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Hastert May Face Trial Over Hush Money Payments

September 12, 2019 at 8:15 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Unless an eleventh-hour settlement is reached, retired U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert could stand trial as early as November in a lawsuit brought by a former student-athlete he coached who accused the disgraced politician of reneging on a hush-money pact concerning sexual abuse decades ago,” the Chicago Tribune reports.

“In a seven-page order handed down Tuesday, Kendall County Judge Robert Pilmer rejected both sides’ requests for summary judgment. The decision clears the way for the lawsuit to proceed to trial if no settlement is reached.”

Winning Re-Election Is an Existential Necessity for Trump

September 12, 2019 at 8:09 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Edward Luce: “Donald Trump, as the saying goes, should be taken literally as well as seriously. Mr Trump often raises the prospect of securing an illegal third term in 2024. He recently told global football officials that he should still be America’s president when it hosts the World Cup in 2026. Mr Trump often follows up by saying: ‘Only kidding’. Then he raises the theme again — twice in the past week; once at a rally in North Carolina, the second time on Twitter.”

“Should Americans accept that Mr Trump is joking? Only at great risk. No other U.S. president has faced the prospect of being re-elected or going to jail. Whether a defeated Mr Trump would actually be prosecuted — by the Southern District of New York, for example, and for any number of alleged crimes — is immaterial. All that matters is whether Mr Trump believes he could face jail. To judge by Mr Trump’s words and actions, he considers victory in next year’s election to be an existential necessity.”

“This includes creating the climate for a repeat of the 2016 election.”

Democrats Privately Map Out Impeachment Articles

September 12, 2019 at 7:26 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A group of Judiciary Committee Democrats has begun privately mapping a list of possible charges against President Trump, sketching out the contours of potential articles of impeachment even as House leaders publicly resist taking such action,” the Washington Post reports.

“The closely held, informal discussions between some committee lawmakers and aides close to the investigations say the charges include a range of allegations — some that echo charges against former president Richard M. Nixon: obstruction of justice, abuse of power and defiance of subpoenas, as well as violation of campaign finance law and allegations of self-enrichment, said the individuals, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of their work.”

Unknown number calling? It’s not random

The BBC caught scam call center workers on hidden cameras as they laughed at the people they were tricking.

The BBC caught scam call center workers on hidden cameras as they laughed at the people they were tricking. One worker bragged about making $250k from victims. The disturbing truth? Scammers don’t pick phone numbers at random. They buy your data from brokers.

Once your data is out there, it’s not just calls. It’s phishing, impersonation, and identity theft. That’s why I recommend Incogni: They delete your info from the web, monitor and follow up automatically, and continue to erase data as new risks appear. Try Incogni here and get 55% off your subscription with code POLITICALWIRE.

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Warren Leads In Ranked-Choice Poll

September 12, 2019 at 7:19 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new YouGov/FairVote poll using a ranked-choice methodology finds Elizabeth Warren leading Joe Biden in the Democratic presidential race, 53% to 47%.

Vox: “The way ranked choice voting works is that candidates with fewer votes are eliminated, and then their votes are redistributed to whomever each voter designated as their next-ranked preference. For instance, a voter could rank Bernie Sanders as their first choice and Warren as their second choice — meaning that, if Sanders was eliminated, this vote would be transferred to Warren.”

Israel Accused of Trying to Spy on Trump

September 12, 2019 at 6:44 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “The U.S. government concluded within the last two years that Israel was most likely behind the placement of cell-phone surveillance devices that were found near the White House and other sensitive locations around Washington, D.C.”

“But unlike most other occasions when flagrant incidents of foreign spying have been discovered on American soil, the Trump administration did not rebuke the Israeli government, and there were no consequences for Israel’s behavior.”

“The miniature surveillance devices … mimic regular cell towers to fool cell phones into giving them their locations and identity information … they also can capture the contents of calls and data use.”

“The devices were likely intended to spy on President Trump… though it’s not clear whether the Israeli efforts were successful.”

Rendell Calls Warren a Hypocrite

September 12, 2019 at 6:39 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell writes in the Washington Post:

“Warren didn’t seem to have any trouble taking our money in 2018, but suddenly we were power brokers and influence peddlers in 2019. The year before, we were wonderful. I co-chaired one of the events for the senator and received a glowing, handwritten thank-you letter from her for my hard work.”

“It seemed odd to some of us who gave her money that Warren was experiencing an epiphany less than 12 months later. It’s one thing to fashion a campaign that relies on grass-roots fundraising, but it’s another to go out of your way to characterize as power-brokers and influence-peddlers the very people whose support you have previously courted.”

Boston Globe: After summer surge, Warren could be a target in tonight’s debate.

Ominous Signs Cloud House GOP Retreat

September 12, 2019 at 6:31 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “A parade of Republican retirements. Red flags about the economy. President Donald Trump’s approval ratings under water. A nail-biter race in a GOP stronghold.”

“House Republicans are grappling with a string of ominous warning signs from over the past month that could spell doom for the party’s chances of clawing back power in 2020, an unsettling prospect for the GOP conference as it prepares for its annual retreat in Baltimore on Thursday.”

But Her Emails…

September 12, 2019 at 6:30 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Hillary Clinton spent an hour yesterday reading her emails at my exhibition of all 62,000 pages of them in Venice. She is pictured here at a replica of the Oval Office Resolute Desk, stacked with her emails.”

