Comment on The Note: Top Takeaways From The First Democratic Debate

Seth Masket: “Special Counsel Jack Smith’s final report states for the record what has been clear to political observers for some time now: Trump running for and winning the presidency prevented him from being tried and convicted for his role in trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election. He ran for president to stay out of prison, and it worked.” “My impression is that this is a case of adherence to (normally laudable) legal norms that led to a distinctly non-democratic outcome.

“South Korean law enforcement officials on Wednesday detained impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his brief imposition of martial law last month,” the AP reports. “In a video message recorded before he was escorted to the headquarters of an anti-corruption agency, Yoon lamented that the ‘rule of law has completely collapsed in this country’ but said he was complying with the detention warrant to prevent clashes between law enforcement officials and the presidential security service.”

Tom Nichols: “What America and the world saw today was not a serious examination of a serious man. Instead, Republicans on the committee showed that they would rather elevate an unqualified and unfit nominee to a position of immense responsibility than cross Donald Trump, Elon Musk, or the most ardent Republican voters in their home states.

“Speaker Mike Johnson is laying down a highly ambitious timeline to approve President-elect Donald Trump’s big-ticket legislative agenda, vowing House passage in the next three months,” NBC News reports. Said Johnson: “We’re targeting April for final passage.” He reiterated that the House plans to pass Trump’s policy wishes on border security, domestic energy and taxes in “one big beautiful bill.”

“Senate Republican leaders are moving ahead on Pete Hegseth’s confirmation as defense secretary,” Punchbowl News reports. “GOP senators were relieved Tuesday after Hegseth’s confirmation hearing despite the fact the nominee faced a barrage of tough questions from Democrats. The grilling — centered on allegations of sexual and financial misconduct, as well as his views on women’s roles in the military — didn’t appear to have an immediate impact on Hegseth’s confirmation prospects.” Fox News: Sen.

“The Securities and Exchange Commission sued Elon Musk over allegations that he misled shareholders about his Twitter stock purchases, escalating the agency’s long-simmering feud with the billionaire,” the Wall Street Journal reports.