It’s Tuesday, the traditional day for elections and for our pause-and-consider newsletter on politics and policy.

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Photo by Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images

It’s Tuesday, the traditional day for elections and for our pause-and-consider newsletter on politics and policy. We think of it as a mini-magazine in your inbox.

WHAT’S YOUR POLITICAL WORD OF THE YEAR?
By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews ([link removed])
Correspondent

The end of the year brings myriad traditions: holiday gatherings, best-of lists and a Congress struggling to meet a basic funding deadline.

And this is ours, the Political Word of the Year. ([link removed])

We’d like to hear from you: What word do you think best encapsulates 2024 politics? As a reminder, last year’s winning word was “unprecedented.” While certainly applicable to this year as well, we’re giving it a break for this shortlist this time.

Here are our finalists.

WEIRD

This word entered the headlines in July and became a “brat”-like ([link removed]) summer phenomenon.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, not yet a vice presidential nominee, told MSNBC ([link removed]) that Donald Trump and JD Vance are “just weird” and a star lexicon moment was born.

The Kamala Harris campaign leaned into the idea ([link removed]) , Trump reacted ([link removed]) and ultimately Walz was catapulted to running mate status.

But the word is more than just a fad, The New York Times felt it must explain. ([link removed])

We had two presidents running against each other in a rematch. Then one of them dropped out with just months to go. The Democratic nominee did not run in a primary but instead took the mantle without significant opposition. Trump survived two assassination attempts.

And strange viral moments sealed it, from Harris’ “coconut tree” meme ([link removed]) to Trump’s repeated focus on Taylor Swift. ([link removed])

It was a weird year.

EXHAUSTED

It was also exhausting.

When I asked voters around the country to describe their feelings about the election ([link removed]) , the word “exhausted” was often the first word they used.

The term for profound tiredness gained national airplay and a brief campaign role as well, after Harris aimed to provoke Trump by saying he was suffering from exhaustion. ([link removed])

Trump responded at some length, ([link removed]) by saying Harris “is a loser” and that he has not skipped any events. He pointed out that Harris had skipped a high-profile charity dinner ([link removed]) in New York the night before.

SHIFT

Just google “2024,” “election” and “shift” and you will see the last word light up your screen.

With President-elect Trump sweeping the swing states, Republicans gaining slightly more than expected in the Senate and the GOP (barely) holding on to the House of Representatives, the political universe sensed that this close election was telling us something deeper about voters: They had shifted right.

Take a look at some of post-election headlines:
* The New York Times ([link removed]) : “Election Results Show a Red Shift Across the U.S. in 2024”
* NPR ([link removed]) : “Most of the country shifted right in the 2024 presidential election”
* CNN ([link removed]) : “America’s red shift”
* CBS ([link removed]) : “Map shows Trump's 2024 election victory came as voters shifted red across the country”
* ABC ([link removed]) : “America’s swing to the right in 2024 was wide, if not always deep.”

There is a debate over how deep or how long-lasting the shift will be, as you can see in some stories. And that debate will continue.

But there is no debate that “shift” had a big end of the year, earning its spot on the shortlist.

Mull it over. Then vote for your favorite political word of the year (or suggest your own) by filling out this form. ([link removed]) We’ll announce the winner, as well as some of our favorite suggestions, before the end of the year.
More on politics from our coverage:
* Watch: What Trump said in his first news conference ([link removed]) since winning the 2024 election.
* One Big Question: How is Trump’s team preparing for Day 1? NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter discuss. ([link removed])
* A Closer Look: How CEOs of major companies are trying to gain favor with Trump. ([link removed])
* Perspectives: How an ABC News settlement with Trump is raising concerns about press freedom ([link removed]) in his second term.

GOODBYE TO A LONGTIME COURT ARTIST
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Watch the segment in the player above.
By Joshua Barajas
Senior Editor, Digital

A longtime court sketch artist and friend of PBS News has died.

For decades, Bill Hennessy’s artwork has created a visual record of some of the most high-profile legal cases where cameras were restricted or verboten.

PBS News, among many other news outlets, has relied on Hennessy’s work ([link removed]) for years, from sketches during the Clinton impeachment to the many oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court. His sketches have also appeared in this newsletter. He died last week on his 67th birthday.

“I certainly came into this as an artist, but I think I've had a unique opportunity to learn journalism from the people who I worked with, both the photojournalists and the written journalists,” Hennessy told News Hour in 2009. ([link removed]) “They've helped me understand my purpose and my responsibility in telling the story accurately and truthfully honestly and responsibly as you can.”

THIS WEEK’S TRIVIA QUESTION
By Joshua Barajas
Senior Editor, Digital

Dictionaries have now picked their words of the year. (In Oxford’s case, it’s two words. ([link removed]) )

But there’s another year-end designation: PolitiFact’s “Lie of the Year.” ([link removed])

Since 2009, the fact-checking organization has singled out the most egregious claim of the year, something that goes beyond false or misleading.

And PolitiFact’s 2024 "Lie of the Year" goes to … Donald Trump and JD Vance’s unsubstantiated claims ([link removed]) that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating pets. They repeated the false story on the campaign trail, despite the claim being debunked by officials and the community.

PolitiFact said the lie led to lasting consequences, including hoax bomb threats, “stigmatizing a town and its residents in the name of campaign rage.”

Our question: PolitiFact debuted its "Lie of the Year" in 2009. That year, the false claim was that there were “death panels” in the Affordable Care Act. Which politician made that assertion?

Send your answers to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shout-out next week.

Last week, we asked: What is America’s national mammal?

The answer: The American bison. ([link removed]) The animal was named the country’s national mammal in 2016.

Congratulations to our winners: Christopher Cross and Kevin Bradley!

Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your inbox next week.
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