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Islanders allow three third-period goals vs. Bruins, turning back-and-fourth game into lopsided lossTrump convinced Republicans to overlook his misconduct. But can he do the same for his nominees?Jessica Hamilton, a clinical psychologist at University of Kansas Health System, said people concerned about bitter political arguments during Thanksgiving gatherings could opt out of those conversations. She said holiday dinner hosts could set boundaries for guests to forbid quarrels about the November election. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from KU Health System YouTube channel) TOPEKA — Personal political agendas, social-media inflamed partisanship and tough-to-swallow outcomes in the 2024 election are likely to simmer as families with divergent perspectives gather around dinner tables for annual Thanksgiving meals. Instead of settling whether it was acceptable to substitute lasagna for turkey as the main course, folks were likely to argue about attributes and shortcomings of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. Rather than consider whether the menu should include fried apples, braised collard greens, macaroni and cheese or roasted broccoli, relatives could slide into debate on the potential of tariffs igniting inflation. In lieu of conversation about whether pecan pie should be displaced by English toffee for dessert, diners might bicker about implications of Republicans simultaneously controlling the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. Clinical psychologists Greg Nawalanic and Jessica Hamilton, of the University of Kansas Health System, said supper-time strife could be reduced by taking a healthy approach to political differences. They recommended families and friends strive to set boundaries, be courteous, actively listen to others, express curiosity and focus on the big picture of a holiday associated with counting blessings. “If you are on the winning side, then that’s great for you. Have those feelings. Celebrate it. Maybe keep it inside of you. Talk to like-minded people about that,” Nawalanic said. “But when you have friends or family who were opposing, try to be gracious about it. Remember, they were just as invested as you were ... but now are very disappointed.” He said that during the two weeks after the Nov. 5 election about 90% of his counseling sessions were tied to ballot-box results. Hamilton said some of her patients were suffering anticipatory anxiety because they understood their personal political ideas didn’t align with others in the family. Some clients, she said, were experiencing political grief because a majority of voters didn’t see national, state or local candidates in the same way or took a contrary position on taxation, gambling or abortion questions. She said the desire of people to stand up for personal values made it difficult to accept the political opinions of rivals. One option on Thanksgiving was to not participate in political dialogue at the dinner table, she said. Those who do ought to take a deep breath before commenting to avoid escalating a rhetorical quarrel, she said. “If you want to engage, I would say engage in a way that is true to the kind of person that you want to be,” Hamilton said. “Are you wanting to be ‘right’ as far as politics go? Or, do you want to be understanding and recognize that there is a difference and be respectful?” She suggested individuals direct conversations toward poignant or humorous family stories and histories rather than squabble about political events capable of driving people apart. Hamilton said it would be acceptable for a Thanksgiving host to set ground rules in advance that precluded back-and-forth friction on political topics. Adults and children might be well-served by looking at election results through the lens of good sportsmanship, she said. “We teach our kids this,” she said. “Why aren’t we displaying that as adults? How can we be good sports and appreciate one another?” Nawalanic said the environment of some Thanksgiving gatherings could be compared to a visit to a dentist. It might not be pleasant, he said, but the agony was of limited duration. He said individuals consumed political news in different ways with some remaining glued to social media and others taking passive interest until Election Day. He said social media amplified discord during the 2024 elections. In the end, he said, technology played a larger role in this election because messaging left little room to calmly consider the range of candidates and issues. “We have to understand that when we go into these conversations there’s been an echo chamber that is so reinforced and impregnable,” Nawalanic said. “If you try to talk or communicate at your dinner table the way you’re doing it online — if you’re one of those little snipers who wants to nail you — let’s not do that.” He advised people to resist the temptation to sever family relationships based on results of November’s voting. Perhaps it would be best to explore more substantive reasons for contemplating closure of those doors, he said. “If you’re considering ending a relationship because of politics, it’s probably less about the politics and more about personality attributes in the way they’ve gone about it,” Nawalanic said. Nawalanic said it could be useful to snack before arriving for the big Thanksgiving meal, because hunger could trigger what he referred to episodes of “hanger” when controversial topics were broached. He said consumption of alcoholic beverages ought to be minimized at dinners where discord could arise because “wine is not adaptive coping.” He said it was important to remember this year’s snapshot of people around the dinner table was certain to change by next year. “Do you want to look back on this Thanksgiving and think, ‘It was such a nice, lovely family time together and a great meal,'” Nawalanic said. “Or, do you want to remember, ‘I burned her with that comment. When I said that, she felt it.'”Delhi Elections 2024: Congress announces second list of 26 candidates
