Politics

The Washington Post reports: Food and Drug Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who used his post to tackle difficult public health issues from youth vaping to opioid addiction – surprising early skeptics worried about his drug industry ties – resigned Tuesday, effective in about a month, according to an administration official. Gottlieb, who has been commuting weekly to Washington from his home …

The Nevada Independent reports: Democratic Senate Majority Leader Kelvin Atkinson is expected to resign from the Legislature on Tuesday after pleading guilty to federal charges of misappropriation of hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funds for personal use. The sudden resignation marks a precipitous fall for Atkinson, the state’s third African-American and first openly gay Senate majority leader. A …

New York City’s News 12 reports: Hillary Clinton ruled out a 2020 presidential run for the first time on camera in an exclusive interview with News 12, pledging instead to take an active role by working with the candidates in the crowded Democratic field. “I’m not running, but I’m going to keep on working and speaking and standing up for …

The Hill reports: Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced Monday that Democrats will introduce a net neutrality bill to replace the open internet rules that were repealed in 2017. In a letter to her Democratic colleagues, Pelosi said a bill called the Save the Internet Act will be unveiled Wednesday and will be introduced in the Senate as well. Democrats have …

The Daily Beast reports: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is officially running for two different federal offices under two different party labels. On Monday, Sanders filed for re-election to the Senate in 2024, listing his party as “independent.” Team Sanders said the filing was an automatic renewal of Sanders’ candidacy, a standard move for victorious congressional candidates ahead of anticipated reelection …

The New York Post reports: Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday suggested his decision on entering the presidential race is based on whether former Veep Joe Biden runs. “We live our lives on a set of assumptions and a set of assumptions,” Cuomo said during an interview with Albany radio station WAMC. “I have a set of assumptions as to who …

The Hill reports: Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) on Monday expressed support for the federal legalization of marijuana as he mulls a potential presidential bid in 2020. O’Rourke sent an email to supporters in which he backed the repeal of the federal criminalization of marijuana and called for the records of those jailed over marijuana possession to be expunged. “Giving …

NBC News reports: Twitter has suspended at least six pro-Howard Schultz accounts for violating its fake accounts policies. Those accounts — @blacks4Schultz, @women_4_schultz, @GaysForSchultz, @PresSchultz2020, @HowardJSchultz, @GOP4Schultz — provide a preview of the kind of fakery researchers expect to see on social media during the 2020 election. Online astroturfing has become commonplace, used by insiders, outside groups and even foreign …

Charlotte’s Fox affiliate reports: Following last month’s decision to hold a new election due to ballot fraud in the 9th district, the North Carolina State Board of Elections has set the date for the special election. North Carolinians will return to the polls September 10. The primary will be held on May 14. This comes on the heels of last …

The Daily Beast reports: Former Rep. Trey Gowdy, the man who led an 11-hour public congressional hearing on the Benghazi consulate attack, said Monday that he believes such hearings are “utterly useless”—now that they’re used to investigate President Trump’s inner circle. Gowdy, now a Fox News contributor, joined Fox & Friends to weigh in on last week’s House Oversight Committee …

The Sacramento Bee reports: Asked last week if she believes President Donald Trump is a racist, California Sen. Kamala Harris told The Root, “I don’t think you can reach any other conclusion.” In 2018, the Trump White House accused Harris of “supporting the animals of MS-13,” a gang formed by Central American immigrants in Los Angeles. Earlier this decade, however, …

NBC News reports:  Former acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker left his position at the Justice Department on Saturday, a department spokeswoman said. Whitaker had been serving as a senior counselor at the Justice Department since Attorney General William Barr was sworn in last month. His next career move is unknown, but Whitaker has told friends that he will remain in …

Roll Call reports: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said senators were still looking into whether the joint resolution to stop President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration can be amended. But, the Kentucky Republican also said he anticipated the Senate would pass the measure disapproving of the border security emergency. “I was one of those hoping the president would not take …

CNN reports: Sen. Bernie Sanders brought it all back home this weekend, hosting a pair of boisterous rallies in two cities he credited for a political awakening that set him on a path that could, as he launches his second presidential campaign, deliver him to the White House. In Chicago on Sunday night, Sanders again offered a rare public embrace …

CNBC reports: Roger Stone on Sunday suggested he has been “framed” by special counsel Robert Mueller in an Instagram post that appeared to run afoul of a judge’s barely week-old gag order barring President Donald Trump’s longtime friend from criticizing the prosecutors in the criminal case against him. Stone deleted the only image in that multi-image post that included “Who …

From a just-posted Washington Post op-ed: Though I will not run for president in 2020, I will continue to fight for the future of our country through the National Democratic Redistricting Committee and its affiliates. For too long, Democrats have lost sight of the state and local races that shape the day-to-day lives of the people we serve. With state …

NBC News reports: Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper announced Monday that he is running for president, positioning himself as fighter for progressive priorities who won’t shy away from a brawl with President Donald Trump. In a video released Monday morning, Hickenlooper says his campaign would center on taking action on key issues like guns and climate change, but also in …

The New York Times reports: Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, said on Sunday night that he would support a resolution that would overturn President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the southern border, appearing to provide the crucial vote needed for the Senate to pass the measure. “I stand with the president often, and I do so with …

The Hill reports: Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) said Sunday that he’s not ruling out seeking the Libertarian nomination for the presidency in 2020. Amash said during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” that he believes the United States needs a president who is “presenting a vision for America that is different from what these two parties are presenting.” …

“The press seems to think it’s ironic that I, born of great privilege, think people want to work for what they are given. As if being Donald Trump’s daughter isn’t the hardest job in the world.” – Ivanka Trump, speaking last night at the annual Gridiron Dinner, which features roasts of DC figures and political comedy skits. More from the …