State Rep. William Petit Jr. (R), whose wife and daughters were murdered in a home invasion, confirmed to the Hartford Courant that he is considering a run for Rep. Elizabeth Esty’s (D-CT) House seat.
“Petit is arguably the most high-profile of the potential contenders in the swing district, which Esty has represented since 2013.”
Ev Williams writes:
There is — and probably always will be — a surplus of free content. But that’s like saying there’s a surplus of free food in the dumpster behind the alley. Some of it may be perfectly good, but most of us would rather pay for something more reliable and convenient if we’re able. And many people will pay a lot for something superior.
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Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin (R) signed a measure giving teachers a $6,100 pay raise and then told CBS News their demands were like those of a teenager.
Said Fallin: “Teachers want more. But it’s like kind of having a teenage kid that wants a better car.”
For members: The Teacher Strikes Are a Big Problem for Republicans.
[alert type=”general” dismiss=”no”]Oklahoma ranks 49th in teacher pay.[/alert]
Maryland Del. Meagan Simonaire (R) said in a dramatic speech she would vote for a ban on conversion therapy for homosexuality and revealed that her father — state Sen. Bryan Simonaire (R) — asked her to try the discredited treatment after she revealed she was bisexual, the Capital Gazette reports.
The younger Simonaire, who is not seeking re-election after one term, split with her father’s opposition on the measure. The senator tried to block the ban on the Senate floor last week, saying families should have the right to use “loving” conversion therapy.
“Former Trump aide and accused wife-beater Rob Porter may have landed himself a new gig at the Trump campaign,” the Daily Mail reports.
“Within days of being let go as staff secretary to President Trump, alleged wife abuser Porter was hired by Brad Parscale, the president’s 2020 campaign manager… In addition to leading the Trump campaign, Parscale also has a political branding and strategy business… It is believed Porter is being paid by Parscale’s company with the intention of involving him in the campaign at some point in the future.”
“Ask the working people in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan about Wall Street. Wall Street supported and cheered on the export of their jobs. To hell with Wall Street if they don’t like it. It’s time somebody stood up to them and Donald Trump is the perfect guy.”
— Stephen Bannon, in an interview with Reuters, on the negative stock market reaction to Trump’s trade policy.
Jeffrey Toobin: “Is collusion a crime? That is one of the central questions of the investigation into Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. elections. Even if it could be proved that Donald Trump and his supporters worked with the Russian government, or with Russian citizens, to win the Presidential race, would that activity have violated United States law? It’s long been an article of faith for Trump supporters, and for Trump himself, that collusion is not illegal. As the President told the Times in an interview last December, ‘There is no collusion, and even if there was, it’s not a crime.'”
“Now, it appears, Trump’s own Justice Department may have a different view. That conclusion appears in a document released earlier this week, in the course of pre-trial litigation in the case of Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman, on charges including money laundering.”
“Roger Stone appeared on the InfoWars radio show the same day he sent an email claiming he dined with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange — and he predicted ‘devastating’ upcoming disclosures about the Clinton Foundation,” CNN reports.
“Stone’s comments in his August 4, 2016, appearance are the earliest known time he claimed to know of forthcoming WikiLeaks documents.”
“For the second time in recent weeks, a resolution denouncing neo-Nazis and white nationalists has died in the Tennessee General Assembly,” the Tennessean reports.
Gov. John Kasich told CNN he is “unlikely” to challenge President Trump in 2020 as an independent.
Said Kasich: “Am I going to run as an Independent? No, I’m not even thinking about that, It’s unlikely, but when you have options on the table, all options are on the table, right?”
Edward Luce: “Those who think Mr Trump acts solely on impulse are not paying attention. He is doing what populists always do. They target independent media. In some cases, such as in Victor Orban’s Hungary, they direct state advertising to friendly outlets. In Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Turkey, they hound independents with tax raids. Regulatory intimidation also works. Mr Trump keeps telling the world he intends to use such tools. We keep downplaying the risk. This is America, after all. Such things do not happen.”
“Yet they already have. Ponder this Ohio State University study. It found that voters who switched from Barack Obama in 2012 to Mr Trump in 2016 were influenced by three fake stories: Hillary Clinton was suffering from poor health; Pope Francis had endorsed Mr Trump; and Mrs Clinton had sold arms to Isis terrorists. All were essentially false. Together they may have tipped the election, says the report. Mr Trump is using his powers to ensure more Americans consume more stories like these. It helped elect him once. Why wouldn’t he press the advantage?”
“This is going to be a challenging election year. We know the wind is going to be in our face. We don’t know whether it’s going to be a Category 3, 4 or 5.”
— Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), in an interview with Kentucky Today.
This is a very tough ad against Rep. John Faso (R-NY) in a race the Cook Political Report rates a Toss Up.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) told Kentucky Today that the biggest accomplishment of his career is the rapid confirmations of conservative judges to every level of the federal judicial system, not passing a massive tax bill.
Said McConnell: “You’ve heard me say before that I thought the decision I made not to fill the Supreme Court vacancy when Justice Scalia died was the most consequential decision I’ve made in my entire public career. The things that will last the longest time, those are my top priorities.”
He added: “It’s noteworthy that when we did comprehensive tax reform 30 years ago, we left it alone for four years before the political winds shifted and we started playing with it again. Believe me, the next time the political winds shift, and the other guys are in the ascendancy (he snapped his fingers indicating a rewrite). But they won’t change these judges for a generation.”
“60 Minutes and CBS, you know, they are a conservative network. I mean there is a lot of information that was said during that interview that didn’t make it into the final 60 Minutes. They play it very close to the vest. For instance, she can describe the President’s genitalia in great detail. That did not make it.”
— Michael Avenatti, attorney for Stormy Daniels, interviewed on the Today Show.
“President Trump has instructed military leaders to prepare to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, but has not set a date for them to do so,” the Washington Post reports.
“In a meeting with top national security officials Tuesday, Trump stressed that U.S. troops can be involved in current training tasks for local forces to ensure security in areas liberated from the Islamic State. But the president said that the U.S. mission would not extend beyond the destruction of the Islamic State.”
Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards writes in her new memoir that Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump offered the organization increased federal funding if it stopped providing abortions, People reports.
Writes Richards: “If it wasn’t crystal clear before, it was now. Jared and Ivanka were there for one reason: to deliver a political win… In their eyes, if they could stop Planned Parenthood from providing abortions, it would confirm their reputation as savvy dealmakers. It was surreal, essentially being asked to barter away women’s rights for more money.”
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.