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--> A midday take on what's happening in politics and how to have a sense of humor about it.*
*Ha. Haha. Hahah. Sniff. Haha. Sniff. Ha--breaks down crying hysterically.
The Hill's 12:30 Report -- Sponsored by Delta Air Lines -- White House to 'temporarily reinstate' Acosta's press pass after judge issues order | Graham to take over on Judiciary panel | Why the tax law failed to save House GOP | Florida Senate race heads to hand recount | Assange charges inadvertently revealed | Kavanaugh gets standing ovation | Michelle Obama
Michelle LeVaughn Robinson ObamaMichelle Obama leads USA dodgeball against Corden's Team UK Michelle Obama to lead female celebrity dodgeball team in 'Late Late Show' face-off Obamas sign deal with Spotify to produce podcasts MORE dishes on Malia's prom date | DC skating rinks open | Beanie Babies selling for $10K
BREAKING NEWS OF THE MORNING
Can't wait for their ~heartfelt~ reunion:
A federal district judge ruled this morning that the White House must reinstate the revoked press pass of CNN's chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta. http://bit.ly/2K9NT03
Some context on the ruling: "Subtext of the judge's order: You can kick a reporter out of the White House, but there are procedures you have to follow. So it wasn't necessarily a victory for the First Amendment." I.e.: "So hold your First Amendment horses." (Via The New York Times's Jim Windolf) http://bit.ly/2PuuKvI
Why it was revoked in the first place: The White House yanked the press pass after a contentious exchange between President Trump
Donald John TrumpConway defends herself against Hatch Act allegations amid threat of subpoena How to defuse Gulf tensions and avoid war with Iran Trump says 'stubborn child' Fed 'blew it' by not cutting rates MORE and Acosta.
^Throwback: Here's the argument that started this whole clash. Watch: https://cnn.it/2RVdtbK
Then CNN fought back: CNN sued after the Trump administration suspended Acosta's pass. Other news outlets, including Fox News, NBC News and The Associated Press, supported CNN's suit. http://bit.ly/2z8P6k1
REACTIONS:
From Jim Acosta: "Let's go back to work." Watch his full remarks after the ruling: http://bit.ly/2PBALXG
From the White House: The White House has agreed to "temporarily reinstate" Acosta's pass, but insisted "there must be decorum at the White House." The White House also said: It "will also further develop rules and processes to ensure fair and orderly press conferences in the future." http://bit.ly/2zb1sIk
Reaction from President Trump's Twitter feed
--> http://bit.ly/2qSz74N ;)
Twitter erupted: Here are some of the reactions: http://bit.ly/2PuzCAW
Happy Friday! T minus six days until the turkey!
I'm Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what's coming up. Send comments, story ideas and events for our radar to cmartel@thehill.com -- and follow along on Twitter @CateMartel and Facebook.
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ON CAPITOL HILL
Just Now - A new person to woo:
Via The Hill's Alexander Bolton, Sen. Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Olin GrahamGOP senators divided over approach to election security GOP lawmakers want Mulvaney sidelined in budget talks Trump urged to quickly fill Pentagon post amid Iran tensions MORE (R-S.C.) is poised to become the next Senate Judiciary Chairman. Why: Sen. Chuck Grassley
Charles (Chuck) Ernest GrassleyGrassley raises concerns about objectivity of report critical of GOP tax law's effects Overnight Health Care: Key Trump drug pricing proposal takes step forward | Missouri Planned Parenthood clinic loses bid for license | 2020 Democrats to take part in Saturday forum on abortion rights Key Trump proposal to lower drug prices takes step forward MORE (R-Iowa) announced he will step down as Judiciary Chair and take over as Senate Finance Committee Chairman. http://bit.ly/2DImmSX
Why this news is big: That would mean Graham would be in charge of the committee handling President Trump's judicial nominees. Graham would also have jurisdiction over the Justice Department and the special counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Let's start the bidding at: please, please, pleeease:
Via The Hill's Jordain Carney, President Trump announced his support for criminal justice reform yesterday, but his support may not be enough to get the legislation through the Senate. Why: Conservatives don't support the bill. GOP leaders have very lukewarm support and have been noncommittal about a floor vote. The likely path: http://bit.ly/2zXUsOu
