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Thursday, December 13

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BORIS BLOWOUT: A MANDATE FOR BREXIT On course for a 78-seat Conservative majority, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said this morning that the massive swing away from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and the pro-European Union Liberal Democrats was a “powerful new mandate to get Brexit done.” He said: “With this election, I think we’ve put an end to all those miserable threats of a second referendum.” [HuffPost]

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HOUSE PANEL DELAYS TRUMP IMPEACHMENT VOTE The House Judiciary Committee abruptly postponed a historic vote late Thursday on articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, shutting down a divisive 14-hour session that dragged with sharp partisan divisions. The vote will likely be held Friday, and is expected to end with the charges being sent to the full House for a vote next week. [AP]

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CORBYN TO RESIGN AS LEADER OF UK LABOUR PARTY Jeremy Corbyn has announced he will resign as Labour leader, as the party heads for a seismic defeat at the hands of Boris Johnson and the Conservatives. Corbyn said he would not be stepping down immediately following the “very disappointing” result but would lead a “process of reflection.” [HuffPost]

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KENTUCKY RESTORES VOTING RIGHTS TO NONVIOLENT FELONS Professing his belief in redemption, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) signed an executive order to restore voting rights for more than 140,000 nonviolent offenders who have completed their sentences. [AP]

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PENCE REFUSES TO RELEASE HIS CALL WITH UKRAINE Vice President Mike Pence’s counsel has refused a request by House Democrats to release details of a classified phone call between Pence and Ukraine’s president in September, saying it “serves no purpose.” [HuffPost]

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FCC APPROVES NEW 3-DIGIT MENTAL HEALTH HOTLINE The Federal Communications Commission unanimously approved designating a three-digit phone number ― 988 ― as the country’s nationwide suicide hotline. [HuffPost]

WHAT'S BREWING

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WARREN SLAMS MODERATE RIVALS Elizabeth Warren lashed out at her moderate Democratic rivals seeking the White House, accusing them of naively accepting Republican calls for unity rather than standing up to the rich while too quickly bending to the whims of their own wealthy donors. [AP]

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OBAMA WON'T CONFRONT HIS LEGACY ON SAUDI ARABIA As he seeks the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, Joe Biden has addressed what he calls the Obama-Biden administration's assistance to Saudi Arabia, saying it's time to end support for the war in Yemen. Yet Obama himself hasn’t weighed in ― nor has he said anything about the Saudi government’s role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. [HuffPost]

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HOUSE JUDICIARY REPUBLICANS TRIED TO PROTECT NIXON TOO Nearly a half-century ago, Republicans who protected then-President Richard Nixon suffered a hefty price for it in the 1974 midterm elections. Five of the 10 members who voted against all three articles of impeachment saw their seats flip to Democrats. Four were defeated outright. The fifth retired. [HuffPost]

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IT MAY BE EASIER TO SUE OVER CLIMATE CHANGE Over the last three years, the Philippines Commission on Human Rights has been gathering evidence on whether huge oil, coal, gas and mining companies — such as Shell, Chevron and Exxon — can be held liable for the human suffering caused by climate change. [HuffPost]

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ARE 'FOREVER' CHEMICALS IN OUR MILK? Dairy farmer Art Schaap used to ship thousands of gallons of milk each day to milk co-ops and cheese producers, who in turn sold to consumers across the country. But for the last year, he has poured all that milk down the drain after learning a neighboring Air Force base polluted his water with firefighting foam. [HuffPost] 

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HOW A COLLEGE STUDENT LAUNCHED ROXETTE TO FAME  Dean Cushman was a college senior spending a semester in Sweden in 1988 when he heard a song on the radio called “The Look” that immediately caught his attention. “It was obviously really fun and catchy, but I loved the vocals, they really speak to you,” he told HuffPost. [HuffPost]

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