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McConnell Trolls Obama on Campaign Website

April 18, 2019 at 7:10 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell launched his re-election campaign website on Wednesday with a bit of political barb, aimed at liberals still fuming over his blocking of former President Barack Obama’s final pick for the Supreme Court,” USA Today reports.

“When visitors reach a ‘404’ page – basically, when they land on a part of the website that doesn’t exist – it features a background of Judge Merrick Garland standing next to Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden.”

From the page: “Oops this page doesn’t exist. But just in case, go donate and make sure it doesn’t come back.”

How Many Cases Did Mueller Hand Off?

April 18, 2019 at 7:08 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Vox: “During his 22-month investigation, Mueller’s team turned up information on a number of different topics that weren’t Russian interference with the presidential election. So the special counsel ended up referring ‘a number’ of cases to other Justice Department offices for potential investigation and prosecution.”

“We know about some of these referrals — cases related to Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and former Obama White House counsel Greg Craig. But we don’t know how many others there are that we don’t yet know about. The report may shed more light on this, since Barr has said that redactions that relate to ongoing investigations will be identified as such.”

Today Is a Bad Day for Trump

April 18, 2019 at 6:42 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Playbook: “Why? Because we’re about to get a ton of new information about the president and how he conducts business. There will be tons new here, no matter how much is redacted. The president has the ability to plow through precarious situations by talking about what he wants to talk about, and his base sticks with him. Trump will be at Mar-a-Lago by this evening.”

“But remember: This is just the beginning of a long, protracted legal and political process. Dems will fight for fewer redactions, and seem certain to call Mueller and Barr to the Hill to testify.”

Here’s what to expect: Attorney General William Barr will hold a press conference on the Mueller report at 9:30 am ET and President Trump hinted he might hold one of his own after that. A redacted version of the report will be delivered to Capitol Hill between 11 am ET and 12 pm ET.

O’Rourke Stays Away from TV

April 17, 2019 at 10:18 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “O’Rourke’s cable absenteeism diverges with the omnipresence of other 2020 candidates, particularly South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, whose media saturation strategy corresponds with his recent rise in polls and surprise early fundraising successes.”

Said O’Rourke: “We have held more town halls in the month and four days that we’ve been doing this than I think any other candidate, because meeting you eyeball to eyeball, to me, is so much more satisfying than being on cable TV and in a soundbite.”

He added: “At some point, I may have to give in and be on your television set, but right now I want to be with you in person.”

Perry Will Leave As Energy Secretary

April 17, 2019 at 9:48 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Energy Secretary Rick Perry is planning to leave the Trump administration, but his departure is not imminent, Reuters reports.

Democrats Slam Barr Over Rollout of Mueller Report

April 17, 2019 at 9:26 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Democratic members of Congress raised concerns about the timing of the release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, blasting the Justice Department for preparing to release the report only after a press conference by Attorney General William Barr,” CBS News reports.

“Barr will speak to the press about the report Thursday morning before it’s delivered to Capitol Hill, where it’s expected between 11 a.m. and noon.”

Mueller Report Will Be ‘Lightly Redacted’

April 17, 2019 at 8:44 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Justice Department plans to release a lightly redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller’s 400-page report Thursday, offering a granular look at the ways in which President Trump was suspected of having obstructed justice,” the Washington Post reports.

“The report — the general outlines of which the Justice Department has briefed the White House on — will reveal that Mueller decided he could not come to a conclusion on the question of obstruction because it was difficult to determine Trump’s intent and some of his actions could be interpreted innocently… But it will offer a detailed blow-by-blow of his alleged conduct — analyzing tweets, private threats and other episodes at the center of Mueller’s inquiry.”

White House Aides Brace for Mueller Report

April 17, 2019 at 8:34 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “A sense of paranoia is taking hold among some of Mr. Trump’s aides, some of whom fear his backlash more than the findings themselves, the people said. The report might make clear which of Mr. Trump’s current and former advisers spoke to the special counsel, how much they said and how much damage they did to the president — providing a kind of road map for retaliation.”

McAuliffe Won’t Run for President

April 17, 2019 at 8:07 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe won’t run for president in 2020, the AP reports.

“McAuliffe had flirted with a Democratic presidential run for months, popping up in early voting states late last year and campaigning with candidates in Iowa and New Hampshire, but ultimately decided against mounting a bid.”

North Korea Tests Powerful Warhead

April 17, 2019 at 7:07 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

North Korea tested a new type of tactical guided weapon, CNBC reports.

“The test of ‘a powerful warhead’ was overseen by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and marks the first public weapons test from the rogue regime since President Trump’s historic meeting with Kim in Singapore last year.”

