December 24 and 25, 2017


News and Views


THIS REPUBLICAN SEEMS TO ME TO HAVE SOME SENSE AND DECENCY. SEE THIS INTERESTING QUOTATION: “HE SAYS REPUBLICANS MUST MARGINALIZE THE PARTY'S "ULTRA-NATIONALIST" ELEMENT AND THAT THE PRESIDENT IS "PROBABLY INVITING A REPUBLICAN CHALLENGE AND MOST CERTAINLY AN INDEPENDENT CHALLENGER" BY RUNNING AGAIN.” I WONDER WHICH INDEPENDENT HE IS THINKING ABOUT.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sen-flake-doesnt-rule-out-possibility-of-running-against-trump/
CBS/AP December 24, 2017, 1:09 PM
Sen. Flake doesn't rule out possibility of running against Trump

Photograph -- WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 30: Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) looks on during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing concerning the authorizations for use of military force, October 30, 2017 in Washington, DC. DREW ANGERER / GETTY IMAGES

Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona says President Donald Trump is certain to face an independent challenge in the next presidential election, if not one from within the party. And Flake is not ruling out being that challenger.

Flake has been fiercely critical of Trump, even while supporting parts of his agenda, like the new tax cuts. Trump in turn has denounced the senator, who's not seeking re-election next year.

Shortly after announcing his intentions not to seek re-election, Flake spoke to CBS News where he called on his colleagues in the Senate to "stand up" and be "more forceful" in light of President Trump's leadership style.

"I think we have a responsibility as elected officials to speak out when there's behavior that goes beyond the pale and some of what we've seen fits in that category," said Flake of Mr. Trump on "CBS This Morning."

When asked if Congress should ever expect a change out of the Oval Office, Flake replied, "We've been waiting nine months for that pivot to occur toward more appropriate behavior and stability and we haven't seen it. It's time we stand up and be a little more forceful."

The Arizona Republican announced on the Senate floor in October that he could "better serve my country and conscience" by dropping his re-election bid, "freeing myself of the political consideration that consumed far too much bandwidth."

Flake on Sunday said if Mr. Trump continues on his path, and if Democrats lean left, a "huge swath of voters" will be "looking for something else."

Asked on ABC News' "This Week" whether he might run for president in 2020, Flake said "That's not in my plans" but "I don't rule anything out."

"I do worry that in the future we will face Trump running again and on the other side, you might have someone like Bernie Sanders," Flake suggested of the 2020 race.

He says Republicans must marginalize the party's "ultra-nationalist" element and that the president is "probably inviting a Republican challenge and most certainly an independent challenger" by running again.

"The fact that Moore lost is a good sign. There's no future if we drill down on the base. I know lifelong Republicans who say this is not where I want to go. I hope that maybe the party is realizing we gotta change," he added.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.


http://members-of-congress.insidegov.com/l/210/Jeff-Flake
Senator Jeff Flake
Arizona

Jeff Flake, a Republican, is the junior senator from Arizona. Flake has served as a senator for 4 years, and was previously a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Party
Republican Party
Terms
Term Title

2013 - 2019
Senator

2003 - 2013
Representative

2001 - 2003
Representative

Personal Details
Birthday
December 31, 1962 (age 54 years)

Net Worth

Net worth figures are calculated by the Center for Responsive Politics and are based off of financial disclosures filed in 2014 by members of Congress. They are derived by adding a member's full range of reported assets and then subtracting their liabilities, with estimated net worth being the resulting midpoint. For more information, visit the Center for Responsive Politics.

estimated net worth
$283,001

Senator Flake has an estimated net worth of $283 k as of 2014, making him a fair amount less wealthy than the average member of Congress and seventh among all members from Arizona.

Flake's net worth was 73% less than the average member of Congress and 90% less than the average senator. When compared to the Arizona Congressional Delegation, Flake had a net worth that was 63% less than the average.

[THERE IS MORE STATISTICAL INFORMATION IN THE ARTICLE WHICH I DID NOT INCLUDE HERE. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT, GO TO THE WEBSITE.]



THIS MIC.COM SITE NEITHER GIVES THE WRITER’S NAME NOR THE DATE OF PUBLICATION SO I CAN ONLY GO ON FAITH THAT IT CAME OUT TODAY – DECEMBER 24. SO OKAY, THEY’RE JUST BEING CREATIVE. THE NAME IS AT THE BOTTOM, IT TURNS OUT, BUT THERE IS STILL NO DATE. THIS KIND OF THING ANNOYS ME. HOWEVER, I’VE SEEN SEVERAL OTHERS OF THEIR STORIES, AND THEY SEEM GOOD IN THAT THEY DON’T SEEM TO BE WHITEWASHING THE NEWS.

THIS STORY IS LIKE SO MANY OTHERS IN 2016 AND 2017, THE PRESIDENT’S STRONGLY EXPRESSED PROMISE THAT THE TAX PLAN WILL NOT BE TO HIS ADVANTAGE AT ALL, “THIS IS GOING TO COST ME A FORTUNE, THIS THING — BELIEVE ME. BELIEVE ME, THIS IS NOT GOOD FOR ME.”

