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McConnell Lets Trump Off the Hook Again

May 20, 2021 at 9:03 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

First Read: “We get McConnell’s strategy: He’s decided to take any political heat now to avoid any future political heat arising from this commission later.”

“But in the process, he’s letting Trump off the hook, once again allowing the former president to slip accountability (either by exhausting his allies and the opposition, or simply by taking them hostage).”

“This commission shouldn’t be controversial: The top House Republican on the Homeland Security Committee negotiated it with the top Democrat. Yet unless something changes, what McConnell and Senate Republicans are doing is capitulating to Trump — different from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s capitulation.”

“But it’s capitulation none the less.”

Justices Throw Abortion Into 2022 Election Picture

May 20, 2021 at 7:32 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Within hours of the Supreme Court accepting a case that could lead it to overturn or scale back a landmark abortion rights ruling, Senator Michael Bennet, a Colorado Democrat facing re-election next year, issued a dire warning to supporters: The fate of Roe v Wade is on the line,” the New York Times reports.

“His declaration was among the first in a quickly intensifying clash over abortion, long a defining issue to many voters but one likely to gain additional prominence as the court weighs the possibility of rolling back the constitutional protections it provided to abortion rights in Roe 48 years ago.”

Thousands of French Police Protest

May 20, 2021 at 7:29 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Declaring that their work has become increasingly dangerous because of the government’s failure to address France’s underlying social problems, thousands of police officers protested in Paris on Wednesday in a show of force that left politicians scrambling,” the New York Times reports.

The Country Is on the Cusp of a New Era

May 20, 2021 at 6:42 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Atlantic: “America is inching closer to a possibility it has never seen before: the indictment and trial of a former president.”

Rochester Mayor’s Home Searched by Police

May 20, 2021 at 6:40 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York State Police conducted a search at the home of Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren (D), the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports.

Reuters says the mayor’s husband, Timothy Granison, was taken into custody.

Frank Luntz’s ‘Impartial’ Focus Group Was Not

May 20, 2021 at 6:37 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Salon: “On Oct. 15, 2018, HBO aired a VICE News focus group orchestrated by Luntz, which had been filmed three days earlier in Dallas.”

“Participants were chosen by Luntz, who also decided what questions would be asked. But what neither HBO nor VICE News told their audience — possibly because they didn’t know — was that Luntz was being paid by the Cruz campaign.”

Israel and Hamas Near Cease-Fire

May 20, 2021 at 6:29 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Wall Street Journal: “A cease-fire in the fighting between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas could come as early as Friday, according to people involved in the discussions, as pressure mounts from Washington and other foreign capitals to bring an end to airstrikes and rocket fire that have claimed a rising number of civilian casualties.”

Washington Post: “The White House has told Netanyahu in recent days that the ground is shifting in the United States, even among some lawmakers who have long been supportive of Israel.”

However, there’s this from the Associated Press: “Explosions shook Gaza City and orange flares lit up the night sky, with airstrikes also reported in the central town of Deir al-Balah and the southern town of Khan Younis.”

How Trump Tried to Fire His Own FBI Chief

May 20, 2021 at 6:22 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “Then-President Donald Trump sought to oust FBI Director Christopher Wray last spring and replace him with counterintelligence head William Evanina.”

“Under the plan, the former officials said, Kash Patel — a former aide to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) and a fierce critic of the Russia probe — would have become the bureau’s deputy director.”

“Previously unreported details of the proposal reveal just how seriously the former president took his grievances against the intelligence and law enforcement establishment. It shows Trump at his mercurial peak, ordering up the removal of his own appointee in a fit of rage, only to back down when then-Attorney General Bill Barr threatened to resign if he followed through with the maneuver.”

Republicans Have Clear Edge In Retaking the House

May 20, 2021 at 6:17 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball: “The reapportionment of House seats and pending redistricting has prevented us from releasing U.S. House ratings so far this cycle.”

“While Republicans stand to gain from this process, they would be favored to win the House even if the district lines were not changing.”

“Rating the House races based on the current lines shows many more Democratic seats in the Toss-up column than Republican ones. These hypothetical ratings are guided by developments in the 2022 campaign so far as well as the normal tendency for the president’s party to lose ground in the House in midterms.”

