Politics

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The Hill reports: President Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs has withdrawn his nomination amid allegations of workplace misconduct and prescription mispractice.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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Koch Brothers Push Jim Jordan For House Speaker

Peter Montgomery reports at Right Wing Watch: Rep. Paul Ryan’s announcement that he will not run for re-election this year has started some jockeying among his colleagues over who will replace him as speaker of the House. FreedomWorks, a small-government group that is associated with the Koch brothers’ political networks, launched a petition campaign last week encouraging right-wing Rep. Jim …

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News Orgs Seek Access To Mueller’s Search Warrants

The Washington Post reports: A coalition of news organizations, including The Washington Post, asked a federal court on Tuesday to unseal materials used by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III to obtain search warrants in his investigation of President Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and others indicted in the probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election. The news …

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French President To Congress: Reject Nationalism

Reuters reports: French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday urged the United States to reject nationalism and stay true to global ideals of cooperation in the face of terrorism and other challenges, saying countries can still retain their own identities. “I do not share the fascination for new strong powers, the abandonment of freedom and the illusion of nationalism,” Macron told …

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White House Defends VA Nominee Amid Reports Of Drunkenness At Work, Urges Swift Confirmation Hearing

The Washington Examiner reports: The White House will submit a request to the Senate this week to swiftly reschedule a confirmation hearing for Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, President Trump’s embattled pick to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. “We’ll be making a request to [Senate Veterans Affairs Committee] Chairman Isakson,” legislative affairs director Marc Short told reporters Wednesday. “We think …

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Ted Cruz Calls For Using Anti-Trust Laws To Break Up Facebook And Google For Censoring Right Wing Views

In an interview published today by Breitbart, Sen. Ted Cruz called for using anti-trust laws to break up Facebook, Google, and other unnamed “technology giants” because right wingers believe they are being censored. “The scope of the power is truly unprecedented. You think back to the heights of yellow journalism, when publisher William Randolph Hearst controlled much of media and …

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TENNESSEE: Dem Takes Slim Lead In US Senate Race

The Tennessean reports: Another poll on the U.S. Senate race between former Gov. Phil Bredesen and U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn has the Nashville Democrat with a narrow lead, according to a survey released Wednesday. The survey, commissioned and released by Mason-Dixon Polling and Strategy, found 46 percent of respondents supported Bredesen, while 43 percent favored Blackburn, a Brentwood Republican. Eleven …

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GOP Senate Candidate Attacks Mitch McConnell Because His Wife’s Father Is A “Wealthy Chinaperson” [VIDEO]

The Hill reports: A Republican running for the U.S. Senate in West Virginia suggested that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) faced conflicts of interests because his wife’s father is a “wealthy Chinaperson.” Don Blankenship during a Monday appearance on a West Virginia radio show pointed to McConnell’s marriage to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. “I have an issue when the …

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NEW YORK: Dem Flips Deep Red Assembly Seat

Vox reports: In a Tuesday night special election race on Long Island, Democrats flipped a long-Republican State Assembly district to mark their 40th Trump-era takeover of a GOP-held seat. The seat had been held by a Republican since 1978. The New York State Assembly is firmly in Democratic hands, and control of the New York state Senate is caught up …

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ARIZONA: Republican Wins Special US House Race

Roll Call reports: Former Republican state Sen. Debbie Lesko won the special election in Arizona’s 8th District on Tuesday night, but her victory margin for a seat that President Donald Trump easily carried in 2016 appeared to be relatively slim. The Associated Press called the race with Lesko leading Democrat Hiral Tipirneni, 53 percent to 47 percent in early ballots, …

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