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Public Impeachment Hearings Will Begin Next Week, House Says

The House Intelligence Committee will hold the first of a series of public impeachment hearings next week, Democrats announced on Wednesday, calling three senior State Department officials to testify as they begin laying out their case against President Trump. In the debut of the sessions expected to be televised live from Capitol Hill, lawmakers plan […]

Stephcast 11-6-19

Lindsey Graham Says He Won’t Read Impeachment Testimony Transcripts

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told CBS News that he won’t be reading the transcripts House impeachment investigators released Tuesday, even though a witness revised his testimony to indicate that a quid pro quo deal was pushed on Ukraine. When asked if he planned on reading the testimony of U.S. Ambassador to the E.U. Gordon Sondland and former special envoy Kurt […]

Dem claims victory in Kentucky governor race, as Democrats flip Virginia legislature

The closely watched governor’s race in Kentucky between incumbent GOP Gov. Matt Bevin and Democratic challenger Andy Beshear remains too close to call, according to The Associated Press, despite a celebratory speech by Beshear. Beshear, the Democratic attorney general and a Kentucky political heir, held a slim lead over Bevin, 49.2% to 48.8%, according to unofficial […]

Bob Cesca: His dark materials… Trump’s war on truth gets sicker, and more dangerous

Given how the year started out, the Virginia Democratic Party didn’t need another bombshell news story to collapse on its head so close to the state and local elections this week. But it appears as though Gov. Ralph Northam executed a baby. Sure, Virginia is a death penalty state, and even though Northam is personally […]

Sondland changes testimony, acknowledges delivering quid pro quo message to Ukraine

U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland told House impeachment investigators this week that he now remembers telling a top aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Ukraine would not receive U.S. military assistance until it committed to investigating the 2016 election and former Vice President Joe Biden, according to a person with knowledge of […]

Rand Paul issues fiery demand for media to reveal whistleblower’s identity

Republican Sen. Rand Paul, before a raucous crowd on Monday, demanded members of the media print the identity of the anonymous whistleblower at the heart of the House impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine. “I say to tonight to the media: do your job and print his name,” Paul, a Kentucky Republican, yelled during a […]

Roger Stone complains of food poisoning, leaves jury selection in his trial

Jury selection in the trial of Roger Stone, the longtime confidant and adviser to President Donald Trump, got off to a bizarre start on Tuesday as Stone left the proceedings due to what he said was food poisoning shortly after an observer was taken out of the courtroom on a stretcher after appearing to have […]

Stephcast 11-5-19

Charlie Pierce: Mike Pompeo’s State Department Answers to Sean Hannity, Apparently

Once upon a time, there was a king of France who believed he was made of glass. Apparently, this was A Thing at the time. People thought they were made of glass. Literally. It was a sort of advanced, funky hypochondria, I guess. Some cases were more advanced than others, too. Read the rest of […]

Supreme Court unlikely to help Trump keep his taxes from prosecutors

President Donald Trump will face strong headwinds in asking the Supreme Court to stop prosecutors in New York from getting his tax returns. Past Supreme Court rulings have upheld subpoenas directed at presidents, and this time the local prosecutors are seeking documents from the Trump Organization and Trump’s accountants — not directly from the president himself. […]

House Releases First Depositions From Trump Impeachment Probe

House investigators on Monday released transcripts from the closed-door interviews with two former State Department officials as part of their impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.  These are the first depositions the Democrat-controlled House has made public as they investigate Trump pressuring Ukrainian officials to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter […]

Giuliani associate in talks with impeachment investigators

An associate of Rudy Giuliani — Lev Parnas — has initiated talks with impeachment investigators through his attorney. The attorney, Joseph Bondy, told the team from CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” that he had sent a letter to congressional investigators saying Parnas will comply with a congressional subpoena for his documents and testimony.   However, Bondy said […]

Ousted Ukraine ambassador Yovanovitch says she was told to tweet praise of Trump to save her job

Marie Yovanovitch, the ousted U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, told House impeachment investigators last month that U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland told her she should tweet out support or praise for President Donald Trump if she wanted to save her job, according to a transcript of her testimony made public Monday. The three House committees leading […]

Stephcast 11-4-19

Whistleblower offers to give Republicans testimony as Trump seeks to unmask

 The U.S. official whose whistleblower complaint led to the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump offered to answer questions directly to Republicans on the intelligence committee leading the inquiry, one of his lawyers said on Sunday. Mark Zaid said the action was taken to counter Republican efforts, led by Trump, to unmask the whistleblower, a […]

Mueller Memo Bombshell: Michael Cohen Told If He Stuck To Russia Story, Trump ‘Loves You’

Donald Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen was told that if he stuck to his account of Trump’s relationship with Moscow, the president “loves you,” according to a bombshell document from the Robert Mueller investigation obtained by BuzzFeed. The glimpse into attempts to influence the convicted attorney who worked for Trump for years was in 500 pages of summaries of FBI interviews with […]

Rep. Speier: Transcripts will ‘probably’ be released in next 5 days

Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) set a five-day timeline on Sunday for the release of deposition transcripts that are part of the House’s impeachment probe into President Donald Trump. “I think you’re going to see all of the transcripts that are going to be released probably within the next five days,” Speier, a member of the […]

All four White House officials scheduled for House inquiry depositions today won’t testify

All four White House officials who are scheduled to give depositions on Monday during the House’s impeachment inquiry won’t show up, as a source with knowledge of the situation tells CNN that National Security Council lawyers John Eisenberg and Michael Ellis will not testify. The two officials will join Robert Blair, assistant to the President and senior adviser […]

Eric Boehlert: Stop doing this… CBS News hires Fox News reporter who constantly peddled Obama, Clinton conspiracies

In January 2016, Catherine Herridge, Fox News’ longtime chief intelligence correspondent, reported a huge scoop: No fewer than 150 FBI agents were investigating Hillary Clinton’s emails and the private server she used while serving as secretary of state. The number, as part of Herridge’s exclusive report based on anonymous sources, was shocking. If the FBI had assigned 150 […]

The Rude Pundit: Trump Is Obsessed With Adam Schiff’s Parody of His Phone Call with Zelensky

One of the things we know about President Crimey McPantsshitter is that he brooks no insults (unless he’s in on the joke, a la his Comedy Central roast, which, yes, is a thing the president of the goddamn United States has done). You could make a strong case that one reason he ran for president is because […]

