Several political operatives tied to Kanye West’s presidential campaign are experienced Republican Party pros, some of whom have ties to President Donald Trump.
Continue reading “Kanye West Campaign Helped By Multiple GOP Election Pros”
Several political operatives tied to Kanye West’s presidential campaign are experienced Republican Party pros, some of whom have ties to President Donald Trump.
Continue reading “Kanye West Campaign Helped By Multiple GOP Election Pros”
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — “Squad” member Rashida Tlaib won a challenge for her House seat in Michigan’s primary, in a rematch with the woman she narrowly defeated two years ago.
Tlaib, one of the first two Muslim women in Congress, easily secured likely re-election to the 13th District in and around Detroit. Her opponent in Tuesday’s primary was Detroit City Council President President Brenda Jones, who lost by 1 percentage point in 2018 when the primary field was larger. Jones on the same day defeated Tlaib to later fill out the remainder of John Conyers’ term.
This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis.
Besides the surge in vote-by-mail ushered in by the pandemic, we can add another layer to why it could take awhile to find out which party controls the U.S. Senate in 2021.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. businesses sharply reduced hiring last month, suggesting that resurgent COVID-19 infections slowed the economic recovery as many states closed parts of their economies again and consumers remained cautious about spending.
U.S. firms added just 167,000 jobs in July, payroll processor ADP said Wednesday, far below June’s gain of 4.3 million and May’s increase of 3.3 million. July’s limited hiring means the economy still has 13 million fewer jobs than it did in February, according to ADP, before the viral outbreak intensified.
Continue reading “Payroll Firm ADP: Hiring Slowed Dramatically In July”
As part of his attacks against voting by mail, President Donald Trump dismissed on Wednesday morning the notion that mail-in ballots protect voters from COVID-19, claiming without evidence that it’ll be “very safe” to show up at the polling sites in person on November 3.
Continue reading “Trump Baselessly Claims Voting In Person Will Be ‘Very Safe’ In November”
Republican National Convention planners, seeking to make up for a convention with much less of the pomp of the past, are now considering the South Lawn of the White House as a backdrop to President Donald Trump as he delivers his nomination acceptance speech, the Washington Post reported.
People involved in the planning told the Post that a final decision had not yet been made on the location of the Republican convention’s celebratory events. But a move to hold a convention speech on White House grounds would break with precedent to at least attempt to distinguish between official presidential business and campaign events.
Trump confirmed the possibility Wednesday morning in a Fox & Friends interview, saying it represented the “easiest alternative.”
“It would be by far the least expensive from the country’s standpoint because it really is, it’s a big deal when you get up and move all of this apparatus,” Trump said.
The consideration of the South Lawn for the GOP acceptance speech follows earlier botched plans to hold the full convention in Charlotte, and then Jacksonville, decisions that were trashed amid criticism that large crowds would likely worsen coronavirus outbreaks in those states.
The Trump International Hotel in D.C., has also been floated as a potential site for the week’s festivities, the Post said. Officials told the Post that the President leases the hotel from the federal government and costs incurred by the government to host the events would be repaid.
The fraught decision about where Trump will deliver a formal speech to accept the GOP nomination and culminate the convention’s programming is complicated by earlier disappointments that the President would not be able to hold a convention with all of the bells and whistles of the past amid the coronavirus pandemic. While the RNC has said it will still hold official meetings on August 24 in Charlotte to nominate Trump, there are still three more days of speeches and programming from undetermined sites ahead of Trump’s acceptance speech scheduled for August 27.
According to The New York Times, a White House official said that Trump has been leaning toward a string of speeches that could be delivered outdoors in various places with a stage serving as the main hub throughout the week in Washington. The Times also reported Monday that a Trump speech from within the White House was also being considered.
With some exceptions, federal law typically prevents government property from being used for political purposes, but the Hatch Act, which prevents many federal officials from certain forms of political activity at work, exempts both the president and the vice president from any restrictions.
Rep. Roger Marshall (R-KS) won the Senate GOP primary in Kansas on Tuesday night, fighting back former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach.
While Democrats have failed to secure a Senate seat in the state since the 1930s, the Republican establishment feared ahead of Tuesday’s results that a win in the GOP primary for Kobach might give Democrats an edge, considering Kobach’s controversial illegal immigration measures that have drawn national attention. Kobach had also alienated independent and moderate Republican voters when he lost Kansas governor’s race in 2018, despite a Trump endorsement.
Marshall, a two-term congressman, clinched the support of longtime Sen. Pat Roberts, who will vacate his seat, while also winning the recommendation of former Sen. Bob Dole. Powerful groups like the Kansas Farm Bureau, as well as business and anti-abortion groups also backed Marshall.
President Donald Trump opted to withhold a formal endorsement in the race, in spite of prodding from top Republicans like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
The decision follows a previous failed Trump endorsement for Kobach in the 2018 gubernatorial race. Trump had backed Kobach a day before that Republican primary, which Kobach won by a very slim margin. Kobach was later beat by Democrat Laura Kelly.
Marshall tweeted a video shortly after the race was called Tuesday night featuring a congratulatory call from Trump. On speakerphone, the President applauded Marshall on a “incredible race” and said he has his “total support.” Trump later tweeted on Wednesday morning that Marshall has his “Complete and Total Endorsement.”
Marshall will face Democratic state Sen. Barbara Bollier, who CNN reported has broken state fundraising records. Bollier had raised more than $8 million through July — and her campaign said Tuesday night that the total is now $9 million, with donations flying in from outside of the state, the Associated Press reported.
Marshall’s opponent, Bollier, was a former longtime moderate Republican who garnered national attention when she switched parties at the end of 2018.
Ferguson Black Lives Matter activist Cori Bush unseated 10-term Rep. Lacy Clay (D-MO) in Missouri’s primary elections on Tuesday, marking yet another progressive upset victory against an establishment Democrat in the 2020 primaries.
Continue reading “Progressive MO Activist Defeats Establishment Dem Rep. Lacy Clay In Upset Victory”
A member of the committee tasked with advising the Food and Drug Administration on COVID-19 vaccine approval expressed worry to TPM about political meddling in the process of vaccine approval.
The White House made it known that it is considering three executive orders on COVID-19 unemployment efforts just as its two lead negotiators on the issue met with Democrats for the seventh time Tuesday afternoon.
Continue reading “WH Floats Possible Unemployment Executive Orders Just Before Negotiators Meet”