Category: Electoral Politics

Biden Mocks Trump For Whining That Kamala Harris Was Mean To His Appointees

August 12, 2020
Joe Biden mocked Trump for whining that Kamala Harris was mean to his appointees, and vowed to have her back against Trump’s sexist attacks. Biden said: Trump has already started his attacks, calling Kamala, quote, nasty. Whining about how she’s, quote, mean to his appointees. It’s no surprise because whining is what Donald Trump does

QAnon’s crazy-quilt conspiracy universe has grown to immense size during the pandemic

August 12, 2020
NBC News’ Ari Sen and Brandy Zadrozny reported this week that Facebook has undertaken an investigation into the spread of QAnon material on its social-media platform, and its findings so far are daunting and disturbing: There are thousands of Facebook groups spreading the conspiracy theories with millions of members.   “The top 10 groups identified

Joe Biden announces vice presidential pick

August 12, 2020
Ending months of speculation, Joe Biden named Sen. Kamala Harris as his vice presidential nominee. Harris had been seen as a front-runner for the role since Biden became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Prior to being elected to the U.S. Senate from California in 2016, she served as the state’s attorney general and the district

Tucker Carlson Throws A Fit After Guest Tells Him To Stop Mispronouncing Kamala Harris’ Name

August 12, 2020
Fox News host Tucker Carlson threw a tantrum on live TV Tuesday night after a guest told him to stop mispronouncing Kamala Harris’ name. Richard Goodstein, former Clinton campaign adviser, politely told Carlson the proper way to say Harris’ first name, adding that it’s basic respect to correctly pronounce the name of a vice presidential

Kamala Harris, Biden’s V.P. Pick, Is First Woman of Color on Major Party Ticket

August 11, 2020
Joseph R. Biden Jr. selected Senator Kamala Harris of California as his vice-presidential running mate on Tuesday, embracing a former rival who sharply criticized him in the Democratic primaries but emerged after ending her campaign as a vocal supporter of Mr. Biden and a prominent advocate of racial-justice legislation after the death of George Floyd

Trump’s attack on Social Security gives his advisors heartburn, Biden a Trump-sized opening

August 11, 2020
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who reportedly opposed Trump’s payroll tax suspension order, insisted on Fox News that a Trump administration would make sure that the funds were replaced from the Treasury general fund, and that Trump “in no way wants to harm those trust funds, so they’d be reimbursed just as they always have in

Deranged Trump Says Mail-In Ballots Are A Bigger Threat To Democracy Than Russia

August 11, 2020
A sluggish and seemingly sedated Donald Trump said on Monday that Democrats pushing for expanded mail-in voting during a pandemic are actually a bigger threat to democracy than Russia. “I’ll tell you who’s meddling in our elections – the Democrats are meddling by wanting and insisting on sending mail-in ballots where there’s corruption all over

Rachel Maddow Warns That Trump Will Only Become More Desperate And Dangerous As Election Nears

August 11, 2020
Rachel Maddow warned on Monday that as the country falls further into crisis, Donald Trump will only become more desperate and dangerous – particularly with the presidential election less than 90 days away. During her program, the MSNBC host said the worsening pandemic, the economic disaster, and Trump’s sinking poll numbers will motivate him to

Michigan Democrats Hesitate on Whitmer as V.P.: ‘Selfishly, We Need Her Here’

August 10, 2020
Ms. Whitmer, 48, has a history and easy rapport with Mr. Biden: He campaigned for her governor’s race in 2018 and she returned the favor, endorsing him before Michigan’s presidential primary and appearing with him at his last big rally in the state before the pandemic struck. She was one of the first to appear

Trump Goes Around Congress to Provide Pandemic Relief

August 10, 2020
President Trump, a self-proclaimed master at making deals, again opted for executive action over negotiation with Congress. And, yes, we’re still waiting for Joe Biden to pick a running mate. It’s Monday, and this is your politics tip sheet. Sign up here to get On Politics in your inbox every weekday.A Trump merchandise float on

Trump Sent His Economic Team Out To Defend His Executive Orders And It Was A Total Disaster

August 10, 2020
Trump sent his top economic advisers to defend his executive orders and the result was chaos, confusion, and disaster. Larry Kudlow seemed to have no idea how much money unemployed people would be getting: BASH: You keep saying $1,200 per person. Are you talking about in addition to the unemployment that they’re already getting? KUDLOW:

‘Top Cop’ Kamala Harris’s Record of Policing the Police

August 10, 2020
Ms. Harris began her second term as attorney general the next year by outlining steps to make policing fairer and more transparent, saying “we must acknowledge that too many have felt the sting of injustice.” Still, she hesitated, refusing to endorse AB-86, a bill opposed by police unions that would have required her office to

Administration Officials Defend Executive Action on Pandemic Relief

August 9, 2020
WASHINGTON — Facing sharp criticism, administration officials on Sunday struggled to explain the executive actions President Trump used to circumvent Congress in the absence of an agreement on a coronavirus aid package, even as they defended him and insisted that Americans would receive the relief he promised.The president’s decision on Saturday to sign a series

Joe Biden owns Fox News reporter during morning bike ride

August 9, 2020
Saturday morning, on a bike ride—one of those physical activities I have yet to see the world’s healthiest orange president do—Joe Biden was asked a question by Fox News’ Peter Doocy: “Mr. Vice President, have you picked a running mate yet?” Biden, in response, answered “Yeah, I have.” Doocy, believing he had a scoop, asked: “You have? Who

3 of the 4 ‘executive orders’ Trump signed weren’t actually executive orders

August 9, 2020
Trump, of course, is his most stunning when he’s off-book, and not in the “my eldest daughter is stunning” kind of way. Sure, the scripts that Trump’s handlers and yes-people write for him are not heralded for excellence in speechwriting, but there’s nothing like the rambling we hear when the gold-plated Republican is given a chance to freestyle.