Washington Post: “It was not immediately clear what type of weapon was fired, but the move would mark the first weapons test since President Trump’s summit with Kim in Hanoi in February and a sign of public defiance by Kim following a stalemate in the high-stakes denuclearization talks.”

Team Pete Graphics

April 17, 2019 at 6:54 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

John Gruber points out Pete Buttigieg’s distinct individual state branding for his presidential campaign.

“This is strong identity work. Just check out these per-state graphics, each of them hand-lettered with full credit given to the artists. This work is distinctive, attractive, and strikes me as pitch-perfect for Buttigieg’s personality and tone. It fits, which is a very hard thing to get right.”

Some Lawmakers Will Get ‘Less Redacted’ Report

April 17, 2019 at 6:21 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A limited number of members of Congress will get to see a ‘less redacted’ version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report,” Bloomberg reports.

“The Justice Department plans to give those members of Congress a version of the report that will include information related to charges against Roger Stone, President Donald Trump’s sometime adviser who’s charged with lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstructing justice.”

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Quits Facebook

April 17, 2019 at 5:30 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), “whose mastery of social media has helped drive the national conversation and shed light on the inner workings of congressional power, has given up on the most popular social network in the world,” the Washington Post reports.

The freshman lawmaker says she stopped using her Facebook account and was scaling back on all social media, which she described as a “public health risk” because it can lead to “increased isolation, depression, anxiety, addiction, escapism.”

Kentucky Republicans Worried AOC Invite Might Backfire

April 17, 2019 at 4:46 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) invited Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) to come meet coal miners in his state “who will tell you what the Green New Deal would mean for their families, their paychecks.” Ocasio-Cortez accepted, saying she’d be “happy” to go, adding that the Green New Deal was written to fund coal-miner pensions, GQ reports.

“All in all, it seemed like an uncharacteristically cordial exchange for two members of Congress. And not even a month later, that cordiality is out the window: Barr has reportedly withdrawn his invitation, saying that Ocasio-Cortez has to first apologize to Texas representative Dan Crenshaw for a completely unrelated event before he brings her to meet with miners.”

“Uninviting Ocasio-Cortez is probably a smart move on Barr’s part in the long run. For one thing, there aren’t any active coal mines in Barr’s district.”

Barr Will Discuss Mueller Report at News Conference

April 17, 2019 at 4:36 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Attorney General William Barr plans to hold a news conference Thursday to discuss special counsel Robert Mueller’s final report, President Trump said during a radio appearance, adding a must-see-TV event to the day he will release the long-awaited document,” the Washington Post reports.

“The press conference will occur at 9:30 a.m., and Barr, who will appear with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, will take questions. It was not immediately clear whether it would occur before or after the report’s release.”

Warren Has the Biggest Presidential Campaign

April 17, 2019 at 4:30 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

BuzzFeed News: “By the end of March, Warren’s campaign staff numbered about 164 people, according to payroll spending released this week in a quarterly Federal Election Commission disclosure. The 69-year-old candidate, who was the first major contender to jump in the race with a New Year’s Eve announcement, now has a team of more than 170 people and plans to bring on new hires every month in the second quarter of 2019, campaign officials confirmed.”

“As Warren and her advisers see it, it’s part of a larger strategy that diverts from past presidential campaigns that have prioritized spending on television ads. As voters change the way they consume information online, they say, Warren has focused on building a campaign operation in early-voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire, holding events (58 town halls in 14 states) where the emphasis is on answering questions (more than 250 from audiences), engaging with the press (105 one-on-one interviews and 44 media availabilities), and demonstrating substance on policy.”

China Blocks Visit of Trump Confidant

April 17, 2019 at 4:05 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Jonathan Swan: “China recently declined to issue a visa to Michael Pillsbury, an informal adviser to President Trump on China policy, in an unusual move that comes as the Trump administration steps up its scrutiny of Chinese experts attempting to travel to the U.S.”

“Pillsbury regularly discusses China with Trump, including during an Oval Office meeting about a month ago. Pillsbury told Axios he has visited China over 50 times since the 1970s and this is the first time his visa request hasn’t been approved.”

Who Said It: Sen. John Kennedy or Foghorn Leghorn?

April 17, 2019 at 3:53 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New Orleans Times-Picayune: “John Neely Kennedy is the junior U.S. senator from Louisiana… Foghorn J. Leghorn is an animated chicken who appeared as a featured character in Looney Tunes…”

“There is practically no way to get the two confused… unless you are just reading what they have said. Then, it gets a little tricky.”

This quiz is much harder than you might think.