The New York Times, among others, is reporting that Joe Biden and his advisors are trying to come up with ways to address voter concerns about his age if he enters the Democratic presidential primaries: “Mr. Biden and his top advisers are considering nodding to the rising next generation in Democratic politics — and elevating an heir — by announcing a running mate early, well before the nomination is sealed. Also under discussion is a possible pledge to serve only one term and framing Mr. Biden’s 2020 campaign as a one-time rescue mission for a beleaguered country, according to multiple party officials.” Stacey Abrams has been named as a possible running mate.
Reports that Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump haven’t been complying with security and record keeping regulations naturally provokes Democrats to cry hypocrisy, given the outsized attention Hillary Clinton’s emails received in the 2016 election. But as eagle-eyed blogger Marcy Wheeler notes, the power couple is merely the most public manifestation of a much more pervasive problem.
I’ve been thinking more about why Donna Brazile’s decision to join Fox News as a contributor bothers me so much. The core problem is normalization. She was hired so that Fox News could pretend to be a mainstream media outlet that provides diverse viewpoints.
This morning the president’s lawyer tweeted:
The below excerpt from Wikipedia, if true, is another indication that the Steele Dossier about Russia is a phony work of political opposition research. Comey never bothered to check when Steele was last in Russia. So where was it written and who wrote it? We demand answers!
— Rudy Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) March 22, 2019
Trump likes to hire people based on TV appearances and the announced nomination of Stephen Moore to join the Federal Reserve board is no different. Moore has long been a cable news staple. His record in that medium is worth reviewing,
The global revival of fascism and white nationalism has gotten me re-reading some of the writers part of the original fascist wave, especially the American poet Ezra Pound. Pound remains at the center of an unsettled debate about the relationship between art and politics. Living in Italy from 1924 to 1945, Pound was a full-on enthusiast for the regime of Benito Mussolini, even broadcasting on its behalf while Italy was at war with the United States. After the war, Pound only avoided being charged with treason by being judged insane. He was institutionalized at St. Elizabeths hospital in Washington from 1945 until 1958.
First indications that Mueller report has been delivered to Barr.
No indications that anything substantive is about to be released publicly.
Late Update: Attorney General Bill Barr in a letter CNN read on the air is telling Congress he may be able to provide it with more information as early as this weekend.
The much anticipated moment is here. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has submitted his report to Attorney General William Barr. Now the fate of report becomes a profoundly political matter. In a letter to congress, Barr promises he’ll advise Congress about the report perhaps as early as the weekend. But Barr has tremendous discretion as to how much he can tell Congress or the public.
It appears Attorney General Bill Barr will be submitting a summary report of special counsel Mueller’s findings to Congress within the next hour.