Charlie Pierce: Elizabeth Warren’s Healthcare Plan Has All the Ambition Democratic Voters Should Demand

Let us get the requisite hunk of cynical reality out of the way right here at the top. Absent the kind of national landslide that killed off the Whigs and Federalists, or a sudden discovery within the Republicans of a vestigial collective conscience, no Democrat’s healthcare plan will get through to the president’s desk out of a […]

Trump booed at UFC fight in New York City

President Donald Trump was greeted by a mix of boos and cheers Saturday night as he walked into Madison Square Garden to attend an Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts bout. The appearance was his first in New York City since announcing he was changing his permanent residence to Florida and also marked the first time a […]

Smugglers Are Using $100 Hardware Store Power Tools to Saw Holes in Trump’s $10 Billion Wall

Donald Trump wanted a wall because his brain can only spit out simple solutions to complex problems. So, away America went building a “big beautiful wall” on the southern border, which amounted to plastering a steel and cement bandage on a broken bone. There are real solutions, hard solutions, to balancing effective border security and […]

SM Happy Hour Videocast 11-1-19 Joel Stein

Warren’s plan to pay for ‘Medicare for All’: $20.5 trillion in new spending, taxes on the rich and corporations

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., released a detailed plan Friday that she says would fully fund a “Medicare for All” bill and cover every American without premiums or deductibles, all with “not one penny in middle-class tax increases.” Warren’s campaign estimates her plan would keep combined public and private health spending “just under” $52 trillion over the next […]

Beto O’Rourke ends his presidential bid after campaign failed to take off

Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke dropped out of the 2020 presidential race on Friday after a disappointing campaign that failed to build off the momentum generated from his longshot Texas Senate run. “Though today we are suspending this campaign, let us each continue our commitment to the country in whatever capacity we can,” he wrote in an email […]

Stephcast 11-1-19

Trump ditches New York to become a Florida resident, court documents show

President Donald Trump, a native New Yorker, has now declared himself a Florida resident, according to court documents. The President changed his permanent residence to his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, in late September, and first lady Melania Trump followed suit in October, in forms filed with the Palm Beach County Circuit Court.   Read the rest […]

Katie Hill Blames ‘Shameless Operatives’ and ‘Gutter Politics’ For Resignation in Defiant House Floor Speech

In her final speech on the House floor, Rep. Katie Hill tore into what she called a “double standard” in a “misogynistic culture.” The resigning congresswoman explained that she didn’t want to be a distraction into the impeachment inquiry. “I am leaving now because of a double standard. I’m leaving because I no longer want to […]

House takes huge impeachment step with vote on Trump probe

The House on Thursday took a historic vote to set ground rules for its fast-moving impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump — a move that essentially starts the clock for an eventual decision on whether to oust the president. Thursday’s vote — roughly along party lines — was partly intended to neutralize a frequent GOP […]

Stephcast 10-31-19

Eric Boehlert: CNN’s Sean Duffy problem is only going to get worse

How do you solve a problem like Sean Duffy? The former Republican congressman, who was hired by CNN to blindly defend Donald Trump while the impeachment process unfolds, is creating problems for the network by constantly fabricating facts and spreading reckless and dangerous conspiracy theories. And yes, he’s only been on the CNN payroll for 10 days. Read the rest […]

Trump lures GOP senators on impeachment with cold, hard cash

President Donald Trump is rewarding senators who have his back on impeachment — and sending a message to those who don’t to get on board. Trump is tapping his vast fundraising network for a handful of loyal senators facing tough reelection bids in 2020. Each of them has signed onto a Republican-backed resolution condemning the inquiry as […]

GOP senators warn quick dismissal of impeachment trial would be bad for everyone

Key Republican senators told CNN the Senate should conduct a fulsome trial of President Donald Trump — assuming the House soon sends over articles of impeachment, as expected — and not try to jam through a motion that would allow them to dismiss the case quickly on a partisan vote. A motion of dismissal was attempted […]

Twitter to stop accepting political ads ahead of the 2020 Election

Twitter announced Wednesday that it will no longer take political ads, a major step as tech companies work to deal with misinformation ahead of the 2020 election. The ban will go into place in November.   In a series of tweets, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey laid out the company’s reasoning, focusing on the downside of political […]

House set to vote on Trump impeachment procedures today

The House is set to vote Thursday morning on how to proceed with its impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump — a move that will put lawmakers on record about where they stand and that Republicans are decrying as a sham. Debate on the procedures — which include beginning public hearings and the release of some of the […]

South Carolina priest denied Joe Biden communion over abortion stance

Former Vice President Joe Biden was denied communion at a South Carolina church on Sunday because of his views on abortion, a local priest confirmed in a statement to ABC News on Wednesday. “Sadly, this past Sunday, I had to refuse Holy Communion to former Vice President Joe Biden. Holy Communion signifies we are one with God, […]

Trump’s Russian Ambassador Pick: Seeking Foreign Help In Elections Violates U.S. Values

A top State Department official told senators on Wednesday that attempts by a U.S. president to solicit foreign investigations into his domestic political opponents would not agree with American values. During his confirmation hearing to become U.S. ambassador to Russia, Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan said he doesn’t believe such behavior would “be in […]

Stephcast 10-30-19

White House Ukraine Expert Sought to Correct Transcript of Trump Call

Lt. Col. Alexander S. Vindman, the top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council, told House impeachment investigators on Tuesday that the White House transcript of a July call between President Trump and Ukraine’s president omitted crucial words and phrases, and that his attempts to include them failed, according to three people familiar with the testimony. Read the […]

State Department official to testify today that John Bolton warned about influence of Rudy Giuliani on Ukraine

Former national security adviser John Bolton cautioned about the influence Rudy Giuliani had on US-Ukraine policymaking during a meeting in mid-June with top US officials, a career foreign service officer plans to tell Congress on Wednesday, according to a copy of his opening statement obtained by CNN. Christopher Anderson, who was former special envoy for Ukraine Kurt Volker‘s […]

Bob Cesca: So we’re supposed to treat Donald Trump with respect, after all this? Oh, hell no

The last 36 hours have illustrated two horrible truths about this era. First, there are way too many Americans who still accept Donald Trump’s word as truth. Second, too many of us believe Trump deserves the presidential deference we usually reserve for normal times and normal chief executives. Neither of those things is remotely acceptable. […]