US sets COVID-19 record as cases top 5 million

August 9, 2020
The United States set a record for coronavirus cases on Saturday, with more than 5 million people now infected, according to a Reuters tally, as the country’s top infectious diseases official offered hope earlier this week that an effective vaccine might be available by year-end. With one out of every 66 residents infected, the United

Trump would reportedly ‘show off’ the capabilities of different weapons systems he was briefed on to impress billionaires

August 8, 2020
Intelligence officials have had a difficult time briefing President Trump on matters throughout his presidency, The New York Times reports. He reportedly often loses interest, unless the subject is heavy on economics or could intrigue other wealthy people, which tended to concern the intelligence community.In the latter scenario, one former senior administration official told The

Trump Team Calls Biden A ‘Very Good Debater’ As They Desperately Try To Lower Own Expectations

August 8, 2020
After spending much of the campaign trying – and failing – to paint Joe Biden as senile and off his game, the Trump team now claims the former vice president is a skilled debater. “Joe Biden is actually a very good debater. He doesn’t have as many gaffes as he does in his everyday interviews,”

Biden risks alienating young Black voters after race remarks

August 8, 2020
WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden’s controversial remarks about race this week risk alienating young Black voters who despise President Donald Trump but are not inspired by his Democratic rival.When pressed by Errol Barnett of CBS News on whether he’d taken a cognitive test, Biden responded that the question was akin to asking the Black reporter

Postal Service Leader Sets Reorganization Amid Scrutiny Over Mail Ballots

August 8, 2020
WASHINGTON — The Postal Service on Friday announced a substantial reorganization meant to increase efficiency as Democratic lawmakers demanded an inquiry into whether changes by President Trump’s postal officials could threaten the effective use of mail-in ballots for the November election.Louis DeJoy, the postmaster general and a major donor to Mr. Trump’s campaigns, was named

China, Iran favor Biden, Russia favors Trump

August 7, 2020
The Trump administration’s top counterintelligence official warned Friday that China and Iran are trying to help Joe Biden defeat President Trump, but that Russia appears to be opposing the presumptive Democratic nominee. National Counterintelligence and Security Center Director William Evanina issued the unusual assessment after Senate Democrats clamored for more awareness of foreign interventions. Evanina

Brent Scowcroft, a Force on Foreign Policy for 40 Years, Dies at 95

August 7, 2020
Long after his retirement, Mr. Scowcroft remained a pillar of the Republican national security establishment. In the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, he joined more than 120 other Republican foreign policy veterans who crossed party lines and endorsed Hillary Clinton. Mr. Scowcroft said she possessed “truly unique experience and perspective” to “lead our country

Obama’s eulogy of John Lewis—and the right-wing response to it—highlight the power of his legacy

August 7, 2020
At Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on July 30, Obama spoke in terms that broadly reflect a quarter century of his public commentary on our country and its history of grappling with injustice. He has consistently praised the successes and progress won on civil rights and racial justice while also—as he did in January 2008 for

Rachel Maddow Tells The Corrupt NRA That Not Even Trump Can Save It

August 7, 2020
Donald Trump offered some thoughts on how the corrupt National Rifle Association (NRA) can remain in business after the New York attorney general filed a lawsuit against the organization on Thursday, but Rachel Maddow said not even the president will be able to save it. “The president said today publicly that the NRA should reconstitute

A 4th Presidential Debate? Commission Says No to Trump

August 6, 2020
Members of the Commission on Presidential Debates on Thursday rejected the Trump campaign’s request for changes to the fall debate schedule, declining to shift the debates earlier or add a fourth debate to the calendar.President Trump and his campaign had argued that the current debate schedule, which calls for three debates between Mr. Trump and

Trump campaign, RNC suing Nevada over mail-in ballots bill

August 6, 2020
President Trump’s re-election campaign and the Republican National Committee are suing the state of Nevada over a new bill that creates mass mail-in voting in the state. The lawsuit against Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske centers on a bill passed on Sunday, which mandates that every registered voter receive a mail-in ballot and reduces

State Department watchdog resigns after predecessor’s ouster

August 6, 2020
The State Department’s acting inspector general resigned abruptly on Wednesday following the firing of his predecessor in circumstances now being investigated by Congress. Stephen Akard announced his resignation just two days after Democrats issued subpoenas for several of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s top aides to answer questions about the shakeup in the watchdog’s office.

Trump Campaign Slammed for Running Ad Using Doctored Photo of Joe Biden

August 6, 2020
President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign has come under fire for running an ad using a doctored photo of his opponent, Democrat Joe Biden. The ad falsely depicts Biden as “hiding” alone in his basement using an image that was edited to remove several other people. Deep in the heart of Delaware, Joe Biden sits in

Another Inspector General Resigns Amid Questions About Pompeo

August 5, 2020
WASHINGTON — The State Department’s acting watchdog has resigned from his post less than three months after replacing the previous inspector general, whom President Trump fired in May, the department said on Wednesday.The departure of Stephen J. Akard came as Congress continued to investigate the firing of his predecessor, Steve A. Linick, who was pursuing inquiries

Newt Gingrich Lies About Mail-In Voting, Claims Democrats Are Trying to “Steal” November Election

August 5, 2020
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich repeated President Donald Trump’s own false claims about mail-in voting, saying that Democrats can’t win an “honest election” so they are trying “to set up an ability to steal it.” Gingrich pointed to the state of Nevada, which the president announced his administration will sue after its legislature