Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) defended his role as the only US senator to oppose every one of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet nominees, insisting that he evaluates each pick individually, CNN reports.
Said Hawley: “I take them one at a time, if there is someone I think will be good to Missouri, that I can defend to my voters, somebody who I think is going to be good for the job, I’ll vote for them.”
“Sen. Mitt Romney took a tumble that knocked him unconscious this weekend,” the Salt Lake Tribune reports.
“He was in Boston visiting grandkids when he fell, and he needed several stitches in his eyebrow and lip. He also wound up with a black eye.”
“Fulton County prosecutors are expected to appear before a grand jury this week seeking subpoenas for documents and witnesses related to their investigation of former President Donald Trump and some of his top associates for possible election fraud,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
“Legal experts are split as to whether there’s a strong case to be made, but most agree Trump’s efforts to overturn Georgia’s election results merit greater scrutiny.”
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“The founder of the far-right social media platform Gab said that the private account of former President Donald Trump was among the data stolen and publicly released by hackers who recently breached the site,” Ars Technica reports.
A third woman has accused Gov. Andrew Cuomo of unwanted touching and sexual attention, saying he placed his hands on her face and asked if he could kiss her at her friend’s wedding, the New York Times reports.
A friend took a series of pictures of the incident as it occurred.
“State prosecutors in Manhattan who are investigating former President Donald Trump and his family business are sharpening their focus on the company’s long-serving chief financial officer, asking witnesses questions about his dealings at the company,” the New York Times reports.
“The increased focus on the executive, Allen Weisselberg, could step up pressure on him to cooperate with the investigation if the prosecutors unearth evidence of wrongdoing on his part. He has served as the Trump Organization’s financial gatekeeper for more than two decades and could be a vital source of information for the government about the inner workings of the company.”
Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) said that he is considering running for either Ohio governor or U.S. senator in 2022, as he harshly criticized incumbent Gov. Mike DeWine (R), Fox News reports.
Assocaited Press: “The United States wasted billions of dollars in war-torn Afghanistan on buildings and vehicles that were either abandoned or destroyed, according to a report released Monday by a U.S. government watchdog.”
“The agency said it reviewed $7.8 billion spent since 2008 on buildings and vehicles… Just $1.2 billion of the $7.8 billion went to pay for buildings and vehicles that were used as intended.”
Associated Press: “Amid bipartisan calls to dial back extreme partisanship following the insurrection, the intentional misuse of ‘Democrat’ as an adjective remains in nearly universal use among Republicans. Propelled by conservative media, it also has caught on with far-right elements that were energized by the Trump presidency.”
“Academics and partisans disagree on the significance of the word play. Is it a harmless political tactic intended to annoy Republicans’ opponents, or a maliciously subtle vilification of one of America’s two major political parties that further divides the nation?”
“House Democrats will be on the defensive in the midterm cycle after narrowly holding onto their majority and losing many of their most vulnerable members in November,” Roll Call reports.
“They marked the terrain they’re going to work hardest to protect in that fight Monday with the release of 32 incumbents who will receive extra resources and support from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-AK) committed that Senate Republicans will support Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s (R-AK) reelection bid in 2022 despite former President Donald Trump advocating that the GOP “get rid of” the 17 Republicans in Congress who voted against him during his second impeachment, CNN reports.
Vice President Kamala Harris is favorite to win the next presidential election with 22% implied probability, ahead of Joe Biden at 20% and Donald Trump at 14%, according to betting odds from British bookmaker Ladbrokes, Reuters reports.
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) — one of former President Trump’s most vocal supporters in Congress and chair of the House Freedom Caucus — told The Hill he is weighing a run for Senate in Arizona in 2022.
Said Biggs: “I’m kicking the tires, we’re looking at it, talking to people, seeing what it would look like, talking about how much it would be and trying to gauge how much support I might have.”
Paul Waldman: “If you aren’t attuned to the subtleties of presidential rhetoric about union organizing and business-labor relations, the video President Biden released on Sunday about a union drive at an Amazon warehouse might have seemed a little vague. It didn’t mention the word ‘Amazon’ at all, in fact, and didn’t take an explicit position on whether workers there should vote to unionize.”
“But labor advocates are saying it’s the most pro-union statement a president has ever made.”
“Early Saturday morning, Kansas’ three Republican U.S. House members voted against the massive Biden administration pandemic relief package that will send an estimated $1.6 billion to the state,” Kansas City Star reports.
One of them called it “a bailout for liberal states.”
“Their GOP counterparts in the Kansas Legislature? They’ve effectively spent much of it already.”
“Republican lawmakers are eyeing the relief dollars to fund $500 million in tax cuts, heavily targeted to multinational corporations and wealthy and retired Kansans.”
Charlotte Bennett, a former aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), who has accused the governor of sexual harassment said on Monday that the governor “has refused to acknowledge or take responsibility for his predatory behavior” and encouraged other women with similar experiences to step forward, the New York Times reports.
Said Bennett: “As we know, abusers — particularly those with tremendous amounts of power — are often repeat offenders who engage in manipulative tactics to diminish allegations, blame victims, deny wrongdoing and escape consequences.”
She added: “It took the governor 24 hours and significant backlash to allow for a truly independent investigation. These are not the actions of someone who simply feels misunderstood; they are the actions of an individual who wields his power to avoid justice.”
“The administration of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has retained a prominent white-collar defense attorney as it grapples with allegations of sexual harassment and Justice Department inquiries into Covid-19 deaths in the state’s nursing homes,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Giant bubbles are once again inflating all over the financial world — creating a potential problem for Washington in the coming months. From meme stocks to cryptocurrencies, tech stocks and the rage for ‘Special Purpose Acquisition Companies,’ or SPACs, risks are clearly rising,” Politico reports.
“Wall Street pros and Washington policymakers know that some or all of these bubbles could explode in spectacular ways. But nobody really knows what to do about it… The perfect ‘Goldilocks’ scenario could still arrive: faster economic growth with limited inflation, perhaps gently letting the air out of the biggest bubbles. But darker scenarios exist, including a big spike in inflation, a popping of all of the bubbles at once … and an economic recovery that hits turbulence.”
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.
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