GOP lawmaker says he hasn’t been to impeachment depositions to which he’s been invited

A Republican House member who sits on a committee that is participating in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump said the Democratic-led proceedings are a “sideshow” — but he hasn’t attended any depositions of key witnesses because he has “other responsibilities” in Congress. Rep. Ted Yoho of Florida is a member of the House Foreign Affairs […]

‘Extremely disturbing’: Top Democrats alarmed over Vindman’s testimony on Trump-Ukraine call

Top Democrats at the deposition of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council, said his testimony Tuesday was “extremely disturbing” and praised him for appearing despite attacks from the White House. Acting House Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y, told NBC News she found Vindman’s remarks “extremely, extremely, extremely disturbing” […]

House Democrats release resolution detailing next steps in impeachment inquiry

House Democrats released on Tuesday text of the resolution that will detail their procedures as they move forward with the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. The full House is expected to vote Thursday on the resolution after the House Rules Committee debates and marks it up on Wednesday. Read the rest of the story at NBC News.

Stephcast 10-29-19

Jill Wine-Banks: Expect sexist treatment in the workplace so that you will see it and take the necessary steps to stop it

Expect sexist treatment and discrimination in the workplace so that you will see it and take the necessary steps to stop it. If you don’t expect it, you don’t see it and that delays your dealing with it. I didn’t get my first trial for a year after I started in the Organized Crime and […]

Charlie Pierce: Nancy Pelosi’s Impeachment Letter Suggests Sh*t Is Getting Real, Constitution-Wise

Shit continues to get real, Constitution-wise. From Politico: The resolution — which “establishes the procedure for hearings,” according to a statement by Speaker Nancy Pelosi — will mark the first floor vote on impeachment since Democrats formally launched their inquiry a month ago. “We are taking this step to eliminate any doubt as to whether the […]

Judge kicks newest impeachment lawsuit into high gear

A federal judge hearing arguments in a potentially critical impeachment inquiry case wants to hear from lawyers for the Trump White House, the House of Representatives and from impeachment witness Charles Kupperman on Thursday after Kupperman filed a lawsuit asking the federal court to decide whether he would need to testify. Kupperman’s House testimony had been set […]

National Security official to testify he heard Trump’s Ukraine call, told superiors of his concerns

A U.S. Army official and White House national security official plans to tell members of Congress conducting an impeachment inquiry that he was on the phone call between President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s leader in which Trump asked for an investigation into the Bidens, and that he raised concerns about it. Lt. Col. Alexander S. […]

Trump Viciously Trashes Chicago During Visit to the City, Calls It Less Safe Than Afghanistan

President Trump made his way to Chicago today to speak at a police conference where he bashed the city’s head of police and attacked the city as a worse place to live than Afghanistan. Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson had opted out of attending Trump’s speech at the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference, saying it “doesn’t line […]

House to vote on resolution laying out next steps in impeachment inquiry

The House is expected to vote Thursday on a Democratic resolution that will lay out the next steps in the impeachment inquiry, according to a senior congressional source. The language of the resolution has not been released, but it is expected to detail procedures going forward in the investigation, not formalize it. Read the rest of […]

Stephcast 10-28-19

The Hollywood Reporter: Inside the Mueller Report Live Reading Starring Larry David, Billy Porter and Debra Messing

The event, a fundraiser for Barbara Boxer’s PAC for a Change in partnership with Lindy DeKoven, hosted more than 1,000 guests at L.A.’s Saban Theatre.   Fifteen minutes after the scheduled start time, a few audience members in the upper deck of Beverly Hills’ Saban Theatre started clapping. It took a few moments for the […]

LA Magazine: Joel Stein Goes Inside One of Stephanie Miller’s ‘Resistance Dinner Parties’

Iam walking up my block to a party, this time with a bottle of wine that isn’t even from America. In the three months since the election, Stephanie’s house has become busier than ever, a center of revolutionary fervor. Democratic representatives Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Waters, Ted Lieu, and Adam Schiff show up for her “Stephanie […]

Eric Boehlert: Why is Facebook trying to re-elect Trump?

Bullying works.  Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been on a GOP charm offensive, and it seems to be working for the social media behemoth as it makes its allegiance to the Republican Party more open. In the days preceding his latest testimony before Congress, Zuckerberg had been “hosting a series of dinners with conservative journalists, right-wing […]

The Rude Pundit: Trump’s Lawyer thinks he’s a King

Even in the realm of political and legal norms that the Trump administration is forcibly bending over the desk in the Oval Office and reaming out with George Washington’s femur, yesterday was a pretty fucking stunning attempt to lay waste to the foundations of the country. For that was when a judge in New York City asked William […]

Kelly warned Trump not to hire ‘yes man’ as chief of staff or else he’d be impeached

President Donald Trump’s former chief of staff, John Kelly, says he advised the president not to fill the job with someone who wouldn’t be honest with him and provide a check on his impulses because he would end up being impeached. “That was almost 11 months ago, and I have an awful lot of, to […]

Former Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) dies at 90

Former Rep. John Conyers, a longtime Michigan Democrat who represented parts of Detroit for more than 50 years before his resignation in 2017, died Sunday at age 90, his son, John Conyers III, told CNN. A founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Conyers was known as pushing a series of liberal causes, especially from […]

The Democratic field responds to ISIS leader’s killing by U.S. forces

The 2020 Democrat presidential candidates are praising U.S. Special Forces and the intelligence community after news that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a raid on Sunday morning.   South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who served in Afghanistan, said at a campaign stop in South Carolina that everyone involved deserves credit for the success of […]

Trump showered with boos, chants of ‘lock him up’ at World Series game

President Donald Trump was greeted with a chorus of boos and chants of “Lock him up!” along with some cheers on Sunday night as he was introduced at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., during the team’s third World Series home game against the Houston Astros. Read the rest of the story at NBC News.

