Earlier today President Trump delivered remarks to military veterans, active duty service members and their families.

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Today, the 45th President of the United States Donald J. Trump and the First Lady, Mrs. Melania Trump, visited Marines at Marine Barracks Washington. The Commander in Chief and First Lady personally thanked Marines for their actions in supporting Washington D.C. first responders during the recent fire at the Arthur Capper Senior Center.

Additionally, the visit served as an opportunity to personally thank the Marines for their continued service to the nation, and provide desserts in honor of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
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Roy Clark, the legendary guitarist, singer, and co-host of the show “Hee Haw” on television died Thursday due to complications from pneumonia.  He was 85.  Arguably Roy Clark was the greatest electric guitar and banjo picker ever.

A legend and member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Grand Ole Opry, Clark is survived by his wife of 61 years Barbara.
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In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Donald Trump Administration and Presidency.

This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.

President Trump Twitter @POTUS / Vice President Pence Twitter @VP

Sarah H Sanders Twitter @SHSanders45

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

Terrible news from the region just north of Sacramento California where the devastating ‘Camp Fire’ impacted the town of Paradise.  Late Wednesday evening search and recovery workers located another eight sets of human remains bringing the total death toll from this single fire event to 56.   The death toll is anticipated to climb…

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and FEMA Director Brock Long visited the devastated area today to thank firefighters and rescue workers.  The search for bodies is gruesome as some human remains are found inside burned structures and others outside.

CALIFORNIA – 9 p.m. ET: As of Wednesday night, eight more human remains have been found, bringing the death toll to 56. Six of them were found inside structures and two were found outside. Statewide, the death toll is 59 (including three from the Woolsey Fire).
There have been more than 10,000 structures destroyed by the Camp Fire, including homes. The total amount of evacuated residents remains at 52,000 people.
The Camp Fire containment remains at 35 percent. Some 138,000 acres have been scorched.

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Senator Lindsey Graham appears on Fox News for a pre-scheduled interruption to Sean Hannity’s hour long monologue.   During the eight minute appearance, Graham was able to speak for 2:16 seconds and discussed: the Florida election; the intent of Jeff Flake to derail any Judicial nominations: and the likelihood of Robert Mueller continuing an investigation of President Trump.  Graham is optimistic for the next congressional year.

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President Donald J. Trump delivers remarks earlier today in a White House event calling on Congress to take action and support the bipartisan prison reform legislation, the FIRST STEP Act.

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[Transcript] Roosevelt Room – 4:38 P.M. EST – THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody. Thank you very much for being here. Appreciate it. And thank you very much, everybody. I’m grateful to be here today with members of the House and Senate who have poured their time — and they really have — their heart, and energy into the crucial issue of prison reform.
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If you pause for a few minutes and look at every recent headline, and the story therein that delivers frustration;… I mean really elevate and look at the bigger issue inside each of the examples… there’s a connective thread surrounding a shift in law-and-order to focus on “criminal intent.”
“Intent”, not consequence, is now the larger shield being applied toward excusing the action of people within institutions of government and society.

Hillary Clinton was not guilty, because James Comey said they couldn’t prove intent. Recent DOJ releases highlighting: “declined to prosecute” all surround intent.  Illegal alien entry, and accountability for fraud, all downplayed because there’s no proof of intent.
In the larger picture, the focus on intent -a specific decision made within the administration of justice- has become a shield against consequence.
It was a “mistake”…. he/she/it made “a poor decision” etc.  A pattern of obfuscation downplaying consequence and allowing those decision-makers charged with delivering accountability to withdraw or apply the rules of law based on their individual overlay of ‘intent’.
That shift is factually visible everywhere now.
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Voices selling a pending conclusion to the Mueller investigation of President Trump were dealt a set-back today as Robert Mueller files a motion with the court extending the 2016 Russian interference investigation deep into 2019.
The Associated Press is citing court documents filed within the Rick Gates case where the special counsel is requesting additional time for sentencing as an outcome of ongoing cooperation that has expanded the investigation.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Robert Mueller isn’t done with former Trump campaign aide Rick Gates.
That’s according to a new court filing from the special counsel’s team. Prosecutors say they’re not ready for Gates to be sentenced because he is continuing to cooperate with “several ongoing investigations.” And they’re asking a federal judge to give them until mid-January before they have to give another update about his case.

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