TRUMP WAS CAUGHT, I ASSUME WITHOUT HIS KNOWLEDGE, IN ANOTHER TRUMPIAN MISTAKE. HE IS NOW CONFRONTED ON WHAT APPEARS TO BE AN OUTRIGHT LIE. READ THE ARTICLES THIS LAST WEEK ON WHAT WILL BE THE ADVANTAGES OR DISADVANTAGES TO EACH ECONOMIC SEGMENT OF OUR COUNTRY, AND IT SURELY DOESN’T LOOK LIKE WHAT TRUMP HAS DESCRIBED. SEE BERNIE FOR THE MORE TRUTHFUL VERSION --
HTTPS://WWW.VANITYFAIR.COM/NEWS/2017/12/SOCIALIST-BUZZKILL-BERNIE-SANDERS-IS-ALREADY-PLOTTING-HIS-REVENGE-ON-THE-RICH

https://mic.com/articles/187048/after-tax-bill-passes-trump-reportedly-tells-his-friends-they-all-just-got-a-lot-richer#.Aa2LaXl06
After tax bill passes, Trump reportedly tells his friends they all just got a lot richer

President Donald Trump is spending the Christmas holiday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida — and it appears that he’s boasting about the holiday present he just gave to his wealthy friends.

According to CBS News, Trump told friends at a Friday night dinner at Mar-a-Lago that they “all just got a lot richer,” referencing the tax reform bill that he had signed into law hours earlier.

Trump’s off-hand comment sharply contrasts with the GOP’s efforts to cast the tax reform bill as good for the middle class — even as evidence suggests otherwise.

“This is a middle-class tax cut, no two ways about it,” House Speaker Paul Ryan told NPR.

The president himself has even publicly claimed that the bill wouldn’t advance his own interests — or, presumably, those of his similarly wealthy friends — saying in a speech in late November: “This is going to cost me a fortune, this thing — believe me. Believe me, this is not good for me.”

View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter

Greg Sargent
✔
@ThePlumLineGS
Rs keep claiming their plan is fundamentally a middle class tax cut in the short term.

Here's the reality, using TPC data averages.

Bottom quintiles get relatively tiny tax cuts.

Top 1% gets over $50,000

Top 0.1% gets nearly $200,000
http://wapo.st/2kKsrT8

11:02 AM - Dec 19, 2017
12 12 Replies 298 298 Retweets 257 257 likes
Twitter Ads info and privacy

The actual effects of the bill, however, are likely far more in line with Trump’s Mar-a-Lago remark. Mic previously reported after the bill’s passage that the final tax plan will benefit the top 0.1% of earners most over the long term, while American households making $75,000 or less will all end up paying more by 2027.

By
Alison Durkee
Alison is a New York-based news writer at Mic. You can get in touch with her at adurkee@mic.com.


TRUMPISNOTABOVETHELAW.ORG; MOVEON.ORG; “PEOPLE’S MARCH ON WASHINGTON” ON JAN. 27; “OUTRAGE FATIGUE” – THERE ARE SEVERAL STATEMENTS IN THIS ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A TRUMP CONFRONTATION THAT APPEAR TO ME TO BE ENGINEERED SPECIFICALLY TO THROW COLD WATER ON THE ENTHUSIASM THAT DOES EXIST. AS FOR “OUTRAGE FATIGUE,” WE MUST REMEMBER THAT THE NUMBER OF AMERICAN MIDDLE-CLASS PEOPLE WHO ARE SUFFICIENTLY FINANCIALLY COMFORTABLE WHITES WHO ARE ACTUALLY LIBERAL AT ALL HAS NOT BEEN PROVEN, I DON’T BELIEVE. IF FEAR THERE AREN’T MANY. THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT I DON’T THINK WE SHOULD FIGHT ANYWAY. I HAVE NEVER UNDERSTOOD THOSE PEOPLE WHO WILL ASK AROUND TO FIND OUT WHO THEY THINK MOST PEOPLE ARE VOTING FOR SO THEY CAN JOIN THE LINE WITH THEM. THEIR GOAL IS TO VOTE FOR THE WINNER, NO MATTER THEIR CHARACTERISTICS. THAT’S A PERVERSION OF DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES.

I THINK THE SUCCESS OF THE TRUMP INFLUENCE IS DUE TO LACK OF ENTHUSIASM FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN GENERAL. OUR PROBLEM IS THAT WE HAVE NOT TAUGHT THE HUMANITIES TO A LARGE ENOUGH SEGMENT OF OUR POPULATION TO FORM A BASE FOR SOME CIVIL RIGHTS AND OTHER LIBERAL ISSUES TO BE A PART OF THE NATIONAL DISCUSSION. THE NATIONAL DISCUSSION IS FAR TO THE RIGHT OF THAT.

THERE HAS BEEN A LEVEL OF DISGUST AT THE THINGS THAT TRUMP HAS DONE, HOWEVER, THAT PEOPLE WHO OPPOSE IT AND WHO FEAR A LOSS OF OUR FORM OF GOVERNMENT AS DO I, ARE STEPPING FORWARD. MOST OF US REALLY DON’T WANT ANY NAZI SALUTES IN THIS COUNTRY (THOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN SOME DURING AND SINCE WWII. THE LONGER TRUMP IS IN OFFICE, THE STRONGER IT GETS. FOR MORE DETAILED INFO ABOUT AMERICA’S HOME GROWN NAZIS OF YORE, SEE MY BLOG FROM MARCH 27, 2016, CALLED “AMERICAN NAZI PARTY HISTORY AND THE RADICAL RIGHT TODAY.”