SM Happy Hour Videocast 10-25-19 Phillip Sheppard

Stephcast 10-25-19

‘Apprentice’ Contestant Says She Has Documents Corroborating Donald Trump Sexual Assault

For the first time, season-five Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos has laid out some of her evidence supporting claims that Donald Trump attacked her in a hotel room in 2007. Zervos is suing Trump for allegedly defaming her by denying a sexual assault. During the last presidential election, as Trump was under fire for boasting to […]

Justice Dept. Is Said to Open Criminal Inquiry Into Its Own Russia Investigation

WASHINGTON — For more than two years, President Trump has repeatedly attacked the Russia investigation, portraying it as a hoax and illegal even months after the special counsel closed it. Now, Mr. Trump’s own Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into how it all began. Justice Department officials have shifted an administrative review of […]

Lindsey Graham introduces resolution condemning Democrats impeachment inquiry into Trump

WASHINGTON – GOP Senator Lindsey Graham introduced a resolution to condemn how House Democrats have been conducting the impeachment investigation into President Donald Trump. During a press conference Thursday, Graham, the Senate Judiciary Chairman, called the inquiry “out of bounds” and “inconsistent with due process as we know it,” stating that how the inquiry is being conducted is a […]

White House delayed Ukraine trade decision in August, a signal that U.S. suspension of cooperation extended beyond security funds

The White House’s trade representative in late August withdrew a recommendation to restore some of Ukraine’s trade privileges after John Bolton, then-national security adviser, warned him that President Trump probably would oppose any action that benefited the government in Kyiv, according to people briefed on the matter. The warning to Robert E. Light­hizer came as […]

Stephcast 10-24-19

Republicans Grind Impeachment Inquiry to Halt as Picture Darkens for Trump

WASHINGTON — House Republicans ground the impeachment inquiry to a halt for hours on Wednesday, staging an attention-grabbing protest at the Capitol that sowed chaos and delayed a crucial deposition as they sought to insulate President Trump against mounting evidence of misconduct. The day after the most damning testimony yet about Mr. Trump’s pressure campaign […]

Judge tells State Dept. to begin producing Ukraine records

WASHINGTON — A judge on Wednesday ordered the State Department to begin producing within 30 days documents related to the Trump administration’s dealings with Ukraine, saying the records were of obvious public interest. The documents were sought under a Freedom of Information Act request by American Oversight, an ethics watchdog that investigates the administration. Any […]

2 Giuliani associates plead not guilty in campaign finance scheme

Two associates of Rudy Giuliani linked to the Ukraine scandal pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of funneling money from foreign entities to U.S. candidates in a plot to buy political influence. Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman were carrying one-way tickets to Vienna when they were arrested at Dulles Airport outside of Washington, D.C., on […]

Trump says U.S. will lift sanctions on Turkey, calling cease-fire in Syria ‘permanent’

President Trump announced Wednesday that the United States will lift sanctions on Turkey, saying that the Turkish government has informed the White House that it will abide by what he characterized as a “permanent” cease-fire along the border with Syria. At a hastily organized event in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House, Trump […]

Stephcast 10-23-19

Mitch McConnell Suggests Trump Lied About Conversation Regarding ‘Perfect’ Ukraine Call

Senator Mitch McConnell pushed back on President Donald Trump’s claim that the Senate Majority Leader described a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelinsky that lays at the center of the current impeachment inquiry unfolding in the nation’s capital. During a Capitol Hill briefing, an unidentified reporter noted to McConnell that “the president has said that […]

The Investigation Into Rudy Giuliani’s Associates Has Widened

A federal grand jury investigating activities surrounding Rudy Giuliani’s back-channel campaign in Ukraine has demanded legal documents that include records of extravagant spending at Trump hotels and millions of dollars in financial transfers by Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, two key operatives who carried out the plan, according to a source familiar with the demand. […]

‘Alarming circumstances’: A distressed diplomat tells a tale of venal intrigue

Ambassador William B. Taylor Jr. looked out over the front lines of Ukraine’s long war with Russian-backed separatists last July, taking in a damaged bridge and then farther in the distance, an “armed and hostile” enemy. Taylor had taken the job of acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine reluctantly, he said in congressional testimony Tuesday. His […]

Donald Trump’s big short: Is the president profiting off the market chaos he creates?

Back in early 2018, I noticed something hinky about the confluence of Donald Trump’s blurts about his trade war with the movement of the stock market. As I wrote in this space back in August, I believe Trump or people close to Trump might be profiting off the volatility of the markets ever since the […]

Russia, Turkey agree to jointly remove Kurdish fighters along Turkey’s border in northern Syria as U.S. withdraws troops

Turkey has threatened to restart its military offensive if the Kurdish fighters do not fully withdraw from a predetermined area along Syria’s northern border with Turkey by Tuesday evening. If the withdrawal is completed, Ankara has agreed to permanently halt its offensive, which is aimed at creating a vast buffer zone for Turkey along much of its […]

Stephcast 10-22-19

Hillary Clinton’s Emails Were Always a Nothingburger. The State Department Just Finally Caught Up.

Found: deep in the A-section of Friday’s New York Times. Did you miss this story? I did.

House rejects censure of Adam Schiff after Republicans denounce ‘false retelling’ of Trump phone call

The House of Representatives rejected a motion to censure House Intelligence chair Adam Schiff after Republican criticism that Schiff lied to Congress during a September 27th hearing.

House Democrats zero in on ‘abuse of power’ in Trump impeachment inquiry

WASHINGTON — House Democrats are zeroing in on a framework for their impeachment case against President Donald Trump that will center on a simple “abuse of power” narrative involving the president’s actions regarding Ukraine, according to multiple people familiar with the deliberations.

Facebook takedowns show new Russian activity targeted Biden, praised Trump

Facebook on Monday said it removed a network of Russian-backed accounts that posed as locals weighing in on political issues in swing states, praising President Trump and attacking former Vice President Joe Biden, illustrating that the familiar threat of Russian interference looms over the next U.S. presidential race.

Putin and Hungary’s Orban helped sour Trump on Ukraine

President Trump’s effort to pressure Ukraine for information he could use against political rivals came as he was being urged to adopt a hostile view of that country by its regional adversaries, including Russian President Vladi­mir Putin, current and former U.S. officials said.

