INSIDE D.C. WITH JOHN GIZZI NEWSMAX WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT


Mormons Tilt Conserative • Dallin Oaks’ succession to the presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is likely to pave the way for closer ties between the 17 million-member Mormon church and the Trump White House. President Russell Nelson,


who died earlier this year at age 101, had little interest in politics but did infuriate many on the right when he supported the Respect for Marriage Act — which codified the Supreme Court decision legalizing same- sex marriage but did so, opponents insisted, without adequate protections for churches opposed to such marriages. Oaks, a former Utah


Supreme Court justice, is a solid conservative who was once considered for the Supreme Court and as U.S. solicitor general. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, an LDS member close to Trump, may serve as a conduit between the White House and his church’s new leader.


HHS Next for Name Change • Having signed an executive order that — for now, at least — returns the Department of Defense to its pre-1947 official name, Department of War, President Donald Trump wants the name change made permanent by Congress. Next year, the next major call for restoring the former


44 NEWSMAX | NOVEMBER 2025


name of a government entity is likely to be that of the Department of Health and Human Services back to the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare — changed in 1979 when the Department of Education became a separate entity. Should Trump’s plan to


scrap the Department of Education and transfer its functions to other agencies prevail, his next logical step would be to rename HHS to HEW and, in the process, please the MAGA base that wants to call “welfare” just that.


Democrats Ready Ramaswamy Challenge • Big Democrat donors have reportedly convinced former Rep. Tim Ryan to seek the nomination for Ohio governor and face off against Republican multimillionaire Vivek Ramaswamy. Ryan, a moderate Democrat with strong blue-collar appeal, lost a 53%-47% Senate race to JD Vance in 2022, and is almost universally considered the Democrats’ best chance for capturing the Buckeye State governorship since 2006. Ramaswamy is seen


as more a national figure than an Ohio politician by many Republicans close to outgoing Gov. Mike DeWine and thus might be vulnerable to Ryan.


GOP Clears Decks for Sununu • Polls show ex-Sen. John


ALLIANCE Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and Florida first lady Casey DeSantis held a joint press conference in September to announce a major statewide drug crackdown.


Sununu, R-N.H., an even bet to take the seat he lost in 2008 to Democrat Jeanne Shaheen when she steps down in 2026. Now, Republicans in Washington and Concord are increasingly saying, “Run, John, run.” As the son and brother of two former governors, Sununu easily has one of the best-known names in New Hampshire. The only problem with his


comeback bid is that former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown is already seeking the nomination for the seat he lost to Shaheen in 2014.


A reliable Trump supporter, Brown nonetheless causes some worry among Granite State Republicans because he represented the neighboring state in the Senate before moving back to New Hampshire and, as it was in ’14, it is likely to be an issue again next year. If Sununu runs, watch Tim Scott, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Vice President JD Vance, and possibly Donald Trump himself call on Brown to step aside.


Casey DeSantis Eyes No. 2 Role


• Although Florida’s first lady Casey DeSantis has sent strong signals she won’t try to succeed husband Ron as governor when his two terms are up next year, she may still get into the political game. Should Lt. Gov. Jay Collins decide to seek the top job, state GOP sources told Newsmax, it would be no surprise if he tapped Mrs. D as his running mate. Collins and the first lady recently held joint news conferences on law enforcement and narcotics, and Collins presumably is very close to the governor. Whether Collins makes the race is still a big question, given the fundraising edge of Rep. Byron Donalds — who also has the strong endorsement of President Donald Trump.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112