Trump Impeached – The Democrat-led House of Representatives voted to impeach President Donald Trump, making him the third president to ever be impeached, and the first to be impeached over allegations of inviting foreign interference into US elections. The impeachment fight will now head to the Senate, where Republicans are expected to ensure that Trump is not voted out of office. However, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is holding up the articles of impeachment, keeping them from reaching the Senate before she discusses the rules of the Senate trial with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
USMCA Passed – Just a day after the impeachment vote, the House overwhelmingly voted to approve the USMCA, which adds on to the NAFTA deal, which Trump was opposed to. In rare bipartisan fashion, Republican and Democrat leaders joined together to garner support for the trade agreement between the US, Canada, and Mexico. The stock market rallied early Friday morning on the news.
Court Rebukes FBI Over Surveillance – A FISA court issued a rare rebuke of the FBI over applications to surveil Trump staffer Carter Page which were filled with lies and errors. The court, under presiding judge Rosemary Collyer, has ordered the FBI to provide the court with plans to reform their FISA application process by January 10. The admonition came after the release of a report by DOJ IG Michael Horowitz which showed that an email had been doctored to get the FISA application approved.
Democrats Debate Again – The seven leading candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 met for the last time this year to sell their candidacies to primary and caucus voters. With the first caucus votes being cast in just 46 days, the candidates have little time left to make their case to the Democratic base. Pundits lauded Joe Biden for having his strongest debate yet, as well as Senator Amy Klobuchar for being clear and concise in her answers. Numerous pundits believe that Klobuchar may rise steadily in national polls over the next few days and weeks over her debate performance.
House Passes Federal Spending Bill – The House of Representatives passed a $1.4 trillion federal spending bill which, in a win for Trump, includes funding for a wall on the border with Mexico. The budget includes a record-breaking amount for the defense budget, as well as funding for various domestic programs championed by Democrats.
Chinese Spies Deported – The US expelled 2 Chinese officials operating under diplomatic cover after they allegedly drove on to a military base to get information about it. The expulsion marks the first time in 30 years that the US has deported Chinese spies. The security incident occurred earlier this fall when they breached security at a Virginia military base, in a maneuver believed to be testing out the security system of the base.
Congressman Flips Parties – Rep. Jeff Van-Drew (NJ-2) announced this week that he would be switching from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party, a move which garnered much praise from Republicans and accusations of treason from Democrats. Van-Drew told President Trump at a White House meeting that he can expect “undying support” from Van-Drew, who voted with Republicans against the impeachment of the president. Van-Drew is seen as a vulnerable candidate in his District, and he may even lose in a primary race next year for the Republican nomination.