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Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ) announced that she would take a leave of absence from the House to seek treatment for alcoholism, Politico reports.
“Kirkpatrick did not say how much time she is expected to be away from Washington, but made clear she intended to keep her seat.”
“Virginia moved to the brink of becoming the crucial 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment on Wednesday, a momentous victory for many women’s rights advocates even though it is far from certain the measure will ever be added to the U.S. Constitution,” the AP reports.
“ERA advocates say hitting the 38 mark means the amendment will have surpassed the three-quarters of states the amendment needs to be added to the Constitution.”
“Opponents disagree. Court battles are expected to unfold over a long-passed 1982 ratification deadline set by Congress as well as moves by five states that ratified it in the 1970s to rescind their support.”
New York Times: “People familiar with the exchange said Ms. Warren walked over and told Mr. Sanders that she was concerned that, during the debate, he had mischaracterized a conversation they had in 2018 about whether a woman could win the presidency. She has accused him of saying that a woman could not; he has denied that remark.”
“Appearing frustrated, Mr. Sanders asked to discuss the matter at a different time, said the people, who insisted on anonymity to discuss a sensitive, private conversation. He pointed his finger toward her, then back at himself, before turning and walking away.”
“The House of Representatives voted on Tuesday to send the Senate two articles of impeachment against President Trump, appointing seven Democrats to prosecute the case and initiating only the third presidential impeachment trial in American history,” the New York Times reports.
Washington Post: “Pelosi plans to hold an engrossment ceremony at 5 p.m., and then the managers are scheduled to begin a procession across the Capitol Rotunda to present the articles of impeachment to the secretary of the Senate.”
New York Times: “New evidence shows Jeffrey Epstein sexually abused and trafficked hundreds of young women and girls on his private Caribbean island, some as recently as 2018, significantly expanding the scope of his alleged conduct.”
“A week before Germany, France and Britain accused Iran of breaching the 2015 nuclear deal, the Trump administration privately threatened to impose a 25 percent tariff on European automobiles if they didn’t, according to U.S. and European officials,” the Washington Post reports.
“The U.S. effort to coerce European foreign policy through tariffs represents a new level of hardball tactics with America’s oldest allies and could result in the reimposition of sanctions against Iran.”
“The U.S. and China signed a landmark deal to sharply increase sales of U.S. goods and services to China and help companies operating in China by better protecting their intellectual property and opening further Chinese markets, especially in financial services,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The eight-part agreement acts as a cease-fire in a two-year trade war that has roiled markets globally and cut into global growth. As a condition of Beijing signing the deal, the U.S. agreed to cut tariffs on $120 billion in Chinese goods by half to 7.5% and to forgo other planned tariffs. A host of difficult issues, which have been the heart of the trade battle, including Chinese subsidies to domestic companies and the behavior of Chinese state-owned firms were pushed off to later rounds of talks.”
CNBC: “The Trump administration aims to start negotiating the next piece of the trade agreement before the November 2020 election.”
“The cybersecurity chief for Democratic candidate for president Pete Buttigieg’s campaign has resigned, as concerns mount about attempts by foreign governments and hackers to interfere in the 2020 election,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Mick Baccio left his job as chief information security officer for Mr. Buttigieg’s campaign earlier this month due to differences with campaign leadership over how to manage information security.”
Former National Security adviser John Bolton’s book “is almost finished, according to people familiar with his plans, and is set to be on sale well ahead of the Republican and Democratic National Conventions this summer,” the New York Times reports.
A new book says President Trump is “woefully uninformed about the basics of geography” and “does not seem to grasp fundamental history,” the Washington Post reports.
“Many of the key moments reported in the book are rife with foreign policy implications, portraying a novice commander in chief plowing through normal protocols and alarming many both inside the administration and in other governments.”
“The top Republican and Democratic senators on Wednesday jointly announced new restrictions on movement and behavior by lawmakers, staff and members of the public inside the Capitol during President Trump’s impeachment trial,” the New York Times reports.
Among those: “During the impeachment proceedings, standing will not be permitted on the floor and this requirement will be strictly enforced. Accordingly, all senators are requested to remain in their seats at all times they are on the Senate floor during the impeachment proceedings.”
“Senators who have become addicted to checking their Twitter feeds on their iPhones will have to temporarily kick that habit — they will not be allowed to take electronic devices into the chamber during the trial. But perhaps the biggest change for senators? They are not supposed to talk.”
A federal judge ruled that state and local officials cannot block refugee admissions in their jurisdictions, finding the Trump administration’s new refugee policy is likely “unlawful,” the Washington Post reports.
Wrote Judge Peter J. Messitte: “Giving states and local governments the power to consent to the resettlement of refugees — which is to say veto power to determine whether refugees will be received in their midst — flies in the face of clear Congressional intent.”
“The State Department abruptly canceled a classified congressional briefing Wednesday that was supposed to focus on embassy security, infuriating Capitol Hill staffers seeking answers on alleged Iranian threats to U.S. missions overseas,” Politico reports.
A new EPIC-MRA poll in Michigan shows Michael Bloomberg has opened a 7-point lead in a head-to-head matchup with President Trump in the state, 49% to 42%.
His lead is the largest among all the Democrats running, though 9% remain undecided.
Joe Biden leads Trump 50% to 44% and Sen. Bernie Sanders holds a 50% to 45% lead on the president in the survey.
President Trump accused House Democrats of a “con job” shortly after Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the lawmakers who would be managing the case to impeach him in the Senate, The Hill reports.
Trump’s tweet suggested he was watching Pelosi’s press conference announcing the impeachment managers on Wednesday morning.
President Trump ranted about what he said was the effect of efficiency standards on appliances like dishwashers, lightbulbs, toilets, and showers, at his rally last night in Milwaukee, Business Insider reports.
Trump took aim at “new” dishwashers, and said they meant you sometimes need to wash your dishes “10 times.”
He then asked the crowd: “Anybody have a new dishwasher? I’m sorry for that.”
He also lamented what he said were weaker showers in the modern age, adding: “I have this beautiful head of hair, I need a lot of water.”
Out next week: A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump’s Testing of America by Philip Rucker and Carol Leoning.
The Guardian has a preview.
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.