1. Biased FBI agent Peter Strzok has his day of public testimony, little was learned, but Strzok gave the media what they wanted
— The FBI agent who worked on both the Hillary Clinton and Trump/Russia investigations wouldn’t answer questions about the Russia probe and may be held in contempt. In the past, he said there was “no big there there“.
— Republicans attacked Strzock for his clear conflicts of interests and his role in changing the findings of the Clinton investigation. Democrats applauded him and offered him a Purple Heart.
2. Trump continues tipping over tables in Europe, upsetting his hosts
— Before Trump even stepped on the scene, he did an interview where he stated that a deal with the UK on trade may not be possible if Prime Minister Theresa May stays with the EU.
— Trump’s issues with the EU have bubbled over from his NATO meeting. Trump said, “We have enough difficulty with the European Union. We are cracking down right now on the European Union because they have not treated the United States fairly on trading”.
3. Troy King, Alabama’s worst lawyer, loses a case where he tried to stop his political opponent from spending campaign dollars
— King’s campaign tried a gambit that many have never seen, filing a frivolous court case to keep an opponent from spending campaign dollars against him. He lost (just like he did to me in court)
— The Marshall campaign says they will seek sanctions against Troy King, but that probably won’t happen because the election is Tuesday.
4. Hyundai’s union says Alabama’s plant would close first, which could cost the state 20,000 jobs
— A South Korean labor union warns that their contract states that the company must close foreign plants first before closing plants in Korea.
— The tariffs may never happen, but the AP reports the “Department of Commerce is investigating whether auto imports pose a great enough security threat to impose these tariffs”.
5. Democrats have introduced a bill to abolish ICE that the sponsors will vote against
— The movement to #AbolishICE has the support of the Democrat base and some elected Democrats. Now, there has been a bill proposed to do away with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency because they have become “militarized” and have too much power — “which ICE has used to terrorize our communities.”
— House GOP leaders say they plan to bring a Democratic measure up for a vote. The Democrat sponsors of this bill are now saying they are going to vote “NO” on their own bill, reasoning, “We know Speaker Ryan is not serious about passing our ‘Establishing a Humane Immigration Enforcement System Act,’ so members of Congress, advocacy groups, and impacted communities will not engage in this political stunt.”
6. Tennessee GOP Congresswoman Diane Black wants to make illegal entry a felony; Alabama GOP Congressman Mo Brooks has signed on and co-sponsored the bill
— Rep. Black is reacting to the overwhelming amount of Democrats, and media, arguing that those who enter the country are only charged with misdemeanors for illegal entry. She offered a bill that would change it to a felony and mandate an E-Verify system.
— Rep. Brooks became the first Alabama Congressman to sign on when he tweeted, “COSPONSORED: @RepDianeBlack has the right idea. Illegal immigration to America is a serious crime and the penalty should match”.
7. The U.S./North Korea Nobel Peace Prize for Trump hits a few speed bumps
— The U.S. declares that North Korea is receiving oil from China and Russia. The Trump administration wants more sanctions, including a ban on oil-product sales to North Korea until 2019.
— Part of the early negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea involved returning American war dead, but North Korean officials did not attend a meeting on this matter.
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