THE CONSERVATIVE FORCES WANT TO PORTRAY THIS RESISTANCE MOVEMENT AS IMMATURE AND WEAK-KNEED, BUT I “HAS ME DOOTS” ABOUT THAT. AT ANY RATE, THIS IS A WAR THAT MUST BE FOUGHT. WHAT’S OPEN IN FRONT OF US IF WE DON’T FIGHT IS THE POSSIBILITY OF PURE HORROR. TRUMP IS A SLEIGHT OF HAND ARTIST WHO COVERS UP WHAT HE IS DOING WITH WHAT HE WANTS US TO THINK HE IS UP TO. THAT’S WHY ALL THOSE “FUNNY” QUIPS AND FACIAL EXPRESSIONS KEEP FLOWING FROM THE WHITE HOUSE. I WON’T COMPARE HIM TO THE “EVIL CLOWN,” IN ALL THOSE HORROR MOVIES, BECAUSE THAT IS PROBABLY TOO EXTREME. I JUST WISH I THOUGHT IT TO BE TOTALLY UNFAIR, AS WELL.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/trumps-opponents-plan-demonstrations-if-mueller-is-fired/2017/12/24/54c19b04-e73d-11e7-ab50-621fe0588340_story.html
National
Trump’s opponents plan demonstrations if Mueller is fired
By Tim Craig December 24 at 5:31 PM

Photograph -- Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, second from left, leaves after a closed meeting with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee in June. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Progressive groups are organizing tens of thousands of protesters to storm the streets within hours should President Trump fire special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, determined to intensify the crisis while testing the resiliency of the year-old “resistance” movement.

The White House has repeatedly stated that Trump has no intention of ousting Mueller, a move that probably would require him to get buy-in from Justice Department leaders, including Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein.

But activists on the left remain wary of Trump’s intentions, saying they fear he could act, perhaps even over the Christmas holidays when Congress and the public are distracted. Vowing not to be surprised, more than two dozen progressive organizations have spent the past several weeks lining up what they vow would be an immediate response that would be hard to ignore.

Using an online portal that links the various groups and their contact lists, more than 140,000 people have registered to begin protesting within hours of Trump’s decision, at predetermined locations in more than 600 cities.

The protests are designed to harness what organizers predict would be a wave of nationwide outrage that would follow Trump’s action, which Democrats in Congress warn could trigger a constitutional crisis.

“It’s pretty rare that people would commit to mobilize around something that we don’t even know will happen, so it shows the energy and passion out there,” said Lisa Gilbert, vice president of legislative affairs for Public Citizen, a Washington-based environmental and government reform organization. “The reaction will be swift.”

The threats of mass protests appear also to have broad support within the Democratic Party. Last week, former attorney general Eric H. Holder Jr. wrote on Twitter that Mueller’s ouster would be an “ABSOLUTE RED LINE.”

“The American people must be seen and heard — they will ultimately be determinative,” wrote Holder, who served as attorney general from 2009 until 2015 under President Barack Obama.

Planning for the coordinated protests — even if such plans remain unlikely to be activated — is once again helping to unite the activist left amid recent divisions over how best to use direct action in expressing their disgust with Trump and his policies.

Within hours of Trump’s election in November 2016, anguished liberals began consoling themselves through large, often impromptu and disorganized protests in major cities.

In January, that activism further jelled when several million people marked Trump’s inauguration by participating in the Women’s March, either in Washington or at one of more than 600 satellite demonstrations nationwide.

Protests also erupted throughout the year after Trump pushed to enact a ban on travelers from seven majority-Muslim nations, tried to bar transgender troops from the military, pulled out of the Paris climate accord and rescinded protections for undocumented immigrants brought to the United States by their parents, to name just a few actions.

But for months, activists have struggled to agree on whether such demonstrations are effective when compared with other forms of action, such as making calls to Congress or working to elect like-minded candidates.

David Sievers, campaign director for MoveOn.org, one of the groups helping to organize the potential demonstrations, said the firing of Mueller would far outweigh concerns that demonstrations could distract from progressives’ electoral mission.

“This is different than disagreeing with policy — it’s threatening the idea there are checks on presidential power,” Sievers said. “The role of these protests is to show from Grand Forks, North Dakota, to Houston, Texas, and everywhere in between, people are going to demand an immediate re­action from Congress.”

After people sign up through the TrumpIsNotAboveTheLaw.org website, they are given the location of the protest in their city.

If Trump fires Mueller before 2 p.m., the demonstrations would begin at 5 p.m. that day. They would begin at noon the following day if Trump were to act after 2 p.m. Organizers in New York already have stockpiled bullhorns in apartments near Times Square, the would-be location of the New York City demonstration, the Los Angeles Times reported.

But some scholars who have been closely watching the anti-Trump protest movement remain skeptical that the firing of Mueller would trigger mass protests.

Rachel L. Einwohner, a professor of sociology at Purdue University, said activists and the broader public may already have outrage fatigue.

“The potential firing of Mueller would be outrageous, but we have already seen so many outrageous things,” she said. “I don’t know this one would create any more resistance and outcry than what we’ve already seen.”

Todd Gitlin, a professor of journalism and sociology at Columbia University who has closely followed protest movements since the 1960s, said predicting public reaction to the firing of Mueller is difficult because “historical parallels really don’t work.”

Although tens of thousands of protesters hit the streets within hours after President Richard M. Nixon announced the bombing of Cambodia in 1969, the protest movement was largely deflated by the time he fired Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox in 1973, Gitlin noted.

The effectiveness of electronic organizing for mass protests vs. person-to-person mobilization on college campuses, as was the case in the 1960s, is also still largely unknown, he added.

