SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:55 P.M. ET:  

WOMAN OF THE PEOPLE – FROM DAILY MAIL:  Nancy Pelosi is spotted vacationing at an $899-a-night Hawaii hotel that has a 'Spa Without Walls' as White House blasts her for refusing to enter talks to end week-long government shutdown.  Watch, the Dems will shout "sexist!" at this report.  The hypocrisy of liberals is neverending.  

GREAT MOMENTS IN LEGAL HISTORY – FROM DAILY CALLER:   The United States Air Force said Thursday that there is nothing wrong with troops getting “Make America Great Again” hats signed by the president, countering a media narrative about potential misconduct.  During an unannounced visit to U.S. military bases in Iraq and Germany the day after Christmas, President Donald Trump snapped photos with and signed memorabilia for U.S. service-members.  CNN, The Washington Post and The New York Times seized on photos of U.S. Army and Air Force members holding “Make America Great Again” hats and suggested that the military members were breaching protocol by getting the president to sign them....U.S. Air Forces Europe made clear in a statement Thursday that troops at Ramstein Air Base did not break any rules by bringing their own hats for the president to sign.  “There is no rule against Airmen bringing personal items to be signed by the president,” USAFE said, noting that while troops held the hats to be signed, they never wore them while in uniform.  I'm glad this didn't have to go to the Supreme Court.

PLEASE NOTE THIS – FROM THE BOSTON HERALD:   A staggering 144 police officers were killed in the line of duty this year, a national report shows, and for the first time in decades the leading cause was shootings...Nationwide, 52 of the 144 police fatalities this year were firearm-related deaths. The total number of deaths represented a 12 percent jump over 2017, according to a preliminary Law Enforcement Fatalities Report released Thursday by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.  The data show that firearms-related fatalities are up 13 percent year over year, replacing traffic-related deaths, which had been the leading cause of death for the last 20 years.  Haven't seen much concern about this in the mainstream media.  Wonder why.

December 28, 2018