Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is already sowing doubt about House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) fitness for leadership as Republicans look ahead to next year’s midterms — and McCarthy’s likely bid for House speaker if the odds tilt in the GOP’s favor. Continue reading “Gaetz Questions McCarthy’s Leadership Because He Hasn’t Punished Anti-Trump GOPers Enough”
Trump Foot Soldiers Have A Meltdown After Biden Tells Them To GTFO Military Boards
Many a head are exploding in Trumpland after the Biden administration told ex-President Donald Trump’s appointees on military academy boards, including Kellyanne Conway and former national security adviser H.R. McMaster, on Wednesday to either resign by 6:00 p.m. ET that day or else get axed.
Trump Loses It Over ‘Genius’ Civil War Loser’s Statue Getting Taken Down
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things.
A Bad Day For Racists
The ex-president had a full meltdown over the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia on Wednesday.
- That statue was a “work of art,” Trump fumed in a statement through his Save America PAC, in which he complained that the general who fought to keep Black people in chains “should be remembered as perhaps the greatest unifying force after the war was over.”
- Trump also tried to argue that Lee would’ve been victorious in Afghanistan and “what an embarrassment we are suffering because we don’t have the genius of a Robert E. Lee!”
- Fox News host Laura Ingraham was similarly indignant because “Of course, he fought for the Confederacy, he owned slaves,” BUT “he also played an indispensable role in post-war Reconstruction that was just instrumental in reuniting the country.”
Laura Ingraham: "Robert E. Lee is a towering figure in American history. Of course, he fought for the Confederacy and owned slaves, BUT…" pic.twitter.com/BDorgEHs4o
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) September 9, 2021
Anyway, check out Lee’s torso seceding from the rest of his body:
It is beyond me why they are melting down the Robert E Lee statue into a series of ornate public restrooms
— Edward Ongweso Jr (@bigblackjacobin) September 9, 2021
Manchin’s Laundry List Of Demands For Infrastructure
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and his staff have been hopping between Senate committee chairs for weeks to negotiate over the sweeping $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation plan for “soft” infrastructure, CNN reports.
- Manchin’s concerns reportedly lay in the plan’s ambitious expansions in health care, education, child care and taxes.
- The West Virginia Democrat has been meeting regularly with committee chairs that are central to crafting the legislation, including Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) and Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR).
- Manchin wants to shrink the child tax credit, limit eligibility for universal pre-K and free community college, and lower funding for home-care services, according to CNN.
- Meanwhile, five House committees will begin drafting the sprawling reconciliation bill today.
Schumer Shoots Down Manchin’s Demand For A ‘Pause’
Plans to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the expansive $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill together are moving “full speed ahead” despite Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) push to hold off on the latter and complaints about the budget’s price tag, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said yesterday.
- Schumer wasn’t caught off guard by Manchin’s op-ed that called for the “strategic pause,” according to CNN. The two Democrats had reportedly been discussing the plan regularly throughout August.
- The Senate Democratic leader’s comment came after Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) similarly brushed off the West Virginia Democrat’s demand.
DOJ Is Preparing To Sue Texas
The Justice Department plans to sue the Lone Star State over its extreme six-week abortion ban sometime this week, according to the Wall Street Journal and Politico.
- The DOJ will argue that the ban illegally conflicts with federal interests, the two outlets report.
- The suit could reportedly come as soon as today, but the timing may be pushed back.
The FBI Releases New Video Footage Of The Suspected Jan. 6 Pipe Bomber
The FBI put out new information on the person who is believed to have planted pipe bombs near the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee headquarters the day before the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.
- The info dump included new surveillance footage of the suspect in the areas near the offices. The FBI released a virtual map of the suspect’s route with the footage:
- The FBI has collected more than 300 tips and held more than 800 interviews in the agency’s manhunt for the bomber since the insurrection, according to Steven M. D’Antuono, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
The Jan. 6 Lawyer Who Ghosted His Clients Is Back
John Pierce, a lawyer who represents 17 Jan. 6 insurrectionists and who mysteriously disappeared in late August, showed up at one of his clients’ hearings on Tuesday amid reports that he had been hospitalized for COVID-19.
- Pierce, who refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine, wouldn’t say what he was hospitalized for, only telling the judge in the hearing that he was “hanging in there.”
- Pierce told NPR that the morning he was admitted to the hospital, where he stayed for 12 days, was “extremely chaotic.”
- At least three of the lawyer’s clients have dumped him since his hospitalization, according to NPR.