But should Trump act, Gitlin said it would clearly represent a “high-noon moment” for progressives.

Even if Mueller remains, Gitlin and Einwohner said the activist movement will confront major questions for the remainder of the Trump presidency about how it should use demonstrations.

The key to a successful demonstration, they say, is making sure that it is sustained, remains newsworthy and continues to draw new participants.

“Mass demonstrations are useful when they are bigger than expected, and that is what happened in January,” Gitlin said. “Now if you try to organize big marches in 2018, you are asking for journalists to shoot you down by saying, ‘Oh, you only have half the numbers.’ ”

That test could come next month, when the Women’s March and other groups are planning protests to mark the first anniversary of Trump’s inauguration.

Women’s March organizers have decided to hold their main “Power to the Polls” event in Las Vegas on Jan. 21, a nod to Nevada’s importance in the midterm elections. Dean Heller (Nev.) is widely viewed as one of the most vulnerable Republican senators up for reelection next year.

“We still see [marches] as very important, but we also need to pivot to electoral organizing,” said Linda Sarsour, co-chair of the Women’s March, which also is supporting satellite events in several other major cities.

Other activists hope to keep the focus on Washington. They are organizing the “People’s March on Washington” on Jan. 27 to call for Trump’s removal from office.

Lawrence Nathaniel, a 24-year-old lead organizer, said he hopes to pull off the event without the support of other organizations, even though he estimates the event on the Mall will cost $50,000.

“We want to try to get back to the old days when normal Americans just sort of organized themselves together,” said Nathaniel, a native of Columbia, S.C.



COULD WE CALL THIS PATTERN FORCED ATTRITION -- OR PERHAPS FAKE ATTRITION? THERE IS NO SPECIFIC UNETHICAL ACTION ON MCCABE’S PART THAT I CAN SEE. THE FACT THAT HIS WIFE GOT DEMOCRATIC PARTY FUNDS COULD GIVE THE APPEARANCE OF A PROBLEM, BUT LOTS OF CANDIDATES GET PARTY MONEY. TO QUOTE THE PRESIDENT, “IT’S A WITCH HUNT.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/facing-republican-attacks-fbis-deputy-director-plans-to-retire-early-next-year/2017/12/23/b4802b8c-e67a-11e7-a65d-1ac0fd7f097e_story.html
National Security
Facing Republican attacks, FBI’s deputy director plans to retire early next year
By Devlin Barrett and Karoun Demirjian December 23

Photograph -- Andrew McCabe, the FBI’s deputy director, has become a lightning rod in the political storms buffeting the agency. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

Andrew McCabe, the FBI’s deputy director who has been the target of Republican critics for more than a year, plans to retire in a few months when he becomes fully eligible for pension benefits, according to people familiar with the matter.

McCabe spent hours in Congress this past week, facing questions behind closed doors from members of three committees. Republicans said they were dissatisfied with his answers; Democrats called it a partisan hounding.

McCabe, 49, holds a unique position in the political firestorm surrounding the FBI . He was former director James B. Comey’s right-hand man, a position that involved him in most of the FBI’s actions that vex President Trump and in the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while secretary of state, a matter that still riles Democrats.

McCabe won’t become eligible for his full pension until early March. People close to him say he plans to retire as soon as he hits that mark. “He’s got about 90 days, and some of that will be holiday time. He can make it,’’ one said.

A spokesman for McCabe declined to comment, as did an FBI spokesman.

Word of McCabe’s plans drew a response Saturday from Trump, who in a Twitter post characterized the move as “racing the clock to retire with full benefits.”

[Trump calls conduct at the FBI ‘disgraceful’ in latest criticism of bureau]

When Trump fired Comey in May, McCabe stayed to run the agency until a new director was in place and to take the political heat for decisions made by his former boss.

“Andy’s in a difficult position now . . . because of the hyperpartisan political environment,’’ said John Pistole, who held the FBI’s No. 2 job for six years under former director Robert S. Mueller III. Mueller now serves as special counsel, running the investigation into whether any Trump associates conspired with Russian agents to interfere with the 2016 election.

Pistole said McCabe “is weathering the storm.”

“It’s disappointing,” he added, “to see how the criticism of the FBI is being used to try to undermine the credibility of the Mueller investigation. I think they’ve figured out they can’t undermine Bob’s integrity, so they’re just going to go after whoever they can dig up any dirt on.’’

FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is escorted by U.S. Capitol Police before a meeting with lawmakers Thursday on Capitol Hill. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
[FBI’s top lawyer said to be reassigned]

Within the agency, there is praise — but also some criticism — for how McCabe has handled his role. Still, he has become a lightning rod in the political storms buffeting the bureau. Conservatives have called for heads to roll at the FBI, and McCabe is atop the lists of many. But current and former FBI officials said it would be dangerous to appease those demands.

“It would send a terrible message to move him now, but it’s also a terrible situation he’s in,’’ said one law enforcement official.

Last week, the FBI’s top lawyer, James Baker, told colleagues he was being reassigned, according to people familiar with the matter.

The pressure on McCabe has only intensified. He got an eight-hour grilling from the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday and returned to Congress on Thursday to face more than nine hours of questions from the House Judiciary and Oversight committees.

Other senior FBI officials, including those who worked closely with McCabe and Comey, are expected to face similar questioning from Congress next year.

[FBI officials’ text message about Hillary Clinton said to be a cover story for romantic affair]

Republicans are focusing in particular on the FBI’s relationship with the author of a dossier containing allegations against Trump. The bureau offered to pay the author of that document after the election to keep pursuing leads and information, but the agreement was never finalized, The Washington Post reported earlier this year.

