Don’t miss this subscriber-only analysis of the current military situation in Ukraine from TPM’s Josh Kovensky. Josh lived and worked in Ukraine for about three years. So he knows the geography and political geography that eludes most of us who only know most of this as lines on maps. I really recommend it.
Where Things Stand: RonJohn Must Think This Is The Winning Position
As one of, if not the most vulnerable, senator seeking reelection this midterm cycle, Sen. Ron Johnson’s (R-WI) been staking out his policy positions on a number of issues rather publicly in recent weeks — after mid-August polling from Marquette Law School found that the incumbent was trailing behind his Democratic rival. Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes has a 7-percentage point lead over Johnson with 51 percent of the vote compared to his 44 percent.
And his latest remarks — clarifying where he stands on a same-sex marriage bill that could soon come before members of the upper chamber — include a few too many references to “religious liberty” to not be read as a scrambling effort to satisfy the religious right after initially appearing to be open to the bill.
Continue reading “Where Things Stand: RonJohn Must Think This Is The Winning Position”Keep An Eye On Ukraine’s Latest Attempt To Turn The Tide
There’s early but accumulating evidence to suggest that Ukraine may be on the verge of its biggest breakthrough in months in its fight to take back territory from Russia.
Continue reading “Keep An Eye On Ukraine’s Latest Attempt To Turn The Tide”Famously Anti-Affordable Care Act Judge Targets Some Of Its Most Popular Provisions
A U.S. district judge in Texas, known for his hostility towards the Affordable Care Act, delivered a significant blow against the law’s critical preventative care provisions in a Wednesday ruling.
Continue reading “Famously Anti-Affordable Care Act Judge Targets Some Of Its Most Popular Provisions”Judge Knocks Down Michigan’s 1931 Abortion Ban, Saying That It Denies Women Their ‘Dignity’
A Michigan judge Wednesday struck down a state abortion ban still on the books from 1931, finding that it violates the due process and equal protection clauses of the Michigan constitution.
Continue reading “Judge Knocks Down Michigan’s 1931 Abortion Ban, Saying That It Denies Women Their ‘Dignity’”GOPers Are Blocking Michigan Abortion Ballot Measure Over Complaints About… Word Spacing
The ballot measure to enshrine abortion rights in Michigan’s constitution garnered more petition signatures from everyday voters than any measure in the state’s history: Roughly 750,000, well above the state’s threshold.
Continue reading “GOPers Are Blocking Michigan Abortion Ballot Measure Over Complaints About… Word Spacing”Biden-mentum
Nathan Gonzales has an interesting observation in Roll Call. Presidents generally lose ground in public support during first midterm election years and they never become more popular. That is until Joe Biden.
Gonzales looks back 70 years to Harry Truman and finds the pattern is consistent. The only marginal exception is Donald Trump in 2018. But that’s largely because he started off at 39% and was at 40% by election day. Biden was a great exemplar of this pattern until about seven weeks ago. He started the year weak, treaded water until the spring and then saw his numbers drop consistently. Then about seven weeks ago he started an upward trend which now has him at about 43% support.
Needless to say these are not great numbers. They’re a bit below Barack Obama’s at his first midterm, a bit over Trump’s at the same period. Both had big midterm losses. But the upward trend this late in the cycle is basically unprecedented.
Bannon Will Surrender To New York State Law Enforcement To Face New Indictment
Former White House chief strategist and MAGA warrior Steve Bannon has been criminally charged in New York in a sealed indictment and is expected to surrender to state prosecutors on Thursday, according to the Washington Post and other outlets.
Continue reading “Bannon Will Surrender To New York State Law Enforcement To Face New Indictment”New Charges for Bannon
Steve Bannon faces new criminal charges in New York state, charges which appear to mirror the ones for which he received a pardon from then-President Trump before Trump left office. He is expected to surrender to authorities in New York tomorrow.
Is It Iran?
In response to last night’s Post revelation about documents found at Trump’s villa, I said that the most likely foreign countries whose defense secrets were found there were the United Kingdom, France and Israel. This was guesswork and a process elimination. But a few of you have written to tell me you suspect it’s Iran. I don’t think so. But the information we have to go on is so minuscule that almost anything is possible. Let me explain.
Continue reading “Is It Iran?”