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Author: Mary Chastain

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Mary Chastain

Mary is the resident libertarian. She covers stories in every vertical, but her favorite thing to do is take on the media. She saw its bias against the right when she was a socialist.

Mary loves the Chicago Cubs, Chicago Blackhawks, tennis, cats, Oxford comma, Diet Coke, and needlework.

Posted by Mary Chastain on December 15, 2017 11 Comments
The drama is almost over as the Republicans have unveiled their tax bill. They are also closer to victory since Sen. Bob Corker (TN) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) have decided to back the bill, leaving the Senate with only two undecided Republicans. From The New York Times:
On Friday, as Republicans released details about the final bill, it became clear that the agreement would provide deep and longstanding tax cuts for businesses, while providingslightly more generous tax breaks to low- and middle-income Americans byreducing some benefits for higher earners.

Posted by Mary Chastain on December 15, 2017 5 Comments
Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), both of which said they would vote on the tax bill, have both come out as a yes for the bill only a hours before its scheduled to come out. The GOP now has zero senators declaring a no on the vote, but there are still a few undecided.

Posted by Mary Chastain on December 15, 2017 24 Comments
Top Republicans in Congress continue to scrutinize the anti-President Donald Trump texts between FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page. The two officials were romantically involved and worked on Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. He kicked Strzok off the team over the summer due to these texts. But a specific text caught the eye of the top Republicans. In this one, it mentions an "insurance policy" against Trump's presidency and a man named Andy, which they have assumed means FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.

Posted by Mary Chastain on December 14, 2017 19 Comments
The GOP's vision of passing a tax bill in the Senate is slowing fading as Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) has threatened to vote no on it unless the bill expands the child tax credit. From The Washington Post:
“I understand that this is a process of give and take, especially when there’s only a couple of us fighting for it, the leverage is lessened,” Rubio (R-Fla.) said Thursday in the Senate. “But given all the other changes made in the tax code leading into it, I can’t in good conscience support it unless we are able to increase [the child tax credit], and there’s ways to do it and we’ll be very reasonable about it.”

Posted by Mary Chastain on December 14, 2017 35 Comments
The local ABC station in Victoria, TX, has reported that Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-TX) will not seek re-election. The station is currently trying to receive more information from his office. His term ends on January 20, 2019. The news comes a day after Michael Rekola, Farenthold's former communications director in 2015, has come forward to reveal the improper behavior towards him from Farenthold, including sexual jokes about his then-fiancée.

Posted by Mary Chastain on December 13, 2017 9 Comments
Republicans in the House and Senate have struck a deal on the tax bill. Details of the agreement have started to leak out as Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn said he has confidence it will pass next week. From Politico:
One major deal that fell into place, on the state and local tax deduction, would allow taxpayers to choose a property tax deduction or a deduction for state and local income taxes, up to $10,000 in either case, according to a GOP congressional aide and a person familiar with the process.

Posted by Mary Chastain on December 13, 2017 18 Comments
Fired? Resigned? Conflicting reports have come out over Omarosa Manigault Newman's departure as director of communications for the White House Office of Public Liasion. The White House said her last day is January 20. From Politico:
"Omarosa Manigault Newman resigned yesterday to pursue other opportunities," the White House said in a statement. "We wish her the best in future endeavors and are grateful for her service."

Posted by Mary Chastain on December 13, 2017 26 Comments
Last week, Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) announced he will resign in the coming weeks after facing numerous sexual misconduct allegations. Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton (D) has appointed Lt. Gov. Tina Smith (D) to take over Franken's seat whenever the senator does decide to step down.

Posted by Mary Chastain on December 12, 2017 12 Comments
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) tried to come to the defense of her colleague Sen. Kristin Gillibrand (D-NY) after President Donald Trump claimed that the latter used to beg him for campaign contributions "and would do anything for them." Warren fired back on Twitter and asked Trump if he is "really trying to bully, intimidate and slut-shame" Gillibrand. But this is another example of the media's weird obsession with Trump's Twitter account while ignoring other big stories go below the fold.

Posted by Mary Chastain on December 11, 2017 35 Comments
Last week, I blogged how the DOJ demoted Bruce G. Ohr during an investigation into his contacts at Fusion GPS, the firm that produced the infamous on then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. The story has become more mysterious as Fox News revealed that Ohr's wife worked at the firm during the election.

Posted by Mary Chastain on December 11, 2017 25 Comments
The New Yorker has cut Ryan Lizza over alleged sexual misconduct:

Posted by Mary Chastain on December 11, 2017 12 Comments
The GOP in Congress are no doubt desperate for a victory after the failed Obamacare repeal attempts, but that desperation could come back and bite them. They want to pass the tax bill before Christmas, but all the rushing and late nights have caused errors. From The Washington Post:
Questionable special-interest provisions have been stuffed in along the way, out of public view and in some cases literally in the dead of night. Drafting errors by exhausted staff are cropping up and need fixes, which must be tackled by congressional negotiators working to reconcile competing versions of the legislation passed separately by the House and the Senate.
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