Fox News contributor Karl Rove addresses the Biden administration denying there is a migrant border crisis and the cancellation of Dr. Seuss on 'America's Newsroom.'
House Republicans will reclaim their majority in 2022 by offering candidates who are women, minorities or veterans, a memo obtained by Axios says. Why it matters: The document, drafted by a super PAC blessed by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, names top Democrats to target — Jared Golden of Maine, Matt Cartwright of Pennsylvania and Ron Kind of Wisconsin — and the type of Republican candidates to beat them. Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeThe Congressional Leadership Fund spent $140 million during the 2020 cycle, helping Republicans defy the odds and come within five seats of winning the House. The group now plans to play a key role in shaping the 2022 contests. The details: The memo, written by CLF President Dan Conston, singled out Golden, Cartwright and Kind because they live in Trump-friendly rural and working-class districts. Conston recommends "star Navy SEAL" Derrick Van Orden seek a rematch with Kind but says the GOP needs to find new, "stronger recruits" to take on Golden and Cartwright.The memo is blunt about candidate recruitment."In 2020, all 15 of the seats Republicans flipped were won by a woman, a minority or a veteran," Conston writes. "Continuing to recruit similar candidates is a foundational building block to the majority in 2022."Between the lines: House Republican candidates performed substantially better than Donald Trump did in suburban districts. The suburbs don't need to be the GOP killing fields that they were under Trump.Republicans will benefit in 2022 from "Democrats' overreach" on policies such as lengthy school closures, curtailment of fracking and pipeline cancellations, Conston writes.The big picture: The memo sounds the alarm about insufficient Republican candidate fundraising, calling it the "single biggest threat to Republicans taking back the majority."In competitive races, Democrats out-raised half of all Republican incumbents and all but three Republican challengers were out-raised, the memo states.During the final stretch, Democratic candidates spent $88 million more on television than Republicans.CLF has deep pockets, but super PACs pay far higher TV ad rates than campaigns. Conston emphasized that candidates will need to "stand on their own two feet" and boost their own digital fundraising, to get CLF support.Be smart: Conston predicts redistricting will bring on "painful member-vs.-member primaries," but he expects redistricting to ultimately help Republicans pick up seats in Texas, Florida, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina and Montana.More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free
Kal Penn, the actor and Obama White House official, will be out Nov. 2 with a memoir, "You Can't Be Serious," which he says is "for anyone who has ever wondered if it’s possible to have more than one calling."Details: Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, says the book is "about growing up as a skinny kid with a funny name and later helping another skinny kid with a funny name become President of the United States."Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free."Mostly, it’s a story about how your life can have more than one story, and knowing you have many more choices than those presented to you."The backstory: Penn, represented for the book by Robert Barnett, had been "a stoner in the Harold and Kumar films and a sports medicine doctor on the hit TV show House when his House castmate Olivia Wilde invited him to be her +1 at a campaign event for then-Senator Barack Obama.""Kal began to balance show business with a role on Obama’s presidential campaign; he then took a sabbatical ... to serve as an Associate Director in the White House Office of Public Engagement, where he was President Obama’s Liaison to Young Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and the Arts community."Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.
Victoria Coates, then a deputy national security adviser, was transferred out of the White House amid a whisper campaign that she was the author of the op-ed and book.
