Good morning.
Winter begins in Whitewater under cloudy skies with a high of thirty-eight, and an even chance of afternoon snow showers. Sunrise is 7:22 AM and sunset 4:24 PM, for 9h 01m 41s of daytime. The moon is a waxing crescent with 9.6% of its visible disk illuminated. Today is the {tooltip}four hundred seventh day.{end-texte}Days since Trump’s election, with 11.9.16 as the first day.{end-tooltip}
Whitewater’s Finance Committee meets at 7 AM.
On this day in 1898, Marie Sklodowska-Curie and her husband Pierre Curie discover radium. On this day in 1862, the 2nd Wisconsin Cavalry sets out for Vicksburg: “The 2nd Wisconsin Cavalry participated in Grierson’s Raid on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad in Tennessee. This was the first engagement in a movement by Union Col. Benjamin Grierson. It led 3,500 men on a 450-mile ride from Tennessee through Mississippi, arriving in Vicksburg on January 5, 1863.”
Recommended for reading in full —
Murray Waas reports White House Counsel Knew in January Flynn Probably Violated the Law:
The White House turned over records this fall to special counsel Robert Mueller revealing that in the very first days of the Trump presidency, Don McGahn researched federal law dealing both with lying to federal investigators and with violations of the Logan Act, a centuries-old federal law that prohibits private citizens from negotiating with foreign governments, according to three people with direct knowledge of the confidential government documents.
The records reflected concerns that McGahn, the White House counsel, had that Michael Flynn, then the president’s national security advisor, had possibly violated either one or both laws at the time, according to two of the sources. The disclosure that these records exist and that they are in the possession of the special counsel could bolster any potential obstruction of justice case against President Donald Trump.
The records that McGahn turned over to the special counsel, portions of which were read to this reporter, indicate he researched both statutes and warned Trump about Flynn’s possible violations….
John Dean replies to Pam Bondi, the Trump-supporting attorney general of Florida:
Hey, Pam. You don’t have a clue about Watergate, nor does Hannity, who is not the brightest. He’s an entertainer like Trump who don’t know History, or much else. Good at faking it, however. Appropriate league for you to play in Pam. https://t.co/3FZPQ7ZF9t
— John Dean (@JohnWDean) December 17, 2017
Asha Rangappa contends that Mueller’s investigation threatens not only Trump, but Putin:
THREAD. It's worth pointing out that Mueller's investigation is as much a threat to Putin as to Trump. If it uncovers illegal acts on the part of Russians – incl financial crimes, or hacking – there could be some oligarchs who stand to go to jail (or never step foot in US again). https://t.co/RL8uDO8Bs6
— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) December 17, 2017
Aaron Blake reports In Cabinet meeting, Pence praises Trump once every 12 seconds for three minutes straight:
Back in June, President Trump allowed almost his entire Cabinet to speak, one by one, in praise of him. And praise him they did, with each being more effusive than the last. They called it an “incredible honor” and a “blessing” to serve him. They said they were “humbled” and “privileged” to be part of his team. They talked about how much Americans loved Trump.
At Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting, Vice President Pence decided he’d just handle praising Trump for the entire team.
Over nearly three minutes, Pence offered plaudit after plaudit after plaudit, praising Trump’s vision, his words, his strategy and his results in light of the passage of tax cuts. By the end, Pence offered 14 separate commendations for Trump in less than three minutes — math that works out to one every 12.5 seconds. And each bit of praise was addressed directly to Trump, who was seated directly across the table.
Here’s the full list:
1. “Thank you for seeing, through the course of this year, an agenda that truly is restoring this country.”
2. “You described it very well, Mr. President.”
3. “You’ve restored American credibility on the world stage.”
4. “You’ve signed more bills rolling back federal red tape than any president in American history.”
5. “You’ve unleashed American energy.”
6. “You’ve spurred an optimism in this country that’s setting records.”
7. “You promised the American people in that campaign a year ago that you would deliver historic tax cuts, and it would be a ‘middle-class miracle.’ And in just a short period of time, that promise will be fulfilled.”
8. “I’m deeply humbled, as your vice president, to be able to be here.”
9. “Because of your leadership, Mr. President, and because of the strong support of the leadership in the Congress of the United States, you’re delivering on that middle-class miracle.”
10. “You’ve actually got the Congress to do, as you said, what they couldn’t do with [the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska] for 40 years.”
11. “You got the Congress to do, with tax cuts for working families and American businesses, what they haven’t been able to do for 31 years.”
12. “And you got Congress to do what they couldn’t do for seven years, in repealing the individual mandate in Obamacare.”
13. “Mostly, Mr. President, I’ll end where I began and just tell you, I want to thank you, Mr. President. I want to thank you for speaking on behalf of and fighting every day for the forgotten men and women of America.”
14. “Because of your determination, because of your leadership, the forgotten men and women of America are forgotten no more. And we are making America great again.”
(Some men would rather crawl than walk.)
Tech Insider explains Plane De-Icing: