TAX CUT MOMENTUM Two Republicans holdouts voted “yes” on the tax plan, helping the bill to clear the Budget Committee on a party-line 12-11 vote. Senate GOP leaders hope to start procedural votes today, with a final vote on the bill Thursday. http://cvote.it/2BkPIl8
BUREAUCRATIC SHOWDOWN A federal judge refuses to block President Trump’s pick for head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. http://cvote.it/2AhcKfW
QUOTE OF THE DAY “The entire CFPB coup attempt by Cordray/English shows the utter contempt liberals have for rule of law, and reminds us the importance of a qualified federal bench.” -Kimberley Strassel
NO ROOM AT THE BUS? No Christmas-themed ads are allowed on buses in Washington, DC. “We believe that that’s a violation of our First Amendment rights,” said a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Washington. http://cvote.it/2AdX5Oz
FCC CHAIR SLAMS TWITTER FCC Chair Ajit Pai accused social media company Twitter of political bias. “When it comes to an open internet, Twitter is part of the problem,” Pai said. “The company has a viewpoint and uses that viewpoint to discriminate.” http://cvote.it/2AfFTYS
CHANGING THE COURTS The Senate confirmed Gregory Katsas to serve on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals. The court is considered the most powerful bench except for the Supreme Court. Even with Katsas, the DC Court still has a 7-4 Democratic advantage. Katsas worked on Trump’s transgender military ban and the travel restriction executive order in his role as deputy counsel to the President. http://cvote.it/2zyWgvP
NORTH KOREA The rogue Communist state of North Korea launched what is believed to be an intercontinental missile that could put Washington and the entire eastern U.S. seaboard within range. http://cvote.it/2nbIihX
ACTOR, POLITICIAN? Catholic actor Eduardo Verastegui, star of the movie Bella, could run for President of Mexico. He might run under a party that was formed in 2014 to “reconcile political activity with the ethical principles and values based in the building block of society: the family.” http://cvote.it/2AfzCMG
CULTURE What the Netflix show ‘Stranger Things’ teaches us about fatherhood and family. http://cvote.it/2AfyMQk
SOUTH KOREA & CATHOLICISM Did you know that South Korea has a vibrant and thriving Catholic Church? http://cvote.it/2BkSYgu
APOLOGY TO FALSELY ACCUSED An activist group issued an apology to a Catholic priest in St. Louis for “any false or inaccurate statements” regarding allegations of abuse, after criminal charges against the priest were dropped. http://cvote.it/2hZaajK
SAINT OF THE DAY Saint Clement – http://cvote.it/dailysaint
DAILY MASS READINGS “Give glory and eternal praise to him.” (Dn 3:62) – http://cvote.it/Daily-Readings
TRUTH