The Virginia GOP has finally, after months of infighting and refusal to cooperate from its Trumpian wing, settled on how it will nominate its candidates for statewide races: a drive-up “convention.”
At Liberty University — if it’ll have them.
Manchin Throws Support Behind Interior Secretary Nominee After Tanden Opposition
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) on Wednesday announced his support of Rep. Deb Haaland (D-NM) to lead the Interior Department under the Biden administration. Manchin’s support for Haaland likely secures her confirmation as the first Native American to hold a Cabinet position. Continue reading “Manchin Throws Support Behind Interior Secretary Nominee After Tanden Opposition”
Biden Puts Forward Three USPS Board Noms, Two With Deep Mail Voting Creds
President Biden announced three nominees Wednesday to fill vacant seats on the U.S. Postal Board of Governors. His candidates are a former deputy postmaster general, a mail voting advocate and a former postal union lawyer.
Continue reading “Biden Puts Forward Three USPS Board Noms, Two With Deep Mail Voting Creds”
‘Get Used To Me’: Defiant DeJoy Previews More Cost-Cutting Measures
Hyping a big Postal Service reorganization plan that he still hasn’t unveiled publicly yet, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy appeared before Congress Wednesday with a declaration, rather than details: I’m here to stay.
Continue reading “‘Get Used To Me’: Defiant DeJoy Previews More Cost-Cutting Measures”
WH Maintains It’s ‘Fighting For’ Tanden Confirmation Even After Hearing Delay
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday insisted that the Biden administration remains committed to “fighting” for the nomination of Neera Tanden to lead the OMB, following the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s postponement of its confirmation hearing for Tanden. Continue reading “WH Maintains It’s ‘Fighting For’ Tanden Confirmation Even After Hearing Delay”
Where Things Stand: Gory New Details About South Dakota AG Hit-And-Run
We’ve been following the story of South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg’s fatal hit-and-run incident for some time now. And new video footage of interviews between the state AG and investigators raises questions about what truly happened on that September night — and the extent to which Ravnsborg might have known that he hit a human being, not a deer.
Like, for instance, the fact that the victim’s reading glasses were allegedly found inside the vehicle that Ravnsborg was driving when he hit him.
Continue reading “Where Things Stand: Gory New Details About South Dakota AG Hit-And-Run”
Limbaugh’s Home County Defies DeSantis, Won’t Lower Flag In Shock Jock’s Honor
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) wanted to make a big show of honoring the late, racist shock jock Rush Limbaugh after Limbaugh died last week at 70. By Wednesday, that plan had fallen to pieces as it became clear DeSantis’ subjects weren’t too thrilled about the idea.
Continue reading “Limbaugh’s Home County Defies DeSantis, Won’t Lower Flag In Shock Jock’s Honor”
House Hearing With Capitol Architect Further Shows Intel Lapse Before Insurrection
Capitol Architect Brett Blanton testified to House Committee on Appropriations’ Subcommittee on Legislative Branch that he was not informed of the FBI’s intel on Trump extremists’ plans to storm the Capitol on January 6, nor was he directed to beef up physical barriers on the campus ahead of the attack.
Blanton is a member of the Capitol Police board with the US Capitol police chief and the two Sergeant-at-arms of the House and Senate. As such, most of the subcommittee’s questions were directed at him and what he knew about the threat of the insurrection before it occurred.
Besides Blanton, the witnesses included House Curator Farar Elliott and and Chief Administrative Officer Catherine Szpindo.
The testimonies also tamped down on certain concerns regarding the extent to which the insurrection was pre-planned: Blanton told lawmakers that he hasn’t seen “any indication” that the attackers had access to the Capitol floor plans, and Szpindo said that her cybersecurity office didn’t see an attempt to breach the Capitol’s online network that day or any other time that could be tied to the insurrection.
The hearing was aimed at examining the damage inflicted upon the Capitol building during the siege, along with the wellness of the Capitol employees who were there.
Tense Exchange Between McCarthy, Cheney Highlights GOP Divide On Trump
A tense moment Wednesday during a House Republican leadership press conference highlighted the enduring divide over President Donald Trump and his role in the future of the party.
Continue reading “Tense Exchange Between McCarthy, Cheney Highlights GOP Divide On Trump”
Report: Manhattan Prosecutor Zeroes In On Don Jr.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office is expanding its criminal investigation into former president Donald Trump and his company, paying particular attention to Trump’s eldest son, Don Jr., according to a Daily Beast report.
The renewed interest in Don Jr’s activities as the executive vice president of his father’s company comes after Cy Vance’s office subpoenaed a New York City property tax agency on Friday amid a broad investigation into possible tax and bank-related fraud by the former president and the Trump Organization.
Don Jr. had managed the family business with his brother, Eric Trump, during his father’s term in office — effectively rejecting calls for then President Trump to divest himself from the business or use a blind trust for his assets.
Earlier this week, Trump issued a statement calling the investigation a “fishing expedition,” after the Supreme Court gave Vance a clean shot at Trump’s long-shielded tax returns and other financial records.
Trump has publicly shrugged off developments in the long-running investigation as “more bullshit” because it has sought testimony from former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, a person familiar with the ex-president’s thinking told the Daily Beast.
But the investigation has notably heated up in recent weeks.
The New York Times reported on Thursday that Vance’s team had recruited top prosecutor, Mark Pomerantz, an expert in white-collar and organized crime.
Even as the investigation gains fresh momentum, some of the former president’s closest advisers have also been telling him for weeks that shouldn’t fret. Once source told the Daily Beast that Trump has asked about the investigation “a few times” in recent weeks.
“I have told him, as I think he already believes, that it’s a lot of political grandstanding,” the source said.
Although he has predictably upheld a strongman stance in public, one source also suggested to the Daily Beast that Trump has privately expressed concern about enemies who he believes will be probing or “suing me for the rest of my life,” after he lost the legal privileges afforded to a sitting president.