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RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP)- Brazilian police on Thursday called for the indictment of ex-president Jair Bolsonaro over a 2022 “coup” plot to prevent current leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office. A police statement said its investigators concluded that Bolsonaro and 36 others planned the “violent overthrow of the democratic state.” “Federal police concluded on Thursday the investigation into the existence of a criminal organization that acted in a coordinated way in 2022 in an attempt to maintain the then-president in power,” the statement said. “The final report has been sent to the Supreme Court with the request that 37 individuals be indicted for the crimes of the violent overthrow of the democratic state, coup d’etat and criminal organization,” it said. It is up to Brazil’s attorney general to decide whether the allegations are substantiated enough to warrant criminal charges being laid. The charge of attempting a coup carries a sentence of up to 12 years in prison. Bolsonaro vowed to “fight” the allegation, and accused the Supreme Court judge overseeing the case of overstepping the law. “The fight begins at the Attorney General’s office,” Bolsonaro said on his X social media account. The judge, Alexandre de Moraes, “leads the entire investigation, adjusts statements, arrests without charges, fishes for evidence and has a very creative advisory team. He does everything that the law does not say,” Bolsonaro said. According to police, the alleged plot was hatched in the final months of Bolsonaro’s 2019-2022 presidency. Lula, a left-winger who was previously president between 2003 and 2010, won October 2022 elections to succeed the far-right Bolsonaro. The police statement did not draw a direct link between the alleged plot and an insurrection that took place in Brasilia on January 8, 2023, when thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed the capital’s presidential palace, the Congress building and the Supreme Court. Investigations continue into that upheaval, which echoed scenes from the United States two years earlier, when supporters of Donald Trump protesting President Joe Biden’s election win attacked the US Capitol in Washington on January 6, 2021. Bolsonaro has expressed admiration for Trump in the past. The list of alleged co-conspirators in the Bolsonaro case included the names of three elite soldiers and a police officer arrested on Tuesday for allegedly plotting to assassinate Lula and Moraes, in a separately announced case. – Trump parallels – Bolsonaro is the target of several investigations, but the one on Thursday placing him at the center of an alleged coup is the most dramatic. He says he is innocent and the victim of “persecution.” A former army captain, Bolsonaro has already been declared ineligible to hold public office until 2030 for having made unsubstantiated claims of fraud in Brazil’s electronic voting system. He has been prohibited from leaving the country while a vast probe named “Tempus Veritatis” (“the time of truth” in Latin) continues. The investigation has already swept up several of Bolsonaro’s closest aides. Bolsonaro hopes to overturn the ineligibility ruling and attempt a comeback in 2026 presidential elections. On X, he has posted parallels between his situation and that of Trump, who won over US voters this month to secure a return to the White House. The police investigation calling for Bolsonaro’s indictment detailed an alleged decree the ex-president was said to have given high-ranking military officers in December 2022 ordering them to arrest Moraes. Moraes was head of the national electoral tribunal that validated Lula’s victory in 2022. That decree was confirmed by the military officers in police questioning, according to transcripts made public by Moraes, who is now in charge of the case at the Supreme Court. According to a transcript released in March, a retired Brazilian army general, Marco Antonio Freire Gomes, had spoken to police investigators about the December 2022 meetings with Bolsonaro. He said a Bolsonaro aide had seen legal opinions the then-president had had drawn up supporting his attempt to stay in power.Both new and returning temporary stores have cropped up at the super-regional mall at U.S. 30 and Mississippi Street. On the lower level, Hickory Farms, Go Calendar!, 3D Luxury Crystals, Picturesque, Infinity Lights, PolarX Ornaments and Bethlehem Gifts have opened. "There's quite a few," Southlake Mall Director of Marketing Kristyn Filetti said. Hickory Farms, which specializes in cheese, summer sausage and other artisan meats, opened outside Macy's. Go! Calendar, which sells a variety of wall and desk calendars, opened outside H&M. 3D Luxury Crystals opened outside Footlocker. Picturesque, a poster and wall art store that lets people hang their photos on the wall, opened a secondary location for the holiday outside Footlocker. The store, which sells wall art of athletes, movie stars and other pop culture characters, also as an inline location on the upper-level Center Court. Infinity Lights, Retro Games and PolarX Ornaments all opened in the Center Court. Bethlehem Gifts, which sells religious tchotchkes, opened outside Hollister. 