Good morning.

Monday in Whitewater will see morning flurries with a high of thirty-three.  Sunrise is 7:08 AM and sunset 4:21 PM, for 9h 12m 34s of daytime.  The moon is a waning crescent with 14.4% of its visible disk illuminated.

Whitewater’s Urban Forestry Commission is scheduled to meet at 4:30 PM.

On this day in 1947, Wisconsin’s first television station, WTMJ-TV, is established.

Recommended for reading in full:

  Craig Gilbert observes Wisconsin undergoes striking political shifts, even as it remains a ‘purple’ battleground:

The Democratic Party’s gains have occurred almost entirely in the Milwaukee and Madison media markets. In fact, they have occurred chiefly in four places: the city of Milwaukee, the suburbs of Milwaukee, the city of Madison, and the suburbs of Madison.

In these four areas combined, Democrats saw a net gain of nearly 130,000 votes from the 50-50 elections of 2000/2004 to the 50-50 elections of 2016/2018. That’s a big number. It’s the equivalent of 4 percentage points or more in a major statewide race

Pema Levy writes Why Has It Taken California So Long to Count Ballots? Because It Actually Wants Every Vote to Count:

In reality, it takes a long time for California to count votes because the state—unlike most others—makes sure to count every legitimate voter’s ballot.

California’s approach to election administration is to accept and count as many ballots as possible, including late-arriving absentee ballots and provisional ballots, even if it takes weeks to determine a winner. This stands in stark contrast states like F

Florida, which flew through a preliminary count and two recounts and then certified its results within 14 days of the election—all before [California Democrat TJ] Cox even pulled ahead in his race.

  Jonathan Martin reports Despite Big House Losses, G.O.P. Shows No Signs of Course Correction:

President Trump has brushed aside questions about the loss of the chamber entirely, ridiculing losing incumbents by name, while continuing to demand Congress fund a border wall despite his party losing many of their most diverse districts. Unlike their Democratic counterparts, Republicans swiftly elevated their existing slate of leaders with little debate, signaling a continuation of their existing political strategy.

And neither Speaker Paul D. Ryan nor Representative Kevin McCarthy, the incoming minority leader, have stepped forward to confront why the party’s once-loyal base of suburban supporters abandoned it — and what can be done to win them back.

Julian E. Barnes and Eric Schmitt report Intercepts Solidify C.I.A. Assessment That Saudi Prince Ordered Khashoggi Killing:

The C.I.A. has evidence that Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince, communicated repeatedly with a key aide around the time that a team believed to have been under the aide’s command assassinated Jamal Khashoggi, according to former officials familiar with the intelligence.

  What’s Up for December 2018:

Good morning.

Sunday in Whitewater will see a mix of rain and light snow, with a high of thirty-nine.  Sunrise is 7:07 AM and sunset 4:21 PM, for 9h 13m 49s of daytime.  The moon is a waning crescent with 22.5% of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1804, Napoleon confirms his dictatorial ambitions when he crowns himself Emperor of the French, placing a crown on his own head.

Recommended for reading in full:

  Sharon LaFraniere reports Mueller Exposes the Culture of Lying That Surrounds Trump:

Paul Manafort and Rick Gates, former senior Trump campaign officials, lied to cover up financial fraud. George Papadopoulos, a former Trump campaign aide, lied in hopes of landing an administration job. And Michael T. Flynn, another adviser, lied about his interactions with a Russian official and about other matters for reasons that remain unclear.

If the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, has proved anything in his 18-month-long investigation — besides how intensely Russia meddled in an American presidential election — it is that Mr. Trump surrounded himself throughout 2016 and early 2017 with people to whom lying seemed to be second nature.

Marc Fisher observes Trump borrows his rhetoric — and his view of power — from the mob:

An affinity for mobsters and their rhetoric has been a consistent thread through Trump’s adult life. From his early professional mentor, the New York lawyer and power broker Roy Cohn , to his many years of dealing with mob-connected union and construction industry bosses, Trump has formed close alliances with renegades and rogues who sometimes ended up on the wrong side of the law. He’s long learned from and looked up to tough, street-smart guys who didn’t mind breaking some rules to get things done. Trump also admires mobsters’ no-nonsense language and bais for action; he cites “The Godfather” and “Goodfellas” among his favorite movies.

  Matt Viser and Michael Scherer report Trump-led GOP grows increasingly tolerant of racially divisive politics:

The GOP’s challenge came into focus earlier this week when Rep. Mia Love (R-Utah), the only black female Republican in Congress, delivered a scathing rebuke to her party during a concession speech after learning she had come up short in her reelection bid following a drawn-out process of vote counting.

