The Nutcracker

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  FBI divers search for body in Rogers County pond

  The FBI is in Rogers County after a tip on the remains of a man killed in 2013.  The tip went to police in Norman. The tipster said two people with a chainsaw killed a man on the property just south of Talala. There was enough specific information that Rogers County Sheriff Scott Walton asked the FBI to assist. The team is committed to at least three days of searching. Investigators haven’t revealed a possible name of the victim. 
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  Hours extended at driver license offices in Tulsa, Broken Arrow

  The Oklahoma Department of Public Safety has begun a pilot program at three driver license offices, extending the hours of operation to see if people will be willing to come before or after work to do their business. Sarah Stewart, Director of Media Operations for DPS, tells KRMG one Tulsa office already opened early, but has extended its hours in the evening. The Broken Arrow office now opens earlier on weekdays, and stays open later on Mondays and Thursdays. “We really wanted to just try this out and see how many people come in and utilize these before and after work hours, and how much easier it makes it for our customers to get their business done with DPS,” she said. “And we hope it helps.” The pilot program involves also involves one office in Oklahoma City. If it is well received, and utilized, by the public, the agency may extend hours at additional offices around the state, Stewart said. So far, she said, the early-morning hours seem to be popular. But if you want to bypass the lines, the hours between 5:00 and 6:45 p.m. haven't seen much traffic so far. “We're seeing an influx of people coming in those early morning hours, and not as many in the evening,” Stewart told KRMG. “So it'd be a good time to come in and avoid the lines.” CURRENT SCHEDULE: Tulsa Eastgate (14002 East 21st Street) 6:30 a.m. - 6:45 p.m. Monday-Friday  Broken Arrow (1635 South Main Street) 7:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 7:00 a.m. - 6:45 p.m. Monday and Thursday
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  Trump, Dems in tentative deal on North American trade pact

  House Democrats have reached a tentative agreement with labor leaders and the White House over a rewrite of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal that has been a top priority for President Donald Trump. “I’m hearing very good things, including from unions and others that it’s looking good. I hope they put it up to a vote, and if they put it up to a vote, it’s going to pass,” Trump said Monday. “I’m hearing a lot of strides have been made over the last 24 hours, with unions and others.” “We’re close. We’re not quite finished yet. We’re within range,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday night. She briefed lawmakers on the negotiations earlier in the evening and said more meetings would follow Tuesday. The tentative accord was revealed by a Democratic aide not authorized to discuss the talks and granted anonymity because the agreement is not official. In Mexico City, Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said Monday night that there would be a meeting of the three countries’ negotiating teams Tuesday “to announce the advances achieved” on the trade agreement. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer was expected to travel to Mexico City to participate.
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  READ the Articles of Impeachment against President Trump

  House Democrats on Tuesday unveiled the details of their two impeachment charges in the investigation of President Donald Trump, bringing articles that cover alleged abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. 'We must be clear - no one, not even the President - is above the law,' said Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), who will shepherd the impeachment charges through the House Judiciary Committee later this week. The focus for Democrats is the President's request in a July 25 phone call with the leader of Ukraine, where a rough transcript of the call shows Mr. Trump asking Ukraine to announce investigations into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, and into a debunked conspiracy theory that Ukraine - and not Russia - hacked Democrats in 2016. 'The evidence of the President's misconduct is overwhelming and uncontested,' said Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), who led five days of public impeachment hearings in the House Intelligence Committee. ARTICLE ONE - ABUSE OF POWER The nine page impeachment resolution features two charges; the first is on 'Abuse of Power.' This charge follows the President's July 25 phone call with the President of Ukraine. 'President Trump engaged in this scheme or course of conduct for corrupt purposes in pursuit of personal political benefit,' the impeachment resolution states. 'He thus ignored and injured the interests of the Nation,' it concludes. The impeachment article specifically mentions the President's effort to have Ukraine announce an investigation with respect to former Vice President Joe Biden - saying Mr. Trump 'corruptly solicited' the government of Ukraine for help. The resolution also says Mr. Trump wanted an investigation into a 'discredited theory promoted by Russia alleging that Ukraine - rather than Russia - interfered in the 2016 United States Presidential election.' ARTICLE TWO - OBSTRUCTION OF CONGRESS The second impeachment article is on 'Obstruction of Congress' - as Democrats charge the President wrongly directed those in the Executive Branch to defy subpoenas from Congress in the Ukraine investigation. The resolution specifically names nine different Trump Administration officials who defied subpoenas from Congress for their testimony, including Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, and the head of the Office of Management and Budget Russ Vought. Not named in the resolution are three other figures who refused to cooperate - the President's attorney Rudy Giuliani, former Energy Secretary Rick Perry, and former National Security Adviser John Bolton. The House Judiciary Committee is expected to debate and vote on the impeachment articles on Thursday. A vote in the full House is expected next week. Democrats reach deal with Trump on US-Mexico-Canada trade deal Internal DOJ watchdog: Russia probe properly started by FBI
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  Articles of impeachment: What are they; what is next in the process

  Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, on Tuesday announced that the House of Representatives would be bringing articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. >> Read more trending news  Pelosi, who stood with the chairmen of the six committees she tasked in September with leading an impeachment inquiry into Trump’s dealings with the president of Ukraine, tweeted before the announcement that Trump had “used the power of his office against a foreign country to corrupt our upcoming elections.” “He is a continuing threat to our democracy and national security,” Pelosi tweeted. Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-New York, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, announced that the House would pursue two articles of impeachment against Trump. The first is for abuse of power, and the second is for obstruction of Congress. “Today, in service to our duty to the Constitution, and to our country, the House Committee on Judiciary is introducing two articles of impeachment charging the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump, with committing high crimes and misdemeanors,” Nadler said. Articles of impeachment, or a list of charges of wrongdoing brought against the president, are required to move to a vote in the House to impeach Trump. While the articles of impeachment are needed to move forward, there are still several steps in the process that could lead to the impeachment of the president in the House and his conviction and removal from office in the Senate. Here is what is set to happen next: Tuesday: Articles announced On Tuesday two articles of impeachment were announced. Thursday: Judiciary vote On Thursday the Judiciary Committee will take a vote on each separate article of impeachment. Each must be approved separately. The Judiciary Committee has the sole power to move the articles of impeachment along. The articles are expected to pass out of that committee where Democrats hold a 24-17 majority of members. TBA: House debate The full House of Representatives will debate the articles if they are passed out of the Judiciary Committee. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will set the time for the debate to begin and determine how long debate will last. TBA: Full House vote Once debate is concluded, each article of impeachment will be voted on separately. It takes a simple majority for an article of impeachment to pass. That means it takes 218 votes in the House. Trump is impeached by the House if any of the articles of impeachment against him are passed. What happens next If Trump is impeached, the next part of the process would move to the U.S. Senate. There, a trial presided over by U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts will be held and if Trump is convicted on the charges – by a two-thirds vote or 67 votes – he will be removed from office. There are 53 Republicans in the Senate and 45 Democrats and two Independent senators who generally vote with the Democrats. If Trump is not convicted, he remains impeached and he remains in office.

Washington Insider

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  READ the Articles of Impeachment against President Trump

  House Democrats on Tuesday unveiled the details of their two impeachment charges in the investigation of President Donald Trump, bringing articles that cover alleged abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. 'We must be clear - no one, not even the President - is above the law,' said Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), who will shepherd the impeachment charges through the House Judiciary Committee later this week. The focus for Democrats is the President's request in a July 25 phone call with the leader of Ukraine, where a rough transcript of the call shows Mr. Trump asking Ukraine to announce investigations into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, and into a debunked conspiracy theory that Ukraine - and not Russia - hacked Democrats in 2016. 'The evidence of the President's misconduct is overwhelming and uncontested,' said Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), who led five days of public impeachment hearings in the House Intelligence Committee. ARTICLE ONE - ABUSE OF POWER The nine page impeachment resolution features two charges; the first is on 'Abuse of Power.' This charge follows the President's July 25 phone call with the President of Ukraine. 'President Trump engaged in this scheme or course of conduct for corrupt purposes in pursuit of personal political benefit,' the impeachment resolution states. 'He thus ignored and injured the interests of the Nation,' it concludes. The impeachment article specifically mentions the President's effort to have Ukraine announce an investigation with respect to former Vice President Joe Biden - saying Mr. Trump 'corruptly solicited' the government of Ukraine for help. The resolution also says Mr. Trump wanted an investigation into a 'discredited theory promoted by Russia alleging that Ukraine - rather than Russia - interfered in the 2016 United States Presidential election.' ARTICLE TWO - OBSTRUCTION OF CONGRESS The second impeachment article is on 'Obstruction of Congress' - as Democrats charge the President wrongly directed those in the Executive Branch to defy subpoenas from Congress in the Ukraine investigation. The resolution specifically names nine different Trump Administration officials who defied subpoenas from Congress for their testimony, including Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, and the head of the Office of Management and Budget Russ Vought. Not named in the resolution are three other figures who refused to cooperate - the President's attorney Rudy Giuliani, former Energy Secretary Rick Perry, and former National Security Adviser John Bolton. The House Judiciary Committee is expected to debate and vote on the impeachment articles on Thursday. A vote in the full House is expected next week. Democrats reach deal with Trump on US-Mexico-Canada trade deal Internal DOJ watchdog: Russia probe properly started by FBI
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  Democrats reach deal with Trump on US-Mexico-Canada trade deal

