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Judge Says Census Question Might Be Discriminatory

June 24, 2019 at 3:38 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A federal judge says new evidence paints a “disturbing picture” that racial discrimination may be the motive behind the Trump administration’s push to ask everyone in the country about citizenship status, the AP reports.

Said U.S. District Judge George Hazel: “It is becoming difficult to avoid seeing that which is increasingly clear. As more puzzle pieces are placed on the mat, a disturbing picture of the decisionmakers’ motives takes shape.”

“The U.S. Supreme Court could soon render Hazel’s decision moot. The country’s highest court is expected to decide this week whether the Trump administration can add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.”

Treasury Watchdog to Review $20 Bill Delay

June 24, 2019 at 3:04 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Treasury Department’s internal watchdog has agreed to look into why designs of a new $20 bill featuring Harriet Tubman will not be unveiled next year,” the New York Times reports.

“Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the Democratic leader, last week asked the Treasury Department’s inspector general to open an investigation following Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s announcement at a May Congressional hearing that designs of the new $20 would be unveiled in 2026 instead of 2020 — the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote.”

Related: A Harriet Tubman stamp is being sold for those who want to make their own.

Retired General Will Challenge Shaheen

June 24, 2019 at 3:00 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Retired Brig. Gen. Don Bolduc (R) announced Monday that he would run for the U.S. Senate in New Hampshire against Democratic incumbent Jeanne Shaheen, setting up what may be one of the marquee congressional races of 2020,” CBS News reports.

The Real Campaign Happens In TV Studios

June 24, 2019 at 2:50 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

John Ellis: “Major media coverage of a presidential campaign breaks down into four parts: the preprimary season, the primary season, the summer conventions, and the general election season (including the debates and the expensive election night broadcast).”

“What happens every four years, without fail, is that major media organizations blow through their preprimary budgets. In the run-up to the Iowa caucuses, they have already begun eating into the budget for primary coverage. By the time the Iowa caucus results are reported and the campaign caravan decamps to New Hampshire, the CFOs of the various news organizations (and their parent companies) are apoplectic, muttering darkly about ‘wild overspending.’ Word quickly comes down from on high: It has to stop.”

“And stop it does. After New Hampshire, the coverage of many candidates becomes the coverage of two (maybe three, but probably not). Costs are cut by relying on affiliates and local news outlets to provide video and text from ‘the campaign trail,’ which is then stitched together by producers and editors in New York.”

“The real campaign plays out in Manhattan and Washington television studios. Cable news outlets (especially) make every effort to push the ‘campaign’ into television studios and away from ‘the campaign trail.'”

O’Rourke Proposes a ‘War Tax’

June 24, 2019 at 1:33 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Beto O’Rourke called for Congress to enact a “war tax” any time the country goes to war, with the proceeds going to care for veterans of the conflict, Politico reports.

Himes Calls for Impeachment Hearings

June 24, 2019 at 1:02 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), a senior member of the House Intelligence Committee, became the latest Democrat to publicly back launching impeachment proceedings against President Trump, The Hill reports.

Said Himes: “Those that know me know that I generally shy away from sharp partisanship in favor of the negotiation and compromise required for law to be made. But there are moments for calculation. For prudence, compromise and the careful weighing of competing interests. And there are moments for clarity and conviction. This is such a moment.”

Get a Political Job

June 24, 2019 at 1:01 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard

There are dozens of new listings over at Political Job Hunt.

The Electability Feedback Loop

June 24, 2019 at 12:57 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

NBC News: “Some pundits and voters say one candidate — former Vice President Joe Biden — is the most electable, so they tell pollsters they want Biden, which produces media coverage that reinforces the idea that Biden is most electable, which then filters back down to voters concerned about ‘electability.'”

Debate Advice for Breaking Out of the Pack

June 24, 2019 at 12:29 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Wall Street Journal: “As the first round of Democratic debates approaches, presidential candidates polling around 1% look for a breakout moment.”

E.J. Dionne Jr.: “If you’re in a lower tier, you have to decide on the one thing you really want voters to know about you or the issue you want to push to the fore.”

“For some candidates, that’s relatively easy. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee will be talking climate change, while Julián Castro and Beto O’Rourke have been more upfront than anyone on immigration.”

