Mercury Rising:The Environmental Protection Administration announced plans to reduce environmental protections from coal-fired power plants that have been in effect since 2011.

  The new rules would  allow coal plants to release into the air more mercury and other pollutants linked to developmental disorders and respiratory illnesses. The move is part of the Trump agenda to dismantle government regulations and protections not only involving the environment, but on several fronts.

  This latest proposal would also weaken the ability of the EPA to impose new regulations in the future.

  The Obama-era mercury limits have been considered a big success. Scientists have said mercury pollution from power plants has declined more than 80 percent.

Twittering While Rome Burns:President Trump threw a remarkable twitter fit yesterday, basically threatening to throw the North American economy into chaos if Congress doesn’t give him his border wall. He wrote, “We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with.”

  So, not only money for his wall, but a complete overhaul of immigration as a condition for re-opening the government.

  Congress adjourned for the year yesterday, throwing the problem to the new Congress starting Jan. 3^rd.

  Trump wrote, “We build a Wall or…..close the Southern Border. Bring our car industry back into the United States where it belongs. Go back to pre-NAFTA, before so many of our companies and jobs were so foolishly sent to Mexico.” 

Seatless in Washington:House Democrats say they will refuse to seat a North Carolina Republican who was elected with the aid of what appears to have been election fraud in the state’s 9th Congressional District.

 The North Carolina elections board dissolved itself yesterday without certifying Republican Mark Harris to the disputed seat.

  “Given the now well-documented election fraud that took place in NC-09, Democrats would object to any attempt by Harris to be seated on January 3,” incoming House Majority Leader Steny Hoyersaid in a statement. “In this instance, the integrity of our democratic process outweighs concerns about the seat being vacant at the start of the new Congress.”

Surrender:The suspect in the murder of a Newman, Calif. police officer surrendered yesterday in Bakersfield, about 200 miles away. Gustavo Perez Arriaga, 32, a Mexican national believed to be an illegal immigrant, has been mentioned by President Trump as one of the compelling reasons why Congress should pay for a border wall.

  Arriaga is accused of shooting Newman police corporal Sonil Singh after being pulled over on suspicion of driving under the influence.

  The local sheriff blamed California’s sanctuary law for preventing local police from reporting Arriaga to immigration officials after two previous drunk driving arrests. 

The Obit Page:Richard Overton, believed to have been the country’s oldest World War II veteran, died on Thursday at a rehabilitation facility near his home in Austin, Tex. He was 112.

 Overton was in his 30s when he volunteered for the Army and served in the all-black 1887th Engineer Aviation Battalion in the Pacific Theater.He was on both Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He said there was no discrimination in the service. “When we got out in the war, we were all together,” he said. “There wasn’t no discrimination there. We were hugging each other — darn near kissing each other.”

   He was personally honored by President Obama on Veterans Day in 2013. Overton used to say that the secret to long life was smoking cigars and drinking whiskey.

In the News:A popular Los Angeles news anchor was found dead in a Glendale, Calif. hotel room yesterday of a suspected overdose. Chris Burrous, 43, was an anchor and reporter for station KTLA.

  Police had received a phone call from a man with Burrous who said the journalist was passed out and not breathing. Burrous was married with a young child.

Hope for a Coverup:A Russian company embroiled in the Special Counsel investigation into election-influencing claims that there is a nude selfie photo among the terabytes of information. The information was revealed in a court filing.

  Lawyers for the company question whether there might be a national security concern with the photo. Let’s just hope it remains sealed evidence because there is no oneinvolved with the Russia investigation we’d like to see naked. 

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