DML Briefing: Oct 17

Today is Oct. 17 and these are the stories I am watching.

1- Rep. Elijah Cummings is dead.
The radical House Democrat who poorly represented Baltimore for more than two decades and was a vocal critic of President Trump, died early Thursday after battling health problems, his office said in a statement.

DML: Move over impeachment, Dems need time to schedule the overblown memorials.

2-Pelosi, Trump accuse each other of ‘meltdown’ 
One thing is clear after top Democrats stormed out of a White House meeting with President Trump on Wednesday: The tension between the president and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has reached a boiling point — and now observers wonder if they’ll ever be able to work together. Afterward, Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer held an impromptu news conference outside the White House, telling reporters they walked out of the meeting on Syria policy after Trump allegedly called Pelosi either a “third-rate politician” or “third-grade politician” and angrily suggested the Democrats probably appreciated communist Islamic State terrorists in the Middle East.

DML: Let’s be honest, “third-rate” is actually a compliment considering what he really would like to call her.  Rhymes with “witch.”

3-Trump tells Turkey’s Erdogan, ‘Don’t be a tough guy’
Before the dramatic developments at the White House, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday he will speak to Vice President  Mike Pence and a U.S. delegation heading to Ankara over a potential ceasefire deal in Syria after apparently snubbing the group earlier in the morning. Pence, heading a U.S. contingent that includes Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien, was set to arrive in Turkey on Thursday.House lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a bipartisan resolution opposing Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. forces from northern Syria. Fox Business’ Trish Regan exclusively obtained a letter from Trump to Erdogan, urging him, “Don’t be a tough guy. Don’t be a fool,” and “work out a good deal!”

DML: Trump often creates his own messes.  This is one of those times.

4-Biden ramps up attacks on Warren
One day after arguably being overshadowed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren at the Democrats’ debate in Ohio, Joe Biden downplayed her recent gains in the polls and repeatedly criticized the progressive senator from Massachusetts. In Columbus, Ohio, Biden questioned Warren’s honesty and pushed back against the media’s labeling of her as a “co-front-runner.” “I haven’t seen any polling showing that nationally, on average, that anybody else is a front-runner,” Biden said. “You guys keep talking about that.”

DML: Warren will not be the nominee.

5-Megyn Kelly calls on NBC to have ‘outside investigator’ probe shocking sex allegations 
In her first televised interview since leaving NBC News last year, Megyn Kelly told Fox News’ Tucker Carlson that the Peacock Network needs an “outside investigator” to probe the shocking sexual misconduct allegations made by some former NBC employees. “There needs to be an outside investigation into this company,” Kelly told Carlson. “They investigated themselves. That doesn’t work.”