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), has called for McCabe’s ouster, saying he “ought to go for reasons of being involved in some of the things that took place in the previous administration. We want to make sure that there’s not undue political influence within the FBI — the [Justice] Department and the FBI.”

Democrats emerging from Thursday’s questioning of McCabe urged him to resist Republicans’ calls to step down, saying the GOP’s new focus on McCabe smells of political opportunism.

McCabe should not be fired because of “biased political commentary,” said Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.).

Trump and his supporters have made clear they want McCabe gone, but as a civil service employee, he can’t be fired outright without a clear finding of major wrongdoing.

Christopher A. Wray became the FBI’s director in August, and a new leader typically appoints a new deputy to help run the agency. When Comey became director in 2013, for example, he got a new deputy after about two months.

But within the FBI, even reassigning McCabe is viewed by many as a bad idea. It would be seen as caving to political demands and might provoke calls for additional housecleaning, according to current and former law enforcement officials.

McCabe rose quickly through the FBI’s senior ranks, only to find himself, beginning last year, the subject of intense partisan fighting about his conduct.

Republicans attacked him after reports that his wife, a Democratic candidate for a Virginia Senate seat in 2015, had received hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations from the political action committee led by a close ally of the Clintons. He had also been part of discussions with Justice Department officials that critics said prevented FBI agents from more aggressively pursuing their investigation of the Clinton Foundation. Agents were trying to determine whether donations to the foundation were made with an expectation of government favors from Clinton or her allies.

After reports about those issues surfaced in October 2016, then-candidate Trump singled out McCabe for criticism, and congressional Republicans demanded detailed answers from the FBI about his role in the Clinton probes — questions they insist remain unanswered.

In a separate Twitter post on Saturday, Trump expressed his incredulity once more, asking how “How can FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, the man in charge, along with leakin’ James Comey, of the Phony Hillary Clinton investigation (including her 33,000 illegally deleted emails) be given $700,000 for wife’s campaign by Clinton Puppets during investigation?”

McCabe’s role is being examined by the Justice Department’s inspector general, who has said a report on how the Clinton probe was handled should be finished by spring.

In May came Comey’s firing, which left the FBI, according to one person inside the bureau, “permanently playing defense.’’

McCabe was suddenly in charge, and, according to people familiar with the matter, law enforcement officials began to investigate the president for obstruction of justice.

In early December, McCabe faced yet another controversy. The Post reported that one of his senior advisers, FBI lawyer Lisa Page, had exchanged numerous pro-Clinton and anti-Trump text messages with Peter Strzok, the top FBI agent on Mueller’s probe. The special counsel removed Strzok when he learned of their communications; Page had left the Mueller team two weeks earlier for what officials said were unrelated reasons. In one text, Strzok wrote that he thought Clinton should win “100,000,000-0.’’

More problematic for McCabe is a text in which Page told Strzok, “I want to believe the path you threw out for consideration in Andy’s office that there’s no way he gets elected — but I’m afraid we can’t take that risk. It’s like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before you’re 40.’’

Republican lawmakers have seized on the text as evidence that Strzok, Page and possibly McCabe were involved in an effort to somehow ensure Trump would not win the election. But people familiar with the exchange said that the two were debating how overtly they should begin investigating Trump, and that one of the factors they considered was the likelihood he could win the presidency — which they deemed small.

Even that explanation presents a headache for McCabe because it places a conversation in his office about how the expected election outcome should or should not affect the FBI’s investigative decisions.



"THE PEOPLE RIGHT HERE COME CRYING," HE SAYS. "THEN THEY SEE THIS TREE, AND THE HUMOR COME." WITH THEIR HOME GENERATORS, THEY ARE MAKING A LIFE, INCLUDING CHRISTMAS.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/puerto-ricans-keep-christmas-spirit-alive-three-months-after-maria/
By NICOLE SGANGA CBS NEWS December 23, 2017, 9:44 PM
Puerto Ricans vow to keep Christmas spirit alive amidst devastation

COROZAL, Puerto Rico -- Poised at the entrance of a roadside diner in this northern Puerto Rican town, a Christmas tree is decorated with a depressing assortment of makeshift ornaments: washed-up empty cans, candles and the remnants of government-issued "made ready-to-eat" meals.

Owner Thomas Soto chuckles from behind the bar as a young boy stops to admire the Nativity scene, featuring the holy family draped under a blue tarp stamped "FEMA." In the wake of Hurricane Maria's devastation, the ramshackled holiday decor lends some much needed levity to Soto's restaurant.

image2.jpg
Makeshift ornaments on a Christmas tree at a roadside diner in Corozal, Puerto Rico. NICOLE SGANGA / CBS NEWS

"The people right here come crying," he says. "Then they see this tree, and the humor come."

Humor is a prized commodity in Corozal, which is still running on emergency power. With nearly one-third of the electrical grid still offline, many Puerto Ricans rely on generators to light their homes. Soto's diner is no exception.

"We wake up every morning like at 4 o'clock, go to the gas station and buy the diesel," he says.

Soto opened up shop just nine days after Maria made landfall. For Soto, who works as a police officer, serving up pork and rice is more than a part-time gig. "It's a kind of privilege, you know," he explains. "For the people [to] come to eat and have a good time."

He twists the faucet. "No water. You see?" Luckily, he jests, his customers mostly prefer beer.

