44 Former US Senators, Guardians of the Truth, Nick Ayers: 3 Stories You Should Read 12/11/2018

December 11, 2018 Confluence

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In the category of: Warning worth heading.

44 former US senators urge current Senate to defend democracy in an op-ed

“We are on the eve of the conclusion of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation and the House’s commencement of investigations of the President and his administration,” the senators write. “The likely convergence of these two events will occur at a time when simmering regional conflicts and global power confrontations continue to threaten our security, economy and geopolitical stability.”

The US is at an “inflection point” the senators write, “in which the foundational principles of our democracy and our national security interests are at stake, and the rule of law and the ability of our institutions to function freely and independently must be upheld.”

During their time in office, the former senators write, “at times we were allies and at other times opponents, but never enemies.”

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In the category of: How he’d want to be remembered.

Time’s 2018 Person of the Year is Jamal Khashoggi and other “Guardians” of the truth

The list includes Filipina journalist Maria Ressa, imprisoned Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, and the staff of the Capital Gazette.

In a clear critique of the state of press freedom around the world, Time magazine has named “the Guardians” — a group of killed, imprisoned, or targeted journalists — as its 2018 Person of the Year.

According to Time, the Person of the Year “recogniz[es] the person or group of people who most influenced the news and the world — for better or for worse — during the past year.”

This year, the publication chose slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Filipina journalist Maria Ressa, imprisoned Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, and the staff of the Capital Gazette of Annapolis, Maryland.

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In the category of: We see the writing on the wall too.

A TOP TRUMP INSIDER APPEARS TO CONCLUDE THAT THE WHITE HOUSE IS DOOMED

He had the opportunity to become chief of staff, once considered among the most respected appointments in Washington. But Nick Ayers saw the writing on the wall. What his exit portends for the end of Trump’s presidency.

That he decided to walk away suggests Ayers had a particularly dim view of Trump’s political prospects. Ayers, after all, has a high-risk tolerance: despite pressure to divest his interest in his consulting firm, he declined to relinquish his ties to his company, creating a web of potential multi-million-dollar conflicts of interest. (As Pence’s chief of staff, Ayers had a major say in which midterm candidates the White House supported.) Yet Ayers assessed the downsides of becoming White House chief of staff—once among the most respected, powerful, and coveted jobs in Washington—and his instincts for self-preservation kicked in.

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