Good morning. A Senate staffer is “no longer employed” after he filmed a sex tape on the desk in a Senate hearing room (Google at your own risk). He later addressed the situation, saying “This has been a difficult time for me, as I have been attacked for who I love...” We’re pretty sure this is more an issue of where he loved rather than who.

Last night while President Biden was walking to his motorcade after an event in Delaware, a car plowed into a Secret Service vehicle being used to close off a nearby road. The president and first lady were unharmed. The Secret Service surrounded the car, guns drawn. No other details were released (like whether it was an accident).

We’ve got a lot in store:

• A cardinal conviction

• A Kuwaiti king

• A ginormous gingerbread

• And much more!

Here’s today’s edition of The Elective:

 VATICAN 

The Vatican throws a cardinal in prison

A Vatican City court convicted Cardinal Angelo Becciu of embezzlement. Becciu is the first cardinal ever prosecuted by a Vatican court (reminder: cardinals are just below the pope in rank). His lawyer says he will appeal the verdict.

The crime: Becciu went down on multiple embezzlement charges. Nine other defendants were also found guilty of various related crimes.

• The case centers on the defendants investing $350 million of church money into the development of luxury apartments in London.

• Becciu paid an Italian woman $627,000 for "intelligence services" but claimed it was to buy freedom for a hostage of the Islamic State.

• He also funneled $136,000 of church money to his brother’s charity.

The time: Once thought to be a contender for pope, the court sentenced Cardinal Becciu to 5½ years in the slammer. Since Vatican City doesn't have a prison (only a few holding cells), prisoners are typically transferred to serve their time in Italy.

The Vatican: The Vatican City is an odd duck on the international stage. It is both an independent nation and the headquarters of the Catholic church. Though a sovereign country, it is not a member of the United Nations.

• It’s an absolute monarchy whose monarch is the Pope.

• It lies entirely within the city of Rome.

• At 121 acres (0.19 sq. mi.), it is by far the smallest country in the world. It’s about one-seventh the size of Central Park. It’s more of a compound than a city.

The pope's unchecked power over Vatican affairs — administrative, legislative, and judicial — has some defendants claiming the country's trials are not fair. The Vatican disputes that and says the judiciary is more independent than ever from papal authority.

Zoom out: Pope Francis is cracking down on financial misdeeds, many of which previously may have gone unpunished. But drama's leaking out of the woodwork as a result (from blackmail to ransom payments). His reform efforts could be part of the pope’s legacy — Francis’ health has been up and down lately. He turned 87 yesterday.

 NEWS 

🚢 Shipping: Some of the world's largest shipping companies (like Maersk) are halting trips through the Red Sea (yes, the Moses one). Since the Israel-Hamas war broke out in early October, Houthi rebels in nearby Yemen have attacked passing ships more than 10 times. The nearby Suez Canal (through Egypt), accounts for 30% of global container ship traffic. Israel sits just on the other side of that canal. And the Houthis, backed by Iran, are threatening any ship that might head to an Israeli port. The U.S. military is considering all options for keeping maritime lanes open. Avoiding the Red Sea means going all the way around Africa — an extra 10,000 miles.

🏛️ Senate: The Senate is still working on its combo nacho immigration-Ukraine bill. Bipartisan Senators met yesterday with Biden administration officials trying to agree on terms. Their goal is to pass the bill this year. Democratic leadership wants a vote on the package this week. Republicans say that's not happening. Under discussion is military aid for Ukraine, the process by which immigrants can seek asylum in the U.S. (they're looking at raising that standard), and a few other border policies. Even if the Senate comes to an agreement and passes it, the House would still need to sign on. And they won't be back in town until Jan. 8, 2024. Another sticking point: internal Democratic strife over making it easier to expel certain migrants.

