2016 Election

Raw Story reports: Pat Robertson on Monday declared that Donald Trump was the “clear winner” of Sunday night’s presidential debate, and the televangelist asserted that the GOP candidate’s admission that he groped women was simply “macho” talk. “Trump was the winner,” Robertson opined on his 700 Club television program. “Basically, the pundits were writing him off.” The TV preacher argued …

Vicki Sciolaro, the GOP chairperson for the Third Congressional District in Kansas, appeared on CNN this afternoon to simultaneously denounce and defend Trump’s pussygate comments, declaring that she is a “strong Christian woman” and therefore can see that God is using Trump to better the country just like he did with the harlots. Or something. Watch below and see if …

USA Today reports: One woman sued Donald Trump’s Miami resort saying she lost her job because she got pregnant. Two others claimed they were fired after complaining that co-workers sexually harassed them. And a number of women testified in a lawsuit that Trump himself repeatedly instructed managers to hire younger, prettier workers at his Los Angeles golf club. The release …

The New York Times reports: House Speaker Paul D. Ryan dealt a hammer blow to Donald J. Trump’s presidential candidacy Monday, telling Republican lawmakers that he would no longer defend Mr. Trump and would focus instead on defending the party’s majority in Congress. But in an illustration of Mr. Trump’s powerful grip on much of the party, Mr. Ryan faced …

NBC News reports: As Donald Trump’s campaign reels over tapes of the presidential candidate’s sexually aggressive comments about women in 2005, the Republican nominee now trails Hillary Clinton by double digits among likely voters, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. The poll, conducted on Saturday and Sunday but before the second presidential debate, shows Clinton with 46 …

Breitbart is calling it a “troll” to the Clintons. They write: Melania Trump, wife of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, wore a Gucci blouse called a “pussy bow” to the second presidential debate. The potential First Lady’s wardrobe choice came as her husband faced blistering criticism over a recorded conversation in 2005 in which he joked about groping women. One …

USA Today reports: The Trump Taj Mahal, an iconic casino hotel on the Atlantic City boardwalk, ceased operations Monday after hemorrhaging losses for years and negotiations with employees’ union broke down, according to its owner, billionaire investor Carl Icahn. The shutdown, which leaves 3,000 employees out of work, was widely expected after its management announced the planned closure in August. …

CNN reports: Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said Monday that he did not consider leaving Donald Trump’s presidential ticket, saying it’s the “greatest honor of my life” to be nominated by the Republican Party as Trump’s running mate. “You know I’ll always keep my conversations with Donald Trump and my family private. But it’s absolutely false to suggest that at any …

The Hill reports: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s remark at Sunday night’s debate about jailing Hillary Clinton was a “quip,” his campaign manager said Monday. “Whether she goes to jail is not up to Donald Trump. It’s up to whoever adjudicates whatever crime she has or has not committed,” Kellyanne Conway said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” Trump bluntly warned Clinton …

If you’re not completely hammered yet (and even if you are), here’s our second open thread for tonight’s debate. Embedded below are the official live-streams from NBC, ABC, and C-SPAN. Watch along with us and join in.

The second presidential debate begins at 9PM Eastern from St. Louis with moderators Anderson Cooper and Martha Raddatz. Tonight’s event is town hall-style with questions provided in advance from allegedly undecided voters. Embedded below are the official live-streams from NBC, CBS, and C-SPAN as well as a bootleg stream of the pre-debate coverage on CNN. Fix a cocktail and join …

Via Mediaite: This morning, Donald Trump got straight to tweeting at 9:01 a.m. and he took aim at the shocking amount of Republicans who have unendorsed or condemned him following the leak of a lewd conversation he had in 2005. MSNBC was in the middle of doing a roundup of the last two days when the tweet came, so Hallie …

Politico reports: A wave of Republican officials abandoned Donald Trump on Saturday, but, at least for now, rank-and-file Republicans are standing by the party’s presidential candidate, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll conducted immediately after audio was unearthed Friday that had the GOP nominee crudely bragging about groping women and trying to lure a married woman into an affair. …

These polls are pre-pussygate, of course. NBC News reports: Democrat Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump in the key battleground states of Florida and Pennsylvania, including by double digits in the Keystone State due to her strength in Philadelphia and its suburbs, according to two brand-new NBC News/Wall Street Journal polls. In Florida, Clinton is ahead of Trump by three points …

Slate recaps: Alec Baldwin’s Trump was great last week but better this time; he must have spent the whole week in front of a mirror practicing grotesque facial expressions. His awkward attempt to “apple-a-gize” before reducing Strong to shivers with a “Bop-It” inspired description of his pussy-grabbing technique is spot on. (There’s a sentence no one ever expected to have …

WOW. Politico reports: The Republican National Committee on Saturday appeared to at least temporarily halt the operations of some of the “Victory” program that is devoted to electing Donald Trump. The move comes as the GOP nominee is under mounting pressure from elected Republicans to step aside after he was caught on tape bragging about sexually assaulting women. In an …

British actor Peter Serafinowicz, whom some of you will know as the voice of Darth Maul, has earned a big following with his Sassy Trump character, which is essentially just Trump speeches delivered word-for-word in a fey voice. Today he turns last night’s defiant #pussygate video into Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive. Watch below.

Via Mediaite: Although Donald Trump was originally scheduled to appear alongside House Speaker Paul Ryan on Saturday at a joint campaign event in Wisconsin, the latest leaked audio that incriminates Trump of speaking lewdly of women forced the party nominee to drop out of that event. Then in his place, it was announced that Indiana Governor Mike Pence would go …

From the Hollywood Reporter: Robert De Niro has more than a few things to say about Donald Trump. In a new video, the legendary actor takes aim at the GOP presidential candidate, calling him everything from “so blatantly stupid” to a “pig” a “punk” and a “dog.” “He’s a national disaster,” says De Niro. “It makes me so angry that …

NBC News reports: A defiant Donald Trump pledged to finish out the race on Saturday as a stampede of Republican politicians denounced his behavior toward women and a number openly called on him to quit. “I’d never withdraw,” Trump told The Washington Post. “I’ve never withdrawn in my life.” Trump also told The Wall Street Journal there is “zero chance …