Here are my observations and opinions on my select news items of the day.

YOU’VE PROBABLY HEARD THAT Judge Emmet G. Sullivan has directed Special Counsel Robert Mueller to provide all documents created by the FBI surrounding the Michael Flynn interview by 3 p.m. today. If you, like me, are curious to know if Sullivan is a “Trump judge,” a judge appointed by President Trump, the answer is “no.” Sullivan was initially appointed to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia by President Reagan; appointed to the DC Court of Appeals by President George W. Bush; and to the federal bench by President Clinton.

MANY OF YOU BELIEVE, as I do, that Michael Flynn was set up from the start. Near the top of former President Obama’s enemies list, he was forced out of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014. “By Obama loyalist James Clapper,” according to Julie Kelly, writing in American Greatness.”

When Flynn joined the Trump campaign, he became an outspoken critic of both Obama and candidate Hillary Clinton. Obama warned Trump not to hire Flynn during their November 10, 2015 post-election meeting in the Oval Office.

When Trump defied Obama’s advice and brought Flynn on as national security advisor, the Deep State was determined to “get him.” It didn’t take long for James Comey to open an FBI counterintelligence probe into Flynn’s discussions with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

KIMBERLY STRASSEL of the Wall Street Journal referred to Sullivan as a “no- nonsense judge,” and stated that it “could spell big trouble for the FBI.”

BRIT HUME, Fox News Channel political analyst, tweeted @brithume: “The more we learn, the worse this case looks.”

I NEVER THOUGHT I’D AGREE WITH FLAKE – Arizona’s wobbly RINO Sen. Jeff “The” Flake went to the floor of the Senate Thursday to give his farewell speech and I must say that I agree with at least one of his statements:

“I believe that we all know well that this is not a normal time, that the threats to our democracy from within and without are real, and none of us can say with confidence how the situation that we now find ourselves in will turn out. To say that our politics is not healthy is something of an understatement.”

Over the past two years I have been written here about the “Deep State,” the holdovers from the Obama administration determined to torpedo the Trump presidency from within.

The bias of former acting attorney general Sally Yates, former FBI Director James Comey and his agents Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, DOJ employees Bruce Ohr and his wife Nellie Ohr has surfaced in their documents and are just the tip of the iceberg.

As Camille Paglia so aptly stated recently, “The deep state is no myth but a sodden, intertwined mass of a bloated, self-replicating bureaucracy that constitutes real power in Washington.”

Senator Flake also spoke about “authoritarianism” and tyranny” in his speech, but failed to concede that he wasn’t up to the challenge of fighting for what he stands for by seeking reelection. We all know why, don’t we?

Instead, he concluded his speech by saying:

“Ours is a durable, resilient system of government, designed to withstand the foibles of those who from time to time occupy this place, including yours truly.”

I can’t argue with that.

A FOX POLL revealed a 46 percent approval rating for President Trump, with 45 percent believing the economy will be in better shape next year.

ANOTHER POLL, take it, or leave it. The Emerson College Poll found that President Trump’s disapproval rating had dropped below 50 percent for the first time since February 2017, and is now at 47 percent. His approval rating is at 43 percent.

Also, in that poll, Emerson found the nation in a positive mood, with 47 percent of respondents expecting 2019 to be better than 2018. Just 30 percent said it would be worse.

GOOD NEWS you won’t hear from the anti-Trump media. As a result of President Trump’s promise not to ignore the forgotten people of the previous administration, he signed an executive order to create new opportunity zones rewarding those who invest in distressed communities and create more jobs “for those who have, too often, simply been left behind.”

There are opportunity zones in 8,761 communities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and five territories. Nearly 35 million Americans live these communities where the average poverty rate is 32 percent, compared to the national rate of 17 percent.

SURE, SURE – Mika Brzezinski, co-host of MSNBC’s pathetic “Morning Joe” program, wasn’t on Thursday morning due to “a long-planned family event,” according to Joe Scarborough. And if you believe that, I …

By now you have heard about her disgraceful comment about Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a comment I choose not to repeat here. Oh yeah, she issued a weak apology.

I’VE OFTEN QUESTIONED the reason for colleges to have courses in “Women’s Studies.” Now, many colleges and universities have Women’s Studies Departments.

The University of Illinois Champaign Urbana has a Gender & Women’s Studies Department, that is sharing its belief in the abolition of ICE and the police, part of nine-point platform created by the National Trans Youth Council, according to Blair Nelson, Campus Reform correspondent

“We call for the abolition of the police, ICE, borders, and the judicial system,” the platform states. It also calls for the “decolonization and reparations for all indigenous and black peoples, the eradication of cisgender heterosexual patriarchy, global white supremacy and disposability politics.

 KUDOS TO BRE PAYTON of The Federalist for challenging the Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin, who claims to be a conservative columnist. Rubin has been criticized for not espousing conservative ideas and principles, was approached by Payton after Rubin appeared at a so-called “lessons learned” session about the 2016 election.

When Payton asked her what conservative principles she holds, Rubin said “she had to run” and turned away, stopping to greet other attendees.

“It’s intellectually dishonest for her and the Washington Post to continue to call her conservative while she does and says the opposite,” wrote Payton.

          May God bless the United States of America.