Beltway Insider: Trump/Pelosi/Senate/Impeachment, Defense, Harry Dunn, NK Xmas, NZ Guns, Election

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President Donald J. Trump, with the strike of the gavel, became the third president in U.S. history to be impeached by a House vote as the senate gears up for a trial expected to begin January 2020.

President Trump's job approval rating, according to the website fivethirtyeight.com, which tracked for the period ending December 22, 2019, remained consistent at 43.3% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness decreased two percentage points to 52.2%. A slight 3% of the population polled have no opinion. Ratings are calculated bi-monthly.

House Adopts Impeachment; Pelosi Silences Jubilance

Dressed in black, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) tallied the vote and declared the adoption of the Articles of Impeachment against Donald J. Trump. An outburst of jubilation was quickly silenced as Pelosi made it clear, this was not a cause for celebration.


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In the days after the vote, Pelosi extended an invitation for President Trump to give the State of the Union address on February 4, 2020. He has accepted.

Pelosi Delays Sending Impeachment Articles to Senate

Pelosi has also delayed sending the results of the vote to the senate, which according to the Constitution essentially is the equivalent of declaring a hopeful outcome. While the vote has been rendered, until the decision or verdict reaches the senate it is theoretical.

"The relevant constitutional provisions are brief. Article I gives the House "the sole power of impeachment." And it gives the Senate "the sole power to try all impeachments." Article II says that the president "shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors." Putting these three different provisions together yields the conclusion that the only way to remove the president while he is in office is if the House impeaches him and the Senate tries and convicts him," Bloomberg reports.

So has both sides are making the Sunday talk show circuit, the simple truth is that the President has not been officially impeached until the articles of Impeachment have reached the senate and the formal process presented.

Yes, the goose is prepared, but not cooking yet.

GOP Controlled Senate Gears Up

The Republican controlled senate is gearing up for what they hope to be a swift exoneration of the Articles of Impeachment. While it is highly likely the president will be acquitted, unless the democrats can persuade seven senators to vote cast "yes" votes.

The trial will be presided over by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, but is known to be impartial to political lines and cannot be counted on to preside based on party affiliation, loyalty or personal beliefs. His record in the past has frustrated Republicans as he as sided with the Obama Administration on key Affordable Care Act challenges.

Trump Stoked by Young Conservative Campaign Stop

President Trump, who in his trademark soundbite style, addressed a crowd of Young Conservatives at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit.

"I'm thrilled to be here tonight with thousands of proud, patriotic young Americans at Turning Point USA Student Action Summit.  (Applause.) You're the fearless young leaders and warriors who stare down the hatred of the radical left and bravely fight for our liberty, our values, and our God-given freedom.  (Applause.) Each of you is a fighter on the frontlines of defending our way of life.  And I am profoundly grateful to all of you," the President stated as he addressed the crowd at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit.

Of course, the President couldn't make it through a Campaign rally without invoking the name of former Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary R. Clinton, and he did the same as he spoke to the voters of tomorrow.

Trump Signs Massive Defense Bill

The President also spoke on the massive defense bill he signed totaling $738 billion, which will among other things, raise the age of buying tobacco products to 21, increase paid parental leave to twelve weeks of paid parental leave, and funds for the Space Force and Southern border wall.

"President Donald Trump approved a colossal defense bill Friday that authorizes a topline of $738 billion for fiscal year 2020. The National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, grants a base budget of $658.4 billion and an additional $71.5 billion for overseas contingency operations funding, a.k.a. the war budget, " CNBC reported.

"Let me tell you about budgets: There's no budget [cap] when it comes to the military. We're so powerful, militarily, now, especially at the end of another six months. This stuff is all pouring in: brand-new jets, the most incredible stealth jets, the F-35 fighters, the F-18, the F-16s. Ships, submarines — I won't even tell you about the submarine.  The most powerful weapon in the world is our submarines, and they're under construction," the president said during his West Palm Beach campaign rally.

UK PM Pushes for Diplomats Wife to Face Extradition for Killing

With a stunning victory in the recent general election the UK's Prime Minister Boris Johnson is continuing his efforts to unite the bitterly divided nation on its Brexit plans while forming his new conservative government.

The newest challenge Prime Minister Johnson faces will be the extradition of Anne Sacoolas.

The death of Harry Dunn, 17, last summer who was struck and killed by Anne Sacoolas, 42, the wife of a US intelligence officer working at the RAF Croughton base, while she was exciting the base has continued to garner international attention as Dunn's parents are fighting for justice.


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Sacoolas, a US citizen, who was driving on the wrong side of the road, plowed into the motorbike Dunn was operating. He was struck approximately 440 yards from a major military base and waited nearly one hour for an ambulance to arrive. He died at an area hospital of his injuries.

