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Kobach Will Now Recuse Himself from Vote Count

August 9, 2018 at 11:14 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R) said “that he plans to recuse himself from the vote tally process in the face of pressure from Gov. Jeff Colyer (R) and mounting confusion over vote totals,” the Wichita Eagle reports.

“Kobach said that he would recuse himself in an interview with CNN hours after Colyer had sent a letter demanding that Kobach refrain from instructing county election officials on the counting of ballots in the primary race for governor on a day when the vote total narrowed to roughly 100 votes as multiple counties reported that vote totals were incorrect.”

Pelosi Is the Star of GOP Attack Ads

August 9, 2018 at 11:04 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“While Democrats grow optimistic about their chances of taking control of the House in November, they are increasingly anxious that the presence of their longtime and polarizing leader, Nancy Pelosi, is making it harder for many of their candidates to compete in crucial swing districts,” the Washington Post reports.

“Republicans, clinging to a 23-seat majority in the House, have made the House minority leader a central element of their attack ads and are portraying many of their opponents as inextricably tied to the liberal from San Francisco. At the same time, some Democrats are expressing alarm that she is standing in the way of the next generation of leaders.”

Republicans Have a Big Suburban Problem

August 9, 2018 at 11:02 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The vote breakdown in Ohio’s special election this week amplified a trend that’s been building in the suburbs during the Trump era — and illustrated how the traditional Republican path to victory has been upended in key congressional districts,” Politico reports.

“Deep suburban antipathy toward President Trump has turned the old GOP electoral coalition inside-out in many areas in 2017 and 2018 — like Ohio’s 12th District, which for two decades sent former Rep. Pat Tiberi to Congress on the back of his popularity in the Columbus suburbs. His anointed successor, Republican Troy Balderson, took a different path to a small special-election lead, instead building on Trump’s rural strength while Democrat Danny O’Connor cut deeply into Tiberi’s old base.”

Massachusetts Gets Automatic Voter Registration

August 9, 2018 at 10:51 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Boston Globe: “Hundreds of thousands of new voters could join the state’s rolls in the coming years after Gov. Charlie Baker (R) signed legislation that adopts automatic voter registration — one in a flurry of bills that became law Thursday with a few flicks of the Republican’s pen.”

“The voting measure, which registers eligible residents when they get their driver’s licenses or health insurance through the state, was one of more than 50 pieces of legislation Baker signed that touch on everything from the state’s opioid crisis and animal abuse to climate change and renewable energy.”

Snyder Won’t Say If He Likes Schuette

August 9, 2018 at 8:46 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) won’t say if he’ll endorse in governor’s race, or if he even likes GOP nominee Bill Schuette (R), the Detroit News reports.

Said Snyder: “I’m sticking to governing and less politics at this time.”

Judge Threatens to Hold Sessions in Contempt

August 9, 2018 at 8:06 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A federal judge in Washington halted a deportation in progress Thursday and threatened to hold Attorney General Jeff Sessions in contempt after learning that the Trump administration started to remove a woman and her daughter while a court hearing appealing their deportations was underway,” the Washington Post reports.

Said U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan: “This is pretty outrageous. That someone seeking justice in U.S. court is spirited away while her attorneys are arguing for justice for her?”

Avenatti Says He’s Exploring White House Bid

August 9, 2018 at 7:56 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Des Moines Register: “After three canceled flights and a 700-mile road trip, the lawyer known for representing adult film actress Stephanie Clifford, known as Stormy Daniels, in her case against Republican President Trump, is ready to put his stake in the ground in the first-in-the-nation caucus state.”

Said Michael Avenatti: “I’m exploring a run for the presidency of the United States, and I wanted to come to Iowa and listen to people and learn about some issues that are facing the citizens of Iowa and do my homework.”

Judge Rides Mueller’s Team Hard at Manafort Trial

August 9, 2018 at 7:49 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The federal judge overseeing the Paul Manafort trial took another shot at special counsel Robert Mueller’s team Thursday afternoon, even after conceding earlier in the day that a criticism he leveled at prosecutors on Wednesday was erroneous,” Politico reports.

“The prosecution spent about 40 minutes Thursday afternoon questioning a bank employee about Manafort’s unsuccessful effort to get a $5.5 million construction loan on a Brooklyn brownstone, only to have Judge T.S. Ellis III suggest that the issue was unworthy of such extensive discussion at the trial. Notably, Ellis made the remark with the jury present.”

Appeals Court Orders EPA to Ban Pesticide

August 9, 2018 at 7:44 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A federal appeals court ordered the Trump administration Thursday to revoke approval for a widely used pesticide that studies show can harm the brains of children,” the Los Angeles Times reports.