Michigan Republicans are calling for an investigation into Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s policy that forced long-term care facilities to accept coronavirus-positive patients. In letters to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and acting U.S. Attorney General Monty Wilkinson last week, state Senator Jim Runestad claims that there is “no accurate data on how many residents may have been harmed by this policy” due to “reporting failures.” “Gov. Whitmer’s administration has been questioned repeatedly about unintended consequences of her policies and discrepancies in the reported numbers of cases and deaths in our state’s long-term care facilities,” Runestad writes in the letters obtained by National Review. “It has now come to our attention that these reporting errors have likely not been resolved.” He adds that “questions remain regarding the accuracy of data, compliance with CDC guidelines and compliance with our state’s Freedom of Information Act. There is a critical need for a full investigation into these matters.” Runestad writes that there has been no clear reporting path to document nursing home patient cases by facility after a transfer takes place. “Moving residents around the state between facilities and hospitals may have significantly increased exposure of nursing home residents to the virus, while simultaneously shielding the toll.” When Runestad and seven other GOP state senators contacted nursing homes in their districts they found discrepancies in how cases were being reported, according to the letter. While some nursing homes are reporting a positive test in their numbers when a patient is transferred to a hospital and receives a positive test result there, others are not. “The executive orders have only required long-term care facilities to report when they have a resident who had a positive test at their facility, but not when a patient who was transferred tests positive,” the letter says. “Additionally, there may be similar discrepancies in how these deaths are reported after transfer.” In Michigan 15,273 people have died of the virus — 5,515 of whom were residents at long-term care facilities. Another 79 were employees at those facilities. The letter notes that the U.S. Department of Justice announced in August that it is seeking data from Michigan’s governor and three other governors “who issued orders that may have resulted in the deaths of elderly nursing home residents.” When Michigan House Oversight Committee chairman Steven Johnson held a hearing to investigate, the state health and human services director sent a letter in lieu of in-person testimony. “Basically what it said was, ‘We are doing everything we have to, we have the greatest data out there, we’re collecting everything like we are supposed to,” Johnson said, according to FOX2 Detroit. “But they didn’t actually share the data with us.” Ted Goodman, communications director for the Michigan Republican Party, called the Whitmer administration’s “lack of transparency unacceptable,” and said the lockdown orders and nursing home policies “have led to additional suffering that could have been avoided.” “The people of Michigan deserve a full investigation into these matters,” Goodman told National Review. The letter comes as New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has faced calls for an investigation into his administration’s coverup of its dismal handling of nursing home coronavirus deaths. Last month, a top aide to Governor Cuomo admitted that the administration covered up the true data on nursing home deaths from the coronavirus in New York state in order to hide the magnitude of the issue from federal authorities.
Vernon Jordan, the civil rights leader who served as an adviser to former President Bill Clinton, has died at 85. Jordan died on Monday night "surrounded by loved ones" with "his wife and daughter by his side," his daughter confirmed in a statement on Tuesday. Information about his cause of death wasn't disclosed. Jordan worked as a field director for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, as well as Southern Regional Council Voter Education Project director, United Negro College Fund executive director, and National Urban League president. CNN notes that he worked with presidents including Lyndon Johnson, Ronald Reagan, and Barack Obama, but his "closest political friendship" was with the Clintons, acting as an adviser to the 42nd president. NAACP President Derrick Johnson honored Jordan as an "influential figure in the fight for civil rights" on Tuesday. "An icon to the world and a lifelong friend to the NAACP, his contribution to moving our society toward justice is unparalleled," Johnson said. "In 2001, Jordan received the NAACP's Spingarn Medal for a lifetime of social justice activism. His exemplary life will shine as a guiding light for all that seek truth and justice for all people." Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams was among those who also honored Jordan on Tuesday, writing, "He battled the demons of voter suppression and racial degradation, winning more than he lost. He brought others w/him. And left a map so more could find their way." Rev. Al Sharpton also remembered Jordan as a "true civil rights giant," while Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison said, "From civil rights to business, Mr. Jordan demonstrated the highest quality of leadership and created a path forward for African-Americans where there were none. He will be missed." More stories from theweek.comManhattan DA investigators are reportedly focusing on the Trump Organization's chief financial officerHistorian: Biden's support for Amazon workers voting to unionize is 'almost unprecedented'Trump is back. Did anyone miss him?
Following his first post-presidency speech, former President Donald Trump described the Jan. 6 rally that preceded the deadly Capitol riot as "beautiful" a "love fest." Trump spoke with Fox News on Sunday after delivering a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, in which he continued to falsely claim he won the 2020 presidential election. In the Fox interview, Trump was asked if there's anything he would have in retrospect done differently prior to a crowd of his supporters storming the Capitol building on Jan. 6, but the former president instead spoke favorably about the rally he delivered remarks at before the deadly riot. "That rally was massive," Trump said. "...It was tremendous numbers of people. Not the Capitol, I'm talking about the rally itself. And it was a love fest. It was a beautiful thing." Trump spoke at a rally in Washington, D.C., on the day Congress was meeting to certify the election results, urging his supporters to march down to the Capitol building and "show strength" before a deadly riot ultimately occurred. The House of Representatives subsequently impeached Trump for "incitement of insurrection" for his actions surrounding the riot, though he was acquitted by the Senate. In reference to the violence that occurred at the Capitol following the rally, Trump told Fox he "hated to see" it. Trump during his CPAC speech didn't back down from his false claim that the 2020 election was fraudulent, and "Republicans in Washington let out a collective groan," Politico writes, as this "puts them right back in the position of rebuking Trump or looking spineless." Trump called in to Fox News after his CPAC speech and was asked by Steve Hilton about his response to the January 6 insurrection. He tried to shift blame to Pelosi before resorting to Black Lives Matter whataboutism. pic.twitter.com/5tjXcs12hF — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 1, 2021 More stories from theweek.comManhattan DA investigators are reportedly focusing on the Trump Organization's chief financial officerHistorian: Biden's support for Amazon workers voting to unionize is 'almost unprecedented'Trump is back. Did anyone miss him?
