January 1, Federal Judge: Impeachment Inquiry is Valid

This Day in History | 1881

Wyatt Earp along with his brothers and Doc Holiday get into a shootout with the Clanton-McLaury gang at the OK Coral in Tombstone Arizona. 

Good morning Middle Americans. 

Two things can be true at the same time. And that’s what we saw yesterday. It was a very good Friday for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. A federal judge rules that House Democrats and the Congressional investigators can see the grand jury testimony from the Mueller investigation. We know that the Democrats want this normally secret info to leak it to the press as they continue to try and smear president Trump ahead of the 2020 election. 

It was also a very good day for those, including President Trump, who feel like the commander-in-chief’s first national security advisor Michael Flynn got a raw deal from the FBI.  Its becoming more clear each day that the FBI took extraordinary steps to try in box in the retired Army General Flynn. 

Meanwhile, the federal deficit has returned the peak Great Recession levels of seven years ago.  This as we are learning that the Treasury Department is infusing tons of liquidity in to the markets. Never a good sign. It would be wise to talk to your financial advisor right now. 

And if you live in California, you might want to consider moving. The Golden state’s largest utility Pacific Gas & Electric is planning even longer and wider blackouts to prevent more devastating forest fires. 

Finally, WTF Kayne? That seems to be the reaction to the rappers latest Jesus themed album. Apparently you’ll want to save your money. 

Read all about it. 

-Fraser Dixon

Judge: DOJ Must Give House Panel Mueller’s Grand Jury Evidence

(Politico) – A federal judge on Friday ruled that the Justice Department must turn over former special counsel Robert Mueller’s grand jury evidence to the House Judiciary Committee, a groundbreaking victory for Democrats in their effort to investigate whether President Donald Trump should be impeached for obstructing the long-running Russia probe.

In a double victory for Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Judge Beryl Howell — the chief federal judge in Washington — ruled that the impeachment inquiry Democrats have launched is valid even though the House hasn’t taken a formal vote on it. The decision rejects arguments by DOJ and congressional Republicans that a formal vote is necessary to launch impeachment proceedings.

Read more from Politico here

FBI Ambushed Michael Michael Flynn, then Celebrated

(Washington Examiner) – The FBI under James B. Comey “unilaterally” made the decision to interview retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, excluding input from the Justice Department, ignoring the White House counsel and leading Flynn to believe agents were arriving as friends to discuss terrorism, his lawyer says.

Mr. Comey, after being fired by President Trump, later bragged in public that he sent Peter Strzok and another agent to the White House on Jan. 24, 2017, knowing he could capitalize on a chaotic place.

Sidney Powell, Flynn’s attorney, told District Judge Emmet Sullivan in a new court filing that FBI higher-ups strategized the day before for what she called an “ambush.”

Read more about the “ambush” from the Washington Examiner here

Budget Deficit Soars to $984B, Highest in 7 Years

The U.S. Treasury on Friday said that the federal deficit for fiscal 2019 was $984 billion, a 26% increase from 2018 but still short of the $1 trillion mark previously forecast by the administration.

The gap between revenues and spending was the widest it’s been in seven years as expenditures on defense, Medicare and interest payments on the national debt ballooned the shortfall.

Find out more about the Federal Government’s budget deficit here

Bigger, Longer Blackouts Could Lie Ahead in CA

(Bloomberg) – PG&E Corp. is preparing to cut power to an estimated 2.5 million Californians in what would be the state’s largest — and potentially longest — deliberate blackout ever.

The bankrupt utility giant is warning the lights may go off in about 850,000 homes and businesses across Northern California — including parts of Oakland, Berkeley and other San Francisco Bay Area cities — as it tries to keep power lines from igniting wildfires during a wind storm. The shutoff would hit almost one-tenth of California’s population and spread to nearly 20% of the utility’s total customers, spanning 36 counties. The city of San Francisco is expected to be spared.

Learn more about the CA blackouts from Bloomberg

Kanye Drops ‘Jesus Is King’ Film, Album and Some Fans

(NY Post) – Kanye West has bamboozled the bejesus out of us — yet again.

But this latest disappointment may have been the last straw for even his most loyal fans.

First, his “Jesus Is King” film — which had screenings at select IMAX theaters Thursday night before its official opening Friday — turned out to be a 30-minute WTF to those who bothered to shell out the feature-length movie ticket price.

Find out more about Kanye West’s new album from the NY Post here