  After months of quiet negotiations with the White House on changes to the USMCA trade agreement, Democrats on Tuesday said they had reached a deal with President Donald Trump on a deal to replace the NAFTA agreement with Mexico and Canada, possibly paving the way for a vote this year on one of the President's biggest agenda items. 'This is a day we have all been working for,' Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters. 'It is infinitely better than what was initially proposed by the Administration.' Democrats had pressed for a series of changes related to enforcement of labor and environmental standards, and won new provisions dealing with enforceability of those items. 'It's a victory for America's workers,' Pelosi added, as the head of the AFL-CIO signaled his public support. A variety of groups hailed the news. 'We are optimistic this development will open the door to final approval of USMCA on a bipartisan basis by the end of the year,' said Tom Donahue, the CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 'This is welcome news and a relief for American farmers,' said Angela Hoffman of the group Farmers for Free Trade. 'Farmers and ranchers will be watching closely to ensure that their members of Congress are standing up for American agriculture,” Hoffman added. 'The USMCA will create even more jobs for the hardworking families who are the backbone of our economy – the farmers, ranchers, manufacturers, and small business owners,' said Vice President Mike Pence in a statement. Pence's written statement said Democrats had finally 'acquiesced' to a vote on the agreement - but the White House had been fully involved in the behind the scenes talks in recent months with Democrats and other outside groups. The late changes include agreements to strengthen labor standards, toughen the environmental agreements, set up stricter verification mechanisms, and on dispute resolution issues among the three nations. The agreement came after months of public criticism of Democrats by the President and GOP lawmakers in Congress - which grew harsher and harsher in recent weeks - even as the White House was working behind the scenes with Speaker Pelosi on ways to tweak the agreement in order to get the support of Democrats and major labor unions. 'There is no question of course that this trade agreement is much better than NAFTA,' Pelosi said at a news conference in the same room where she helped to announce impeachment charges against the President - just an hour earlier. A House vote is expected next week on the USMCA deal - just about the same time that lawmakers will also be voting on a pair of historic impeachment charges against President Trump.
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  Democrats ready to unveil impeachment charges against Trump

  After a nearly ten hour impeachment hearing in the House Judiciary Committee on Monday, Democrats in the U.S. House set a news conference for Tuesday morning to announce their next steps, reportedly ready to unveil two impeachment charges against President Donald Trump. The news conference was set as Democrats argued Monday that President Trump had wrongly held back military aid to Ukraine in an effort to pressure that government to announce investigations which could benefit Mr. Trump politically in the 2020 elections. 'Such conduct is clearly impeachable,” Rep. Jerry Nadler D-NY said as he wrapped up the hearing of the House Judiciary Committee. 'This committee will proceed accordingly.' 'The evidence is undisputed and overwhelming,' said Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA). 'President Trump thinks he can get away with it,' said Rep. Val Demings (D-FL). 'But he got caught - and he tried to cover it up.' 'The President's pattern of behavior is incredibly disturbing,' said Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-FL). 'Russia, Ukraine, China - he's inviting three countries to help him in his 2020 re-election campaign,' the Florida Democrat added. While there had been talk that Democrats would produce as many as five different articles of impeachment, the latest indications were there would be only two - covering abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Republicans denounced the entire process, saying Democrats were rushing simply because they did not have evidence to back up their claims against the President. “This is ridiculous,” Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) said at one point during Monday's House Judiciary Committee hearing. “We shouldn't be doing this.” “This is a sham,” said Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA).
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  Internal DOJ watchdog: Russia probe properly started by FBI