Trump Steps Up Sanctions on Iran

June 24, 2019 at 12:12 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump announced on Monday that he is imposing new sanctions on Iran, after saying for days that he preferred tightening the pressure on a crippled Iranian economy to launching an immediate military strike in retaliation for what American officials have said are recent aggressive acts by Tehran,” the New York Times reports.

Said Trump :“We will continue to increase pressure on Tehran. Never can Iran have a nuclear weapon.”

Meanwhile, the Washington Post notes that Iran said its forces “could shoot down more surveillance drones if they violate the country’s airspace.”

Gabbard Was Vetted for Position In Trump Administration

June 24, 2019 at 12:04 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), who is now running for the Democratic presidential nomination, was vetted by the Trump transition team for an unspecified administration role, Axios reports.

She did not respond to a request for comment.

Trump Confirms He Wants Pence on Ticket Again

June 24, 2019 at 12:02 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

In an interview on Meet the Press, President Trump “made clear that he wants his 2016 running mate, Vice President Mike Pence, to reprise his role during the 2020 campaign.”

“And while the president sometimes makes references to staying in office for more than two terms, he said those comments are only a ‘joke.'”

Supreme Court Limits Access to Government Info

June 24, 2019 at 11:59 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Supreme Court limited public and media access to government records Monday by expanding a federal law’s definition of what can be deemed confidential,” USA Today reports.

“At issue was whether confidentiality, as used in a section of the Freedom of Information Act, means anything intended to be kept secret or only information likely to cause harm if publicized. The high court adopted the broader definition.”

“Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote the 6-3 decision, with Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor dissenting.”

Biden Proposes Immigration Plan

June 24, 2019 at 11:55 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Joe Biden laid out his immigration policy in a Miami Herald op-ed:

“That starts by recognizing that DREAMers are Americans, and Congress needs to make it official. The millions of undocumented people in the United States can only be brought out of the shadows through fair treatment, not ugly threats. Trump’s efforts to repeal Temporary Protected Status (TPS) across the board have injected unnecessary uncertainty into the lives of thousands of families. Our asylum system needs to be improved, but the answer is to streamline and strengthen it so that it benefits legitimate claims of those fleeing persecution, while reducing potential for abuse.”

“And it’s imperative that we secure our borders, but ‘Build the wall’ is a slogan divorced from reality.”

A Forgotten Riot That May Explain Trump’s Appeal

June 24, 2019 at 11:44 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Leonard Steinhorn: “Historians and journalists have scoured our recent past looking for precursors to the white working class grievance that fuels the presidency of Donald Trump. Surprisingly, none has explored a forgotten riot that may hold the answer.”

“It was 40 years ago this week when white-working-class anger spilled over in the unlikeliest of places: the streets of the Philadelphia suburb of Levittown, long considered a symbol of the American Dream. What happened during the Levittown gas riots — and why — offers much insight into Trump’s appeal to his base.”

Kamala Harris Still Looking for Her Niche

June 24, 2019 at 11:24 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “In a crowded field in which Sanders’s Democratic socialism and Warren’s heavily regulated capitalism are elbowing for supremacy on the far left and Biden is positioning himself as a centrist best positioned to beat Trump, Harris is known more for her prosecutorial performance in Senate hearings than she is for advocating any particular approach to policy.”

“The result, so far, is a policy portfolio that often seems comprised of one-off announcements that put her largely in line with long-held, mainstream Democratic positions.”

Quote of the Day

June 24, 2019 at 10:55 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Pete has a black problem. I don’t know of one black person out of Indiana that supports him.”

— Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH), quoted by the Daily Beast, on Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

Medical Groups Say Climate Change Is a Health Emergency

June 24, 2019 at 10:25 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“As Democratic presidential hopefuls prepare for their first 2020 primary debate this week, 74 medical and public health groups aligned on Monday to push for a series of consensus commitments to combat climate change, bluntly defined by the organizations as ‘a health emergency,'” the AP reports.

“The new climate change agenda released by the groups, including the American Medical Association and the American Heart Association, comes amid early jostling among Democratic candidates over whose environmental platform is more progressive. The health organizations’ policy recommendations, while a stark departure from President Donald Trump’s approach, represent a back-to-basics approach for an internal Democratic climate debate that has so far revolved around the liberal precepts of the Green New Deal.”