It’s week one of the impeachment hearings, but still (believe it or not) life goes on around us. People are protesting all across the globe; North Korea stalls on denuclearization; Roger Stone is guilty on all counts; Barr gives a wildly inaccurate historical account of the founding of the U.S. (what are these guys smoking?); Stephen Miller’s racist emails leak; and Trump takes an unexpected trip to Walter Reed.

Here’s what happened in politics for the week ending November 17…

Shootings This Week:

1. There were FIVE mass shootings in the U.S. this week (defined as killing and/or injuring 4 or more people). Shooters kill 12 people and injure 18 more.

• • A shooter injures 4 people in Belle Glade, FL.
  • A shooter kills 2 students, as well as himself, and injures 3 more at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, CA.
  • In an apparent murder/suicide, a father in San Diego, CA, kills 4 of his kids and his wife, and injures 1 of their kids.
  • A shooter in a vehicle injures 4 people in a home in Cleveland, OH.
  • Two shooters open fire at a football-watching party at a private home. They kill 4 people and injures 6 more in Fresno, CA.

2. The Supreme Court lets a court case move forward against Remington Arms, which manufactured the guns used in the Sandy Hook shooting. The lawsuit asserts that a weapon as dangerous as the Bushmaster shouldn’t be sold to the public.

Russia:

1. During the impeachment hearings, Christopher Anderson testifies that the White House once canceled a Navy operation in the Black Sea because Trump complained that it was hostile to Russia. Trump based his complaint on a CNN story (fake news!) and called John Bolton at home to complain about it.
2. A jury finds Roger Stone guilty on all seven counts, including obstruction, making false statements, and witness tampering.

• • He could face up to 50 years in prison, and he’ll be sentenced in February. He is, however, still under his media gag. How do all these white guys get so much time out of jail after they’re found guilty?
  • The lies were about WikiLeaks, the existence of emails and texts, and conversations with Trump campaign officials.
  • During the trial, we learned that Stone was in direct and frequent contact with campaign staff and with Trump himself. Rick Gates testified that Stone was talking about the stolen emails at least by April of 2016, before the DNC even announced they’d been hacked.
  • Stone and Trump discussed future WikiLeaks email dumps in July of 2016.
  • The campaign eagerly anticipated the release of the hacked emails during the 2016 elections.

3. This is the last indictment brought by Robert Mueller. Here’s who else was convicted or pleaded guilty as a result of Mueller’s investigation:

• • Paul Manafort, former Trump campaign chair
  • Rick Gates, former deputy Trump campaign chair
  • Michael Flynn, former Trump national security adviser (and how is he not in jail yet?)
  • Michael Cohen, former Trump lawyer
  • George Papadopoulos, former Trump campaign adviser
  • Alex van der Zwaan, associate of Manafort and Gates
  • Richard Pinedo, AFAIK not associated with Trump (he sold fraudulent bank accounts to Russians)
  • Sam Patten, Republican lobbyist

4. Testimony and evidence from Stone’s trial bring into question Trump’s written answers to Mueller’s questions. The House is looking into whether Trump lied to Mueller in those responses, specifically about whether Trump knew about his campaign’s efforts to learn about DNC email dumps from WikiLeaks.
5. Trump, Attorney General William Barr, and White House counsel Pat Cipollone meet in the Oval Office, and discuss DOJ inspector general Michael Horowitz’s investigation into the origins of the Russia investigation.

• • Horowitz is focused on the FISA warrant applications to surveil Trump campaign advisor Carter Page.
  • Interviewees are making final adjustments to the report, which should be released soon.
  • One person interviewed says it’s likely the report will find missteps, but no major misconduct.

Legal Fallout:

1. At least eight former officials from the White House, the Trump transition team, and the Trump campaign worked as outside contractors for the DHHS.

• • They were tasked with cleaning up Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma’s image, and billed nearly $800,000 over four months.
  • Typically this work is done by federal employees in the communications department.