3D Luxury Crystals, Infinity Lights and Retro Games are all new additions that have come to the mall for the first time. "There's a lot of new ones as well as returning," Filetti said. "It adds a variety of options for shoppers." On the upper level, Season of Giving, Indiana Whiskey and Native Sun all opened. Season of Giving is collecting charitable donations outside of Build-A-Bear. Indiana Whiskey and Native Sun are located on the Center Court. Native Sun also has an inline lower level by Macy's and is opening a secondary location for the holiday.
U.S. Coast Guard suspends search for missing 7-year-old after 2 bodies found in Gulf of MexicoNEW YORK (AP) — A number of President-elect Donald Trump ‘s most prominent Cabinet picks and appointees have been targeted by bomb threats and “swatting attacks,” Trump’s transition team said Wednesday. The FBI said it was investigating. “Last night and this morning, several of President Trump’s Cabinet nominees and Administration appointees were targeted in violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them,” Trump transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. She said the attacks ranged from bomb threats to swatting, in which attackers initiate an emergency law enforcement response against a target victim under false pretenses. The tactic has become a popular one in recent years. Leavitt said law enforcement and other authorities acted quickly to ensure the safety of those who were targeted and Trump and his transition team are grateful. Among those targeted were New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump’s pick to serve as the next ambassador to the United Nations ; Matt Gaetz, Trump’s initial pick to serve as attorney general ; and former New York congressman Lee Zeldin, who has been tapped to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. Susie Wiles, Trump’s incoming chief of staff, and Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general whom Trump has chosen as Gaetz’s replacement, were also targeted, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity as the investigation continues. Wiles and Bondi did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The FBI said in a statement that it was “aware of numerous bomb threats and swatting incidents targeting incoming administration nominees and appointees” and was investigating with its law enforcement partners. The FBI added: “We take all potential threats seriously, and as always, encourage members of the public to immediately report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement.” White House spokesperson Saloni Sharma said President Joe Biden had been briefed and the White House is in touch with federal law enforcement and Trump’s transition team. Biden “continues to monitor the situation closely,” Sharma said, adding the president and his administration “condemn threats of political violence.” Stefanik’s office said that, on Wednesday morning, she, her husband, and their 3-year-old son were driving home from Washington for Thanksgiving when they were informed of a bomb threat to their residence in Saratoga County. Her office said “New York State, County law enforcement, and U.S. Capitol Police responded immediately with the highest levels of professionalism.” The New York State Police said a team was dispatched to sweep Stefanik’s home on Wednesday morning in response to the bomb threat but did not locate any explosive devices. The agency directed further questions to the FBI. Zeldin said in a social media post that he and his family had been threatened. “A pipe bomb threat targeting me and my family at our home today was sent in with a pro-Palestinian themed message,” he wrote on X . “My family and I were not home at the time and are safe. We are working with law enforcement to learn more as this situation develops.” Police in Suffolk County, Long Island, said emergency officers responded to a bomb threat Wednesday morning at an address listed in public records as Zeldin’s home and were checking the property. In Florida, the Okaloosa County sheriff’s office said on Facebook that it “received notification of a bomb threat referencing former Congressman Matt Gaetz’s supposed mailbox at a home in the Niceville area” around 9 a.m. Wednesday. While a family member resides at the address, the office said, Gaetz “is NOT a resident.” No threatening devices were found. Gaetz was Trump’s initial pick to serve as attorney general, but he withdrew from consideration after allegations that he paid women for sex and slept with underage women. Gaetz has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and said last year that a Justice