….

“This election experience and these comments shines a spotlight on the problems Washington politicians have with minorities and black Americans — it’s transactional. It’s not personal,” Love said.

The National Resources Defense Council reports In a Blow to Marine Life, Trump Administration Greenlights Seismic Blasting in Atlantic:

The National Marine Fisheries Service’s five new permits, or Incidental Harassment Authorizations, will allow airgun blasting for one year in large undersea areas off the Atlantic coast. The blasts are as loud as dynamite and fired every 10 seconds for weeks, sometimes months. Blanketing the ocean, the noise disrupts the vital behaviors of marine life, including finding food, selecting mates, avoiding predators, and navigating.

  The Sweetest Market in the World:

Good morning.

Saturday in Whitewater will be rainy with a high of thirty-nine.  Sunrise is 7:06 AM and sunset 4:21 PM, for 9h 15m 07s of daytime.  The moon is a waning crescent with 32.6% of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1955, Montgomery, Alabama police arrest Rosa Parks for refusing to yield her seat to a white passenger:

Parks moved, but toward the window seat; she did not get up to move to the redesignated colored section.[30] Parks later said about being asked to move to the rear of the bus, “I thought of Emmett Till and I just couldn’t go back.”[31] Blake said, “Why don’t you stand up?” Parks responded, “I don’t think I should have to stand up.” Blake called the police to arrest Parks. When recalling the incident for Eyes on the Prize, a 1987 public television series on the Civil Rights Movement, Parks said, “When he saw me still sitting, he asked if I was going to stand up, and I said, ‘No, I’m not.’ And he said, ‘Well, if you don’t stand up, I’m going to have to call the police and have you arrested.’ I said, ‘You may do that.'”[32]

Recommended for reading in full:

  Molly Beck and Patrick Marley report GOP seeks to limit Wisconsin early voting, strip powers from Tony Evers and Josh Kaul in lame-duck session:

Republican lawmakers are seeking to limit voter turnout and want to take away key powers from the incoming Democratic governor and attorney general before GOP Gov. Scott Walker leaves office in January.

The sweeping plan — to be taken up Tuesday — would remove Gov.-elect Tony Evers’ power to approve major actions by Attorney General-elect Josh Kaul and give that authority to Republican lawmakers.

The legislation is wide-ranging and would limit Evers’ power in a host of ways. His agencies would have less freedom to run their programs. He would not be able to ban guns from the state Capitol without the OK of lawmakers.

The power of the incoming attorney general also would be greatly diminished.

The Legislature — not the attorney general — would have control of how to spend money from court settlements. The recently created office of the solicitor general, which oversees high-profile litigation, would be eliminated.

Legislators would gain the power to intervene in any litigation when a state law is challenged, and they would have the ability to appoint their own private attorneys — at taxpayer expense — to handle the case instead of the attorney general.

“This bill is a full-employment bill for Republican law firms,” said Madison attorney Lester Pines, who often defends Democrats. “It will drive up the cost through the roof.”

Legislators would also have the ability to sign off on court settlements.

In another change that has broad implications for the lawsuit over the Affordable Care Act, the Legislature’s budget committee — rather than the governor —would get to decide whether to continue or drop legal actions.

  Lightning Struck Apollo 12…Twice – Here’s How Mission Control Reacted:

Good morning.

Friday in Whitewater will be partly sunny with a high of thirty-seven.  Sunrise is 7:05 AM and sunset 4:22 PM, for 9h 16m 30s of daytime.  The moon is a waning crescent with 43.2% of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1874, Winston Churchill is born.

Recommended for reading in full:

  Anthony Cormier and Jason Leopold report The Trump Organization Planned To Give Vladimir Putin The $50 Million Penthouse In Trump Tower Moscow:

President Donald Trump’s company planned to give a $50 million penthouse at Trump Tower Moscow to Russian President Vladimir Putin as the company negotiated the luxury real estate development during the 2016 campaign, according to four people, one of them the originator of the plan.

  Carol D. Leonnig and Josh Dawsey report ‘Individual 1’: Trump emerges as a central subject of Mueller probe:

In two major developments this week, President Trump has been labeled in the parlance of criminal investigations as a major subject of interest, complete with an opaque legal code name: “Individual 1.”

New evidence from two separate fronts of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation casts fresh doubts on Trump’s version of key events involving Russia, signaling potential political and legal peril for the president. Investigators have now publicly cast Trump as a central figure of their probe into whether Trump’s campaign conspired with the Russian government during the 2016 campaign.

