by Nomad
Even in the face of a mid-term victory for patriotic Americans, it was still a horrible and stress-filled week. After the good news, there was literally one shock after the other. The week then closed with Trump making an embarrassment of himself on the world stage.
We have a lot of ground to cover so let's hop to it.
Weekly Wrap-Up of American Politics
First, to give credit where credit is due. This weekly review is brought to you by WTF Just Happened Today? read by Joe Amditis.
Saturday's review is presented by PBS NewsHour.
Monday - Political Stunt
The calm before the midterm election storm.
Tuesday - Setting a tone
In a significant victory for a party locked out of power since the 2016 elections, the Democrats managed to win control of the House of Representatives. Meanwhile, the Republicans just barely held onto their grip of the Senate.
Wednesday - Presidential harassment
In a press conference on the day following the mid-term elections, President Trump engaged in an unprecedented mean-spirited war of words with CNN's Jim Acosta. Trump called Acosta a ‘rude, terrible person’ and later revoked his WH credentials.
Later in the day, Attorney General Jeff Sessions was forced out of his position. Although it came as no surprise, it was seen by most analysts as a first step in quashing the Mueller investigation.
Thursday - Above the Law
The nation mourned the deaths of 13 people after a gunman (later identified as David Ian Long) walked into a bar in Thousand Oaks, California and began firing randomly. This incident marked the 307th mass shooting in the U.S. this year, with 328 people dead and 1,251 injured,
Matthew Whitaker, President Trump's choice to replace Jeff Sessions for Attorney General has drawn fire from Democrats. In the past, Whitaker has criticized the Mueller investigation. There were other problems with Whitaker, including apparently shady business dealings.
Friday - Inconvenient Facts
As wildfires roared through the outskirts of both San Francisco and Los Angeles, large areas of the state were evacuated.
Embed from Getty Images
Amid the turmoil at home, President Trump flew to Paris to mark the 100th anniversary of WWII armistice. Before the trip even began Trump was criticized for tweeting that he was going to "celebrate" (not “commemorate” ) the end of WW1.
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal was reporting that an investigation has found Trump was directly involved in the payment of hush money to both Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal before the election. This would clearly be in violation of campaign laws and under normal conditions, an impeachable offense.
Finally, both Florida and Georgia were preparing for ballot recounts after serious questions were raised about the election results. Two key Senate races remain undecided, and Mississippi will head to a runoff November 27. In House races, there are 10 key races still undecided as of Friday.
(courtesy of PBS)
In other news, storms of controversy erupted when President Trump canceled his visit to the American cemetery at Belleau, France. The Belleau gravesite is the final resting place for nearly 2,000 US Marines died in a ferocious battle in June 1918.
A spokesperson for the president cited "scheduling and logistical difficulties caused by the weather.” As a Washington Post op-ed points out:
Somehow bad weather did not stop Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and retired general John F. Kelly, the White House chief of staff, from attending the very ceremony that Trump could not make.
Nomad's prediction: If you thought this week was unbelievable, next week could blow our socks off. The fortune cookie reads:
That which has been hidden will soon be revealed.
Musical Sanity Break
This Sunday's Sanity break is dedicated to the Irish composer and musician, Micheal O Suilleabhain who passed on this week after a long illness.
The playlist consists of:
- Micheal O Suilleabhain - 'An Buachaill Caol Dubh'
- Manuel de Falla - Serenata Andaluza
- Ólafur Arnalds - Hands, be still
- Yann Tiersen - La plage
- Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin - Eleanor Plunket
- Nils Frahm - More
- Philip Glass - Mad Rush
- Yann Tiersen - Yuzin
- Nils Frahm - Re
- Ludovico Einaudi - Oltremare
- Ólafur Arnalds - Only The Winds
- Ludovico Einaudi - Nuvole Bianche
- Elijah Bossenbroek - Rest
- Ólafur Arnalds - The Final Chapter
- Max Richter - Departure
- Mikael Sapin - To Infinity
- Michael O Suilleabhain - Woodbrook
Have a wonderful Sunday, my friends.