Stephcast 10-21-19

Of course Trump should be kicked off Twitter

Enough is enough. If there was a tipping point for Donald Trump’s blatant abuse of Twitter with his hate speech, it may have come when he recently posted a series of tweets warning of a second Civil War if he were to be impeached and removed, quoting Pastor Robert Jeffress on Fox & Friends. Even one […]

The Madman and the Turks

It’s definitely new to be living in a country led by someone who is, at the very least, quickly deteriorating mentally. Hell, at least Ronald Reagan had the sense to let others do his job when his faculties were fading. But that’s the kindest reading of President Donald Trump. More likely, Trump is someone who […]

Giuliani pushed Trump administration to grant a visa to a Ukrainian official promising dirt on Democrats

Washington (CNN) — Career diplomat George Kent told congressional investigators in his closed-door testimony this week that Rudy Giuliani asked the State Department and the White House to grant a visa to the former Ukrainian official who Joe Biden had pushed to have removed when he was vice president, according to four people familiar with […]

AG Barr expands mysterious review into origin of Russia investigation

If U.S. Attorney John Durham is conducting a criminal investigation, it’s not clear what allegations of wrongdoing are being examined.   A review launched by Attorney General William Barr into the origins of the Russia investigation has expanded significantly amid concerns about whether the probe has any legal or factual basis, multiple current and former […]

Pelosi Visits Jordan to Discuss Syria Crisis Amid Shaky Cease-Fire

Speaker Nancy Pelosi has traveled to Jordan to meet with the Jordanian king for “vital” discussions about the Turkish incursion into Syria and other regional challenges, amid uncertainty about whether an American-brokered cease-fire with Turkey in northern Syria was holding. The visit by senior United States officials came as sporadic clashes continued on Sunday morning along the […]

Trump says his Florida Doral resort will no longer host G-7 summit

Following widespread bipartisan criticism, President Donald Trump said Saturday his Doral resort in Florida would not host next year’s Group of Seven summit of world leaders after all. “Based on both Media & Democrat Crazed and Irrational Hostility, we will no longer consider Trump National Doral, Miami, as the Host Site for the G-7 in […]

Shifting Explanation For Withholding Ukraine Aid Begins Drawing GOP Alarm

The shifting White House explanation for President Donald Trump‘s decision to withhold military aid from Ukraine drew alarm Friday from Republicans as the impeachment inquiry brought a new test of their alliance. Trump, in remarks at the White House, stood by his acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, whose earlier comments undermined the administration’s defense […]

Hillary Clinton suggests Russia is grooming Tulsi Gabbard for third-party run

Hillary Clinton says she believes that the Russians have “got their eye on somebody who’s currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the third-party candidate.” In a recent interview, Clinton didn’t mention Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii by name, but said she believes one candidate is “the favorite […]

SM Happy Hour Videocast 10-18-19 Laraine Newman

Stephcast 10-18-19

Gen. Mattis Savagely Roasts Trump: ‘I Earned My Spurs on the Battlefield,’ Trump Got His Spurs ‘From the Doctor’

One day after President Donald Trump reportedly dubbed him “the world’s most overrated general,” James Mattis got his revenge. Trump, according to multiple reports, trashed Mattis during a meeting with lawmakers on both sides Wednesday at the White House. In addition to calling him overrated, Trump reportedly said that Mattis “wasn’t tough enough.” On Thursday night in New York, Mattis […]

In Dallas, Trump Unleashes Fury On Democrats As Impeachment Inquiry Finds Foothold

President Donald Trump raged against Democrats and the House impeachment inquiry during his campaign rally Thursday in Dallas, arguing that the Democratic Party, including 2020 presidential rival Joe Biden, had “betrayed our country.” “At stake in this fight is the survival of American democracy itself. Don’t kid yourself,” Trump, largely going off-script, told supporters at American […]

Energy Sec. Rick Perry, embroiled in Ukraine affair, set to resign

Energy Secretary Rick Perry, who has emerged as a central figure in the Trump administration’s quickly expanding Ukraine affair, has resigned and will leave his job by the end of the year. “It’s with profound emotion and gratitude that I am announcing my resignation effective later this year as your Energy Secretary,” he said in a […]

Mick Mulvaney Walks Back Admission Of Quid Pro Quo In Trump’s Ukraine Call

Hours after saying Thursday that President Donald Trump withheld foreign aid in order to get Ukraine’s help in the U.S. election, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney walked back his remarks. He released a lengthy statement wrongly blaming the press for putting a spin on his comments.   “Once again, the media has decided to misconstrue my comments to […]

Ambassador breaks with Trump, testifying the President directed diplomats to work with Giuliani on Ukraine

US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland was directed by President Donald Trump to work with Rudy Giuliani on Ukraine, he told Congress on Thursday, and was left with a choice: Abandon efforts to bolster a key strategic alliance or work to satisfy the demands of the President’s personal lawyer. Sondland said he wasn’t aware until […]

Schiff: Mulvaney comments on Ukraine aid have made things ‘much, much worse’

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) reacted to acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney’s indication that the Trump administration made aid to Ukraine conditional on investigations into the 2016 election Thursday. “I think Mr. Mulvaney’s acknowledgment means that things have gone from very, very bad to much, much worse,” Schiff told reporters Thursday, demurring when asked […]

Pence Says U.S. and Turkey Have Agreed to a 5-Day Ceasefire in Syria

Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held a press conference following their meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, announcing a temporary suspension of Turkey’s invasion of Syria. Pence announced that Turkey and the United States have agreed to a 120-hour ceasefire in Syria. Pence said this will allow YPG and Kurdish forces to withdraw from […]

Trump Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney Admits Quid Pro Quo: ‘We Do That All the Time’

White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney admitted to a quid pro quo between President Donald Trump and Ukraine to force an investigation into the Democratic National Committee, telling ABC News’ Jon Karl “We do that all the time.” Mulvaney took questions at a rare White House press briefing Thursday, where Karl asked Mulvaney “You were directly involved in a decision […]

Stephcast 10-17-19

Trump tweeted a photo attacking Nancy Pelosi. She made it her Twitter cover photo.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday redirected an attack from President Donald Trump on Twitter, turning a photo he had tweeted of her during a contentious White House meeting with the caption “Nervous Nancy’s unhinged meltdown!” into her Twitter cover shot. The image released by the White House shows the California Democrat standing with her finger pointed […]

U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) has passed away at 68

U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, a Baltimore Democrat, has died from complications of longstanding health problems early Thursday morning, his office said. He was 68 years old. The Democrat, known for his devotion to Baltimore and civil rights, and for blunt and passionate speechmaking, died at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Read the rest of the story at […]

Trump’s ‘Don’t Be a Fool!’ Letter to Erdogan Comes Out, Completely Baffling Twitter: ‘This Can’t Be Real’

