There is an important granular aspect to the validity of the House impeachment process that few are paying attention to.  If the HJC loses this case in the DC Appellate Court, it means there is no constitutional foundation recognized to the “impeachment inquiry.”
Without the constitutional recognition of the judicial branch then: (a) Pelosi/Lawfare have to restart the process with a genuine House vote; or (b) the ongoing impeachment process will have no recognized constitutional standing; and (c) the Senate could ignore any House impeachment vote, cast without recognized constitutional standing.

BACKSTORY: On October 25th DC Judge Beryl Howell granted the House Judiciary Committee (HJC) request for legal authority to receive 6e grand jury material underlying the Mueller report.
Additionally, and most importantly, within the Howell decision she officially recognized the HJC effort was predicated on a constitutional impeachment process.  In essence Howell’s opinion granted the HJC with “judicial enforcement authority.”
The DOJ moved to appeal the decision and requested a “stay” pending appeal.  Judge Howell rejected the DOJ “stay” motion.
The DOJ then appealed to the DC Court of Appeals.  A panel of three judges issued an “administrative stay”, blocking enforcement of the Howell ruling while the appeal was reviewed.  The DC Appellate Court has now scheduled the arguments within the appeal.
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*smiles, reminds everyone to check the archives*

It was always going to be thus, and those who refuse to understand the Big Club will never be able to the understand the predictability of it all.  It’s a big club folks, and you ain’t in it.

The 2019 data-harvesting has been good.  Biden’s role is exhausted.  Time for the real owners of the club to assemble.  Michael Bloomberg is entering the Democrat presidential primary race:

New York Times – Michael R. Bloomberg is actively preparing to enter the Democratic presidential primary and is expected to file paperwork this week designating himself as a candidate in at least one state with an early filing deadline, people briefed on Mr. Bloomberg’s plans said.
Mr. Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor and billionaire businessman, has been privately weighing a bid for the White House for weeks and has not yet made a final decision on whether to run, an adviser said. But in the first sign that he is seriously moving toward a campaign, Mr. Bloomberg has dispatched staffers to Alabama to gather signatures to qualify for the primary there. Though Alabama does not hold an early primary, it has a Friday deadline for candidates to formally enter the race.

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After meeting with victims of communism earlier today in the White House, at 6:00pm ET President Trump will participate in a posthumous presentation ceremony for the Presidential Citizens medal.
President Trump will be presenting the Presidential Citizens Medal posthumously to veteran Rick Rescorla. Rescorla, who was head of security at Morgan Stanley, is credited with saving thousands of lives when he implemented emergency evacuation procedures during the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.
UPDATE: Video Added

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There is a lot of banter amid the punditry class of trade and finance watchers surrounding a statement from Chinese Commerce spokesman Gao Feng claiming that U.S. and China negotiators were discussing a ‘phased’ roll-back of U.S. tariffs as part of a trade deal. However, a note of very strong caution should be applied.

On its face the Beijing-central claim is essentially an accurate portrayal of a dynamic long discussed.  The tariffs were initially imposed to reset the outlook of China.  In any negotiation with China a concession of current status is a non-starter.  By natural disposition Beijing refuses to cede already won ground. This is their historic approach.
Therefore when engaging in any negotiations with China it is necessary to reset the baseline.  China has to naturally feel losses; the economic landscape must be changed around them without their participation; in order for for them to consider negotiation.
The punishing U.S. tariffs accomplished this objective; the Beijing baseline status has been changed.  The bamboo forest is significantly less than it was two years ago, and now China wants to recapture lost position. Their current status indicates exactly that dynamic.
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Unemployment claims dropped by 8,000 last week showcasing a very strong job market for all sectors of employment.  The U.S. Dept of Labor Report shows continued strong jobs growth surprising most economic pundits.

(DOL Report – pdf page 4)

(Reuters) – The number of Americans filing applications for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, consistent with strong labor market conditions and continued job growth.

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Oh noes… Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi appeared on Fox News to discuss the likelihood of her joining the White House team in some capacity.

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A mechanic is changing the car oil; you walk up to him and hand him a pair of snorkeling fins to complete the job; that look on his face is the same as mine.
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In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Donald Trump Administration and Presidency.

This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.

President Trump Twitter @POTUS / Vice President Pence Twitter @VP

Stephanie Grisham Twitter @StephGrisham45

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

Joe diGenova and Victoria Toensing appeared on Fox News to discuss issues surrounding the ongoing investigations of Inspector General Michael Horowitz and U.S. Attorney John Durham. Mr. diGenova and Ms. Toensing bring the tick-tock hammer to the audience.
According to Ms. Toensing the upcoming IG report is going to be “very bad for people in the Obama administration.”  Toensing went on to say, according to her sources, “it’s going to be worse than you can imagine.”
Mr. diGenova went on to say: “it’s going to be devastating” … “it’s going to ruin careers” etc.  Mr diGenova has a great deal of confidence in AG Barr, Horowitz and Durham.

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Oh boy, have the wounds healed?  According to multiple media reports former Attorney General Jeff Sessions is poised to run for his longtime Senate seat in Alabama. He would be challenging Senator Doug Jones who is considered the most vulnerable Democrat in the Senate.
Mr. Sessions was generally disappointing during his tenure as AG; driven primarily by his recusal from all issues around the 2016 campaign, including the Mueller investigation. President Trump requested his resignation the day after the mid-terms, and President Trump stated giving Jeff Sessions the AG job was the biggest mistake of his presidency.
On the upside, Sessions was a good Senator and dependably strong on immigration and border security. I wonder how the people of Alabama feel about him? Ultimately it’s a decision for Alabama voters.  That’s who matters.

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