Iran pulling out of nuclear deal commitment after U.S. strike that killed Soleimani
Iran said Sunday that it was ending its commitment to limit enrichment of uranium as part of its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, more fallout from the U.S. strike that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal in May 2018, renewing tensions that reached new heights after Friday’s air strike. […]
Glenn Kirschner: Trump tweets that impeachment is a ‘coup.’ He’s almost right — but not in the way he thinks
President Donald Trump has taken to referring to his impeachment as a “coup.” In October, for example, he tweeted: “As I learn more and more each day, I am coming to the conclusion that what is taking place is not an impeachment, it is a COUP intended to take away the power of the……..People.” (That tweet is copied […]
Random Mar-a-Lago Guests Were Told More About Plan to Kill Soleimani Than Congress: Report
The death of Iran’s top military general Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a drone strike authorized by President Donald Trump Thursday evening, came as news to many in Congress who were not informed of the administration’s planned military attack. However, that was not the case for several random members of the president’s private south Florida golf resort, Mar-a-Lago. […]
Schumer ‘hopeful’ some Republicans will join calls for witnesses and documents
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Sunday that he remains “hopeful” that enough Republicans senators will join Democratic calls for witnesses and documents in the forthcoming Senate impeachment trial. “I hope, pray and believe there’s a decent chance that four Republicans will join us — if they do we will have a fair trial,” […]
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) says Trump administration must produce evidence that led to Soleimani strike
Sen. Chris Van Hollen on Sunday asserted that the Trump administration was obligated to “present the evidence” that justified an U.S. airstrike against Iran’s top military commander, which has inflamed regional tensions and heightened the potential for further conflict between Washington and Tehran. “I think we learned the hard way, Chris, in Iraq, in the […]
Pompeo backs Trump’s threats to Iran as US braces for possible retaliation
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday backed President Donald Trump’s strong threats to Iran as the US braces for potential retaliatory actions by the country following an attack last week by US forces that killed Iran’s top military leader. “The American people should know that we will not waver. We will be bold in protecting American interests […]
Eric Boehlert: 2019, the year the press tried—and failed—to stand up to Trump
With Donald Trump becoming the first American president to be impeached in his first term, while holed up in the White House tweeting endless attacks around the clock like some internet troll, 2019 should have been the year the Beltway media finally shed its signature timidity and forcefully stood up to him. This should have been […]
The Rude Pundit: Haiku Review of 2019… Out of the Blue and Into the Black
This fucked-up year is going to seem like an amuse-bouche of insanity by the time 2020’s shit fight in a monkey house is over. As both impeachment and election pressure amps up for President Dumbfuck McRageface, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see even more violence against racial and ethnic groups, against trans people and […]
Republican senators and congressmen ask Supreme Court to consider overturning Roe v. Wade
Over 200 members of Congress asked the Supreme Court to consider overturning Roe v. Wade, which guarantees the right to an abortion, in a brief urging the court to uphold a Louisiana law severely restricting abortion. The 39 senators and 168 House members submitted the amicus brief in the case of June Medical Services LLC v. Gee, […]
Pentagon Confirms Leading Iran Gen. Soleimani Was Killed at Trump’s Direction
The Pentagon has confirmed that leading Iranian general Qassem Soleimani has been killed as part of an airstrike in Baghdad, which was directed by President Donald Trump. In a statement, the Pentagon confirmed U.S. involvement in the strikes, as directed by Trump. Read the statement and the rest of the story at Mediaite.
Biden reiterates that he won’t testify in a Senate impeachment trial
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden reiterated Friday that he would not comply with a subpoena to testify in the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, in a new interview with the Des Moines Register’s editorial board. His comments come as Republicans have threatened to call Democrats — including Biden and his son, Hunter — to testify in […]
Trump Pushes Out Tweet Naming Alleged Whistleblower
On Thursday evening, Donald Trump pushed out on Twitter the name of the alleged whistleblower whose complaint led to the president’s impeachment. Trump’s personal Twitter account, @realDonaldTrump, retweeted a post by the re-election campaign’s official “war room” account that was aimed at the whistleblower’s attorney Mark Zaid. “It’s pretty simple. The CIA ‘whistleblower’ is not a real […]
Trump obsesses over Pelosi as sting of impeachment spoils his holiday break
President Donald Trump can’t seem to get Nancy Pelosi out of his head, even as most of the rest of the nation enjoys a holiday halftime break from the impeachment drama. His anger is boiling as the politics of impeachment evolve in a slow burn over the Christmas and New Year break, with pressure rising on senators […]
Charlie Pierce: I’m a Lucky Motherf*cker. We All Are.
As you may have noticed, the shebeen has been disarranged for the past couple of weeks. The sudden intervention of an automobile into my affairs—and, it must be said, into my lower back—has kept me watching the considerable landfill of recent news from the sidelines—often, I must admit, severely hopped up on goofballs, as Joe […]
The Rude Pundit: Christmas Nativities 2019… Now with Zombies (Because Sure, Why Not?)
Like movies about suicidal snowmen and tortured ghosts and pole-frozen tongues, some things are a tradition around the rude house. Beloved reruns are good for the soul. My favorites to trot out this week are the Invader Zim Christmas episode and Olive the Other Reindeer. Even here, in Left Blogsylvania, we can indulge in revisiting old posts. Read […]
Trump Tweets About California Homelessness, Threatens to Intervene if Gov. Newsom ‘Can’t Fix Problem’
President Donald Trump threatened on Wednesday to get the federal government involved in “taking care of the homeless population in California” if Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom “can’t fix the problem” soon. In response to a video of Newsom criticizing the Trump administration for failing to solve homelessness, President Trump posted on Twitter, “Governor Gavin N has done a really […]
Christmas Day passes with no sign of ‘gift’ that North Korea warned of
Christmas Day came and went with no sign of the “gift” that North Korea warned could come. Earlier this month, Pyongyang set an year-end deadline for the U.S. to make new concessions in talks over the country’s nuclear arsenal. And amid fears that North Korea was expanding a factory linked to the production of long-range nuclear […]
GOP Sen. Murkowski ‘disturbed’ by McConnell comments about impeachment trial
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said Tuesday she was “disturbed” that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would engage in “total coordination” with the White House regarding the upcoming Senate trial of President Donald Trump. In an interview with Anchorage’s local NBC affiliate KTUU broadcast Tuesday, Murkowski — who earlier in the year refused to defend Trump from the Democrats’ […]
Trump Blasts ‘Crazy Nancy Pelosi,’ ‘Scam Impeachment’ Following Christmas Call for Unity
Hours after President Donald Trump asked Americans to unify and embrace, he got on Twitter to launch new attacks on his political foes and the House Democrats’ effort to impeach him. See his tweets and read the rest of the story at Mediaite.
Democratic debate to go on tonight as planned after labor dispute tentatively resolved
The Democratic primary debate scheduled for Thursday will go on as planned, after a labor dispute between a California union and a catering provider that threatened to derail the high-profile event was resolved. All seven Democratic presidential candidates who met the qualifications to participate in the debate declared their support last week for Unite Here Local 11 […]
Trump, Unbowed, Uses Rally to Strike Back Against Impeachment Vote
President Trump angrily responded to the impeachment he had long been dreading on Wednesday, lashing out at his Democratic accusers in a rambling two-hour speech and calling for their defeat in November. Moments after the House passed two articles of impeachment against him, he told a campaign rally in a state he won in 2016 that is […]
Pelosi says House will wait to send impeachment articles to Senate for clarity on rules
The House will delay sending the articles of impeachment it approved to the Senate until rules are established for the trial of President Donald Trump, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday night. Pelosi, D-Calif., excoriated Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., for saying he would coordinate with the White House counsel during the coming trial, which she likened […]
Trump is impeached by the House, creating an indelible mark on his presidency
The House of Representatives voted late Wednesday to impeach President Trump on charges that he abused his office and obstructed Congress, with Democrats declaring him a threat to the nation and branding an indelible mark on the most turbulent presidency of modern times. After 11 hours of fierce argument on the House floor between Democrats […]
Rules Committee agrees to six hours of debate before Trump impeachment vote
The House Rules Committee voted along party lines to approve six hours of debate on the House floor Wednesday as lawmakers vote on two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. Democrats and Republicans will have three hours apiece to make their case ahead of votes. Read the rest of the story at NBC News.
Bob Cesca: Donald Trump is being impeached — and then Democrats can finish him off
Donald Trump can throw the world’s most dramatic “Real Housewives” hissy fit. He can ceaselessly whine like the entitled Frank Burns knockoff he is until even the bots and trolls stop following his tweets. He can shout “perfect call!” until the words lose all meaning. No matter what he does, no matter how loudly he […]
Trump Decries Impeachment in Unhinged Letter to Nancy Pelosi
President Donald Trump sent House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a fiery letter on Tuesday railing against the impeachment process ahead of an expected vote this week, calling it “an unprecedented and unconstitutional abuse of power” by Democrats. “You have cheapened the importance of the very ugly word, impeachment!” Trump declared, accusing Democrats with “violating your oaths of office” with their […]
Dems Tell Federal Court Mueller’s Secret Grand Jury Materials Could Lead to Second Impeachment
House Democrats told a federal court on Monday that they will continue impeachment investigations into President Donald Trump after the scheduled vote on articles of impeachment later this week. In a 66-page filing with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, attorneys for congressional investigators led by House General Counsel Douglas N. Letter vowed that Democrats on the […]
Giuliani Provides Details of What Trump Knew About Ambassador’s Removal
Rudolph W. Giuliani said on Monday that he provided President Trump with detailed information this year about how the United States ambassador to Ukraine was, in Mr. Giuliani’s view, impeding investigations that could benefit Mr. Trump, setting in motion the ambassador’s recall from her post. In an interview, Mr. Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer, described […]
Moderate Democrats Back Impeachment of Trump as House Vote Nears
Democratic lawmakers representing conservative-leaning districts announced one by one on Monday that they would cast votes this week to impeach President Trump, signaling that a critical bloc of the most politically vulnerable Democrats is pulling together behind the party’s effort to seek his removal from office. Ahead of a historic vote on two articles of impeachment, […]
House inches closer to historic impeachment vote with Rules Committee hearing
As the House prepares to bring impeachment articles to the floor against the president for just the third time in American history, more than half of the Democrats from districts won by President Donald Trump in 2016 are planning to back impeachment. At least 17 Trump-district House Democrats have announced plans to vote for articles of impeachment charging Trump with abuse of power […]
Charlie Pierce: Only One American Political Organization Can Save the Republic Now
The way I look at things these days—which is to say, largely prone—we all have to come to face one big, hairy, honking, ugly fact about the situation in the country. There is only one organized political entity in the country right now capable of arresting the republic’s slide toward the boneyard wherein presently reside […]
Eric Boehlert: The New York Times’ impeachment coverage devolves into Republican talking points
Firmly adopting Republican spin as the best way to view the House impeachment of Donald Trump, The New York Times in recent days appears to have forfeited much of its news coverage to the GOP. Adopting Republican talking points that impeachment is “a political plus” for Trump; “risky” for Democrats; that the White House’s impeachment war room is humming on all cylinders; Democrats […]
The Rude Pundit: A Few Questions for Enraged Republicans
In the wake of Democrats finally loading the cannon on actual articles of impeachment, Republicans are somewhere between frantic denial and explosive apoplexy as they insist that Donald Trump did nothing wrong in his dealings with Ukraine and Congress. So I have a few questions for ’em. Read The Rude Pundit’s questions at his blog.
House Judiciary Committee releases report explaining impeachment charges
The House Judiciary Committee early Monday morning released its impeachment report to accompany the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump that will be on the House floor this week. The 658-page report explains the decision to charge Trump with two articles of impeachment, abuse of power and obstruction of justice, and also includes the committee reports previously issued […]
Hallmark wants to reinstate same-sex marriage ad after pulling it
The Hallmark Channel said Sunday that it would “re-establish” its relationship with the wedding company behind a same-sex commercial, just days after Hallmark pulled the ad amid pressure from a conservative advocacy group. In a statement Sunday, the president of Hallmark Cards, Mike Perry, said Hallmark’s parent company, Crown Media Family Networks, had been “agonizing” over […]
Trump Rants Against Speaker Nancy Pelosi: ‘Teeth Were Falling Out of Her Mouth!’
