Hakeem Jeffries’s Test of a Lifetime: Filling Nancy Pelosi’s Shoes

Mass Media Layoffs • Ye Praises Hitler • Biden’s Train Trouble [View in your browser]( | [Update your preferences](newsletter=vf) [Vanity Fair Hive logo image]( Hakeem Jeffries’s Test of a Lifetime: Filling Nancy Pelosi’s Shoes Good morning from the Hive newsroom! Hakeem Jeffries, the 52-year-old Brooklyn-raised politician, was officially named Nancy Pelosi’s successor this week. Chris Smith [examines]( how Jeffries came to rise to such a position and whether he will be able to fill such legendary shoes. “In the end, what separates him is the thing that all legislative leaders need, which is a combination of people who love you and people who fear you,” one senior Democratic aide told Smith of Jeffries’s leadership style. Charlotte Klein [identifies]( a bleak end-of-year trend in the media industry: layoffs, hiring freezes, and more layoffs at CNN, Gannett, The Washington Post, and other outlets. Joe Biden wants rail worker unions to swallow a deal that they’ve flatly rejected, which, Eric Lutz [writes](, raises questions about the president’s pro-labor bona fides. Presidential candidate Donald Trump’s dinner with Kanye West (a.k.a. Ye) and white supremacist Nick Fuentes is somehow looking even worse than it already did, after the rapper praised Hitler and Nazis on Thursday, Bess Levin [points out](. Plus, in other bad news for Trump, the House has finally gotten its hands on the former president’s tax returns, Levin [writes](. Thanks for reading. [Hakeem Jeffries’s Test of a Lifetime: Filling Nancy Pelosi’s Shoes]( By [Chris Smith]( [“In the end, what separates him is the thing that all legislative leaders need, which is a combination of people who love you and people who fear you,” one senior House aide said of the House Democrats’ new leader.]( [Read more button](   [Layoffs and Hiring Freezes: Media Industry Ends 2022 With Bad News for Journalists]( By [Charlotte Klein]( [CNN and Gannett staffers face layoffs, NPR announced a near-total hiring freeze as part of cost cutting measures, and The Washington Post is killing its award-winning Sunday magazine.]( [Read more button](   [Joe Biden Promised to Be Pro-Labor. Why Is He Asking Rail Workers to Cave on Paid Leave?]( By [Eric Lutz]( [The president is calling on Congress to force rail unions into an agreement they’ve already rejected.]( [Read more button](   [Kanye West, Donald Trump’s Dining Companion, Tells Alex Jones, “I’m a Nazi,” Lists Things He Loves About Hitler]( By [Bess Levin]( [In a sign of how horrifyingly antisemitic the rapper’s remarks were, they appeared to make Jones, a professional troll, as uncomfortable as the audience.]( [Read more button](   [One of Donald Trump’s Biggest Nightmares Just Came True (No, Not the One in Which He’s Forced to Give Don Jr. and Eric Regular Hugs)]( By [Bess Levin]( [This one involves his much-guarded tax returns.]( [Read more button](   Get on the list Subscribe to our Hollywood newsletter for your essential industry and awards-season news, every day. [Sign Up Now](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn](   This e-mail was sent to you by The Hive. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com, to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe](newsletter=vf) Sent from Condé Nast, 1 World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007 Copyright © 2022 Condé Nast