Become a member to get many great benefits -- exclusive analysis, trending news, a private podcast, no ads and more!
Did Trump Instruct Michael Flynn to Lie?
Jonathan Chait: “It has never been clear what crimes, if any, Donald Trump might have personally committed in the course of the Russia scandal. But in the 24th paragraph of a new NBC News report on the investigation is a sentence that indicates Robert Mueller’s cleanest shot — so far — at proving illegality by the president. Mueller, NBC reports, ‘appears to be interested in whether Trump directed Flynn to lie to senior officials, including Pence, or the FBI, and if so why, the sources said.'”
“That scenario would explain a lot. It would explain why Flynn took not one but two gigantic legal risks. It would explain why the White House took so long so fire him, why Trump asked James Comey to let Flynn off the hook and then fired him when he failed to promise to do so, and why Trump continued to signal his affection for Flynn even afterward.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“As long as I’m secretary of state of Alabama, you’re going to have to show some initiative to become a registered voter in this state.”
— Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill (R), quoted by Mother Jones.
New Poll Shows Jones with Big Lead In Alabama
A new Fox News poll in Alabama finds Doug Jones (D) with a 10-point lead over Roy Moore (R) in the U.S. Senate special election, 50% to 40%.
Big caveat: “This race’s uniqueness is significant. It is impossible to know who will show up to vote in a special election to fill a seat in the middle of a term in an off-year. And it’s December, a time when people expect to be going to the shopping mall, not the voting booth.”
Also interesting: “A subtle but potentially noteworthy finding is Alabama voters who were interviewed on cellphones are +30 for Jones, while the race is roughly even among all others. The fact that traditional, high-quality probability samples, like the Fox News Poll, include both landline and cellphone numbers may be why these polls show Jones doing relatively well compared to automated or blended polls.”
‘Worth Every Penny’
Another email from a reader that made my day:
I’ve appreciated the material you’ve assembled and curated for quite some time. I visit your site every day, sometimes several times a day. I decided today that I can no longer allow this to go unrecognized/unrewarded/uncompensated — I don’t know which term is most appropriate — so I’ve become a member.
Thanks, again, for your work on this resource.
And this one from a reader who just renewed his membership for another year:
Worth every penny and more! Keep it up.
Thanks to everyone who reads! If you’re not yet a member, join for just $5 a month or $50 a year
Trump Denies Watching 4 to 8 Hours of TV Each Day
President Trump denied a New York Times report over the weekend that he watches a lot of television in a morning tweet:
Another false story, this time in the Failing New York Times, that I watch 4-8 hours of television a day – Wrong! Also, I seldom, if ever, watch CNN or MSNBC, both of which I consider Fake News. I never watch Don Lemon, who I once called the “dumbest man on television!” Bad Reporting.
Quote of the Day
“Mueller is corrupt. The senior FBI is corrupt. The system is corrupt.”
— Newt Gingrich, quoted by the Los Angeles Times, as part of a ramped up GOP effort to discredit special counsel Robert Mueller.
Trump Plans to Target the Federal Safety Net Next
“The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress are hoping to make the most sweeping changes to federal safety net programs in a generation, using legislation and executive actions to target recipients of food stamps, Medicaid and housing benefits,” Politico reports.
“The White House is quietly preparing a sweeping executive order that would mandate a top-to-bottom review of the federal programs on which millions of poor Americans rely. And GOP lawmakers are in the early stages of crafting legislation that could make it more difficult to qualify for those programs.”
Obama Records a Robocall In Alabama
Former president Barack Obama “is adding his voice to the Alabama Senate race, imploring voters to go to the polls Tuesday to reject the candidacy of Roy Moore as part of an aggressive effort by Democrats to try and counter President Trump’s full-throated endorsement of the controversial Republican candidate,” CNN reports.
Said Obama: “This one’s serious. You can’t sit it out.”
Obama’s message is intended to specifically reach black voters whose turnout is critical for Democratic candidate Doug Jones.
Politico says former vice president Joe Biden also recorded a robocall.
Trump Takes Credit for Killing Regulations Already Dead
Bloomberg: “Hundreds of the pending regulations had been effectively shelved before Trump took office. Others listed as withdrawn are actually still being developed by federal agencies. Still more were moot because the actions sought in a pending rule were already in effect.”
“The review’s findings undercut one of the signature assertions of an administration that has struggled to show progress on its major campaign promises.”
Trump Bucked Everyone In Backing Roy Moore
Politico: “White House aides advised the president against getting involved in the contest, and his endorsement is a testament to the futility of trying to guide a boss guided by instinct who relishes taunting the political establishment he now runs. That includes not just McConnell but members of his own staff and even his daughter Ivanka, whose harsh words for Moore worked only to push the president in the opposite direction.”
