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House Judiciary Will Vote to Subpoena Muller Report

April 1, 2019 at 8:39 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The House Judiciary Committee plans to vote Wednesday to authorize subpoenas to obtain the full report of special counsel Robert Mueller, escalating a feud with the Justice Department over a lengthy document detailing findings about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election,” the Washington Post reports.

“Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, on Monday announced plans for the panel’s vote, which would take place a day after a deadline the committee set for Attorney General William Barr to share the report.”

Notes from Beto’s Campaign Rally

April 1, 2019 at 8:29 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

First Read has some good observations from Beto O’Rourke’s campaign kickoff in El Paso over the weekend:

He doesn’t use a Teleprompter.
His campaign didn’t release speech excerpts.
His campaign excels at building picturesque rally settings (also see his last stop in Austin).
His speech covered the bases on policy (health care, education, climate change), clearly reacting to the earlier criticism that he had lacked policy specifics.
His speech had a heavy emphasis on immigration and the border battle (“Let’s make sure that we never take another child from another mother after her most desperate and vulnerable moment”).
And he made unity his other big theme (“Let’s agree, going forward, before we are anything else, we are Americans first”).

Feds Defy Judge on Syrian Asylum Seeker

April 1, 2019 at 8:20 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A Syrian asylum seeker who presented himself to Virgin Islands Police was transferred to Miami by immigration agents in defiance of a judge’s order that he be released,” the Virgin Islands Daily News reports.

Why Warren Lags Her Rivals In Fundraising

April 1, 2019 at 8:03 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “She was the first major candidate to announce; she has set the pace on policy, unveiling a series of far-reaching proposals on child care, taxes and the role of large technology companies; and she defied the pleas of her longtime finance director and declared that she would stop pursuing big donations altogether, leading to his resignation.”

“But as the first fund-raising deadline arrives at midnight on Sunday, Ms. Warren — who last year was widely considered a would-be front-runner — finds herself in a political vise. Her rivals on either ideological flank will raise substantially more money in the first quarter than she does, and her focus on policy has not yet translated in the polls.”

Kushner’s Middle East Peace Deal Is Likely Dead

April 1, 2019 at 7:11 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Bloomberg: “Saudi Arabia and Egypt are unlikely to throw their weight behind the proposal being drawn up by Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and adviser, and White House Middle East peace negotiator Jason Greenblatt, according to interviews with key diplomats and analysts in Washington.”

“One diplomat described the initiative, which has yet to be made public, ‘hocus pocus’ and doubted whether Trump — who has raised questions about whether he supports a Palestinian state — cares about a negotiated settlement.”

Lindsey Graham Kicks Off Re-Election Bid

April 1, 2019 at 7:09 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “Twenty months before voters head to the polls, Graham is starting his campaign for a fourth Senate term early — and doing everything he can to link himself to the president. For Graham, the full embrace of Trump is, in part, an effort to stave off primary challengers, particularly someone who could be tempted to run against him as a Trump-style insurgent.”

Buttigieg Raised $7 Million So Far

April 1, 2019 at 7:08 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Pete Buttigieg announced that his presidential campaign raised over $7 million in the first quarter.

Politico: “The challenge for Buttigieg goes beyond teaching America how to pronounce his last name. Local operatives said the 37-year-old lags behind the rest of the sprawling pack of 2020 candidates in building infrastructure in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina — a problem Buttigieg’s campaign is racing to correct as resources start to roll in.”

McConnell Will Use ‘Nuclear Option’ for Trump Nominees

April 1, 2019 at 7:07 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) writes in Politico:

“Since January 2017, for the first time in memory, a minority has exploited procedure to systematically obstruct a president from staffing up his administration. This new, across-the-board obstruction is unfair to the president and, more importantly, to the American people. Left unchecked, it is guaranteed to create an unsustainable precedent that would see every future presidency of either party obstructed in the same mindless way. The Senate needs to restore normalcy. And this week, we will vote to do just that.”

Harris’ Call for Reform Collides with Her Past

April 1, 2019 at 6:53 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“When Kamala Harris made her much-heralded arrival in Washington as California’s first African American U.S. senator, she made a curious early decision. Within months of her swearing-in, she sponsored a bill urging states to eliminate cash bail, denouncing the system as a scourge on the poor and communities of color,” the AP reports.

“That position would become a key part of her criminal justice reform platform. But her choice surprised some bail reform advocates back in California. In her seven years as a district attorney, and then six as attorney general, Harris was absent on the issue, they say. In fact, less than a year earlier, her office defended the cash bail system in a pair of federal court cases, shifting course only weeks before she entered the Senate.”

Ex-Defense Chief’s Wife Says Biden Photo Was Misleading

March 31, 2019 at 10:56 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “The photograph, taken at the White House in February 2015 during Ash Carter’s swearing-in ceremony to lead the Pentagon, captures Biden standing behind Stephanie Carter and whispering into her ear as his hands rest on her shoulders.”

“But in a blog post published Sunday on Medium, Carter wrote that Biden’s display of affection toward her in 2015 was appreciated, as she was ‘uncharacteristically nervous’ after slipping on some ice upon her arrival at the Pentagon earlier in the day.”

Said Carter: “After the swearing-in, as Ash was giving remarks, he leaned in to tell me ‘thank you for letting him do this’ and kept his hands on my shoulders as a means of offering his support.”

Trump Privately Thinks Obamacare Lawsuit Will Fail

March 31, 2019 at 8:08 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Jonathan Swan: “A major misconception on Capitol Hill right now is the notion that Mick Mulvaney is behind President Trump’s decision to back a lawsuit to demolish the Affordable Care Act.”

“After a week of talking to sources who’ve discussed the matter privately with Trump, it’s clear that this health care push is coming from the president himself. These people say Trump thinks it’s a great idea to try to brand the GOP as ‘the party of health care’ by backing the controversial litigation and pushing for legislative change.”

“Trump has privately said he thinks the lawsuit to strike down the Affordable Care Act will probably fail in the courts.”

Trump ‘Saving’ Amy Barrett for Ginsburg’s Seat

March 31, 2019 at 8:07 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“As he was deliberating last year over replacing Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, President Trump told confidants he had big plans for Judge Amy Coney Barrett,” Axios reports.

Said Trump: “I’m saving her for Ginsburg.”

“Trump used that exact line with a number of people, including in a private conversation with an adviser two days before announcing Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination.”

Young Voters Prefer the Oldest Candidates

March 31, 2019 at 8:06 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Harvard Institute of Politics Poll finds Sen. Bernie Sanders is the favorite among 18- to 29-year-old likely Democratic primary voters at 31%, followed by former Vice President Joe Biden follows in second place at 20%, Beto O’Rourke at 10%, Sen. Kamala Harris at 5%, Sen. Cory Booker at 3%, and Andrew Yang at 2%.

Axios: “The youngest Americans — millennials and Generation Z — will make up 37% of the electorate in 2020, per Pew Research.”

Biden Scrambles to Stem Crisis

March 31, 2019 at 8:00 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Former Vice President Joseph Biden scrambled on Sunday to contain a quickly growing crisis for his likely presidential bid, putting forward several former female aides and allies to praise his treatment of women after Lucy Flores, a former Nevada legislator, accused Mr. Biden of kissing and touching her,” the New York Times reports.

“Mr. Biden also issued a sweeping statement acknowledging that he had shown ‘expressions of affection’ to people during his years on the campaign trail, but said, ‘not once — never — did I believe I acted inappropriately.’ It was the second damage-control statement to come from his team since Ms. Flores made her allegation on Friday, and it was released minutes before she appeared on CNN and argued that Mr. Biden’s behavior with her at a 2014 campaign event was ‘disqualifying’ for a presidential candidate.”

“Yet even as Mr. Biden defended himself, and his former staff members praised his conduct as a boss, some of the former vice president’s would-be rivals in the 2020 Democratic field and some allies said that Ms. Flores’s claim should be taken seriously.”

Fairfax Says Polygraph Backs Up His Sex Assault Denials

March 31, 2019 at 4:02 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D) said that he voluntarily took polygraph exams that support his claim that he did not sexually assault two women who leveled accusations against him earlier this year, NBC News reports.

Biden Leads In Nevada

March 31, 2019 at 3:46 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Emerson College poll in Nevada shows Joe Biden leading the Democratic primary race with 26% support, followed by Bernie Sanders at 23%, Beto O’Rourke at 10%, Elizabeth Warren at 10%, Kamala Harris at 9%, and Pete Buttigieg at 5%.

Why Trump’s New Health Care Push Will Backfire

March 31, 2019 at 1:56 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The following post for members is by G. Elliot Morris of The Crosstab.

Speaking to the press before attending a policy lunch on Capitol Hill last Tuesday, Donald Trump renewed his crusade against the Affordable Care Act and pledged that “the Republican Party will soon be known as the party of health care.”

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White House Claims to Be Working on Health Plan

March 31, 2019 at 1:31 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway maintained on Fox News that Republicans are “working on a plan” for replacing the Affordable Care Act, days after President Trump surprised members on both sides of the aisle when he declared that the Republican Party “will soon be known as the party of health care,” the Washington Post reports.

Said Conway: “There is a plan. We’ve been working on a plan for a long time. And we hope that Congress would come along.”

Host Chris Wallace responded: “Right, nine years, but you’ve never actually come up with a whole plan.”

USA Today: “White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said that he could guarantee that Americans would not lose their health care insurance coverage if the Affordable Care Act ends up being struck down in its most recent court challenge.”