Welcome to Tuesday, December 3rd, electrons and protons...

The White House will not participate in Wednesday's impeachment hearing.

The White House has announced that neither President Donald Trump nor his attorneys will participate in Wednesday's House Judiciary Committee impeachment hearing, titled "Constitutional Grounds for Presidential Impeachment.” Four constitutional scholars — three chosen by Democrats, one by Republicans — will testify on the standards for impeachment.

In a letter to Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY), White House counsel to the president, Pat Cipollone, wrote:

"We cannot fairly be expected to participate in a hearing while the witnesses are yet to be named and while it remains unclear whether the Judiciary Committee will afford the president a fair process through additional hearings. More importantly, an invitation to an academic discussion with law professors does not begin to provide the president with any semblance of a fair process. Accordingly, under the current circumstances, we do not intend to participate in your Wednesday hearing."

As he departed the White House en route to London Monday, Trump complained: “The Democrats, the radical leftist Democrats, the do-nothing Democrats decided when I’m going to NATO — this was set up a year ago — that when I’m going to NATO, that was the exact time."

A reporter asked Trump why he wasn’t sending his lawyers to the hearing, given they weren’t heading to a NATO conference.

“Because the whole thing is a hoax. Everybody knows it," Trump responded.

Should the White House participate in impeachment hearings?

On the Radar

Gun Rights Returns to SCOTUS

The Supreme Court has begun hearing oral arguments in a controversial gun rights case that a group of Democratic senators warned could lead to calls for SCOTUS to be "restructured."

New York Rifle & Pistol Association v. New York concerns a challenge to New York City’s ban on owners transferring their licensed handguns that are locked and unloaded outside of the city limits (such as to a shooting range or weekend home). The New York State Rifle & Pistol Association believed those restrictions were a “draconian” infringement on their Second Amendment rights, in addition to interfering with their constitutional right to travel.

The restrictions were upheld by lower courts and the Supreme Court signaled in January that it would take up the case this year. That led to gun control advocates ― including the five Democratic senators who issued the warning about restructuring ― successfully lobbying New York City to change its regulations this spring. They hoped that doing so would render the case moot, thereby preventing the Court from potentially issuing a broad decision that finds a constitutional right to possess a gun outside the home for self-defense instead of narrowly striking it down.

The Supreme Court denied New York City’s motion to dismiss the case on the grounds of mootness.

Should SCOTUS strike down New York's handgun transportation law?

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Under the Radar

Which Airports Should You Avoid?

The holiday season that stretches from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day is one of the busiest times of the year for air travel. With winter weather throwing a wrench into travelers’ plans across much of the country, we take a look at which airports fare the best and worst in terms of flight delays (defined by the Dept. of Transportation as flights that are at least 15 minutes late).

The following chart from USAFacts shows the frequency of delayed departures:

Contributing most to delays: late-arriving aircraft, carrier-related issues (cleaning aircraft, loading baggage), and air traffic. Weather-related delays are present throughout the year, while security-related delays are thankfully relatively rare.

Take a look at USAFacts' data here, then join the conversation:

How do you feel about flight delays?

What You're Saying

Here's how you're answering Should the U.S. Block Technology Exports That Could Aid China’s Persecution of the Uighur Muslims?