Trump handed court defeat: A federal appeals court, the 11th Circuit Court in Atlanta, has handed a defeat to Donald Trump as well as Federal Court Judge Aileen Cannon. Cannon was appointed to the bench by Trump. The 11th Circuit unanimously overturned Cannon’s decision blocking the Justice Department from using government documents Trump had stolen and was keeping at Mar-a-Lago in its investigation of Trump. Cannon appointed a special master to control access to the documents. The 11th Circuit said a special master never should have been appointed. It said that Cannon should not have made a special ruling that would only apply under the law to Trump and to nobody else.ÂÂ
IRS produces Trump tax returns: The House Ways and Means Committee yesterday received six years of Donald Trump’s tax returns from the Internal Revenue Service. The Supreme Court had ordered the IRS to turn over the records to the committee’s chairman as required by law after Trump fought in court for three years to keep the tax returns secret.
Volcano eruption is tourist attraction: The eruption of the Mauna Loa volcano on Hawaii has become a tourist attraction, with many hotels fully booked and helicopter companies that offer aerial tours doing heavy business. Traffic jams have blocked access roads leading to the area. The lava from the volcano has been moving closer to the main road, Route 200, and there are fears it will cut across the road in a few days. The last time Mauna Loa erupted was in 1984. A second, smaller volcano near Mauna Loa, Kilauea, has been erupting for just over a year.
Unemployment steady: Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 263,000 in November, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7%, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Notable job gains occurred in leisure and hospitality, health care, and government. Employment declined in retail trade and in transportation and warehousing.
Biden and Macron agreement: During meetings at the White House yesterday, President Biden and French President Macron agreed to work together to hold Russia accountable for its invasion and the war crimes it has committed in Ukraine. Biden said the U.S. will work with France to iron out aspects of the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act that the French and other European countries feel may hurt their economies. Macron was honored at a White House State Dinner last night.
Jones files bankruptcy: Far-right commentator Alex Jones this morning filed for personal bankruptcy protection in federal court in Houston. He recently lost court cases and was ordered to pay more than $1 billion to the families of children killed in the Sandy Hook massacre for fraudulent comments he made about the massacre and the children. Jones told the bankruptcy court he has from $1 million to $10 million in assets and from $1 billion to $10 billion in liabilities.
Photo courtesy of The White House Instagram page
