December 19, 2018
By Jonathan Oosting

The top Democrat (click here) on the House Oversight Committee says he has “a whole new set of concerns” about Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s (R) responses to Congress on the Flint water crisis.

The Democrat (click here) set to take control of the U.S. House Oversight Committee next year is renewing his call for Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration to hand over any additional documents related to the Flint water contamination crisis by Jan. 11.

“I intend to continue this investigation in the next Congress,” U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Maryland, said in a Wednesday letter to Snyder.

Snyder testified before the Republican-controlled House committee in March of 2016, when Cummings and other Democrats called on him to resign. With Democrats winning control of the House in November, Cummings will become chairman of the committee and said last month he is likely to bring Snyder back before Congress.

“I’m not done with Flint,” Cummings told The Detroit News in late November.

In his Wednesday letter to Snyder, Cummings asked Snyder to “fully comply” with a previous bipartisan committee request for documents related to the Flint water crisis, as outlined in a February 2016 letter....

I am sure Flint is counting on Rep. Cummings to finish the investigation. The truth is more important than ever as the USA enters into an understanding with Democrats to right the ship and correct it's course.

Elon Musk on the other had has invested a great deal of money into the health and education of the children of Flint. Perhaps he is interested in bringing about a successful life for each of the affected children. That is not as unrealistic as it seems;

New tests (2005) confirm that Ludwig van Beethoven (click here) suffered from lead poisoning. The legendary composer, who experienced decades of illness that left him in misery for most of his life, died in 1827. Researchers aren't sure why his lead levels were so high, but they have some ideas....

So, if Elon Musk just might have plans to bring Flint children in as employees sometime in the future. Congratulations to Flint having a champion in Elon Musk to turn their circumstances around.

December 20, 2018
By Fiona Kelliher

Elon Musk, (click here) CEO of Tesla and SpaceX speaks to the competitors during the 2018 Hyperloop pod competition at SpaceX in Hawthorne on Sunday, July 22, 2018.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk (click here) will reportedly provide $423,000 to pay for laptops for all seventh- and eighth-graders in the Flint Community Schools district.

The Elon Musk Foundation donation was announced at last night's school board meeting, according to MLive. Funds will provide Chromebooks for the middle school students, who will be allowed to take them home as an "instructional tool," said superintendent Derrick Lopez.

Seventh- and eighth-grade students will move into the former Flint Northern High School building in 2019 as the district restructures. The C.S. Mott Foundation also put forth $300,000 to help revamp the curriculum.

Musk has a history of highlighting Flint in tweets, and more recently, pledging to help the city. In October, Musk said he would pay for water stations and filtration systems throughout the entire district.

The district serves more than 4,500 students K-12....

The government shutdown has nothing to do with “The Wall.”

It is about ego and “I am  president and you are not.” Donald Trump has no right to shut down the government and this needs to be a lesson to the US House and US Senate. His temper tantrums are not appreciated.

Is everyone talking about the stock markets this evening across America? No, why? Because Americans are getting a full dose of a Trump temper tantrum. What happened to the Trump economy? It should be over $50,000 on the Dow by now. I mean in two years it should have doubled.

December 21, 2018
By Rebecca Ungarino

Stocks tumbled Friday, (click here) with the major averages all closing firmly in negative territory. The Dow fell 414 points, or 2%, bringing its weekly decline to 6.87%.

The S&P 500 also shed 2% on Friday, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 3% — entering a bear market, or down 20% from its highs — as some big tech names posted steep declines. Apple fell nearly 4% while Amazon plunged almost 6%. Google parent Alphabet tumbled 3%.

The losses accelerated in the final hour of trading, and stocks closed just barely off session lows....

The US House and US Senate need to seek a retreat together during the opening days in January because this is exactly the problem they will face if they don't resolve to pass legislation that is backed by two-thirds of each house and veto proof.

The fact of the matter is the American people don't need a president who has temper tantrums so much as resolved to conduct the day to day business of the country while the legislation carries out the new laws needed.

The American people spoke very clearly in November that the government MUST function and address the security and sovereignty of the USA, including passage of legislation that will SOLVE PROBLEMS and not create them, such as a strong and purposeful immigration bill. These bills have to be veto proof. That is what the American people demanded in November of 2018. Trump is not capable of leading so much as having hissy fits, so the legislature needs to recapture it's definition and purpose and raise its approval ratings and GET ON WITH IT.

December 20, 2018
By Rebecca Shabad and Doha Madani

Washington — The House (click here) passed a stopgap measure Thursday night to fund the government that includes $5 billion for a border wall sought by President Donald Trump. The bill is expected to be rejected in the Senate, and does little to prevent a shutdown on Saturday.

The vote of 217 to 185 on Thursday night puts the House at odds with the Senate, which on Wednesday night passed a funding bill that does not include border wall money....

To begin with I am hopping mad there is $5 billion in the bill at all and if $5 billion isn't enough for Trump, then he needs to MAKE A DEAL with the President of Mexico.

End of discussion.

If the government is shutdown over the holidays then so be it. Let Trump sit at the desk in the Oval Office until New Years and see if anyone cares. When the Congress returns in January they need a veto proof funding bill and get on with the country's business.

You want to know how stupid the shut down is? The ones most hurt by the shutdown are the Border Patrols. Give me a break, this has nothing to do with "The Wall."

Justice Ginsberg is an amazing woman and a great American. She never allowed us to worry about anything given the holiday season.

Justice Ginsberg will live to be more than 100 years old and be mentally alert the entire time. 

I wish her a comfortable time recovering and happy holidays.

For many the Winter Solstice is more than an astronomical occurrence once a year. 2018 should be spectacular.

The Northern Hemisphere will pass through the Winter Solstice at 5:23 PM.

December 21, 2018
By Katia Hetter, Forrest Brown and Autumn Spanne

For six months now, (click here) the days have grown shorter and the nights have grown longer in the Northern Hemisphere -- but that's about to reverse itself.

Winter solstice, the shortest day of 2018, is Friday, December 21.

The solstice this year will be extra special because it will be followed the next day by a full moon known as the Cold Moon, and you might be able to see a meteor shower to boot.

First, CNN meteorologists Dave Hennen, Judson Jones and Brandon Miller help us understand the science behind the solstice.

Then we'll take a closer look at that special moon. Finally, we'll explore some traditions and celebrations around the world that could inspire a travel adventure:...