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NATO Allies Spooked by Trump

December 1, 2019 at 7:05 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Jonathan Swan: “This week’s NATO meeting in London will be “a celebratory leaders’ meeting,” according to a White House talking point ahead of President Trump’s trip. But European officials aren’t betting on it, and Trump has been privately complaining about France’s President Emmanuel Macron.”

“Three senior administration officials told me Trump has been deeply annoyed by Macron, who recently told The Economist that ‘what we are currently experiencing is the brain death of NATO’ and that the United States under Trump’s leadership appears to be ‘turning its back on us.'”

Said one official: “He’s been down on Macron for a long while.”

Sestak Drops Out of Presidential Race

December 1, 2019 at 5:37 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Joe Sestak announced that he is dropping out of the 2020 presidential race, leaving the total number of Democrats left in the field at 17, Axios reports.

Plan to Lower Drug Prices Stalled In Senate

December 1, 2019 at 5:21 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump has vowed to lower the cost of prescription drugs. A Senate committee has approved a bipartisan bill to do just that. And the plan is going nowhere fast,” Politico reports.

“With Democrats in control of the House, the GOP-controlled Senate has shifted virtually its entire focus to confirming Trump’s judicial nominees where bipartisan votes aren’t needed. And heading into an election year, McConnell is loath to bring up issues that divide his caucus or risk alienating powerful industry groups. Legislative activity will only decline further if and when the Senate holds an impeachment trial that will further polarize the Capitol.”

Iran Convulsed by Worst Unrest in 40 Years

December 1, 2019 at 5:17 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Iran is experiencing its deadliest political unrest since the Islamic Revolution 40 years ago, with at least 180 people killed — and possibly hundreds more — as angry protests have been smothered in a government crackdown of unbridled force,” the New York Times reports.

“It began two weeks ago with an abrupt increase of at least 50 percent in gasoline prices. Within 72 hours, outraged demonstrators in cities large and small were calling for an end to the Islamic Republic’s government and the downfall of its leaders.”

GOP Mounts Aggressive Campaign Against Impeachment

December 1, 2019 at 5:14 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“As the impeachment inquiry into President Trump moves to the House Judiciary Committee, Republicans signaled Sunday that they will mount an aggressive campaign to delegitimize the process, accusing Democrats of rushing the proceedings as the White House debates whether to participate at all,” the Washington Post reports.

“Democrats on the Judiciary Committee said Sunday that Republicans were trying to distract from Trump’s wrongdoing by raising objections to the impeachment process without challenging the facts that have been gathered.”

Yang Raised $750K In 24 Hours

December 1, 2019 at 5:11 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Andrew Yang’s campaign told Politico that it had raised $750,000 on November 30 — from over 18,000 people — his single best fundraising day to date of his campaign.

Kennedy Doubles Down on Ukraine Interference

December 1, 2019 at 3:03 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) argued in a testy exchange on Meet the Press that he believes “both Russia and Ukraine meddled in the 2016 election,” claiming without evidence that former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko “actively worked” for Hillary Clinton.

Official Who Wanted to Use Nukes Works on Arms Control

December 1, 2019 at 2:31 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Frank Wuco, a former conservative talk radio host and naval intelligence officer who suggested dropping nuclear bombs on Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks, now works on arms control issues at the State Department, the Washington Post reports.

Wuco also promoted far-right conspiracy theories including “debunked claims that former president Barack Obama was not born in the United States, former CIA director John Brennan converted to Islam, former attorney general Eric H. Holder Jr. had been a member of the Black Panthers and former Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.”

Trump Plays Big Role In British Election

December 1, 2019 at 1:03 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “Donald Trump just can’t seem to stay away from British politics. He’s fired off comments on topics including Brexit, his low opinion of a British ambassador, and how his Trump-branded golf course in Scotland ‘furthers U.K. relations.’”

“So there’s little surprise that the American president is playing an outsize role in Britain’s upcoming elections — for good or bad, depending. In Britain, more than any other country aside from the United States, Trump has sought to bolster his political allies and trash his detractors.”

Trump’s Intervention In SEALs Case Tests Pentagon

December 1, 2019 at 1:01 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “The case of the president and a commando accused of war crimes offers a lesson in how Mr. Trump presides over the armed forces three years after taking office. While he boasts of supporting the military, he has come to distrust the generals and admirals who run it. Rather than accept information from his own government, he responds to television reports that grab his interest. Warned against crossing lines, he bulldozes past precedent and norms.”

“As a result, the president finds himself more removed than ever from a disenchanted military command, adding the armed forces to the institutions under his authority that he has feuded with, along with the intelligence community, law enforcement agencies and diplomatic corps.”