Rich Lowry: Why Republicans still have the upper hand for 2022.

No Wave of House Retirements Yet

May 20, 2021 at 6:16 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

FiveThirtyEight: “We’re still more than a year away from the 2022 midterms, but we’re already monitoring which incumbents in the House of Representatives plan to seek reelection next November. That’s because a disproportionate number of retirements from one party can signal doubts about its electoral chances, as it did in 2018, when about three times as many Republicans as Democrats retired ahead of that year’s ‘blue wave’ election. And with President Biden now in office, Republicans should be at least somewhat favored to take back the House, so we’re watching especially whether House Democrats start abandoning ship.”

“It’s early yet, but so far there aren’t signs of a mass Democratic exit. As the table below shows, six Republicans have announced their retirements or intentions to run for another office, compared with five Democrats.”

Trump Is Still Focus on RNC Fundraising

May 20, 2021 at 6:08 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “All told, since resuming its email fundraising, the RNC account has sent 97 emails mentioning Trump, according to a Politico review — touting everything from his potential rallies, to his social media ventures, to his upcoming birthday. The messages add up to roughly 40 percent of all the email fundraising traffic from their campaigns account.”

“The RNC’s fundraising emails are just one of several data points that affirm the continued force of Trump’s gravitational pull over the entirety of the party.”

How Corrupt Is French Politics?

May 19, 2021 at 11:26 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“For a former French president to be sentenced to jail may be regarded as a misfortune. For the same ex-president to go on trial on different corruption charges 11 weeks later looks like a brutal commentary on the state of French politics,” Politico reports.

“Nicolas Sarkozy will appear in court in Paris Thursday to face accusations that he and his party created a complex system of fake bills to hide epic overspending on his failed re-election campaign in 2012.”

54 More Migrant Children Reunited with Parents

May 19, 2021 at 11:05 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

In the last month, lawyers working to reunite migrant families separated at the southern border during the Trump administration were able to connect 54 more children with their parents, NBC News reports.

Trump Loyalists Push to Revisit Election Results

May 19, 2021 at 11:03 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “The ramifications of Trump’s ceaseless attacks on the 2020 election are increasingly visible throughout the country: In emails, phone calls and public meetings, his supporters are questioning how their elections are administered and pressing public officials to revisit the vote count — wrongly insisting that Trump won the presidential race.”

“Behind the scenes, a loose network of lawyers, self-styled election experts and political groups is bolstering community efforts by demanding audits, filing lawsuits and pushing unsubstantiated claims that residents are echoing in public meetings. Much of it is playing out in largely Republican communities, where Trump supporters hope to find officials willing to support their inquiries.”

Florida Lawmakers Clear Path for Trump Casino

May 19, 2021 at 9:13 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Florida legislators approved a legislative package Wednesday that will dramatically expand gambling in the state and sets the stage for former president Donald Trump to pursue a casino license at his Doral golf resort,” the Washington Post reports.

Trump’s CFO Is Subject of Criminal Probe

May 19, 2021 at 7:36 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The New York attorney general’s office has opened a criminal tax investigation into top Trump Organization officer Allen Weisselberg, increasing the legal pressure on the long-time aide to former President Donald Trump,” CNN reports.

“The pressure on Weisselberg is mounting from two directions with the attorney general looking into his personal taxes, while prosecutors in the district attorney’s office are digging into his role at the Trump Organization, his personal finances, and benefits given to his son Barry, a long-time employee of the Trump Organization.”

House Passes Bill to Investigate Capitol Riots

May 19, 2021 at 6:55 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The U.S. House, in a 252 to 175 vote, passed a bill to establish bipartisan commission to investigate Jan. 6 attack on Capitol.

Every Democrat voted for the bill along with 35 Republicans who defied their party’s leadership.

Axios: “The amount of Republican support makes it far more difficult for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to try and dismiss the commission outright as a partisan effort.”

Collins Blames Pelosi for Jan. 6 Commission Problems

May 19, 2021 at 5:42 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) “blamed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for creating this impasse because she did not consult in advance with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell,” CNN reports.

Said Collins: “If I had been the Speaker, I would have reached out to him and talked to him about how it should have been drafted. I would have reached out to Kevin McCarthy. She did neither. So I think the fact that we’re in this situation now is due to the lack of outreach.”