George H.W. Bush passed away last week and we remember his presidency & discuss his legacy. Michael Cohen & Paul Manafort are back in legal trouble and that might be a bad sign for Trump. After some early problems, Nancy Pelosi was nominated by the House Democrats to be Speaker of the House. Finally, Beto O'Rourke & Sherrod Brown are the most recent front runners for the Democratic nomination…but will they stay at the top?
We’re baaaaaaaack! The election is over, but what does it all mean. We get back into the swing of things discussing the election results and what happens next. We also discuss the ouster of Jeff Sessions from the Department of Justice and the White House’s overreaction to Jim Acosta (oh yeah, they lied, too).
After a few weeks off, we’re back! Brett Kavanaugh & Christine Blasey Ford appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week; one seemed in pain and one seemed angry. The Committee’s decision seemed to be a foregone conclusion until Senator Jeff Flake made a stunning demand. As if that wasn’t enough, Trump was literally laughed at by world leaders while speaking at the United Nations. Yup, we’re glad to be back, too!
Our thoughts go out to the McCain family as we remember one the great Senators of our time. Paul Manafort was found guilty and Michael Cohen pleaded guilty. Last week was not good for Trump...and this seems to be just the beginning. Taking the lead from the head of his party, Rep. Duncan Hunter, along with his wife, have been indicted for using campaign funds for personal expenses. Will they ever learn? The Trump administration has revoked former CIA Director John Brennan's security clearance and threatening to do it to more. Trump's enemy list is becoming for apparent by the day. Rudy Giuliani says that truth isn't truth...but he's Rudy Giuliani, so take that with a grain of salt. Finally, the Trump Administration is rolling back environmental regulations rather than updated current facilities. Hopefully everyone enjoys more smog.
Surprise! Michael Cohen taped conversations with Donald Trump and now Trump may have to worry about campaign finance violations. Trump also called on Jeff Sessions to stop the Russia hoax witch hunt, though Sarah Huckabee Sanders says it was an opinion, not an order. Rudy Giuliani continues his slow descent into madness with several confusing media appearances. The conspiracy group, QAnon, has started popping up at Trump rallies, which is pretty disturbing. Finally, North Korea continues to build missiles that can reach the U.S., but the administration is too busy praising Kim Jong-un to care.
Last week, Rod Rosenstein announced the indictment of 12 Russian intelligence officers. That obviously led to Trump delaying his meeting with Putin, right? Nah! Trump met with Putin, called America foolish & let Putin off the hook for Russia's election meddling. Trump also made a mess in England, where he criticized Theresa May and then claimed it was fake news, despite there being a recording of the interview. Recently, FBI agent Peter Strzok testified before the House Judiciary Committee and it resulted in a chaotic day of partisan bickering.
Trump has nominated Brett Kavenaugh to the Supreme Court and his feelings on subpoenas and Special Counsels might have a huge impact on the Mueller investigation. Trump flew to Europe for a NATO summit and immediately accused Germany of being captive to Russia - it sounds like he's projecting his feelings a bit. Trump disparaged a Massachusetts senator, a Republican Senator and former Republican President...while at a rally in Montana. Trump also pardoned ranchers who were convicted of setting a series of fires...because why not? Relations with North Korea took a unfortunate turn and Trump's victory speech might have been a little premature. Finally, some good news! Scott Pruitt is no longer the head of the EPA. Unfortunately, his replacement is just as bad.
Huge news with the announced retirement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. His replacement could shape the court of years to come. John Bolton met with Putin today and set the stage for an upcoming meeting for Trump. Is that a good look for the White House? Members of the Trump administration have experienced different forms of protest in recent weeks and there doesn't look to be a end in sight. Melania Trump wore a controversial jacket last week - was it sending a message or what it just poor planning? There is a war brewing between Trump & the Freedom Caucus, but will they actually stand up to the president? Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defeated long-time congressman Joe Crowley. What does that mean for the future of the Democratic party?
Families are being separated at the border & Trump blames congressional democrats. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristjen Nielsen thinks these separations are because of a law & now a policy. They're wrong. The Inspector General’s report was released & Trump claims that it proves there was no Russian collusion. It doesn't. Trump claimed that parents of Korean War soldiers asked him to bring their children home from North Korea. They probably didn't. Rudy Giuliani thinks that Trump might pardon a lot of people after the Mueller investigation. He probably will.
So much can happen in a week. Prior to the G7 meeting, Trump advocated for bringing Russia back into the meeting (no collusion!), surprising the other world leaders that were attending. After a contentious, but ultimately successful meeting, Trump threw a hissy fit, called Justin Trudeau names & backed out of signing the communique. Later in the week, Trump met with someone more his style - Kim Jong-un. They met, said nice things about each other and accomplished very little. As always, that's a win for the Trump administration. As if that wasn't enough, the Supreme Court ruled that citizens who fail to vote for an extended period of time can be removed from the voter rolls. Democracy at it's finest.