Politics

Right Wing Site RedState Fires All Its Trump Critics

The Daily Beast reports: The influential conservative website RedState fired a handful of prominent writers on Friday in a move that appeared motivated, at least in part, by purging the outlet of anti-Trump voices. The Daily Beast confirmed that among those laid off by RedState and its parent company Townhall Media were top editors and writers Caleb Howe, Jay Caruso, …

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Another GOP House Rep Resigns Amid Sex Scandal

The Daily Beast reports: Republican Rep. Pat Meehan (R-PA), who represents Pennsylvania’s 7th congressional district, announced Friday that he will resign his seat. The embattled lawmaker previously said he would not seek re-election following revelations that he used taxpayer funds to settle a sexual-harassment claim. Meehan’s district, previously drawn in moose antler fashion around Philadelphia was redrawn for November’s midterm …

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LIVE VIDEO: Trump Holds Joint Presser With Merkel

NPR reports: President Trump welcomed German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the White House Friday, calling her “a very extraordinary woman.” At a photo op before a working lunch, Trump said the two leaders “will be working on a lot of different subjects,” including trade and NATO. Trump and Merkel will take questions from reporters after their discussions. Merkel’s visit does …

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Paul Ryan Forces Out House Chaplain After Prayer That “There Are No Winners And Losers In New Tax Laws”

Mother Jones reports: Reverend Patrick Conroy, the chaplain for the US House of Representatives, surprised federal lawmakers when he announced his retirement earlier this month. As it turns out, his move wasn’t voluntary. New reports suggest that the chaplain, who is a Roman Catholic priest, was forced out by House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.). The move raises questions from religious …

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GOP Rep To Nominate Trump For Nobel Peace Prize

The Hill reports: An Indiana GOP lawmaker is actively working to nominate President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize as talks between North and South Korea progress. Rep. Luke Messer announced Friday that he is gathering support from his congressional colleagues to formally nominate Trump. “We are seeing unprecedented progress toward peace, and it’s a direct result of President Trump’s …

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Trump Issues Bizarre Threat About World Cup

USA Today reports: President Donald Trump waded into the campaign aimed at bringing the 2026 FIFA World Cup to the United States on Thursday, tweeting out a veiled threat to withdraw political support from nations who vote against the bid. In a wildly surprising development, Trump, who previously has shown little appetite for soccer, appeared to throw his full backing …

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White House Releases Photo Of Pompeo And Kim

CNBC reports: President Donald Trump said Thursday that it would be a good idea to release the photographs of the meeting between then-CIA Director Mike Pompeo and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders did just that on Thursday afternoon. “Mike Pompeo did go there, he wasn’t supposed to meet with Kim Jong Un, but …

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Cohen Was Pissed About Not Being Chief Of Staff So He Purposely Triggered Trump By Meeting With Mark Cuban

The New York Daily News reports: Upset he hadn’t gotten tapped for a White House post and desperate to get President Trump’s attention, Michael Cohen had breakfast with billionaire Trump critic Mark Cuban in Manhattan last year, ostensibly knowing that it would upset the President and result in a phone call, according to a report. Turned out, Cohen was right, …

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Richard Grenell Confirmed As Ambassador To Germany

The Washington Blade reports: The U.S. Senate confirmed Richard Grenell on Thursday as U.S. ambassador to Germany, making him the most high-profile openly gay appointee in the Trump administration. Grenell — who has faced Democratic opposition for months over mean tweets he made about the appearance of women and other comments downplaying the significance of Russia’s influence in the 2016 …

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Trump 2020 Campaign: Be Like “Free Thinker” Kanye West And Buy A MAGA Hat, Don’t Let Them Silence You

Oh brother: The Trump campaign is seizing on the support of rapper Kanye West in a bid to sell President Trump’s signature “Make America Great Again” hats. In a fundraising text sent to supporters on Thursday, the Trump campaign applauded West as a “free thinker” often attacked for speaking truth in the same vein as the president. “Group think is …

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Full Senate Confirms Mike Pompeo In 57-42 Vote

The Washington Post reports: The Senate confirmed Mike Pompeo as secretary of state on Thursday despite lingering objections from Democrats who’ve questioned his record of hawkish policy positions and past controversial statements about minority groups. The split vote represents the political scrutiny Pompeo is likely to encounter as he moves from the CIA to the State Department, where he’ll face …

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Dr. Ronny Jackson Withdraws From VA Nomination

The Hill reports: President Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs has withdrawn his nomination amid allegations of workplace misconduct and prescription mispractice. The withdrawal of Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson followed a decision by the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee to indefinitely postpone his confirmation hearing. Staffers on the committee were looking into charges against Jackson of creating a …

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Gillibrand Bill Pitches Banking At The Post Office

CNBC reports: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., is proposing legislation aimed at putting an end to current payday lending practices by giving some banking services a new home: the U.S. Post Office. The legislation, called the Postal Banking Act, would make retail banking services available at all U.S. Postal Service locations. That amounts to 30,000 post offices nationwide. Services would include …

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Trump’s VA Pick Ronny Jackson Mulls Withdrawing

The Washington Post reports: White House physician Ronny L. Jackson has grown frustrated with the nomination process to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs and has told colleagues he may remove his name from consideration, according to two White House officials with knowledge of his deliberations. Jackson’s indecision was brewing even before Capitol Hill Democrats on Wednesday released new allegations …

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CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

In tonight’s Broadway news, after a month of previews the Donna Summer musical officially opened this week to some of the most scathing reviews you’ll read. From the New York Times: The biographical jukebox musical — of which “Jersey Boys” provides a shining example, thanks to all the Brylcreem — is the cockroach of Broadway. It has a small head, …

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COURT: It’s Legal For Bars To Eject Trump Supporters

The New York Post reports: Cheers, Trump haters. A Manhattan judge ruled Wednesday that there’s nothing “outrageous” about throwing the president’s supporters out of bars — because the law doesn’t protect against political discrimination. Philadelphia accountant Greg Piatek, 31, was bounced from a West Village watering hole in January 2017, just after Trump took the oath of office, for wearing …

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George H.W. Bush Improves, Moved From ICU

Politico reports: Former President George H.W. Bush has left the intensive care unit at a Houston hospital, where he was admitted over the weekend to treat an infection, and is expected to continue his recovery the next several days from “a regular patient room,” his spokesman said Wednesday. Delivering an update on the 41st president’s health status in a statement, …

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TEXAS: GOP Gov Demands That Disgraced Former GOP House Rep Pay For Special Election To Replace Him

The Texas Tribune reports: Gov. Greg Abbott is demanding that former U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold “cover all costs” of the special election to fill his seat using the $84,000 the Corpus Christi Republican used to settle a sexual harassment claim years ago. Farenthold, who abruptly resigned earlier this month, had promised to pay back the $84,000 — which came out …

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Madame Tussauds Unveils Wax Melania [VIDEO]

Newsweek reports: A crowd of reporters clamored for a prime spot to watch Sean Spicer unveil a wax figure of Melania Trump at New York City’s Madame Tussauds attraction Wednesday. To the side, a screen displayed the cover of Spicer’s soon-to-be-released book, The Briefing. Behind him was an interactive station called “Give Melania a voice,” a title a bit too …

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Hackers Unveil “Master Key” To Millions Of Hotel Rooms

ZDNet reports: Security researchers have built a master key that exploits a design flaw in a popular and widely used hotel electronic lock system, allowing unfettered access to every room in the building. The electronic lock system, known as Vision by VingCard and built by Swedish lock manufacturer Assa Abloy, is used in more than 42,000 properties in 166 countries, …

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