Impeachment Loomed Over Past Presidents

December 1, 2019 at 12:59 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “While President Trump is just the fourth commander in chief in American history to confront a serious threat of impeachment, the prospect hung over many of his predecessors, a nagging worry in the back of the mind for some, a constitutional sword of Damocles for others.”

“Impeachment has served not just as a means for removing a corrupt president from office, as outlined in the Constitution — in fact, it has never actually accomplished that purpose. Presidents Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton were both impeached by the House but acquitted after Senate trials, while President Richard M. Nixon resigned before the full House could vote. But impeachment has served as a deterrent, a consequence that presidents had to consider when making decisions that crossed into questionable territory.”

“Beyond Johnson, Nixon, Mr. Clinton and now Mr. Trump, lawmakers have filed formal impeachment resolutions against at least seven other presidents, meaning that one out of every four occupants of the White House has faced accusations of high crimes and misdemeanors, while others were threatened. Most of the time, the effort posed no serious jeopardy.”

Top Republican Wants Adam Schiff to Testify

December 1, 2019 at 12:52 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA), the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, told Fox News the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee will be the first person he calls to testify before his panel as impeachment hearings proceed.

Said Collins: “My first and foremost witness is Adam Schiff.”

Booker Appeals for Donations to Stay In Race

December 1, 2019 at 12:49 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Struggling to keep his presidential campaign afloat, Sen. Cory Booker appealed for donations in a CBS News interview to ensure he can qualify for the next debate and continue his months-long pursuit of a spot in the top tier of the Democratic primary field.

Said Booker: “If you want me in this race, if you want my voice and message — which is resonating — then I need help.”

Two Months Until First Votes

December 1, 2019 at 12:47 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Dan Balz: “Two months of campaigning remain before the first votes are cast on Feb. 3 in Iowa. In December, impeachment proceedings in the House will overshadow what the candidates do and say; then the holidays will offer voters a possible timeout from everything political.”

“In January, an impeachment trial in the Senate could tie up the senators in the race — Sanders, Warren, Klobuchar, Harris, Booker and Michael F. Bennet (Colo.) — but notably not Biden or Buttigieg. Whether that gives the non-senators an edge in the weeks when many voters will be making their decisions is the question.”

“More than in some past campaigns, Democratic voters appear torn between heart and head. Many are looking for a candidate who will inspire them while also being somewhat risk-averse. Those conflicting impulses could be one reason the race seems to shift and shift again and why the answer to the question of what and whom it will take to beat Trump still lies at the center of it all.”

Bloomberg’s Path May Depend on Splitting Early States

December 1, 2019 at 8:12 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Democrats say a very realistic scenario now calls for Pete Buttigieg to win Iowa, Elizabeth Warren to win New Hampshire, Joe Biden to win South Carolina and Bernie Sanders to win Nevada,” Axios reports.

“Mike Bloomberg, who’s bypassing the early states, thinks a split decision opens a path for him to make a big statement on Super Tuesday (March 3), which includes California.”

“That’s part of the reason Bloomberg’s candidacy is so fascinating: No one has tried a self-funded race with anything like the spending Bloomberg has already unleashed.”

House Will Review Impeachment Report Monday

November 30, 2019 at 10:27 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Members of the House Intelligence Committee will begin reviewing a report Monday on the panel’s investigation of President Trump’s efforts to press Ukraine to investigate his Democratic adversaries, a crucial step in the House’s fast-moving impeachment inquiry,” Politico reports.

“Lawmakers on the panel will get a 24-hour review period… On Tuesday, the panel is expected to approve the findings — likely on a party-line vote — teeing it up for consideration by the Judiciary Committee, which is in turn expected to draft and consider articles of impeachment in the coming weeks.”

Biden Begins Iowa Blitz

November 30, 2019 at 5:10 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Guardian: “Joe Biden has embarked upon an eight-day tour across Iowa as the former US vice-president attempts to arrest his flagging poll numbers in the key state, which is the first to vote in the race to be the Democratic presidential nominee.”

“Biden started his election blitz on Saturday, telling supporters in a fundraising email that he was undertaking an ‘eight-day, 18 county, ‘No Malarkey’ barnstorm’ across Iowa.”

No GOP Senators Want to Chair Ethics Committee

November 30, 2019 at 5:04 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Hill: “Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) is set to retire in approximately a month, creating an opening atop the Senate Ethics Committee, a behind-the-scenes panel responsible for enforcing standards of behavior for senators and their staffs and investigating potential violations of federal law or the Senate’s rules.”

“But GOP senators who spoke with The Hill, including current members of the committee, had a nearly universal response when asked if they wanted to take over the Ethics Committee: Thanks, but no thanks.”