Day 144: A Gross!

Twelve twelves, as they say, form a gross. And what could be more gross than this first item?

• Trump had the most bizarre cabinet meeting today, where his cabinet members took turns trying to one-up each other in flattering him. He also claimed to be the most successful President ever, using an obviously-flawed metric that showed nothing of the sort. During the adulating praise, Trump just sat there and grinned. His cabinet has obviously figured out what makes him happy, and it spineless enough to grovel before him in such a disgusting display.
• Trump's travel ban has faced another setback in the 9th Circuit of Appeals, which essentially held up the ban on the ban. The Department of Justice has appealed to the Supreme Court, based on the results of a similar case in the 4th Circuit of Appeals.
• The Attorney-Generals of Maryland and DC have sued Trump in court over his conflicts of interest, alleging a breach of his constitutional oath. It's a bit of a long shot, but as they said, "We're getting in here to be the check and balance that it appears Congress is unwilling to be." I wish them luck.
• Sessions will be testifying in an open hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee tomorrow. Ostensibly, this is in response to Comey's accusations from last week. Realistically, it's an attempt to run interference for Trump.
• 13 Republican Male Senators are meeting in secret to push through their healthcare bill, and they think they're getting closer. They refuse to release a draft of their bill, and plan to bring it to a vote before anybody has a chance to digest it. Please call your senators and let them know your mind.
• We have the COVFEFE bill, which aims to put Trump's personal twitter account on the same status as the POTUS account, for the purpose of the Presidential Records Act. Enough said.
• Interior Secretary Zinke has recommended scaling back "Bear's Ears" National Monument in his interim report on National Monuments. Of course he has, because that's what Trump told him to do.
• This article on how Russia is targeting the US military through online channels is incredibly disturbing. So is this one on Russian efforts on industrial sabotage. Does the administration care? Of course not - it's trying to remove sanctions on Russia, because wouldn't it be good to be friends with Russia again?