Maricopa County Cuts Spending, But Property Tax Bills Will Still Rise

Politico: “Russell Taylor spent weeks planning for chaos on Jan. 6, 2021. He recruited anti-government activists to join him in Washington, and, when he arrived, surged to the U. S. Capitol with a knife and a tactical vest as a mob of Donald Trump’s supporters overran police lines.” “Now Republican members of Congress are inviting him back to the Capitol to attend Trump’s second inauguration, an invite that could bring him face to face with the lawmakers and Capitol Police officers who fled the melee he helped unleash that day.”

FBI Director Christopher Wray told bureau employees on Wednesday that he intends to resign in January, bowing to the reality that President-elect Donald Trump had publicly declared his desire to replace him, the New York Times reports.

A new Monmouth poll finds 32% of Americans approve of President Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter, while 58% disapprove. While most Democrats (65%) stand by the president’s move, few independents (27%) and Republicans (12%) look favorably on the action. Biden’s overall approval rating is just 35% to 60%.

“The Senate on Wednesday blocked Lauren McFerran’s re-nomination to the National Labor Relations Board, opening the door for Republican control of the board starting next year under President-elect Trump,” The Hill reports. “Senators voted 49 to 50 against a five-year term for McFerran, the NLRB’s chair, with Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) and Joe Manchin (I-AZ) voting with every Senate Republican, but one, to block it.”

Military.com: “Gen. Charles Hamilton, who had been the head of Army Materiel Command, was removed after what officials described as a flagrant abuse of authority aimed at securing a leadership role for a subordinate officer who was found unfit for command and had an inappropriate relationship with the general.”

Former President Bill Clinton told The View he hopes President Joe Biden will not preemptively pardon people who could be targeted by the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump, including Clinton’s wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Said Clinton: “If President Biden wanted to talk to me about that, I would talk to him about it.