1 Plans For Impeachment Vote Dies...To Live Today
The House Judiciary Committee will vote Friday on articles of impeachment against President Trump. Committee chairman Jerry Nadler ended a marathon, 14-hour session last night with plans for the panel to return this morning. The committee spent the day hearing arguments – and just arguing or name-calling – about impeachment articles of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The vote was expected to vote last night, when Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler opted to continue proceedings this morning, Republicans on the panel had a mild meltdown. First, Ranking Member Doug Collins blasted Nadler for not consulting him about the sudden change to his face with Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert calling the move "Stalin-esque." “This is why people don't like us. This crap like this is why people are having such a terrible opinion of Congress,” Collins later thundered to reporters. “What Chairman Nadler just did...and the rest of the majority who sat there quietly and said nothing, this is why they don't like us. They know it's all about games. It's all about the TV screens. They want the primetime hit.” The actual vote is expected sometime today.
2 U.S. Tests Missile Previously Banned Under INF Treaty
The Department of Defense is testing a weapon it wouldn't have been able to do earlier this year. The Pentagon says it conducted a conventionally configured ground-launched ballistic missile test yesterday. It was launched from an Air Force base in California and ended in the open ocean after more than 500 kilometers of flight. The test wouldn't have been allowed under the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia established in 1987 Under President Reagan...so why’d it happen? The U.S. abandoned the pact in August under the premise the Russia had already violated the accord – something President Vladimir Putin has denied. This is the second test the U.S. has done since leaving the treaty.
3 Lawmakers Strike Bipartisan Funding Bill, Avoiding Government Shutdown
While Lawmakers are going to the mats in some arenas, others are able to reach a deal to fund the government and avoid a shutdown. This, as members from both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have reached a tentative deal "in principle" on the 12 remaining appropriations bills. Still, it wasn’t easy. Appropriators debated many contentious issues, including how to fund President Trump's border wall. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer says he expects to bring the legislation to a vote next week. More than the initial “handshake?” Democrats say they have received word that President Trump will sign the bills they pass based on the agreement, thereby averting a government shutdown on December 20th when funding runs out.