More than three months have passed since Hurricane Maria first made landfall in Puerto Rico, setting off the worst humanitarian disaster on American soil since Hurricane Katrina drowned New Orleans in 2005.

Some Puerto Ricans are still buying bottled water in bulk. William Rosada, an amputee from Naranjito who's confined to a wheelchair, relies on water deliveries from friendly neighbors. He points to a black bucket beside the front door -- his backup system. "Para la lluvia," he grins, gesturing towards the sky. For the rain.

In October, Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rossello announced an "aggressive" rebuilding plan for the island, promising to fully restore electricity by Christmas. The Army Corps of Engineers now predicts power won't be fully restored until May 2018.

Based at a new Joint Field Operations Center west of the capital San Juan in Guaynabo, 2,600 personnel from FEMA and other federal agencies are working through the holidays. Staff members -- including local hires -- gathered for a pep talk and photo op with new Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, who had flown in from Washington on Tuesday.

Neither cabinet member toured the damage, meeting instead with officials just outside San Juan. "I don't think you could ever see everything you need to see," Carson said.

For some residents, no words can fully capture the devastation. Carmelo Lima, 66, swept his hand across the view of the mountainside next to his uncle's former home, remembering how paradisiacal the backyard used to be.

image3.jpg
William Rosada NICOLE SGANGA / CBS NEWS

"It's real difficult to tell you how it was," he admits. "There was a ranch right here. And there was another one right here." His hand panned across the vista. "And they used to make barbecuing right here. And they used to play dominoes here everyday. And everything was real nice. It was green." What remains now sits crushed under a mudslide.

"We live on generators now," Lima explains before walking down his family's block. After passing the homes of three brothers-in-law and one sister-in-law, he arrives at his doorstep. "I come here everyday, open this gate. And I come down here," he says, hopping down the steep staircase into his basement. "This is everyday for four months I'm doing this. And I got the generator right here."

Many members of Lima's extended family lives back in his native Chicago. But for now, he has no plans to leave Puerto Rico. "We love the land. We love here," he says. "And I don't want to leave. I don't want to leave this land."

Inside his home, Lima points to the corner of his living room. "This is my little Christmas tree. I don't have a big one because we don't have no electricity." For him and his family, the holidays will not bring quite the same joy this time around. "It's going to be a real sad Christmas."

One town over, Carmen Nydia Ortega keeps the holiday spirit alive with Santa cut-outs and a life-size nativity scene flanking her powerless home. She brought out the decorations this year in hopes of cheering up the children. "They get happy from it. They like to hang up the ornaments," she said.

Her Christmas tree lights run on generator power. The garland draped around her windows offsets a split roof she had hoped to repair. FEMA denied her application for funding to fix the roof, determining it was not a critical priority. The government instead provided the Ortegas with a blue tarp, which they hung over the leak.

Deeper into the town of Naranjito, Wilma Torres toured her son's house -- or at least what remains of it. The structure is little more than two stories of wreckage.

"Everything is broken," she cries. "He live here for three years, and this change everything. His life. His boys, his sons. Everything is changed." Amidst the devastation, there are no signs of ornaments or a light-up baby Jesus.

"This is no Christmas. It's no feel like Christmas," Torres adds. FEMA denied her son's application for help, Torres says, because the property title is the second home in her sister's name.

In the treacherous altitudes of Corozal, holiday spirit hides among the shocking devastation. In the belly of one mudslide, a vertical house sits suspended mid-mountain. The bigger shock? Discovering the homeowner survived the drop.

image1-1.jpg
A home swept away in a mudslide by Hurricane Maria. NICOLE SGANGA / CBS NEWS
Survivor Milagros Rodriguez and her uncle, William, now squat in a relative's home in the valley. Rodriguez recalls the escape as though she is reliving it. "The winds were very strong. Then overnight, ground started moving," she explains in Spanish. "I feel a big thunder that shook the earth. And right then, the house went."

Rodriguez says gravity hurled her toward the front of the house, pinning her behind heavy furniture after she banged her head on the wall. "But God let me live, and I was able to get out." She managed to escape out the balcony door. But her nightmare was just beginning. As dirt ran like a river past her house, Rodriguez feared she might be swept away in the storm. Catching onto a patch of nearby grass, she waited out the remainder of the hurricane conditions, praying.

Returning to her land now, she said, breaks her heart. Overlooking her destroyed home, Rodriguez struggled to find the right words.

"What impresses me is the magnitude of the hole," she stutters, hands outstretched over her head in disbelief. "It is a miracle. And God let me live. And he must have a plan for me." Her voice trails off. "And I'm trying to figure it out."

Rodriguez filled out a FEMA application online about a month ago. Weeks later, she received a letter in the mail and promptly sent in additional documents the agency requested.. She has yet to hear back. Beneath the grief, the 56-year-old trusts in faith. Her first name -- Milagros -- means "miracle" in Spanish.

"It's not easy at this age to start over again. Not easy," Milagros admits, turning to glance back at her house on the hill. "But now, we march forward."

This holiday season, fewer Christmas lights shine on the island of Puerto Rico as people begin to pick up the pieces and rebuild their lives. Yet the bond between families and holiday spirit shine brighter than ever.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



THIS IS ONE OF THE CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS THAT I REALLY DO LIKE. IT’S WHIMSICAL, AND KIDS OF A CERTAIN AGE WILL BELIEVE IT.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-first-lady-take-calls-from-children-norad-santa-tracker-line/
By EMILY TILLETT CBS NEWS December 24, 2017, 4:51 PM
Trump and first lady take calls from children on NORAD's Santa Tracker line

Just hours before the Christmas holiday, President Trump and first lady Melania Trump participated in phones call with children through North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) as they continue to track Santa Claus' journey around the world as he delivers Christmas cheer.