Harris And Obama Lend A Hand To Newsom In His Recall Fight
The vice president traveled to her home state yesterday to rally for California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) ahead of the recall election next Tuesday:
.@VP Kamala Harris: "We are here today to say we fight for Gavin Newsom. We fight for our country. We fight for the values we hold dear. We fight for working people. We fight for organized labor. We fight for Dreamers. We fight for women. We fight for voting rights." pic.twitter.com/MxesROOAhc
— The Hill (@thehill) September 8, 2021
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris rallied for California Governor Gavin Newsom in San Leandro, saying the upcoming election to recall the Democratic leader is not just about the state but also 'about who we are as a nation' https://t.co/S2kbMU9QgQ pic.twitter.com/efAhgUBLuk
— Reuters (@Reuters) September 8, 2021
- Former President Barack Obama also released a 30-second ad urging Californians to vote against recall:
Listen to @BarackObama — California has a big choice to make on September 14th.
Your vote could be the difference.
Vote NO on the Republican Recall.
There’s too much on the line to sit this one out. pic.twitter.com/U3cKDcRaVY
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) September 8, 2021
- Newsom’s recruited several other key powerplayers to stump for him, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and mostly recently, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY):
California: do not mess with this recall.
We need folks to TURN IN THEIR BALLOTS. Vote NO and drop it in the mail tomorrow.
Don’t sleep on this. It takes 5 mins but it’s urgent. We have so much work to do already and a nightmare fuel recall election is the last thing we need. https://t.co/XouDdNbltI
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) September 9, 2021
DeSantis Has No Clue How Masks Became Politicized
Gov. Ron DeSantis: "I don't know why the masks have politics around it." pic.twitter.com/sLrvxdxVJh
— The Recount (@therecount) September 8, 2021
Yeah it’s a real mystery:
He’s literally selling anti-mask merch https://t.co/VwGOBIrjar pic.twitter.com/r19V9zo49F
— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) September 8, 2021
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Biden Admin Urges Ex-Trump Officials To Resign From Military Academy Boards — Or Get The Boot
The Biden administration has asked 11 former Trump officials appointed to military service academy advisory boards to resign before facing removal. Continue reading “Biden Admin Urges Ex-Trump Officials To Resign From Military Academy Boards — Or Get The Boot”
Where Things Stand: Jan. 6 Lawyer Who Went AWOL After Possible COVID Infection Reemerges
The whereabouts of conservative lawyer John Pierce, who is representing 17 Capitol insurrectionist defendants, have been fuzzy for some time.
Greene And Roy Fined For Repeated Subversion Of House Floor Mask Rule
The House Ethics Committee on Wednesday fined Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Chip Roy (R-TX) for their vehement refusal to wear masks on the House floor. Continue reading “Greene And Roy Fined For Repeated Subversion Of House Floor Mask Rule”
Register Now for TPM’s Next Virtual Event
The 2020 redistricting cycle is looking to be quite bad for Democrats. Does that mean losing the House to Republicans is inevitable? Or is there some way Dems can avoid a wipeout? We’ll bring together journalists and experts of both opinions to debate just how screwed the Democrats are. Register now!
Continue reading “Register Now for TPM’s Next Virtual Event”
No Election Is Safe: Trumpworld Trots Out Bogus Voter Fraud Claims In Newsom Recall
Here we go again.
After almost a year of licking their wounds over former President Trump’s loss in the 2020 presidential election, right-wingers are turning to their usual tactic as polls start leaning toward California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) favor ahead of the recall election against him: sowing doubt over the election process. Continue reading “No Election Is Safe: Trumpworld Trots Out Bogus Voter Fraud Claims In Newsom Recall”
The Stars Are Aligned For A Once-in-a-Generation Change To A More Progressive Tax Code
Over the past 30 years, Congress has enacted roughly three major tax hikes.
House GOPers Troll Jan 6 Committee By Demanding Preservation Of Dems’ Records, Too
Eight House Republicans are now demanding that telecommunication companies preserve the phone records of Democrats.
It’s a trolling copy cat maneuver on the GOP’s part, following the bipartisan Jan. 6 select committee’s request for the preservation of phone records of GOP lawmakers in their investigation into the deadly Capitol insurrection. Many of the letter signees have been mad about the committee’s massive doc requests for the past week — primarily because some of them are clear targets of the probe due to their actions leading up to the insurrection. Continue reading “House GOPers Troll Jan 6 Committee By Demanding Preservation Of Dems’ Records, Too”