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Trump Open to Bipartisan Deal on Budget Cuts

May 15, 2019 at 6:44 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump left a meeting with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday morning seemingly open to a deal with Democrats to raise the budget caps that will cause strict spending cuts in the fall,” Politico reports.

“While Trump did not commit to anything, the president is notably warmer than some of his staff on the possibility of avoiding blunt budget cuts in the fall that will hit if there’s no new fiscal deal, the sources said. McConnell (R-KY) laid out the need to do a caps deal and the president seemed receptive.”

Playbook: “Will Democrats cut deals with Republicans this fall if the president continues to stonewall all of their investigations?”

Window to Consider Trade Deal Is Closing

May 15, 2019 at 6:34 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Speaker Nancy Pelosi will host President Trump’s top trade official on Wednesday, the meeting coming as the president faces backlash from lawmakers in both parties over his increasingly aggressive and controversial trade agenda,” Politico reports.

“Pelosi controls the fate of the trade deal — a successor to the North American Free Trade Agreement — which would need to be ratified by Congress. But the speaker has resisted pressure to move quickly on a vote, saying the pact won’t be considered in the House until several Democratic demands are met, including enforcement measures she wants written into the underlying deal.”

“The political window to consider the agreement is quickly closing, with lawmakers saying the deal must be ratified by the end of the summer or it won’t likely be done at all as Washington shifts to the 2020 presidential election.”

Alabama Passes Bill to Outlaw Abortion

May 14, 2019 at 9:51 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“After several hours of contentious debate, the Alabama Senate tonight voted 25-6 to pass what many say will be the strictest abortion ban in the nation,” the Birmingham News reports.

“The controversial abortion bill all but bans the procedure in the state. The bill would make it abortion a felony in Alabama, setting up what could be the country’s strictest anti-abortion law.

Reuters: “The bill was previously approved by the Alabama House of Representatives and will now go to Republican Governor Kay Ivey, who has withheld comment on whether she would sign it but generally is a strong opponent of abortion.”

The Guardian notes the bill was passed by “exclusively white, male politicians.”

Trump Can’t Stop Talking About Biden

May 14, 2019 at 9:30 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “It is just the sort of fight Mr. Biden has been spoiling for: a head-to-head contest with the incumbent on an issue that elevates Mr. Biden into a statesmanlike role, well above the Democratic primary fray and all the sniping candidates and liberal litmus tests therein.”

“For Mr. Trump’s advisers, it was one more example of the president’s inability to resist offering what amounts to an in-kind contribution to a Democrat who, according to their own polling, is positioned to soundly defeat them next year.”

“The president, though, has told advisers he believes he can portray Mr. Biden, a longtime Washington veteran, as representative of an ossified political class the same way he did Hillary Clinton, wounding him with enough attacks and put-downs that Mr. Biden will either stagger into the general election or collapse in the primary.”

Sununu Will Skip Senate Run

May 14, 2019 at 9:24 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) will run for a third term rather than challenge Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D) in 2020, WMUR reports.

GOP Nominates ‘Bathroom Bill’ Author for Congress

May 14, 2019 at 9:10 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

North Carolina state Sen. Dan Bishop (R) won the Republican nomination to face veteran Dan McCready (D) in September’s do-over election in North Carolina’s scandal-plagued 9th Congressional District, after last year’s results were thrown out amid allegations of election fraud, the Washington Post reports.

Bishop authored the 2016 “bathroom bill,” which was later repealed, requiring transgender people to use the bathroom corresponding to the gender on their birth certificate.

3 Florida Radio Stations to Run Trump Speeches Hourly

May 14, 2019 at 8:45 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A media company that operates multiple radio stations in Florida has vowed to broadcast portions of President Trump’s speeches every hour of every day until the 2020 election,” The Hill reports.

Trump Thinks Trade War Will Secure His Re-Election

May 14, 2019 at 7:59 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump is telling advisers and close allies that he has no intention of pulling back on his escalating trade war with China, arguing that clashing with Beijing is highly popular with his political base and will help him win reelection in 2020 regardless of any immediate economic pain,” the Washington Post reports.

“Administration officials and outside Trump advisers said Tuesday that they do not expect him to shift his position significantly in coming days, saying he is determined to endure an intensifying showdown with Chinese President Xi Jinping despite turbulence in global markets and frustration within his own party.”

