NATIONAL MEN MAKE DINNER DAY UPDATES

(At Least THIS Guy Does!)

-There is no question that President Biden's support of Israel and attempt to balance humanitarian aid to Palestinians is damaging his approval ratings, which dropped 11% in October to 38%. Voters under 35 account for a large amount of that drop, as well as Muslim-Americans and Arab-Americans, whose support of Biden dropped by 2/3 since the HAMAS attacks. That last fact has special resonance in MI, a swing state Biden won that is also home to the largest number of Muslim-Americans in the country - and while the election is one year away, the numbers are startling and reportedly being noticed in the White House as they continue to work through the situation in the Middle East.

-It's Bring Your Kids To Court Days at Ex-President Trump XCI's fraud trial in New York, as Trump spawn Donald Trump Jr. (SnooooRt!) (ALLEGEDLY) (eyeroll) begins his second day of testimony today, to be immediately followed by the next child, Eric "Eric" Trump, and golden daughter Ivanka next week. Trump himself will reportedly testify next week, though whether he will be able to remember any of the kids with him or not with him (odds are 4-1 he won't remember Tiffany) remains to be seen. Also, in CO a proceeding will begin that will attempt to ban Trump from the 2024 Presidential ballot due to his epicenter involvement in the January 6 insurrection and schemes to seat fraudulent Electoral College representatives.

-With all the bad legal news flowing at Team Trump, it was time for them to get some rare good news - and for that there is always the lone judge Trump has never once ever talked trash about: FL Federal Judge Aileen Cannon, who yesterday indicated she will give the Trump defense motions likely to delay the trial for Trump's possession of classified documents. The trial is currently set for May, 2024, with Special Prosecutor Jack Smith already informing Cannon that prosecution would last all of three weeks, with legal observers gnashing their teeth at what they see as pro-Trump bias to push the trial beyond the 2024 election (and potential Trump Presidency, self-exoneration, and perhaps a Supreme Court seat for his favorite judicial pet) (ALLEGEDLY) (EYEroll).

-Congress was full of lots of finger-pointing and venting that wound up leaving the place pretty much as it was when the day started. In the House, a GOP-led attempt to expel Rep. "George Santos" ("R", "NY") failed, with 31 Democrats (including Constitutional scholar Rep. Jamie Raskin) voting against the expulsion (the explanation being expulsion prior to any conviction would be, if not un-Constitutional, anti-Constitutional). An attempt by GOP Leader Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Z-Q-R, GA) to censure Muslim-American Rep. Rashida Tlaib was tabled, which of course infuriated Marge but led to her ripping her former BFF Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Pump, CO) as "vaping, groping Boebert!" (Meow!)

-And in the Senate, an attempt to move 90 military promotions individually were blocked one by one by one by Vladimir Putin ally Sen. Tommy Tuberville (DuRr, AL) and led to four hours of Republicans verbally castigating the former Auburn football coach for continuing to weaken the U.S. military - including a credible report that overworking led to the head of the Marine Corps suffering a heart attack late last month. Tuberville continues to demand the military stop women in the military from seeking medical care including abortions, which is something the military actually cannot do - and is leading Democrats to try to find nine Republican Senators to support a petition to override Tuberville and allow all 350+ promotions being blocked by Tuberville to advance.

-Meanwhile, the proposed legislation by new House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Jay-EE-zuz!, LA) to tie aid for Israel to defunding the IRS got torn to shreds by budget analysts who estimate that the $14.3 billion that would be moved would actually add $30 billion to the deficit due to the IRS' inability to prosecute and pursue tax cheats, primarily tax dodging by the wealthiest Americans. Even if that bill passes, it is facing sure Senate defeat, where a bill is being negotiated that would include Israel aid, Ukraine aid (SLAVA UKRAINI!), and border security funding. There is majority support for all these items but UltraMAGA opposition to Ukraine aid.

-Speaking of funding, as the vetting the GOP did not do on Johnson continues by reporters, a doozy was unearthed courtesy of The Daily Beast, who in looking into Johnson's financial disclosure statements found absolutely no financial assets under Johnson's name. No savings accounts, no checking accounts, not one single asset was listed by Johnson, who has been in Congress since 2017, makes $200,000 a year as a Congressman but also owes "hundreds of thousands of dollars" of debts that include a mortgage, home equity credit line, and personal loans, raising many questions that Johnson's office did not answer when asked by The Daily Beast. Others note that this profile would make a political figure a ripe target for bribery and blackmail (not that a man who claims he adopted a 14-year-old black child when he was 25 and openly espoused gay conversion therapy and lives in a "covenant marriage" would have ANYTHING to worry about on THAT front!). Reporters continue to dig ...

-... and we'll let them and wrap up today's update!

-On this date in 1936, the first regular television service was launched by the BBC. On this date in 1983, Martin Luther King Jr. Day was made a national holiday. On this date in 1988, the first known Internet computer virus - an 'experiment' that knocked off 10% of the Internet (6,000 computers back then) - was 'released.' On this date in 2016, the longest championship drought in professional sports history (106 years) ended when the Chicago Cubs won the World Series. And on this date in 2020, Pinkfong's "Baby Shark" became the most watched YouTube video (at over 7 billion, doo doo doo doo).

-Happy Birthday to Daniel Boone, James K. Polk, Warren G. Harding, Burt Lancaster, Ray Walston, Amar Bose, Phil Woods, Stefanie Powers, Keith Emerson, J.D. Souther, Tom Paciorek, Willie McGee, k.d. lang, Lynn Nottage, David Schwimmer, Kurt Elling, Nelly, Karamo Brown, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Jordan Love.

-Rest in Peace/Rest in Power to George Bernard Shaw, James Thurber, Ngo Dinh Diem, Mississippi John Hurt, Edith Bunker, Paul Frees, Irwin Allen, Hal Roach, Toni Stone, The Fabulous Moolah, and Tom Matte.

-Feed the Worms: Marie Antoinette and Al Campanis entered Earth on this date. Notorious bank robber Willie Sutton bought it on this date.