Travel Trouble, Climate Warning

To Grandmother’s House: It’s Thanksgiving eve and if you’re not there by now, good luck. As many as 55 million people are expected to travel this week and many are going to have trouble.

  Snow as deep as 30 inches has blanketed parts of the central US and winds are blowing up to 30 and 40 mph. Cars are skidding, parts of highways have been closed, and travelers stranded at airports. 

  Nearly 400 flights have been cancelled so far this morning and 4,000 delayed. Yesterday, nearly 1,000 flights were cancelled and 2,100 delayed. 

Climate, Not Weather: Deep and quick cuts in greenhouse gas emissions around the world will be required to avert climate change disaster, according to a new report issued by the United Nations. This comes just as world leaders are getting ready to convene for the annual climate conference in Madrid next week.

  “The summary findings are bleak,” the annual assessment says. “Deeper and faster cuts are now required.” It’s not happening. Greenhouse emissions are still rising with China and the United States the prime offenders. While the world’s richest and most industrial countries have been asked to lead the way, the US under President Trump bailed out of the Paris climate agreement.

Can you Hear Him How?: As the House pushes toward impeachment, the Judiciary Committee has invited President Trump or his lawyers to participate in its first impeachment hearing next week. The President and his Congressional supporters have complained that they have been unrepresented in impeachment proceedings so far.

  The committee plans a hearing on December 4th on the “constitutional grounds for presidential impeachment.” So far the white House has not said whether the President or anyone else will appear to represent him. Trump is scheduled to be in London next week.

 Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler wrote to Trump that, “We expect to discuss the constitutional framework through which the House may analyze the evidence gathered in the present inquiry,” He said, “We will also discuss whether your alleged actions warrant the House’s exercising its authority to adopt articles of impeachment.”

  The Intelligence Committee plans to release its report summarizing the findings of its investigation to the Judiciary Committee soon after the Thanksgiving break. The NY Times reports that President Trump had already been briefed on a whistle-blower’s complaint about his dealings with Ukraine when he unfroze military aid in September. 

  In his fight to prevent his senior aides from testifying in the impeachment, Trump tweeted yesterday that, “I am fighting for future Presidents and the Office of the President.” 

 During the annual pardoning of the White House turkeys yesterday, Trump used the event to say how great the country is doing under his leadership and to attack the impeachment. “These turkeys will remain calm under any condition,” Trump said. “Which is good because they’ve been subpoenaed to appear in Adam Schiff’s basement on Thursday.”

  Taking a shot at the press, trump said, “I expect the pardon will be popular with the media. After all, turkeys [are] closely related to vultures.”

From Behind Closed Doors: Mark Sandy, a career employee in the White House Office of Management and Budget, said two of his colleagues quit because they were uncomfortable with President Trump’s withholding of military aid to Ukraine. In the transcript of his testimony before the House Intelligence Committee released yesterday, Sandy said he was given no reason for the order from the office of the President’s Chief of Staff to hold military aid to Ukraine. 

The Bulletin Board: First Lady Melania Trump was booed yesterday speaking about opioid addiction in Baltimore. Her husband has insulted the reputation of the whole city. — Fertility rates in the US fell last year for the fourth year in a row. Women are waiting longer to have children. The rate was down by 2 percent from 2017, and has fallen by about 15 percent over 10 years. — What is believed to be the world’s longest-running musical, “Beach Blanket Babylon,” is closing on New Year’s Eve in San Francisco.

Better Ingredients: Papa John’s Pizza founder John Schnatter, who was pushed out of his own company, says he ate 40 pizzas in 30 days and the pie just isn’t as good as it used to be. 

 “It’s not the same product,” Schnatter told an interviewer.  “It just doesn’t taste as good. The way they’re making the pizza is just not fundamental to what makes a Papa John’s pizza.” 

  It took him 40 to figure that out?

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It's Been Said

"Christians, get out and vote, just this time. You won't have to do it anymore. Four more years, you know what, it will be fixed, it will be fine, you won't have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians. I love you Christians. I'm a Christian. I love you, get out, you gotta get out and vote. In four years, you don't have to vote again, we'll have it fixed so good you're not going to have to vote."

  • Donald Trump courting the vote of the Christian right

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