Unsurprisingly, former President Donald Trump won the Conservative Political Action Conference's 2024 presidential straw poll Sunday, and he did so handily, garnering 55 percent of the vote. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) was the only other potential candidate to reach double digits at 21 percent. It's unclear if Trump will run, but many Republicans, including some of Trump's fiercest critics, think he is the overwhelming favorite for the nomination right now if he does enter the ring. So, CPAC conducted a second poll without Trump. DeSantis led the way in that one at 43 percent, followed by South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) at 11 percent. Meanwhile, former Vice President Mike Pence, who declined an invitation to the conference in Orlando, didn't gain much traction. #CPAC2021 poll w/o Trump Ron DeSantis: 43%Kristi Noem: 11%Don Jr: 8%Mike Pompeo: 7%Ted Cruz: 7%Tucker Carlson: 3%Josh Hawley: 3%Nikki Haley: 3%Ivanka: 3%Rand Paul: 2%... and Mike Pence: 1% — Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) February 28, 2021 The polls, of course, come with many caveats attached. The election is a long way away, straw polls aren't the most reliable predictive method, and the CPAC conference is not necessarily representative of the larger Republican Party, which many analysts consider to be at a Trump-inspired crossroads right now. It's also worth noting that DeSantis' strong showing may be partly tied to the conference taking place on his home turf. Read more at The New York Times. More stories from theweek.comManhattan DA investigators are reportedly focusing on the Trump Organization's chief financial officerHistorian: Biden's support for Amazon workers voting to unionize is 'almost unprecedented'Trump is back. Did anyone miss him?
Rudy Giuliani had his YouTube account suspended on Monday for once again pushing false claims of election fraud. Giuliani was also found to be promoting nicotine, which is also a violation of the company’s Community Standards. A rep for YouTube said in a statement to TheWrap, “We removed content from the Rudy W. Giuliani channel for violating our sale of regulated goods policy, which prohibits content facilitating the use of nicotine, and our presidential election integrity policy. Additionally, in accordance with our long standing strikes system, we issued a strike against the Rudy W. Giuliani channel, which temporarily restricts uploading or live-streaming.” Giuliani’s first strike came back in January when he was (you guessed it) cited for violating YouTube’s policy against election misinformation. The second strike comes with a two-week ban. Also Read: Dominion Sues Rudy Giuliani for $1.3 Billion in Defamation Suit A third strike for Rudy Giuliani would result in a lifetime ban from the platform, which should really be the least of his problems. Back in January, Dominion Voting System sued the former New York City mayor for $1.3 billion over his false claims of election fraud. The 107-page lawsuit accused Giuliani, a lawyer for former president Donald Trump, of conducting “a viral disinformation campaign” about the company. Read original story Rudy Giuliani’s YouTube Account Suspended for False Claims of Election Fraud At TheWrap
Donald Trump had to be talked out of making an early endorsement in Ohio's 2022 U.S. Senate race, a sign of his eagerness to reengage politically, people familiar with the conversations tell Axios.What we're hearing: The former president discussed endorsing former state GOP chair Jane Timken last week during a meeting at Mar-a-Lago with RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, but top advisers — including Donald Trump Jr. — urged him to wait.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free“It’s way too early to make endorsement decisions in many of the races, particularly when primaries are more than a year away," Trump adviser Jason Miller told Axios. “This is much broader than any one race.”Endorsements will come only after candidate establish their campaigns and are vetted by the Trump operation, including filling out a questionnaire that will "help ensure all endorsees are conservative America First Republicans," Miller said.Trump's endorsement, which is highly coveted by Republicans across the country, could be the deciding factor for the Ohio GOP, a state party that's veered away from traditional John Kasich conservatism toward a full-on embrace of Trumpism.Between the lines: During their meeting, Trump asked McDaniel what she thought about Timken, who recently resigned as state party chair. He also wondered whether McDaniel thought Timken is "loyal" to him, two sources familiar with their conversation said.McDaniel spoke positively about Timken and her chances of succeeding Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), the sources said, despite it being against the RNC's bylaws for the chairwoman to get involved in primary campaigns. “Chairwoman McDaniel is good friends with Jane Timken and thinks highly of her. But, Chairwoman McDaniel did not make any recommendations on endorsements to President Trump and remains neutral in the primary,” RNC spokesperson Mike Reed said.Trump later spoke with Timken and discussed the race.Timken's name originally came up while Trump and McDaniel were discussing Bob Paduchik's run for chair of the Ohio GOP. The Trump-backed candidate was named to the position Friday.Later in the week, Trump huddled with his top political team, including Don Jr., former campaign managers Bill Stepien and Brad Parscale, former social media director Dan Scavino, former deputy campaign manager Justin Clark and Miller, as Politico first reported.While the team was discussing a number of races, the younger Trump said his father should not be endorsing in Ohio so early, one person familiar with the meeting told Axios.Don Jr. said there were too many unknowns in the race right now, and added there are multiple candidates who are running, or thinking about running, who are pro-Trump.Be smart: Donald Trump has already made several endorsements ahead of the 2022 elections, including Paduchik, Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) for reelection and his former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a candidate for governor of Arkansas.More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free