The calls took place at their Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Sunday, where Mr. and Mrs. Trump fielded questions from children dialing into NORAD's phone line looking to see where Santa was on his journey.

NORAD offers an annual tracker for those interested in following Mr. Claus' trek before Christmas Day with live updates by phone, Facebook, Twitter and email. If you call 877-HI-NORAD, someone will give you an update.

U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump participate in NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) Santa Tracker phone calls with children at Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida

U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump participate in NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) Santa Tracker phone calls with children at Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., December 24, 2017. CARLOS BARRIA / REUTERS

The president was heard telling one child on the phone to come visit in Washington and see him in the Oval Office. Another, from Virginia, was heard telling the president he wanted building blocks.

"Oh, building blocks, that's what I always liked too. I predict that Santa will bring you building blocks, so many you can't use them all," Mr. Trump replied.

First Lady Melania Trump tweeted ahead of the call, saying she looked forward to "helping kids track Santa today with @NoradSanta!" She also wished a "very Merry Christmas Eve" to her followers.

Looking forward to helping kids track Santa today with @NoradSanta! Wishing everyone a very Merry #Christmas Eve!

— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) December 24, 2017
Earlier, Mr. Trump held another phone call where he spoke to five U.S. military members overseas during the holiday season, thanking them for their service.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



60 MINUTES IS ALWAYS LONG, SO I DIDN’T COPY THESE TWO IN HERE, BUT YOU CAN WATCH THEM ON THE NET. THEY’RE IMPORTANT STORIES AND GREAT INTERVIEWS, TOO.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/shohei-ohtani-babe-ruth-of-japan-60-minutes-1/
Japan's Babe Ruth is headed to the Majors
Japan's most fearsome starting pitcher, Shohei Ohtani, is also its most prolific hitter -- and he's headed to the Majors next season
Dec 24, 2017
BY Jon Wertheim


https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-men-saving-history-from-isis/
The men saving history from ISIS
In the face of danger, a pair of padres are finding and protecting ancient religious books and manuscripts from terrorists
Dec 24, 2017
CORRESPONDENT
Lesley Stahl



POPE FRANCIS ON HUMAN NEEDS AND RIGHTS

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pope-francis-defends-immigrants-christmas-eve-mass/
CBS/AP December 24, 2017, 6:04 PM
Pope Francis defends immigrants at Christmas Eve Mass

Photograph -- Pope Francis delivers a blessing at the end of the Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Sun., Dec. 24, 2017. AP

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis in Christmas Eve remarks Sunday likened the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem to the migrations of millions of people today who are forced to leave homelands for a better life, or just for survival, and he expressed hope that no one will feel "there is no room for them on this Earth."

Francis celebrated late evening Christmas vigil Mass in the splendor of St. Peter's Basilica, telling the faithful that the "simple story" of Jesus' birth in a manger changed "our history forever. Everything that night became a source of hope."

Noting that Mary and Joseph arrived in a land "where there was no place for them," Francis drew parallels to contemporary time.

"So many other footsteps are hidden in the footsteps of Joseph and Mary," he said in his homily. "We see the tracks of entire families forced to set out in our own day. We see the tracks of millions of persons who do not choose to go away but, driven from their land, leave behind their dear ones."

"In many cases this departure is filled with hope, hope for the future; yet for many this departure can only have one name: survival," the pope said.

Pope Francis
Pope Francis looks on at the end of mass on Christmas Eve on Dec. 24, 2017, at St Peter's basilica in Vatican. GETTY

Reuters news agency reports that Francis said, "Our document of citizenship" comes from God, which makes the respect of migrants an integral part of Christianity.

Referring to the king of Judea who was depicted as a tyrant in the New Testament, Francis continued, saying some migrants are "surviving the Herods of today, who, to impose their power and increase their wealth, see no problem in shedding innocent blood."

Francis has made concern for economic migrants, war refugees and others on society's margins a central plank of his papacy. He said God is present in "the unwelcomed visitor, often unrecognizable, who walks through our cities and our neighborhoods, who travels on our buses and knocks on our door." That perception of God should develop into "new forms of relationship, in which none have to feel that there is no room for them on this Earth," he said.

"Christmas is a time for turning the power of fear into the power of charity," Francis said.

Referring to Jesus as the Child of Bethlehem, the pope said that God "invites us to become sentinels for all those bowed down by the despair born of encountering so many closed doors."

The pope expressed hope that people see Jesus in "all those who arrive in our cities, in our histories, in our lives."

At the start of the service, Francis bent over to kiss a statue of the baby Jesus in the basilica.

At mid-day Monday, tradition calls for Francis to deliver the Christmas Day message "urbi et orbi" - Latin for "to the city and to the world" - from the central loggia of the basilica overlooking St. Peter's Square. The speech often is a review of the world events and conflicts.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.



