Johnson to change Withdrawal Agreement Bill to put into law that transition arrangements with EU, during which UK is in effect non-voting member of EU, must end 31 Dec 2020. Will be seen as increasing risk of delayed no-deal Brexit. https://t.co/zPxKfVR5XM
— Robert Peston (@Peston) December 16, 2019
Thread here…
Alternatively it means that, late next year, he has no other choice but to make the concessions needed to conclude a deal on the future relationship. https://t.co/MylsPX6XYk
— Sam Lowe (@SamuelMarcLowe) December 16, 2019
"The bill will legally prohibit parliament from extending the transition beyond next year."
No, it won't, because it can't. Parliament is sovereign and will be able to authorise an extension if it wants to – a fact for which, in due course, the PM may be very grateful. https://t.co/wUPh30DgFC
— Raphael Hogarth (@Raphael_Hogarth) December 16, 2019
Bank of England: UK banking system prepared for any no-deal Brexit https://t.co/EEJnAkLky9
— Sky News (@SkyNews) December 16, 2019
Boris Johnson could ditch his promise to guarantee workers' rights and environmental protections after Brexit, No10 suggests.
Buckle up. We’ve got five long years of this. Good luck everyone.https://t.co/EicX8u3x4J
— James Melville (@JamesMelville) December 16, 2019
Are we supposed to believe that Boris Johnson finally found time to read the Russia report, decided it was fine and signed off on it – which was impossible before? This is the crap we are going to be dealing with on all fronts for the next five years.
— Sarah Hurst (@Life_Disrupted) December 16, 2019
or not…
Boris Johnson’s victory in last week’s general election means the possibility of a no-deal Brexit has subsided, Bank of England Governor Mark Carney says https://t.co/LEUKiX9Bdh
— Bloomberg Brexit (@Brexit) December 16, 2019
It’s certainly not going to be no-deal Brexit. If Johnson insists on following the Brexit purists, the North will be destroyed. Although, given how they voted for this clown, I’m not sure why I should care.
— Andrew Ball (@AndrewB91124984) December 15, 2019
***
TRUMPWORLD
House committee unveils Trump impeachment report: "Trump has realized the Framers' worst nightmare" https://t.co/x0AhaTWepg pic.twitter.com/CTfqQEGgRr
— The Hill (@thehill) December 16, 2019
Trump doesn’t want to be acquitted. He wants to be vindicated. w/ @lindsaywise: https://t.co/aq9UkbUYfH
— Michael C. Bender (@MichaelCBender) December 16, 2019
Nixon was bad. Trump is much worse. https://t.co/GM37XySVPv
— Eugene Robinson (@Eugene_Robinson) December 16, 2019
Lindsey Graham: "All I ask of the Senate is to take your oath, listen to the evidence in some way that will withstand historical scrutiny, that you'll have a record that will justify any decision you make…that whatever decision was made be based on evidence and the law." pic.twitter.com/QynbehB8Be
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) December 16, 2019
That’s my point exactly: Vote for the Articles of Impeachment in the House, then hold them like a Sword of Damocles over Trump and McConnell until he agrees to abide by his oath and hold a fair trial in the Senate, not a Trumpian whitewash. @ianbassin & @JRubinBlogger are right. https://t.co/ERB6b3Pi3G
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) December 16, 2019
"When you look at numbers like that… it's a vivid reminder that this is really serious for President Trump and it's doing him damage. Having said that, those approval numbers… are just astonishingly rigid…" – @michaelcrowley w/ @NicolleDWallace pic.twitter.com/JfnSqB5sWw
— Deadline White House (@DeadlineWH) December 16, 2019
“I am disappointed and troubled by the very fact that my president…would ask a foreign leader…to do him a political favor,” says ex-Pennsylvania Governor and @DHSgov Secretary Tom Ridge.
“As far as I’m concerned, it is abuse of power.” https://t.co/Okl7UN4IMD
— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) December 16, 2019
***
WORLD
State media claims that President Donald Trump is an "agent" of Russia | https://t.co/cFNa3Fv5XW https://t.co/LjFP1jGVts
— Claude Taylor (@TrueFactsStated) December 16, 2019
Russian TV channel Rossiya 1 aired a segment entitled “Puppet Master and ‘Agent’—How to Understand Lavrov’s Meeting with Trump.”
That's….concerning. https://t.co/UZeV6pIxU3
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) December 16, 2019
Parnas pays Giuliani, Trump’s “free” lawyer. Today he confirmed that he and his wife received $1 million payment from Russia. https://t.co/N24nOHE07Y
— Derek Cressman (@DerekCressman) December 16, 2019
Jesus…
1) Australia is already dealing with bushfires so big they are 'beyond human ability to control.'
2) This week may see the hottest single day in the continent's recorded history.
3) Its politicians helped sabotage the Madrid climate negotiations last weekhttps://t.co/gfXqiEpqrR— Bill McKibben (@billmckibben) December 16, 2019
This climate pattern has already been connected to shifts in sea level rise and other effects along the West Coast.
The coastline is eroding with every tide and storm, but everything built before we knew better is fixed in place with nowhere to go.https://t.co/DTrRevybUE
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) December 16, 2019
If COP is a failure, where do we go from here? https://t.co/aEpB0FDPxH
— David Wallace-Wells (@dwallacewells) December 16, 2019
Looks like a really good Black Mirror episode about the luxurious life in a billionaire’s bunker as a climate apocalypse unfolds up on the surface https://t.co/AT9P2MpvMZ
— David Sirota (@davidsirota) December 16, 2019