In one of the earliest showcases for what a post-Trump GOP statewide primary might look like over the next couple of years, Ohio Senate candidates Jane Timken and Josh Mandel are already squabbling over who's more loyal to former President Donald Trump. Timken kicked things off Monday when she called on Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio), one of the ten House Republicans to vote to impeach Trump in January, to resign, arguing "President Trump is the leader of our party and we must have conservative leaders committed to the team." https://t.co/TiTJAFn0s1 — Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) March 1, 2021 Mandel, who has claimed to be Trump's "number one ally" in Ohio, followed that up with scathing criticism, accusing Timken of "flip-flopping" on Gonzalez. He cited Trump's speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Sunday which claimed "there is no room in the party for 'spineless establishment Republicans.'" Timken, Mandel said, "has proven herself just that," while he has consistently opposed Gonzalez's vote. Here’s Josh Mandel, responding to Jane Timken’s call for Anthony Gonzalez to resign. #OHSen pic.twitter.com/Fd16H1xbV8 — Henry J. Gomez (@HenryJGomez) March 1, 2021 Mandel's comments may be one last desperate shot at getting Trump's approval, however — The Washington Post reported Sunday that Trump has already told Timken he'll endorse her, though her camp has not confirmed the news. Either way, the back-and-forth seems to line up with an earlier prediction from The Bulwark's Tim Miller that GOP primaries won't represent a battle between pro- and anti-Trump candidates. Instead, it's a battle for the right to own the "Trump lane," plain and simple. More stories from theweek.comManhattan DA investigators are reportedly focusing on the Trump Organization's chief financial officerHistorian: Biden's support for Amazon workers voting to unionize is 'almost unprecedented'Trump is back. Did anyone miss him?
The Biden administration is pulling back an environmental review that had cleared the way for a parcel of federal land held sacred by Apaches to be turned over for a massive copper mine in eastern Arizona. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday that it likely will take several months to further consult with Native American tribes and others about their concerns over Oak Flat and determine whether the environmental review fully complies with the law. The agency cited President Joe Biden's recent memo on strengthening relationships with tribal nations, and regularly consulting with them in a meaningful way.
U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday asked tough questions of lawyers arguing over the legality of two Republican-backed voting restrictions in Arizona in a case that could further weaken the Voting Rights Act, a landmark 1965 federal law that bars racial discrimination in voting. The important voting rights case comes before the justices at a time when Republicans in numerous states are pursuing new restrictions after former President Donald Trump made false claims of widespread fraud in the Nov. 3 election that he lost to Democratic President Joe Biden.
The mixed messages risk sowing confusion across the country as the nation enters the second year of the pandemic.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) sees a way Republicans can win back the House, Senate, and White House: Ditch former President Donald Trump. During an appearance Sunday on CNN's State of the Union, Cassidy warned his party that if it does not shift its focus to the issues, GOP candidates will lose in upcoming elections. "Political campaigns are about winning," Cassidy said. "Our agenda does not move forward unless we win. We need a candidate who can not only win himself or herself, but we also have to have someone who lifts all boats. And that's clearly not happened over the last four years." Cassidy — one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump of inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol — does not think Trump will be the 2024 GOP presidential nominee. He said Republicans need to connect with voters on "those issues that are important to the American people" if they want to win the 2022 midterms and 2024 presidential election, not worry about "putting one person on a pedestal and making that one person our focal point. If we idolize one person, we will lose. And that's kind of clear from the last election." More stories from theweek.comManhattan DA investigators are reportedly focusing on the Trump Organization's chief financial officerHistorian: Biden's support for Amazon workers voting to unionize is 'almost unprecedented'Trump is back. Did anyone miss him?
