Richardson Probe Expands

“Lawyers for Donald Trump have reviewed a draft of special counsel Jack Smith’s final report related to federal investigations into the president-elect and are threatening legal action if he releases it,” CNN reports. Politico: “Trump’s lawyers wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday, urging him not to release Smith’s report — a two-volume document that they were allowed to review in Smith’s office over the past three days.”

“As Justin Trudeau’s resignation throws Canada into political turmoil, at least one thing seems certain: An economy centered on record immigration, expanded government spending and green ambitions is set for a dramatic reshaping,” Bloomberg reports. “The end of the prime minister’s nine-year reign in large part reflects mounting discontent over the cost of living and weak economic growth.

Peter Hamby: “Unlike in 2017, when a shell-shocked Washington establishment was contemplating the horror of an eight-year Trump run, D. C. pros this time around are mostly just eyeing the next two years. Trump is a known commodity. The midterm season arrives in 18 months or so, and Democrats could easily flip the House.

John Hendrickson: “Trump’s historic comeback can be attributed to many things—inflation, immigration, the economy, grievance politics, his own charisma, his weak Democratic opponent(s)—but perhaps nothing has mattered more than his keen understanding of the nebulous nature of rules.” “Decades ago, people in Trump’s orbit, such as Roy Cohn and Roger Stone, taught him that rules are malleable, that winning is all that matters.

“Kim Jong Un has reportedly banned North Koreans from eating hotdogs and ordered imprisonment for divorcing couples in a bizarre new crackdown,” the Daily Mail reports. “The despot claims that the popular fast food dish is too Western and says that serving the food will now be deemed an act of treason.”

“Republicans are publicly and privately acknowledging the enormous task ahead in tying together a sprawling package that includes new immigration laws, energy policies and a complex tax overhaul – along with an increase of the national debt limit and spending cuts to federal programs,” CNN reports. “Plus, they’ll have to maintain near total unanimity in a narrowly divided Congress, especially in the unruly House where Republicans are already expressing competing views on what the policy should entail.” “On top of that, the Senate’s complex budget rules could rein in some of the GOP’s most ambitious agenda items, all as Republican leaders in both chambers are already divided over whether to pursue Trump’s agenda as one big bill or divide it up into two smaller ones.”