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Caitlyn Jenner Feels Betrayed by Trump

October 25, 2018 at 4:17 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Caitlyn Jenner writes in the Washington Post:

Following Trump’s election as president, I saw fertile ground for change within the Republican Party on LGBTQ issues… I believed I could work within the party and the Trump administration to shift the minds of those who most needed shifting.

Sadly, I was wrong. The reality is that the trans community is being relentlessly attacked by this president. The leader of our nation has shown no regard for an already marginalized and struggling community. He has ignored our humanity. He has insulted our dignity…. This is politics at its worst. It is unacceptable, it is upsetting, and it has deeply, personally hurt me.

Believing that I could work with Trump and his administration to support our community was a mistake.

Megyn Kelly Is Out at NBC

October 25, 2018 at 4:05 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Multiple sources have confirmed to Daily Mail that Megyn Kelly is out at NBC “just 48 hours after the embattled host made remarks in which she defended blackface.”

“Kelly tried to deal with the scandal by delivering a tearful apology on-air and welcoming two black panelists to discuss the fraught and horrifying history of the practice, but it did no good.”

GOP Lawmaker Met With Far Right Austrian Party

October 25, 2018 at 4:02 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) “met with members of a far-right Austrian party with historical Nazi ties during a European trip financed by a Holocaust memorial group,” the Washington Post reports.

GOP Portrays Trump as the Bomb Scare Victim

October 25, 2018 at 3:56 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A day after several leading Democrats were found to have been targeted by package bombs, Republicans have identified one of their own as a victim: President Donald Trump,” Politico reports.

“As of Thursday afternoon, less than 36 hours after the first packages were discovered, White House officials and outside advisers bitterly protested the notion that Trump’s vitriolic rhetoric might have inspired whoever sent the packages.”

“The alleged main offender was a familiar one — the news media, which conservatives insisted had rushed to unfair conclusions in an effort to undermine the president less than two weeks before the midterm elections. The blame-casting came a day after Trump issued an uncharacteristic call for political unity.”

First Lady Won’t Hit Campaign Trail

October 25, 2018 at 3:45 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“First lady Melania Trump will not appear at any campaign events in the final days leading up to the Nov. 6 midterm elections,” ABC News reports.

“This comes as President Donald Trump plans to hold at least 10 campaign rallies leading up to Election Day as he and the Republican Party seek to keep Democrats from taking control of Congress.”

Avenatti Says Democrats Need a White Male In 2020

October 25, 2018 at 2:19 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Michael Avenatti told Time that the 2020 Democratic Party nominee for president needs to be a white man.

Said Avenatti: “I think it better be a white male. When you have a white male making the arguments, they carry more weight. Should they carry more weight? Absolutely not. But do they? Yes.”

Scaramucci Backs Off Calling Trump a Liar

October 25, 2018 at 2:11 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Anthony Scaramucci made headlines Wednesday when he called President Trump “a liar” during a CNN interview, the Washington Post reports.

Today, as he continued a media blitz promoting a new book about Trump, Scaramucci sought to backpedal. No, he said, Trump is not “a liar.” He’s “an intentional liar” who uses “a methodology of mistruth” with the aim of unsettling the mainstream media and the political left.

Grassley Refers Avenatti to Justice Department

October 25, 2018 at 1:16 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) referred lawyer Michael Avenatti and a woman he represented to the Justice Department for criminal investigation, claiming they made potentially false statements to Congress related to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Pentagon Will Send Troops to Mexican Border

October 25, 2018 at 11:57 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Defense Secretary James Mattis is expected to sign deployment orders that could send 800 or more troops to the border with Mexico to help border patrol authorities stop a caravan of migrants from Central America moving through Mexico to enter the US, CNN reports.

Dallas Morning News Endorses O’Rourke

October 25, 2018 at 11:52 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Dallas Morning News endorsed Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) for U.S. Senate:

We have been at divisive political moments before, and we know those often end when leaders emerge who find ways to get along personally even when they are engaged in grand, tectonic political debates. That is one of the underappreciated stories of the 1980s, when President Ronald Reagan and House Speaker Tip O’Neill worked together. Even when they fought it out on tough issues, they fostered an enduring friendship.

