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Buttigieg Pushes for Massive Fundraising Haul

May 26, 2019 at 7:10 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Pete Buttigieg is aiming to shake the Democratic presidential race with a massive fundraising total this quarter, staking his claim in the top tier of the primary and demonstrating staying power after rocketing to prominence two months ago,” Politico reports.

“Buttigieg is encouraging moneyed supporters to juice his campaign’s fundraising with a new bundling program… Members at different levels of the program pledge to raise anywhere from $25,000 to $250,000 for Buttigieg over the course of the primary campaign and receive special perks, including briefings with the candidate and senior campaign staff.”

Pence Tells West Point Grads They Will Face Combat

May 26, 2019 at 7:06 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Vice President Mike Pence warned West Point graduates on Saturday to expect combat at some point during their service in a “dangerous” world, the HuffPost reports.

Said Pence: “It is a virtual certainty that you will fight on a battlefield for America at some point in your life. You will lead soldiers in combat. It will happen.”

McCain Recited Names Of Dictators During Inaugural

May 26, 2019 at 7:03 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) said that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) repeatedly compared President Trump to a dictator during the president’s inaugural address, the HuffPost reports.

Said Klobuchar: “I sat on that stage between Bernie and John McCain, and John McCain kept reciting to me names of dictators during that speech because he knew more than any of us what we were facing as a nation. He understood it. He knew because he knew this man more than any of us did.”

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Christian Right Warns Abortion Could Lead to Civil War

May 26, 2019 at 6:55 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Guardian: “Prominent figures on the Christian right in the US ranging from religious magazines to authors to elected politicians have warned that the fight over abortion rights could lead to a new civil war.”

“Though such dire predictions are not necessarily new on the extreme right wing in the US, the passing of a wave of hardline anti-abortion laws in numerous states this year appears to have amped up the conspiracy-minded predictions that depict abortion squarely as a root cause of a coming conflict.”

Agreement Reached to Hold Off on Bank Subpoenas

May 25, 2019 at 11:55 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Lawyers for President Donald Trump have reached an agreement with the House Intelligence and Financial Services committees to hold off for now on enforcing the subpoenas for Trump’s financial records from Deutsche Bank and Capital One, according to a court document and a source familiar with the agreement,” CNN reports.

“Similar to a deal reached earlier this week with the House Oversight committee, the agreement allows for an expedited appeal schedule.”

Trump Begins Visit With Tweet to Unnerve Japanese

May 25, 2019 at 11:52 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump kicked off the first full day of a state visit to Japan on Sunday by playing down North Korea’s recent tests of short-range ballistic missiles, undercutting declarations by both Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the president’s own national security adviser that the launches violated United Nations resolutions,” the New York Times reports.

Barr Could Expose Secrets, Politicize Intelligence

May 25, 2019 at 11:50 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump’s new executive order giving the attorney general broad authority to declassify government secrets threatens to expose U.S. intelligence sources and could distort the FBI and CIA’s roles in investigating Russian interference in the 2016 elections,” the Washington Post reports.

“It appeared unprecedented to give an official who is not in charge of an intelligence agency the power to reveal its secrets. Current and former intelligence officials said they were concerned that Barr could selectively declassify information that paints the intelligence agencies and the FBI in a bad light without giving a complete picture of their efforts in 2016.”

House Seeks Signs Of ‘Illicit Funds’ In Trump Records

May 25, 2019 at 6:13 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) said that the House Financial Services Committee she chairs will seek evidence of money laundering and other “illicit funds” in Donald Trump’s subpoenaed Deutsche Bank records, the HuffPost reports.

Said Waters: “We are absolutely concerned about money laundering.”

German Official Cautions on Wearing Jewish Skullcaps

May 25, 2019 at 6:09 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The German government’s top official against anti-Semitism says he wouldn’t advise Jews to wear skullcaps in parts of the country,” the AP reports.

Ex-GOP Lawmaker Calls for Trump’s Impeachment

May 25, 2019 at 6:01 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former Rep. Tom Coleman (R-MO) called for the impeachment of President Trump, who he said is an “illegitimate president,” CNN reports.