President Donald Trump went on a rant attacking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats over his likely impeachment. “Nancy’s teeth were falling out of her mouth, and she didn’t have time to think!” Trump said Sunday evening in response to a tweet from GOP Rep. Mark Meadows criticizing Pelosi’s answer on dropping bribery as a potential article of impeachment. Read the […]
Schumer proposes that Bolton and Mulvaney testify in Senate impeachment trial
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer proposed calling former national security adviser John Bolton and acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney as witnesses at an impeachment trial for President Donald Trump in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Sunday. The offer is intended as a signal that Democrats are seeking an evidentiary trial, not intending to simply […]
House Judiciary Committee Approves Articles of Impeachment Against Trump
By votes of 23-17, the House Judiciary Committee approved two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. The vote came immediately after Friday morning’s proceeding was gaveled into session by committee chair Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY). The vote came after a marathon session Thursday evening was adjourned prior to the vote by Nadler — over Republican opposition. Read […]
McConnell: ‘There’s no chance’ Trump is removed from office
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Thursday that there was “no chance” that President Donald Trump would be removed from office in any impeachment trial and that it “wouldn’t surprise” him if some Democrats split from their party and voted in the president’s favor. “The case is so darn weak coming from the House,” McConnell said in […]
Boris Johnson’s Conservatives win decisive victory in crucial UK election
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson went to Buckingham Palace to meet Queen Elizabeth II so she could formally invite him to form a new government on Friday in the wake of his Conservative Party’s resounding election victory. Johnson, the 14th prime minister since the queen took the throne in 1952, promised to “get Brexit done,” […]
In a surprise move infuriating Republicans, Judiciary Committee delays impeachment vote until Friday
After a grueling 14-hour meeting, Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee suddenly announced that the panel would not vote as planned late Thursday night on two articles of impeachment, angering Republicans. Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said shortly after 11 p.m. that the committee would instead vote on the impeachment of President Donald Trump on Friday at 10:00 a.m. […]
Senate Republicans increasingly favor short impeachment trial with no witnesses
There’s a growing consensus among Senate Republicans that President Donald Trump’s all-but-certain impeachment trial should be shorter rather than longer, lasting roughly 10 days to two weeks, with no witnesses called by either side. One senior GOP senator told reporters that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell favors a shorter trial with a vote on impeachment articles soon after arguments are made […]
Trump tweets at Greta Thunberg to ‘chill’ following person of the year announcement
President Donald Trump tweeted telling Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist, to “chill.” Trump wrote “so ridiculous” in response to a tweet from actress and producer Roma Downey congratulating Thunberg on being named Time magazine’s 2019 person of the year. “Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned […]
Democrats, Republicans offer stark contrasts as House Judiciary Committee debates articles of impeachment
House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler gaveled in a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, kicking off the committee’s marathon session to approve two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump for debate and approval, holding a “markup” — a public meeting where members can debate and offer amendments to the charges — ahead […]
Read the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., on Tuesday announced the introduction of two articles of impeachment — one for abuse of power, the other for obstruction of Congress — against President Donald Trump. Read the full text of the articles here:
Senate likely to take up impeachment trial after holiday recess, McConnell says
Senate Republicans on Tuesday suggested that they may not call up live witnesses to testify as part of a likely impeachment trial slated to begin in January — a move that pits the Republican-led Senate against the desires of President Donald Trump. “I think the prospect of calling witnesses, in my view, seems unlikely, as much as some […]
Barr thinks FBI may have acted in ‘bad faith’ in probing Trump campaign’s links to Russia
Attorney General William Barr said he still believes the FBI may have operated out of “bad faith” when it investigated whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia, and he contends the FBI acted improperly by continuing the investigation after Donald Trump took office. In an exclusive interview with NBC News, Barr essentially dismissed the findings of […]
Trump slams ‘flimsy, pathetic, ridiculous articles of impeachment’
President Donald Trump bashed the impeachment inquiry on Tuesday just hours after House Democrats introduced two articles of impeachment, calling them “flimsy, pathetic, ridiculous articles of impeachment.” “They are now admitting that there was no collusion, no obstruction of justice, there are no crimes,” Trump told a crowd of thousands of supporters at the Giant Center. “They are […]
Bob Cesca: What civil liberties? Kentucky’s medieval abortion law amounts to state-sanctioned rape
Anti-choice conservatives aren’t big fans of science, but the decision this week by the Supreme Court to uphold a Kentucky law mandating transvaginal ultrasounds for women seeking abortion procedures isn’t just anti-science, it’s medieval. It’s state-sanctioned rape. And it’s not the first time the Court has steamrolled both civil rights for women and science fact in lieu […]
House Democrats Unveil Two Articles Of Impeachment Against Donald Trump
Top House Democrats unveiled two articles of impeachment against Donald Trump on Tuesday, laying the foundation for a vote that could see the president become just the third American leader in history to be impeached. The articles of impeachment relate to two actions by Trump: One is abuse of power linked to his demand that […]
Democrats Signal Abuse of Power and Obstruction of Congress Charges Against Trump Today
House Democrats signaled that they would unveil articles of impeachment on Tuesday morning that charge President Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress for conduct they called a “clear and present danger” to the 2020 election and national security. The House Judiciary Committee was expected to work through the night on Monday readying […]
Supreme Court leaves in place Kentucky abortion law mandating ultrasounds
The Supreme Court on Monday left in place a Kentucky law, mandating doctors perform ultrasounds and show fetal images to patients before they can perform abortions. The high court declined, without comment, to hear an appeal brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of the state’s lone abortion clinic. Read the rest of the story […]
Internal Justice watchdog finds that Russia probe was justified, not biased against Trump
The FBI mishandled parts of its application to monitor a Trump campaign aide as it was probing possible Russian interference in the 2016 election, but the overall investigation was justified, according to a long-awaited report by the Justice Department’s watchdog that rebuts the president’s depiction of a politically biased plot against him. Read the rest of […]
Bill Barr Reportedly Advising Trump to Dump Rudy Giuliani Amidst Impeachment Proceedings
Attorney General Bill Barr has reportedly counseled President Donald Trump that Rudy Giuliani has become a “liability” for the administration. The Washington Post reported Sunday that Trump has been advised by Barr “in general terms” to stop relying on Giuliani, who has made multiple trips to Ukraine to dig up dirt on Joe Biden’s family – including one this week to make a documentary. Read […]
Nadler: Trump showed ‘pattern’ that poses ‘danger’ to elections
House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) said Sunday that President Donald Trump has shown “a pattern” of seeking foreign interference in U.S. elections but stopped short of saying that obstruction charges would be included in articles of impeachment. “The central allegation is that the president put himself above his country several times, that he sought […]
White House: Pensacola shooting ‘appears to be a terrorist attack’
White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien said Sunday that the recent shooting at a naval base in Pensacola, Fla., appears to be an act of terrorism. “To me, it appears to be a terrorist attack,” O’Brien said on CBS’ “Face the Nation”. “I don’t want to prejudge the investigation, but it appears that this may […]
Democrats start impeachment homestretch with rising stakes on Capitol Hill today
Democrats are heading into a momentous impeachment finale as they set the pace and scope of their charges against President Donald Trump — prompting Republicans to escalate their effort to swamp the historic process in disinformation and partisanship. Majority members of the House Judiciary Committee spent the weekend mapping out a critical hearing Monday at which […]
Eric Boehlert: The press doesn’t have—or won’t use—the proper language to describe today’s radical Republican Party
Extreme times call for extreme measures, but the Beltway press just isn’t willing to make that move in the Trump era. As a consequence, the news media fail to accurately capture the radical changes now underway in the country, and how today’s Republican Party has become purposefully untethered from reality. Donald Trump remains a resolutely radical […]
The Rude Pundit: Nikki Haley Said One of the Stupidest F***ing Things I’ve Heard a Politician Say in a Long Time
Former South Carolina governor, former UN ambassador, and the hope of every Republican who believes their party is so much more than Trump (“See? A woman! And she’s not white! We’re not racist or sexist now!”) Nikki Haley was talking to Glenn “Fooled you with that brief bout of sanity” Beck on his internet concern, The […]
House impeachment report looks at abuse, bribery, corruption
Previewing potential articles of impeachment, the House Democrats on Saturday issued a lengthy report drawing on history and the Founding Fathers to lay out the legal argument over the case against President Donald Trump’s actions toward Ukraine. The findings from the House Judiciary Committee do not spell out the formal charges against the president, which […]
The Peloton actress has traded a bike for a cocktail in new Ryan Reynolds commercial
It’s a new beginning for the Peloton woman. When last we saw her, she was celebrating her yearlong fitness journey and thanking her husband for giving her an exercise bike for Christmas. Both the bike and the husband were nowhere to be found on Friday. In a video posted to his Twitter, Actor Ryan Reynolds seemed […]
Supreme Court puts temporary hold on House subpoenas to banks for Trump’s financial documents
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday put a temporary hold on House subpoenas requesting President Donald Trump’s financial documents from two banks. In a brief order, Ginsburg said a lower court opinion that allowed the subpoenas to proceed would go on hold until December 13. Earlier in the day, Trump had asked the justices to freeze […]
Suspected shooter at Naval Air Station Pensacola was Saudi Air Force member
The suspect in a shooting that killed three people and injured several others at a naval base in Pensacola, Florida, on Friday morning was a member of the Saudi Air Force who was in the U.S. for training, officials said. Several law enforcement sources identified the gunman, who was killed in the incident, as Mohammed […]
House passes voting rights package aimed at restoring protections
The House on Friday passed a package of bills aimed at restoring protections of the Voting Rights Act rolled back by a key Supreme Court’s 2013 ruling. The Voting Rights Advancement Act would, among other things, update the formula used to determine which states must preclear their voter registration practices, require public notice for voting […]
Nancy Pelosi Takes Donald Trump’s Insult, Fires It Right Back At Him
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday night hit back at Donald Trump’s claim on Twitter that she’d “had a nervous fit” reportedly after she rebuked a journalist for asking if she “hated” the president. Pelosi, who earlier in the day called on House Democratic leaders to begin drafting articles of impeachment against Trump, told a televised CNN […]
Congressional Aides Tell Washington Post Trump Will Face Obstruction, Bribery Charges in Impeachment, But Not ‘Treason’
The Washington Post reported on Thursday that President Donald Trump is set to face obstruction and bribery impeachment charges, but not “treason” – though the situation could change at any moment. Citing unnamed “congressional aides,” the Post reported Democrats in the House of Representatives “are considering articles of impeachment against President Trump that include obstruction and bribery but are unlikely to […]
Trump sets his sights on Senate as he comes to grips with impeachment
With his impeachment now all-but-certain, President Donald Trump and his allies are beginning to look past the House of Representatives, shifting their sights to the Republican-led Senate where the President will face trial. Trump, who as recently as Wednesday lamented impeachment as a “dirty word,” has struggled to accept the prospect of becoming the third President in […]
Pelosi announces full speed ahead with articles of impeachment against Trump
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced Thursday that she was asking the House Judiciary Committee and chairmen of other committees to proceed with drafting articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, saying “the president leaves us no choice but to act.” “Sadly, but with confidence and humility, with allegiance to our founders and our heart full of […]
Trump: I was asking Zelensky to help America, not me
It depends upon what the meaning of the word “us” is . As the impeachment inquiries against President Donald Trump rocket forward, Trump tried Wednesday night to reframe the context of the phone call that sparked House Democrats’ impeachment investigation. Rather than asking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to dig up dirt on his domestic political rivals, […]
3 dead, including gunman, in shooting at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard
An armed, active-duty sailor opened fire on three civilian employees, killing two, before he fatally shot himself at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard near Honolulu on Wednesday afternoon. Three civilian Department of Defense workers were found shot in the vicinity of the base’s Dry Dock 2. Two died and a third is in the hospital […]
Barr’s handpicked prosecutor tells inspector general he can’t back right-wing theory that Russia case was U.S. intelligence setup
The prosecutor handpicked by Attorney General William P. Barr to scrutinize how U.S. agencies investigated President Trump’s 2016 campaign said he could not offer evidence to the Justice Department’s inspector general to support the suspicions of some conservatives that the case was a setup by American intelligence, people familiar with the matter said. Read the […]
Legal scholars: Conduct like Trump’s is the reason Congress has impeachment power
There’s no question that President Donald Trump violated the Constitution’s limits on his power or that the House should respond by impeaching him, three legal scholars told the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. That’s exactly what majority Democrats were hoping to hear, and it’s the testimony they will cite as the House moves toward drafting articles of impeachment against […]
Trump impeachment case enters historic next phase today in House Judiciary Committee
The investigation into President Donald Trump enters a historic next phase on Wednesday as the House Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on the constitutional grounds for drafting articles of impeachment. The process of drawing up any articles, now becoming increasingly likely, could begin shortly after members question legal and constitutional experts about what the Constitution requires. Read the rest of the story […]
World leaders caught on camera appearing to joke about Trump
World leaders at the NATO summit in London were caught on camera appearing to joke about US President Donald Trump during a reception at Buckingham Palace Tuesday evening. The video appears to show British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte having a laugh about […]
Giuliani mystery phone calls, texts uncovered by Democrats’ impeachment report
Who in the White House budget office called Rudy Giuliani on an August afternoon, and what did they have to talk about for 13 minutes? House impeachment investigators were unable to answer either question in their report released Tuesday by Democrats on the Intelligence Committee. But the call — and more than a dozen others and texts […]
Bob Cesca: Trump’s “I want nothing!” defense was always stupid. Now it just went down in flames
There’s a myth going around that says goldfish only have memories lasting three seconds. The myth was busted long ago, with studies showing goldfish memories last closer to five months. But as we observe Donald Trump’s defense strategy against impeachment, he appears to believe his supporters possess even shorter memories than the mythical fish. As more and […]
Kamala Harris Dropping Out Of Presidential Race
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) is dropping her presidential bid. She informed her staff on Tuesday. Harris held a call with her team in Iowa on Tuesday, saying that she had made the decision because of financial struggles experienced by the campaign. “I don’t think anyone on my team was expecting this,” said one staffer, […]
Democrats’ impeachment report cites Trump obstruction and withholding aid, warns of ‘grave harm’
The Democratic-led House Intelligence Committee released a report Tuesday containing a summary of the evidence it has collected in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. The 300-page report cited two instances of improper conduct: obstruction of the House inquiry and withholding an official White House meeting and military aid from Ukraine on the condition of investigating […]
House report due today will outline evidence for Trump impeachment
The House is poised to release a landmark impeachment report outlining evidence of what it calls Donald Trump’s wrongdoing toward Ukraine, findings that will push Congress toward a debate over whether the 45th president should be removed from office. Democrats on the Intelligence Committee are making the case that Trump engaged in behavior violating his […]
Trump Blasts Macron For ‘Very Nasty Statement’ On NATO
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that French President Emmanuel Macron had been “very insulting” by describing NATO as “brain dead” as the two leaders prepared to attend a NATO summit. “It’s a tough statement, though, when you make a statement like that, that is a very, very nasty statement to essentially 28, including them, […]
GOP Intelligence Committee Chairman Refuses To Knock Down Ukraine Conspiracy Theory
Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) on Monday refused to say whether he’s seen evidence that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 presidential election, declining to directly rebut a debunked conspiracy theory floated by some of his fellow GOP lawmakers and President Donald Trump. Burr, the chairman of the Republican-controlled Senate Intelligence Committee, instead played a game of […]
Charlie Pierce: Trump Has Begun the Process of Selling Out Rudy Giuliani
And, right before the holiday season officially begins, the last piece of the puzzle locks into place, and the last alibi falls apart like an overcooked turkey. From The New York Times: Lawyers from the White House counsel’s office told Mr. Trump in late August about the complaint, explaining that they were trying to determine whether […]
Natasha Bertrand: Senate panel look into Ukraine interference comes up short
With the impeachment inquiry charging forward, President Donald Trump’s allies have defended his demand for political investigations from Ukraine by claiming that the government in Kyiv tried to sabotage his candidacy and boost Hillary Clinton in 2016. “Russia was very aggressive and they’re much more sophisticated, but the fact that Russia was so aggressive does […]
Jennifer Rubin: Nadler calls Trump’s bluff
When the House Intelligence Committee held depositions of key witnesses, President Trump’s lawyers cried: “Unfair! Secret hearings!” In fact, a slew of Republicans had the right to ask questions, though some chose not to attend. When the hearings moved to a public phase, the White House hollered: “Unfair! Trump’s lawyer isn’t present!” When the House […]
Duncan Hunter Says He is Leaving Congress, Pleading Guilty to Misusing Campaign Funds
Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter says he will leave Congress and will plead guilty to charges that he misused campaign funds. Hunter said he is pleading guilty to spare his children from a public trial which was scheduled to begin next month. He told KUSI News that “not a single dime of taxpayer money is involved in this … I […]
Eric Boehlert: Why is the press so obsessed with what Wall Street and billionaires think of Elizabeth Warren?
It turns out the media’s obsession with the superrich isn’t confined to the world of celebrity and entertainment. In politics, the press also seems utterly fascinated with how the 0.1% live, and especially what their political leanings are. For the 2020 campaign, that means a barrage of coverage about what Wall Street bankers and billionaires think about […]
Lisa Page Speaks: ‘No Fathomable Way I Committed Any Crime’
It’s not often that you interview a subject who has no interest in being famous. But recently, I did just that when I sat down with Lisa Page the week before Thanksgiving in my hotel room in Washington, D.C. Page, of course, is the former FBI lawyer whose text-message exchanges with agent Peter Strzok that […]
Trump’s Lawyers Won’t Participate in Impeachment Hearing on Wednesday
Lawyers for President Trump said on Sunday that they would not participate in the House Judiciary Committee’s first public impeachment hearing on Wednesday, airing a long list of complaints that they said prevented “any semblance of a fair process.” Representative Jerrold Nadler, Democrat of New York and the chairman of the committee, had given the White […]
Harry Litman: The wait to see Trump’s taxes may have just gotten a lot longer
The chances just dramatically increased that President Trump will be able to keep his tax records secret through the 2020 election. The Supreme Court’s move Monday to grant a stay in one case involving the president’s returns means that neither members of Congress nor prosecutors — specifically, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. — may not be […]
The Rude Pundit: Note to Democrats… Call the GOP’s Bluff
Oh, it would be a shit show of open sewer proportions, for sure. It would be a scuzzy circus on top of a cheap zoo covered with crazy sauce. But House Democrats should call the bluff of the increasingly divorced-from-reality Republicans and hold hearings on all the fuckery they claim has been going on. Like […]
House GOP members are ‘absolutely disgusted and exhausted’ by Trump’s behavior, former GOP congressman says
Former Republican congressman Charlie Dent said Thursday some of his former colleagues in the House of Representatives have privately told him they are “absolutely disgusted and exhausted by the President’s behavior.” Dent told CNN’s Ana Cabrera on “Newsroom” that House Republicans are standing with the President at the moment because of base pressure, but said “they resent […]
Intelligence Committee members can review impeachment report on Monday
The House Intelligence Committee is expected to allow members to review the committee’s impeachment report Monday ahead of a vote scheduled on Tuesday to approve the report, which details the committee’s findings from the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump and Ukraine, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The report is a chance for Democrats […]
London Bridge attack threatens to recast U.K.’s ‘Brexit election’ with focus on terror
A deadly terror attack struck at the heart of the British capital just weeks before a crucial national election, refocusing the campaign on security issues as voters were set to head to the polls. That was 2017. But two years later London Bridge was again the scene of tragedy, bravery and the center of national debate in the […]
House Judiciary Panel Asks Trump if He Will Present Impeachment Defense
The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee asked President Trump on Friday whether he intends to mount a defense during the committee’s consideration of impeachment articles, setting a deadline of next Friday for Mr. Trump and his lawyers to decide if they will present evidence or call witnesses. In a letter to the president, Representative […]
Bob Cesca: Russian trolls are back for the 2020 election — and they won’t be easy to spot
We don’t hear this too often so it bears repeating: The ongoing Russian attack against the United States would’ve ultimately failed were it not for millions of unwitting American foot soldiers who helped it succeed. As accomplices, way too many of us were easily — willingly, in many cases — hoodwinked into sharing and retweeting […]
House impeachment inquiry releases transcripts of OMB and Pentagon officials’ depositions
House impeachment investigators released the final closed-door deposition transcripts from the impeachment inquiry on Tuesday with the interviews of State Department official Philip Reeker and Office of Management and Budget official Mark Sandy. Sandy is a career official at OMB who was part of the freezing of the $400 million in US security aid to Ukraine, before the […]
House Judiciary Committee announces first impeachment hearing, invites Trump to attend
The House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday announced it will hold its first public impeachment hearing next week, and invited President Donald Trump and his lawyers “to participate.” “I am hopeful that you and your counsel will opt to participate in the Committee’s hearing, consistent with the rules of decorum and with the solemn nature before us,” Judiciary […]
New CNN Poll Shows 50% of Americans Support Removing Trump From Office
While President Donald Trump and his media surrogates are busy proclaiming that House Democrat impeachment efforts are backfiring and public support is flagging, a new CNN poll reveals that half of Americans are in support of the impeachment and removal from office the embattled commander in chief. In what is the first poll taken after two weeks […]
Ousted Navy Chief: Trump Meddling In SEAL’s Case Shows ‘You Can Get Away With Things’
Richard Spencer, the Navy secretary who resigned just a day ago, said Monday that President Donald Trump’s decision to block the Pentagon’s review of convicted war criminal and Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher sends a message “that you can get away with things.” Spencer defended his handling of Chief Petty Officer Gallagher’s controversial case in a […]
Lindsey Graham Refuses To Back Down On Investigating Bidens
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) defended his move to investigate Joe Biden and his son, days after the former vice president said he was disappointed and angered by his old friend. “I love Joe Biden as a person but we are not going to give a pass to what is obviously a conflict of interest,” Graham tweeted […]
Charlie Pierce: Rudy Giuliani Is Feelin’ Fine. It’s You Who’s Losing It, According to Rudy Giuliani.
Rudy Giuliani would like you all to relax. He’s fine. He’s just sailing along. And, despite the evidence of your own senses, he is not at all three sandwiches short of a picnic. From New York: When reached for comment, Giuliani replied: “Garbage your publication cannot be counted on to report fairly on this salacious stupidity […]
Supreme Court blocks House from receiving Trump financial records for now
The House of Representatives will not get President Donald Trump’s financial records for now, the Supreme Court said on Monday. The ruling is a win for Trump, who is fighting on several fronts to shield the records from becoming public. Read the rest of the story at CNN.
Former White House counsel Donald McGahn must comply with House subpoena, judge rules
Former Trump White House counsel Donald McGahn must comply with a House subpoena, a federal court ruled Monday, finding that top presidential advisers cannot ignore congressional demands for information and raising the possibility that McGahn could be forced to testify as part of the impeachment inquiry. U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson of Washington, found […]
Eric Boehlert: It’s almost 2020 and New York Times editors are still debating if Trump’s a racist
Wasting untold time and energy, New York Times newsroom leaders continue to struggle with the not-very-difficult question of whether they ought to refer to Donald Trump as a racist. More than four years after Trump entered our national political conversation by announcing his candidacy for president, the Times still can’t figure out if the paper should accurately label him for […]
The Rude Pundit: Impeachment Hearings…Random Observations on Republicans Getting Kicked in the Taint
1. At some point in the future, barring democracy’s end, a Democrat will be president. Let’s say for shits and giggles that it’s, oh, hell, how about Alyssa Milano? Sure. Why not. Let’s say that it’s election time and Donald Trump, Jr. decides it’s time to throw his dumpy ass into the mix. And let’s […]
Devin Nunes Dodges Questions About Whether He Met With Ukrainians For Dirt On Biden
Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) dodged questions on Sunday from a Fox News host asking whether he met with a former Ukrainian official in 2018 to acquire dirt on former Vice President Joe Biden. The lawyer for Lev Parnas, an indicted associate of Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump, told CNN that Parnas is prepared to tell Congress […]
Bloomberg officially joins 2020 Democratic field
Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg has launched his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination by spending $37 million on television advertising over the next two weeks, more than the entire field has spent on TV ads so far. Read the rest of the story at ABC News.
Schiff says House will move forward with impeachment inquiry after ‘overwhelming’ evidence from hearings
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said Sunday that the two weeks of public hearings produced “overwhelming evidence” that President Donald Trump conditioned official acts for favors from Ukraine that would benefit his re-election bid, arguing that it’s “urgent” for the House to move forward with its impeachment inquiry. In an interview on “Meet the Press,” Schiff, the […]
Navy Secretary Richard Spencer fired in dispute with Trump over discipline of SEAL
Navy Secretary Richard Spencer was fired Sunday by Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who ordered that a Navy SEAL who was acquitted of murder be allowed to remain in the elite commando corps, the Defense Department said. Esper asked for Spencer’s resignation after President Donald Trump tweeted on Thursday that Chief Petty Officer Eddie Gallagher would retain the […]
Fox 11 LA: The Issue Is… Stephanie Miller, Michael Reagan, Gianno Caldwell
After the House Intelligence Committee wraps up a week of dramatic testimony, what happens next? Joining us: progressive radio talk show host Stephanie Miller & conservative commentator Michael Reagan. We also discuss the most recent Democratic debate, including insight from our focus group of undecided voters. See the video and read the rest of the […]
Everything we learned from the Trump impeachment hearings
From Wednesday Nov. 13 to Thursday Nov. 21, Americans were glued to their televisions, computers and streaming devices, as the House Intelligence Committee held a series of long public hearings as part of a broader Democratic-led impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump. Read the list at NBC News.
Documents released to ethics group show Giuliani, Pompeo contacts before Ukraine ambassador ousted
An ethics group late Friday published nearly 100 pages of previously unreleased State Department documents that the group says shows “a clear paper trail” between President Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo before a Ukraine ambassador was abruptly recalled. The documents were published by American Oversight, which calls itself a non-partisan and […]
Giuliani Crony Can Detail Nunes’ Meeting With Ex-Ukraine Official To Get Biden Dirt: Report
Rudy Giuliani’s indicted associate Lev Parnas is prepared to tell Congress that Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) met with a former Ukrainian prosecutor who was ousted over corruption concerns in a bid to get dirt on Joe Biden, CNN reported Friday. A lawyer for Parnas, a Soviet-born American who has been indicted on federal campaign finance […]
Volker admits he was wrong to view Biden and Burisma separately
Kurt Volker told lawmakers that he drew a “sharp distinction” between Burisma and Biden, but admits that he was wrong to view them separately. “In hindsight, I now understand that others saw the idea of investigating possible corruption involving the Ukrainian company, “Burisma,” as equivalent to investigating former Vice President Biden. I saw them as […]
Stephen Miller planted anti-Rubio stories in Breitbart during 2016 campaign, leaked emails show
White House senior adviser Stephen Miller had more editorial influence over the right-wing news website Breitbart during the 2016 presidential campaign than previously known and attempted to push articles attacking then-presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., according to a new batch of leaked emails shared with NBC News. Read the rest of the story at […]
6 things we learned from Vindman’s and Williams’ impeachment testimony
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and Jennifer Williams — who both listened in on the July 25 call between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy at the center of the House’s impeachment inquiry — spent more than four hours testifying before the House Intelligence Committee Tuesday. Read the story at NBC News.
Impeachment inquiry enters most crucial stage with top witnesses on deck
Democrats who want to oust President Donald Trump and Republicans battling to save him are braced for the most momentous phase yet in the battle of impeachment that is rocking Washington. The showdown that could result in Trump becoming only the third US president to suffer such a fate will resume in the House Intelligence Committee at 9 […]
Bob Cesca: Trump’s still pushing the CrowdStrike conspiracy theory… But why, and where did it come from?
Last week, the Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee shoehorned into the permanent record of the impeachment inquiry a conspiracy theory about the “real” attackers against the 2016 election. This defiant linkage to agitprop of dubious origin was yet another chapter in the GOP’s hopeless descent into complete make-believe. Before we dig into the madness, […]
Milwaukee’s progressive talk radio station adds FM outlet
Milwaukee’s only progressive talk radio station is now available round-the-clock on the FM broadcast band. WRRD announced on its Facebook page the launch of “Talk 101.7 FM” in Milwaukee. Previously, 24-7 programming was available only through the station’s internet audio stream. Read the rest of the story at The Milwaukee Business Journal.
House Investigating Whether Trump Lied To Mueller In U.S. Russia Probe
The U.S. House of Representatives is probing whether President Donald Trump lied in his written testimony submitted to then-U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller as part of the completed federal investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, CNN said on Monday. A House lawyer told a federal appeals court in Washington on Monday that lawmakers were examining whether Trump’s […]
Oklahoma Walmart shooting leaves three dead, including suspect
A shooting outside a Walmart store in Oklahoma on Monday morning left at least three people dead, including the suspected gunman, officials said. A woman and a man were fatally shot in a car, and another man was fatally shot outside of the car in the parking lot of the store in Duncan, about 80 […]
Trump says he will ‘strongly consider’ testifying in House impeachment probe
President Donald Trump said Monday that he is “strongly” considering testifying before the impeachment probe in light of recent comments from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who said he is more than welcome to present his case personally before the House Intelligence Committee. Read the rest of the story at NBC News.
Trump attacks another witness as his impeachment defense faces new tests
President Donald Trump’s impeachment angst led him to fire off a new attack on a key witness and threatens to deepen in the frenetic week ahead with crucial testimony scheduled from officials caught in the middle of the Ukraine storm. But as is perpetually the case with the President, a brew of competing scandals and controversies […]
Trump’s impeachment ire turns on Pompeo amid diplomats’ starring roles
The Ukraine impeachment inquiry has created the first rift between President Donald Trump and the Cabinet member who has been his closest ally, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, according to four current and former senior administration officials. Trump has fumed for weeks that Pompeo is responsible for hiring State Department officials whose congressional testimony threatens to bring down his […]
White House defends Trump’s surprise medical exam amid skepticism online
The White House said there was nothing unusual about President Donald Trump making a surprise trip to Walter Reed Medical Center on Saturday to undergo what he called “phase one” of his annual physical. But the ordeal was met with skepticism online, where some felt the White House and the president weren’t being upfront about […]
Eric Boehlert: Impeachment hearings confirm Republican Party is detached from reality. What does the press do now?
Republicans proudly advertised their radical ways during Wednesday’s impeachment hearings into Donald Trump, wallowing in conspiracies and embracing debunked claims. The question now: How does the Beltway media cover a party that has aggressively removed itself from reality? How does the news business describe and treat a political party that routinely echoes the most unbelievable claims from Fox […]
The Rude Pundit: Impeachment Hearings… Yovanovitch Kicks Trump’s Ass
Apparently, President Donald Trump, who is just large sack of yams mashed with sadness, decided that he would try to distract from the impeachment hearings today. He first tried by releasing the pseudo-transcript of a phone call between him and Ukrainian President Zelensky that occurred before the one where he pressured Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden’s son. […]
Trump asks Supreme Court to keep his tax returns away from prosecutors
Lawyers for President Donald Trump want the Supreme Court to block New York prosecutors from obtaining his tax returns. “We have filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to overturn the 2nd Circuit decision regarding a subpoena issued by the New York County District Attorney. The 2nd Circuit decision is wrong and should be reversed,” […]
Santa Clarita, California, high school shooting leaves 2 students dead, multiple injured
A teenage gunman opened fire at a Southern California high school Thursday morning, killing two students and wounding three others, before shooting himself in the head, officials said. The suspect, whom authorities described as an Asian male who turned 16 on Thursday, was in critical condition at a hospital, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department […]
Trump: Impeachment has been ‘very hard on my family’
President Donald Trump suggested Thursday that the impeachment process was taking a personal toll, calling impeachment a “problem” that had been “very hard on my family.” “I have one problem. And it has been very hard on my family,” he said at a campaign rally in Louisiana, adding that “impeachment, to me, is a dirty […]
Who is Marie Yovanovitch? Ambassador testifying at today’s impeachment hearing
Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch — who is testifying in the House impeachment inquiry on Friday — was derided by President Donald Trump as “bad news” in a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart. “She’s going to go through some things,” Trump told President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a phone conversation that’s at the […]
Trump DC hotel sales pitch boasts of millions to be made from foreign governments
In its effort to sell off the lease to the Trump International Hotel in Washington the Trump Organization has put together a glossy investor brochure complete with pictures showcasing the hotel’s grandiose architecture, its central location and its spa’s Himalayan salt chamber. The hotel’s biggest selling point though, according to a copy of the brochure seen by […]
Appeals court hands Trump another loss, saying Congress can seek his tax returns
An appeals court has denied for the second time President Donald Trump’s attempt to stop an accounting firm from turning over his financial documents to the House, making it the second tax case Trump’s lawyers say they are taking to the Supreme Court. The DC Circuit Court of Appeals said on Wednesday that a panel of eight […]
Trump welcomes Turkey’s leader to White House weeks after Syria invasion
In a news conference in the Oval Office, President Trump said he and Turkish President Erdogan are “very good friends” and said the ceasefire in Syria is “holding very well.” Trump had faced bipartisan calls to rescind the invitation to Erdogan, from lawmakers who say the Turkish leader should not have been honored with a […]
7 Key Takeaways From The First Public Impeachment Hearing
The House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday held the first televised hearing of its impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. Democrats are investigating his attempt to withhold U.S. military aid to Ukraine until the country’s President Volodymyr Zelensky agreed to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination. Bill Taylor, the acting […]
House Dems Announce More Impeachment Hearings Set for Next Week, Including Vindman, Sondland, Volker, and More
Ahead of the first round of impeachment hearings tomorrow, House Intel Committee chairman Adam Schiff has announced multiple additional hearings set for next week. Next Tuesday, the committee will hear from Pence aide Jennifer Williams, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, former Ukraine special envoy Kurt Volker, and NSC official Tim Morrison. Read the rest of the story at Mediaite.
A combative Trump and his White House brace for first public impeachment hearings
President Donald Trump has long criticized Democrats for conducting the impeachment inquiry behind closed doors. This week, he and his advisers are bracing for impact as those doors are thrown open and the cameras roll on the first public presidential impeachment hearings in over 20 years. As the hearings on Wednesday have approached, Trump’s mood has veered between relishing […]
Democrats warn State Department not to retaliate against testifying diplomats
Senate Democrats are warning State Department leaders not to retaliate against U.S. diplomats testifying publicly this week as part of the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. In a letter dated Tuesday, the Democratic members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee also demand that the State Department issue statements of support for the diplomats soon to take […]
In private speech, Bolton suggests some of Trump’s foreign policy decisions are guided by personal interest
Former national security adviser John Bolton derided President Donald Trump’s daughter and son-in-law during a private speech last week and suggested his former boss’ approach to U.S. policy on Turkey is motivated by personal or financial interests, several people who were present for the remarks told NBC News. According to six people who were there, Bolton also […]
Supreme Court’s Conservatives Seem To Back Trump On Ending DACA
The Supreme Court’s conservative majority seems prepared to allow the Trump administration to end a program that allows some immigrants to work legally in the United States and protects them from deportation. There did not appear to be any support among the five conservatives in extended arguments Tuesday for blocking the administration’s decision to wind […]
Senior White House adviser Stephen Miller pushed white nationalism in a series of leaked emails
Senior White House adviser Stephen Miller in a series of leaked emails pushed white nationalism, bemoaned opposition to Confederate symbols following a mass shooting at a Black church in South Carolina and embraced immigration policies once lauded by Adolf Hitler. On Tuesday, the Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit civil rights advocacy group, published an […]
Bob Cesca: Send in the clowns… Impeachment is serious stuff, but GOP wants a circus
The impeachment of Donald Trump is not just a matter of holding the president accountable for his confessed plot to extort Ukraine at a time when Russia is engaged in both an invasion of that country and a cyber-invasion of the United States. This impeachment is also a mandatory warning to myriad potential Trump copycats […]
Jimmy Carter Hospitalized for Brain Procedure
Former President Jimmy Carter was hospitalized in Atlanta on Monday night to undergo a procedure intended to relieve pressure on his brain caused by bleeding from recent falls, his office said. Mr. Carter will have the procedure performed on Tuesday morning. “President Carter is resting comfortably and his wife, Rosalynn, is with him,” Deanna Congileo, […]
Judge shuts out public from Mick Mulvaney hearing on House impeachment subpoena
The public couldn’t listen to a public court hearing Monday night over acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney’s House impeachment subpoena, a federal judge in Washington said. Court security told three reporters from CNN, Bloomberg and The Washington Post to leave the DC federal courthouse minutes before the 5 p.m. ET start time for […]
Pentagon official testifies Trump directed freeze on aid to Ukraine
Laura Cooper, the top Pentagon official overseeing U.S. policy regarding Ukraine, told House impeachment investigators last month that President Donald Trump directed the relevant agencies to freeze aid to Ukraine over the summer, according to a transcript of her testimony released Monday. Cooper, during Oct. 23 testimony before the three House committees leading the impeachment inquiry into Trump’s Ukraine dealings, […]
Joel Stein: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Elite
I am carrying a bottle of 2012 Trump Winery Sparkling Blanc de Blanc. I received the bottle ironically, and I am regifting it even more ironically to liberal radio talk-show host Stephanie Miller for the election party she’s throwing four houses up from mine in the Hollywood Hills. We shall toast Donald Trump’s concession speech […]
Trump can’t sue New York state in DC federal court to stop release of tax returns, judge says
A Trump-appointed federal judge decided Monday that President Donald Trump can’t sue New York state officials in a Washington, DC, court at this time to stop the release of his tax returns to Congress. The case is one of many where the President or his administration have asked federal judges to intervene before House Democrats obtain Trump’s […]
Trump Met With ‘Lock Him Up’ Chants, ‘Impeach’ Signs At NYC Veterans Day Parade
President Donald Trump may have been a lifelong New Yorker until recently, but the city he once called home didn’t quite welcome him with open arms on Monday. For the first few minutes of Trump’s speech in Manhattan’s Madison Square Park ahead of the 100th annual Veterans Day Parade, attendees could hear protesters outside the ceremony chanting “lock him […]
Charlie Pierce: Matt Gaetz and Jim Jordan Just Debuted the Trump Circus Defense
Friday’s Transcripts of the Day were those of Fiona Hill and Colonel Alexander Vindland, and, yes, they pretty much prove that the president* is as guilty as sin, even as his own sins, which are considerable. But the most entertaining parts of the new transcripts, and the sections that give us some kind of indication […]
Eric Boehlert: Ukraine floodgates open and Fox News tries to discredit everyone—but it won’t work
Will playing whac-a-mole help save the Trump presidency? That’s what Fox News and Donald Trump defenders have been reduced to in recent weeks as the White House and its media allies scramble to try to find a coherent defense for his admitted campaign collusion with a foreign power. (This time, it’s attempted collusion with Ukraine.) […]
Giuliani Associate Says He Told Ukraine That Aid Was Contingent On Biden Probe: Report
Lev Parnas, one of Rudy Giuliani’s two indicted business associates, reportedly said that he told incoming Ukrainian leadership earlier this year to announce an investigation into the Bidens in exchange for U.S. military aid. Parnas allegedly traveled to Kyiv just before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was inaugurated in May and told the incoming government to […]
Donald Trump Jr. Ends Book Event Abruptly After Being Heckled By Far-Right Supporters
