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Iowa Republicans Still Love Trump

December 16, 2018 at 9:26 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows President Trump has an 81% approval rating among registered Republicans in Iowa. Sixty-seven percent say they would definitely vote to re-elect Trump if the election were held today. Nineteen percent of Republicans say they would consider someone else, and 10% say they would definitely vote to elect someone else.

“Yet almost two-thirds — 63% — say Iowa should welcome challengers to Trump at the Republican Party of Iowa’s caucuses, scheduled for Feb. 3, 2020.”

Trump’s Supermarket Propaganda Weapon

December 16, 2018 at 9:17 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Jim Rutenberg: “The most powerful print publication in America might just be the National Enquirer. It functioned as a dirty-tricks shop for Donald J. Trump in 2016, which would have been the stuff of farce — the ultimate tabloid backs the ultimate tabloid candidate — if it hadn’t accomplished its goal.”

“The Enquirer’s power was fueled by its covers. For the better part of the campaign season, Enquirer front pages blared sensational headlines about Mr. Trump’s rivals from eye-level racks at supermarket checkout lanes across America.”

“Wondering what The Enquirer’s covers were worth to the Trump campaign, I called Regis Maher, a co-founder of Do It Outdoors, the national mobile and digital billboard company. He said a campaign with that level of national prominence would cost $2.5 million to $3 million a month.”

Corker Mum on Trump Primary Challenge

December 16, 2018 at 9:05 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) wouldn’t tell MSNBC whether or not he’d support a primary challenge against President Trump in 2020.

Said Corker: “We’ve got to remember what the Republican Party is. What is happening right now is not the standard Republicanism that we’ve had in our country for many, many years.”

Booker Addresses Rumors About His Sexuality

December 16, 2018 at 8:40 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) addressed rumors about his sexuality, telling the Philadelphia Inquirer that he is straight.

Said Booker: “I’m heterosexual. Every candidate should run on their authentic self, tell their truth, and more importantly, or mostly importantly, talk about their vision for the country.”

Report Shows How Russia Tried to Help Elect Trump

December 16, 2018 at 6:49 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A report prepared for the Senate that provides the most sweeping analysis yet of Russia’s disinformation campaign around the 2016 election found the operation used every major social media platform to deliver words, images and videos tailored to voters’ interests to help elect President Trump — and worked even harder to support him while in office,” the Washington Post reports.

“The research — by Oxford University’s Computational Propaganda Project and Graphika, a network analysis firm — offers new details on how Russians working at the Internet Research Agency, which U.S. officials have charged with criminal offenses for meddling in the 2016 campaign, sliced Americans into key interest groups for targeted messaging. These efforts shifted over time, peaking at key political moments, such as presidential debates or party conventions, the report found.”

Shutdown Likely as GOP Lawmakers Don’t Show Up

December 16, 2018 at 6:40 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The White House and Democratic congressional leaders are at an impasse over negotiations to avoid a partial shutdown of the federal government at the end of the week, with both sides unwilling to budge from their positions on President Trump’s proposed border wall,” the Washington Post reports.

New York Times: “But House Republican leaders are also confronting a more mundane and awkward problem: Their vanquished and retiring members are sick and tired of Washington and don’t want to show up anymore to vote.”

“Call it the revenge of the lame ducks. Many lawmakers, relegated to cubicles as incoming members take their offices, have been skipping votes in the weeks since House Republicans were swept from power in the midterm elections, and Republican leaders are unsure whether they will ever return.”

Trump Says Unfair Coverage Should Be Tested In Courts

December 16, 2018 at 3:33 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump ripped “one sided” and “unfair” media coverage, saying it should be tested in courts, The Hill reports.

Said Trump: “A REAL scandal is the one sided coverage, hour by hour, of networks like NBC & Democrat spin machines like Saturday Night Live.”

He added: lIt is all nothing less than unfair news coverage and Dem commercials. Should be tested in courts, can’t be legal? Only defame & belittle! Collusion?”

Mick Mulvaney’s One Advantage as Chief of Staff

December 16, 2018 at 10:46 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Olivia Nuzzi: “Mulvaney does have one advantage: He has demonstrated his loyalty to the president since the beginning.”

Said one person close to the White House: “It’s cultish. It’s Stockholm syndrome. There’s this thing that’s set in of a bunker mentality. There’s less infighting because of the bunker mentality.”

