ICYMI: This week’s moron; Crucial election in AL; NK ICBM crisis

Hi folks, by the time you read this, I will be on vacation, which means that Chris Pandolfo is going to be running the CHB and ICYMI for the next two weeks.

Here's what happened this week.

This week's trash talk:

Mitch McConnell took some time out of his day to complain about Trump's (and many voters') “excessive expectations" for … the things that he and other congressional Republicans ran on.

And the president fired back with a solemn warning for McConnell: Get to work or get out.

Mark Levin also had words for McConnell's whining about Trump: “You think we're irritating? You're a disgrace. You're a joke."

Also, amid his rampant firings of Trump loyalists on the National Security Council, one Texas congressman has called national security adviser H.R. McMaster a “dunce."

This week's election watch:

Things got hot and heavy in the Yellowhammer State, with a special Senate election primary happening on Tuesday.

Mitch McConnell's pick to take Jeff Sessions' desk in the Senate is falling behind in the final days before the GOP primary . And his competition pulled an endorsement from Chuck Norris.

The two conservative candidates in Alabama are firing back hard against establishment-backed attack ads. And it looks like their anti-McConnell strategy is working.

However, President Trump endorsed McConnell's candidate, despite the headlines and controversy over McConnell's other comments. So, why is the president swimming in the Swamp?

Elsewhere, a former Ohio State football player wants to run for Congress. Speaking of which, are pro-Trump, anti-McConnell candidates on the rise? Meanwhile, Democrats can't find anyone to run for governor in Texas and Sen. Dean Heller is facing a primary challenge in Nevada.

This week's crisis:

The tension between the United States and North Korea escalated this week with the news that the communist regime has developed a nuke that can fit inside a ballistic missile, putting American lives in danger.

President Trump responded to the development with a definitive statement, saying that the dictatorship “ will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen" if it doesn't back down.

Yet, media types didn't really start taking things seriously until POTUS said that.

Democrats and Republicans alike criticized the president's strong declaration. Yet, as Conservative Review Editor-in-Chief Mark Levin points out, many of the people complaining are the ones who helped create the problem in the first place.

What happens next? On Friday President Trump warned North Korea that the U.S. military is “ locked and loaded," ready to defend the United States if Kim Jong Un does not back down NOW.

Next month's shutdown showdown?

Congress' first order of business when it gets back from recess will be keeping the lights on and avoiding a government shutdown.

But there are rumblings in the West Wing that POTUS could push hard for a border wall despite a reluctant and recalcitrant Congress. If Congress and the president can't agree on funding for the wall, things could escalate to a shutdown.

So, think about it: Either Congress will finally deliver on what it promised to voters with the Secure Fence Act of 2006, or it'll shut down the non-essential parts of the federal government. Some might call that a win-win.

This week's taxation:

Three Senate Democrats are refusing to toe the party line on the upcoming fight over your tax bill, and one says he doesn't give a [censored] if he doesn't get reelected.

But while the GOP tries to figure out how to take less of your money, shouldn't it be easier to save it in the meantime. I spoke with Rep. Dave Brat, who has an idea about how to do that.

This week's Trump probe:

Democrats want to know how much the government spends when the president works from his own homes/businesses. Prediction: The Far-Left manages to set hair on fire over how much White House personnel are spending on Cokes and smokes at the canteen. But they'll demand more spending on government programs during this fall's budget fight.

This week's Democrat probe:

A Democratic IT staffer allegedly stole equipment from more than 20 congressional offices, accessed the House IT system without members' knowledge, and tried to flee the country. Michelle Malkin wants to know how did Imar Awan get here?

This week's moron:

Democratic Congresswoman Kathleen Rice called NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch and the millions of law-abiding NRA members in this country a “ domestic security threat" in a tweet Thursday night. Dana Loesch did not let her get away with it.

This week's serious question:

If insurers are posting such strong profits under Obamacare, why is the government still bailing them out with taxpayer dollars?

This week's health care red pill:

“As long as the political sphere focuses on payment systems, and not on how we actually deliver care, the message is: The more things change, the more they stay the same."

Tomorrow's hope:

“ Generation Z" appears to be more conservative on health care than Congress right now.

This week's eye-roll:

With the passage of another day, comes yet another post attributing redistricting as the reason for the GOP's control of most of the country.

CNN's Chris Cillizza found it “stunning" that the GOP could still pull out a win in 2018; Rob Eno and I show how it's a no-brainer — but not for the reasons you think.

Tomorrow's segregation:

When she's not dreaming up ways to impeach the president, Maxine Waters is discussing the prospect of an all-black political party.

Off the Hill:

This child sex change story is heartbreaking

Portland police just stand by and let Antifa violence happen

This is 2017: Grown men are cuddling with each other to cope with President Trump

Trump's press secretary called 'fake Christian,' 'Jesus junkie' for sharing her faith

School: Honors classes will be decided by skin color, not intelligence

Marketing fail: Dutch airline accidentally undercuts gay acceptance message

Are big internet companies trying to silence conservatives?

Homeschooled, farmer, Christian, mother of 12 tells Lena Dunham what's up

Atlanta gym discriminates against cops and soldiers