Department investigation into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls had ended with no federal charges against him. The threats follow a political campaign marked by disturbing and unprecedented violence. In July, a gunman opened fire at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing the then-candidate in the ear with a bullet and killing one of his supporters. The Secret Service later thwarted a subsequent assassination attempt at Trump’s West Palm Beach, Florida, golf course when an agent spotted the barrel of a gun poking through a perimeter fence while Trump was golfing. Public figures across the political spectrum have been targeted in recent years by hoax bomb threats and false reports of shootings at their homes. About a year ago the FBI responded to an uptick in such incidents at the homes of public officials, state capitols and courthouses across the country around the holidays. Many were locked down and evacuated in early January after receiving bomb threats. No explosives were found and no one was hurt. Some of those targeted last year were Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. In Wu’s case, a male caller told police he had shot his own wife and tied another man up. When police and EMT responders arrived at the address given by the caller, they quickly realized it was the Boston mayor’s home. Wu, a Democrat, has also been targeted by many swatting calls since she took office in 2021. The judges overseeing the civil fraud case against Trump in New York and the criminal election interference case against him in Washington were both targeted earlier this year. Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith, who recently abandoned the two criminal cases he brought against Trump, was also the subject of a fake emergency call on Christmas Day last year. Earlier this year, schools, government buildings and the homes of city officials in Springfield, Ohio, received a string of hoax bomb threats after Trump falsely accused members of Springfield’s Haitian community of abducting and eating cats and dogs. And in 2022, a slew of historically Black colleges and universities nationwide were targeted with dozens of bomb threats, with the vast majority arriving during the celebration of Black History Month. The U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement Wednesday that anytime a member of Congress is the victim of a swatting’ incident, “we work closely with our local and federal law enforcement partners.” The force declined to provide further details, in part to “minimize the risk of copy-cats.” Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson called the threats “dangerous and unhinged.” “This year, there was not just one but TWO assassination attempts on President Trump,” he wrote on X . “Now some of his Cabinet nominees and their families are facing bomb threats.” He added: “It is not who we are in America.” ___ Associated Press writers Alanna Durkin Richer, Colleen Long and Eric Tucker in Washington, Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, and Anthony Izaguirre in Albany, New York, contributed to this report.Commentary: Carbon-capture promises require an unrealistic land grab
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Can We Still Expect a Santa Claus Rally?Fox News' Madeleine Rivera reports the latest on the decision from the White House. So you want to know about "recess appointments"? Well, recess is over and class is in session. Let’s start with four main sections in the Constitution: "[The President] shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States" – Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution PRESENT AND ACCOUNTED FOR: HOUSE REPUBLICANS' SMALL MAJORITY COULD MAKE ATTENDANCE A PRIORITY Former President Trump waves during a campaign rally at Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum on Oct. 21, 2024, in Greenville, North Carolina. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) "The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session." – Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution "Neither House, during the Session of Congress, shall, without the Consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other Place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting." – Article I, Section 5 of the Constitution And then there is this particularly thermonuclear passage: "[The President} may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper." – Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution Let’s work through the mechanics of each one. It’s tradition for a president to nominate various persons for his Cabinet, other administration positions and the judiciary. However, the Senate must confirm those figures through a roll call vote on the floor. The confirmation process usually entails formal visits with senators, background checks on nominees by the FBI or the committees of jurisdiction, hearings with the nominee and other witnesses who either support or oppose the nominee, a committee vote to discharge the nomination to the floor, debate on the floor and a final confirmation vote. This is the Senate’s "Advice and Consent" exercise. It’s a responsibility most senators take very seriously. Many passionately guard those prerogatives. ‘IT’S A SETBACK': DEMOCRATS CRITICIZE BIDEN OVER HUNTER PARDON Donald Trump watches a video screen at a campaign rally at the Salem Civic Center, in Salem, Virginia, Nov. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) For instance, incoming President Trump nominated former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., for attorney general. Gaetz met with several Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee last month. But Gaetz’s selection never got to the vetting phase or even a hearing. It was clear to Gaetz – and most senators – that the nominee wasn’t confirmable by the Senate. Confirmation of Gaetz would have represented the "consent" provision of the Constitution. However, the abrupt withdrawal of the nominee – after all of the Senate’s closed-door muttering – certainly reflected "advice." After Gaetz , expect lots of consternation in the coming weeks about the viability of Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard, Health and Human Services secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy and FBI Director pick Kash Patel. This is where the concept of "recess appointments" could come in. If the Senate fails to confirm some of Trump’s nominees, there are suggestions that Trump might try to circumvent the Senate and temporarily install these persons in those roles on an "acting" basis. This is the application of Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution. It allows the president to "fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate." A "recess appointment" may only serve in the role until the end of a given, two-year Congress. The Founders crafted the concept of a recess appointment so the government could have a stand-in for a period if a given office suddenly became vacant due to death or resignation. Congress was often out of session for months at a time in the early days of the republic. Transportation was tough. It was a challenge to quickly confirm replacements if the Senate wasn’t meeting. So the Founders created the fail-safe of "recess appointments." That way, the government wasn’t hamstrung waiting on the Senate to eventually reconvene and confirm someone to an important government post. But how would a recess appointment work in the current environment? And could a president just bypass the Senate and install someone if Congress wasn’t meeting? In theory, yes. And it’s possible that a president could do so if a nomination is stalled or someone is unconfirmed. THOMAS MASSIE, CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR VOCALLY OPPOSE TRUMP'S DEA NOMINEE Trump has yet to say who he prefers to lead the GOP conference. (Reuters) However, the brutal truth is that recess appointments are becoming rare. Both Trump and President Biden had precisely zero recess appointments. President Obama had 32. The last recess appointment was Richard Griffin Jr. to the National Labor Relations Board on Jan. 4, 2012. He was part of four recess appointments by Obama on that day. Griffin and two others were placed at the NLRB. Obama also slotted Richard Cordray as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. By contrast, President George W. Bush had 171 recess appointments. President Bill Clinton scored 139. The lynchpin to the entire enterprise is whether there is in fact an appropriate "recess" of the Congress. Only under such a recess would the Senate reside in the proper parliamentary posture to allow for the potential of a recess appointment. It’s been years now since both the House and Senate have technically abandoned Washington for more than three days. That’s to guard against the chance of a recess appointment. The House and Senate used to frequently approve what’s called an "adjournment resolution." That granted both the House and Senate leave from Capitol Hill for extended periods – such as over the holidays, Thanksgiving, Easter and Passover, Independence Day and the "August recess." But those are infrequent. This fall, both the House and Senate were "out" for part of September, all of October and a chunk of November. However, both bodies convened abbreviated sessions every three days. Each one lasted just a few seconds. That’s de rigueur in Washington because the House and Senate can’t approve an adjournment resolution. The House and Senate just don’t snap their fingers and they’re out. Like everything on Capitol Hill, both bodies must vote to adjourn. Democrats control the Senate. So it might not be a problem approving an adjournment resolution there. But the GOP controls the House. House Republicans would never green light an adjournment resolution, presenting the potential for Biden to make a recess appointment. So each body now meets for just a few seconds every three days to forestall recess appointments. This phenomenon reflects the power of Article I, Section 5, as neither body "shall, without the consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days." During his time in office, Obama believed the House and Senate were truly "in recess" – despite convening every three days. Frustrated at the pace of his nominations, the White House concluded that the three-day operation wasn’t sufficient for the House and Senate to conclude they were "out." Hence the appointment of Griffin and others during a 2012 window between sessions. TRUMP TAPS DAUGHTER TIFFANY'S FATHER-IN-LAW MASSAD BOULOS AS SENIOR ADVISERS ON ARAB AND MIDDLE