2. The DC Circuit Court of Appeals says Congress can obtain eight years of Trump’s tax records, letting an earlier ruling stand. However, they also put the ruling on hold for seven days to allow Trump’s attorneys to petition the Supreme Court, which they do.
3. In a separate case, a [Trump-appointed] judge rules that Trump can’t sue New York state officials in a DC court to stop the state from releasing Trump’s financial records to Congress. His lawyers argue they CAN sue in DC because New York officials are “co-conspirators” with Democrats in DC.
4. The prison guards who failed to make scheduled checks on Jeffrey Epstein on the night of his death and falsified records to cover it up refuse a plea deal.

• • The presence of a plea deal indicates that the DOJ might bring criminal charges in connection with Epstein’s death, which was ruled a suicide.

5. New York federal prosecutors are investigating Rudy Giuliani for campaign finance violations and for failing to register as a foreign agent.
6. Even though the Trump Organization says they’re no longer soliciting foreign business and that having Trump in office is costing them $9 million, the Trump International Hotel is projected to have revenues of $67.7 million next year (a 65% increase from 2018). The hotel’s sales pitch to investors is that they can “capitalize on government related business.”

Impeachment:

Including all this info just makes this too long, so I moved it out into its own post. You can skip right over to it if that’s your focus.

Courts/Justice:

1. In a speech in front of the Federalist Society, attorney general William Barr argues that the rebellion that formed the United States was not against King George III but was instead against the British Parliament.

• • This goes against nearly every historian on record, but it led to his argument that the power of the executive branch has dwindled and congressional power has increased instead. I urge you all to take a look at executive actions and laws passed over the past 20 years and see if that‘s actually true. Also, when Obama was president, the Republican party line was “executive overreach!”
  • Barr also blames “The Resistance” for endeavoring to cripple a “duly elected government” and trying to sabotage Trump.
  • George W. Bush’s ethics lawyer calls it a “lunatic authoritarian speech.”

2. The Senate shifts the balance of the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals by confirming controversial nominee Steven Menashi. I outlined his recent past in last week’s post. (Note: I’m not advocating for a liberal bent to the court; I think the judges should form a balance.)

Healthcare:

1. Trump overrides protests from scientists and physicians, and pushes forward a rule to significantly limit the scientific and medical research the government can use in crafting their public health policies.

• • The rule would force researchers to release their raw data, including confidential medical information (which I’m guessing violates HIPPA rules, but that’s just my guess).
  • This will also affect environmental policies, which often relies on studies that use personal health information to determine where pollutants are an issue.

International:

1. Hong Kong police try to take back control of a university campus being occupied by protestors. Protestors fight back with Molotov cocktails and bows and arrows, and they start the entrance on fire to keep police out. Police used rubber bullets, water cannons, tear gas, and armored vehicles.

• • Two men in Hong Kong are in critical condition after police shoot one of them point-blank and protestors set the other man on fire. The shooting triggered further violence from protestors.
  • Chinese soldiers came out to help clear Hong Kong’s streets of the debris and blockades left by protestors. This is the first time they’ve made an appearance around the protests.

2. Hundreds of thousands of Czechs protest in Prague against their billionaire prime minister, Andrej Babi. Despite this being the largest anti-government protest since 1989, there isn’t much hope Babi will step down.
3. Bolivia’s former president Evo Morales takes asylum in Mexico. He says he was forced out in a coup after weeks of protest.

• • There’s currently no one to take his place because the line of succession mostly resigned as well.
  • But then a Senator, Añez Chavez, takes the bull by the horns and declares herself the leader. The highest court backs her.

