The White House denied Wednesday that President Trump worked in the Oval Office on Tuesday while still suffering from coronavirus, despite an assertion otherwise from by White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow, Axios reports.
Supreme Court Rejects GOP Attack on Ranked Voting
The Supreme Court cleared the way Tuesday night for ranked-choice voting to be used in Maine, delivering a blow to Republican challengers, CNN reports.
South Carolina Senate Race a Toss Up
Cook Political Report: “Ultimately, this race has earned a more competitive rating — underscoring just how fast the GOP majority is slipping away if they have to defend turf like this, and also how much Trump’s numbers have fallen across the board. We are moving South Carolina from Lean Republican to Toss Up.”
Supreme Court Nomination Was Super Spreader Event
Bloomberg: “The medical staff has traced the White House cases to the Sept. 26 Rose Garden ceremony for Trump to announce Amy Coney Barrett as his pick to fill a Supreme Court vacancy.”
Collins Slams Gideon for ‘Defaming My Reputation’
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) went after Sara Gideon (D) in a Politico interview and accused the State House speaker of “defaming my reputation and attacking my integrity.”
Said Collins: “She will say or do anything to try to win. This race is built on a foundation of falsehoods. And trying to convince the people of Maine that somehow I am no longer the same person.”
Former Staff of Katie Hill Slam Film Adaptation of Story
A forthcoming film adaptation of former Rep. Katie Hill’s (D-CA) memoir was the target of online criticism Wednesday morning from anonymous members of “Katie’s former staff” posting from her old congressional Twitter account, Politico reports.
The posters wrote a 10-part Twitter thread that Hill’s story “is also one of workplace abuse and harassment.” Hill “can be both a victim and perpetrator,” they wrote, arguing that she “is not a hero for women.”
- Hardcover Book
- Hill, Katie (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 320 Pages - 08/11/2020 (Publication Date) - Grand Central Publishing (Publisher)
Trump’s Tweeting Even More Erratic Than Usual
“President Trump, quarantined with COVID-19 in the White House residence and reportedly badgering staff to let him return to the Oval Office, was unusually active on Twitter late into Tuesday night, tweeting and retweeting dozens of times about Hillary Clinton and Russia, even moving markets by ending coronavirus stimulus negotiations — before apparently reversing himself hours later,” The Week reports.
Michelle Goldberg: “The president’s Twitter feed is always nuts but right now it really seems like he’s suffering some sort of psychological implosion.”
Charlie Sykes: “Trump’s Twitter feed is extra-deranged tonight. Theories?”
Barrett Served as ‘Handmaid’ In Christian Group
“While Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett has faced questions about how her Catholic faith might influence her jurisprudence, she has not spoken publicly about her involvement in People of Praise, a small Christian group founded in the 1970s and based in South Bend, Ind,” the Washington Post reports.
“Barrett, a federal appellate judge, has disclosed serving on the board of a network of private Christian schools affiliated with the group. The organization, however, has declined to confirm that she is a member. In recent years, it removed from its website editions of a People of Praise magazine — first those that included her name and photograph and then all archives of the magazine itself.”
“A 2010 People of Praise directory states that she held the title of ‘handmaid,’ a leadership position for women in the community.”
Trump Sends Mixed Messages on Pandemic Relief
“President Trump pulled the plug on ongoing bipartisan coronavirus relief talks in an abrupt move that jolted Wall Street and surprised lawmakers of both parties, but hours later called on Congress to approve a bill providing another direct check to many Americans,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Late last night, Trump urged both houses of Congress to “IMMEDIATELY” revive a lapsed loan program for small businesses and to approve funds for airlines and another round of stimulus checks.
New York Times: “It remained unclear if his tweets reflected a willingness to restart negotiations.”
Washington Post: “First, he says he won’t pursue a package until after election. Then he demands Congress immediately pass bills.”
Trump’s Numbers Plunge
Washington Post: “A GOP group working to elect Senate Republicans conducted polling over the weekend in four states — Colorado, Georgia, Montana and North Carolina — as Trump was hospitalized. The president’s numbers dropped ‘significantly’ in every state, falling by about five points in all four.”
Said one operative: “The president is in real trouble.”
How Kamala Harris Has Stacked Up
Politico: “Joe Biden’s selection of Harris has excited Democrats. She’s helped him raise money at a record clip. She is Biden’s highest-profile surrogate to swing-state cities like Milwaukee, Detroit and Philadelphia, with a particular focus on courting voters of color, including African Americans and Latinos.”
“Harris appears solo and alongside Biden in TV ads, a rarity for a VP contender, and stars in digital videos pumped out by the campaign. She’s become the 77-year-old nominee’s emissary to pop culture, making appearances with musical icons, sitting for podcasts geared toward non-political audiences and drawing millions of views for brief videos of her stepping off the plane in Converse Chuck Taylor sneakers. The verdict: Harris, with a few exceptions, has hit her marks.”
Trump Was Not Tested Every Day
New York Times: “White House officials conceded on Tuesday that there had been an impression created that Mr. Trump was getting tested every day, and a reliance on testing as if it were a curative measure as opposed to a diagnostic.”
“Yet the president himself was not tested every day, according to two people familiar with the practices. A senior administration official would only say on Tuesday that Mr. Trump was tested ‘regularly.'”
Eric Trump Says His Father Saved Christianity
Eric Trump told a North Dakota radio station that his father has “literally saved Christianity” from Democrats trying to “close churches all over the country.”
McConnell Throws Shade White House’s ‘Risky Behavior’
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell appeared to call out the Trump White House for being reckless with the coronavirus during a Fox News interview.
Said McConnell: “I do think there have been risky behaviors, but not in the Senate… We know how to handle this. We’ve been dealing with this since May, and we’ll handle it successfully.”
Fauci Says 400K Dead from Virus Possible
Dr. Anthony Fauci “offered a grim image of the coronavirus pandemic, telling students Tuesday that between 300,000 and 400,000 people could die from the disease in the United States,” Politico reports.
Said Fauci: “If we don’t do what we need to in the fall and winter, we could have 300,000-400,000 Covid-19 deaths.”
Biden Says No Debate If Trump Still Has COVID
Joe Biden said Tuesday that the second presidential debate should not be held if President Trump is still infected with coronavirus, but that he would base his participation in the debate upon recommendations from medical experts, CNN reports.
Said Biden: “Well, I think if he still has Covid, we shouldn’t have a debate. I think we’re gonna have to follow very strict guidelines. Too many people have been infected and it’s a very serious problem.”
He continued: “And so I’ll be guided by the guidelines of the Cleveland Clinic, and what the docs say is the right thing to do — if and when he shows up for debate.”
Pence Accedes to Plexiglass at Debate
“Vice President Mike Pence has ceded to Sen. Kamala Harris’ demands for plexiglass to be used at Wednesday evening’s debate,” Politico reports.
“Pence’s team had objected to Harris’ wishes for a barrier to separate the two candidates from each other and from moderator Susan Page. But after a series of talks, aides to the vice president decided to back down.”
Michael Hayden Endorses Biden
Former CIA director Michael Hayden endorsed Joe Biden for president in a powerful new video.
Says Hayden: “If there is another term for Trump, I don’t know what happens to America.”