Trump-free Friday politics roundup: Dec. 29

Republicans accomplish things, Roy Moore is a sore loser, and North Korea is moving along in this week’s Trump-free politics roundup.

McConnell refers to “extraordinary accomplishment” in 2017

Though many have concentrated on the failures of the Republican-dominated government, such as ACA repeal and the much-talked-of border wall, that isn’t the whole story. In truth, all branches of government have won as many battles as they have lost. Look at the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, which went relatively smoothly. That’s in contrast to Obama’s nomination, Merrick Garland, whose appointment was thwarted by Congressional Republicans.

The recent approval of the sweeping tax overhaul proved to be the most recent cause for celebration. It gives significant breaks to corporations and more moderate ones to middle-class families. The new tax code will also greatly change the insurance mandate set forth by the still-standing Affordable Care Act and has opened the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil developers.

From a conservative mindset, then, this is not too shabby. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has even described this as a year of “extraordinary accomplishment” for his party.

Is this wishful thinking? It’s hard to tell. Certainly, assaults on the ACA were unpopular, as is the tax overhaul. Yet, the 2016 presidential election has, if nothing else, taught us to be exceedingly careful when predicting the political future.

The true test will come in November of 2018 when mid-term elections will show just how much voters have or have not turned against the Republican majority.

Roy Moore won’t go away

When Sen. Jeff Sessions left to become the U.S. attorney general, his seat was left vacant. Alabama was then required to hold a special election to pick a new senator.

At first, Republican Roy Moore was the favorite to win in the deep-red state. However, Democratic challenger Doug Jones won a surprising victory. Jones proved to be far more popular with black voters, who turned out in droves. Allegations of Moore’s sexual misconduct with underage girls during the 1970s also likely ruined his chances.

Rather than step away gracefully, Moore refused to concede. On Wednesday, he filed a complaint regarding Alabama’s special election. He claimed that there was evidence of voter fraud and wanted to delay certification of the results. As part of this evidence, Moore pointed to an “anomalous” voter turnout in Jefferson County.

The complaint also claimed that Moore had taken a polygraph test focusing on the aforementioned sexual misconduct allegations. “As I had expected,” Moore wrote, “the results of the examination reflected that I did not know, nor had I ever had any sexual contact with any of these individuals.”

It is worth noting that polygraph tests are highly controversial. They are not universally accepted in court.

However, he was defeated on two fronts. Alabama Circuit Judge Johnny Hardwick denied Moore’s petition. On the same day, the State Canvassing Board certified the election results, making Jones’ win official.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister had a very strange November

Prime Minister Saad Hariri was not expecting to be caught up in Saudi intrigue. Yet, during a trip to Saudi Arabia last month, that is exactly what happened.

Hariri, who was friendly with the Saudi royal family that governs the country, was allegedly treated rudely by guards and hustled to a position in front of television cameras. There, he was given a pre-written resignation speech and was forced to read it for broadcast. The speech also blamed Hezbollah, a militant group based in Lebanon, as well as Iran.

Once he was back in Lebanon, Hariri immediately canceled his resignation. Why did all of this happen? Who forced Hariri to read the sham resignation?

This was all apparently the plan of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the heir to the Saudi throne. In June, he was named the crown prince in a surprise move. Analysts suggest that he was chosen for his more modern ways and desire to push Saudi Arabia into a new era.

Detractors, however, claim that he will become a despot. The Prince has also purged fellow royals and businessmen and blockaded Qatar.

Certainly, the events of Hariri’s stay were orchestrated in a heavy-handed manner. Apparently, Prince Mohammed wished to get rid of a Prime Minister who was deemed insufficiently loyal. In doing so, he would also potentially damage Lebanon’s relationship with Iran.

Saudi Arabia and Iran have long butted heads in the region. Hariri, meanwhile, is a dual Lebanese-Saudi citizen with significant business interests in the region.

North Korea may have nuclear submarines

Recently uncovered documents indicate that North Korea may now have access to armed nuclear submarines. These include Russian missiles, sold after the Cold War, that are intended to be launched from those submarines. Now, those same missile designs appear to have been replicated by the DPRK’s rocket scientists.

It’s not entirely clear how or even if these particular missile designs were sold to North Korea. However, it is hard to deny to similarities between the now-vintage designs and the more modern rockets on North Korean launchpads.

Meanwhile, it appears that South Korean officials are preparing for the possibility of an anthrax attack. Park Soo-Hyun, a spokesman for South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in, stated that the country had bought 1,000 doses of anthrax vaccines. It was ordered by now-jailed President Park Geun-Hye after a 2015 incident where the U.S. military accidentally sent live anthrax used in research instead of a deactivated vaccine. No one was infected, though it was an embarrassing accident.

It’s unclear whether or not North Korea possesses the capability of releasing an anthrax-based bioweapon. Given the country’s haphazard missile development, they may not be able to keep a payload of anthrax from being destroyed on contact.

However, residents of South Korea are still concerned. The Seoul capital area contains an estimated 10 million people and is a mere 35 miles from the border with North Korea. A missile could easily reach this dense population center. Other biological agents could also be used. In June, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists warned that a sarin gas attack could also wreak destruction in Seoul.

And, finally, your palate cleanser

At the end of the year, it’s typical for us to reflect back on the events, large and small, that have shaped us.

It’s important to look at the injustices of the world straight on, without distraction or kindly filters. The only beginning to change is to see things as they are, everything will all of the beauty and ugliness it generates.

So, it’s not entirely right to distract you from the ills of our existence. But, neither are we here to totally bring you down. Despair isn’t useful, after all. And reading the news may leave you tottering at the edge of despair and depression, sure, but we also have to learn how to blunt that edge and keep going.

That’s what makes classic episodes of The Simpsons nearly perfect. At its best, The Simpsons delivered stories full of intelligence and silliness balanced by an honest look at humanity. This is despite that fact that many of its characters are bright yellow and one has a three-foot tall blue hairdo.

Next: 20 female masters of science fiction to add to your reading list

Think of family man Homer Simpson, who fails again and again, but in absurd and oftentimes hilarious ways. Yet, at the end of the day, he still has his family and his job (there’s got to be something of a fantasy element, too).

If this moves you to watch some episodes, there are plenty of sources that claim to have ranked the best Simpsons stories of all time.

Of course, you’ll have to discover (or re-discover) your favorites yourself.