Together, the documents show investigators have evidence that Trump was in close contact with his lieutenants as they made outreach to both Russia and WikiLeaks — and that they tried to conceal the extent of their activities.

  Mikhaila Fogel, Quinta Jurecic, Matthew Kahn, and Benjamin Wittes explain How to Read Michael Cohen’s Latest Plea and Its Revelations About the Trump Organization:

The account of Cohen’s conduct in the criminal information tracks closely with a May 2018 report by BuzzFeed News Jason Leopold and Anthony Cormier on the Trump Tower Moscow project. Politico suggested Thursday, almost certainly correctly, that the person identified as “Individual 2” in court documents is Sater, the Russian-born businessman and former Trump associate whom Cormier and Leopold report was intimately involved in efforts to build Trump Tower Moscow. The only major piece of the story included in the criminal information that is missing from the May Buzzfeed article is the fact that Cohen successfully connected with Peskov’s office when he sent a blind email to Peskov’s general address for press inquiries.

  Peter Baker reports Trump Cancels Meeting With Putin, Citing Naval Clash Between Russia and Ukraine.  Yesterday: Trump, Putin have agreed to meet at G-20 summit on Saturday. 

(Russia seized these vessels on the 25th – there was no justification for agreeing to a meeting in the first place.) 

  Why Do Roosters Crow in the Morning?:

Good morning.

Thursday in Whitewater will be cloudy with a high of thirty-four.  Sunrise is 7:04 AM and sunset 4:22 PM, for 9h 17m 55s of daytime.  The moon is a waning gibbous with 54.3% of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1929, Richard Byrd flies over the South Pole.

Recommended for reading in full:

  Rick Barrett and Andrew Mollica report Trump farm bailout checks coming to Wisconsin farmers vary from thousands to a few dollars:

Wisconsin is on track to lose more dairy farms this year than in any year since at least 2003, according to state agriculture department figures.

Wisconsin Farmers Union, based on a survey of its members, says a 55-cow dairy farm would receive a one-time payment of $725 from the Trump bailout program, but it will lose between $36,000 and $48,000 this year due to low milk prices.

An 80-cow dairy would get $889, barely enough to cover its electric bill for a month. Meanwhile, it will lose $35,000 this year.

(Emphasis added.)

  Julie K. Brown reports How a future Trump Cabinet member gave a serial sex abuser the deal of a lifetime:

On a muggy October morning in 2007, Miami’s top federal prosecutor, Alexander Acosta, had a breakfast appointment with a former colleague, Washington, D.C., attorney Jay Lefkowitz.

….

His client, Palm Beach multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein, 54, was accused of assembling a large, cult-like network of underage girls — with the help of young female recruiters — to coerce into having sex acts behind the walls of his opulent waterfront mansion as often as three times a day, the Town of Palm Beach police found.

….

Facing a 53-page federal indictment, Epstein could have ended up in federal prison for the rest of his life.

But on the morning of the breakfast meeting, a deal was struck — an extraordinary plea agreement that would conceal the full extent of Epstein’s crimes and the number of people involved.

Not only would Epstein serve just 13 months in the county jail, but the deal — called a non-prosecution agreement — essentially shut down an ongoing FBI probe into whether there were more victims and other powerful people who took part in Epstein’s sex crimes, according to a Miami Herald examination of thousands of emails, court documents and FBI records.

  Binyamin Applebaum reports For the American Economy, Storm Clouds on the Horizon:

Emerging signs of weakness in major economic sectors, including auto manufacturing, agriculture and home building, are prompting some forecasters to warn that one of the longest periods of economic growth in American history may be approaching the end of its run.

  Amie Ferris-Rotman reports Kremlin says Trump, Putin have agreed to meet at G-20 summit on Saturday:

The Kremlin said Thursday that Washington has confirmed a one-on-one meeting between President Trump and Russian leader Vladi­mir Putin at noon on Dec. 1 at the Group of 20 summit in Argentina.

  The Watchmaker:

“You look at the sky and universe … everything is chaotic and just all over the place.” “But everything is exactly in its right place.”

Good morning.

Wednesday in Whitewater will be partly sunny with a high of twenty-eight.  Sunrise is 7:03 AM and sunset 4:22 PM, for 9h 19m 25s of daytime.  The moon is a waning gibbous with 65.4% of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1520, Magellan reaches the Pacific Ocean.

Recommended for reading in full:

  Patrick Marley and Molly Back report Republicans to hold lame-duck session to limit Tony Evers and advance GOP priorities:

Republican lawmakers plan to hold a lame-duck session as early as next week to curb the incoming Democratic governor’s powers over state rules, add GOP appointees to a state board, and possibly move the 2020 presidential primary to help a conservative state Supreme Court justice.

