Reports Swirl That Tillerson Could Be Forced Out
Two weeks ago on the No Spin News, Bill predicted that Rex Tillerson would be leaving. Bill said, “Looks to me like Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is going. Ok, I don't think Donald Trump likes it and he would be replaced by Mike Pompeo, who is the CIA director who's actually telling people he thinks he's going to be secretary of state soon. So, Trump likes Pompeo. Pompeo gets along with General Kelly, the chief of staff, those are the confidants right now of President Trump. So, I'm predicting Tillerson is out of there and Pompeo is the new secretary of state.”
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson backed out of a planned speech and visited the White House on Thursday following reports that his ouster was imminent. Tillerson was expected to deliver a keynote address to commemorate World AIDS Day on Thursday. However, Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan delivered the remarks instead, according to an updated State Department schedule.
Asked if he wanted Tillerson to stay in his role as secretary of state, President Donald Trump ducked the question. “He's here. Rex is here,” Trump told reporters who asked if he still wants Tillerson on the job.
The New York Times on Thursday added that the White House has developed a plan to force out the embattled secretary of state and replace him with Pompeo in the next few weeks. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) would likely replace Pompeo at the CIA, the Times said.
The plan, which was first reported by The New York Times, is expected to be put into place over the next several weeks.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders responded to the Tillerson story by saying, “There are no personnel announcements at this time. Secretary Tillerson continues to lead the State Department.”
Bill says that the reason Tillerson is getting the boot is because he never denied the claims that he called President Trump a ‘moron.’ If you know President Trump, as Bill does, that’s a comment that needs to be feverishly denied. That’s what this is all about.
North Korea Update
The intercontinental ballistic missile North Korea launched Tuesday was a new type of missile bigger and more powerful than any the country had tested before, South Korean officials said on Thursday.
Photos from the North’s official Korean Central News Agency are providing valuable clues about the capabilities of the missile, named the Hwasong-15. North Korea’s Hwasong series represents the most successful and formidable part of its ballistic missile arsenal, and photographs of the test suggested improvements over the Hwasong-14, a missile first tested over the summer that showed the country’s capacity to strike the continental United States.
The Hwasong-15 appeared to have two engines for its first booster stage, giving the new missile greater range than previous models.
North Korea claims to be able to launch its missiles from anywhere, anytime. As if to drive its point home, each of the three ICBMs North Korea has launched so far was fired from a different location.
North Korea has yet to demonstrate that its ICBM warhead can survive the violent re-entry through the earth’s atmosphere after flying through space.
Is Rep. Conyers On the Way Out?
Rep. John Conyers, who is under fire for accusations of sexual harassment, is in the hospital Thursday, an aide to Conyers told reporters.
Political consultant Sam Riddle said Conyers was hospitalized due to stress. "I just spoke with Monica Conyers on the phone and we want you to know that the congressman is resting comfortably in an area hospital. He's doing OK, as well as he can be expected for a gentleman that's approaching 90 years of age," Riddle said. "The congressman's health is not what it should be and lot of that is directly attributable to this media assault."
The House Ethics Committee announced last week it has opened an investigation into allegations against Conyers after BuzzFeed reported that he settled a wrongful dismissal complaint in 2015 after allegedly sexually harassing a staffer. Conyers denied wrongdoing in that case, but acknowledged that there had been a financial settlement to that complaint.
Another former staffer, Deanna Maher, told CNN that Conyers made three sexual advances toward her when she worked for him in his district office in Detroit from 1997 to 2005. Through his lawyer, Conyers also denied wrongdoing in that case.
Conyers' attorney, Arnold Reed, told reporters at a Thursday afternoon press conference that the senior Democrat would not be "pressured" by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to leave the office he's held for 50 years.
"Nancy Pelosi did not elect the congressman and she sure as hell won't be the one to tell the congressman to leave," Reed told reporters during a Thursday afternoon press conference. "He is not going to be pressured by Nancy Pelosi or anyone else to step down."
Do Senate Republicans Have the Votes to Pass Their Tax Bill?
As of today, no GOP senators have indicated opposition to the bill. However, 11 senators have expressed concerns with the bill. If three senators vote against it, the bill will fail.
Sen. John McCain will back the Senate GOP's tax bill, increasing the plan's chances of clearing the Senate by Friday. McCain was one of the last GOP senators who had not committed to supporting the proposal.
McCain's stance, as well as an expected "yes" vote from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, leaves only a few GOP senators undecided. Republican leaders are tweaking the bill to ease concerns by other skeptical senators, including Sens. Bob Corker, R-Tenn.; James Lankford, R-Okla.; Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.; Susan Collins, R-Maine; Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and Steve Daines, R-Mont.
All Republican senators voted Wednesday to start debate on the bill.
Bill says that if this tax reform passes President Trump will be torn to pieces by the hate-Trump media.
Special Counsel Delays Grand Jury Testimony Amid Signs of Flynn Deal Talks
Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team has postponed an anticipated grand jury testimony linked to his investigation into Michael Flynn amid growing indications of possible plea deal discussions. There could be many reasons for a delay, including scheduling issues.
Additional witnesses were expected to be questioned soon including a public relations consultant hired by Flynn's lobbying firm who was given an early December date deadline to appear before the grand jury, according to a person at the company.
Michael Flynn's lawyers sent notice to the White House that they were withdrawing from an agreement to share information. The assumption is that Flynn is cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller and may be negotiating a plea agreement.
Michael Flynn, was fired after just 24 days on the job. He was one of the first Trump associates to come under scrutiny in the federal probe into Russia’s intervention in the 2016 election. The investigation is now led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into possible collusion between Moscow and the Trump campaign.
Mueller’s team is looking at possible money laundering charges, lying to federal agents, and Flynn’s role in a possible plan to remove an opponent of the Turkish president from the United States in exchange for millions of dollars.
Interview About Tabloid Headlines with Radio Talk Show Hosts Bernard McGuirk & Sid Rosenberg
Study Shows That in the U.S., 57 Percent of Kids are on Track for Obesity by age 35
57% of the nation’s children and teens will be obese by age 35 if current trends continue, according to a new study out Wednesday.
The research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, goes beyond previous studies suggesting unhealthy childhood weights often lead to adult obesity.
It suggests that while heavy children face the highest risk, even those who make it to age 20 in good shape face substantial peril in a world where obesity could soon be the new normal.
The new research relies on weight trend data from several studies that tracked individuals over varying periods of time. The researchers used that data to create a model that projects what will happen to today’s children if current trends persist.
The study does not look at underlying causes. But it suggests that increased risks start accumulating early.
The current adult obesity rate, just updated by U.S. government researchers, stands at a record 39.8%. The rate in children and teens is 18.5%.
Mail Time!
- Bill, I wish you could explain something, what in the world is wrong with people who live in Nancy Pelosi's district? How do they keep voting for her, election after election? Even if you a far-left kook, she gives far left kooks a bad name.
- A few years ago, I took my 13-year-old grandson to your Boston show. He has been a fan of yours for years. Did I say that he is a very smart young man with a high GPA in AP classes? He had a blast! You have done a great job educating young teens with the truth about historical events. Keep up the good work.
- I was watching over my Grandfather while my parents made their annual vacation trip to Palm Springs, CA. He is 95 years young, a former WWII Army Intelligence Officer, and hadn't missed an episode of your show since the Factor began. I take my Fire TV with me when I know I'm going to be away from home, and he was ecstatic when I started watching my daily No Spin News. I haven't seen him that excited an animated in a long time. He was so energized, that he stayed up until 1am catching up on all the archived episodes that you had available to stream.
Word of the Day: Tendentious |