But Republicans love the (tax) cuts?!:
--> http://bit.ly/2DHfJjS ;)
Republicans' major accomplishment of passing the new tax law didn't save them the GOP majority in the House. Why: While the economy was the biggest talking point for Republicans in the midterm elections, most voters didn't think the new tax law helped them personally. Even Republicans are divided on whether it helped or hurt the party. http://bit.ly/2Tk6RFA
IN OTHER NEWS
Salmonella contamination in turkeys -- I'm sorry, what??:
Via The Washington Post's Lena H. Sun, "Thanksgiving is less than a week away, and federal health officials are still trying to identify the source of a salmonella illness outbreak linked to raw turkey products that has spread to 35 states and sickened 164 people." Which brand/supplier?: That's still unclear. Fun. Details and map of what areas have been affected: https://wapo.st/2qOHZZt
We're comin' for you:
Via The Wall Street Journal's Aruna Viswanatha and Ryan Dube, the Justice Department is preparing to prosecute WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The goal: To get Assange to a courtroom in the U.S. Where he is now: The Ecuadorean Embassy in London. https://on.wsj.com/2FlGaNA
On what charge?: "The exact charges the Justice Department might pursue remain unclear, but they may involve the Espionage Act, which criminalizes the disclosure of national defense-related information." https://on.wsj.com/2FlGaNA
NEW DEVELOPMENT -- WHOOPS: Via The Washington Post's Matt Zapotosky and Devlin Barrett, the Department of Justice inadvertently revealed preparations to charge WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. How: "The disclosure came in a filing in a case unrelated to Assange. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kellen S. Dwyer, urging a judge to keep the matter sealed, wrote that 'due to the sophistication of the defendant and the publicity surrounding the case, no other procedure is likely to keep confidential the fact that Assange has been charged.' Later, Dwyer wrote the charges would 'need to remain sealed until Assange is arrested.'" https://wapo.st/2K8Em9q
2018 is the new 2000 (gulp):
Via The Hill's Max Greenwood, Florida's Senate race between Sen. Bill Nelson
Clarence (Bill) William NelsonDemocrats target Florida Hispanics in 2020 Poll: Six Democrats lead Trump in Florida match-ups How Jim Bridenstine recruited an old enemy to advise NASA MORE (D) and Gov. Rick Scott (R) is heading to a hand recount after close results in the machine recount. The margin between the two candidates: 0.15 percentage points. When the hand recount must be completed: Sunday. http://bit.ly/2PwGDkM
Important to know about hand recounts: "A manual recount does not mean that every ballot is counted by hand. Instead, local election officials will sort through so-called overvotes and undervotes – ballots on which voters marked either more or fewer than the maximum number of selections allowed." http://bit.ly/2PwGDkM
Justice Brett Kavanaugh
Brett Michael KavanaughMaine House speaker announces challenge to Collins Senate seat Trump denies new sexual assault allegation Supreme Court sides with immigrant in gun possession case MORE got a standing ovation last night:
BuzzFeed's Zoe Tillman posted video of Justice Brett Kavanaugh receiving a standing ovation at the conservative Federalist Society's annual convention at the Mayflower hotel in Washington, D.C., last night. Watch: http://bit.ly/2BcoJuP
IN LOCAL NEWS
It's the holiday season, the holiday season!:
Via PoPville, ice skating rinks are beginning to open in Washington, D.C. Today: The rink in Navy Yard opens. Tomorrow: The National Gallery of Art's rink opens. Details: http://bit.ly/2FsdNgO
NOTABLE TWEETS
Gritty loves the snow:
Zamboni dust! IT’S FALLING FROM THE SKY. pic.twitter.com/DY7p5Wu0PA
— Gritty (@GrittyNHL) November 15, 2018
Watch: http://bit.ly/2A039bk
Keep in mind: Gritty is the Philadelphia Flyers' new mascot. He's gone pretty viral in the past few months. Back story: http://bit.ly/2Q6X1Io
Howdy, y'all:
Someone figured out that @tedcruz drastically ramped up his use of “y’all” around election time in Texas (at least on twitter.) pic.twitter.com/dQ1K9HXoh1
— Todd Zwillich (@toddzwillich) November 16, 2018
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ON TAP
The House voted this morning. The Senate is out. President Trump is in Washington, D.C., and Vice President Pence is in Australia.
