After over half the Democrats in the Senate push for his resignation over accusations of sexual misconduct, Al Franken resigns from the Senate, saying:

“I of all people am aware that there is some irony in the fact that I am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office and a man who has repeatedly preyed on young girls campaigns for the Senate with the full support of his party.”

Come on Republicans. The moral high ground has a very slippery slope, and you might be at a point where you can never make it back to the top. You need to oust your own members who are accused of misconduct, whether or not they cop to it. If you don’t like the RNC supporting an alleged child molester, you need to stand up and tell them so.

Russia:

1. The chief lawyer at the White House told Trump in January that Michael Flynn had likely lied to the FBI and Mike Pence. This was before Trump asked Comey to “see his way to letting it go.”
2. In his December meeting with Russian officials, Mike Flynn told them the sanctions Obama was imposing at the time would be ripped up.
3. Mueller asks a judge to deny Manafort’s request to be released from house arrest after learning the Manafort wrote an op-ed with a Russian operative in order to sway public opinion about his dealings with the Ukraine. Some people never learn.
4. Mueller subpoenas Deutsche Bank for information about Trump’s accounts. Deutsche Bank has loaned millions to the Trump Organization. The White House denies that there are any subpoenas.
5. Donald Trump Jr. spends eight hours in front of the House Intelligence Committee. He says he talked to Hope Hicks, and not his father, about how to respond to revelations of his meeting with a Russian lawyer.
6. He also claims attorney-client privilege as a reason to not talk about the phone call with Trump Sr. where they discussed how they should handle the issue of Trump Jr.’s meeting with a Russian lawyer (because a lawyer was in the room when he called).
7. Newly uncovered emails show there was follow-up within the Trump campaign to Trump Jr.’s meeting with the Russian lawyer.
8. In his meeting with the Russian lawyer, Trump Jr. asked for information proving illegal donations to the Clinton campaign.
9. Erik Prince testifies before the House Intelligence Committee, and says he met with Devin Nunes earlier this year to discuss the unmasking of names of Americans being investigated (after Nunes recused himself). He also discusses meetings with Emirati officials and a Russian banker in the Seychelles.
10. The judge in the Flynn case recuses himself.
11. Senate Democrats on the Foreign Relations Committee hold up K.T. McFarland’s nomination based on questions around what she knew about contact between Michael Flynn and Russian ambassador Kislyak.
12. Hope Hicks meets with Mueller’s team, and we learn that the FBI warned her that Russian operatives had tried to contact her at least twice this year.

Healthcare:

1. The DOJ picks up the investigations into abortion providers about the transfer of fetal tissue, taking over from the congressional inquiries held last year.
2. The USDA rolls back Michelle Obama’s school lunch program. Because why should kids have to eat healthy food?

International:

1. Apparently urged by Jared Kushner, Trump announces that he recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and that he plans to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. This is a new tactic for Middle East peace, and protests erupt abroad.
2. Palestinian leader Abbas says maybe a one-state solution is the way to go because it would force Israel to choose whether they’ll be a true democracy, in which case Palestinians could have the majority voice.
3. Hamas leaders push for a new uprising against Israel because of the announcement.
4. Several advisers say Trump didn’t fully understand the ramifications of the Jerusalem move and that his focus is “seeming pro-Israel” and “making a deal.”
5. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) bans Russia from the 2018 Olympics as punishment for their “systemic manipulation of the anti-doping system”. The IOC also creates a way for drug-free Russian athletes to compete under the Olympic flag.
6. The Senate confirms Kirstjen Nielsen as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. She was previously Kelly’s chief of staff there.
7. Germany’s acting foreign minister says that relations between Germany and the U.S. will never be the same, complaining that Trump looks at Europe as a rival instead of an ally.
8. Tillerson gets a chilly reception from European leaders, who cite Trump’s nationalistic rhetoric, his tweets, and his announcement that the U.S. will recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel as reasons for the tension.
9. The State Department issues a worldwide caution for U.S. travelers abroad. The last time this happened was at the start of the Iraq war.
10. North Korea says war is inevitable.
11. Remember when we brought back our diplomats from Cuba because they were experiencing mysterious symptoms? Well doctors find brain damage in the victims, which makes the sonic weapon explanation a little less believable.
12. Iraq says that ISIS no longer controls any land in the country and declares an end to their war on ISIS.

