Rep. Paul Cook (R-CA) will retire from Congress at the end of this term and run for a seat on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Three-Way Race for California
A new Emerson poll in California shows a three-way race for the Democratic presidential nomination with Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders tied at 26%, followed closely by Elizabeth Warren at 20%.
A significant drop is seen between this tier and the next group of candidates; Andrew Yang is in fourth at 7%, followed by Sen. Kamala Harris at 6%, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke at 5% and Mayor Pete Buttigieg at 4%. Every other candidate is at 2% or less.
Cokie Roberts Is Dead
ABC News journalist and political commentator Cokie Roberts has died at the age of 75, ABC News reports.
“Roberts won countless awards, including three Emmys, throughout her decades-long career. She has been inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame and was cited by the American Women in Radio and Television as one of the 50 greatest women in the history of broadcasting.”
Dark Towers
Out early next year: Dark Towers: Deutsche Bank, Donald Trump, and an Epic Trail of Destruction by David Enrich.
“Desperate for an American foothold, Deutsche started doing business with a self-promoting real estate magnate who most banks deemed too dangerous to touch: Donald Trump. Over the next 20 years, Deutsche executives—including a man with a damaged brain, the son of a Supreme Court justice, and Rosemary Vrablic—loaned billions to Trump and the Kushner family. Why?”
Sale
Dark Towers: Deutsche Bank, Donald Trump, and an Epic Trail of Destruction
- Hardcover Book
- Enrich, David (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 416 Pages - 02/18/2020 (Publication Date) - Mariner Books (Publisher)
Spicer Pleads with Evangelicals to Keep Him on Show
Former White House press secretary and current “Dancing with the Stars” contestant Sean Spicer on Tuesday implored viewers to vote for him to “send a message to Hollywood that those of us who stand for Christ won’t be discounted,” The Hill reports.
Quote of the Day
“Who do you like more, the country or the Hispanics? He says the country, I don’t know. I may have to go with the Hispanics to be honest with you. we’ve got a lot of Hispanics.”
— President Trump, quoted by The Week, at a rally in New Mexico last night
Trump Holding Secret Silicon Valley Fundraiser
“Three years ago, an uproar among company employees forced the chief executive of Intel Corp. at the time to cancel an event for candidate Donald Trump at his Atherton, Calif., home hours after the plan became public. On Tuesday, the president is set to return to the Bay Area for the first time since his election—and no one will say who is hosting him,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Campaign aides and advisers cited security and privacy concerns and noted violence that arose from protests during Mr. Trump’s previous trips to the area as they declined through Monday evening to disclose the host of the fundraiser the president will attend.”
“Donors invited to the event—whose tickets cost up to $100,000 per couple—weren’t told in advance where the fundraiser is or who is hosting it. Instead, they were told to arrive at a parking place in Palo Alto, from which they will be transported to the event.”
Biden Leads Democrats In New York
A new Siena poll in New York shows Joe Biden leading the Democratic presidential field with 22%, followed by Elizabeth Warren at 17% and Bernie Sanders at 15%.
They are followed by Kamala Harris at 4% and Pete Buttigieg at 3%. No other candidate tops 1%.
Harris Shifts Focus to Fundraising
First Read: “By the way, while Warren, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders all hit the campaign trail right after debate night in Houston, voters won’t see Kamala Harris at a public event until this Thursday in Iowa.”
“The last time Harris held a public event was Sept. 7 in New Hampshire, where she attended the VoteVets forum ahead of the state convention — so that’ll be 12 days off the trail for her when it comes to public events. Instead, Harris is spending the week on a fundraising swing through the east coast, holding events in New York, Connecticut and Baltimore.”
“As the third quarter fundraising deadline approaches on Sept. 30, Harris faces pressure to haul in big numbers, especially after bringing in just $12 million in the last quarter.”
Warren Capped Her Speech with 4 Hours of Selfies
At a massive rally in New York City last night, Sen. Elizabeth Warren spoke for about 42 minutes — then stayed for nearly four hours taking selfies with supporters, the New York Times reports.
“With each big rally, Warren is solidifying her place in an exclusive club of presidential candidates who have become crowd magnets, exhilarating fans at events that can sometimes feel like rock concerts.”
The Case for Packing the Court
Jamelle Bouie: “Democrats are left in an unenviable position. Should they win a federal ‘trifecta’ — the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives — they’ll still have to deal with a Trump-branded judiciary. It’s entirely possible that a future Democratic agenda would be circumscribed and unraveled by a Supreme Court whose slim conservative majority owes itself to minority government and constitutional hardball.”
“So what should Democrats do? They should play hardball back. Congress, according to the Judiciary Act of 1789, decides the number of judges. It’s been 150 years since it changed the size of the Supreme Court. I think it’s time to revisit the issue. Should Democrats win that trifecta, they should expand and yes, pack, the Supreme Court. Add two additional seats to account for the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the Gorsuch and Kavanaugh nominations. Likewise, expand and pack the entire federal judiciary to neutralize Trump and McConnell’s attempt to cement Republican ideological preferences into the constitutional order.”
Two Takes on Corruption
New York Times: “The two back-to-back addresses laid out the competing versions of populism that could come to define the presidential campaign. From the right, there is the strain Mr. Trump brought to maturity in 2016, combining the longstanding grievances of the white working class with a newer, darker angst about immigration and cultural change. And on the left, there is a vastly different populist wave still gaining strength, defined in economic terms by Ms. Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.”
“The messages underlined the possibility that the 2020 election could be the first in a generation to be fought without an ally of either party’s centrist establishment on the ballot. While it is by no means certain that Ms. Warren will emerge as the Democratic nominee, two of her party’s top three candidates — Ms. Warren and Mr. Sanders — are trumpeting themes of economic inequality and promises of sweeping political and social reform.”
For members: Populist Anger Hasn’t Gone Away
Ocasio-Cortez Backs First Challenger to Sitting Democrat
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) plans on Tuesday to announce her endorsement of Marie Newman (D), a progressive candidate seeking to oust Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D-IL), a conservative-leaning Illinois Democrat, marking her first move of the 2020 campaign cycle to back a primary challenger to an incumbent, the New York Times reports.
GOP Favored to Win Most Close Presidential Elections
A new University of Texas study quantifies just how often the Electoral College will produce an “inversion” — “that is, an election where one candidate wins the popular vote but the other walks away with the presidency. The numbers are simply astonishing,” Vox reports.
“In modern elections where one party prevails by just 2 points in the two-party popular vote, ‘inversions are expected in more than 30% of elections.’ That number rises to 40 percent in elections with a 1 percentage-point margin.”
“Republicans, moreover, are far more likely to benefit from an inversion than Democrats.” From the study: “In the modern period, Republicans should be expected to win 65% of Presidential contests in which they narrowly lose the popular vote.”
Cameron Shoots Stag and Calls Him ‘Boris’
David Cameron, the former British prime minister whose memoirs will be released this week, reportedly went on a hunting vacation to the Scottish island of Jura last month, during which he is said to have “shot a stag and named him Boris,” the Times of London reports.
Sean Spicer Embarrasses Himself Again
Daily Beast: “Despite its best efforts, America could not shame Sean Spicer out of joining Dancing With the Stars. So there was the former White House press secretary on the ABC reality show’s 28th season premiere on Monday night, wearing a frilly yellow shirt that evoked Big Bird and a pair of tight-fitting white pants.”
“It didn’t get any better after that.”
Trump’s Scottish Resort Hosted Military for Longer Stays
Politico: “Air Force officers who have earned medals for their tours of combat theaters can pick up some more brass with a short pitstop in Southwest Scotland. As part of its relationship with the Air Force, President Donald Trump’s Turnberry resort occasionally gifts high-ranking officers a version of its ‘Pride Pin,’ a lapel pin featuring the property’s iconic lighthouse — an honor reserved for VIPs — upon their arrival, according a resort staffer familiar with the practice. Rank-and-file members can expect a more basic welcome package in their rooms, featuring goodies like Scottish shortbread.”
“A five-day visit to Turnberry and the surrounding region revealed that the regular visits from Air Force crews on layovers from Prestwick Airport have become a major facet of the life of the resort. It also revealed that, rather than being restricted to single-night refueling stops, some visits last multiple nights, expanding the known dimensions of the relationship between the president’s luxury resort and the U.S. military.”
Michael Bennet Releases New Ads In Iowa
Politico: “The Colorado Democrat didn’t appear on the primary debate stage last week, after failing to reach the criteria set by the Democratic National Committee. But Bennet is doubling down on his commitment to Iowa with a seven-figure TV and digital ad push over the next several weeks, starting Tuesday.”