“Nevertheless, as the incoming Democratic Congress prepares to challenge Trump, and various law enforcement investigations draw ever closer to him, it seems unlikely that Mulvaney will be able to do much to change the place.”

Quote of the Day

December 16, 2018 at 10:41 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Good luck … over my dead body.”

— Rudy Giuliani, when asked by Fox News whether President Trump would submit to a sit-down interview with special counsel Robert Mueller.

Most Think Trump Is Not Honest About Russia Probe

December 16, 2018 at 10:35 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds a robust 62% majority say President Trump has not been honest about the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign, up from 56% in August.

A 46% plurality says guilty pleas by Trump associates suggest wrongdoing by the president as well, up from 40% in August and 36% a year ago. Half the public say the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller has given them more doubts about Trump’s presidency.

Also important: Just 38% say they would probably or definitely vote for the president if he seeks a second term, while 52% say they’d probably or definitely vote for the Democratic candidate.

Collins Would Welcome Primary Challenge to Trump

December 16, 2018 at 10:27 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) told CNN that she welcomed primary challengers to President Trump in 2020, saying that it’s “healthy” for democracy.

Said Collins: “I see nothing wrong with challengers. It’s always interesting when we have primaries because a lot of times it allows different viewpoints to surface. It can help influence public policy down the road and it’s healthy for our democracy.”

Giuliani Slams Michael Cohen as ‘Pathetic’

December 16, 2018 at 10:22 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rudy Giuliani blasted the president’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen as “pathetic” and a “serial liar” when questioned about Cohen’s claim that as a candidate Trump directed him to arrange hush payments to women who claimed to have past affairs with Trump, ABC News reports.

Said Giuliani: “The man is pathetic.”

It’s a Trump Life

December 16, 2018 at 8:37 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Saturday Night Live imagined a world in which Donald Trump never became president in a black-and-white spoof of It’s a Wonderful Life.

White House Prepares for a Shutdown

December 16, 2018 at 8:27 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The White House and a number of federal agencies have started advanced preparations for a partial government shutdown, as President Trump and congressional Democrats appear unlikely to resolve their fight over a border wall before some government funding lapses at week’s end,” the Washington Post reports.

“GOP leaders are scrambling to find a short-term alternative that could stave off a shutdown, which would start on Dec. 22 absent a deal. But White House officials signaled to lawmakers Friday that they would probably not support a one- or two-week stopgap measure. Some congressional Republicans support such a ‘continuing resolution,’ but the White House rejection has dramatically increased the odds of a spending lapse.”

The Hill: GOP set for blame over shutdown.

May Urged to Allow Second Referendum on Brexit

December 16, 2018 at 8:25 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Theresa May is being urged to give her MPs free rein to vote for a second referendum, with a new group of ministers poised to back another public ballot on Brexit,” the Guardian reports.

“Cabinet ministers are making fresh pleas for a new approach after the prime minister’s bleakest week in office, which has left her authority seriously damaged and led some Tory MPs to fear it will become impossible for her to govern.”

Climate Negotiators Reach Deal to Keep Paris Pact Alive

December 16, 2018 at 8:02 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Diplomats from nearly 200 countries reached a deal on Saturday to keep the Paris climate agreement alive by adopting a detailed set of rules to implement the pact,” the New York Times reports.

“The United States agreed to the deal despite President Trump’s vow to abandon the Paris Agreement. Diplomats and climate change activists said they hoped that fact would make it easier for the administration to change its mind and stay in the Paris Agreement, or for a future president to embrace the accord once again. The United States cannot formally withdraw from the agreement until late 2020.”

Biden Leads Democratic Field In Iowa

December 15, 2018 at 10:31 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom survey in Iowa finds Joe Biden beginning a potential presidential bid at 32%, more than a dozen points ahead of the second-place candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Outgoing Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke is in third place, at 11%, followed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 8% and California Sen. Kamala Harris at 5%.

Trump Makes Surprise Visit to Arlington National Cemetery

December 15, 2018 at 4:41 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump made an unscheduled visit to Arlington National Cemetery on a rainy Saturday, following weeks of criticism for skipping ceremonial visits in the United States and abroad that other presidents have made and for his lack of meetings with U.S. troops in combat zones,” the Washington Post reports.

“The president spent 15 minutes at the storied Virginia cemetery, walking with two military officers dressed in camouflage and a tour guide, looking at the thousands of grave markers that had been decorated with holiday wreaths. The visit was not on Trump’s public schedule, which often signals a last-minute decision.”