'Fake Polls.' Wonkagenda For Mon., June 17, 2019
Trump's got LOW RATINGS, and Uncle Sam warns it can knock Putin's lights out. Your morning news brief!
Morning Wonketariat! Here's some of the things wemaybe talking about today.
Internal GOP polling shows Trump getting brutally crushed by Joe Biden in 11 states, so Trump denied his own polling that shows Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren beating him in the Rust Belt. Unfortunately, Politico, the New York Times, ABC, and NBC all got their hands on the numbersand published them. The campaign is now downplaying their importance by saying the polls were old and don't matter anymore, and they've coincidentally "You're Fired" the pollsters for making Trump look bad.
Over the weekend a new Fox News poll showed Trump's LOW RATINGS were as bad as the GOP's internal polls, with Biden holding a double digit lead over Trump, and Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders holding comfortable leads in a head-to-head match-up. Granted, polls don't mean much this early in the race, but it's funny since Trump is OBSESSED with his poll numbers.
FOX NEWS POLL #FoxNews #2020election https: //t.co/5oOh5VArZo
— FoxNewsSunday (@FoxNewsSunday) 1560691790.0
The GOP is struggling to keep its 2020 candidate from shooting verbal diarrhea all over the rest of the party 17 months before voters head to the polls. With Trump set to officially launch his 2020 campaign Tuesday, Politico reports Trump's campaign team is desperate to keep swing states amid polling that shows him losing the Rust Belt, women, and the wide swath of non-WASPY voters -- with Florida being the linch pin.
Here's the full transcript of that George Stephanopoulos interview if you just need to punish yourself this morning. At one point Trump made Mick Mulvaney leave the room to cough. The incident happened as Trump was bullshitting about never turning over his tax returns. As always, there's video.
Pres. Trump says he “might” turn over his “financial statement” to Congress. “I hope they get it, because it’s a… https: //t.co/f2zFt2tITi
— ABC News (@ABC News) 1560731368.0
Anyone on the Hill will tell you the south side of the Capitol Building is Nancy Pelosi's House. The Washington Post has a good piece about how she's been keeping the whipper snappers and and impeachment caucuses in check by reminding everyone she has a plan, and to look at the bigger picture.
After Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez went on one of the Sunday shows to say that Democrats risk losing in 2020 if they don't nominate someone capable of "transformational change," Trump took her words out of context in a shitpost about the "impeach card." AOC then called his "bluff," and responded, "Opening an impeachment inquiry is exactly what we must do when the President obstructs justice, advises witnesses to ignore legal subpoenas, & more."
On Friday the Justice Department released 33-pages of Nixonian legalese arguing House Democrats can't subpoena and release Trump's tax returns . The memo says courts "are not well equipped to second-guess the actions of the political branches," and that "the same limitations do not apply to Executive Branch." TLDR: When (a Republican) president does it, it's not illegal.
There are 15 blue states quietly investigating all types of fuckery from Trump World. For his part, Trump thinks he can ride that pony all the way to next November by screaming at his TV, but a number of savvy politicos think he's setting himself up for more than an electoral defeat -- unless of course he obliterates the 22nd Amendment and refuses to give up office.
The US has begun worming its way into the Russian power grid with an unprecedented cyber operation, according to a sobering story from the New York Times. The extent of the measure is a little murky since we don't know what actually happened in Uncle Sam's computer lab, but some nerds are wondering if this is a less than subtle warning to Russia (and China, and Iran, and North Korea, etc.) that we can cyber punch their lights out. Officials have been keeping the whole operation very hush-hush in fear that Trump would fuck everything up and blab to Putin (again); Trump shitposted this weekend that the story isn't true, that this is a "virtual act of treason," and he knows a thing or three about treason.
Democrats are eyeballing Mitch McConnell's seat in 2020. The list of potential challengers STARTS with badass Marine mom Amy McGrath and then moves on to a local Lexington sports radio guy, Matt Jones.
Pakistani officials were live streaming a presser when someone turned on the "cat ears" filter. The government then received a crash course in the "Streisand Effect" after it tried to delete the footage.
Positive image of Pakistan is being promoted though a press conference streamed live on Facebook with cat filter on… https: //t.co/v65KjeIdb7
— Waseem Abbasi (@Waseem Abbasi) 1560536596.0
John Oliver 'splainered the impeachment process, and how Trump committed obstruction of justice when he told Don McGahn to "do crazy shit." Oliver then opines that Congress should wrap up all of its investigations into a nice and tidy impeachment inquiry to prove that nobody is above the law.
Impeachment: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) www.youtube.com
And here's your morning Nice Time: A BABY TAPIR!
Endangered Tapir Celebrates First Birthday www.youtube.com
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