Daily Archives

November 15, 2018

41 posts · Thursday

Mattis Spins Border Mission as ‘Good Training’

November 15, 2018 at 7:21 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Defense Secretary Jim Mattis defended the use of active duty troops on the U.S.-Mexican border, saying that in some ways it provides good training for war,” the AP reports.

“He argued that it’s analogous to a 1916 deployment to counter the Mexican revolutionary Gen. Francisco ‘Pancho’ Villa.”

Trump Faces a Two-Front War In 2020

November 15, 2018 at 7:15 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“To win re-election, President Trump must wage a two-front war: Not only does he have to defend Democratic-leaning Midwest states that sealed his victory in 2016, but he now needs to defend against clear Republican erosion in the South and Southwest,” Mike Allen reports.

Said former White House aide Doug Sosnik: “Changing demographics and Trump have blown up the electoral map that has dominated American politics since 1992.”

“Sosnik projects that there could be more tossup states in the South and Southwest than in the Midwest — with almost twice the number of electoral votes at stake.”

New Trump Target in 2020 Is Minnesota

November 15, 2018 at 7:13 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump could be eyeing Minnesota as a way to expand his Midwest footprint in 2020, if the activities of his designated super PAC in the midterm elections are any indication,” the Washington Examiner reports.

“Minnesota was among the limited 2018 battlegrounds to see a major investment by America First Action, which gathered data that might inform Trump’s strategy and boost his re-election bid over the next two years. America First Action tailored its activities to states and subregions considered crucial to Trump’s next campaign: Michigan; Minnesota; North Carolina; Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Maine’s 2nd Congressional District.”

McCarthy Blames Loss of House on ‘Historical Trends’

November 15, 2018 at 7:07 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“House Republicans immediately resumed a wartime posture Wednesday after electing its new leadership — vowing to aggressively resist Democrats’ agenda and work to recapture the House majority after being routed in last week’s elections,” Politico reports.

“In his first press conference after Republicans chose him to be House minority leader next year, Rep. Kevin McCarthy largely attributed the GOP wipeout to historical trends while also repeatedly blaming spending by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg as the cause of several Republican defeats in close contests.”

Theresa May Faces New Resignations

November 15, 2018 at 7:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Theresa May’s battle to win wider backing for her Brexit deal was dealt a severe blow on Thursday morning by the resignation of Dominic Raab, the minister responsible for negotiating Britain’s exit from the EU,” the Financial Times reports.

“Mr. Raab, who was only appointed this summer after the resignation of David Davis, said in his resignation letter that he could not support an ‘indefinite backstop arrangement.”

“His departure is likely to embolden other Eurosceptic ministers to quit the government and makes it less likely that Mrs. May can get her plan through parliament.”

One U.K. government minister told the Daily Beast that the government was “fucked, in every hole” and admitted this could be the endgame for May, saying there were three possible routes: May resigns as prime minister, she fights a leadership challenge in her party, or she calls an election.