Legislation/Congress:

1. The House passes the concealed carry reciprocity bill, which would let people who live in concealed carry states carry weapons in states that don’t have concealed carry. I guess states right are only right when you agree with them.
2. So far, 44 U.S. Representatives and 2 Senators have announced they’ll retire, resign, or run for a different office. 30 of the 44 are Republicans and both Senators are. Some feel they can’t get anything done anymore, and some point to Trump.
3. Senator Al Franken announces he’ll step down over sexual misconduct allegations. Representative Trent Frank (R-AZ) also steps down from complaints that he suggested members of his staff should be surrogate mothers for him and his wife.
4. Democratic Representative John Conyers resigns after more accusations of sexual harassment. Still waiting for Trump to come clean here.
5. A House vote to impeach Trump fails bigly.

Travel Ban/Immigration/Discrimination:

1. The Supreme Court allows Trump’s third iteration of the travel ban to take effect while arguments are heard in the court challenge.
2. Despite Trump’s push to bolster staff at Customs and Border Patrol, the CPB hasn’t been able to hire enough people to make up for attrition.
3. In a rally in Florida… Wait, really? Why is he still holding rallies? Anyway, at a rally In Florida, Trump stumps for Roy Moore and goes after one of Moore’s accusers (she had added notes to the one Moore wrote in her yearbook oh my). Trump has attacked his own accusers and Moore’s, but somehow all the other women coming forward are legit. WTF?
4. 92 Somalis are taken back to Somalia on a deportation plane, but they have to land in Senegal, and end up returning to the U.S. because of logistical issues.
5. Trump was originally scheduled to speak at the opening of the Civil Rights Museum in Mississippi, but due to threatened boycotts by civil rights leaders, Trump speaks at a private event and not the opening.
   UPDATE: I recant that. Despite protests, Trump spoke at the opening anyway.
   
6. Trump holds the traditional Hanukkah party but doesn’t invite Democrats or Reformist Jews.

Climate/EPA:

1. Trump shrinks Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, as promised. The first of many lawsuits is filed on the same day.
2. The EPA inspector general announces an investigation into Scott Pruitt’s meeting with the National Mining Association earlier this year where Pruitt apparently asked industry members to urge Trump to exit the Paris agreement.
3. The Trump administration auctions off drilling rights for 900 tracts in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve, totaling 10.3 million acres. Only two companies bid and only on seven tracts, totaling only about $1.16 million. This was supposed to be the biggest lease sale ever.
4. Trump approves a state of emergency for Southern California due to the rampant wildfires.

Budget/Economy:

