tiet … Yesenia Chavez … Meg Badame … Lis Buck … Sean Gagen … Nate Beecher … Mike Stratton (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)

****** A message from PhRMA: In the competitive marketplace for medicines, negotiations between pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and biopharmaceutical companies result in substantial rebates and fees. According to a new report, in many cases, this system often creates incentives for PBMs to prefer medicines with higher list prices and higher rebates. Read more about how money flows through the supply chain here: http://politi.co/2ngVlPj ******

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