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After the Fall

February 2, 2021 at 12:40 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Coming soon: After the Fall: Being American in the World We’ve Made by Ben Rhodes.

“Why is democracy so threatened in America and around the world? And what can we do about it? A former White House aide and close confidante to President Barack Obama travels the globe in a deeply personal, beautifully observed quest for answers.”

After the Fall: Being American in the World We've Made

Amazon Kindle Edition
Rhodes, Ben (Author)
English (Publication Language)
339 Pages - 06/01/2021 (Publication Date) - Random House (Publisher)

Virginia GOP Lawmaker Sues Over Being Censured

February 2, 2021 at 12:30 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A firebrand conservative Virginia state senator seeking the Republican nomination for governor filed a federal lawsuit Monday that seeks to undo her legislative colleagues’ recent decision to censure her for an alleged ‘pattern of unacceptable conduct,'” the AP reports.

“In a bipartisan vote last week, the Virginia Senate approved a measure rebuking Sen. Amanda Chase over a series of incendiary incidents during her tenure, including remarks in which she seemed to voice support for those who participated in storming the U.S. Capitol last month.”

Kaine Abandons Effort to Censure Trump

February 2, 2021 at 12:26 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“After floating the idea last week of filing a motion to censure President Donald Trump, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) said Tuesday he won’t file due to the lack of support from his colleagues,” USA Today reports.

Said Kaine: “We don’t have enough support on the Republican side because they don’t want to bar Trump from running from office and I don’t have enough support on the Democratic side because for most of my colleagues, it’s impeachment or nothing.”

Biden Consolidates the Left

February 2, 2021 at 12:20 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Mehdi Hassan: “During the Democratic presidential primaries, I was one of Biden’s fiercest critics on the left… The former vice president, I averred, ‘would be a disaster.’ Well… maybe… perhaps… I was wrong. There, I said it. The new president has been far from a disaster.”

Rich Lowry: “The fact is that Biden is governing as he promised — further to the left of his own record, further to the left of his ex-boss, former President Barack Obama, and further to the left of any Democrat who made his career prior to the ascendency of the cultural left.”

“The lesson is that the most important thing that any movement can do is influence the direction of a major political party. If the center of gravity of a party moves, the entire establishment moves with it. So it is that Biden, who has never been woke or surrounded himself with radicals, is attempting to deliver victories to the left-wing of his party almost unimaginable eight or 12 years ago — and do it quickly.”

Ginni Thomas Apologizes to Husband’s Clerks

February 2, 2021 at 12:05 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Conservative political activist Virginia Thomas told her husband Justice Clarence Thomas’s former law clerks that she was sorry for a rift that developed among them after her election advocacy of President Donald Trump and endorsement of the Jan. 6 rally in D.C. that resulted in violence and death at the Capitol,” the Washington Post reports.

Said Thomas: “I owe you all an apology. I have likely imposed on you my lifetime passions.”

Trump Continued a Long, Losing Tradition

February 2, 2021 at 11:03 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

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Biden’s Agenda Is Very Popular

February 2, 2021 at 10:48 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“When asked about the 20 policies that define President Biden’s agenda, more Americans support than oppose all 20 of them,” according to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll.

“The margins are decisive. The majority of Biden’s proposals garner at least twice as much support as opposition. Nearly half are favored by more than 60 percent of Americans.”

Key takeaway: “Of all 20 policies covered by the poll, the two most popular were the ones at the center of Biden’s current COVID proposal: $2,000 relief checks (74% favor vs. 13% oppose) and increased federal funding for vaccination (69% favor vs. 17% oppose).”

Josh Hawley Has Best Fundraising Month Yet

February 2, 2021 at 10:33 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“January was Sen. Josh Hawley’s best fundraising month—by far—since his 2018 election, with a flood of small-dollar donations more than eclipsing the corporate cash he lost after leading an effort to block certification of President Biden’s Electoral College win,” Axios reports.

“Corporate PACs cut ties with the Missouri Republican after the Capitol insurrection that followed the Hawley-led gambit. But his grassroots fundraising bonanza in the weeks after shows the GOP base still firmly in Hawley’s camp.”

