Today’s edition of quick hits.
Today’s edition of quick hits:
* This is quite nutty: “President Donald Trump on Thursday afternoon defended his decision to risk a government shutdown over funding for his proposed border wall, saying the lack of such a barrier had left the nation open to a ‘total assault on our democracy itself.’”
* Look for more on this on tonight’s show: “A senior Justice Department ethics official concluded acting attorney general Matthew G. Whitaker should recuse from overseeing special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s probe examining President Trump, but advisers to Whitaker recommended the opposite and he has no plans to step aside, according to people familiar with the matter.”
* All 36 “no” votes were from Republicans: “A sweeping criminal justice overhaul is heading to the White House for President Donald Trump’s signature after the House cleared the measure. The House passed the bill, 358-36, Thursday amid a flurry of other bills approved in a year-end rush.”
* December is traditionally a great month for the stock market: “The stock market took a nosedive on Thursday, as fears of a looming government shutdown melded with Wednesday’s market discontent over the Federal Reserve’s decision to continue to raise rates in 2019.
