THE FED INTEREST RATE CUT AND KEVIN KLING HAS A HOLIDAY ESSAY FOR US.

AND OUR POLITICAL PANEL LOOKS AHEAD AT 2025.

>> Cathy: WE START TONIGHT WITH PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP'S ONGOING TRANSITION AND THE LIKELY AVERTED OVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

EARLIER THIS EVENING THE U.S. HOUSE VOTED OVERWHELMINGLY TO KEEP THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FUNDED.

THAT BILL IS NOW GOING TO THE SENATE AND THEN PRESIDENT BIDEN WITH A MIDNIGHT DEADLINE.

DURING THIS FALL'S ELECTION WE CHECKED IN REGULARLY ITH NATIONAL JOURNALISTS WHO HAVE MINNESOTA TIES.

JOINING US AGAIN VIA ZOOM TONIGHT, ANGELA GREILING KEANE, SHE'S BLOOMBERG GOVERNMENT, FORMER WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT AND MINNESOTA NATIVE.

GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

>> GOOD TO BE HERE.

>> Cathy: IT APPEARS THERE WILL NOT BE A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN.

AND I'M WONDERING, ANGELA, WHAT DOES THIS LEGISLATIVE SKIRMISH TELL US ABOUT THE DYNAMICS OF NEXT YEAR.

>> I THINK IT'S AN INDICATION OF US SEEING A LOT OF DYSFUNCTION IN THE COMING CONGRESS.

WE'VE CERTAINLY SEEN REPUBLICANS LEADING THE HOUSE THE PAST COUPLE YEARS BEING UNABLE TO DO THINGS FORMERLY SIFORMERLYELECT A SPEAKER FOR TN PARTY, AND NOW WE'VE SEEN THE FIRST MOVE OF TRUMP NOT EVEN BEING IN THE WHITE HOUSE YET SCUTTLED BY ALSO ELON MUSK WHO AT THE MOMENT APPEARS TO BE DONALD TRUMP'S CLOSEST ADVISOR.

I THINK WHAT WE SAW IN THE PAST WEEK WITH FITS AND STARTS FUNDING THE GOVERNMENT EVEN FOR A SHORT TIME I THINKS THAT'S AN INDICATION WHAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE MORE OF FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS.

>> Eric: IS ELON MUSK FREELANCING OR IS HE HAVING THE PRESIDENT'S BLESSING AS HE GOES ABOUT HIS COMMENTARY AND THREATS AND SO FORTH >> IT SURE SEEMS LIKE HE HAS THE PRESIDENT'S BLESSING.

I THINK THE MUSK TWEETS THAT TORPEDOED THE FIRST VERSION OF THE CONTINUING RESOLUTION STOPGAP FUNDING BILL, I THINK THEY CAME AT 3:00 A.M. CENTRAL TIME.

BUT WE'VE SEEN VERY MUCH COORDINATED MESSAGING BETWEEN WHAT DONALD TRUMP AND ELON MUSK ARE PUTTING OUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA.

SO IT APPEARS THEY ARE TALKING CLOSELY, WHO'S ADVISING WHOM, NOT REALLY SURE AT THIS POINT BUT I'M SURE WE'LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THAT DYNAMIC GOING FORWARD.

>> Cathy: SAY, I'M CURIOUS YOUR TAKE ON HOW COMFORTABLE THESE 38 HOUSE REPUBLICANS EEL ABOUT THEIR FUTURE FOR DEFYING TRUMP.

>> I THINK THAT THE 38 REPUBLICANS, I HAVEN'T LOOKED AT THE FULL LIST OF THOSE WHO VOTED NO ON THE CONTINUING RESOLUTION LEGISLATION THIS EVENING, BUT PRESUMING THAT'S THE SAME AS WE'VE SEEN IN RECENT TIMES, I ASSUME THAT MOST OF THE NO VOTES AMONG THE REPUBLICANS WERE VERY CONSERVATIVE HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS-TYPE MEMBERS, THAT'S WHAT WE NORMALLY ARE SEEING GOING AGAINST THE EPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP IN THE HOUSE AND POTENTIALLY BEING ILLING TO GO UP AGAINST DONALD TRUMP.

THOSE PEOPLE DO REPRESENT VERY, VERY SAFE SEATS.

