To the Point

President Trump asked for unity from a newly divided Congress--which has more women than ever before. But, he still wants his wall, among other familiar demands--including new limits on a woman’s right to abortion.  Responding for the Democrats, Stacey Abrams focused on America’s increasing diversity.

Some newly elected Democrats want Trump to face impeachment.  But veterans like Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff are calling for patience.  Schiff tells To the Point that Congressional investigations need to find more evidence to develop public support. Meantime, Robert Mueller has indicted long-time Trump crony Roger Stone. His dirty tricks go back to the days of Richard Nixon.

Demands for the impeachment of President Trump are on the rise since Democrats re-took the House. But, what if the Senate refused to convict him? Leading Democrats fear that a move to impeach Trump would only make him stronger.  But--win or lose--the Constitutional process could put a check on his despotic inclinations.

Politically, Trump’s great wall may not be worth the government shutdown. But it appeals to his base, including evangelical Christians. As the country’s white, protestant majority gives way to diversity, some fear that the essence of America is changing. Opposition to immigration in Western Europe is no coincidence. Later on: Brexit: “No Deal, No Plan, No Clue.”

America’s mainstream media are obsessed with President Trump’s off-hand policymaking in military and foreign affairs. But his mistakes don’t justify the unquestioned authority given the Pentagon, the CIA and the FBI. William Arkin is quitting NBC News with a scathing assessment. He says the national security state has created a condition of “perpetual war” without making America safer--and that the media are failing to report it. Later on our Climate Change Update segment: how the government shutdown is hurting American science.

Newly divided government could mean change in this new year… or not. House Democrats don’t always stick together--and presidential campaigns could get in the way. The GOP might not heed Mitt Romney’s call for respectability. Meantime, will America’s allies unify to sustain world order without America’s leadership?  

When a novelist turns reporter, you don’t get journalistic cliches or more of the pack consensus. Ben Fountain is unsparing of both political parties as he reports on the presidential campaign of 2016. In “Beautiful Country Burn Again,” he finds the seeds of an “existential crisis.” Meantime, a question out of American mythology for president Trump: whatever happened to George Washington’s promise never to tell a lie?

Nick Hanauer is a billionaire. But he sees “the pitchforks coming” as the gap between “the 1%” and everyone else becomes a gaping chasm. How much longer can hedge funds profit at the expense of workers--and customers? How dire are the possible consequences as politicians go to court over an issue as fundamental as health care?

In 1972, California clinched the presidential nomination for Democrat George McGovern. Since then, the biggest state has become an ATM for candidates of both parties. But starting in 2020 all eyes will be on California as it moves its primary up to a month after the Iowa caucuses.

A balanced look at George H.W. Bush includes: the smear campaign that won him the White House, his successes in war and diplomacy, and his almost forgotten role as an environmental president. Also what lies ahead for the UK, if there’s no agreement on Brexit?