Fox Business anchor Trish Regan tweeted out an eyebrow-raising exclusive this afternoon: President Donald Trump‘s letter to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The letter, however, has some baffled and others questioning if this is real. The letter from Trump shared by Regan reads, “Let’s work out a good deal! You don’t want to be responsible for slaughtering thousands of […]

McConnell eyes quick impeachment trial in Senate

The Senate majority leader told Republicans he hoped to wrap up any impeachment trial for Trump by the end of the year. “He thinks Democrats are of the same mind: let’s not drag this out for five weeks,” said one attendee of the lunch. McConnell’s comments and PowerPoint presentation on Wednesday were in part an […]

Democrats angrily walk out of White House meeting after Trump ‘meltdown’

Democratic leaders in Congress on Wednesday angrily walked out of a White House meeting with President Donald Trump after he had a “meltdown,” according to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. “What we witnessed on the part of the President was a meltdown. Sad to say,” Pelosi told reporters outside the White House standing with House […]

House Votes to Overwhelmingly Condemn Trump’s Syria Withdrawal — Including Over 100 Republicans

A large majority in the House of Representatives voted to condemn President Donald Trump for pulling troops out of northern Syria to allow for Turkey’s invasion. The vote was a rare bipartisan retort to Trump since 354 members approved the resolution against withdrawal, while 60 voted to oppose it. Trump’s decision has drawn significant fire from his […]

Stephcast 10-16-19

Bob Cesca: Donald Trump is the weakest incumbent president in decades… If Democrats don’t screw this up

Donald Trump might be the weakest incumbent in decades. Don’t get happy — anything can happen next year. But his vast impotency, in terms of his character and, especially, his political future, seem obvious to me. Yet he’s too often regarded as a tough guy, a poseur Mafia don who’s osmotically absorbed too many gangster […]

Pence refuses House request to provide documents related to Ukraine call

Vice President Mike Pence’s office said Tuesday it will not comply with a request from the House to turn over documents related to President Donald Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. In a letter to the chairmen of the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees, Pence counsel Matthew Morgan called the […]

Pelosi says House won’t hold impeachment vote ‘at this time’

Signaling that Democrats won’t cave to GOP demands, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday that the House will not hold a formal floor vote on their impeachment inquiry into President Donald trump “at this time.” “There is no requirement that we have a vote. So at this time, we will not be having a vote,” Pelosi told […]

State Department official tells lawmakers he was told to ‘lay low’ after raising concerns about Giuliani

State Department official George Kent told lawmakers in a closed-door deposition Tuesday that acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney appointed three other Trump administration officials to spearhead the president’s efforts in Ukraine. According to Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., who was present for the deposition, Kent testified that Mulvaney oversaw a meeting where he […]

Who won the October Democratic debate?

The Democratic presidential contenders faced off for their fourth debate on Tuesday night, and the divide between the moderates and progressives sharpened over the course of the evening. The biggest rift between the 12 candidates on stage in Ohio was once again over health care and the cost of their various proposals and whether it’s proper to eliminate private health […]

Stephcast 10-15-19 (full)

Charlie Pierce: We Have All Betrayed the Kurds—Every American, Not Just the President*

I stopped by Joy Reid’s show on Saturday and, in the course of our discussion, Malcolm Nance made a very important point. The betrayal of the Kurds doesn’t just fall on El Caudillo del Mar-a-Lago, and it doesn’t just fall on the people who carry out his whims. (To call them “orders” is to dignify them […]

McConnell ‘gravely concerned’ about U.S. response to Syrian conflict

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday that he was “gravely concerned” about the U.S. response to the escalating conflict in Syria. In a statement, McConnell pledged to work toward avoiding “a strategic calamity” when the Senate returns this week and warned that Turkey’s latest attacks on Kurdish allies in Syria was hurting progress in […]

Hunter Biden says he used ‘poor judgment’ in serving on board of Ukraine gas company

Former Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden said he used “poor judgment” in serving on the board of a Ukrainian gas company because it has become a political liability for his father. “In retrospect, look, I think that it was poor judgment on my part, is that I think that it was poor judgment because I […]

Trump’s former top Russia adviser told Congress she saw ‘wrongdoing’ in US policy toward Ukraine, source says

Fiona Hill, President Donald Trump’s former top Russia adviser, raised concerns about Rudy Giuliani’s role in US foreign policy toward Ukraine, telling lawmakers on Monday that she saw “wrongdoing” in the American foreign policy and tried to report it to officials including the National Security Council’s attorney, according to multiple sources. “She saw wrongdoing related […]

12 Democrats face high stakes on biggest primary debate stage ever tonight

Twelve Democrats will line up in swing state Ohio on Tuesday for a crucial debate in their White House battle, which will unfold as their party gears up to consider impeachment — the ultimate political sanction — against President Donald Trump. Candidates will take the most crowded debate stage in the history of US presidential primaries as their race […]

Pelosi Preps Joint Resolution With Graham to ‘Overturn’ Trump’s Syria Decision ‘Immediately’

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA on Monday announced that she and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) agreed to “a bipartisan, bicameral joint resolution to overturn the President’s dangerous decision in Syria immediately.” Read the rest of the story at Mediaite.

Stephcast 10-14-19

Concerns over ISIS escapees as Syrian troops move to border area to join fight with Kurds

Syrian government troops have began advancing north following a deal struck with Kurdish-led forces to hold off Turkey’s military offensive, as Kurdish authorities reported the escape of hundreds of people with links to ISIS from a detention camp in the area. The reported deal comes as US President Donald Trump decided to withdraw all remaining American forces out of northern Syria. The development has […]

Biden Takes Shot at Trump Family After Question About Son Hunter: None of My Kids Will Have White House Offices

After being questioned about his son Hunter Biden, former Vice President Joe Biden took a shot at the Trump family’s involvement in President Donald Trump’s administration, while also assuring voters that his children will not be awarded White House positions. “No one in my family will have an office in the White House, will sit in meetings as if they […]

Macabre Video of Fake Trump Shooting Media and Critics Is Shown at His Resort

A video depicting a macabre scene of a fake President Trump shooting, stabbing and brutally assaulting members of the news media and his political opponents was shown at a conference for his supporters at his Miami resort last week, according to footage obtained by The New York Times. Read the rest of the story at […]

Washington Post: We investigated the Watergate scandal. We believe Trump should be impeached.

