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TV Station Adds Newscast to Run More Political Ads

May 5, 2017 at 11:32 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

An Atlanta television station added a 7 p.m. newscast on its sister station for the sole purpose of running more political ads, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.

“Two sources at 11Alive said the newscast is temporary and tied directly to accommodate a flood of political ads promoting (or taking down) either Jon Ossoff and Karen Handel vying for the hotly contest House seat left behind by Tom Price, now the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. They said the newscast will end after the runoff is over June 20.”

How Republicans Can Make Their Health Care Bill a Law

May 5, 2017 at 10:31 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

This piece is only available to Political Wire members.

Republican leaders got their health care bill through the House using a simple strategy: Appease conservatives and dare moderates to vote against the bill.

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Unemployment Rate Falls to 10-Year Low

May 5, 2017 at 9:37 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The pace of hiring picked up again in April and the unemployment rate fell to the lowest level in nearly a decade, providing reassurance the broader economy is poised for a strong spring after a lackluster start to the year,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The unemployment rate for April edged down to 4.4% from the prior month’s 4.5% reading. The unemployment rate hasn’t been this low since May 2007, and that matched the lowest rate of any point during the prior expansion.”

Cindy McCain Eyed for Senior State Department Role

May 5, 2017 at 9:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Cindy McCain, the wife of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), is expected to be offered a prominent role in the Trump administration’s State Department, the AP reports.

“Although it wasn’t clear what position she would fill, one possibility under discussion is McCain serving as an ambassador-at-large in Washington, focusing on a specific issue such as human trafficking, according to the administration official and another individual familiar with the talks. McCain, a philanthropist and global humanitarian activist, has been a vocal advocate for victims of human trafficking for several years.”

Congressman Admits He Never Read Bill Before Voting

May 5, 2017 at 7:47 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY) admitted to CNN that he did not read the full health care bill before voting for it.

Said Collins: “I will fully admit, Wolf, I did not. But I can also assure you my staff did. We have to rely on our staff.”

Trump Wanted More ‘Slack Periods’

May 5, 2017 at 7:26 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “The signature image of Mr. Trump’s first 100 days in office, people close to the president said, is that of Mr. Priebus standing just inside the open door of the Oval Office, agitated and rolling his eyes, as Mr. Trump beckons another seemingly random gaggle of aides, friends, family, visitors, reporters — even the White House decorator — in for an unstructured chat or, worst of all, policy discussions.”

“Over time, Mr. Trump bridled and demanded the unstructured time he had so valued as an executive at Trump Tower. Mr. Priebus, who initially outsourced the details of Oval Office scheduling and paper flow to a deputy, has now taken over those tasks himself. He has reduced the pace of public events and, like a Montessori teacher, modulates structured work time with the slack periods Mr. Trump craves.”

Quote of the Day

May 5, 2017 at 7:15 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“You have every provision of this bill tattooed on your forehead. You will glow in the dark.”

— House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), quoted by the New York Times, on Republicans who voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Democrats Gain Ground In 2018 House Races

May 5, 2017 at 7:14 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Cook Political Report today will shift its 2018 forecast for 20 House districts — all in favor of Democrats.

“Not only did dozens of Republicans in marginal districts just hitch their names to an unpopular piece of legislation, Democrats just received their best candidate recruitment tool yet.”

“Democrats aren’t so much recruiting candidates as they are overwhelmed by a deluge of eager newcomers, including doctors and veterans in traditionally red seats who have no political record for the GOP to attack — almost a mirror image of 2010.”

Key statistic: Of the 23 Republican lawmakers from districts won by Hillary Clinton in 2016, 14 voted for the GOP health care bill.

Freedom Caucus Crafting Tax Reform Plan

May 5, 2017 at 7:09 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The House Freedom Caucus wants a seat at the tax reform table, and members are crafting a bill so they don’t show up empty handed,” Politico reports.

“The caucus, which roiled the Republican effort to repeal and replace Obamacare, would be parachuting in to what promises to be another pitched battle over the Republicans’ next marquee issue. Though it doesn’t have an official line yet on tax reform, members appear to be more aligned with the Trump administration than House Republican leaders on how deep tax cuts should be, if they need to be offset and whether to include a controversial import tax.”

