Preview of the Senate Tax Bill Debate

On Tuesday, the Senate Budget Committee is scheduled to meet on the tax legislation. The panel, which has 12 Republicans and 11 Democrats, could decide to send the tax bill to the Senate floor. 

If all goes well for GOP leaders, the Senate may begin floor debate, which would culminate perhaps Wednesday or Thursday in a “vote-a-rama” which is a chaotic session in which any senator can offer an amendment to the bill. 

While the House passed their tax reform bill with ease, there are some Republican senators that don’t like the Senate bill. 

Now, this could cause a problem because the vote by the Senate Budget Committee has two GOP senators who’ve expressed concerns about the bill, Wisconsin’s Ron Johnson and Tennessee’s Bob Corker, and if either votes “no,” the bill would be stopped in its tracks for the time being. 

If the bill does pass through committee, McConnell will then have to round up 50 votes to get it through the full Senate. Since no Democratic support is expected, that would entail winning 50 of 52 Republicans. At least 10 GOP senators have expressed some concerns about the current Senate bill with some worried about the effects on their constituents, some objecting to how the business tax changes are handled, and some who say they don’t want to increase the federal deficit. 

Dan Celia, President/CEO of Financial Issues Stewardship Ministries, Inc. and host of the national syndicated radio talk program Financial Issues talks about what he thinks will happen with the tax bill in the senate.

Pelosi: Accused Congressman Conyers deserves 'due process'

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi defended Rep. John Conyers as "an icon in our country" on Sunday, after noting he deserves "due process" as he faces allegations of sexual misconduct. 

"We are strengthened by due process," Pelosi said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "Just because someone is accused — and was it one accusation? Is it two? I think there has to be — John Conyers is an icon in our country. He has done a great deal to protect women — Violence Against Women Act, which the left — right-wing — is now quoting me as praising him for his work on that, and he did great work on that.” 

Asked whether Conyers should resign over the allegations, Pelosi said he "will do the right thing in terms of what he knows about his situation." Pelosi said, "He’s entitled to due process. But women are entitled to due process as well." 

On Sunday, Conyers said that he will step aside as the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee while fiercely denying he acted inappropriately during his long tenure in Congress. 

In a statement, the 88-year-old lawmaker made clear he would prefer to keep his leadership role on the committee, which has wide jurisdiction over U.S. law enforcement, from civil rights and criminal justice to protections against sexual harassment. But Conyers acknowledged maintaining the position would be an undue distraction.

Will President Trump Stand by Roy Moore?

President Trump on Sunday doubled down on his insistence that a Democrat shouldn't win Alabama's Senate seat, once again appearing to back controversial Republican Roy Moore. 

"The last thing we need in Alabama and the U.S. Senate is a Schumer/Pelosi puppet who is WEAK on Crime, WEAK on the Border, Bad for our Military and our great Vets, Bad for our 2nd Amendment, AND WANTS TO RAISES TAXES TO THE SKY. Jones would be a disaster!"

However, White House officials said on Monday that Trump is not scheduled to hit the trail to campaign for Moore ahead of the election on December 12^th. 

Before President Trump left Washington for Thanksgiving weekend, the president also said he didn't want another Democrat in the Senate and stressed that Moore has denied the sexual misconduct allegations. 

"Roy Moore denies it," he said last week. "That's all I can say." Trump did not say whether he believed Moore himself. 

Trump made it clear that he supports Moore over Democrat Doug Jones.

Malibu church 'pressured to end meals for the homeless' because it 'lures the needy'

A church in the upscale neighborhood of Malibu, California, has been told by officials to stop serving food to the homeless because they were attracting too many homeless people. 

The United Methodist Church has been offering free meals twice a week to the homeless but said it was going to stop after Thanksgiving because they were luring too many homeless people into the neighborhood. 

City officials made the decision after speaking with organizers, suggesting they were attracting more homeless people into the city, the Los Angeles Times reported. 

At a public hearing last week, Mayor Skylar Peak denied ordering the meals to end, but he also apologized for “miscommunication.” Peak said the city wanted to work with volunteers on a solution. 

“This is very sad for us; we’ve been enjoying these friends for more than three years,” said the Rev. Sandy Liddell, the Methodist church’s pastor. 

Residents complained of homeless people staying by the beach and hanging out near schools.

Currently, California has the highest rate of homelessness of any state in the U.S. There are 118,142 homeless people living in the state, with over 78,000 individuals without shelter, according to a 2016 annual homeless assessment report.

Malibu has a population of 13,000 and has roughly 180 homeless residents, but no shelter or housing for them. The city is 90 percent white.

Mail Time!

• "I'm concerned, Bill, about your new phrase take our country back, a sentiment I am in sympathy with, yet I think it also says we've already lost our country. And what's worse, it continues the toxic us versus them paradigm, which is ripping us daily."
• Not a bad point, Morris. You thought it out. But I have to say take your country back, traditional Americans are losing. I just passed by coming in here, it was an Episcopal church, all right, on the corner of Thirty ninth and Madison here in New York City. Big sign: Festival. No Christmas festival, no holiday festival, just festival with little kind of Christmassy things, but no Jesus. But they wouldn't even say on an Episcopal church, Christmas festival. That's just, that's minor. But it tells you where this country is because of the PC pirates. So you've got to take your country back. 

• "Bill, as we think of all that we're grateful for and the blessings that God has bestowed upon us, we want you to know that you are also one that we are very grateful for. You come across as one of us, not haughty. You tell the truth in a sane way, you don't take sides except for those of us traditional Americans sitting at or in the trenches without the venue of TV. Your roots shine through, Mr. O'Reilly, and you have no idea how much that means to us."
• You know, that's very nice, Barbara. That's why I'm here. Look, I could retire. You know, I could do a number of things. But this is fun for me and I think worthwhile for you. Because we tell the truth and we're going to expand and we're going to take our country back. We're going to do it. 

• "Wondering would your Legends & Lies books be appropriate for a 12-year-old boy?"
• Absolutely. Three Legends & Lies books, the latest Legends & Lies: The Civil War. OK, then there's Legends & Lies: The Patriots, Legends & Lies: The Real West. 12-year-old boys will love them.