We, former members of the Watergate special prosecutor force, believe there exists compelling prima facie evidence that President Trump has committed impeachable offenses. This evidence can be accepted as sufficient for impeachment, unless disproved by any contrary evidence that the president may choose to offer. The ultimate judgment on whether to impeach the president is for members […]

Lindsey Graham Says He’ll Out Whistleblowers If Trump Is Impeached

Senate Judiciary Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said during a Sunday interview with Fox News that the whistleblowers who have come forward as part of Donald Trump’s impeachment inquiry should be made to testify in public. “If the whistleblower’s allegations are turned into an impeachment article, it’s imperative that the whistleblower be interviewed in public, under oath and […]

Rude Pundit: Random Observations on Two Nights of Trump Bats***tery

1. At his campaign rallies of the damned the last two nights, in Minneapolis on Thursday and in Lake Charles, Louisiana, on Friday, President Donald Trump repeated one word like it was a tic or, more likely, the result of having the vocabulary of an Adderall-popping 8-year-old. That word? “Great.” Like when he was blowing Fox “news”: – […]

U.S. troops to withdraw from northern Syria as ISIS supporters escape amid alleged Turkish atrocities

U.S. troops were preparing to withdraw from northern Syria Sunday as Turkish forces continued their advance. Hundreds of Islamic State group supporters escaped from a displacement camp in the area and there were reports of alleged atrocities amid growing international alarm.   About 1,000 troops will leave the area “as safely and quickly as possible,” Defense […]

Eric Boehlert: It’s about time… Biden, Democratic candidates punch back against shoddy press coverage

Democrats running for president have a new message for the news media: We’re not going to take it anymore. No longer willing to stoically suffer through bad, misleading press coverage, Democrats are borrowing a page from Republicans by going public with their complaints and demanding journalists do better. But unlike Republicans who often “work the refs” […]

“Hal Sparks Radio Podcast Megaworldwide” Joins The Sexy Liberal Podcast Network

The “Hal Sparks Radio Podcast Megaworldwide” is the podcast version of Hal Sparks weekend show on WCPT in Chicago and it’s now available!!  Listen at SexyLiberal.com or subscribe on your favorite podcast app! The Hal Sparks Radio Podcast Megaworldwide

Trump’s losses mount in stunning day of setbacks

Five federal courts dealt blows to President Donald Trump on Friday just as the limits of his legal strategy to block an impeachment inquiry became clear. It amounted to a challenging end of a challenging week for Trump, who remains consumed by an impeachment crisis that is clouding his presidency. Within moments of each other, a […]

Kevin McAleenan out as acting Homeland Security chief

The acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is exiting, President Donald Trump tweeted Friday evening. “Kevin McAleenan has done an outstanding job as Acting Secretary of Homeland Security,” Trump said on Twitter. “We have worked well together with Border Crossings being way down. Kevin now, after many years in Government, wants to spend more […]

Giuliani Is Said to Be Under Investigation for Ukraine Work

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are investigating whether President Trump’s personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani broke lobbying laws in his dealings in Ukraine, according to two people familiar with the inquiry. The investigators are examining Mr. Giuliani’s efforts to undermine the American ambassador to Ukraine, Marie L. Yovanovitch, one of the people said. She was recalled in […]

Shepard Smith, Fox News Anchor, Abruptly Departs From Network

To critics who accuse Fox News of being uniformly pro-Trump, the network often points to the blunt-truth reporting of Shepard Smith, its veteran chief news anchor, whose coverage of the Trump White House stood out on a channel known best for conservative opinion. Starting now, Fox News will need to point to somebody else. In […]

SM Happy Hour Videocast 10-11-19 Kirk Acevedo

Stephcast 10-11-19

House committees subpoena Giuliani associates

House Democrats on Thursday issued subpoenas to two Florida businessmen who worked with President Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, on his efforts to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden. The subpoenas to Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman for documents by Oct. 16 came hours after reports emerged that the two were arrested on campaign finance charges. Parnas and Fruman were […]

Rudy Giuliani Planned Vienna Trip 1 Day After Arrested Associates Were Headed There: Report

Rudy Giuliani was reportedly planning to leave Thursday for Vienna, Austria, a day after two business associates who helped him with his dealings with Ukraine officials were arrested as they were headed to the same destination. The Atlantic’s Elaina Plott reported that Giuliani, President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, told her he would not be able […]

Trump rips into Democrats at Minnesota rally

President Donald Trump used his rally in Minneapolis Thursday night to hit some of his favorite campaign trail targets — railing against Democrats, reasserting his support for law enforcement and criticizing immigration policies. He also responded to the latest news in the impeachment inquiry, taking aim the Bidens and insisting that he has done nothing wrong. “From […]

House Dems Subpoena Rick Perry for Ukraine Docs

The House of Representatives has subpoenaed Secretary of Energy Rick Perry for documents related to the Ukraine matter. President Donald Trump and his allies’ interactions with Ukraine are the subject of an ongoing impeachment inquiry. According to Politico, the subpoena demands Perry submit “a series of documents related to Perry’s knowledge of President Donald Trump’s July 25 phone call with […]

Trump lashes out over Fox News poll that shows majority support his impeachment

President Donald Trump expressed his displeasure Thursday with a Fox News poll that found a majority of registered voters believe he should be impeached — a record high in the survey. The poll came after House Democrats opened an impeachment inquiry into the president over his call to have his Ukrainian counterpart investigate former Vice President Joe […]

Two Florida businessmen who helped Giuliani in Ukraine arrested on campaign finance charges

Two foreign-born associates of Rudy Giuliani who gave money to a political action committee supporting President Donald Trump were arrested Wednesday night on criminal charges tied to an alleged effort to influence U.S. politics with illegal campaign contributions. Igor Fruman and Lev Parnas — who are also both witnesses in the impeachment inquiry being undertaken by House Democrats — […]

Stephcast 10-10-19

The Rude Pundit: That Letter From Trump Is Punk Ass Bitchery

The Constitution is pretty fucking clear in how vague it is about impeachment. All it says in Article I is “The House of Representatives shall choose their speaker and other officers; and shall have the sole power of impeachment” and “The Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments” with more procedure following […]

Trump Gets Pilloried After Dismissing Kurds for Not Helping U.S. at Normandy: ‘Most Disgusting, Disgraceful Thing’ He’s Ever Said