EASTERN AFFAIRS Former President Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Johnny Mercer Theatre on Sept. 24, 2024, in Savannah, Georgia. ( Brandon Bell/Getty Images) But in 2014, the Supreme Court found that the Obama administration overstepped its bounds with the recess appointment. In NLRB v. Canning, the high court found that if the Senate says it’s out, it’s out. In other words, the executive branch of government has no authority interpreting actions of the legislative branch of government. Moreover, Article I, Section 5 of the Constitution allows each body of Congress to "determine the Rules of its Proceedings." That said, for the first time in U.S. history, the Supreme Court established a length of time the House and Senate must be out for there to be a "recess" and the possibility of a "recess appointment." In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court decided that recess appointments are permissible if the House and Senate are out for a period of at least 10 days. So let’s say the Senate is struggling to confirm some of the incoming president’s most-controversial nominees. Could Trump ask the House and Senate to call it quits for 10 days so he could slide a troubled nominee into place? In theory, yes. But parliamentarily, what would it take for the House and Senate to both be out of session in order to strategically create a political crevasse wide enough for a recess appointment? It’s about the math. In the new year, Republicans will control the House with perhaps as few as 217 seats. One race in California still doesn’t have a winner. The new Congress starts with one vacancy. The Senate will be 53-47 in favor of the GOP. Republicans really can’t lose any votes toward adopting an adjournment resolution. Senate Republicans can lose up to three of their own – and have Vice President JD Vance break the tie on an adjournment resolution. But four votes? They’re out of luck. Here’s the challenging part: It’s far from certain that both the House and Senate could ever muster the votes to approve an adjournment resolution for the sole purpose of engineering a recess appointment – or even a batch of them. Some House Republicans might balk. But the bigger issue could be Senate Republicans. Many senators simply won’t forgo their responsibilities to provide advice and consent. They guard those traditions closely. Plus, they worry about establishing what some would view as a terrible precedent to allow a president to install their nominees, no matter how embattled they may be. After all, Senate Republicans would rue the day they vote to adjourn in favor of installing one of Trump’s nominees – lest "President Newsom" or "President Whitmer" try the same thing in 2029. TRUMP NOMINATES CHARTLES KUSHNER TO SERVE AS US AMBASSADOR TO FRANCE: ‘STRONG ADVOCATE’ The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (iStock) In NLRB v. Canning, late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia even argued against the concept of recess appointments in the modern Senate. In today’s world, the Senate can reconvene quickly to consider nominees. "The only remaining practical use for the recess appointment power is the ignoble one of enabling presidents to circumvent the Senate’s role in the appointment process, which is precisely what happened here," said Scalia. And even if the House and Senate approved an adjournment resolution of more than 10 days, exactly when would the recess fall? Congressional Republicans promise a robust agenda in 2025. When the House and Senate are out, they are out. That means nothing on the floor in both bodies for at least a week-and-a-half. No legislation on tax cuts. Nothing dealing with the debt ceiling or cutting spending. Forget about immigration policy. So the political postulate of a recess appointment is fascinating. But it’s altogether something different in practice. This brings us to Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution. This is the "thermonuclear passage" I referred to earlier. The Constitution states that "on extraordinary Occasions" the President may "convene both Houses, or either of them, and in the case of Disagreement between them with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper." U.S. presidents have never exercised this authority to "adjourn" Congress. No one knows what constitutes "extraordinary Occasions." And, a lay reading of Article II, Section 3 suggests there must be a discrepancy between the House and Senate over adjourning – for the purposes of a recess appointment. In other words, the House may be able to approve the adjournment resolution – and the Senate may not or vice versa. In theory, President-elect Trump could try this gambit to adjourn Congress. But this is new constitutional turf. Yes. A recess appointment like Cordray or Griffin may find themselves in the job. But the Trump administration would inevitably find itself in front of the Supreme Court about the validity of those appointments. Just like the Obama administration. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP So recess appointments are theoretically possible. But in reality, they are very hard to put into place. And for our purposes, it’s time for a recess. Class dismissed. Chad Pergram currently serves as a senior congressional correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.