‘I Think They Are Staring Death in the Face’

May 5, 2017 at 7:05 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“No one knows better than House Democrats how a contentious health care vote can exact a steep political price — losing control of the House in the first midterm election of an untested new president’s tenure for example,” the New York Times reports.

“As they hooted derisively at their Republican colleagues on Thursday after a narrow, party-line approval of legislation to roll back the Obama-era health care law, Democrats glimpsed the mirror image of their own politically disastrous health care experience. They also saw a prime opportunity to avenge their ugly 2010 loss and possibly recapture the House majority.”

Said Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-VA): “I think they are staring death in the face. They asked their vulnerable members to take an enormous gamble and risk on an act of faith that I guarantee will not pay off.”

Lewandowski Suddenly Quits Lobbying Firm

May 5, 2017 at 7:01 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Donald Trump’s first campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, on Thursday resigned from his lobbying firm amid scrutiny of its efforts to capitalize on his relationship with the president,” Politico reports.

Bloomberg: “Lewandowski said Thursday that his partner, Barry Bennett, and others among the firm’s eight operatives have used his name without his authorization and sought business with foreign clients that he doesn’t want.”

Fox News Dug Up Dirt on Women

May 5, 2017 at 7:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Federal investigators looking into sexual harassment settlements and alleged intimidation tactics at Fox News are eyeing mayoral hopeful Bo Dietl’s work for the network,” the New York Daily News reports.

“The former private investigator admitted Thursday to the Wall Street Journal that he was hired by Fox News to investigate several women who made sexual harassment allegations against the company and its former chairman Roger Ailes.”

Priebus Sees a Much-Needed Reprieve

May 5, 2017 at 7:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “The Republican health care overhaul might never become law, but it has already changed the life of one American: Reince Priebus, who knew it was his best and perhaps last hope of becoming an empowered White House chief of staff.”

“It is unlikely that Mr. Priebus — roundly regarded as a steady party leader but one of the least powerful White House chiefs of staff ever — would have been fired had the second repeal-and-replace plan not passed the House on Thursday. But he viewed it as a personal make-or-break moment, and interviews with two dozen West Wing aides and Republican officials confirmed that another big loss on health care would probably have been an unrecoverable blow to an already weakened Mr. Priebus.”

Another Bonus Quote of the Day

May 4, 2017 at 7:28 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“How am I doing? Am I doing okay? I’m president. Hey, I’m president. Can you believe it?”

— President Trump, quoted by Politico, at a Rose Garden “victory lap that was unusually elaborate for a bill still so far from becoming law.”

Senate Won’t Take Up House Health Care Bill

May 4, 2017 at 4:39 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Senate Republicans said they “won’t vote on the House-passed bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, but will write their own legislation instead,” the Washington Examiner reports.

“A Senate proposal is now being developed by a 12-member working group. It will attempt to incorporate elements of the House bill, senators said, but will not take up the House bill as a starting point and change it through the amendment process.”

FiveThirtyEight: The GOP health bill is still far from law.

For members: The House Vote Is the Easy One

Clinton to Launch Political Group Next Week

May 4, 2017 at 4:35 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Hillary Clinton “is building a new political group to fund organizations working on the resistance to President Trump’s agenda, spending recent weeks in Washington, New York City, and Chappaqua, N.Y., meeting with donors and potential groups to invest in, and recruiting individuals for the group’s board of directors,” Politico reports.

“She is looking to launch the group, expected to be called Onward Together — a nod to her campaign slogan, Stronger Together — as soon as next week.”

Many Targeted Lawmakers Voted for the GOP Bill

May 4, 2017 at 3:17 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Of the 58 Republican lawmakers on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s target list put out earlier this year, 45 of them voted in favor of the GOP health care bill while just 13 voted against it.

Trump States Most Likely to Be Affected by GOP Health Bill

May 4, 2017 at 3:13 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

CNN: “Looking at the states with the largest percentages of people under age 65 with pre-existing conditions, if the GOP’s high risk pool plan goes south it runs the risk of more adversely affecting those in states that voted for President Trump.”

“Of the 11 states in which 30% or more of the under-65 population has some sort of pre-existing condition, all 11 were won by Trump in 2016.”