“A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals gave the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 60 days to ban chlorpyrifos, a pesticide initially developed as a nerve gas during World War II.”

U.S. Officials Scrambled to Shield NATO Deal from Trump

August 9, 2018 at 4:32 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Senior American national security officials, seeking to prevent President Trump from upending a formal policy agreement at last month’s NATO meeting, pushed the military alliance’s ambassadors to complete it before the forum even began,” the New York Times reports.

“The work to preserve the North Atlantic Treaty Organization agreement… came just weeks after Mr. Trump refused to sign off on a communiqué from the June meeting of the Group of 7 in Canada.”

“The rushed machinations to get the policy done, as demanded by John Bolton, the national security adviser, have not been previously reported… The efforts are a sign of the lengths to which the president’s top advisers will go to protect a key and longstanding international alliance from Mr. Trump’s unpredictable antipathy.”

New Votes Found In Kansas GOP Primary

August 9, 2018 at 4:09 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s (R) lead over Gov. Jeff Colyer (R) in the Republican primary has shrunk to only 91 votes after election officials discovered a mistake in the listing for one county’s results in the state’s tally of votes, the Kansas City Star reports.

Associated Press: “The lead is minuscule when compared with the 311,000 votes cast.”

Women Form Insurgency to Topple Dave Brat

August 9, 2018 at 2:55 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “For Republicans, Mr. Brat’s race is a bulwark in their defensive perimeter, the kind of district they must win to keep control of the House. The area’s mix of affluent suburbs and conservative rural stretches resembles the Ohio district where a Republican candidate in a House special election on Tuesday, Troy Balderson, clings to a narrow lead.”

“For Democrats, Abigail Spanberger’s candidacy represents a test of the breadth and effectiveness of their coalition of newly emboldened female voters aghast at President Trump’s White House tenure — and the ability of fed-up women to build an insurgency of their own.”

Ohio County Finds Hundreds of Uncounted Votes

August 9, 2018 at 2:53 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The tight race between Danny O’Connor (D) and Troy Balderson (R) just got tighter,” USA Today reports.

“Election officials in Franklin County found 588 previously uncounted votes in a Columbus suburb. The result: O’Connor had a net gain of 190 votes, bringing the race’s margin down to 1,564.”

Melania Trump’s Parents Are Now U.S. Citizens

August 9, 2018 at 2:02 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“First lady Melania Trump’s parents have been sworn in as U.S. citizens,” the AP reports.

“A lawyer for Viktor and Amalija Knavs says the Slovenian couple took the citizenship oath on Thursday in New York City. They had been living in the U.S. as permanent residents.”

Florida Candidate Caught Removing Rival’s Flyers

August 9, 2018 at 1:43 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The tussle between two Republicans vying for a chance to capture the House District 69 seat has taken an unpleasant turn,” the Tampa Bay Times reports.

“Raymond Blacklidge (R) filed a report with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office accusing his rival, Jeremy Bailie (R), of stealing his campaign fliers from the doors of dozens of St. Pete Beach homes. And, Blacklidge said, his rival then replaced them with Bailie’s own campaign materials.”

Blacklidge’s wife posted a video to Facebook showing Bailie removing the flyers.

Gun Control Is the New Democratic Litmus Test

August 9, 2018 at 1:14 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Wall Street Journal: “Democrats running for Congress in 2018 are pushing a muscular gun-control agenda that represents a wholesale repositioning on the hot-button issue. In this year’s midterm election, gun control has become a party litmus test from which few dissent, alongside abortion rights and support for same-sex marriage.”

“Six years ago, when the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee advised candidates in rural districts to show themselves with guns in their TV ads, the National Rifle Association made campaign contributions to 30 Democratic House candidates. This year, the NRA is financially backing just three.”

Giuliani Gives 50-50 Odds Trump Will Talk to Mueller

August 9, 2018 at 1:10 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rudy Giuliani told CBS News that he’s “more optimistic” than he has been for weeks that a potential interview between President Trump and Special Counsel Robert Mueller might occur.

When asked what the odds were of an interview, Giuliani said: “I’d say 50-50.”

14-Year-Old Ethan Sonneborn Is Running for Governor

August 9, 2018 at 12:39 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “Unlike most states, Vermont has no age requirement for gubernatorial candidates, only a residency requirement. Sonneborn, who has lived in Bristol for 14 years — his entire life — makes the cut.”

“With all those hurdles cleared, could Sonneborn… actually win the Democratic nomination on Aug. 14? Probably not. Age aside, he is hamstrung by very low name recognition, a problem that his adult Democratic opponents face as well. But hey, nobody thought a 14-year-old would actually run, let alone land himself on the ballot, let alone participate — and hold his own — against his adult competitors in several candidate forums.”