Chaos in the North Carolina district 9 congressional election

There is obvious fraud here by Republicans. Now the want to seat the guy in Congress. A new election is the right solution.

If the House doesn't want to seat a candidate, he doesn't get seated. Dems aren't trying to install the Dem candidate; they're just not going to recognize the election results, given the fraud case. Either Harris wins a special or he's not a congressman. https://t.co/EPPtWQXBwu

— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) December 28, 2018

BREAKING: Rep @StenyHoyer tells @wsoctv that Mark Harris will NOT be seated on Jan 3.

“Given the now well-documented election fraud that took place in #NC09, Democrats would object to any attempt by Mr. Harris to be seated on January 3." #ncpol @wsoctv pic.twitter.com/Uf0IZIRfQY

— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) December 28, 2018

Just in from a @McCreadyForNC spokesperson: "Mark Harris and his allies promised to support a complete investigation into this attack on our democracy. He has now broken this promise and is instead doing all he can to obstruct this bipartisan investigation." #NC09 #ncpol @wsoctv pic.twitter.com/qoBIKZZOUe

— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) December 28, 2018

GOP in legislature used the lame duck session to change election law, allowing a primary if there's a new #NC09 election — ie, a chance to dump Harris. My cynical sense is that Woodhouse is trying to get the base thinking "stolen seat" either way https://t.co/A6qG4tozdQ

— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) December 28, 2018

What a mess. Via @alanblinder https://t.co/7MnGElNLg9

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) December 28, 2018

Dear fellow North Carolina friends, the GOP state legislature just voted to keep investigations of election fraud secret. Now GOP politicans can rig elections without the public knowing. That's just wrong. It's pure corruption.

— John Oberlin (@OMGno2trump) December 28, 2018

Sources: Tomorrow Mark Harris will ask the NCSBE to certify #NC09. If that doesn't happen, republicans will ask a federal court to order the state to certify Harris as the winner. #ncpol @wsoctv

— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) December 28, 2018

The dissolution Friday of North Carolina's elections board injected further uncertainty into a still-undecided congressional race https://t.co/lEgTc27Dna

— POLITICO (@politico) December 28, 2018

North Carolina elections board dissolves before certifying November results of 9th district racehttps://t.co/UyC3xo1UEj

— AprilDRyan (@AprilDRyan) December 28, 2018

Ruby Johnson

Ruby Johnson, a forgotten R&B artist on Stax in the 1960s:

“Johnson started out performing in church. Unlike for the rest of her colleagues, her church was a temple, her Jewish heritage stretching back as far as her great-grandparents.”

—Michael Parker on Ruby Johnson in our North Carolina Music Issue #Issue103 https://t.co/hEFp02eCHF pic.twitter.com/KTWJ4Fc6Q7

— Oxford American (@oxfordamerican) December 20, 2018

Like the article’s author, I first learned about her from the great Stax Singles box set.

I then bought Johnson’s compilation album.

Here are some examples of her excellent recordings:

Trump’s stupid threat to close off the border with Mexico

Little Donald is having a temper tantrum.

…..close the Southern Border. Bring our car industry back into the United States where it belongs. Go back to pre-NAFTA, before so many of our companies and jobs were so foolishly sent to Mexico. Either we build (finish) the Wall or we close the Border……

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2018

Dear @realDonaldTrump: A 5 hour border shutdown at just one port of entry cost businesses $5.3 million. Got any more stupid threats? If not, then end your #TrumpShutdown.

Stop acting like a spoiled child. You are the President of the United States of America. Act like it. https://t.co/9Mr28ermpa

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) December 28, 2018

This is just short of literally insane. Not a single part of this wacko tweet from @realDonaldTrump is anywhere close to true. And unilaterally sealing off our entire border with Mexico would be all but impossible, astronomically costly, and, by the way, illegal. https://t.co/uKtc4Nq0uV

— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) December 28, 2018

Trump is using the shutdown as a distraction

Good point:

The real reason Trump wants the government shutdown to continue into January: “The more the focus is on the wall, the more Pelosi is forced to focus on this fight instead of the investigations,” said one source close to the White House. https://t.co/tI2mphcQ30

— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) December 28, 2018

"the more the shutdown and the emoluments case are linked, the more incentive he has to keep the government shut down in order to block legal scrutiny of his legally dubious personal profits from foreign sources."https://t.co/vtD0TtIcQR

— Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) December 28, 2018

Comprehensive New York Times package on Trump’s elimination of environmental protection rules

update:

Breaking News: The EPA proposed new rules for assessing pollution that would make it easier for power plants to release mercury and other toxic substances https://t.co/ybsn9HXlnG

— The New York Times (@nytimes) December 28, 2018

Updated for a yearend tally: a New York Times analysis counts nearly 80 environmental rules on the way out under President Trump https://t.co/G87IJsWTKs

— NYT Climate (@nytclimate) December 28, 2018

An investigation by The Times shows how Trump’s deregulatory policies are having a substantial impact on those who experience them close up — and often are economically dependent on the industries Trump is trying to help. Here are 5 takeaways. https://t.co/DzwrwzolKL

— The New York Times (@nytimes) December 27, 2018

First, let me apologize in a stand alone tweet for so many tweets on this story re how Trump era impact on air and water in the US. I realize some of you may think too many tweets by me. But I want this story to be widely read. And tweeting helps. Also lot to explain.

— Eric Lipton (@EricLiptonNYT) December 27, 2018

THE NEW YORK TIMES WILL PUBLISH A 12-PAGE SPECIAL SECTION ON THURSDAY DEVOTED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE IN THE TRUMP ERA. Here is the web package. with @SteveEder @JohnBranchNYT Give it a read. Tremendous amt of work. here.https://t.co/dajAenzo0E

— Eric Lipton (@EricLiptonNYT) December 26, 2018

Trump has changed Washington

"Facts are less relevant. Insults and highly personal attacks are increasingly employed by members of both parties. The White House press briefing is all but gone, international summits are optional, the arts are an afterthought"– @JonLemire on Trump's DC https://t.co/DaCekdVPfm

— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) December 27, 2018

Cohen denied being in Prague but his phone was near there

This could validate more of the Steele dossier and is potentially very serious.

According to the dossier, Michael Cohen met with Russian agents in Prague to discuss election help. No one could verify this claim. Now, cell phone signals put Cohen in Prague around the time the alleged meeting took place. Plot = thicker https://t.co/4qokyupTbM

— Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) December 27, 2018

Trump Foundation update 12/27/18

It was phony just like Trump.

The looming legal investigations into Trump Foundation & the Trump Org by @akarl_smith.
In addition to @TishJames & @NewYorkStateAG, the most important name in this story is Trump CFO & Trump Fdn Treasurer Allen Weisselberg.
The most important words, for now: criminal tax fraud. https://t.co/STVMGGbokf

— Jed Shugerman (@jedshug) December 27, 2018

“Here’s what actually surprises me,” @haroldpollack writes. “Beyond the various improprieties, the Trump Foundation did pretty much nothing at all.” Looking closer at a president’s uncharitable charity. https://t.co/imzj1Q05lv

— Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) December 22, 2018

update 12/28

Probe of Trump's charity could crash 'like a Mack Truck' into his real estate empire https://t.co/HgLmckyAR7

— Ali Velshi (@AliVelshi) December 27, 2018

Trump’s lawyers are trying to delay the emoluments case because of the shutdown

Trump's lawyers are using the government shutdown to ask for a delay in a court case over claims that he is illegally profiting from business his Washington hotel does with foreign countrieshttps://t.co/MRsxzA27g1

— POLITICO (@politico) December 27, 2018

Were Trump’s bone spurs real?

It sounds like a doctor who was a Trump tenant did him a favor.

Sad!

There were literally thousands of journalistic person-hours invested in figuring out exactly how both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush avoided going to Vietnam. I think this is the first article I've ever seen devoted solely to the tale of the bone spurs. https://t.co/4lDB9s0hnW

— Paul Waldman (@paulwaldman1) December 26, 2018

New: The daughters of a podiatrist in Queens say their father, who rented office space from Fred Trump, helped Donald Trump avoid the draft by saying he had bone spurs. They told the Times that it was done as a favor for Fred Trump. https://t.co/Xv6Q6LYcUk

— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) December 26, 2018

A new exposé claims Donald Trump’s suspicious medical diagnosis was granted as a "favor" to his dad—so it would keep the man later dubbed Cadet Bone Spurs out of the Vietnam War https://t.co/NVo2cSq7cL

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) December 27, 2018

https://twitter.com/JamesFallows/status/1078053543712419842