“Trump had experienced a similar desertion in the summer of 2016 when the infamous ‘Access Hollywood’ tape surfaced. He was angered to see the same establishment figures now ditching Moore.”
Michael Warren: Why did Trump go all-in for Roy Moore?
Mueller Focuses on 18 Days In the White House
Special counsel Robert Mueller “is trying to piece together what transpired inside the White House over a critical 18-day period that began when senior officials were told that National Security Advisor Michael Flynn was susceptible to blackmail by Russia,” NBC News reports.
“The questions about what happened between Jan. 26 and Flynn’s firing on Feb. 13 appear to relate to possible obstruction of justice by President Trump.”
“Multiple sources say that during interviews, Mueller’s investigators have asked witnesses, including White House Counsel Don McGahn and others who have worked in the West Wing, to go through each day that Flynn remained as national security adviser and describe in detail what they knew was happening inside the White House as it related to Flynn.”
Politico: “As special Russia counsel Robert Mueller wraps up interviews with senior current and former White House staff, one name has been conspicuously absent from public chatter surrounding the probe: Steve Bannon.”
GOP Worried About Special Election In Pennsylvania
Playbook: “Republicans are growing increasingly worried about the special election in Pennsylvania’s 18th district. Former Republican Rep. Tim Murphy resigned after it became public that he suggested his mistress have an abortion. D.C. Republicans nominated Rick Saccone — a state lawmaker — to run, and Democrats have tapped Conor Lamb — a 34-year-old former federal prosecutor who was in the Marines.”
“The district is solidly Republican, but Republicans watching the race take shape are worried they’ll have to spend money to boost Saccone. The election is in March, and it will certainly be seen as a harbinger for the midterms.”
Some Could Face 100% Marginal Tax Rates
“Republicans are moving their tax plan toward final passage at stunning speed, blowing past Democrats before they’ve had time to fully mobilize against it but leaving the measure vulnerable to the types of expensive problems popping up in their massive and complex plan,” the Washington Post reports.
“Questionable special-interest provisions have been stuffed in along the way, out of public view and in some cases literally in the dead of night. Drafting errors by exhausted staff are cropping up and need fixes, which must be tackled by congressional negotiators working to reconcile competing versions of the legislation passed separately by the House and the Senate.”
Wall Street Journal: “Some high-income business owners could face marginal tax rates exceeding 100% under the Senate’s tax bill, far beyond the listed rates in the Republican plan. That means a business owner’s next $100 in earnings, under certain circumstances, would require paying more than $100 in additional federal and state taxes. As lawmakers rush to write the final tax bill over the next week, they already are looking at changes to prevent this from happening.”
Many Won’t Even Notice a Tax Cut
“A funny thing happened when Congress approved a tax cut for the middle class eight years ago: Most Americans didn’t notice,” Bloomberg reports.
“The 2009 economic-stimulus bill contained a one-year tax break worth $800 for married couples in 95% of working households — a little over $15 a week. A February 2010 poll found that just 12 percent said their taxes had been reduced. More than half, 53%, said they saw no change. A remarkable 24% thought their taxes had increased.”
Most Republicans Still Think Obama Was Born In Kenya
A new Economist/YouGov poll finds that 51% of Republicans continue to believe the claim that former President Obama was born in Kenya.
With that backdrop, most Republicans also “doubt that Russia hacked into DNC emails or spread fake news during last year’s campaign in order to help elect Donald Trump president.”
Moore Proposed Eliminating All Amendments After 10th
Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore (R) “appeared on a conspiracy-driven radio show twice in 2011, where he told the hosts in an interview that getting rid of constitutional amendments after the Tenth Amendment would ‘eliminate many problems’ in the way the US government is structured,” CNN reports.
“Moore cited the 17th Amendment, which calls for the direct election of senators by voters rather than state legislatures… The host agreed with Moore, before turning his attention to the 14th Amendment, which was passed during the Reconstruction period following the Civil War and guaranteed citizenship and equal rights and protection to former slaves.”
Said Moore: “People also don’t understand, and being from the South I bet you get it, the 14th Amendment was only approved at the point of the gun.”
Roy Moore Spent Final Campaign Weekend In Philly
Politico: “Confronting accusations that he harassed or molested teenage girls, Moore hasn’t held a public event since Tuesday, a decision that has perplexed some Republicans given the closeness of the race. Two Republicans briefed on Moore’s schedule before this weekend said he intended to spend Saturday in Philadelphia at the Army-Navy football game — a long-planned trip that the West Point grad had insisted he would still take this year despite the election.”
“One of those Republicans, who expressed concern about Moore’s absence, said that the planned trip was discussed with Moore’s campaign within the last few weeks and the candidate determined to go — case closed.”
