The Starting 5: Trump Rally, Turkey Pardons, Facebook, Rudy Giuliani and Pope Francis

By Tara F. Chan On 11/26/19 at 6:00 AM EST

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The Trump White House is practically a zoo this week. Today there will be the traditional turkey pardon; yesterday the president welcomed Conan the special ops dog (named for comedian Conan O'Brien). The Belgian Malinois was injured during the historic military operation that led to the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Conan has since made a full recovery. President Donald Trump described the very good doggie as a "tough cookie" and Vice President Mike Pence said "Conan is really a hero."

Make Thanksgiving Great Again

Trump is now a Florida man and heading to his new home state for a rally tonight. The lifelong New Yorker has a soft spot for the Sunshine State: he relaunched his campaign in Florida earlier this year and in October registered the 128-room Mar-a-Lago mansion in Palm Beach as his residence. Starting at 7 p.m. ET in Sunrise, the "homecoming" rally is set to draw protesters who are expected to bring the infamous Baby Trump balloon.

Trump baby balloon protesters — Demonstrators protest with an inflated Baby-Trump balloon at Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen, Denmark, on September 2, 2019. NIELS CHRISTIAN VILMANN/AFP via Getty Image/Getty

Cold Turkey

It's that time of year again where the leader of the free world stands in the Rose Garden and pardons a turkey. This year, it's turkeys named Bread and Butter who were lucky enough to get the call and spent the evening in rather plush quarters at the historic Willard Hotel. The pardoning of one turkey begins at 11 a.m. ET before they're both shipped off to join their predecessors at Virginia Tech's "Gobblers Rest." Trump previously saved Peas and Carrots, as well as Drumstick and Wishbone, from becoming Thanksgiving dinner.

Trump turkey pardon — U.S. President Donald Trump (5th L) participates in a turkey pardoning event as one of the two candidate turkeys Peas stands on a table at the Rose Garden of the White House November 20, 2018 in Washington, DC. Alex Wong/Getty Images/Getty

Not So Open Book

Facebook is finally learning what it feels like to share your private data as it faces a deadline from the California attorney general. Facebook agreed to pass along documents relating to its privacy practices by today, after the state sued to enforce its subpoenas. California argues the tech giant moved too slowly or has "refused" its requests from an 18-month-long investigation that began after the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Facebook protester — A protester with the group "Raging Grannies" holds a sign during a demonstration outside of Facebook headquarters on April 5, 2018 in Menlo Park, California. Protesters were calling for better consumer protection and online privacy in the wake of Cambridge Analytica's unauthorized access to up to 87 million Facebook users' data. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/Getty

Home Stretch

The papal plane is carrying Pope Francis back to the Vatican today after he finished up a week-long tour of Asia. The Pope's visit to Japan was the first by a pontiff in nearly four decades, and followed a stop in Thailand where he called on countries to protect "the dignity and rights of migrants and refugees." Once home, Pope Francis has the not so small task of naming a new financial regulator head after the Vatican's own police raided its offices.

Pope Francis Japan — Pope Francis waves from the Popemobile as he drives around Tokyo Dome before conducting Mass on the third day of his four day visit to Japan, on November 25, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan. Carl Court/Getty Images/Getty

It's Not Over

Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani has been cast in the starring role during much of the impeachment testimony so far, and the intrigue continues to grow. The New York Times yesterday described how Giuliani targeted two Ukrainian oligarchs facing legal issues for information on former Vice President Joe Biden. The issue of what role Giuliani played in the Ukraine scandal keeps coming up and could open the door for Democrats to a new avenue in their impeachment inquiry and even further hearings. And with a report that federal investigators are separately looking into Giuliani's consulting business, do not expect his name to drop out of headlines any time soon.

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