Donald Trump Jr ventured on to the University of California’s overwhelmingly liberal Los Angeles campus on Sunday, hoping to prove what he had just argued in his book – that a hate-filled American left was hell-bent on silencing him and anyone else who supported the Trump presidency. But the appearance backfired when his own supporters, diehard […]
Nikki Haley says Kelly, Tillerson tried to get her to resist Trump to ‘save the country’
Nikki Haley, President Donald Trump’s former ambassador to the United Nations, claims in a new book that two of his top advisers tried to “undermine” the president to “save the country.” Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, was asked by “CBS Evening News” about a passage from her new book, “With All Due Respect,” in which […]
Trump Wants Republicans to Stop Using the ‘Bad But Not Impeachable’ Defense: The Call Was ‘PERFECT’
Some Republicans have started defending President Donald Trump on the impeachment issue by gravitating towards the “bad but not impeachable” argument. A GOP congressman said this morning, for example, his call with the president of Ukraine was “inappropriate” but not impeachable. But the president is clearly frustrated and would like Republicans to stop criticizing his […]
Eric Boehlert: Trump’s reelection campaign spreads lies online—and the press touts it as savvy
It’s gone from bad to worse: After spending years refusing to call Donald Trump a liar, the press is now toasting his reelection campaign, which is built on lies. “That campaigns are now being fought largely online is hardly a revelation, yet only one political party seems to have gotten the message,” The New York Times recently reported […]
The Rude Pundit: Impeachment Transcripts Reveal That Republicans Continue to Be Utter D***s
Yes, there are a whole bunch of fascinating things in the transcripts of witness testimony that have been released by the House joint committee looking into whether or not to impeach President Trump. From the unending obsession with Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden to the mistreatment of people who gave their entire careers to serving […]
Schiff says whistleblower testimony is ‘redundant and unnecessary’
House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff made clear on Saturday that the Ukraine whistleblower won’t be testifying in the impeachment inquiry, arguing that the individual’s testimony would be “redundant and unnecessary.” House Republicans earlier Saturday had submitted a list of witnesses to Democrats that they’d like to testify as part of the chamber’s impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump and […]
Mulvaney attempts to join lawsuit over House subpoena, sidestepping scheduled testimony
Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney is attempting to join a lawsuit testing House subpoena power, which, if allowed, could effectively derail him from giving testimony in the impeachment inquiry until a federal court decides the case. Mulvaney did not appear for his scheduled testimony Friday morning despite him receiving a subpoena, because the White House told […]
Vindman testified there was ‘no doubt’ Trump was seeking investigations from Ukraine
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council, told House impeachment investigators “there was no doubt” what President Donald Trump was demanding during his July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. During that conversation, now central to House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry, Trump pressed Zelenskiy to launch investigations involving former Vice President Joe Biden and his […]
John Bolton Knows Of ‘Many Relevant’ Conversations About Ukraine, Lawyer Says
President Donald Trump’s former National Security Adviser John Bolton knows about “many relevant meetings and conversations” surrounding Trump’s communications with Ukraine, Bolton’s lawyer told lawmakers Friday. Bolton has information that House impeachment investigators do not know about yet, his lawyer Charles Cooper said in a letter to the chief House lawyer, which was first reported by The New […]
Book by ‘Anonymous’ describes Trump as cruel, inept and a danger to the nation
Senior Trump administration officials considered resigning en masse last year in a “midnight self-massacre” to sound a public alarm about President Trump’s conduct, but rejected the idea because they believed it would further destabilize an already teetering government, according to a new book by an unnamed author. In “A Warning” by Anonymous, obtained by The […]
Michael Bloomberg, billionaire and former NYC mayor, prepares for a presidential bid
Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg is positioning himself to enter the Democratic presidential primary, a longtime Bloomberg adviser confirmed to NBC News Thursday, though he has not yet made a final decision. “Yes and yes,” Kevin Sheekey wrote in an email responding to the questions about whether Bloomberg, 77, a billionaire businessman, was preparing […]
State Dept. official believed Trump-Ukraine conduct was ‘injurious to the rule of law,’ transcripts show
State Department official George Kent, a key witness in the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump, told House investigators last month he created contemporaneous memos of specific conversations he’d witnessed related to the White House’s attempted quid pro quo that he said were “injurious to the rule of law, both in Ukraine and the U.S,” according to a […]
John Bolton Willing to Testify in Ukraine Impeachment Inquiry With Federal Court Clearance
A new report says that if former White House National Security Adviser John Bolton can get clearance from a federal court, he’ll be prepared to defy the Donald Trump administration’s orders and testify before the Ukraine impeachment inquiry. Washington Post reports that Bolton wants a court ruling on the dispute between the Trump administration and Congress about the impeachment investigation’s subpoenas. […]
Trump Ordered to Pay $2 Million Settlement For Misusing Charity Funds From His Dissolved Foundation
A New York judge has ruled that President Donald Trump must pay a $2 million settlement for using his charity organization to advance his 2016 campaign. The settlement brings an end to the lawsuit the New York attorney general’s office filed against the Trump Foundation, claiming the president and his children repeatedly used the charity’s funds to […]
Attorney General Barr Declined Trump’s Request to Declare There Was Nothing Illegal in Ukraine Call
President Trump asked that Attorney General William P. Barr hold a news conference to declare that he had broken no laws in a telephone call with Ukraine’s president that is now at the heart of the Democratic impeachment inquiry, but Mr. Barr declined, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. Read the rest […]
Kentucky Gov. Bevin calls for vote recanvass as he refuses to concede
Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin on Wednesday filed a formal request for a recanvass of the vote in his bid for re-election, a day after he appeared to come up roughly 5,150 votes short. NBC News declared his Democratic opponent, Andy Beshear, the state attorney general, the apparent winner of the race. “The people of Kentucky deserve a […]
Top diplomat in Ukraine Bill Taylor directly ties Trump to quid pro quo
The top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, Bill Taylor, told House impeachment investigators last month that President Donald Trump directed officials to tie military aid to Ukraine to demands that the country open political advantageous probes, according to a transcript of his testimony made public Wednesday. The transcript of Taylor’s closed-door testimony before the three House committees leading the […]
Public Impeachment Hearings Will Begin Next Week, House Says
The House Intelligence Committee will hold the first of a series of public impeachment hearings next week, Democrats announced on Wednesday, calling three senior State Department officials to testify as they begin laying out their case against President Trump. In the debut of the sessions expected to be televised live from Capitol Hill, lawmakers plan […]
Lindsey Graham Says He Won’t Read Impeachment Testimony Transcripts
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told CBS News that he won’t be reading the transcripts House impeachment investigators released Tuesday, even though a witness revised his testimony to indicate that a quid pro quo deal was pushed on Ukraine. When asked if he planned on reading the testimony of U.S. Ambassador to the E.U. Gordon Sondland and former special envoy Kurt […]
Dem claims victory in Kentucky governor race, as Democrats flip Virginia legislature
The closely watched governor’s race in Kentucky between incumbent GOP Gov. Matt Bevin and Democratic challenger Andy Beshear remains too close to call, according to The Associated Press, despite a celebratory speech by Beshear. Beshear, the Democratic attorney general and a Kentucky political heir, held a slim lead over Bevin, 49.2% to 48.8%, according to unofficial […]
Bob Cesca: His dark materials… Trump’s war on truth gets sicker, and more dangerous
Given how the year started out, the Virginia Democratic Party didn’t need another bombshell news story to collapse on its head so close to the state and local elections this week. But it appears as though Gov. Ralph Northam executed a baby. Sure, Virginia is a death penalty state, and even though Northam is personally […]
Sondland changes testimony, acknowledges delivering quid pro quo message to Ukraine
U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland told House impeachment investigators this week that he now remembers telling a top aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Ukraine would not receive U.S. military assistance until it committed to investigating the 2016 election and former Vice President Joe Biden, according to a person with knowledge of […]
Rand Paul issues fiery demand for media to reveal whistleblower’s identity
Republican Sen. Rand Paul, before a raucous crowd on Monday, demanded members of the media print the identity of the anonymous whistleblower at the heart of the House impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine. “I say to tonight to the media: do your job and print his name,” Paul, a Kentucky Republican, yelled during a […]
Roger Stone complains of food poisoning, leaves jury selection in his trial
Jury selection in the trial of Roger Stone, the longtime confidant and adviser to President Donald Trump, got off to a bizarre start on Tuesday as Stone left the proceedings due to what he said was food poisoning shortly after an observer was taken out of the courtroom on a stretcher after appearing to have […]
Charlie Pierce: Mike Pompeo’s State Department Answers to Sean Hannity, Apparently
Once upon a time, there was a king of France who believed he was made of glass. Apparently, this was A Thing at the time. People thought they were made of glass. Literally. It was a sort of advanced, funky hypochondria, I guess. Some cases were more advanced than others, too. Read the rest of […]
Supreme Court unlikely to help Trump keep his taxes from prosecutors
President Donald Trump will face strong headwinds in asking the Supreme Court to stop prosecutors in New York from getting his tax returns. Past Supreme Court rulings have upheld subpoenas directed at presidents, and this time the local prosecutors are seeking documents from the Trump Organization and Trump’s accountants — not directly from the president himself. […]
House Releases First Depositions From Trump Impeachment Probe
House investigators on Monday released transcripts from the closed-door interviews with two former State Department officials as part of their impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. These are the first depositions the Democrat-controlled House has made public as they investigate Trump pressuring Ukrainian officials to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter […]
Giuliani associate in talks with impeachment investigators
An associate of Rudy Giuliani — Lev Parnas — has initiated talks with impeachment investigators through his attorney. The attorney, Joseph Bondy, told the team from CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” that he had sent a letter to congressional investigators saying Parnas will comply with a congressional subpoena for his documents and testimony. However, Bondy said […]
Ousted Ukraine ambassador Yovanovitch says she was told to tweet praise of Trump to save her job
Marie Yovanovitch, the ousted U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, told House impeachment investigators last month that U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland told her she should tweet out support or praise for President Donald Trump if she wanted to save her job, according to a transcript of her testimony made public Monday. The three House committees leading […]
Whistleblower offers to give Republicans testimony as Trump seeks to unmask
The U.S. official whose whistleblower complaint led to the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump offered to answer questions directly to Republicans on the intelligence committee leading the inquiry, one of his lawyers said on Sunday. Mark Zaid said the action was taken to counter Republican efforts, led by Trump, to unmask the whistleblower, a […]
Mueller Memo Bombshell: Michael Cohen Told If He Stuck To Russia Story, Trump ‘Loves You’
Donald Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen was told that if he stuck to his account of Trump’s relationship with Moscow, the president “loves you,” according to a bombshell document from the Robert Mueller investigation obtained by BuzzFeed. The glimpse into attempts to influence the convicted attorney who worked for Trump for years was in 500 pages of summaries of FBI interviews with […]
Rep. Speier: Transcripts will ‘probably’ be released in next 5 days
Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) set a five-day timeline on Sunday for the release of deposition transcripts that are part of the House’s impeachment probe into President Donald Trump. “I think you’re going to see all of the transcripts that are going to be released probably within the next five days,” Speier, a member of the […]
All four White House officials scheduled for House inquiry depositions today won’t testify
All four White House officials who are scheduled to give depositions on Monday during the House’s impeachment inquiry won’t show up, as a source with knowledge of the situation tells CNN that National Security Council lawyers John Eisenberg and Michael Ellis will not testify. The two officials will join Robert Blair, assistant to the President and senior adviser […]
Eric Boehlert: Stop doing this… CBS News hires Fox News reporter who constantly peddled Obama, Clinton conspiracies
In January 2016, Catherine Herridge, Fox News’ longtime chief intelligence correspondent, reported a huge scoop: No fewer than 150 FBI agents were investigating Hillary Clinton’s emails and the private server she used while serving as secretary of state. The number, as part of Herridge’s exclusive report based on anonymous sources, was shocking. If the FBI had assigned 150 […]
The Rude Pundit: Trump Is Obsessed With Adam Schiff’s Parody of His Phone Call with Zelensky
One of the things we know about President Crimey McPantsshitter is that he brooks no insults (unless he’s in on the joke, a la his Comedy Central roast, which, yes, is a thing the president of the goddamn United States has done). You could make a strong case that one reason he ran for president is because […]
Charlie Pierce: Elizabeth Warren’s Healthcare Plan Has All the Ambition Democratic Voters Should Demand
Let us get the requisite hunk of cynical reality out of the way right here at the top. Absent the kind of national landslide that killed off the Whigs and Federalists, or a sudden discovery within the Republicans of a vestigial collective conscience, no Democrat’s healthcare plan will get through to the president’s desk out of a […]
Trump booed at UFC fight in New York City
President Donald Trump was greeted by a mix of boos and cheers Saturday night as he walked into Madison Square Garden to attend an Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts bout. The appearance was his first in New York City since announcing he was changing his permanent residence to Florida and also marked the first time a […]
Smugglers Are Using $100 Hardware Store Power Tools to Saw Holes in Trump’s $10 Billion Wall
Donald Trump wanted a wall because his brain can only spit out simple solutions to complex problems. So, away America went building a “big beautiful wall” on the southern border, which amounted to plastering a steel and cement bandage on a broken bone. There are real solutions, hard solutions, to balancing effective border security and […]
Warren’s plan to pay for ‘Medicare for All’: $20.5 trillion in new spending, taxes on the rich and corporations
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., released a detailed plan Friday that she says would fully fund a “Medicare for All” bill and cover every American without premiums or deductibles, all with “not one penny in middle-class tax increases.” Warren’s campaign estimates her plan would keep combined public and private health spending “just under” $52 trillion over the next […]
Beto O’Rourke ends his presidential bid after campaign failed to take off
Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke dropped out of the 2020 presidential race on Friday after a disappointing campaign that failed to build off the momentum generated from his longshot Texas Senate run. “Though today we are suspending this campaign, let us each continue our commitment to the country in whatever capacity we can,” he wrote in an email […]
Trump ditches New York to become a Florida resident, court documents show
President Donald Trump, a native New Yorker, has now declared himself a Florida resident, according to court documents. The President changed his permanent residence to his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, in late September, and first lady Melania Trump followed suit in October, in forms filed with the Palm Beach County Circuit Court. Read the rest […]
Katie Hill Blames ‘Shameless Operatives’ and ‘Gutter Politics’ For Resignation in Defiant House Floor Speech
In her final speech on the House floor, Rep. Katie Hill tore into what she called a “double standard” in a “misogynistic culture.” The resigning congresswoman explained that she didn’t want to be a distraction into the impeachment inquiry. “I am leaving now because of a double standard. I’m leaving because I no longer want to […]
House takes huge impeachment step with vote on Trump probe
The House on Thursday took a historic vote to set ground rules for its fast-moving impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump — a move that essentially starts the clock for an eventual decision on whether to oust the president. Thursday’s vote — roughly along party lines — was partly intended to neutralize a frequent GOP […]
Eric Boehlert: CNN’s Sean Duffy problem is only going to get worse
How do you solve a problem like Sean Duffy? The former Republican congressman, who was hired by CNN to blindly defend Donald Trump while the impeachment process unfolds, is creating problems for the network by constantly fabricating facts and spreading reckless and dangerous conspiracy theories. And yes, he’s only been on the CNN payroll for 10 days. Read the rest […]
Trump lures GOP senators on impeachment with cold, hard cash
President Donald Trump is rewarding senators who have his back on impeachment — and sending a message to those who don’t to get on board. Trump is tapping his vast fundraising network for a handful of loyal senators facing tough reelection bids in 2020. Each of them has signed onto a Republican-backed resolution condemning the inquiry as […]
GOP senators warn quick dismissal of impeachment trial would be bad for everyone
Key Republican senators told CNN the Senate should conduct a fulsome trial of President Donald Trump — assuming the House soon sends over articles of impeachment, as expected — and not try to jam through a motion that would allow them to dismiss the case quickly on a partisan vote. A motion of dismissal was attempted […]
Twitter to stop accepting political ads ahead of the 2020 Election
Twitter announced Wednesday that it will no longer take political ads, a major step as tech companies work to deal with misinformation ahead of the 2020 election. The ban will go into place in November. In a series of tweets, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey laid out the company’s reasoning, focusing on the downside of political […]
House set to vote on Trump impeachment procedures today
The House is set to vote Thursday morning on how to proceed with its impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump — a move that will put lawmakers on record about where they stand and that Republicans are decrying as a sham. Debate on the procedures — which include beginning public hearings and the release of some of the […]
South Carolina priest denied Joe Biden communion over abortion stance
Former Vice President Joe Biden was denied communion at a South Carolina church on Sunday because of his views on abortion, a local priest confirmed in a statement to ABC News on Wednesday. “Sadly, this past Sunday, I had to refuse Holy Communion to former Vice President Joe Biden. Holy Communion signifies we are one with God, […]
Trump’s Russian Ambassador Pick: Seeking Foreign Help In Elections Violates U.S. Values
A top State Department official told senators on Wednesday that attempts by a U.S. president to solicit foreign investigations into his domestic political opponents would not agree with American values. During his confirmation hearing to become U.S. ambassador to Russia, Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan said he doesn’t believe such behavior would “be in […]
White House Ukraine Expert Sought to Correct Transcript of Trump Call
Lt. Col. Alexander S. Vindman, the top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council, told House impeachment investigators on Tuesday that the White House transcript of a July call between President Trump and Ukraine’s president omitted crucial words and phrases, and that his attempts to include them failed, according to three people familiar with the testimony. Read the […]
State Department official to testify today that John Bolton warned about influence of Rudy Giuliani on Ukraine
Former national security adviser John Bolton cautioned about the influence Rudy Giuliani had on US-Ukraine policymaking during a meeting in mid-June with top US officials, a career foreign service officer plans to tell Congress on Wednesday, according to a copy of his opening statement obtained by CNN. Christopher Anderson, who was former special envoy for Ukraine Kurt Volker‘s […]
Bob Cesca: So we’re supposed to treat Donald Trump with respect, after all this? Oh, hell no
The last 36 hours have illustrated two horrible truths about this era. First, there are way too many Americans who still accept Donald Trump’s word as truth. Second, too many of us believe Trump deserves the presidential deference we usually reserve for normal times and normal chief executives. Neither of those things is remotely acceptable. […]
GOP lawmaker says he hasn’t been to impeachment depositions to which he’s been invited
A Republican House member who sits on a committee that is participating in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump said the Democratic-led proceedings are a “sideshow” — but he hasn’t attended any depositions of key witnesses because he has “other responsibilities” in Congress. Rep. Ted Yoho of Florida is a member of the House Foreign Affairs […]
‘Extremely disturbing’: Top Democrats alarmed over Vindman’s testimony on Trump-Ukraine call
Top Democrats at the deposition of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council, said his testimony Tuesday was “extremely disturbing” and praised him for appearing despite attacks from the White House. Acting House Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y, told NBC News she found Vindman’s remarks “extremely, extremely, extremely disturbing” […]
House Democrats release resolution detailing next steps in impeachment inquiry
House Democrats released on Tuesday text of the resolution that will detail their procedures as they move forward with the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. The full House is expected to vote Thursday on the resolution after the House Rules Committee debates and marks it up on Wednesday. Read the rest of the story at NBC News.
Jill Wine-Banks: Expect sexist treatment in the workplace so that you will see it and take the necessary steps to stop it
Expect sexist treatment and discrimination in the workplace so that you will see it and take the necessary steps to stop it. If you don’t expect it, you don’t see it and that delays your dealing with it. I didn’t get my first trial for a year after I started in the Organized Crime and […]
Charlie Pierce: Nancy Pelosi’s Impeachment Letter Suggests Sh*t Is Getting Real, Constitution-Wise
Shit continues to get real, Constitution-wise. From Politico: The resolution — which “establishes the procedure for hearings,” according to a statement by Speaker Nancy Pelosi — will mark the first floor vote on impeachment since Democrats formally launched their inquiry a month ago. “We are taking this step to eliminate any doubt as to whether the […]
Judge kicks newest impeachment lawsuit into high gear
A federal judge hearing arguments in a potentially critical impeachment inquiry case wants to hear from lawyers for the Trump White House, the House of Representatives and from impeachment witness Charles Kupperman on Thursday after Kupperman filed a lawsuit asking the federal court to decide whether he would need to testify. Kupperman’s House testimony had been set […]
National Security official to testify he heard Trump’s Ukraine call, told superiors of his concerns
A U.S. Army official and White House national security official plans to tell members of Congress conducting an impeachment inquiry that he was on the phone call between President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s leader in which Trump asked for an investigation into the Bidens, and that he raised concerns about it. Lt. Col. Alexander S. […]
Trump Viciously Trashes Chicago During Visit to the City, Calls It Less Safe Than Afghanistan
President Trump made his way to Chicago today to speak at a police conference where he bashed the city’s head of police and attacked the city as a worse place to live than Afghanistan. Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson had opted out of attending Trump’s speech at the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference, saying it “doesn’t line […]
House to vote on resolution laying out next steps in impeachment inquiry
The House is expected to vote Thursday on a Democratic resolution that will lay out the next steps in the impeachment inquiry, according to a senior congressional source. The language of the resolution has not been released, but it is expected to detail procedures going forward in the investigation, not formalize it. Read the rest of […]
The Hollywood Reporter: Inside the Mueller Report Live Reading Starring Larry David, Billy Porter and Debra Messing
The event, a fundraiser for Barbara Boxer’s PAC for a Change in partnership with Lindy DeKoven, hosted more than 1,000 guests at L.A.’s Saban Theatre. Fifteen minutes after the scheduled start time, a few audience members in the upper deck of Beverly Hills’ Saban Theatre started clapping. It took a few moments for the […]
LA Magazine: Joel Stein Goes Inside One of Stephanie Miller’s ‘Resistance Dinner Parties’
Iam walking up my block to a party, this time with a bottle of wine that isn’t even from America. In the three months since the election, Stephanie’s house has become busier than ever, a center of revolutionary fervor. Democratic representatives Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Waters, Ted Lieu, and Adam Schiff show up for her “Stephanie […]
Eric Boehlert: Why is Facebook trying to re-elect Trump?
Bullying works. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been on a GOP charm offensive, and it seems to be working for the social media behemoth as it makes its allegiance to the Republican Party more open. In the days preceding his latest testimony before Congress, Zuckerberg had been “hosting a series of dinners with conservative journalists, right-wing […]
The Rude Pundit: Trump’s Lawyer thinks he’s a King
Even in the realm of political and legal norms that the Trump administration is forcibly bending over the desk in the Oval Office and reaming out with George Washington’s femur, yesterday was a pretty fucking stunning attempt to lay waste to the foundations of the country. For that was when a judge in New York City asked William […]
Kelly warned Trump not to hire ‘yes man’ as chief of staff or else he’d be impeached
President Donald Trump’s former chief of staff, John Kelly, says he advised the president not to fill the job with someone who wouldn’t be honest with him and provide a check on his impulses because he would end up being impeached. “That was almost 11 months ago, and I have an awful lot of, to […]
Former Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) dies at 90
Former Rep. John Conyers, a longtime Michigan Democrat who represented parts of Detroit for more than 50 years before his resignation in 2017, died Sunday at age 90, his son, John Conyers III, told CNN. A founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Conyers was known as pushing a series of liberal causes, especially from […]
The Democratic field responds to ISIS leader’s killing by U.S. forces
The 2020 Democrat presidential candidates are praising U.S. Special Forces and the intelligence community after news that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a raid on Sunday morning. South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who served in Afghanistan, said at a campaign stop in South Carolina that everyone involved deserves credit for the success of […]
Trump showered with boos, chants of ‘lock him up’ at World Series game
President Donald Trump was greeted with a chorus of boos and chants of “Lock him up!” along with some cheers on Sunday night as he was introduced at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., during the team’s third World Series home game against the Houston Astros. Read the rest of the story at NBC News.