Democrats Back Off Assault Weapons Ban

September 12, 2019 at 6:26 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “As Democrats make an aggressive push for new gun control legislation, they have made a calculated decision to stop short of pursuing their most ambitious goal: an assault weapons ban.”

“The overwhelming majority of House Democrats — 211, seven shy of the 218 needed for passage — are co-sponsoring legislation to ban military-style semiautomatic weapons, similar to the ban in effect from 1994 to 2004. But some centrist Democrats remain skittish about any proposal that keeps firearms from law-abiding citizens — a frequent charge against Democrats by Republicans and gun rights groups — making any such ban politically risky for moderates in Trump-friendly districts. In the Senate, it draws less support.”

“The split reveals just how complicated gun politics remain inside the Democratic Party, even as mass shootings are terrorizing the nation and the Twitter hashtag #DoSomething has captured the mounting public demands for Congress to act.”

Trump Officials Tour Facility to Relocate Homeless

September 11, 2019 at 10:52 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A team of Trump administration officials toured a California facility once used by the Federal Aviation Administration this week as they searched for a potential site to relocate homeless people,” the Washington Post reports.

“President Trump has directed aides to launch a major crackdown on homelessness in California, spurring an effort across multiple government agencies to determine how to deal with sprawling tent camps on the streets of Los Angeles and other cities.”

Big Donors Watching Kamala Harris In Next Debate

September 11, 2019 at 10:48 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Sen. Kamala Harris’ top donors, including those who have contributed or opened their networks to her, are privately acknowledging that if she doesn’t perform well on Thursday, she could start losing the support of wealthy financiers,” CNBC reports.

“In discussions with donors and those close to lead financiers, there is a growing consensus that the California lawmaker needs to have a strong outing against the nine other contenders if she wants to maintain an alliance with many big money donors that have donated to multiple campaigns, including hers.”

Trump Considers Double-Tapping Pompeo

September 11, 2019 at 8:37 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Just one day after President Trump dismissed national security adviser John Bolton, administration officials are discussing the possibility of replacing Bolton with his chief rival, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo,” CNN reports.

“Under this scenario, the country’s top diplomat would absorb the national security adviser role and do both jobs.”

“That would make Pompeo the second person in history to have both jobs at the same time. The first, Henry Kissinger, was already President Richard Nixon’s national security adviser when he was appointed secretary of state in 1973, and filled both roles for two years.”

Ginsburg Says Changing Electoral College Is ‘Theoretical’

September 11, 2019 at 8:01 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg called proposed changes to the U.S. Constitution — such as changing the Electoral College system — “more theoretical than real,” the Chicago Sun Times reports.

Said Ginsburg: “It’s largely a dream because our Constitution is … hard to amend. I know that from experience.”

Advisers Struggle to Obey Trump’s Kafkaesque Rules

September 11, 2019 at 7:25 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “Trump’s desires for his advisers range from the trivial — someone who looks the part — to the traditional — someone willing to vigorously support him and defend his policies in media appearances. But these demands can be grating and at times terminal for members of his staff — especially for those who, like the national security adviser, may find themselves at odds with the president on critical issues.”

Said one former Trump official: “There is no person that is part of the daily Trump decision-making process that can survive long term. The president doesn’t like people to get good press. He doesn’t like people to get bad press. Yet he expects everyone to be relevant and important and supportive at all times. Even if a person could do all those things, the president would grow tired of anyone in his immediate orbit.”

Supreme Court Backs New Trump Asylum Restrictions

September 11, 2019 at 7:20 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed the Trump administration to bar many Central American migrants from seeking asylum in the United States. The court said the administration may enforce new rules that generally forbid asylum applications from people who had traveled through another country on their way to the United States without being denied asylum in that country,” the New York Times reports.

“A federal appeals court had largely blocked the new policy, but the justices, in a brief, unsigned order, allowed it to go into effect while legal challenges move forward. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor dissented.”

U.K. Admits No Deal Brexit Could Result in Chaos and Riots

September 11, 2019 at 5:38 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A no-deal Brexit could result in rising food and fuel prices, disruption to medicine supplies and public disorder on Britain’s streets, according to secret documents the government was forced by MPs to publish on Wednesday,” The Guardian reports.

“A five-page document spelling out the government’s ‘planning assumptions’ under Operation Yellowhammer – the government’s no-deal plan – was disclosed in response to a ‘humble address’ motion.”

Michael Cohen Interviewed by State Prosecutors

September 11, 2019 at 5:34 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Prosecutors with the New York district attorney’s office interviewed Donald Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen in recent weeks as part of their investigation of the Trump Organization’s handling of hush money payments,” CNN reports.

“Officials from the district attorney’s office, led by Cyrus Vance, interviewed Cohen at the federal prison in Otisville, New York, where he is serving a three-year sentence after pleading guilty to multiple crimes including campaign finance violations tied to payments to two women alleging affairs with Trump a decade ago.”

A Muddled Message on Impeachment

September 11, 2019 at 5:32 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “Depending on whom you ask, on Thursday morning, the House Judiciary Committee will vote on procedures to investigate whether to open an impeachment inquiry or to continue an already opened impeachment inquiry.”

“Or maybe there is no inquiry at all. At this point, it’s hard to say, in part because House Democrats offer different, often-strained answers to a straightforward question: Has the House begun an impeachment investigation of President Trump?”