At least they kept the lights on. “Congress passed a two-week spending patch on Thursday, all but ensuring the government will avoid a partial shutdown this weekend. Shortly after the House vote, the Senate passed the measure on a voice vote extending the government’s funding through Dec. 21. President Trump has said he would sign the short-term extension.” Then another extension?

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The new Congress might shine some light on why Trump is so desperate to appease the Saudis. “From the early leaks of its gruesome details to President Donald Trump’s muted responses to Tuesday’s full-throated rebuke from Republican senators, the Khashoggi murder has been an exercise in political mismanagement and discord. What could have been an opportunity to craft a unified American response has devolved into a political standoff, laying bare divisions among the White House, the intelligence community and Congress.”

Voters should be lighting up his phone lines over this. “Kentucky senator Rand Paul is a grandstanding obstructionist whose chief joy seems to be blocking the few bills on which there is wide agreement. That includes at least two bills intended to benefit the state of Israel. One, introduced by Florida’s Marco Rubio and Delaware’s Chris Coons, would authorize $38 billion in security aid to Israel over the next decade. The bill is the outcome of a deal negotiated under President Barack Obama and epitomizes bipartisanship in a divided Congress with 72 co-sponsors. Israel advocates have flooded Paul’s office with calls and emails since he placed the hold in October.”

Will the light ever go on? “Fundamentally, Trump seems to misunderstand how tariffs work, insisting that they act as a tax on foreign companies and translate into more American wealth.” So no, he won’t figure out he’s wrong.