SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:55 P.M. ET: 

ITALY SAYS NO – FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL:  ROME—Italian voters on Sunday rejected constitutional changes backed by the government, prompting Prime Minister Matteo Renzi to announce his resignation and handing populists a victory in the heartland of Europe.  With virtually all the votes counted early Monday, 59.6% were “no,” according to Italy’s Interior Ministry, marking a stinging rebuke to Mr. Renzi’s plan to overhaul Italy’s legislature to make it easier to pass laws, including measures meant to make the country more competitive.  Mr. Renzi said he would go to Italian President Sergio Mattarella Monday afternoon to tender his resignation...The result means uncertainty in Italy, the European Union’s fourth-largest economy, as the bloc struggles to revive growth and define its future. Mr. Renzi’s resignation could clear the way for the formation of a caretaker government and, possibly, new parliamentary elections next year.  Among the biggest winners from Italy’s vote is the antiestablishment 5 Star Movement, which campaigned against Mr. Renzi and his agenda, saying more radical change is needed. The party has called for a nonbinding referendum on Italy’s euro membership. It also wants to abandon EU budget strictures and has said it might favor printing a parallel currency.  It was a vote again the elites, a protest vote.  It's happening in many places, and the trend poses a threat to the centralized authority and standing of the European Union.

MAJOR HEALTH CRISIS – FROM LONDON'S TELEGRAPH:  It is that time of year when your guests tend to over-indulge and imbibe more than is good for them, leaving their hosts to pick up the pieces.  But pets are also likely to succumb to alcohol poisoning during the festive period, as a result of them sneaking a sip of any drink left lying around the house - with potentially dire consequences.  And with more people now drinking at home than in pubs the problem is likely to get worse.  Vets have warned that because pets such as cats and dogs are naturally inquisitive, they are likely to sniff out and taste any liquids left in glasses on the floor and because of their size it takes very little to make them drunk.  The drunken dog crisis will soon reach America, and we'd better be ready for it.  Do not let your dog drive a car unless first given a breathalyzer test. 

NO SERVICE CONTRACT – FROM BREITBART:  The Russian-made jeep carrying the ashes of the late Cuban dictator Fidel Castro broke down in the middle of his funeral procession on Saturday, forcing soldiers to push the vehicle until it could be repaired.  Nearly every major news website buried the news, though it was perfectly symbolic of the Cuban regime’s economic failures, and those of socialism in general...The Associated Press seemed to ignore the news almost entirely, except in photo captions of the incident: “The Russian jeep carrying the ashes of the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro broke down and had to be pushed for a period on Saturday.”   President Obama rushed his favorite auto mechanic, John Kerry, to Cuba to address the situation.  The president also blamed Fox News for the breakdown.

December 4, 2016