FUNCTIONAL DISFUNCTION: The House and Senate last night passed a stopgap spending bill just after the midnight deadline keeping the government open into March in what amounts to a legislative defeat for Donald Trump even before his inauguration.

  The bill does not include suspension of the national debt limit, which Trump wanted to have happen while Joe Biden is still President and could be pinned with blame for something the Republicans voted to pass.

  Thirty-eight hardcore Republicans voted against a previous bill that would have suspended the debt limit in defiance of Trump, and also voted against a second bill supported by Trump that did notsuspend the limit.

  House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York  said, “House Democrats have successfully stopped extreme MAGA Republicans from shutting down the government, crashing the economy and hurting working class Americans all across the land.”

  Democrats feared that Trump would use limitless debt to give tax breaks to the rich. Jeffries said, “House Democrats have successfully stopped the billionaire boys club, which wanted a $4 trillion blank check by suspending the debt ceiling.”

  The original spending bill agreed upon by both parties was killed in a flurry of tweets by Tesla billionaire Elon Musk, who has become an unelected shadow President to Trump. Overnight he posted, “Your actions turned a bill that weighed pounds into a bill that weighed ounces! You are the media now. VOX POPULI VOX DEI.”

CHRISTMAS TERROR: A 50-year-old man from Saudi Arabia living in Germany drove his car into a busy outdoor Christmas market in the city of Magdeburg, killing at least five people and injuring 200 more, 41 of them seriously.

  Police identified the driver as a Saudi man who had lived in Germany for decades on a visa that granted him permanent residency. The incident, and the nationality of the driver, immediately fed Germany’s debate about uncontrolled immigration.

  The suspect worked as a psychotherapist and police were not able to explain his motive.

  Since 2016 when an Islamic extremist drove into a Christmas market killing 13 people, these popular events have been protected with street barriers. The annual market in Magdeburg is set up in front of City Hall, protected by concrete blocks. But the driver last night appeared to get in through a gap near a tramway. Surveillance video shows a car plowing into a large crowd then turning right onto another crowded street. 

  “We will need to speak about security, but not today,” Reiner Haseloff, the governor of Saxony-Anhalt state, told reporters. “Today we are mourning.”

INJUDCIOUS: A report from the Senate Judiciary Committee says Supreme Court justices have regularly failed to recuse themselves for conflict of interest and  have accepted lavish gifts without reporting them.

  The report points in particular to Justice Clarence Thomas, who in his years on the court has accepted millions of dollars in freebies including previously undisclosed jet and yacht travel, according to Democrats on the committee. It says they discovered a previously unreported flight to Saranac, New York, and ayacht trip to New York City sponsored by Texas billionaire Harlan Crow in 2021.

  The report releasedtoday concludes that, “The number, value, and extravagance of the gifts accepted by Justice Thomas have no comparison in modern American history.” 

  Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, said in a statement, “Now more than ever before, as a result of information gathered by subpoenas, we know the extent to which the Supreme Court is mired in an ethical crisis of its own making.”

OH CANADA: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who’s been in the job for 10 years, is reported to be on shaky political ground with even some members of his own Liberal Party calling for his resignation.

  Internal turmoil led to the surprise resignation of one of his most trusted allies, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, who criticized Trudeau’s handling of the budget. Trudeau has been losing popularity during times of inflation and a higher cost of living. It’s a familiar theme.

THE SPIN RACK: Starbucks workers carrying signs that say, “No Contract, No Coffee” have gone on strike in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle. The baristas walked after the company offered no immediate wage increase and a rise of only 1.5 percent in years to come. The union is aiming for an hourly minimum of $20. — Today is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year and the beginning of astronomical winter. Tomorrow, the days start getting longer.    

BELOW THE FOLD: As the hysteria over unidentified drone sightings continues, South Carolina  Republican Rep. Nancy Mace mused over possible explanations during a podcast interview: “My concern is, if it’s not craft from outer space — because I think that has to be on the table. That has to be an option — is it our technology? Or is it Russia or Iran or China? Is there someone who’s winning the arms race, and are we behind?”

  We’re going to go with “outer space.” Someone in that conversation was clearly from outer space. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL: Barring any earth shaking events, we’re taking time off for Christmas. We’ll be back later next week.

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