Unlikely to be part of the session is the reason lawmakers claim to be calling it in the first place: a long-stalled $70 million subsidy package to save a Kimberly-Clark Corp. plant in the Fox Valley.

Republicans who control the Senate are still short at least six votes for that measure and may not be able to pass it, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said Tuesday.

  Dana Milbank observes The truth is finally catching up with Trump:

Trump may say that this is the “best economy” in history, that his “tariffs are the greatest.” But Americans can now see General Motors, facing some $700 million in higher steel prices because of tariffs, announcing on Monday that it is closing five factories and laying off nearly 15,000 workers. They can also see market gyrations, rising interest rates, rising debt and forecasts for slower growth.

Trump may say the Russia investigation by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III is a “hoax” by a “conflicted prosecutor gone rogue.” But, after a half-dozen convictions, Mueller’s prosecutors Monday promised a “detailed” court filing outlining lies told them by Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman. This, as The Post reported, means “prosecutors may know more about Manafort’s interactions than he realized, allowing them to catch him in alleged lies.”

Danielle Kaeding reports Climate Report Warns Of Declining Agricultural Production, Biodiversity:

A new federal report says climate change is expected to have wide-ranging impacts on the Midwest, including declines in agricultural production and biodiversity. The latest volume of the Fourth National Climate Assessment, NCA4, also details the threats climate change may pose to the region’s economy through increased flood risks and impacts to human health with degrading air and water quality.

Harry Littman asks What Was Paul Manafort Thinking?:

Two months ago, he struck a plea deal with Robert Mueller, the special counsel — he pleaded guilty but agreed to provide full and truthful information in exchange for a more lenient sentence. But according to a filing by Mr. Mueller’s team on Monday, Mr. Manafort lied to them repeatedly, and after multiple warnings. He is now in a far worse position than if he had never elected to cooperate, or if he had followed through on his agreement.

Meet Knickers, the 1,400 kg cow from Australia:

Good morning.

Tuesday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of twenty-five.  Sunrise is 7:02 AM and sunset 4:23 PM, for 9h 20m 57s of daytime.  The moon is a waning gibbous with 76.7% of its visible disk illuminated.

Whitewater’s Common Council meets at 6:30 PM tonight, with the Finance Committee meeting thereafter at approximately 7 PM.

On this day in 1882, the Ringling brothers of Baraboo, Wisconsin perform their first show to an audience (in Mazomanie).

Recommended for reading in full:

  Mitch Smith and Monica Davey report Ex-President of Michigan State Charged With Lying About Nassar Case:

Lou Anna K. Simon, the former president of Michigan State University, was charged on Tuesday with two felonies, accused of lying to the police about her knowledge of sexual abuse committed by Dr. Lawrence G. Nassar.

The charges were the latest blow against Michigan State, which employed Dr. Nassar for years as he preyed on young women, and a warning to other institutions about the consequences they could face for failing to stop abuse. As the scope of Dr. Nassar’s crimes has become clear, Michigan State leaders have been accused of ignoring warning signs, disrespecting victims, and covering up misconduct, and the university has been rocked by resignations, protests and a $500 million settlement.

  Molly Beck reports Ex-Trump adviser George Papadopoulos to serve 14-day prison sentence in Wisconsin:

A former adviser to President Donald Trump’s campaign began serving a 14-day sentence at a medium-security federal prison in Oxford, Wisconsin, on Monday.

….

Papadopoulos was sentenced in September after he pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents over whether he had contact with Russian officials during the 2016 presidential campaign.

 Max Boot observes The GOP is now the party of neo-Confederates:

It is hard to remember that Republicans were once the Party of Lincoln. But in the 1960s they sold out their birthright to court Southern voters smarting over desegregation. In more recent years, leaders such as George W. Bush, John McCain and Mitt Romney had been trying to appeal to minority and moderate voters. But with his pandering to white grievances, Trump has abetted the rise of the neo-Confederates.

Debbie Wu reports Apple iPhone Supplier Foxconn Planning Deep Cost Cuts:

The contract manufacturer aims to cut 20 billion yuan ($2.9 billion) from expenses in 2019 as it faces “a very difficult and competitive year,” according to an internal document obtained by Bloomberg. The company’s spending in the past 12 months is about NT$206 billion ($6.7 billion). The shares of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., as Foxconn is known in Taiwan and Asia, rose less than 1 percent in early trade in Taipei on Thursday.

 NASA’s InSight lander has now sent back pictures from Mars: