'It Is About Checks And Balances.' Wonkagenda For Wed., May 29, 2019
Kamala kicks some ass, Amash grows a conscience, and McConnell's SCOTUS schemes. Your morning news brief!
Morning Wonketariat! Here's some of the things wemaybe talking about today.
A judge in Manhattan has agreed to put subpoenas for Trump's financial records on hold while the administration appeals the ruling forcing banks to cough up the funny money trail.
Remember when Trump threw a tantrum and demanded security clearances of former government officials, like former CIA Director John Brennan, be revoked? Well, nobody bothered to do the paperwork to make that happen. In addition, NYTimes reports AG Bill Barr is now asking for more power to root around the annals of bureaucracy for anything that might help his God Emperor.
James Comey has a(nother) op-ed this morning defending himself, his handling of HER EMAILS, and his investigation into Trump's Russian fuckery.
Yesterday we told you about Maggie Haberman's gossipy crap on Hope Hicks wondering if it was nobler to crime or not to crime. A number of reporters felt compelled to defend/criticize Haberman's carrying swamp water for Trump World. In an appearance on CNN this morning, Habes complained about becoming part of the story. Sad!
Apparently Michael Wolff has a new book coming out about Trump's legal woes. Axios gossips that during the fight for Justice Rapey McPrivilege, Trump whined about not being able to find any "WASP lawyers."
Contrary to Trump's constant claim of economic "rocket fuel," a new report by the Congressional Budget Office has found that the Trump tax cuts (for the super rich) haven't really done much but add to the national debt and stuff the coffers of corporations. WaPo's Philip Bump summarizes that, rather than "rocket fuel," the cuts were more like "water poured onto concrete."
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell appears to have changed his mindabout SCOTUS nominations in an election year. Yesterday, when asked what he'd do if a Supreme Court justice should die within next year, McConnell responded, "Oh, we'd fill it." CNN notes that McConnell has in the past implied he'd only jam through conservative nominees that make his donors happy.
California Senator and 2020 Democratic candidate Kamala Harris held a town hall in Spartanburg, South Carolina last night. Harris talked about her new plan to stop states from stepping on abortion rights, and her intention to go after Trump World. However, Harris also reminded people that Democrats can't do doodly squat unless they have 60 votes in the Senate.
Harris also has an interview with Politico where she's described as a "kitchen table realist" for her policies on saving abortion rights, equal pay, killing the Trump tax cuts (for the super rich), propping up teachers, lowering healthcare costs, and putting money back in the pockets of regular schmoes.
Early this morning the Democratic National Committee announced that ABC News and Univision would partner to host the third 2020 Democratic debate. The debate is set for Sept. 13, but in order to qualify candidates must reach two percent in four qualifying polls, and achieve 130,000 individual donors between June 28 and Aug. 28.
Joe Biden rolled out an education plan that's rather familiar to most Democrats. Biden's plan calls for universal pre-K, teacher raises, more AP courses, mental health resources, and showering the Education Department with Ameros to reach low-income kids and end segregation.
Trump's 2020 team wants to target suburban women, black, and Latinx voters by straight-up lying about support for pre-existing conditions, educational opportunities, and the "energy revolution." Axios gossips his team knows they've got a lock on all the old white guys glued to Fox News; they're just worried Trump's spent the last three years pissing off everybody else.
Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie became the second Republican to kill a $19 billion disaster aid package for areas ravaged by LAST YEAR'S extreme storms. Rather than bitch and moan about the bill not having a dime for Trump's goddamn wall like Rep. Chip Roy did last week, Massie complained that the House should have voted before the congressional recess. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer tells reporters that they'll try to pass it again on Thursday, however Roll Call reports a Republican may try to block the bill (again).
Michigan Republican Rep. Justin Amash held a town hall yesterday where he received a standing ovation being the first Republican calling to #IMPEACH. It wasn't all rosey for the Tea Party Republican as Amash was bitched out by butthurt MAGA babies who accused him of trying to raise his national profile. That's led to eye rolling op-eds and TV talking heads suggesting #HesRunning in 2020.
ALLEGED pedophile Roy Moore might be trying to run for Senate (again), but yesterday he was thrown under the MAGA bus by Donald Trump Jr. Moore began shitposting about being the only Republican capable of beating Democratic Sen. Doug Jones in Alabama, prompting DJTJ to reply, "You mean like last time?" Right on cue, Daddy Donald began shitposting this morning about the Alabama Senate race. With friends like these...
State legislators in Oregon have sent a bill to the governor requiring public schools to teach kids about the Holocaust, starting this fall. If passed, Oregon would become 11th state that actually needed a law to make sure teachers were talking about one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century.
Missouri state officials may force the state's only Planned Parenthood clinic to stop providing abortions by the end of the week. State officials have been demanding all sorts of ridiculous documents as part of an audit that the clinic calls unreasonable. With the clinic's license set to expire at midnight on June 1, the clinic has filed suit in an last-ditch attempt to stay open.
Brian Kolfage, the grifter who started that "We Build the Wall" crowd-funding scam, was served with a cease and desist letter issued by the mayor of Sunland Park, New Mexico shortly after breaking ground on the middle of Fuckoff, Nowheresville. Local officials are having none of this crap and are attacking all the Trump World minions who've leeched on to the grift. The guy who owns the property tells the Silver City Sun News, "anyone who is against this is against America." LOL, sure.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emanuel Macron are squaring off over who should head the EU. Merkel is pissed that Macron publicly snubbed her choice, a center-right German legislator named Manfred Weber. Macron told reporters, "It is important for me to have gender balance, that we name two men and two women." Merkel later commented that Macron had unrealistic expectations. Reuters quotes one legislator calling it a search for the next "Mr. or Ms. Europe," as politicos bite their nails over who can best keep the EU from fracturing.
John Bolton is in the United Arab Emirates stroking his war boner and claiming Iran is/was about to attack a Saudi oil port in Yanbu, but (as usual) he didn't provide any evidence. Bolton added that Iran is behind every terrorist attack in the region, arguing (again, without evidence), "Who else would you think is doing it? Somebody from Nepal?"
Trump World's attention whores have begun migrating to a(nother) new social media platform called Parler now that they're (slowly) being banned for peddling fascism and white supremacy. After the site partnered with a pro-Trump PR firm, it was flooded with the bastard children of Fox News, like Colorado Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee, Candace Owens, and Trump's 2020 campaign dingus and pubic beard aficionado, Brad Parscale. The owner tells Politico that Parler is nothing like Nazi Twitter clone Gab, because it's pronounced, "PAR-LAY," and that's a French word. Sounds Vichy to me!
A student from the University of Wisconsin was able to sneak into Mar-a-Lago and walk around for about 20 minutes before being arrested. Yesterday 18-year-old Mark Lindblom told a judge he just wanted to see if he could actually get in Trump's trash palace, so he simply wandered down a beach, stood in line, and was given the go-ahead by the Secret Service.
Randy Rainbow has a great profile in WaPo talking about how he began skipping the Broadway cattle-calls to do his own political satire thing. He also has a new song wondering why we don't just #IMPEACH the mother fucker.
JUST IMPEACH HIM - Randy Rainbow Song Parody www.youtube.com
And here's your morning Nice Time: OTTER PUPS!
Two Rescued Otter Pups www.youtube.com
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