đ Programming note: A quick update on what to expect from WTFJHT as we head into the holidays... Iâll be publishing Monday, Dec. 29 and Tuesday, Dec. 30, before returning to my regular MondayâThursday schedule on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. As always, if something truly WTF-y happens, Iâll be here. Otherwise, this is a short pause to recharge and spend some time with family. Thanks for reading, sharing, and supporting this project. It means a lot and Iâm glad youâre here. -MATT
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A political newsletter for normal people
WTF Just Happened Today? is a sane, once-a-day newsletter helping normal people make sense of the news. Curated daily and delivered to 200,000+ people every afternoon around 3 pm Pacific.
Day 65: Shit list.
1/ Bannon tells Trump to âkeep a shit listâ of Republicans that opposed him. The proposed âhit listâ for Republicans not sufficiently loyal is to send the message that âweâll remember you.â (The Daily Beast)
2/ Flynn met with Turkish government ministers and discussed ideas about how to get a Muslim cleric to Turkey without going through the U.S. extradition process while he was serving as an adviser to the Trump campaign. Turkey has accused Fethullah Gulen of orchestrating last summerâs failed military coup. (Wall Street Journal)
3/ The U.S. military admitted that an airstrike in Iraq corresponds to a site where 200 civilians allegedly died, but said it is still assessing the details of the strike and the validity of allegations of civilian casualties. (ABC News)
4/ Trumpâs unhappy that Jared Kushner was skiing while the health care bill was floundering. It has not clear what specific role Kushner would have played in the legislative effort, but Trump is already pointing fingers at his top staffers for what he considers shoddy support. (CNN)
5/ Schiff says Nunes canceled the Russia hearing to spare the president a bad news cycle. Nunes said the hearing would be postponed to allow FBI director James Comey and NSA director Mike Rogers to address the committee in a closed session. (New York Magazine)
6/ Trump claims credit for creating 20,000 jobs that were actually created in 2015. The jobs were promised as part of assurances made to an Obama-appointed FCC chair to help approve Charter Communicationsâ purchase of Time Warner Cable for $56.7 billion. (The Daily Beast)
7/ Keystone XL pipeline would only create 35 permanent jobs. Trump hailed the State Departmentâs approval of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline as a big win for American workers. (CNN)
8/ Eric Trump will share business updates with Donald âprobably quarterly.â Trump and his White House have argued that he is exempt from any conflicts of interest, despite opting against selling his business or placing it in a blind trust. (Politico)
9/ Toronto schools will no longer allow student trips to US. The Toronto District School Board cited uncertainty over the travel ban and expressed concerns about how the US immigration policy could affect students on school trips. (CNN)
10/ The American Action Network PAC ran ads congratulating Republicans for repealing Obamacare. Several Republican-adjacent TV markets saw prematurely bought ads inviting viewers to call their representatives and thank them for repealing Obamacare â something that did not happen. (Deadspin)
11/ Breitbart says the White House and GOP lawmakers are talking about replacing Paul Ryan after he failed to deliver the votes needed on the health care bill. The main complaint is that Ryan misled Trump on the level of GOP support for the bill. (Axios)
12/ Russiaâs state news service applies for a White House press pass. The state-owned news website Sputnik is seeking membership in the White House Foreign Press Group in order to become a part of pool rotations. Sputnik has been described as the âBuzzFeed of propaganda.â (Politico)
poll/ 66% of Americans want an independent commission to investigate Trump-Russia ties. 65% of respondents think alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election is either âvery importantâ or âsomewhat important,â and 63% said they were âvery concernedâ or âsomewhat concernedâ about Trumpâs relationship with Russia. (Politico)
A political newsletter for normal people
WTF Just Happened Today? is a sane, once-a-day newsletter helping normal people make sense of the news. Curated daily and delivered to 200,000+ people every afternoon around 3 pm Pacific.
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