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Murphy Resigns Following Abortion Scandal

October 5, 2017 at 4:06 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA) has resigned effective October 21, according to a statement from Speaker Paul Ryan.

Politico: “Republican sources familiar with Murphy’s thinking said the married father of one child initially believed he could weather a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story revealing he had sent a series of text messages to his girlfriend — a psychologist half his age — encouraging her to have an abortion. Murphy had been a strongly anti-abortion lawmaker during his 15 years in Congress.”

Cook Political Report: “This is very tough territory for Democrats. But it’s not impossible, and the combination of a pro-Democratic national climate and the fallout from Murphy’s ignominious personal behavior makes this special election potentially competitive.”

Russian Operatives Sent Town Into Fake News Tailspin

October 5, 2017 at 3:19 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

NBC Left Field: “A small town in southern Idaho that finds itself at the center of a fake news media storm. Earlier this month, it was revealed that an anti-refugee Facebook page — which organized an anti-refugee rally in Twin Falls — was operated not by locals, but by fake accounts based in Russia.”

NRA Supports New Rules on ‘Bump Stock’ Devices

October 5, 2017 at 3:05 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The National Rifle Association endorsed tighter restrictions on devices that allow a rifle to fire bullets as fast as a machine gun — a rare, if small, step for a group that for years has vehemently opposed any new gun controls,” the New York Times reports.

“Twelve of the rifles the Las Vegas gunman, Stephen Paddock, had in a high-rise hotel suite when he opened fire on a crowd on Sunday were outfitted with ‘bump stocks,’ devices that allow a semiautomatic rifle to fire hundreds of rounds per minute, which may explain how he was able to shoot so quickly, killing 58 people and wounding hundreds of others. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has ruled that bump stocks do not violate laws that tightly limit ownership of machine guns, and some lawmakers have called for them to be banned.”

Trump Will Decertify Iran Deal

October 5, 2017 at 2:59 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump plans to announce next week that he will ‘decertify’ the international nuclear deal with Iran, saying it is not in the national interest of the United States and kicking the issue to a reluctant Congress,” the Washington Post reports.

“The move would mark the first step in a process that could eventually result in the resumption of U.S. sanctions against Iran, which would blow up a deal limiting Iran’s nuclear activities that the country reached in 2015 with the U.S. and five other nations.”

Some Republicans Resist Estate Tax Repeal

October 5, 2017 at 2:39 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Senate Republicans are running into internal resistance to their proposed repeal of the estate tax, making it a potential casualty of the trade-offs the GOP faces in its effort to overhaul the tax code,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The party’s leaders included estate-tax repeal in the tax-overhaul framework they released last week. But Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Susan Collins (R-ME) said this that week repeal isn’t necessary. Others say their desire to eliminate the tax must be balanced against other priorities.”

Most Partisans Have Few Friends In Other Party

October 5, 2017 at 2:17 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Pew Research survey shows a majority of both Republicans and Democrats say they have “just a few” or no friends in the opposing party.

About 64% of Democrats and 55% of Republicans say they have “just a few” or “none” close friends who are Republicans or Democrats, respectively.

Quote of the Day

October 5, 2017 at 1:25 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Sir, we didn’t need to verify that he called you a moron, he did it behind your back.”

— MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle, responding on MSNBC to President Trump’s criticism that she never verified Rex Tillerson’s quote with him.

Top House Democrats Calls for New Leadership

October 5, 2017 at 1:10 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) said that “it’s time for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and her leadership team to prepare to step down and make way for the next generation of lawmakers in her caucus,” the Washington Post reports.

Said Sanchez: “I do think it’s time to pass a torch to a new generation of leaders, and I want to be a part of that transition.”

The comments by Sanchez, “who as vice chairman of the House Democratic Caucus ranks fifth in the 194-member body, are the most explicit to date by a senior congressional Democrat and a member of the California congressional delegation about Pelosi’s political future.”

Blackburn Will Run for Senate In Tennessee

October 5, 2017 at 1:07 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) “is entering the 2018 U.S. Senate race to replace retiring Sen. Bob Corker, ending a week’s worth of speculation and immediately catapulting her to front-runner status as others consider launching their own bids,” the Tennessean reports.