A MODERATE DISTRICT, A SWING DISTRICT IS NOT GOING TO ANNOUNCE -- OR NOT GOING TO ELECT SOMEBODY WHO WOULD JOIN THE HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS OR BE ONE OF THE MOST CONSERVATIVE MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE.

SO THEY PROBABLY DO FEEL A LITTLE MORE LIBERTY TO VOTE WHAT THEY WANT, EVEN IF THE PRESIDENT-ELECT AND AS WE'VE SEEN THIS WEEK, ELON MUSK THREATEN THEM IN REELECTION FIGHTS.

>> Eric: FORMERP SENATOR NORM COLEMAN IS ACTING AS A SHERPA FOR ANOTHER MINNESOTAN PETE HE GOT SETH AS HE TRIES TO BECOME DEFENSE SECRETARY.

HOW IS THAT TURNING OUT SO FAR?

>> WELL, WE SEE NORM COLEMAN IN THE BACK OF MANY MANY PICTURES BEHIND PETE HE G HEGSETH.

IN TERMS OF HOW THINGS ARE GOING FOR PETE HEGSETH, STILL ROCKY.

HIS NOMINATION, OR WOULD BE NOMINATION IS STILL ALIVE UNLIKE WHAT WE SAW WITH MATT GAETZ WHO IS NO LONGER IN THE RUNNING TO BE A NOMINEE WHEN DONALD TRUMP TAKES OFFICE NEXT MONTH.

BUT THERE ARE LOTS AND LOTS OF QUESTIONS GIVEN ALL THE REPORTING THAT'S BEEN COMING OUT ABOUT PETE HEGSETH AST, WE SAW JUST YESTERDAY THE LATEST WAS A GROUP OF SENATORS FROM THE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE, SO THE COMMITTEE THAT HAS FIRST-LINE RESPONSIBILITY FOR VOTING ON THE NOMINATION ONCE IT'S MADE, THEY ASKED TO SEE AS A GROUP THE FBI BACKGROUND REPORT ON THIS NOMINEE, WHICH IS NOT STANDARD PRACTICE.

NORMALLY ON THE SENATE ARMED SERVICE COMMITTEE, ONLY THE TOP REPUBLICAN AND TOP DEMOCRAT ON THE COMMITTEE SEE THAT REPORT BUT A MUCH LARGER SEGMENT OF THAT COMMITTEE PUBLICLY ASKED YESTERDAY TO SEE THE REPORT.

THEY WANT, THEY SAY THEY WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S N IT, SEE IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT WOULD BE ESPECIALLY CONCERNING OR DISQUALIFYING.

>> Cathy: SAY, FINAL QUESTION.

WHAT ARE THE EXPECTATIONS FOR THE FIRST 100 DAYS OF THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY?

>> FIRST 100 DAYS, I EXPECT THAT WE WILL SEE AT LEAST A LOT OF TALK, POTENTIALLY ACTION, ON A TAX BILL.

THE TRUMP TAX CUTS ARE EXPIRING NEXT YEAR, AND THAT WAS A BIG MOMENT ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL, SOMETHING THAT WAS A RE-SOUNDING THEME FOR THE PRESIDENT-ELECT AS WELL AS MANY REPUBLICANS HO WANT TO EXTEND THOSE TAX CUTS.

BUT SINCE WE ARE SEEING THAT MOST LIKELY LATER TONIGHT THE CONTINUING RESOLUTION TO KEEP THE GOVERNMENT FUNDED ONLY THROUGH MID-MARCH Y NECESSITY, THERE WILL HAVE TO BE FURTHER CONVERSATION PRETTY SOON ABOUT KEEPING THE GOVERNMENT FUNDED.

AND REMEMBER THAT THE DEBT LIMIT WAS ENTERED INTO THAT DISCUSSION THIS WEEK AS WELL WHEN DONALD TRUMP SHIFTED COURSE FROM MOST REPUBLICANS AND SAID THAT HE WANTED THE FEDERAL DEBT LIMIT EITHER RAISED OR RESCINDED ALTOGETHER.

SO ALL OF A SUDDEN THAT MAY BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION TOO IN THE FIRST 00 DAYS.

>> Cathy: ALL RIGHT.