For this reason more than any other, we favor U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke for U.S. Senate. The pivotal issue before our country is public leadership, and here we believe O’Rourke’s tone aligns with what is required now. This inclusive and hopeful tone, along with O’Rourke’s approach of starting with shared principles and working toward solutions, offset any policy differences we have with him. Leadership is more than policy, and whether we are addressing the very real challenges before us now turns on our ability to find points of agreement.

Grassley Warns Democrat Could Replace Him

October 25, 2018 at 11:45 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), who turned 85 years old in September, acknowledged the possibility his health could fail in the next few years and a Democratic Iowa governor would appoint a Democrat to succeed him in the Senate, the Des Moines Register reports.

Democrats Hold Big Lead In Most Competitive Districts

October 25, 2018 at 11:38 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Cook Political Report/LSU poll finds Democrats hold a nine point lead over Republicans in the 72 most competitive House races, as rated by the Cook Political Report.

“Among voters who say President Trump will be a factor in their choice, more plan to use their vote so to show opposition to the President than to show support for the President, especially in competitive districts.”

Also interesting: “More people agree that Democrats should be elected to put a check on the President than agree that Republicans should be elected to keep the economy strong.”

Crossing the Aisle

October 25, 2018 at 11:22 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Out next month: Crossing the Aisle: How Bipartisanship Brought Tennessee to the Twenty-First Century and Could Save America by Keel Hunt.

“The Tennessee story offers striking examples of bipartisan cooperation on many policy fronts—and a mode of governing that provides lessons for America in this frustrating era of partisan stalemate.”

Roger Stone Sought Pardon for Julian Asange

October 25, 2018 at 11:20 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Mother Jones: “In early January, Roger Stone, the longtime Republican operative and adviser to Donald Trump, sent a text message to an associate stating that he was actively seeking a presidential pardon for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange—and felt optimistic about his chances.“

“The recipient of the messages was Randy Credico, a New York-based comedian and left-leaning political activist who Stone has identified as his backchannel to WikiLeaks during the 2016 campaign—a claim Credico strongly denies.”

Hatch Says New Tax Cut ‘Highly Unlikely’

October 25, 2018 at 8:59 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) told Roll Call the Senate is “highly unlikely” to pass a 10 percent tax cut for the middle class even after the midterm elections.

Said Hatch: “I’ve seen miracles happen before.”

But he added that it would take “a real monumental effort” to get anything like Trump has proposed to rally Republicans to the polls for the Nov. 6 midterms through the Senate.

Gingrich Singles Out CNN for Toxic Environment

October 25, 2018 at 8:54 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

At an Axios event, Newt Gingrich claimed the toxicity of the current political climate is “everyone’s fault,” pointing to social media and the “tribalization” of cable news — specifically CNN — as some of the main factors.

When asked why there was such a quick move on the right to call yesterday’s mail bombs a conspiracy, Gingrich answered, “Because it’s October.”

Who’s to Blame for America’s Divide?

October 25, 2018 at 8:47 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Here’s a word cloud of the top answers from Democrats — “Donald Trump,” “The Media,” “The Republican Party,” “Racism.”

And here’s a word cloud of the top answers from Republicans — “Democratic Party,” “Barack Obama,” “Liberals,” “The Media,” “Godless.”

Trump Has Made the Election About Him

October 25, 2018 at 8:01 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new USA Today/Suffolk University Poll finds President Trump “driving the decisions of a majority of voters who say they are determined to send a message of either support or opposition to him. That dynamic is giving Democrats an edge as the crucial campaign heads into the final stretch.”

“A majority of those surveyed say Trump will have ‘a lot’ of impact on their congressional vote on Nov. 6 – 35% who are casting their ballot to show their opposition to him, 23% to show their support. Only one in four say the president doesn’t have at least some effect on their vote.”

Democrats now lead the generic congressional ballot by eight points, 51% to 43%.