By most accounts, 2016 was a horrible year—arguably the worst in recent memory.
The world said goodbye to many iconic celebrities; the United Kingdom said goodbye to the European Union; and, with the election of Donald Trump, the United States said goodbye to its moral standing.
But that's not to say that all is lost; as 2017 begins, we have much to celebrate, and reason to be hopeful.
First and foremost, we have a "new King" ... long may he reign.
And, even more exciting, we face the prospect of a nuclear arms race with Russia—one that we're all-but-certain to win.
Now, I'm not saying that we won't get our hair mussed, but I do say no more than ten to twenty million killed, tops—uh, depending on the breaks.
Morning lineup:
Meet the Press: Former White House Press Secretary Ari Flesicher; Former White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart; Former White House Communications Director Nicolle Wallace; Editor-In-Chief Gerard Baker (Wall Street Journal); Executive Editor Dean Banquet (New York Times); Claire Atkinson (NY Post); Hal Boedeker (Orlando Sentinel); David Folkenflik (NPR); Gabe Sherman (New York Magazine).
Face The Nation: Author Isabel Wilkerson; Author J.D. Vance; Author Diane Guerrero; Author Amani Al-Khatahtbeh; Roundtable: Jeffrey Goldberg (The Atlantic), Michele Norris (Race Card Project), Michael Gerson (Washington Post) & David Frum (The Atlantic).
This Week: Incoming White House Press Secretary & Communications Director Sean Spicer; Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA); Interim DNC Chair Donna Brazile; Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich; Roundtable: Mary Bruce (ABC News), Steve Inskeep (NPR), Karine Jean-Pierre (MoveOn.org) & Republican Strategist Kevin Madden.
Fox News Sunday: Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR); Trump Transition Advisor Leonard Leo; Former Obama Economic Advisor Austan Goolsbee; Steve Moore (Heritage Foundation); Bill O'Reilly (Fox News); Roundtable: Charles Hurt (Washington Times), Democratic Strategis Julie Roginsky, Republican Strategist Lisa Boothe & Daniel Halper (NY Post).
State of the Union: Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN); Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA); House Member-Elect Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE); House Member-Elect Charlie Crist (D-FL).
Evening lineup:
60 Minutes will feature: a report on gun violence in Chicago (preview); a report on a long-running court fight over the rights to the brand Havana Club Rum (preview); and, a report on how small island nations such as Antigua and Dominica sell citizenship (preview).
Late night shows:
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Monday-Friday: Reruns.
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Monday: Pre-empted; Tuesday: TBA; Wednesday: TBA; Thursday: TBA.
Elsewhere...
Trump ally Carl Paladino shared some of his wishes for the new year.
Carl Paladino, the former co-chair of President-elect Donald Trump's New York campaign and the Republican nominee for governor of New York in 2010, told a Buffalo arts publication that his wishes for 2017 included President Barack Obama dying of mad cow disease and his wife, first lady Michelle Obama, "return to being a male."
The Buffalo developer and member of ths local school board made the statements to Artvoice when asked what he wished to see happen in 2017.
"Obama catches mad cow disease after being caught having relations with a Herford," he said. "He dies before his trial and is buried in a cow pasture next to Valerie Jarrett, who died weeks prior, after being convicted of sedition and treason, when a Jihady cell mate mistook her for being a nice person and decapitated her."
Paladino then moved on to his racially charged comment about Michelle.
"I'd like her to return to being a male and let loose in the outback of Zimbabwe where she lives comfortably in a cave with Maxie, the gorilla."
Then...
Facing an immediate backlash, he issued a classic non-apology.
"I never intended to hurt the minority community who I spent years trying to help out of the cycle of poverty in our inner cities," Paladino wrote Tuesday in an open letter to Artvoice, the publication to which he'd earlier sent racist responses to interview questions. "To them I apologize."
Once Paladino's remarks were publicized, he tried to downplay them, insisting that they had "nothing to do with race." But after drawing condemnation from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), Trump’s transition team and his own son, among others, it appears Paladino felt the need to do more damage control.
In his letter on Tuesday, Paladino said he’d never intended to send the comments to Artvoice to begin with.
"I filled out the survey to send to a couple friends and forwarded it to them not realizing that I didn’t hit 'forward' I hit 'reply,'" Paladino wrote. "All men make mistakes."
And, finally...
The Buffalo Board of Education passed a resolution calling on Paladino to resign, with few objections.
Only two board members ― Patti Pierce and Larry Quinn, who are considered Paladino allies ― did not support the resolution. They said they would like to see Paladino apologize to the students of the district rather than resign.
Pierce said she hoped the people in Buffalo could show Paladino some forgiveness for his comments and "take a page out of the horrific massacre that happened in Charleston, South Carolina, where nine innocent people in a house of worship were slain by a hateful, hate-filled man."
The comparison drew gasps from the audience and was too much for one woman, who left shouting that it was offensive to use the murdered African-American congregation members in this situation.
The end.
– Trix