1. Congress pushes back a potential government shutdown by extending spending for two weeks. So now they have to sign a funding bill by the end of next week.
2. Trump says a government shutdown could still happen, and it would benefit him because he’ll blame Democrats for obstructing. Democrats are withholding support for a spending bill because they want a clean DACA bill. They also want comparable increases for non-defense spending as for defense spending. The Freedom Caucus says they won’t support a bill that includes either of those things.
3. The tax bills being reconciled include a boon to private schools by allowing tax-free 529 accounts to be used for private K-12 schools. Currently they are only allowed for college savings.
4. The Senate forgot to reduce the ATM, one of many oversights in their tax plan. Experts find many loopholes and potential problems.
5. The Senate removes the anti-abortion text that was inserted into the tax bill (personhood for fetuses). The parliamentarian says it violates the Byrd rule, which governs what can be included in finance bills.
6. 13 GOP governors refuse to sign a letter of support for the proposed tax plans.
7. Susan Collins’ vote on the bill is back in question as the planned fix won’t work for the problems that would be caused by getting rid of the ACA’s individual mandate.
8. Economists wonder if this is the wrong time for a tax cut, usually a tool to stimulate the economy which is currently on an 86-month winning streak. It could backfire and push us into inflation.
9. Hiring is still strong 8 years into the recovery. 228,000 jobs were added in November.
10. But GE announces they’ll layoff 12,000 employees (globally, though they didn’t say how many in what countries).
11. The repeal of the Johnson amendment in the tax bill could open the door to allowing large donations to 501(c)(3) charities, meaning you can donate as much as you want to political candidates and write it off as a tax deduction.
12. Attorneys general from 17 states and D.C. file a brief challenging Trump’s right to appoint Mick Mulvaney to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
13. Hours after Mulvaney becomes acting director of the CFPB, the bureau reverses its position on a case that was nearly over, so bureau will no longer take a position on whether Nationwide will pay $8 million for misleading over 100,000 customers on their mortgages. They also stopped payments to some victims of financial crimes. This after Mulvaney says he won’t blow up the bureau.
14. Trump rescinds another Obama-era proposal that makes airlines disclose baggage fees up front. Because why should we get to know exactly how much we have to pay?
15. The Department of Labor delays implementation of the fiduciary rule, which would protect consumers from financial advisors lining their own pockets instead of looking out for consumers’ best interests.

Elections:

1. Trump calls Roy Moore to offer his endorsement, and stumps for Moore at Trump’s rally in Florida.
2. And then the Republican National Committee (RNC) throws its support behind Moore once again, after distancing themselves just a few weeks ago. But no one in the RNC defends the move publicly. This is no longer the party of the moral majority.
3. Republican Representative Ben Sasse criticizes the RNC for funding Roy Moore once more, and says he’ll pull out of the fundraising arm of the committee if they keep it up.
4. Paul Ryan says Roy Moore should drop out of the race, while Sarah Huckabee Sanders says Trump has the highest level respect for women (after Trump voiced support for Moore).
5. Coordination between the RNC and the president is at a low, with Trump not realizing he is the leader of the party.
6. Trump’s voter fraud commission, headed by Kris Kobach, wants to create a centralized database that pulls together names, addresses, party affiliations, and partial security numbers for all voters in all states. Security and access to the database hasn’t been defined yet. This is similar to Kobach’s Crosscheck database, which has caused millions of voters to be accidentally dropped from the roles. States have tried to drop out but are finding it impossible.

Miscellaneous:

1. Erik Prince and Oliver North (!) are trying to sell the administration on the idea of creating a secret spy network to protect us against our own government intelligence agencies.
2. After the Access Hollywood tape was released, GOP donors reportedly asked the RNC how much they would have to pay Trump for him to drop out of the election. Mike Pence and Reince Priebus also reportedly made a plan for succession, with Pence running for president and Condoleeza Rice being his running mate.
3. Trump’s lawyers argue that the defamation suit brought against him by one of his sexual harassment accusers should be thrown out because Trump’s attacks against his accusers falls under protected speech.
4. The Veterans Affairs Secretary, David Shulkin, holds a DC event touting Trump’s promise to house homeless vets. Then four days later, the Veterans Affairs agency cut resources from a program that dramatically reduced homelessness for sick and vulnerable vets. After some blowback, Trump reverses this decision.
5. There are protests across the country in support of net neutrality and against FCC chair Ajit Pai’s attempt to get rid of it.
6. Trump rolls back another Obama administration safety rule, this one requiring that trains shipping highly explosive liquids be equipped with electronically controlled pneumatic brakes by 2021. This rule was put in place to prevent the explosive train wrecks we’ve seen in recent years.
7. Christopher Wray, director of the FBI, defends the FBIs integrity to the House Judiciary Committee after Trump tweeted that the agency is in tatters.

Polls:

1. Trump hits a new all-time low in the Pew Research poll, with an approval rating of 32%.
2. 70% of Americans think Congress should investigate Trump for sexual harassment accusations.
3. 59% of Americans think Trump’s team had improper contacts with Russia during the campaign.
4. 57% think Mueller is fair in his handling of the investigation.