Category: Uncategorized

Republicans suffer whiplash from Trump’s erratic week

The Hill logoCongressional Republicans are confused and suffering from whiplash after President Trump this week flip-flopped on guns and taxes, created a diplomatic row with a European ally, ordered U.S. firms to stop doing business with China, and suggested Jewish voters were disloyal.

He also referred to himself as “the chosen one,” a remark he later said was meant to be sarcastic.

GOP lawmakers have grown accustomed to dodging questions from reporters about Trump’s latest tweet or controversy, but the president’s dizzying performance this week left even some of his staunchest allies scratching their heads.

View the complete August 24 article by Scott Wong on The Hill website here.

New Study Finds Over 2000 Ethical Conflicts For Trump Since 2017

During his 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump vehemently railed against crony capitalism and conflicts of interest in Washington, D.C. — promising to “drain the swamp” if elected. But according to a newly released in-depth study by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Trump has done just the opposite as president.

The number of conflicts of interest during Trump’s presidency, according to CREW, is at least 2,310 “resulting from President Trump’s decision to retain his business interests.”

Trump, CREW reports, has “visited his properties 362 times at taxpayer expense” as president and has “used the presidency to provide free publicity for his properties.” And the Trump Hotel in Washington, D.C., according to CREW, has “raked in $2.4 million in traceable political spending” during his presidency.

View the complete August 22 article by Alex Henderson from AlterNet on the National Memo website here.

Dow drops 800 points in worst day of 2019 amid recession

The Hill logoU.S. stock markets had their worst drop of the year Wednesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping 800 points, or 3 percent.

The drop comes as some forecasters warn of increasing odds of a recession, while President Trump has continued to hammer the Federal Reserve over its handling of interest rates.

In terms of point losses, Wednesday’s drop was the Dow’s 4th worst day in its history, though it did not crack the top 20 list in terms of percentage drops.

View the complete August 14 article by Niv Elis on The Hill website here.

Most Americans Say White Nationalism Poses A Threat To The U.S.

In a new poll, only about a quarter of Americans say they believe President Trump personally opposes white nationalism.

Most Americans believe white nationalism poses at least a somewhat serious threat to the country, a HuffPost/YouGov poll finds. The survey was taken in the wake of the El Paso, Texas, shooting, carried out by a gunman with white nationalist sentiments, and close to the second anniversary of 2017′s violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

A 56% majority of Americans say that white nationalism poses a somewhat or very serious threat to the U.S., similar to the 57% who said it posed such a threat following the Charlottesville rally, and up from the 46% who said the same last August. Thirty-seven percent currently call white nationalism a “very” serious threat, up from 32% immediately following Charlottesville and a low of 26% last year.

There’s a significant racial gap in the level of concern: Black Americans are 27 percentage points likelier than white Americans to say it’s a very serious threat. But there’s an even broader partisan gap ― one that’s widened in the past two years, almost entirely from rising concerns among Democrats. In 2017, Democrats were 30 percentage points likelier than Republicans to call white nationalism a very serious threat. Today, that divide has grown to 49 points.

View the complete August 12 article by Ariel Edwards-Levy on the Huffington Post website here.

Feds face mounting pressure over Epstein’s death

The Hill logoFederal officials are coming under immense and mounting public pressure to explain Jeffrey Epstein’s apparent suicide in his federal jail cell over the weekend.

News of the accused sex trafficker’s death was met with immediate outrage and disbelief, with some, including President Trump, fanning conspiracy theories about the financier with connections to numerous wealthy and powerful figures. News outlets have unearthed details of apparent failings at the New York federal jail that housed Epstein.

The spotlight is squarely on Attorney General William Barr, who has promised a thorough investigation by the FBI and Justice Department inspector general.

View the complete August 13 article by Morgan Chalfant on The Hill website here.

Barr criticizes prison’s ‘serious irregularities’ after Epstein death

The Hill logoAttorney General William Barr said Monday that Justice Department officials will thoroughly investigate “serious irregularities” at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) where accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was found dead of apparent suicide over the weekend.

Barr also warned that any of Epstein’s alleged co-conspirators “should not rest easy,” noting that federal prosecutors will continue to aggressively pursue the case to ensure anyone who worked alongside Epstein will be held accountable.

“We are now learning of serious irregularities at this facility that are deeply concerning and demand a thorough investigation,” Barr said during remarks at a law enforcement conference in New Orleans. “The FBI and the Office of Inspector General are doing just that.”

View the complete August 12 article by Morgan Chalfant on The Hill website here.

Trump administration releases new ‘public charge’ rule making it easier to reject

The Hill logoThe Trump administration on Monday released the final version of a controversial rule that dramatically increases the government’s ability to reject green cards for people who are deemed likely to depend on government aid such as food stamps, housing assistance and Medicaid.

The new “public charge” rule would link a subject’s immigration status to their income and their use of certain public programs.

Published in the Federal Register, the rule will officially be released Wednesday and go into effect 60 days later.

View the complete August 12 article by Chris Mills Rodrigo on The Hill website here.

Democrats blast Trump’s Epstein conspiracy theory retweet as Conway defends the president

The Hill logoWhite House counselor Kellyanne Conway on Sunday defended President Trump’s retweet of a conspiracy theory about the death of alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, while Trump’s critics and rivals blasted the retweets as irresponsible conspiracy-mongering.

The Saturday night retweet implied former Secretary of State Hillary Clintonand former President Clinton, who appears several times in flight logs for Epstein’s private jet, were responsible for Epstein’s death in federal custody, and uses the hashtag #ClintonBodyCount, referencing a conspiracy theory about the Clintons having political opponents murdered that dates back to the early 1990s.

The tweet offered no evidence for its assertions. Clinton’s spokesman Angel Ureña responded to Trump’s retweet by writing “Ridiculous, and of course not true — and Donald Trump knows it. Has he triggered the 25th Amendment yet?”

View the complete August 11 article by Zack Budryk on The Hill website here.

Trump again appears to take North Korea’s side against his own military, allies

Washington Post logoTOKYO — President Trump on Saturday appeared to side with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un in renewing his objections to joint military exercises with South Korea, calling such drills “ridiculous and expensive” at a time when Pyongyang has been testing short-range missiles.

In a pair of morning tweets from his resort in Bedminster, N.J., where he arrived late Friday for a 10-day vacation, Trump said Kim objected to the exercises in a letter and suggested that the missile tests would end once the drills are finished.

“It was a long letter, much of it complaining about the ridiculous and expensive exercises,” Trump wrote, asserting that the letter amounted to “a small apology for testing the short range missiles.”

View the complete August 10 article by Simon Denyer and David Nakamura on The Washington Post website here.

Participants announced for Wednesday roundtable to address soaring cost of insulin

House DFL logoSAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – On Wednesday, August 14 at 10:30 a.m., a bipartisan group of state lawmakers will hold a roundtable to discuss Minnesotans’ concerns and ideas for improving access to affordable insulin. Live video will be available courtesy of House Public Information Services here.

Participants being announced in advance of Wednesday’s roundtable include Nicole Smith-Holt, Quinn Nystrom, Lija Greenseid, Kim Munson, Abigail Hansmeyer, and some members of the bipartisan working group formed to reach agreement on establishing an emergency supply of insulin for Minnesotans with Type 1 diabetes.

The public and members of the press are invited to attend.

WHAT: Roundtable on the soaring price of insulin
WHO: Lawmakers, advocates, Minnesotans affected by the soaring cost of insulin
WHERE: Room 120, Minnesota State Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Saint Paul, 55155
WHEN: 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, August 14