Archives for 2019

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Americans Not Buying Barr’s Summary of Mueller Report

March 31, 2019 at 9:08 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new NBC News/ Wall Street Journal poll finds that 29% of Americans say they believe President Trump has been cleared of wrongdoing, based on what they have heard about special counsel Robert Mueller’s findings, while 40% say they do not believe he has been cleared.

But a third of Americans — 31% — say they’re not sure if Trump has been cleared. That includes nearly half of independents (45%) and about a quarter of both Democrats (27%) and Republicans (25%.)

Washington Post: How the Mueller report can still threaten Trump’s legitimacy.

Chyron of the Day

March 31, 2019 at 8:47 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Pirro Calls for Jailing of Trump’s ‘Traitorous’ Accusers

March 31, 2019 at 8:24 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Jeanine Pirro returned to Fox News after two weeks off the air and let loose with a tirade against the “traitorous, treasonous” investigators who probed President Trump’s ties to Russia, claiming another “coup” may be in the works if Trump’s accusers don’t “face behind the bars justice.”

Among her guests was Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who praised her as a “crusader for justice.” Giuliani also called for the Justice Department to investigate those “who tried to perpetrate a fraud against the American people” and said former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe “should be in jail for perjury.”

Follow the Donors Not the Money

March 31, 2019 at 8:19 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Daily Beast: “The real competition among the field is not so much who can bring in the biggest haul, but which candidate can get the most people to contribute. That’s the number that the top money people on various campaigns say they will be watching when the deadline hits.”

“It’s a change from cycles past, when the main news story would be the total amount raised. And it’s a reflection of how dramatically Democratic Party politics have shifted in the era of online giving, growing all the more prevalent since Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign.”

“A poor showing on the number of donors could be a death blow for some of the top-tier Democrats in the race, signifying that they lack the support and financial viability to make it through.”

Republicans Hope Trump Will Drop Obamacare Overhaul

March 31, 2019 at 8:12 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Republicans have no intention of heeding President Trump’s urgent demands for a new health-care plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, fearing the potential political damage that such a proposal could cause in 2020 and hoping he will soon drop the idea,” the Washington Post reports.

“Not only is there no such health-care overhaul in the works on Capitol Hill — there are no plans to make such a plan.”

Trump Is Feeling Tired

March 31, 2019 at 8:10 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “After two years in office, Mr. Trump, 72, is tired, aides said. The unstoppable campaigner, so far, will commit to participating in only one campaign event a day, and recently balked at a possible rally out West during a fund-raising swing. The rally may still happen, people familiar with the plans said, but only because campaign officials insisted on it.”

CEO Donations Favor Republicans

March 31, 2019 at 8:08 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A new, first of its kind study tracks the political leanings of CEOs by examining 18 years of political contributions by more than 3,800 CEOs of S&P 1500 companies,” Axios reports.

“The chief executives of America’s largest public companies are more than twice as likely to lean Republican in their campaign contributions than to favor Democrats.”

“Among big energy companies, CEOs’ Republican leanings are even stronger: more than 9 in 10 energy CEOs side with Republicans, and none with Democrats.”

Zuckerberg Calls for New Rules for the Internet

March 31, 2019 at 8:05 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg backs new regulations for the Internet in a Washington Post op-ed.

“By updating the rules for the Internet, we can preserve what’s best about it—the freedom for people to express themselves and for entrepreneurs to build new things—while also protecting society from broader harms.”

Zuckerberg added that he believes these updates can be broken down into four categories “harmful content, election integrity, privacy and data portability.”

Warren Says Biden Needs to Answer Allegations

March 30, 2019 at 8:05 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Elizabeth Warren said former Vice President Joe Biden needs to provide an answer to allegations he inappropriately touched a Nevada politician at an event in 2014, CNN reports.

Said Warren: “I read the op-ed last night. I believe Lucy Flores. And Joe Biden needs to give an answer.”

The Atlantic: “Politics abhors a vacuum, and Joe Biden has left one for months. So it’s getting filled without him—and not in a way that is likely to help if he decides to run for president.”