11:30 a.m. EST: President Trump signs the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Act in the Oval Office.
1 p.m. EST: President Trump presents the Medal of Freedom in the East Room of the White House.
3:15 p.m. EST: President Trump meets with Small Business Administrator Linda McMahon
Linda Marie McMahonTrump campaign describes Corey Stewart super PAC as 'unconscionable' Pro-Trump group plans to spend 0M in six battleground states XFL signs TV deals with ESPN, Fox, ABC for 2020 launch MORE.
Saturday: President Trump will visit California to meet with people affected by the wildfires. https://abcn.ws/2Tktnhe
Nov. 30: President Trump attends The Group of 20 (G-20) Leaders' Summit in Buenos Aires. Op-ed: http://bit.ly/2QIZuFW
WHAT TO WATCH
Today: The Project on Government Oversight is hosting a summit in Washington, D.C. Featured speakers: Former Sen. Carl Levin
Carl Milton LevinListen, learn and lead: Congressional newcomers should leave the extremist tactics at home House Democrats poised to set a dangerous precedent with president’s tax returns The Hill's 12:30 Report — Sponsored by Delta Air Lines — White House to 'temporarily reinstate' Acosta's press pass after judge issues order | Graham to take over Judiciary panel | Hand recount for Florida Senate race MORE (D-Mich.) and Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz. Details and livestream: https://oversightsummit.org/
Sunday morning: Sens. Sherrod Brown
Sherrod Campbell BrownDemocrats talk up tax credits to counter Trump law Facebook's new cryptocurrency raises red flags for critics Hillicon Valley: Senate sets hearing on Facebook's cryptocurrency plans | FTC reportedly investigating YouTube over children's privacy | GOP senator riles tech with bill targeting liability shield | FAA pushed to approve drone deliveries MORE (D-Ohio), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Thom Tillis
Thomas (Thom) Roland TillisDemocratic challenger leads Tillis by 1 point in North Carolina poll GOP frets about Trump's poll numbers Koch political arm endorses Colorado Sen. Gardner MORE (R-N.C.) and Jeanne Shaheen
Cynthia (Jeanne) Jeanne ShaheenDemocrats want White House hopefuls to cool it on Biden attacks Key endorsements: A who's who in early states Design leaks for Harriet Tubman bill after Mnuchin announces delay MORE (D-N.H.) will appear on NBC's "Meet the Press."
Tuesday: Sen. Ben Sasse
Benjamin (Ben) Eric SasseSwing-state Democrats see trouble in proposed pay hike House Dems move to give lawmakers a pay increase Conservatives spark threat of bloody GOP primaries MORE (R-Neb.) Will appear on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."
NOW FOR THE FUN STUFF...
Today is National Fast Food Day. And for weekend planning purposes, tomorrow is National Baklava Day and Sunday is National Apple Cider Day.
Michelle Obama and Ellen DeGeneres should team up more often:
Former first lady Michelle Obama signed copies of her new book at a Costco, and Ellen DeGeneres came along to help. Hint: She didn't help. The video is hilarious: http://bit.ly/2B9SRqx
FUNNY TIDBIT -- MICHELLE OBAMA DESCRIBES WHEN MALIA'S PROM DATE PICKED HER UP AT THE WHITE HOUSE: That's not intimidating or anything. Watch: http://bit.ly/2Bb2sgW
It's finally time to cash out on those Beanie Babies:
Via Apartment Therapy, Beanie Babies from the 1990s are selling on eBay for up to $10,000. Which plush toys are worth the most: http://bit.ly/2QSIFIM
And to get your weekend off to a cozy start, here's a puppy thoroughly enjoying its ducky slippers: http://bit.ly/2PxaOIw