4. Lawmakers in Chili will replace their constitution as a result of month-long protests.
5. Iran shuts down the internet in retaliation against protests of the increase in fuel prices. Iranians in other countries are having a hard time reaching their family and friends in the country.
6. There are anti-government protests across the globe. Here are a few places: Algeria, Bolivia, Britain, Catalonia, Chile, Ecuador, France, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iraq, Iran, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, and Pakistan.
7. After Joe Biden refers to Kim Jong Un as a “murderous dictator,” Kim calls Biden a “rabid dog” who deserves to be beaten to death.
8. Trump praises Turkish President Erdogan during Erdogan’s visit to the White House. Erdogan, just last month, tricked Trump into abandoning our Kurdish allies near Turkey’s southern border.

• • Hours after meeting with Erdogan, Lindsey Graham blocks a Senate resolution to formally recognize the Armenian genocide by the Ottoman Empire (Turkey). Graham says the bill was an attempt to rewrite or sugarcoat history.
  • Erdogan criticizes the resolutions, which were previously passed in the House.
  • Ahead of the White House meeting, Erdogan threatened to purchase Russian military equipment (Turkey is a NATO country).

9. Trump asks Japan to quadruple payments for U.S. troops stationed there.
10. The U.S. is trying to get North Korea to come back to the table for denuclearization talks, which have been stalled since February. North Korea has given the U.S. until the end of the year to change its “hostile” stance.
11. Britain’s Prince Andrew steps down from his royal duties over blowback from his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and accusations of statutory rape.

Travel Ban/Immigration/Discrimination:

1. The Australian men’s and women’s soccer leagues reach a deal to close their pay gap. Come on, America!
2. A UN report that showed the U.S. detains the largest number of children of all countries is retracted after one of the data points is shown to be outdated. The author stands by the findings though, and the DHHS does say the U.S. did hold more than 69,000 migrant children in custody in 2019. This is an ongoing issue; it’s not new with Trump.
3. Internal documents show that the multiple types of barriers Trump put up against immigrants at our southern border were a major cause of the crisis at the border and the crush of detainees.

• • Government officials knew the policies would strain immigrant shelters—especially child shelters—but wanted to send a message to Central American migrants.
  • The policies stranded thousands of unaccompanied children at the border.

4. ICE is trying to circumvent California’s new law banning private prisons, and is actively soliciting developers for new facilities.
5. A former Breitbart writer, who has since left the white supremacist movement, leaks emails send by Trump advisor Stephen Miller.

• • Miller promoted white nationalist sites, backed immigration policies Hitler praised, raised conspiracy theories about immigration, and pushed other theories popular with white nationalists.
  • This is the guy who’s in charge of our immigration policies, and he’s used these alt-right ideas to design those policies.

6. Trump once suggested that we should classify migrants who come here illegally as enemy combatants and that we should send them to Guantanamo.

Elections:

1. After talking about contesting the results of the Kentucky governor’s election, incumbent Matt Bevins (R) concedes to Andy Beshear (D). Bevins was highly unpopular, having reversed many of the useful policies implemented by his predecessor (most notably in the area of healthcare). Every other Republican on the statewide ticket won.
2. Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards wins re-election, despite having approved some policies deeply unpopular with Democrats.
3. Representative Peter King (R-NY) joins the long list of Republicans who will not seek re-election in 2020. He’s been in Congress since 1993.

Miscellaneous:

1. Trump makes an unscheduled visit to Walter Reed Military Medical Center, which he later says is for the first phase of his annual exam. He was there for more than two hours.
2. Trump issues full pardons to two soldiers and reverses disciplinary action for a third, all against Pentagon advice. The soldiers are accused of war crimes. They are:

• • Army Major Mathew Golsteyn, who was facing a murder trial next year.
  • Former Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher (Navy SEAL), recently acquitted of murder but convicted of posing with a corpse. Trump reinstated him as a SEAL, reversing a Navy decision.
  • Former Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance, convicted of second-degree murder.

Polls:

1. 70% of Americans think that Trump asking Zelensky to investigate Biden was wrong.
2. But still, only 51% think he should also be impeached and removed from office.