GOP Lawmaker Forced to Quit Over Sex Charges

March 30, 2019 at 8:01 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former Arizona state Rep. David Stringer (R) professed his innocence “following revelations that he was arrested in 1983 on suspicion of paying two children to have sex with him,” the Arizona Republic reports.

“He also said he was forced to resign by Republican leaders in the state Legislature.”

“While Stringer claims he was never convicted, court records show he accepted a plea deal on some combination of charges and was sentenced to five years of supervised probation.”

Trump Cuts Aid to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador

March 30, 2019 at 7:55 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Trump administration said Saturday that it intends to end foreign assistance programs for Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, a move that Democrats called “reckless” and “counterproductive” in addressing the problems that cause people to flee to the U.S., NBC News reports.

Quote of the Day

March 30, 2019 at 5:23 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“He cheats at the highest level. He cheats when people are watching and he cheats when they aren’t. He cheats whether you like it or not. He cheats because that’s how he plays golf … if you’re playing golf with him, he’s going to cheat.”

— Rick Reilly in the new book, Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump, on President Trump.

O’Rourke Rails Against Concentration of Power and Wealth

March 30, 2019 at 5:17 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Beto O’Rourke, christening his presidential campaign at a boisterous rally in his hometown, cast himself on Saturday as a crusader against moneyed interests that he said have corrupted America’s democracy and a president he accused of capitalizing on politics of “fear and division,'” Politico reports.

“In what amounted to his maiden stump speech — delivered at the first large-scale, structured event of his nascent campaign — O’Rourke’s populist progressive framing evoked similar appeals from rivals Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.”

Said O’Rourke: “This extraordinary, unprecedented concentration of wealth and power and privilege must be broken apart and opportunity must be shared with all.”

Valerie Plame Mulls Senate Bid

March 30, 2019 at 3:19 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former CIA officer Valerie Plame told The Hill that she is considering a potential run for Senate in New Mexico as a Democrat to replace retiring Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM).

Said Plame: “I am considering all my options. I am grateful for the opportunity to perhaps serve my country again.”

Harris Adds Nevada Team

March 30, 2019 at 1:53 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Sen. Kamala Harris is building out her Nevada team, including one longtime aide to former Senate Leader Harry Reid, as she prepares to make her first trip to Northern Nevada of her 2020 presidential bid next week,” the Nevada Independent reports.

Inside Theresa May’s Failed Resignation Gambit

March 30, 2019 at 1:48 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Amy Davidson Sorkin: “Some of the actions that May took this week, in her desperate attempts to get the deal approved, have increased the potential for upheaval. On Wednesday, she promised members of her Conservative Party that, if they would only vote yes on her deal, she would resign before the next stage of Brexit negotiations. That won some Tory votes, but it mostly served to turn attention to the many striving Tories who may want to replace her, including some, notably Boris Johnson, who are widely loathed.”

“Indeed, the net effect may have been to cost her Labour votes, since voting for the deal also meant voting for uncertainty about which unlikely character might be leading the operation next.”

Understanding Mayor Pete’s Appeal

March 30, 2019 at 1:42 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Eric Lach: “Part of Buttigieg’s appeal is that he offers a kind of political refuge: he’s a candidate that lets you forget about the baggage and conflicts of the race’s front-runners, if only for a little while. He sounds comfortable discussing complex issues, smiles warmly, and has no visible political enemies. Putting himself forward as an alternative choice has been part of Buttigieg’s brand for as long as he’s been on the national political stage.”

Biden Blindsided by 2020 Reality

March 30, 2019 at 1:28 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Joe Biden is enduring the roughest stretch of any candidate in the Democratic presidential primary, and he’s not even a candidate yet,” Politico reports.

“In a two-week period where his attempts to smooth a path into the 2020 race only seemed to underscore the obstacles confronting his prospective candidacy, the former vice president got a concentrated dose of what’s in store for him if he chooses to embark on a third run for the White House.”