7. Katie Hill lucky she’s a Democrat
- U.S. Representative Katie Hill (D-CA) is currently under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for her behavior, and now a picture of Hill has been released that shows her nude, holding a bong and indicates that she was in a “throuple” relationship that included her husband and a congressional campaign staffer.
- According to screenshots of text messages that were already released, the “throuple” relationship ended earlier this year. Hill has admitted to the relationship with her staffer and she has filed for divorce, describing her marriage as “abusive.”
6. Pence blasts the NBA over China — Charles Barkley tries to attack him
- Vice President Mike Pence condemned the NBA and its players for their acquiescence to the Chinese government, saying it is “un-American” for U.S. companies to “embrace censorship,” adding, “In siding with the Chinese Communist Party and silencing free speech, the NBA is acting like a wholly-owned subsidiary of the authoritarian regime.”
- After telling Pence, “to shut the hell up,” Barkley talked about appropriate consequences for Morey’s speech with China (which is exactly what Pence was talking about) and criticized President Trump for his trade war (which isn’t something China wants).
5. Moore doesn’t care if Sessions gets in the race
- It’s been rumored that former Attorney General Jeff Sessions could get in the Alabama 2020 U.S. Senate race, but only if former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore became the Republican nominee.
- During a radio interview, Moore said that Sessions joining the field “wouldn’t affect one way or another what I do … I want to give people a voice. They didn’t have a voice last Senate election. It was stolen from them.” Moore is ignoring the fact that U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) won because he was up against Moore.
4. The investigation into the start of the Russia investigation is now a criminal investigation
- The probe being conducted by Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham was, until this point, an administrative review into potential misconduct at the Department of Justice concerning the launching of the Russia probe, which is now a criminal investigation, according to NBC News.
- The change now gives Durham power to subpoena witness testimony, gather documents, to impanel a grand jury and, if warranted, to file criminal charges. It also marks a ramp-up in potential severity of misdeeds that may have been committed.
3. Two charged in Kamille McKinney case
- The 39-year-old Patrick Devone Stallworth, male, and 29-year-old Derick Irisha Brown, female, have been charged with capital murder in the Kamille “Cupcake” McKinney case, and if they are convicted, they could both face the death penalty.
- Birmingham Police Chief Patrick Smith said that police are still investigating, but “if appropriate, we will seek additional charges on both individuals. We refuse to stop until prosecution is completely upheld and the light of day is limited to one hour for both.”
2. Polling indicates impeachment is not playing well in battleground states
- National polls show that Americans are pretty split on impeachment and removal of the president of the United States, but a series of other polls tell a different story on that and it could greatly affect 2020.
- A poll of battleground states shows impeachment unfavorably and shows a 10-point margin against impeachment and removal whiole and another poll says Wisconsin voters aren’t fans either. These numbers and the pressure by Republicans for openness may be why the tone on public hearings has changed in the last 48 hours.
1. Doug Jones is representing his donors well in the Senate but not Alabama
- A resolution by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) that would undo the rule that prevents states from using “workarounds” to President Donald Trump’s tax reform was voted down in the Senate on Wednesday, but U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) voted to pass the resolution which would benefit the states most of his fundraising is coming from (not Alabama).
- Later in the day, Jones would embarrass himself and the Montgomery Advertiser’s Brian Lyman by declaring the move by U.S. Representatives Bradley Byrne (R-Fairhope) and Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) was somehow akin to George Wallace standing in the schoolhouse door. Luckily, no one asked him to explain that silliness further and Lyman just acted as a dutiful scribe.
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