Axios: “Blackburn continues a trend of conservative, anti-establishment Republicans hoping to claim a Senate seat.”

Russian Hackers Stole NSA Data on U.S. Cyber Defense

October 5, 2017 at 1:05 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Hackers working for the Russian government stole details of how the U.S. penetrates foreign computer networks and defends against cyberattacks after a National Security Agency contractor removed the highly classified material and put it on his home computer,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The hackers appear to have targeted the contractor after identifying the files through the contractor’s use of a popular antivirus software made by Russia-based Kaspersky Lab.”

“The theft is considered by experts to be one of the most significant security breaches in recent years. It offers a glimpse into how the intelligence community thinks Russian intelligence exploits a widely available commercial software product to spy on the U.S. The incident occurred in 2015 but wasn’t discovered until spring of last year, said the people familiar with the matter.”

Russia Explodes Our Social Media Myths

October 5, 2017 at 11:06 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Matt Bai: “It was only a matter of time before governments got around to manipulating social media platforms to their own ends, distorting the wisdom of the crowd with the agenda of a cabal. It is what they do and have always done.”

“I don’t think it’s reasonable or wise to ask tech companies to be the societal arbiters of truth… But ultimately, it’s not too much to demand that our most innovative companies slam the back door on governments and political infiltrators who would like nothing more than to destroy our faith in a free society. And if that means abandoning closely held tenets, like the sanctity of anonymity online, or the aversion to gatekeepers who exercise judgment, then so be it.”

Three Party America

October 5, 2017 at 10:50 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

This piece is only available to Political Wire members.

GOP strategist Alex Castellanos emails with this provocative statement: “Very little Donald Trump does makes sense if you believe we still have only two political parties.”

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Poll Shows Growing Dissatisfaction with Republicans

October 5, 2017 at 10:09 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new USA Today/Suffolk University poll finds that voters’ assessment of the Republican Party has plummeted to 62% unfavorable/23% favorable, significantly changed from the 55% unfavorable/32% favorable registered in a June poll.

The Democratic Party recorded a 48% unfavorable/37% favorable rating in the most recent poll.

Said pollster David Paleologos: “The Republican Party is in freefall. In March the GOP had a 48% unfavorable rating, in June the negative swelled to 55%. Today the GOP unfavorable is 62%. What’s next?”

Americans Have More Confidence In News Media

October 5, 2017 at 9:40 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds Americans are increasingly confident in the news media and less so in President Trump’s administration after a tumultuous year in U.S. politics that tested the public’s trust in both institutions.

The poll found that the percentage of adults who said they had a “great deal” or “some” confidence in the press rose to 48% in September from 39% last November. Earlier this year, Trump branded the entire industry as the “enemy of the American people.”

Perry Took Private Plane Last Week

October 5, 2017 at 7:40 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Energy Secretary Rick Perry took a chartered jet to Ohio last week, according to an airport management company, the day before fellow Cabinet member Tom Price resigned over his use of private charter flights for government business,” Reuters reports.

Bannon Backs Grimm’s Comeback Bid

October 5, 2017 at 7:29 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former congressman and convicted felon Michael Grimm (R-NY) returned to Washington in a bid to win support for his comeback congressional bid, Politico reports.

“Among the people whose support Grimm has secured is former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon. A person close to Bannon said the two met for about 30 minutes, and that the former White House aide had decided to back Grimm.”

Democrats Blame GOP For Obamacare Premium Hike

October 5, 2017 at 7:22 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Caitlin Owens: “For years, Democrats have been on the receiving end of political attacks about rising Affordable Care Act premiums. But the roles are about to be reversed — and it’s not clear whether Republicans will be able to avoid the blame.”

“Not only has the GOP failed to fulfill a key campaign promise, but it’s also going to get slammed for allowing things to get worse for voters.”

Said economist Doug Holtz-Eakin: “As of now, they own the whole issue.”

Northam Opens Big Lead In Virginia

October 5, 2017 at 7:12 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Washington Post-Schar School poll in Virginia finds Ralph Northam (D) leading Ed Gillespie (R) by double-digits, 53% to 40% among likely voters, with Libertarian Cliff Hyra at 4%.

Key findings: “Confederate monuments and illegal immigration have played prominently during the campaign, but voters say they care more about health care, the economy and education.”