Trump’s Actions Described as Historic ‘Betrayal’

February 2, 2021 at 10:09 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“House Democrats made their case to convict former president Donald Trump of inciting the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol in a sweeping impeachment brief filed with the Senate Tuesday that accused Trump of whipping his supporters into a ‘frenzy’ and described him as ‘singularly responsible’ for the mayhem that ensued,” the Washington Post reports.

Said the brief: “If provoking an insurrectionary riot against a Joint Session of Congress after losing an election is not an impeachable offense, it is hard to imagine what would be.”

Video Shows Myanmar Coup In Background

February 2, 2021 at 10:05 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A video of an fitness instructor in Myanmar working out while a military coup takes place behind her has gone viral.

Ex-San Diego Mayor to Run for Governor

February 2, 2021 at 9:12 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer (R) formally announced that he is running for California governor, either in the regularly scheduled 2022 election or in a possible recall election of incumbent Gavin Newsom (D) later this year, the San Diego Union Tribune reports.

Democrats Are Moving Ahead on Covid Relief Package

February 2, 2021 at 8:54 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Democrats are moving now to fast-track a Covid relief package,” CNN reports.

“If Republicans want to come along, great. Democrats are arguing Republicans can vote for budget reconciliation. If Republicans don’t like the plan, they can keep talking to the White House, but the underlying takeaway from the meeting on Monday night — and all the messages from the White House in the days before that — is the President is only willing to negotiate so much. Republicans’ $618 billion proposal with no state and local funding is not going to cut it. Period.”

New Democratic Ad Campaign Ties GOP to QAnon

February 2, 2021 at 8:17 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“As Republicans splinter over how to deal with Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, the QAnon devotee from Georgia who peddles an array of false conspiracy theories, Democrats are seizing on the infighting to make her the avatar for an array of G.O.P. lawmakers,” the New York Times reports.

“The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Tuesday began a $500,000 advertising campaign on television and online tying eight House Republicans, including Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the minority leader, to Ms. Greene and QAnon, an effort to force them to make a public affirmation about Ms. Greene.”

Graham Warns Against Witnesses at Impeachment Trial

February 2, 2021 at 8:13 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) cautioned Democrats in a Fox News interview against calling witnesses to testify in the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump for incitement of his supporters’ deadly Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Said Graham: “You open up Pandora’s box if you call one witness. I hope we don’t call any and we vote and get this trial over next week when it starts.”

Liberals Aim to Challenge Manchin, Sinema

February 2, 2021 at 8:06 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A trio of progressives who helped launch Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s 2018 upset campaign are now setting their sights on Senate Democrats,” Politico reports.

“West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema — who aren’t up for reelection until 2024 — are the first Democrats on their target list.”

Trump Allies Sitting Out Impeachment Trial

February 2, 2021 at 8:04 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A constellation of conservative groups that rallied behind former President Donald Trump during his first impeachment is sitting this one out, confident that the outcome is preordained,” Politico reports.

“The groups have gone quiet on social media, eschewing the pro-Trump tweets and calls for action that dominated their Twitter feeds last time Trump was approaching a Senate trial. Others said they are content to watch from the sidelines — opting to preserve their war chests for the 2022 midterm elections — or are still considering if and how they will get involved.”

Biden Moves to Undo Trump Immigration Policies

February 2, 2021 at 8:02 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Biden administration on Tuesday announced steps to address harm to thousands of families that were separated at the U.S.-Mexico border, expanding efforts to quickly undo relentless changes to immigration policy over the last four years,” the AP reports.

“President Joe Biden planned to sign orders on family separation, border security and legal immigration, bringing to nine the number of executive actions on immigration during his first two weeks in office. Details were thin, but the moves aim to reverse many of former President Donald Trump’s policies to deter immigration, both legal and illegal.”

CNN: Biden to sign immigration executive orders and establish task force to reunite separated families.

Iran Tests New Rocket

February 2, 2021 at 8:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Iran tested a new rocket on Monday with improved technology that could be used in its missile program, its latest attempt to raise the stakes for the Biden administration ahead of potential negotiations over a new nuclear deal,” the Wall Street Journal reports.