Impeachment-o-clock. Wonkagenda For Wed., Dec. 18, 2019

IMPEACHMENT, trade war, and lying-ass Jim Justice. Your morning news brief!

Morning Wonketariat! Here's some of the things wemaybe talking about today.

By the time you read this the House will have convened for votes on articles of impeachment against Donald Trump. Under the rules laid out by the House Rules Committee yesterday, each article will get its own vote , one for obstruction of Congress, and one for abuse of power. The vote is likely to come down on party lines. As always Evan will be liveblogging the impeachment vote. In case you don't have a TV, here's a livefeed from the PBS NewsHour. 

Maine Democratic Rep. Jared Golden says he'll vote for abuse of power, and not obstruction, because House Democrats decided not to waste their time dicking around in the court system. In a related story DINO Rep. Tulsi Gabbard called on Trump to be censured, not impeached, rationalizing it with some Ted Cruz "vote your conscience" bullshit.

New Jersey Democrats want some "New Jersey justice" for Rep. Jeff Van Drew after word got out that Van Drew was wined and dined by Trump into potentially switching parties. Van Drew says he hasn't "made a decision" on whether or not he's switching parties. When reporters asked Van Drew if he was a turncoat sum-bitch, Van Drew responded to the rumor by saying he was still a Democrat, adding, "I don't know if you'd consider it a lie. I think you would consider it a hope and a wish." Some political nerds think Van Drew will vote against impeachment, then switch parties or become an independent.

Politico gossips that Trump is "obsessed" with impeachment, seeing it as an unsightly stain on his big, fat legacy. His defenders maintain that impeachment will ultimately turn into a win despite declining poll numbers and louder, more incoherent attempts to change the story.

 The Daily Beast gossips that Trump has told Rudy Giuliani to keep sucking up and spitting out crazy bullshit, adding that senior administration officials are steering clear of Trump and Rudy's shenanigans, regardless of what their boss thinks of Rudy.
 

Rudy Giuliani Is America's Greatest Crime Fighter    www.youtube.com 

 Gabe Sherman is gossiping about Jared Kushner becoming the new heir to Trumplandia's golden throne while new and surviving cast members destroy themselves with petty squabbles, incestuous relationships, and chickenshit goose-stepping.

The Military Times has a new poll of active duty troops showing support for Trump continues to plummet. The poll is likely more reflective of the opinions of career military members than the dumbass kids who are barely out of bootcamp, and think it's cute to flash white power hand gestures on TV.

OUT NOW: Latest @MilitaryTimes poll shows half of service members disapprove of Trump as commander in chief. Contin… https://t.co/TiTECAxGMj

— Leo Shane III (@Leo Shane III) 1576616489.0 

Army Lieutenant General Laura J. Richardson has decided to stop letting the media embarrass the Trump administration by stomping out leaks on military border operations through document classification ... with a verbal command as opposed to something with a paper trail.

The Air Force has been secretly funneling $1.3 billion to overseas flight training operations. That alone is pretty bad, but they've been doing it without telling Congress, and now they're dodging reporters. As a result, Congress is punishing the Air Force by rescinding $400 million earmarked for overseas flight training.

Here's your primer for tomorrow's Democratic debate (which is definitely happening).

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg is hoping to solve his big problem with black voters in 2020 by busing black supporters from his hometown around the country to preach his name.

There's a big battle for lieutenant governor in North Carolina brewing in 2020.The Charlotte News & Observerwrites it's a shitty and useless job, but the pay is good, and people think the gig is a springboard to bigger and better things.

FACT CHECK: No, West Virginia's lying, backstabbing Republican governor,Jim Justice, was NOT "the first West Virginia governor to fight for pay raises for teachers." Previous Democratic and Republican governors, including Joe Manchin, Bob Wise, Cecil Underwood, and Gaston Caperton, have been giving modest pay raises to teachers since the early 1990s. The2018 teachers strike -- the one that became a catalyst for other teachers strikes across the country -- actually started when Justice tried to low-ball teachers. Justice has since tried to backpedal from his bullshit as state legislators try to punish teachers for causing a stink.

DC residents are calling out local and congressional legislators ON BOTH SIDES for being inconsiderate jerks who block city streets with idling SUVs. People in the swamp are pointing a particularly large number of fingers at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, noting the city has strict environmental laws governing gas and diesel powered engines.

 Bean counters think the cease-fire in Trump's trade war with China will be broken sooner rather than later. Nerds think the "deal man" rolled over and begged for a bailout after realizing how bad he was screwing his rural base. Geeks argue it was only after Trump's trade advisors plunged the global economy into chaos that they began understanding the complex interdependencies of global trade in the 21st century. Better late than never?

NPR has an interesting piece about how Democratic Florida Rep. Alcee Hastings, now 83, is about to become the first sitting member of Congress to be impeached and vote on the impeachment of another. Hastings's judicial and political career has been full of ups and downs that continue to this day; for more check out The Palm Beach Post's three-part story from earlier this year.

The Daily Show took a minute to look at the mental health stigma in the black community, the differences in diagnoses from medical professionals, and the lack of mental health professionals who can relate to black patients. This one is important!

If You Don’t Know, Now You Know: Mental Health Stigma in the Black Community | The Daily Show    www.youtube.com 

And here's your morning Nice Time: IT'S WOOYOO AND MOCHA! (Wooyoo is Korean for "milk!")

What it's like to pet my dogs in first person    www.youtube.com 

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