Politics

Politico reports: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie ripped into Steve Bannon on Monday, mocking the fired White House aide as a powerless figure who was looking for his “last 15 minutes of fame” during a “60 Minutes” interview that aired Sunday. The Republican governor, who ran President Donald Trump’s transition team before being sidelined after the election, rejected Bannon’s allegation …

The Hill reports: Hope Hicks, a longtime aide to President Trump, will become the new White House communications director, NBC News reported on air early Tuesday. Hicks, who is Trump’s director of strategic communications, had been appointed last month to serve as interim White House communications director after the firing of Anthony Scaramucci. Unlike other Trump aides, Hicks does not …

Newsweek reports: The excuses are almost inevitable, and predictable: The account was hacked, possibly by those pesky Russians. Or some rogue intern got hold of the social media, a secret Democrat intent on sabotage. Whatever the case, it is all but certain that Ted Cruz, the conservative Republican who serves as the junior Senator from Texas, will deny having “liked” …

The Hill reports: On a Sunday panel show, a Russian politician said U.S. “intelligence missed it when Russian intelligence stole the president of the United States.” Vyacheslav Nikonov, a member of the Russian parliamentary body, the Duma, made the remarks on the panel show “Sunday Evening with Vladimir Solovyov.” Though the U.S. intelligence community has unequivocally stated that Russian intelligence …

NBC News reports: “The people most clearly associated with the president’s victory, with what we call the ‘Make America Great Again Agenda,’ were slowly being isolated, were sometimes being fired or pushed out of policy roles,” Gorka told NBC News in an interview. “We decided that we could best support the president outside as private citizens.” Trump’s controversial former national …

CNBC reports: White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders holds a press briefing on Monday after Hurricane Irma smacked Florida, leaving pockets of the state inundated with water and without power. Irma, now a tropical storm, was expected to also touch parts of Georgia and Alabama on Monday. On Friday, President Donald Trump signed a bill into law authorizing more …

Breitbart is VERY unhappy with Trump’s 9/11 speech today: On the sixteenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 Islamic terrorist attacks, President Donald Trump did not once mention the terms “radical Islam” or “Islamic terrorism” during a commemoration ceremony at the Pentagon. Those phrases were also not mentioned in speeches today by other Trump administration senior officials, including Vice President …

Raw Story reports: The wave of retirements that Republicans have feared appears to be gaining steam. Rep. Dave Trott (R-MI) announced on Monday that he would not seek another term, marking the third GOP lawmaker in the past week to announce their retirement. Last week, Reps. Dave Reichert (R-WA) and Charlie Dent (R-PA) both announced that they would not seek …

Yahoo News reports: The FBI recently questioned a former White House correspondent for Sputnik, the Russian-government-funded news agency, as part of an investigation into whether it is acting as an undeclared propaganda arm of the Kremlin in violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). As part of the probe, Yahoo News has learned, the bureau has obtained a thumb …

The New York Times reports: In his first extended interview since he left the White House last month, Stephen K. Bannon was unsparing in his criticism: calling out top Republicans, West Wing staff, the “pearl-clutching mainstream media,” special counsel investigators and the Roman Catholic Church. He even singled out President Trump, labeling his firing of James B. Comey, the former …

USA Today reports: Dave Chappelle and Melissa McCarthy are Emmy winners, earning trophies for their appearances on Saturday Night Live. Chappelle and McCarthy were announced as best guest actor and actress on a comedy series at Sunday’s creative arts awards, the precursor to the main Emmy Awards ceremony set for next weekend. Chappelle hosted the first SNL episode to follow …

The Washington Post reports: Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton said Sunday that she will not pursue the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. “I am done with being a candidate,” Clinton said on CBS’s “Sunday Morning.” Clinton — who on Tuesday will release “What Happened,” her memoir of the 2016 campaign — does plan to stay involved in national politics, just …

The Hill reports: Two moderate House Republicans announced surprise retirements this week, quickening the pulse of Republicans waiting to see if a wave of retirements will jeopardize the party’s path to holding the House majority in 2018. As President Trump fuels uncertainty in Washington and his low approval rating raises question about whether the GOP can hold the House, there’s …

WOW. Entertainment Weekly reports: Steve Bannon has called himself a “street fighter,” but George Clooney has another way to describe the controversial former advisor to President Donald Trump: a “failed f—ing screenwriter.” Speaking to journalists at the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday to promote his new film, the racially-charged Suburbicon, Clooney unloaded on Bannon, who will appear on Sunday’s …

Breitbart exults: Gary Cohn may not be Donald Trump’s chief economic adviser for much longer. Cohn’s fraying relationship with the president is raising questions about how much longer the former Goldman Sachs executive will remain in his post, according to a report from Reuters citing “sources close to the White House.” The Wall Street Journal reported, and Breitbart News confirmed, …

The Fauquier County Times reports: An ongoing investigation into “suspicious” activity in the back seat of a car involving an inmate trustee at the Fauquier County jail led to the Tuesday arrest of Teresa Jo Burchfield, the wife of an ethics attorney to President Donald Trump’s business organization. Burchfield, 53, is married to Bobby R. Burchfield, a partner at Washington’s …

CNN reports: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s possible career as a sports broadcaster may not have panned out, but he might still have a shot at a television gig. Christie has had conversations with both MSNBC and CNN about possible contributor deals after his term ends, according to three sources with knowledge of the talks. “Yes. They are talking about …

Starting any minute: White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders will brief reporters Friday just hours after the House approved President Trump’s deal with Democrats to fund the government through mid-December, raise the debt limit and offer aid to victims of Hurricane Harvey. Lawmakers voted 316-90 for the package that includes more than $15 billion in disaster recovery aid for …

The Miami Herald reports: President Donald Trump’s seaside Mar-a-Lago resort has been ordered to evacuate because of Hurricane Irma, along with the barrier islands and low-lying areas of Palm Beach County. About 125,000 Palm Beach residents are being told to leave starting Friday at 10 a.m., according to the Sun Sentinel. All of Florida is under a state of emergency, …

The Hill reports: Former White House chief strategist says New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) wasn’t considered for a cabinet position in President Trump’s administration because he failed to offer support after the infamous and explosive release of a 2005 “Access Hollywood” tape. “Christie, because of Billy Bush weekend, was not looked at for a cabinet position,” Bannon said in …