(Newsweek) Congressional Republicans have ended their probe into allegations of political bias within the Federal Bureau of Investigation just days before Democrats take over the House of Representatives.

The investigation focused on whether or not the FBI and the Department of Justice exhibited bias when handling probes into former secretary of state Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server and President Donald Trump’s relationship with Russia.

The probe was led by retiring Republican lawmakers Robert Goodlatte and Trey Gowdy. Goodlatte served as the chair of the House Judiciary Committee while Gowdy was the chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. .......(more)

https://www.newsweek.com/republican-investigation-alleged-fbi-bias-quietly-ended-1274485?amp=1&__twitter_impression=true

Hold firm.
Do not give in.
His leverage is waning.
He's a wounded animal.
Leave him in the bear trap.

New York (CNN Business) FedEx expects global trade disputes and an economic slowdown could severely hurt its business next year.

The company dramatically cut its profit outlook for the full fiscal year, which ends May 30, lowering it by 7% to 10%. It had just raised that forecast three months ago.

Although FedEx's US business remains strong, it says its international business, especially in Europe, weakened significantly over the last three months. ......(more)

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2018/12/19/business/fedex-cutbacks-trade/index.html

https://m.&t=8s

From the Detroit Free Press:



....(snip)....

[Scorched-earth strategy

If outgoing Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof (R-West Olive) and House Speaker Tom Leonard (R-DeWitt ) have their way, the three Democratic women poised to succeed Gov. Rick Snyder, Attorney General Bill Schuette and Secretary of State Ruth Johnson on Jan. 1 will inherit offices whose authority has been diminished by the GOP's legislative vandals.

The most conspicuous targets, so far, are incoming state Attorney General Dana Nessel, who beat Leonard, and Secretary of State-elect Jocelyn Benson.

Although the administration of state elections and the enforcement of campaign finance regulations are two of the secretary of state's principal duties, none of Benson's three Republican predecessors have shown much enthusiasm for reforms that would make it easier to vote or that would require dark money donors whose financial support plays an ever-expanding role in Michigan elections to disclose their identities.

Benson is an enthusiastic supporter of both initiatives — which explains the Republican Legislature's haste to circumscribe her statutory authority before she takes office. ........(more)

https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/columnists/brian-dickerson/2018/12/06/michigan-republicans-want-vandalize-state-evicted-them-them/2215273002/

Trump Proves Again He’s Not Fit for Office
Wednesday’s news conference made little sense and was full of denials, lies and deflections. We should stop expecting anything else.

(Bloomberg) Even with everything going on, I can't let Donald Trump’s Wednesday news conference go. It was … something.

I will give credit to Trump for holding a post-election news conference. He’s now doing these events regularly, and that’s a good thing. The downside is that he used the occasion to demonstrate once again that he’s simply not fit for the office he holds.

The president showed he is fully committed to calling the Republican defeat in the midterms a glorious victory. Spin is one thing; saying that a party that lost its House majority, six or seven governorships and more than 300 state legislative seats had actually won something “very close to complete victory” is either insulting to his audience or delusional or both. ...... (more)

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2018-11-08/trump-press-conference-proves-again-he-s-not-fit-for-office

.... open white supremacists and a dead man.

Says all you need to know about 21st century Republicanism.

https://m.&t=34s

CNN) President Donald Trump demolished the "blue wall" in the Great Lakes region two years ago. On Tuesday night, Democrats rebuilt it.

The party's candidates won races for governor and the Senate in the three states that delivered Trump the presidency -- Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Democrats padded their new House majority in the suburbs of Philadelphia and Detroit, while Milwaukee delivered the surge they needed to finally, on their fourth try, beat Republican Gov. Scott Walker.

The Democratic victories set the stage for a 2020 battle royale in the three states that could decide the presidency. ...... (more)

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2018/11/07/politics/democrats-rebuild-blue-wall-michigan-pennsylvania-wisconsin/index.html

In a series of interviews conducted by the New York Times, female Trump voters attending his rallies across the country continued to stand behind the embattled president, believing he is doing a terrific job.

With Trump boasting how well he did with female voters in 2016 — without noting that he only did well with white women — the Times set out to see how his support is holding up with women who voted for him as polls show women fleeing the GOP over him.

According to Joan Philpott, 69, who attended a Trump rally in Missouri, the president still strikes a chord with her.

“He understands why we’re angry and he wants to fix it,” she said. “He wants to protect this country, and he wants to keep it safe, and he wants to keep it free of invaders and the caravan and everything else that’s going on.” ....... (more)

https://www.rawstory.com/2018/11/female-trump-voters-reveal-still-stand-behind-love-man-thats-not-normal/