Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said that he “would be willing to abandon his presidential ambitions midstream if Democrats nominate a centrist who makes it too difficult for him to win as an independent candidate,” the Washington Post reports.
Trump Declares Emergency to Build Border Wall
“President Trump formally declared a national emergency at the border on Friday to access billions of dollars to build a border wall that Congress refused to give him, transforming a highly charged policy dispute into a fundamental confrontation over separation of powers,” the New York Times reports.
“The president’s decision, previewed on Thursday, triggered instant condemnation from Democrats and some Republicans, who called it an abuse of power. House Democrats plan to introduce legislation to block the president’s move, which could pass both houses if it wins the votes of the half-dozen Republican senators who have criticized the declaration. That would put the president in the position of issuing the first veto of his presidency.”
Ex-Lawmaker Tried to ‘Coerce’ Relationship with Employee
Former congressman Mel Watt (D-NC) misused his position when he was director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency by trying to “coerce or induce” a relationship with a female employee seeking a promotion, according to a previously unreleased Inspector General’s report, the Washington Post reports.
The President Is Hallucinating
Tim Miller: “I do not offer this possibility lightly. I know that the Trump administration and its allies take very seriously false accusations of health problems. And I am aware that the president just recently received another glowing review from the plenipotentiary vice-minister of medical services in the White House and has in the past availed himself of the top-of-the-line medical advice that is afforded the wealthy in our free market system.”
“But even so, I feel compelled to abide by the DHS mantra of ‘see something, say something,’ so here it is.”
“The president seems to be hallucinating about marauding Hispanic invaders. I think we should be concerned.”
Is This Trump’s Reichstag Fire?
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Quote of the Day
“The greatest man who ever lived died via the death penalty for you and for me… If it wasn’t for Jesus dying via the death penalty, we would all have no hope.”
— Wyoming state Sen. Lynn Hutchings (R), quoted by the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, arguing that without the death penalty Jesus Christ would not have been able to die to resolve the sins of mankind.
Race for Chicago Mayor Is a Toss Up
With just 12 days until the election, a new NBC Chicago/Telemundo poll finds no clear leader in Chicago’s race for mayor.
Toni Preckwinkle barely leads the 14-person pack with 14%, followed by Bill Daley at 13%, Susana Mendoza at 12%, Lori Lightfoot at 10%, Gery Chico at 9% and Amara Enyia at 7%.
Nearly one in five voters are still undecided.
Trump’s Real Emergency Is That He’s Getting Weaker
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Weld Launches Exploratory Bid to Primary Trump
Former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld is launching a presidential exploratory committee to challenge President Trump in the Republican primaries, saying the country is “in grave peril” and he “cannot sit quietly on the sidelines any longer,” the Boston Herald reports.
“Weld becomes the first Republican to officially announce he is exploring a run against Trump, and sets up a potential match-up in the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire presidential primary and in other states.”
Top General Disagrees with Trump on Syria Pullout
The U.S. commander who has been leading the war against ISIS told CNN that he disagreed with Donald Trump’s decision to pull troops out of Syria and warned that the terror group was far from defeated, in a stark public break with the President.
Said Gen. Joseph Votel: “It would not have been my military advice at that particular time… I would not have made that suggestion, frankly.”
Votel said that he “was not consulted” before Trump’s controversial announcement late last year that the U.S. would rapidly withdraw its troops from the war-torn country.
Why Trump Is Declaring an Emergency
Jonathan Swan: President Trump liked the idea of declaring a national emergency because it’s the maximalist, most dramatic option.”
“Trump never gravitates towards complexity. And the reprogramming of funds to allow more wall spending, without declaring an emergency, would have been complicated to explain to voters.”
Trump’s Pick Called Himself Opponent of World Bank
David Malpass, President Trump’s pick to lead the World Bank, described himself in 2011 remarks as a 25-year opponent to the institution and others like it, saying that they needed to be “thrown away” and started over from scratch, CNN reports.
Life Inside Trump’s Justice Department
Washington Post: “He didn’t read intelligence reports and mixed up classified material with what he had seen in newspaper clips. He seemed confused about the structure and purpose of organizations and became overwhelmed when meetings covered multiple subjects. He blamed immigrants for nearly every societal problem and uttered racist sentiments with shocking callousness. This isn’t how President Trump is depicted in a new book by former deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe.”
“Instead, it’s McCabe’s account of what it was like to work for then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The FBI was better off when ‘you all only hired Irishmen,’ Sessions said in one diatribe about the bureau’s workforce. ‘They were drunks but they could be trusted. Not like all those new people with nose rings and tattoos — who knows what they’re doing?’”
How McConnell Locked Trump In on Funding Bill
Playbook: “Around 3 p.m., McConnell walked the short distance from his Capitol office to the Senate floor. We were with a group of reporters, and his staff said he was about to speak on the floor.”
“Moments later, McConnell was at the Republican leader desk on the floor, and was standing, readying to speak. The only problem was Sen. Chuck Grassley was speaking, and didn’t want to stop. McConnell’s staff tried to get Grassley to yield, and he wouldn’t. Finally, he stopped speaking, and said, ‘I hope the next time I have the floor, I won’t be interrupted.'”
“McConnell then spoke, saying he had spoken to the president, and he would sign the bill. He then went to apologize to Grassley, who said McConnell was ‘simply rude’ for asking him to stop his speech. The two later made up.”
Fox News: “McConnell’s favorite expression is that ‘there’s no education in the second kick of a mule.’ No fool he, McConnell made sure he locked the President in, announcing Mr. Trump’s intentions publicly on the floor. That would bind the President to stand by his word.”
Inside Trump’s Attempt to Claim Victory
“After three weeks of pained negotiations to keep the federal government open, President Trump almost blew the whole thing up again on Thursday,” the Washington Post reports.
“Headed for another defeat on his signature promise to make Mexico pay for a southern border wall, the president was frustrated after a briefing by Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and others on details of the final deal to avoid a shutdown.”
“Trump threatened not to sign the legislation, the officials said, putting the government on the brink of another damaging shutdown. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was on the phone with Trump at least three times during the course of the nerve-racking day, pressing him to stay the course and asserting that Democrats had actually lost the spending fight.”
Maduro Reveals Secret Meetings with U.S.
President Nicolas Maduro told the AP that his foreign minister recently held secret talks in New York with the U.S. special envoy to Venezuela Elliott Abrams, even as the Trump administration was publicly backing an effort to unseat the Venezuelan president.
Trump’s Emergency Declaration Will Face Many Lawsuits
“If President Trump declares a national emergency to construct a wall on the southern border, only one thing is certain: There will be lawsuits. Lots of them. From California to Congress, the litigants will multiply,” the Washington Post reports.
“They will file suit in numerous jurisdictions — certainly within the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit on the West Coast, in U.S. District Court in Washington and maybe even in New York. That’s been the pattern in the hundreds of lawsuits, many of them successful, brought against the Trump administration, the idea being that some judge somewhere will block the wall.”
New York Times: “As a matter of legal reality, the proposal is likely to be bogged down in a court challenge, leaving any actual construction work based on emergency powers spending an uncertain and, at best, distant prospect.”
Bloomberg Won’t Decide on Bid Until Next Month
“Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will not decide on whether to run for president in 2020 until March at the earliest,” CNN reports.
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