Adios, 2018

Milestones and memories from one in the books. Happy New Year to you all.

Democrats Have A Plan To End The Shutdown, But It’s Probably Dead On Arrival

Democrats have unveiled what appears as if it will be their first effort to end the shutdown, but there are already signs Republicans will reject it.

Trump Threatens To Close Southern Border If He Doesn’t Get His Border Wall

President Trump is now threatening to close the border if he doesn’t get funding for his border wall.

Elizabeth Warren Takes A Big Step Toward Running For President

Begun, the 2020 campaign has.

As 2018 Ends, There Appears To Be No End In Sight For The Government Shutdown

As 2018 draws to a close, there’s no sign that the government shutdown will end any time soon.

California Moves Primary Date To March 3rd

California is set up throw a huge curve ball into the 2020 Presidential nomination fight.

Majority Of Americans Blame Trump For Shutdown, Oppose Border Wall

New polling indicates that President Trump is getting the blame for the ongoing government shutdown.

Trade Isolation and the Lack of Winning

The TPP is about to go into effect without the US.

Waltraud Raule Joyner, 1943-2018

My mother has passed, aged 75 years.

A Photo for Friday: “Floating”

Happy Friday.

Eerie Blue Explosion Lights Up New York City

I’m not saying it was aliens, but……..

Utah To Enact Strictest DUI Law In Nation, Lowering BAC Limit To .05

A new law set to take effect in Utah before the New Year will lower the BAC limit for drunk driving by 40% to .05. Will the rest of the nation follow?

No End In Sight For Government Shutdown

Congress will not be returning to Washington until some time next week. Thus guaranteeing that this shutdown will last at least through January 3rd.

Donald Trump Shrugging Donald Trump Shrugging

Trump Ends 2018 With An Astounding Number Of Lies Under His Belt

The fact that this President is a congenital liar is well-known. The actual number of lies less than two years into his Presidency, though, is astounding.

Democrats Seem Likely To Make The Same Debate Mistakes Republicans Did

Faced with the prospect of a large field like the one Republicans had in 2016, Democrats are trying to figure out how to handle debates. So far, the ideas being put forward are as bad as what the GOP ended up doing.

Solving Shutdown Crisis May Depend On What A “Wall” Is

Is it possible that the solution to the government shutdown is letting the President pretend he got funding for his border wall even though he didn’t?

Numeracy and the Wall

The numbers should guide policy, not silly symbols.

Justice Ginsburg Released From Hospital After Cancer Surgery

Good news for Notorious RBG.

Steve Mnuchin Becomes Trump’s Latest Target

With the economy appearing to sour, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin is quickly becoming the President’s latest target of criticism.

Supreme Court Upholds Injunction Against Trump’s Asylum Policy

The Supreme Court has rejected an attempt by the Trump Administration to have an injunction against its new asylum policy lifted.

The #TrumpShutdown Could Last For Weeks

Christmas is behind us, but don’t expect any progress when it comes to the government shutdown, which is in its fifth day.

Trump Tells Kid Calling Santa Hotline That Believing At His Age Is “Marginal”

President Trump tried to get into the Christmas spirit last night. He failed.

After 20-Year Delay, Works from 1923 Lose Copyright Protection

The damage done for Mickey Mouse in the name of Sony Bono is finally coming to an end.

Earthrise 50 Years Later

Fifty years ago tonight, one of the most iconic photos in history was taken.

Trump Rages, DJIA Tumbles Further

More evidence that Trump does not know what he is doing.

No, We Can’t Withhold Congressional Pay During A Government Shutdown

While it has an admitted populist appeal. the idea of Congressional pay being withheld during a shutdown is a non-starter due to the Constitution.

White House Expects Shutdown To Last Into January

With Congress out of town until at least Thursday and negotiations apparently deadlocked, the White House is saying it’s likely the shutdown will last into 2019.

Trump Sends Mattis Out The Door Early

President Trump announced today that James Mattis would be out as Secretary of Defense by the end of the year.

500 Catholic Priests In Illinois Found To Have Abused Children, Report Says

A preliminary report from Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan found at least 500 Catholic Priests whose abuse of children had been covered up by Church officials.

Top Anti-ISIS Envoy Resigns Over Syria Withdrawal

President Trump has lost another one of his top advisers on the fight against ISIS.

DC Government Passes Sweeping Emissions Standards

One of the strongest climate regulations in the country is almost certainly unconstitutional.

Government Shutdown Set To Last Until At Least After Christmas

There was no progress on resolving the government shutdown today, and little hope that anything will happen before late next week.

Trump Takes Aim At The Federal Reserve Board

President Trump is now apparently on the warpath against the Federal Reserve Board Chairman he appointed only a year ago.

Shutdown’s Impact Likely To Be Limited

While the political media is spending a lot of time talking about it, the actual impact of this latest government shutdown is likely to be limited and possibly even unnoticeable to most Americans.

Donald Trump Shrugging Donald Trump Shrugging

Trump and the Fed

Trump doesn’t understand (nor respect) the role of the Fed.

Federal Government Enters Third Partial Shutdown Of 2018

The government entered its third shutdown of the year with little sign of an immediate resolution.

U.S. To Withdraw Up To 7,000 Troops From Afghanistan

The Pentagon is being ordered to draw up plans to withdraw roughly one-half of the American forces remaining in Afghanistan. It’s about time.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Has Cancerous Nodules Removed From Lung

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg underwent surgery to remove cancerous nodes from a lung, but reports seem to point to a quick recovery.

Court: Sheriff, School Board Had No Duty To Protect Students In Parkland Shooting

A Federal Judge has ruled that neither the Sheriff’s Office nor the School Board had a specific duty to protect individual students during the shooting last February in Parkland, Florida.

House Passes Doomed Spending Bill With Border Wall Funding As Deadline Looms

With just hours to go, a partial government shutdown is becoming more and more likely.

James Mattis Resigning As Defense Secretary In Rebuke To Trump’s Policies

In what clearly appears to be a rebuke of the President, Defense Secretary James Mattis is retiring as Secretary of Defense.

Donald Trump Shrugging Donald Trump Shrugging

Trump Pulls The Rug Out From Under Congress On Spending Bill

Hours before the House was set to vote on a temporary funding bill for the government, President Trump has apparently changed his mind.

North Korea Makes It Clear What It Means By ‘Denuclearization’

The North Korean government is making clear what it means when it speaks of denuclearization, and its far different from what the United States means.

Andrew Cuomo Says He’ll Push For Pot Legalization In 2019

New York State seems likely to join the list of states where marijuana has been legalized sometime next year.

Lamar Alexander Announces He Will Not Run For Re-Election In 2020

Tennessee will have an open Senate seat in 2020 thanks to Lamar Alexander’s decision to retire at the end of his current term.

Senate Passes Short-Term Spending Bill To Avoid Shutdown

The Senate passed a bill that keeps the government funded through the beginning of February, but fails to provide any funding for the President’s border wall.

Senate Overwhelmingly Passes Criminal Justice Reform

The Senate overwhelmingly passed major reforms in Federal sentencing and related laws. As the name of the bill implies, it’s a first step, but a good first step.

Trump To Order Withdrawal of American Troops From Syria

The Trump Administration is reportedly preparing to withdraw the small contingent of American troops from Syria. If it actually happens, this would be a good move.