Said Coleman: “I’m calling for impeachment now because the Mueller report is out, and in it special counsel Robert Mueller describes 10 obstruction of justice charges that he could not bring because of a Department of Justice rule and regulation that says you can’t indict a sitting president — that’s (reason) number one.”

He added: “Number two, I believe this is an illegitimate President because he welcomed help and influence from the Russians in his campaign. For example, his campaign chairman Paul Manafort met with a Russian intelligence asset in New York and shared with him their polling information and a strategy on how to win the Midwestern states.”

Judge Blocks Trump’s Border-Wall Plans

May 24, 2019 at 10:54 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from moving forward on construction projects for a wall along the southern U.S. border with funds that Congress had not approved, the first ruling on the hot-button issue,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam in Oakland said President Trump’s plans to divert federal money to build a border wall, absent appropriations from Congress, exceeded the executive’s authority.”

Hannity Is Above the Law at Fox News

May 24, 2019 at 2:22 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Daily Beast: “In recent months, Fox’s journalistic ethics have faced increased scrutiny as it courts 2020 Democratic candidates for town hall events and interviews. The channel’s infamously far-right, Trump-boosting opinion programming is separate from its “hard news” division and, as Fox has claimed, both are subject to the network’s rigorous news standards.”

“But Hannity, who consistently dominates the ratings across all cable news outlets, brazenly ignores those supposed rules. And news-side employees who spoke to The Daily Beast believe it’s because no one at the network is willing to control the ratings-leading host.”

GOP Spends More Than $4 Million at Trump Properties

May 24, 2019 at 1:25 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Hill: “Republican candidates and campaign committees have spent more than $4 million at hotel, golf and vineyard properties that bear President Trump’s name since he was inaugurated in 2017.”

Trump’s Taxes Could Be Released In Middle of Campaign

May 24, 2019 at 12:30 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump’s bet that it’ll take years to resolve a coming court fight over his tax returns could be wrong,” Politico reports.

“Federal courts are already ruling quickly against Trump in his other attempts to block Congress. The Supreme Court could also be a dead end if the case doesn’t present new legal issues or divide appellate courts. That means there’s a decent chance the White House could lose the fight and be forced to hand over Trump’s tax records before the election.”

Facebook Won’t Delete Fake Pelosi Video

May 24, 2019 at 11:26 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Guardian: “Facebook says it will continue to host a video of Nancy Pelosi that has been edited to give the impression that the Democratic House Speaker is drunk or unwell, in the latest incident highlighting its struggle to deal with disinformation.”

“Despite the apparently malicious intent of the video’s creator, Facebook has said it will only downgrade its visibility in users’ newsfeeds and attach a link to a third-party fact checking site pointing out that the clip is misleading. As a result, although it is less likely to be seen by accident, the doctored video will continue to rack up views. Facebook only took the action following inquiries from the Washington Post, which first reported the story.”

Related for members: It’s Going to Get Really Bad

Trump Immigration Messaging Dominating Social Media

May 24, 2019 at 11:23 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Daily Beast: “As President Donald Trump hammers home the perils of immigrants flooding the southern border, his message is going nearly unanswered by Democrats online.”

“Democratic entities with a stake in the 2020 election are significantly lagging behind Trump’s immigration messaging on digital platforms like Facebook and Google, according to data from the Bully Pulpit Interactive, a Democratic political and communications firm.”

House Republican Stalls Disaster Aid Relief

May 24, 2019 at 11:10 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “House leaders had hoped to pass the disaster aid bill by unanimous consent, allowing them to move the measure despite most lawmakers having left Washington for the Memorial Day recess. But the objection from Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) holds up the legislation until lawmakers return, currently scheduled for June 3.”

“The bill was approved by the Senate on Thursday and appears to have President Trump’s support.”

Obama’s Silence Sparks Speculation

May 24, 2019 at 10:56 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Atlantic: “Obama remains firm that he won’t endorse soon, while aides are stressing that he might get involved later in the process—presumably, the thinking goes, to stop a candidate he sees as too divisive or likely to lose from becoming the nominee. (This hasn’t been specified, but most assume it would be to stop Bernie Sanders.) Obama and his aides have carefully guarded when and how to deploy him; some have even theorized he could be called on to broker who the 2020 nominee is, if the primaries finish without a clear winner and Democrats face a contested convention.”