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April 2017

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 06, 2017 33 Comments
The Senate Republicans used the "nuclear option" to end the filibuster on Judge Neil Gorsuch's nomination to the Supreme Court. The Senate now has 30 hours to debate before the confirmation vote, which should take place on Friday at 7PM EST. The Senate voted 55-45 to end the debate with three Democrats voting yes: Donnelly (IN), Heitkamp (ND), and Manchin (WV). With this change, a Supreme Court nominee can receive confirmation with a simple majority instead of 60 votes.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 06, 2017 51 Comments
This is breaking news and will be updated. Republican House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, who exposed the "unmasking" of information regarding the Trump transition team by the Obama administration, has announced he will step aside from the Russia investigation This is a major victory for Democrats, who have smeared and attacked Nunes, and comes after liberal interest groups filed ethics complaints against Nunes, leading to an ethics investigation. [Post to be updated]

Posted by Mark Finkelstein on April 06, 2017 26 Comments
On Wednesday night, Virgil Bernero, the mayor of sanctuary city Lansing, Michigan, told Tucker Carlson that if his police force were to enforce immigration laws, it would be seen as an "occupying force." An incredulous Tucker responded, "people come into your country illegally, your job is to enforce the laws as a police officer, and you somehow feel guilty because you're an occupying force?" Bernero then played the white privilege card,  "it's easy for white men like us . . . who enjoy what we enjoy . . . " Tucker could take no more: "I was taking you seriously at the beginning, but this is just buffoonish."

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 05, 2017 15 Comments
My post, At this point, anti-Trump Russia hysteria smells like Ben Rhodes-style echo chamber, has received a pretty good reaction. The basis thesis was that what is happening to Trump when it comes to Russia is similar to the admitted deception and media echo chamber created by Ben Rhodes, communications point man for the Obama administration's push for the Iran nuclear deal. That deception involved the false narrative of nuclear talks sparked by a newly-found moderation in the Iranian regime, and the creation of a self-sustaining echo chamber of naive media and aligned pro-Iranian interest groups. The goal was not just to advance the Iran nuclear deal, but also to provide cover for the overall objective of a Grand Bargain with Iran, giving Iran regional hegemony. While the anti-Trump Russia echo chamber doesn't mirror the Iran echo chamber precisely in details, it's pretty close when it comes to creating a similar effect.

Posted by Mary Chastain on April 05, 2017 10 Comments
Controversial advertising is one of the best ways to earn media. Which seems to be what Pepsi was thinking when it released an ad with model Kendall Jenner, featuring police and protesters, intentionally reminiscent of Black Life Matters protests. Wednesday, Pepsi pulled the ad after immense backlash from all ends of the political spectrum. The left complained the ad made light of the Black Lives Matters protests while conservatives whined it placed cops in a bad light.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on April 05, 2017 14 Comments
House Republicans held meetings late into Tuesday night, hoping to find some consensus on health insurance reform before the upcoming recess to no avail. By all accounts, there's still no other Obamacare repeal plan and so lawmakers, including Vice President Pence, are still trying to make the failed American Healthcare Act (AHCA) work.

Posted by Mary Chastain on April 05, 2017 13 Comments
On Tuesday, almost 60 people died in Syria after warplanes dropped bombs filled with chemicals. The number includes women and children. Many suspect President Bashar al-Assad's regime for the attack. President Donald Trump condemned the attack, but also ripped into former President Barack Obama for not sticking to his "red line" on Syria:
“Today’s chemical attack in Syria against innocent people including women and children is reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilized world,” Mr. Trump said in a statement.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on April 05, 2017 6 Comments
A recent revamp of Trump's National Security Council cut former Breitbart News Chief Executive Steve Bannon's role entirely. Bannon's role as a National Security Advisor was controversial from the get-go.

Posted by Mike LaChance on April 05, 2017 10 Comments
Elizabeth Warren fancies herself a champion on the issue of equal pay for women but like many progressives, she doesn't hold herself to the same rules she wants for others. Brent Scher of the Washington Free Beacon did a little digging and found that the pay difference between men and women on Warren's staff is rather problematic:
Elizabeth Warren’s Female Staffers Made 71% of Male Staffers’ Salaries in 2016 The gender pay gap in Sen. Elizabeth Warren's (D., Mass.) office is nearly 10 percent wider than the national average, meaning women in the Massachusetts Democrat's office will have to wait longer than most women across the country to recognize Equal Pay Day.

Posted by Mark Finkelstein on April 05, 2017 15 Comments
On CNN this morning, Chris Cuomo said to Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah, "Breitbart is using you as a poster boy. You know that is the president's viewing of choice. He loves to see what they put out. They are using you as the poster boy that Susan Rice was politically motivated in unmasking." Cuomo told Lee, "it does seem as though you're saying Rice has to prove it wasn't politically motivated for me to believe that it wasn't. And that's not fair." Retorted Lee: "That is an absolutely absurd manipulation of what I said. That is not at all what I said. I did in fact say that something like this could have happened. I did in fact say it's not absurd to suggest something like this could have happened. And every time I've said anything like that, it's been accompanied by 'I don't know what Susan Rice did. I don't know the facts of the case."

Posted by Leslie Eastman on April 05, 2017 51 Comments
One of my favorite TV shows airing this season is "Feud", which depicts the legendary rivalry between Joan Crawford (Jessica Lange) and Bette Davis (Susan Sarandon) during their collaboration on the psychological thriller, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Another legendary feud is currently taking place between President Donald Trump and California's political leaders. The policy conflict has now substantially escalated after the state senate approved "Sanctuary State" legislation bill that bars local and state law enforcement from using their resources to help federal immigration authorities.
The 40-member body approved Senate Bill 54, introduced by Sen. President Pro Tem Kevin de León, on a 27-12, party-line vote. It now heads to the Assembly.
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