Pelosi Visits Jordan to Discuss Syria Crisis Amid Shaky Cease-Fire
Speaker Nancy Pelosi has traveled to Jordan to meet with the Jordanian king for “vital” discussions about the Turkish incursion into Syria and other regional challenges, amid uncertainty about whether an American-brokered cease-fire with Turkey in northern Syria was holding. The visit by senior United States officials came as sporadic clashes continued on Sunday morning along the […]
Trump says his Florida Doral resort will no longer host G-7 summit
Following widespread bipartisan criticism, President Donald Trump said Saturday his Doral resort in Florida would not host next year’s Group of Seven summit of world leaders after all. “Based on both Media & Democrat Crazed and Irrational Hostility, we will no longer consider Trump National Doral, Miami, as the Host Site for the G-7 in […]
Shifting Explanation For Withholding Ukraine Aid Begins Drawing GOP Alarm
The shifting White House explanation for President Donald Trump‘s decision to withhold military aid from Ukraine drew alarm Friday from Republicans as the impeachment inquiry brought a new test of their alliance. Trump, in remarks at the White House, stood by his acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, whose earlier comments undermined the administration’s defense […]
Hillary Clinton suggests Russia is grooming Tulsi Gabbard for third-party run
Hillary Clinton says she believes that the Russians have “got their eye on somebody who’s currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the third-party candidate.” In a recent interview, Clinton didn’t mention Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii by name, but said she believes one candidate is “the favorite […]
Gen. Mattis Savagely Roasts Trump: ‘I Earned My Spurs on the Battlefield,’ Trump Got His Spurs ‘From the Doctor’
One day after President Donald Trump reportedly dubbed him “the world’s most overrated general,” James Mattis got his revenge. Trump, according to multiple reports, trashed Mattis during a meeting with lawmakers on both sides Wednesday at the White House. In addition to calling him overrated, Trump reportedly said that Mattis “wasn’t tough enough.” On Thursday night in New York, Mattis […]
In Dallas, Trump Unleashes Fury On Democrats As Impeachment Inquiry Finds Foothold
President Donald Trump raged against Democrats and the House impeachment inquiry during his campaign rally Thursday in Dallas, arguing that the Democratic Party, including 2020 presidential rival Joe Biden, had “betrayed our country.” “At stake in this fight is the survival of American democracy itself. Don’t kid yourself,” Trump, largely going off-script, told supporters at American […]
Energy Sec. Rick Perry, embroiled in Ukraine affair, set to resign
Energy Secretary Rick Perry, who has emerged as a central figure in the Trump administration’s quickly expanding Ukraine affair, has resigned and will leave his job by the end of the year. “It’s with profound emotion and gratitude that I am announcing my resignation effective later this year as your Energy Secretary,” he said in a […]
Mick Mulvaney Walks Back Admission Of Quid Pro Quo In Trump’s Ukraine Call
Hours after saying Thursday that President Donald Trump withheld foreign aid in order to get Ukraine’s help in the U.S. election, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney walked back his remarks. He released a lengthy statement wrongly blaming the press for putting a spin on his comments. “Once again, the media has decided to misconstrue my comments to […]
Ambassador breaks with Trump, testifying the President directed diplomats to work with Giuliani on Ukraine
US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland was directed by President Donald Trump to work with Rudy Giuliani on Ukraine, he told Congress on Thursday, and was left with a choice: Abandon efforts to bolster a key strategic alliance or work to satisfy the demands of the President’s personal lawyer. Sondland said he wasn’t aware until […]
Schiff: Mulvaney comments on Ukraine aid have made things ‘much, much worse’
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) reacted to acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney’s indication that the Trump administration made aid to Ukraine conditional on investigations into the 2016 election Thursday. “I think Mr. Mulvaney’s acknowledgment means that things have gone from very, very bad to much, much worse,” Schiff told reporters Thursday, demurring when asked […]
Pence Says U.S. and Turkey Have Agreed to a 5-Day Ceasefire in Syria
Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held a press conference following their meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, announcing a temporary suspension of Turkey’s invasion of Syria. Pence announced that Turkey and the United States have agreed to a 120-hour ceasefire in Syria. Pence said this will allow YPG and Kurdish forces to withdraw from […]
Trump Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney Admits Quid Pro Quo: ‘We Do That All the Time’
White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney admitted to a quid pro quo between President Donald Trump and Ukraine to force an investigation into the Democratic National Committee, telling ABC News’ Jon Karl “We do that all the time.” Mulvaney took questions at a rare White House press briefing Thursday, where Karl asked Mulvaney “You were directly involved in a decision […]
Trump tweeted a photo attacking Nancy Pelosi. She made it her Twitter cover photo.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday redirected an attack from President Donald Trump on Twitter, turning a photo he had tweeted of her during a contentious White House meeting with the caption “Nervous Nancy’s unhinged meltdown!” into her Twitter cover shot. The image released by the White House shows the California Democrat standing with her finger pointed […]
U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) has passed away at 68
U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, a Baltimore Democrat, has died from complications of longstanding health problems early Thursday morning, his office said. He was 68 years old. The Democrat, known for his devotion to Baltimore and civil rights, and for blunt and passionate speechmaking, died at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Read the rest of the story at […]
Trump’s ‘Don’t Be a Fool!’ Letter to Erdogan Comes Out, Completely Baffling Twitter: ‘This Can’t Be Real’
Fox Business anchor Trish Regan tweeted out an eyebrow-raising exclusive this afternoon: President Donald Trump‘s letter to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The letter, however, has some baffled and others questioning if this is real. The letter from Trump shared by Regan reads, “Let’s work out a good deal! You don’t want to be responsible for slaughtering thousands of […]
McConnell eyes quick impeachment trial in Senate
The Senate majority leader told Republicans he hoped to wrap up any impeachment trial for Trump by the end of the year. “He thinks Democrats are of the same mind: let’s not drag this out for five weeks,” said one attendee of the lunch. McConnell’s comments and PowerPoint presentation on Wednesday were in part an […]
Democrats angrily walk out of White House meeting after Trump ‘meltdown’
Democratic leaders in Congress on Wednesday angrily walked out of a White House meeting with President Donald Trump after he had a “meltdown,” according to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. “What we witnessed on the part of the President was a meltdown. Sad to say,” Pelosi told reporters outside the White House standing with House […]
House Votes to Overwhelmingly Condemn Trump’s Syria Withdrawal — Including Over 100 Republicans
A large majority in the House of Representatives voted to condemn President Donald Trump for pulling troops out of northern Syria to allow for Turkey’s invasion. The vote was a rare bipartisan retort to Trump since 354 members approved the resolution against withdrawal, while 60 voted to oppose it. Trump’s decision has drawn significant fire from his […]
Bob Cesca: Donald Trump is the weakest incumbent president in decades… If Democrats don’t screw this up
Donald Trump might be the weakest incumbent in decades. Don’t get happy — anything can happen next year. But his vast impotency, in terms of his character and, especially, his political future, seem obvious to me. Yet he’s too often regarded as a tough guy, a poseur Mafia don who’s osmotically absorbed too many gangster […]
Pence refuses House request to provide documents related to Ukraine call
Vice President Mike Pence’s office said Tuesday it will not comply with a request from the House to turn over documents related to President Donald Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. In a letter to the chairmen of the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees, Pence counsel Matthew Morgan called the […]
Pelosi says House won’t hold impeachment vote ‘at this time’
Signaling that Democrats won’t cave to GOP demands, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday that the House will not hold a formal floor vote on their impeachment inquiry into President Donald trump “at this time.” “There is no requirement that we have a vote. So at this time, we will not be having a vote,” Pelosi told […]
State Department official tells lawmakers he was told to ‘lay low’ after raising concerns about Giuliani
State Department official George Kent told lawmakers in a closed-door deposition Tuesday that acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney appointed three other Trump administration officials to spearhead the president’s efforts in Ukraine. According to Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., who was present for the deposition, Kent testified that Mulvaney oversaw a meeting where he […]
Who won the October Democratic debate?
The Democratic presidential contenders faced off for their fourth debate on Tuesday night, and the divide between the moderates and progressives sharpened over the course of the evening. The biggest rift between the 12 candidates on stage in Ohio was once again over health care and the cost of their various proposals and whether it’s proper to eliminate private health […]
Charlie Pierce: We Have All Betrayed the Kurds—Every American, Not Just the President*
I stopped by Joy Reid’s show on Saturday and, in the course of our discussion, Malcolm Nance made a very important point. The betrayal of the Kurds doesn’t just fall on El Caudillo del Mar-a-Lago, and it doesn’t just fall on the people who carry out his whims. (To call them “orders” is to dignify them […]
McConnell ‘gravely concerned’ about U.S. response to Syrian conflict
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday that he was “gravely concerned” about the U.S. response to the escalating conflict in Syria. In a statement, McConnell pledged to work toward avoiding “a strategic calamity” when the Senate returns this week and warned that Turkey’s latest attacks on Kurdish allies in Syria was hurting progress in […]
Hunter Biden says he used ‘poor judgment’ in serving on board of Ukraine gas company
Former Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden said he used “poor judgment” in serving on the board of a Ukrainian gas company because it has become a political liability for his father. “In retrospect, look, I think that it was poor judgment on my part, is that I think that it was poor judgment because I […]
Trump’s former top Russia adviser told Congress she saw ‘wrongdoing’ in US policy toward Ukraine, source says
Fiona Hill, President Donald Trump’s former top Russia adviser, raised concerns about Rudy Giuliani’s role in US foreign policy toward Ukraine, telling lawmakers on Monday that she saw “wrongdoing” in the American foreign policy and tried to report it to officials including the National Security Council’s attorney, according to multiple sources. “She saw wrongdoing related […]
12 Democrats face high stakes on biggest primary debate stage ever tonight
Twelve Democrats will line up in swing state Ohio on Tuesday for a crucial debate in their White House battle, which will unfold as their party gears up to consider impeachment — the ultimate political sanction — against President Donald Trump. Candidates will take the most crowded debate stage in the history of US presidential primaries as their race […]
Pelosi Preps Joint Resolution With Graham to ‘Overturn’ Trump’s Syria Decision ‘Immediately’
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA on Monday announced that she and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) agreed to “a bipartisan, bicameral joint resolution to overturn the President’s dangerous decision in Syria immediately.” Read the rest of the story at Mediaite.
Concerns over ISIS escapees as Syrian troops move to border area to join fight with Kurds
Syrian government troops have began advancing north following a deal struck with Kurdish-led forces to hold off Turkey’s military offensive, as Kurdish authorities reported the escape of hundreds of people with links to ISIS from a detention camp in the area. The reported deal comes as US President Donald Trump decided to withdraw all remaining American forces out of northern Syria. The development has […]
Biden Takes Shot at Trump Family After Question About Son Hunter: None of My Kids Will Have White House Offices
After being questioned about his son Hunter Biden, former Vice President Joe Biden took a shot at the Trump family’s involvement in President Donald Trump’s administration, while also assuring voters that his children will not be awarded White House positions. “No one in my family will have an office in the White House, will sit in meetings as if they […]
Macabre Video of Fake Trump Shooting Media and Critics Is Shown at His Resort
A video depicting a macabre scene of a fake President Trump shooting, stabbing and brutally assaulting members of the news media and his political opponents was shown at a conference for his supporters at his Miami resort last week, according to footage obtained by The New York Times. Read the rest of the story at […]
Washington Post: We investigated the Watergate scandal. We believe Trump should be impeached.