🇰🇼 Kuwait: The ruling emir (king) of Kuwait passed away Saturday aged 86. Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah ruled for only three years. Kuwait is a tiny country between Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Despite being smaller than New Jersey, Kuwait has 7% of the world's oil reserves. As you would expect, they're absolutely loaded. They're a staunch U.S. ally, too, since we liberated them from an Iraqi invasion in 1991's Gulf War. Kuwait's throne is a monarchy with a twist — the ruling emir chooses his replacement. Three of the previous four have been brothers. And the new man in charge, Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (aged 83), is yet another brother (albeit from another mother).

 POLITICS 

🔵 If you believe a Pew Research poll, President Biden’s approval rating is down to a new low of just 33%. He’s sitting at 61% approval among Democrats, 33% among independents, and an ice-cold 7% among Republicans. At this point in 2019, then-President Trump was at 45% (with the major caveat that that was in the Before Times). Thankfully for Biden, his likely opponent is also very unpopular.

⚪ Independent left-wing presidential candidate Cornel West doesn't think he's going to be running against President Biden. He thinks Biden will announce a late retirement early next year like Lyndon Johnson did in 1968. Johnson initially announced a reelection bid. But, after two candidates challenged him in the Democratic primary, he backed out. Said West of Biden, "he’s running out of gas." When asked if his campaign will throw the race to Republicans by taking away votes that would otherwise go to the Democrat, West said he rejects the "spoiler category." He believes a vote for a candidate is simply a vote for that candidate — not a spoiler for someone else. Cornel West is currently polling at two percent.

🔴 Next year’s House elections are officially R+1 already. No Democrats or third-party candidates filed in the currently Democratic-held 6th district seat in North Carolina. The state’s legislature (controversially) redrew its map of congressional districts this year. A handful of seats (like this one) that leaned Democratic were redrawn and now lean Republican. In 2022, 35 House seats (~8% of all races) were contested by only one major party.

 TRIVIA 

 WORLD 

🇺🇦 A Ukrainian man set off three hand grenades in a small city council meeting. Police said the attack wounded 26 people, six of whom are in "grave condition." No motive has yet emerged.

🇮🇱 Israel said its military mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages in Gaza. The hostages were holding a white cloth at the time — the international symbol for surrender. An investigation is underway at the "highest level."

🇨🇳 Many Chinese workers are being asked not to bring Apple devices to work. The bans affect both government workers and employees of state-owned companies (many of China's largest companies are owned the the government).

🇺🇦 Ukraine put Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, on its wanted list. Kirill is an ally of Vladimir Putin and a supporter of Russia's war in Ukraine. He lives in Moscow and is in no danger of arrest.

🇲🇬 Madagascar's president was sworn in for a third term on Saturday. But many of his opponents boycotted the election. They claim he used government power to rig the election in his favor.

🇷🇸 Serbia also held elections. With basically the exact same results as Madagascar. The incumbent wins, accusations of fraud emerge, and we write two sentences about it.

 BRIEFS 

🎄 First Lady Jill Biden gave HGTV a tour of the White House's Christmas decor. They've got a ginormous gingerbread White House, a weird edible replica of the president's dog, and 142,425 lights. Clark Griswold would be jealous.

💰 The lawsuit verdict is in. Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani owes the election workers he defamed $148 million. If any other rich politicians are looking for someone to defame, I am available 24/7 for far, far less than $148 million.

📺 “Jeopardy!” is down to one host — Mayim Bialik is out. Ken Jennings will be the sole host of the syndicated show while Bialik will keep hosting prime-time specials. Who thought having two rotating hosts was ever a good idea?

📰 A small Arkansas newspaper company filed a class action lawsuit against Google. The suit claims the search engine and related AI tech illegally steal content, readers, and ad revenue from publishers.

📈 The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) says homelessness is at its highest rate ever (aka: since they started measuring in 2007). They counted 653,104 people as homeless this year. That's a 12% increase over 2022.

 QUOTE 

 ANSWER 

Pope Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina to a family of Italian descent. He is the first pope from the Americas. Before joining the priesthood, Francis worked as a chemist (and, at one point, a bouncer).