  In a long awaited report on the origins of the Russia investigation, the Inspector General of the Department of Justice concluded on Monday that the 2016 investigation of possible Russian election interference was properly undertaken by the FBI, saying there was no evidence the Trump Campaign had been spied upon by investigators. The 476 page report found that 'Crossfire Hurricane' - the code name for the original Russia investigation - 'was opened for an authorized investigative purpose and with sufficient factual predication.' Pushing back against claims that the FBI had illegally spied on the Trump campaign, the IG report found 'no evidence that the FBI placed any' confidential human sources 'to report on the Trump campaign.' The IG report confirmed that the decision to start the investigation had been spurred by revelations from an Australian diplomat, who had been told early in 2016 by Trump foreign policy aide George Papadopoulos that the Russians had 'dirt' on Hillary Clinton. The report also indicated that even before the formal investigation was undertaken, the FBI was already looking carefully at Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, and Trump foreign policy adviser Carter Page. Both men had known ties to people suspected of being involved with Russian Intelligence. The report also rejected claims of political bias from inside the FBI - even as it raised questions about bias from both sides of the aisle. The report addressed the previously known text messages between FBI lawyer Lisa Page and top counterintelligence official Peter Strzok - but found they did not play any role in the decision to launch the investigation into possible Russian interference or ties to the Trump campaign in 2016. On the other side, the report also found evidence from some FBI investigators that they favored Mr. Trump - also leaving an electronic paper trail - and in this case, indicating their desire to investigate the Clinton Foundation. In an odd twist to the public release of the report, Inspector General Michael Horowitz found his conclusions under public attack from the Attorney General of the United States. 'The Inspector General’s report now makes clear that the FBI launched an intrusive investigation of a U.S. presidential campaign on the thinnest of suspicions that, in my view, were insufficient to justify the steps taken,' Barr said in his own statement, which was at odds with the IG's conclusion. The skepticism also included a statement from U.S. Attorney John Durham, Barr's handpicked investigator who is doing his own review of the same situation. For Republicans the report's criticism of possible problems with the FISA process dealing with former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page was the target of most GOP criticism. In the report, the IG found that there were a number of 'factual misstatements and omissions' in terms of information, which might have undermined what officials thought was an easy decision to sign off on a FISA application for surveillance of Page, who was no stranger to the FBI when it came to Russian intelligence investigations. 'Our review found that FBI personnel fell far short of the requirement in FBI policy that they ensure that all factual statements in a FISA application are 'scrupulously accurate,' the IG summary stated. 'We identified multiple instances in which factual assertions relied upon in the first FISA application were inaccurate, incomplete, or unsupported by appropriate documentation, based upon information the FBI had in its possession at the time the application was filed,' the report continued. But the IG did not take any stance on whether the Page FISA requests were improper.
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  Amid impeachment, Congress aims for flurry of last minute deals

  Even as Democrats press ahead with a historic effort to impeach President Donald Trump in the House, lawmakers in both parties are on the cusp of possibly producing series of major, bipartisan legislative deals, covering everything from a crackdown on surprise medical bills to a compromise establishing the President's plan for a 'Space Force' at the Pentagon in exchange for a big benefits change for federal workers. The calendar doesn't offer much time for action in either the House or Senate, as lawmakers hope to leave town by the weekend before Christmas - which would give the House and Senate until around December 20-23. Here are some of the big issues which might get resolved in Congress at the same time as Democrats force a vote on impeachment. 1. Lawmakers cut deal on surprise medical bills. Sunday brought news that a group of key lawmakers - in both parties from the House and Senate - had reached agreement on a plan to rein surprise bills which consumers often face, especially after emergency care. Backers stressed the bipartisan nature of the agreement. 'The legislation includes proposals from 80 Senators, 46 Democrats and 34 Republicans,' said Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) in a Sunday statement. That does not necessarily mean this deal gets voted on in the next two weeks. 2. New minimum age to buy tobacco products. The deal on the issue of surprise medical bills also has some other items involved in it, including a provision which would raise the minimum age to buy tobacco products to 21 years. The idea of raising the legal age for buying cigarettes and tobacco has been supported in recent months by the Senate's top Republican - Majority Leader Mitch McConnell - but it's not clear if McConnell would rush such a bill to the Senate floor over the next two weeks. 3. 'Space Force' might be ready for launch. Lawmakers in both parties were trying to finalize a major defense policy bill early this week, and the details are expected to finally give President Trump his plan to set up a 'Space Force' inside the Pentagon. The plan - which has been resisted by lawmakers in both parties - would not set up a brand new branch of the military, as sought by President Trump. Instead, the Space Force would operate out of the Air Force, sort of like the Marines are considered part of the Navy. Critics argued a plan to set up a separate new branch of the military would have been too expensive, and would create an unnecessary new bureaucracy. 4. Paid family leave benefit for federal workers? The President won't get his Space Force for nothing in this major defense policy bill, as reportedly the deal with the White House will give around 2.7 million federal workers a new benefit - paid family leave. The plan would reportedly include up to 12 weeks of such leave for federal civilian workers. While no final bill language has been released, a tweet from over the weekend by President Trump's daughter shows this exchange could well be part of the defense bill. Stay tuned. 5. USMCA trade deal still a late year possibility. With a flurry of late negotiations involving U.S., Mexican, and Canadian trade officials, it's still possible that the final touches could be put on a new trade deal among the three nations, and have it voted on by the House and Senate. The White House has been quietly working with Mexico and Canada in recent weeks to work out tweaks to the agreement, mainly dealing with labor and environmental enforcement, trade dispute resolution, and issues dealing with some medical drugs. While the President and his allies keep saying the plan has been sent to Congress already for a vote - that is simply not true. 6. Government funding plan remains in limbo. While there were seemingly agreement on surprise medical billing, the Space Force, and more, lawmakers still have not finalized a giant package of bills to fund the operations of the federal government for 2020. The current temporary funding bill runs out on December 20. While there is obviously the threat of a government shutdown, lawmakers in both parties hope they can either reach a deal now - or extend that temporary spending plan into the New Year. So, this could also be part of a late rush of big legislation.