It’s crunch time. Republicans are riding high off their victory after passing a sweeping tax overhaul in the Senate, and now Congress has until Friday to pass a bill to avoid a government shutdown. The current plan is to pass a two-week stopgap to give negotiators until December 22nd to reach an agreement. Dems (and some moderates GOPers) want to see legislative protection for “Dreamers” by the end of the year. Many Republicans are hoping to delay the contentious issue until March. In other news,CVS Health has agreed to buy the health insurer, Aetna, for $69 billion. But Trumping all of these stories is 45. Did he admit to obstructing justice when he tweeted, “I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI?” Many say yes, but his lawyer says no. John Dowd says his client “cannot obstruct justice because he is the chief law enforcement officer under [the Constitution's Article II] and has every right to express his view of any case.” Speaking to the press this morning, Trump defended himself (and Flynn) by asking, but what about Hillary? This comes on the heels of Trump criticizing the FBI by saying the agency is in tatters. Meanwhile, Billy Bush -- the only person who suffered any consequence of Trump bragging about sexually assaulting women -- squashed 45’s claims speculating that it wasn’t him on the Access Hollywood tape. It was you, Bush says. Oh, and Trump has officiallyendorsed accused pedophile Roy Moore in the Alabama Senate race. The president is heading to Utah this morning and will be greeted with the words ‘Go Home Trump’ spelled out by 113 protesters in white jumpsuits. The Kennedy Center Honors took place in DC over the weekend, and the President’s box remained empty as Trump boycotted the event. Speaking of babies, actor and activist Lin-Manuel Miranda is expecting his second with wife Vanessa Nadal. It was a busy weekend and will be a busy week. Let’s get started. We’re kicking off your Monday with this...
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