Kushner Struggles to Answer Immigration Questions

May 14, 2019 at 7:37 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Jared Kushner struggled to answer questions about his plan to overhaul the immigration system in a closed-door meeting with Republican senators Tuesday, winning little support for the proposal,” the Washington Post reports.

“Publicly, senators emerged from their weekly Capitol Hill luncheon, applauding the White House senior adviser’s pitch to move U.S. immigration toward a merit-based system that prioritizes highly skilled workers, a task he undertook at Trump’s behest.”

“But privately, Republican officials said Kushner had difficulty answering questions from a friendly audience, prompting Trump’s other senior adviser, Stephen Miller, to interrupt and take over the conversation.”

Democrats Plan Marathon Reading of Mueller Report

May 14, 2019 at 7:30 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“More than 20 House Democrats will stage a marathon public reading of the entire redacted Mueller report beginning Thursday at noon, and likely ending in the early morning hours of Friday,” the Washington Post reports.

May Wants Three More Months for Brexit Deal

May 14, 2019 at 7:25 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Theresa May has tried to delay her resignation for almost three months by telling ministers she can get a Brexit deal done if she is allowed to stay as Prime Minister until the end of July,” the Telegraph reports.

Tennessee Judge Rebuked After Racist Posts

May 14, 2019 at 5:59 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A judge in Tennessee is facing repercussions after posting racist memes and articles to Facebook, including a post that called Muslims “foreign mud” and said Jews should “get the fuck over the Holocaust,” the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports.

Trump Jr. Agrees to Testify Before Senate Panel

May 14, 2019 at 5:38 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Donald Trump Jr has agreed to meet with the Republican-controlled Senate Intelligence committee for another interview, ABC News reports.

In responding to the subpoena from the committee, attorneys for Trump Jr say that he plans to appear in early June for a closed-door interview that will be limited in scope and time.

Georgia Faces Fallout Over ‘Heartbeat’ Bill

May 14, 2019 at 5:07 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) will postpone a trip to Los Angeles to tout Georgia’s film industry as more movie executives and celebrities criticize his decision to sign the anti-abortion “heartbeat” bill into law, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.

“Several film production companies have vowed not to shoot anything in Georgia, and dozens of actors including Alec Baldwin, Don Cheadle and Sean Penn signed a protest letter saying they won’t work in Georgia if Kemp signed the bill into law.”

Trump Mocks Rivals at Official Event

May 14, 2019 at 5:03 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump used a taxpayer-funded trip to mock his potential 2020 Democratic rivals, The Hill reports.

“Speaking at a liquified natural gas facility near Lake Charles, La., Trump singled out former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).”

Said Trump: “Boy, you got some beauties there. Three hundred fifty million people and that’s the best we can do. I don’t think so.”

House Panel Investigates Obstruction By Trump Lawyers

May 14, 2019 at 3:43 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The House Intelligence Committee is investigating whether lawyers tied to President Trump and his family helped obstruct the panel’s inquiry into Russian election interference by shaping false testimony,” the New York Times reports.

“The line of inquiry stems from claims made by the president’s former personal lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, who told Congress earlier this year that the lawyers in question helped edit false testimony that he provided to Congress in 2017 about a Trump Tower project in Moscow. Mr. Cohen said they also dangled a potential pardon to try to ensure his loyalty.”

Biden Holds Small Lead In Nevada

May 14, 2019 at 3:31 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Change Research poll in Nevada finds Joe Biden leading the Democratic presidential field with 29%, followed by Bernie Sanders at 24%, Pete Buttigieg at 13%, Elizabeth Warren at 12%, Kamala Harris at 11% and Beto O’Rourke at 4%.

Key finding: Among 18-34-year olds, Sanders is at 50% and Biden is in fifth place at only 6%.

Georgia Insurance Commissioner Indicted

May 14, 2019 at 2:32 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Georgia Insurance Commissioner Jim Beck (R) “has been indicted on charges of wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.

“A federal grand jury on Tuesday issued a 38 count indictment against the former insurance lobbyist and long-time representative of the Georgia Christian Coalition, alleging he committed fraud through a series of insurance-related schemes.”

“The proceeds of the alleged schemes earned him millions, some of which he even used for his campaign for statewide office.”