I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT TOM HANKS WAS ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/krystieyandoli/tom-hanks-the-post-white-house-screening?utm_term=.hiNaJewZKg#.wd9V4MLb3W
Tom Hanks Said He Would Not Attend A White House Screening Of "The Post" If Asked
"Our personal choices are going to have to reflect our opinions."
Posted on December 20, 2017, at 2:24 p.m.
Krystie Lee Yandoli
BuzzFeed News Reporter

Photograph -- The Golden Globe–nominated film The Post, which stars Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks and is directed by Steven Spielberg, will be released in select theaters this week. 20th Century Fox
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Photographs – Tom Hanks Lars Niki / Getty Images

The film, which is set in the early 1970s, is about the Washington Post's decision to publish the top secret Pentagon Papers. Streep plays the role of the paper's publisher, Katharine Graham, and Hanks portrays editor-in-chief Ben Bradlee.

And when Hanks was recently asked by the Hollywood Reporter whether he would attend a screening of The Post at the White House if President Trump asked him to, the actor said, "I don't think I would. ... I would probably vote not to go."

"Look, I didn't think things were going to be this way last November," Hanks said. "I would not have been able to imagine that we would be living in a country where neo-Nazis are doing torchlight parades in Charlottesville and jokes about Pocahontas are being made in front of the Navajo code talkers."

"And individually we have to decide when we take to the ramparts. You don't take to the ramparts necessarily right away, but you do have to start weighing things," Hanks continued. "You may think, 'You know what? I think now is the time.' This is the moment where, in some ways, our personal choices are going to have to reflect our opinions. We have to start voting, actually, before the election."

Krystie Yandoli is an entertainment editor for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York.
Contact Krystie Lee Yandoli at krystie.yandoli@buzzfeed.com.



THIS IS A MISERABLE STORY. SORRY, BUT THAT’S ALL I CAN THINK OF TO SAY. I SOMEHOW DOUBT THAT THERE IS A FEISTY FREE PRESS THERE WHO WILL TAKE ON THE BAD GUYS. THERE ARE, OF COURSE, GREEDY LANDLORDS IN EVERY US CITY WHO DO SIMILAR THINGS, BUT I DON’T REMEMBER A CASE OF THE GOVERNMENT BEING BEHIND IT -- YET.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/thousands-of-migrant-workers-forced-from-beijing-homes/
By BEN TRACY CBS NEWS December 22, 2017, 6:43 PM
Thousands of migrant workers in Beijing forced from homes

Video – CBS Evening News – Jeff Glor

BEIJING -- The city government in Beijing has decided the teeming metropolis has too many people and too many dilapidated homes, so it has begun tearing them down. And the people who lived in them are on their own.

Several neighborhoods on the outskirts of Beijing look like war zones. But the attack here came from the city itself, after a fire tore through a migrant housing complex last month, killing 19 people.

a30-tracy-migrants-1222-transfer.jpg
The Beijing government launched an operation to demolish structures considered to be dangerous CBS NEWS

The Beijing government launched a 40-day operation to demolish what it considers illegal or dangerous structures, a campaign that targeted the city's poorest residents. Tens of thousands of migrant workers who already struggle to survive are being forced out into the winter cold.

"I haven't found a new place," one woman tells CBS News. "I don't know where to look and I have a child."

This is also widely considered an excuse to get rid of many of the 8 million migrant workers who have helped build Beijing into a modern metropolis. It is also at odds with President Xi Jinping's recent vow to help China's poor.

China reacts to Trump's national security strategy
In communist China, it's increasingly all about Xi

Some of the people tell CBS News they were only given 24 hours to pack all of their belongings and get out before the bulldozers arrived. They said the government turned off their electricity and water to make sure they got out quickly.

3a30-tracy-migrants-1222-transfer.jpg
Migrant workers forced from their homes in Beijing CBS NEWS

In a rare demonstration, workers protested outside a local government office saying their human rights are being violated.

"There is no way to survive here anymore," one man said. "Beijing has shown us migrants the door."

In a final insult, migrant workers are largely the ones dismantling what's left of their lives.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



GOSSIP FOR THE DAY

QEII
entertainment today insider news
Queen Elizabeth Is Reportedly ‘Angry’ With Kate Middleton For A Very Strange Reason

DAVID CROSBY PHOTOGRAPH
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10154332374527576&set=gm.1127110267314093&type=3



MSNBC MADDOW

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 12/22/17
Trump partner with mob ties interviewed out of range of Democrats
Rachel Maddow reports on the colorful background of Donald Trump business partner Felix Sater, from ties to organized crime to FBI informant, and wonders why this particular witness was interviewed by House Intel staff in New York instead of D.C. Duration: 18:01


http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 12/22/17
Trump administration hemorrhaging staff
With several new people announcing their resignation from the Donald Trump administration today, Rachel Maddow runs through the list so far that makes up a 30% turnover rate in under a year. Duration: 1:28


http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 12/22/17
Pruitt drives out EPA staff, hires unqualified former banker pal
Rachel Maddow reports on the disgraced former banker Albert Kelly, Scott Pruitt's friend who he put in charge of an EPA superfund cleanup task force as qualified, experienced EPA staff flee the agency by the hundreds. Duration: 8:43


http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 12/22/17
Top FBI lawyer James Baker reassigned without explanation
Joyce Vance, former U.S. attorney, talks with Rachel Maddow about the reassignment of the top lawyer at the FBI and whether this is typical with a new director or evidence of politicizing the FBI. Duration: 5:32


http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 12/22/17
GOP attacking witnesses to head off Trump obstruction case
Rachel Maddow looks at how Republican congressional investigators seem less interested in answering the question of whether Donald Trump colluded with Russia than they are in smearing FBI officials who would be witnesses in a Trump obstruction of justice case. Duration: 9:21