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has retained a prominent white-collar criminal defense lawyer to represent his office in a federal investigation into the state's misreporting of COVID-19 deaths among nursing home residents, a spokesman said on Monday. Cuomo has come under fire in recent weeks over his office's role in reporting the official count of coronavirus fatalities among patients of nursing and extended-care facilities, as well as for allegations of sexual harassment leveled against him. Elkan Abramowitz, a former federal prosecutor now working in private practice in New York City, was hired to represent Cuomo's "executive chamber" - consisting of the governor and his immediate staff - in the U.S. Justice Department inquiry into the COVID-19 nursing home deaths, senior advisor Rich Azzopardi told Reuters in a text message.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday supported an investigation into sexual harassment allegations against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. “These stories are difficult to read, and the allegations brought forth raise serious questions that the women who have come forward and all New Yorkers deserve answers to,” she said in a statement. “I’m glad to see that there will be a full, independent, and thorough investigation,” the former senator from New York added. New York attorney general Letitia James announced on Monday that her office has received a referral from the Cuomo administration, allowing for an independent investigation of harassment claims by two former staffers. Lindsey Boylan, the former deputy secretary for economic development and special adviser to Cuomo, on Wednesday published an essay detailing alleged sexual harassment she endured while working for the governor, including unwanted kissing and touching. She wrote in the essay that Cuomo, with the help of top female aides, “created a culture within his administration where sexual harassment and bullying is so pervasive that it is not only condoned but expected.” She also detailed an increasingly uncomfortable relationship she developed with the governor, in which he sought her out and set up one-on-one meetings with her. Boylan recounted a flight she shared with the governor from an event in October 2017 in which Cuomo allegedly said, “Let’s play strip poker.” On another occasion, Boylan says the pair met one-on-one for a briefing when Cuomo allegedly kissed her. Days later, former health policy adviser Charlotte Bennett alleged that the governor harassed her in spring 2020, according to the New York Times. Bennett, 25, said Cuomo asked intrusive questions about her sex life, including an incident on June 5 during which the governor asked whether she was monogamous and if she had sex with older men. Cuomo said that he “never made advances toward Ms. Bennett, nor did I ever intend to act in any way that was inappropriate.” However, the governor did not deny making the statements in question. He has also denied Boylan’s claims.
With a vote of 97-72, the Georgia state House on Monday passed a bill supported by Republicans that would roll back voting access. House Bill 531 requires a photo ID for absentee voting, limits weekend early voting days, restricts ballot drop box locations, and sets an earlier deadline to request an absentee ballot. The measure now heads to the state Senate for more debate. State Rep. Barry Fleming (R), the bill's chief sponsor, said it is "designed to begin to bring back the confidence of our voters back into our election system." Democrats and civil rights organizations disagree, arguing that it would make it much harder for people to vote, especially voters of color. State Rep. Renitta Shannon (D) said it is "pathetically obvious" that the bill is in response to Georgia voters turning out in record numbers for November's presidential election, making the state blue for the first time in decades. Voters also showed up in January for the Senate runoffs, when Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock defeated the Republican incumbents, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. This gave Republicans the message "that they were in a political death spiral," Shannon said. "And now they are doing anything they can to silence the voices of Black and brown voters specifically, because they largely powered these wins." Demonstrators marched outside the Capitol on Monday to protest the bill, which the Rev. James Woodall, president of the Georgia NAACP, called one of the "most egregious, dangerous, and most expensive voter suppression acts in this entire nation, rolling back years of hardball progress and renewing our own reputation for discrimination." More stories from theweek.comManhattan DA investigators are reportedly focusing on the Trump Organization's chief financial officerHistorian: Biden's support for Amazon workers voting to unionize is 'almost unprecedented'Trump is back. Did anyone miss him?
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has agreed to live in the seat of state government in Charleston, ending a long-running challenge over his residency. Through his attorney, Justice said he intends to reside in Charleston “consistent with the definition of ‘reside’ in the Supreme Court of Appeals’ opinion," according to the dismissal order signed by Senior Status Circuit Judge Dan O'Hanlon.
The Supreme Court on Monday seemed likely to find that the judges who oversee patent disputes are not properly appointed, a case important to patent holders and inventors including major technology companies. The question for the justices has to do with more than 250 administrative patent judges who make up the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, which was created by Congress in 2011. The case involves the Constitution’s Appointments Clause which lays out how government officials can be appointed.
Police are searching for the man responsible.