By all account Sacoolas participated in the investigation and took a breathalyzer test. Other than a single previous infraction more than a decade ago, her driving record was clean. However, she left the country on a military transport invoking diplomatic immunity several days after the August 17, 2019 accident.

Since his death, which traumatized the small close-knit community and left his parents devastated, they have vowed to fight for justice. On top of their grief they have been misled by those charged to investigate and solicited to pay for services by Dominic Raab of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office who has  danced around the real issues that deal with the investigation and extradition.

"Mr Dunn, 19, died in August after his motorbike was in collision with a car driven by Mrs Sacoolas outside RAF Croughton, Northamptonshire, where her husband worked as an intelligence officer. Mrs Sacoolas left for the US under diplomatic immunity, but on Friday was charged with causing death by dangerous driving, following a campaign by Mr Dunn's family," the BBC reported.

Sacoolas, who has indicated she will not return to the UK voluntarily and through her lawyers has indicated it was an unfortunate accident.

"Dunn's parents were advised by two leading specialist lawyers on diplomatic immunity, Mark Stephens and Geoffrey Robertson. They advised that Anne Sacoolas was not entitled to diplomatic immunity as her husband was not listed as a diplomat. Furthermore, they contended, diplomatic immunity no longer applied on Sacoolas's return to her home country, so it would be possible to take civil action in the US courts. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab also stated that diplomatic immunity no longer applied," Wikipedia reported.

Kim Jong Un Goes Silent on "Christmas Surprise"

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, who has taunted the United States with a "Christmas Surprise" which is expected to be an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) test, may have initiated an engine test in perpetration or simply to maintain President Trump's attention.


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"A significant launch or test would mean the end of North Korea's self-imposed moratorium and raise tensions in the region. It would also be a major blow to one of the Trump administration's major foreign policy initiatives: the drive to get North Korea back to negotiations to eliminate its nuclear weapons and missiles," The New York Times reported.

New Zealand Collects More Than 50K Guns

After the March 15, 2019 Christ Church Mosque Massacre, Prime Minster Jacinda Ardern announced "legislation to restrict semi-automatic firearms and magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds, and provide an amnesty and buyback of such weapons was introduced and passed by the New Zealand parliament by 119 votes to one," according to Wikipedia.

"Since the buyback began in July, more than 56,000 banned firearms and nearly 200,000 illegal gun parts were collected at hundreds of collection points around the country, according to New Zealand police data," NPR reported.

Election 2020: Debate . . . And Then There Were Seven, Bloomberg Continues His Mass Marketing Campaign

The final Democratic Presidential meet and greet leading up to the 2020 primary season has passed and what started with a very crowded pool of potential nominees has narrowed to seven plus one. The frontrunner, former Vice President Joe Biden has been leveling out in the past two months running nearly even with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

Sanders, who garnered more than 17million votes in his quest for the nomination in 2016, continues to rally supporters and consistently hits both the financial and new supporters' benchmarks set by the DNC. His recent health issues will come into play even as voters continue to respond to his message. His choice to include freshman Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) may have some pushback with his loyalist base.

As the voters begin to take to the polls, the second guessing will be replaced with facts.

Vice President Joe Biden should win Iowa, with Sanders and Warren in second and third, New Hampshire should be won by Sanders with Warren and Biden in second and third. South Carolina is a little more complicated to call and it should be Biden, Sanders, Warren. Nevada may bring Pete Buttigieg to the top three, although Biden should win with Sanders and Buttigieg second and third.

If Klobuchar expects to place in the early decision states than she needs to increase her presence in South Carolina and Nevada.


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By the time Super Tuesday rolls around momentum will be the only element that could keep Bloomberg from steamrolling the entire primary election season and securing the nomination. One note on Bloomberg, he was good for New York. His campaign is not professing accomplishments he didn't secure.

January DNC Benchmarks Continue to Thin the Pack

"The new benchmarks, announced by the DNC on Friday, require candidates to have 225,000 unique donors, as well as show 5 percent or more support in at least four national or single-state polls in early voting states Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. Candidates could also qualify by reaching 7 percent or more support in two single-state polls in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada," reported NBC.com

The DNC has put a spin on its donor's totals stating the candidate must have at least 1000 donors from 20 states. Candidates must have 225,000 unique supporters and must increase the reach to include at minimum 1000 in 20 states. The polling requirements have moved to 5% in four national polls or 7% in two early state polls.

Of the seven on stage candidates in the December 14, 2019 debate five have qualified for the January 14th, 2020 to be held in Des Moines, Iowa. They include Former Vice President Joe Biden, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), South Bend Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar.

Recently declared candidate former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg needs to gather the necessary 225,000 donors to qualify and as he has indicated he will not accept political contributions he will not meet the DNC requirements.

For more information on President Donald Trump www.whitehouse.gov.

Sources: Various © Articles covered by Copyright protection.