Romney slams Trump’s leadership in stinging op-ed

“The president has not risen to the mantle of the office.” No Images? Click here   By Paul Vale     Wednesday, January 2 ROMNEY UNLEASHES A MITT-STORM Sen.-elect Mitt Romney (R-Utah) railed against President Donald Trump’s leadership in a scathing editorial, arguing the administration has caused “dismay around the world.” He wrote: “His conduct over the past two years, particularly his actions this month, is evidence that the president has not risen to the mantle of the office.” [HuffPost] [Tweet | Share on Facebook] TRUMP CAMPAIGN CHIEF HITS BACK WITH TYPOS Hours later, Trump’s 2020 campaign manager, Brad Parscale, defended the president with sycophancy and bad grammar. “The truth is @MittRomney lacked the ability to save this nation,” Parscale wrote on Twitter. “@realDonaldTrump has saved it. Jealously is a drink best served warm and Romney just proved it. So sad, I wish everyone had the courage @realDonaldTrump had.” [HuffPost] TEAR GAS FIRED AT BORDER MIGRANTS U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents fired tear gas and pepper spray into Mexico early Tuesday after 150 migrants attempted to cross a fence along the southwestern border, the agency said in a statement. [HuffPost] TRUMP DEMANDS SHUTDOWN MEETING Trump invited House and Senate leaders to a White House briefing on border security Wednesday as the partial government shutdown wore on over Trump’s demand for border wall funding. “Let’s make a deal?” Trump tweeted. The briefing would happen the day before the Democrats take control of the House, but the exact agenda wasn’t immediately clear. [HuffPost] DEMS TO VOTE ON PACKAGE WITH NO WALL FUNDING Democrats in the House plan to vote Thursday on a funding package to end the partial government shutdown, without providing the $5 billion Trump has demanded for his U.S.-Mexico border wall. [Reuters] SHUTDOWN LEAVES NATIONAL PARKS TRASHED Some national parks are being overwhelmed by trash, vandalism, human feces and destructive off-roading while most personnel are gone during the government shutdown. “It’s so heartbreaking. There is more trash and human waste and disregard for the rules than I’ve seen in my four years living here,” a worker in California’s Yosemite National Park told AP. [HuffPost]           BRAZIL’S THREAT TO DEMOCRACY Far-right president Jair Bolsonaro offers a model for authoritarianism that leaders around the world will follow. He is about to show how democracy collapses. [HuffPost] AMERICAN IN RUSSIAN CUSTODY ‘INNOCENT’ The family of Paul Whelan, a retired U.S. Marine recently detained on espionage charges in Russia, has defended his innocence, saying he was abroad only to attend a wedding. [HuffPost] CHINA THREATENS TAIWAN China reserves the right to use force to bring Taiwan under its control, but will strive to achieve peaceful “reunification” with the self-ruled island that has a bright future under Chinese authority, President Xi Jinping said. [Reuters] ALABAMA SHERIFF POCKETS MIGRANT FUNDS An Alabama sheriff personally banked $1.5 million in federal funds allocated to feed undocumented immigrants arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. [HuffPost] SPACEY WILL APPEAR IN COURT Former “House of Cards” star Kevin Spacey must appear in a Massachusetts court on accusations he groped a young man in 2016, a judge ruled on Monday. Spacey has said he will plead not guilty to felony indecent assault and battery. [HuffPost] WASHINGTON STATE WELCOMES GUN LAW A new law in Washington banning the sale of assault rifles to anyone under age 21 has gone into effect, part of a sweeping new gun control initiative voted into law in November. [HuffPost]       This 20-year-old just became the most expensive American soccer player of all time. An episode of “Patriot Act With Hasan Minhaj” has been removed by Netflix in Saudi Arabia after the country expressed complaints. Roger Federer beat Serena Williams in their first face off on the court. Singer Ricky Martin celebrated the new year by welcoming a new baby girl into the family with husband Jwan Yosef. Remember that $20 million ocean cleanup project? It isn’t working. “Stranger Things” Season 3 will debut on July 4. Former President Barack Obama used his first tweet of 2019 to issue a rallying cry to Americans. Trump got busted boasting about positive news coverage — written by his own White House aides. Kim Kardashian has come extremely late to the “Bird Box” party. Here are 61 books we are looking forward to reading in 2019. Madonna thrilled New Year’s Eve revelers, dropping by New York’s Stonewall Inn for an impromptu performance. Experts have offered Mark Zuckerberg some advice for 2019: “Resign from Facebook.” Here are seven great brands selling yoga pants and workout clothes. Comedian Tiffany Haddish bombed during a New Year’s Eve gig — so she ended up drinking with fans. Wrapping up Facebook’s worst year yet, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg admitted that he has no fix for the hate speech and election interference plaguing his platform. A Vancouver restaurant has denied serving up a dead rat in its chowder. Love this newsletter? Share it with a friend!      HuffPost is now a part of Oath and a part of Verizon. On May 25, 2018 we introduced a new Oath Privacy Policy which will explain how your data is used and shared. Learn More. Start your workday the right way with the news that matters most — all with a dash of signature Morning Email snark. Does somebody keep forwarding you this email? Get your own copy. It's free! Sign up here. 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