We, former members of the Watergate special prosecutor force, believe there exists compelling prima facie evidence that President Trump has committed impeachable offenses. This evidence can be accepted as sufficient for impeachment, unless disproved by any contrary evidence that the president may choose to offer. The ultimate judgment on whether to impeach the president is for members […]
Lindsey Graham Says He’ll Out Whistleblowers If Trump Is Impeached
Senate Judiciary Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said during a Sunday interview with Fox News that the whistleblowers who have come forward as part of Donald Trump’s impeachment inquiry should be made to testify in public. “If the whistleblower’s allegations are turned into an impeachment article, it’s imperative that the whistleblower be interviewed in public, under oath and […]
Rude Pundit: Random Observations on Two Nights of Trump Bats***tery
1. At his campaign rallies of the damned the last two nights, in Minneapolis on Thursday and in Lake Charles, Louisiana, on Friday, President Donald Trump repeated one word like it was a tic or, more likely, the result of having the vocabulary of an Adderall-popping 8-year-old. That word? “Great.” Like when he was blowing Fox “news”: – […]
U.S. troops to withdraw from northern Syria as ISIS supporters escape amid alleged Turkish atrocities
U.S. troops were preparing to withdraw from northern Syria Sunday as Turkish forces continued their advance. Hundreds of Islamic State group supporters escaped from a displacement camp in the area and there were reports of alleged atrocities amid growing international alarm. About 1,000 troops will leave the area “as safely and quickly as possible,” Defense […]
Eric Boehlert: It’s about time… Biden, Democratic candidates punch back against shoddy press coverage
Democrats running for president have a new message for the news media: We’re not going to take it anymore. No longer willing to stoically suffer through bad, misleading press coverage, Democrats are borrowing a page from Republicans by going public with their complaints and demanding journalists do better. But unlike Republicans who often “work the refs” […]
“Hal Sparks Radio Podcast Megaworldwide” Joins The Sexy Liberal Podcast Network
The “Hal Sparks Radio Podcast Megaworldwide” is the podcast version of Hal Sparks weekend show on WCPT in Chicago and it’s now available!! Listen at SexyLiberal.com or subscribe on your favorite podcast app! The Hal Sparks Radio Podcast Megaworldwide
Trump’s losses mount in stunning day of setbacks
Five federal courts dealt blows to President Donald Trump on Friday just as the limits of his legal strategy to block an impeachment inquiry became clear. It amounted to a challenging end of a challenging week for Trump, who remains consumed by an impeachment crisis that is clouding his presidency. Within moments of each other, a […]
Kevin McAleenan out as acting Homeland Security chief
The acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is exiting, President Donald Trump tweeted Friday evening. “Kevin McAleenan has done an outstanding job as Acting Secretary of Homeland Security,” Trump said on Twitter. “We have worked well together with Border Crossings being way down. Kevin now, after many years in Government, wants to spend more […]
Giuliani Is Said to Be Under Investigation for Ukraine Work
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are investigating whether President Trump’s personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani broke lobbying laws in his dealings in Ukraine, according to two people familiar with the inquiry. The investigators are examining Mr. Giuliani’s efforts to undermine the American ambassador to Ukraine, Marie L. Yovanovitch, one of the people said. She was recalled in […]
Shepard Smith, Fox News Anchor, Abruptly Departs From Network
To critics who accuse Fox News of being uniformly pro-Trump, the network often points to the blunt-truth reporting of Shepard Smith, its veteran chief news anchor, whose coverage of the Trump White House stood out on a channel known best for conservative opinion. Starting now, Fox News will need to point to somebody else. In […]
House committees subpoena Giuliani associates
House Democrats on Thursday issued subpoenas to two Florida businessmen who worked with President Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, on his efforts to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden. The subpoenas to Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman for documents by Oct. 16 came hours after reports emerged that the two were arrested on campaign finance charges. Parnas and Fruman were […]
Rudy Giuliani Planned Vienna Trip 1 Day After Arrested Associates Were Headed There: Report
Rudy Giuliani was reportedly planning to leave Thursday for Vienna, Austria, a day after two business associates who helped him with his dealings with Ukraine officials were arrested as they were headed to the same destination. The Atlantic’s Elaina Plott reported that Giuliani, President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, told her he would not be able […]
Trump rips into Democrats at Minnesota rally
President Donald Trump used his rally in Minneapolis Thursday night to hit some of his favorite campaign trail targets — railing against Democrats, reasserting his support for law enforcement and criticizing immigration policies. He also responded to the latest news in the impeachment inquiry, taking aim the Bidens and insisting that he has done nothing wrong. “From […]
House Dems Subpoena Rick Perry for Ukraine Docs
The House of Representatives has subpoenaed Secretary of Energy Rick Perry for documents related to the Ukraine matter. President Donald Trump and his allies’ interactions with Ukraine are the subject of an ongoing impeachment inquiry. According to Politico, the subpoena demands Perry submit “a series of documents related to Perry’s knowledge of President Donald Trump’s July 25 phone call with […]
Trump lashes out over Fox News poll that shows majority support his impeachment
President Donald Trump expressed his displeasure Thursday with a Fox News poll that found a majority of registered voters believe he should be impeached — a record high in the survey. The poll came after House Democrats opened an impeachment inquiry into the president over his call to have his Ukrainian counterpart investigate former Vice President Joe […]
Two Florida businessmen who helped Giuliani in Ukraine arrested on campaign finance charges
Two foreign-born associates of Rudy Giuliani who gave money to a political action committee supporting President Donald Trump were arrested Wednesday night on criminal charges tied to an alleged effort to influence U.S. politics with illegal campaign contributions. Igor Fruman and Lev Parnas — who are also both witnesses in the impeachment inquiry being undertaken by House Democrats — […]
The Rude Pundit: That Letter From Trump Is Punk Ass Bitchery
The Constitution is pretty fucking clear in how vague it is about impeachment. All it says in Article I is “The House of Representatives shall choose their speaker and other officers; and shall have the sole power of impeachment” and “The Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments” with more procedure following […]
Trump Gets Pilloried After Dismissing Kurds for Not Helping U.S. at Normandy: ‘Most Disgusting, Disgraceful Thing’ He’s Ever Said
President Donald Trump offered a bizarre defense for his abrupt decision to pull back US forces from northern Syria and expose our Kurdish allies to attack from the Turkish military, citing the Kurds absence from the Normandy invasion 75 years ago as a reason for abandoning them. “The Kurds are fighting for their land, just so you […]
Turkey says 180 targets hit as troops continue advance into Syria
Turkish forces continued their advance into northeastern Syria Thursday after launching an air and ground offensive against Kurdish fighters, the Turkish defense ministry said in a tweet. The Turkish defense ministry offered no further information but posted a video of Turkish troops stalking their way through the long grass west of the Euphrates river and said the […]
Biden calls for Trump’s impeachment, Trump immediately responds
Former Vice President Joe Biden called for President Donald Trump to be impeached during a blistering campaign speech on Wednesday. “Donald Trump has violated his oath of office, betrayed this nation and committed impeachable acts,” Biden said in his strongest comments to date on the matter, adding, “He should be impeached.” Read the rest of […]
Trump calling GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell three times a day to warn about disloyal Republicans
Even as the White House appears to settle on the legal tactics to stave off Democrats’ impeachment demands, uncertainty and unease over Trump’s messaging approach remains high among his Republican allies, who see the ever-growing inquiry consuming the White House. Trump has offered scant indication he is turning his focus to governing, despite his lawyers writing in […]
Pelosi Fires Back at WH Over Letter: Efforts to Hide the Truth ‘Will Be Regarded as Further Evidence of Obstruction’
Speaker Nancy Pelosi has fired back at the White House over the letter to Congress refusing to cooperate with the House’s impeachment inquiry. The Trump administration is calling the inquiry “constitutionally illegitimate” and accusing the Democrats of sham proceedings. Tonight Pelosi says, “For a while, the President has tried to normalize lawlessness. Now, he is trying to […]
Bob Cesca: What sleazy deal did Trump make with Erdogan? We don’t know — but the mind reels
There are countless possible explanations, but it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that Donald Trump decided to allow Turkey to attack the Kurds in northern Syria in order to crowbar the news cycle away from his impeachment. But as I’ve been writing from the beginning, Trump always makes things worse for Trump. Instead of tamping […]
Trump’s Ukraine Call Was ‘Crazy’ and ‘Frightening,’ Official Told Whistle-Blower
A White House official who listened to President Trump’s July phone call with Ukraine’s leader described it as “crazy,” “frightening,” and “completely lacking in substance related to national security,” according to a memo written by the whistle-blower at the center of the Ukraine scandal, a C.I.A. officer who spoke to the White House official. The […]
Supreme Court appears split as it weighs 2 landmark cases on LGBTQ rights
A seemingly divided Supreme Court on Tuesday heard highly anticipated cases on whether federal civil rights law should apply to LGBTQ people, with Chief Justice John Roberts questioning how doing so would affect employers. In the first of two cases, the justices heard arguments on whether a federal law banning job discrimination on the basis of sex should also […]
Democrats to subpoena Gordon Sondland after Trump intervenes
House Democrats are preparing to subpoena a central witness in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump after he bowed to a State Department order to skip a deposition on Tuesday. Gordon Sondland, Trump’s ambassador to the European Union, had been expected to testify Tuesday morning as part of an expanding impeachment probe by three […]
Trump administration orders ambassador at center of Ukraine scandal not to appear before Congress
Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, has been directed not to appear Tuesday for a scheduled interview with House committees leading the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. Sondland, a Trump political appointee, has emerged as a central player in Trump’s bid to persuade Ukraine’s new government to commit publicly to investigate corruption and the president’s […]
Seeking Ukraine Aid Records, House Subpoenas White House Budget Office and Pentagon
The House on Monday expanded its sprawling impeachment inquiry, issuing subpoenas to the Defense Department and the Office of Management and Budget for documents that could solve lingering mysteries about whether President Trump’s decision to withhold security aid for Ukraine was tied to his efforts to pressure the government there to investigate his political rivals. […]
WaPo: Dems Considering ‘Extraordinary’ Steps to Protect Whistleblower So Republicans Don’t Leak Identity
The intel whistleblower is expected to speak to the House Intelligence Committee, but per new reporting today, Democrats are taking steps to “mask” the whistleblower’s identity from Republicans over concerns it would get leaked. The Washington Post reports on some “extraordinary” steps being considered by House Democrats to “to prevent Trump’s congressional allies from revealing the identity” […]
Trump says he’s “not siding with anybody” with Syria withdrawal
President Trump didn’t let intense Republican criticism of his decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria rattle him Monday, insisting he made the right call in deciding to leave the unstable region to Turkey and other actors. Experts and the president’s own allies like Senator Lindsey Graham fear the decision to withdraw from the region will endanger Kurdish allies […]
Historic Supreme Court arguments Tuesday in LGBTQ workplace rights dispute
Aimee Stephens finally mustered the courage back in 2013 to tell her co-workers about something that she had struggled with her entire life: her gender identity. “I have known many of you for some time now,” Stephens explained in a letter, and then she told them she had decided to have sex reassignment surgery and […]
Charlie Pierce: President* Trump Abandons the Kurds in Syria Overnight
You get the feeling now that, with time running out on El Caudillo del Mar-a-Lago and his retinue of crooks and mountebanks, all the dark debts he owes to people for their help in getting elected are coming due, the debts to Vladimir Putin and the Volga Bagmen first among them. There was the extortion plot aimed […]
Republicans slam Trump’s Syria pullout: ‘Disaster,’ ‘Betrayal,’ ‘Mistake’
A long list of Republicans — including several top allies of President Donald Trump — lined up in vehement opposition Monday to the president’s decision to withdraw U.S. forces from the northern border of Syria and allow a Turkish operation there. The announcement marked a major blow to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, which the U.S. […]
House subpoenas defense secretary, Trump budget chief for Ukraine documents
House Democrats on Monday issued a pair of subpoenas to Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Office of Management and Budget Acting Director Russell Vought demanding documents and communications regarding President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend U.S. aid to Ukraine. Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., issued the subpoenas as part of Democrats’ impeachment inquiry in consultation with House Oversight […]
Trump wins delay in New York court fight over producing his tax returns
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Monday granted President Donald Trump a last-minute reprieve in his effort to prevent New York prosecutors from obtaining his tax records. The stay was issued not long after a federal judge rejected Trump’s claim that he was immune from criminal investigations in a bid to […]
Newsweek: Official Who Heard Call Says Trump Got ‘Rolled’ By Turkey and ‘Has No Spine’
Donald Trump got “rolled” by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a National Security Council source with direct knowledge of the discussions told Newsweek. In a scheduled phone call on Sunday afternoon between President Trump and President Erdogan, Trump said he would withdraw U.S. forces from northern Syria. The phone call was scheduled after Turkey announced it […]
Trump Accuses House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of ‘Treason’ in Furious Late Night Tweets
President Donald Trump unleashed on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Adam Schiff in a pair of furious tweets late Sunday night — absurdly accusing the Democratic lawmakers of “High Crimes and Misdemeanors, and even Treason.” Trump has been fixated on comments Schiff gave last week in which he paraphrased the president’s call with the president of Ukraine. The president also […]
GOP Sen. Ron Johnson Insists He Doesn’t Trust the CIA or the FBI in Clash With Chuck Todd
In a heated Meet The Press interview with NBC host Chuck Todd Sunday, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) accused the CIA and the FBI of conspiring against President Donald Trump — and even declared that he doesn’t trust the government agencies. “Ukrainian officials reportedly helped Clinton allies research Trump’s advisers,” claimed Johnson. “There is potential interference in the 2016 campaign. That’s what Trump wants to get […]
Trump Just Opened the Way for Turkey to Invade Syria—and ISIS to Make a Big Comeback
Turkey is about to invade the part of Syria the U.S. invaded to defeat the so-called Islamic State. Except Turkey is invading it to defeat the Kurdish proxy force the U.S. relied on to defeat ISIS, because Turkey considers that proxy a terrorist group. And U.S. President Donald J. Trump, apparently, is fine with that. […]
Eric Boehlert: Visiting foreign journalists call out Trump’s increasingly erratic behavior. Why won’t D.C. press?
Donald Trump’s stupefying public performances last Wednesday as the widening collusion scandal continued to gain momentum were stunning, even by his erratic standards. Trump uncorked rambling, incoherent, angry, whiny monologues that were filled with lies and rattled conspiracy theories. That’s when he wasn’t yelling at a Reuters reporter and threatening to sue members of Congress. Incredibly, both disturbing Alex […]
The Rude Pundit: Trump’s Madness By the Numbers
16 – Number of times Trump declared his conversation with Ukraine’s President Zelensky “perfect” 12 – Number of times Trump said the conversation or something else was “nice” (note: Trump was not nice in the conversation.) 3 – Number of times Trump brought up Lindsey Graham telling him “I never knew you were that nice” (or a […]
2nd whistleblower comes forward after speaking with Inspector General
Mark Zaid, the attorney representing the whistleblower who sounded the alarm on President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine and triggered an impeachment inquiry, tells ABC News that he is now representing a second whistleblower who has spoken with the inspector general. Zaid tells ABC News’ Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos that the second person — also described as an intelligence official — […]
House Dems Subpoena WH Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney — Trump’s ‘Actions Have Left Us No Choice’
House Democrats leading the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump have issued a subpoena to White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, saying that the president’s repeated claim of executive privilege and stonewalling of various committees’ document requests “have left us with not choice.” Committee chairs Adam Schiff, Eliot Engel, and Elijah Cummings sent a four-page letter to the White House on Friday night, […]
Immigrants will be denied visas if they can’t pay for health care under new Trump rule
President Donald Trump announced Friday that legal immigrants will be denied visas unless they can prove they have health insurance or the means to cover medical costs. The rule, which takes effect Nov. 3, is part of a broader effort within the administration that seeks to make it more difficult for low-income legal immigrants who […]
Bernie Sanders had a heart attack
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders suffered a heart attack, his campaign confirmed on Friday after he departed Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center in Las Vegas. “I want to thank the doctors, nurses, and staff at the Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center for the excellent care that they provided,” Sanders said in a statement Friday. “After two […]
New York Times: 2nd intelligence official might submit whistleblower complaint
A second intelligence official with concerns and more direct knowledge regarding President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine is considering filing a whistleblower complaint, The New York Times reported Friday. The Times’ report, citing two people briefed on the matter, comes as House Democrats ratchet up their impeachment inquiry centered on Trump’s July phone call with Ukrainian President […]
U.S. ambassadors pushed Ukraine to investigate as condition for White House visit, texts show
Text messages given to Congress show U.S. ambassadors working to persuade Ukraine to publicly commit to investigating President Donald Trump’s political opponents and explicitly linking the inquiry to whether Ukraine’s president would be granted an official White House visit. The two ambassadors, both Trump picks, went so far as to draft language for what Ukrainian […]