President Donald Trump offered a bizarre defense for his abrupt decision to pull back US forces from northern Syria and expose our Kurdish allies to attack from the Turkish military, citing the Kurds absence from the Normandy invasion 75 years ago as a reason for abandoning them. “The Kurds are fighting for their land, just so you […]

Turkey says 180 targets hit as troops continue advance into Syria

Turkish forces continued their advance into northeastern Syria Thursday after launching an air and ground offensive against Kurdish fighters, the Turkish defense ministry said in a tweet. The Turkish defense ministry offered no further information but posted a video of Turkish troops stalking their way through the long grass west of the Euphrates river and said the […]

Biden calls for Trump’s impeachment, Trump immediately responds

Former Vice President Joe Biden called for President Donald Trump to be impeached during a blistering campaign speech on Wednesday. “Donald Trump has violated his oath of office, betrayed this nation and committed impeachable acts,” Biden said in his strongest comments to date on the matter, adding, “He should be impeached.” Read the rest of […]

Trump calling GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell three times a day to warn about disloyal Republicans

Even as the White House appears to settle on the legal tactics to stave off Democrats’ impeachment demands, uncertainty and unease over Trump’s messaging approach remains high among his Republican allies, who see the ever-growing inquiry consuming the White House. Trump has offered scant indication he is turning his focus to governing, despite his lawyers writing in […]

Stephcast 10-9-19

Pelosi Fires Back at WH Over Letter: Efforts to Hide the Truth ‘Will Be Regarded as Further Evidence of Obstruction’

Speaker Nancy Pelosi has fired back at the White House over the letter to Congress refusing to cooperate with the House’s impeachment inquiry. The Trump administration is calling the inquiry “constitutionally illegitimate” and accusing the Democrats of sham proceedings. Tonight Pelosi says, “For a while, the President has tried to normalize lawlessness. Now, he is trying to […]

Bob Cesca: What sleazy deal did Trump make with Erdogan? We don’t know — but the mind reels

There are countless possible explanations, but it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that Donald Trump decided to allow Turkey to attack the Kurds in northern Syria in order to crowbar the news cycle away from his impeachment. But as I’ve been writing from the beginning, Trump always makes things worse for Trump. Instead of tamping […]

Trump’s Ukraine Call Was ‘Crazy’ and ‘Frightening,’ Official Told Whistle-Blower

A White House official who listened to President Trump’s July phone call with Ukraine’s leader described it as “crazy,” “frightening,” and “completely lacking in substance related to national security,” according to a memo written by the whistle-blower at the center of the Ukraine scandal, a C.I.A. officer who spoke to the White House official. The […]

Supreme Court appears split as it weighs 2 landmark cases on LGBTQ rights

A seemingly divided Supreme Court on Tuesday heard highly anticipated cases on whether federal civil rights law should apply to LGBTQ people, with Chief Justice John Roberts questioning how doing so would affect employers. In the first of two cases, the justices heard arguments on whether a federal law banning job discrimination on the basis of sex should also […]

Democrats to subpoena Gordon Sondland after Trump intervenes

House Democrats are preparing to subpoena a central witness in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump after he bowed to a State Department order to skip a deposition on Tuesday. Gordon Sondland, Trump’s ambassador to the European Union, had been expected to testify Tuesday morning as part of an expanding impeachment probe by three […]

Stephcast 10-8-19

Trump administration orders ambassador at center of Ukraine scandal not to appear before Congress

Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, has been directed not to appear Tuesday for a scheduled interview with House committees leading the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. Sondland, a Trump political appointee, has emerged as a central player in Trump’s bid to persuade Ukraine’s new government to commit publicly to investigate corruption and the president’s […]

Seeking Ukraine Aid Records, House Subpoenas White House Budget Office and Pentagon

The House on Monday expanded its sprawling impeachment inquiry, issuing subpoenas to the Defense Department and the Office of Management and Budget for documents that could solve lingering mysteries about whether President Trump’s decision to withhold security aid for Ukraine was tied to his efforts to pressure the government there to investigate his political rivals. […]

WaPo: Dems Considering ‘Extraordinary’ Steps to Protect Whistleblower So Republicans Don’t Leak Identity

The intel whistleblower is expected to speak to the House Intelligence Committee, but per new reporting today, Democrats are taking steps to “mask” the whistleblower’s identity from Republicans over concerns it would get leaked. The Washington Post reports on some “extraordinary” steps being considered by House Democrats to “to prevent Trump’s congressional allies from revealing the identity” […]

Trump says he’s “not siding with anybody” with Syria withdrawal

President Trump didn’t let intense Republican criticism of his decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria rattle him Monday, insisting he made the right call in deciding to leave the unstable region to Turkey and other actors. Experts and the president’s own allies like Senator Lindsey Graham fear the decision to withdraw from the region will endanger Kurdish allies […]

Historic Supreme Court arguments Tuesday in LGBTQ workplace rights dispute

Aimee Stephens finally mustered the courage back in 2013 to tell her co-workers about something that she had struggled with her entire life: her gender identity. “I have known many of you for some time now,” Stephens explained in a letter, and then she told them she had decided to have sex reassignment surgery and […]

Charlie Pierce: President* Trump Abandons the Kurds in Syria Overnight

You get the feeling now that, with time running out on El Caudillo del Mar-a-Lago and his retinue of crooks and mountebanks, all the dark debts he owes to people for their help in getting elected are coming due, the debts to Vladimir Putin and the Volga Bagmen first among them. There was the extortion plot aimed […]

Republicans slam Trump’s Syria pullout: ‘Disaster,’ ‘Betrayal,’ ‘Mistake’

A long list of Republicans — including several top allies of President Donald Trump — lined up in vehement opposition Monday to the president’s decision to withdraw U.S. forces from the northern border of Syria and allow a Turkish operation there. The announcement marked a major blow to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, which the U.S. […]

House subpoenas defense secretary, Trump budget chief for Ukraine documents

House Democrats on Monday issued a pair of subpoenas to Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Office of Management and Budget Acting Director Russell Vought demanding documents and communications regarding President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend U.S. aid to Ukraine. Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., issued the subpoenas as part of Democrats’ impeachment inquiry in consultation with House Oversight […]

Trump wins delay in New York court fight over producing his tax returns

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Monday granted President Donald Trump a last-minute reprieve in his effort to prevent New York prosecutors from obtaining his tax records. The stay was issued not long after a federal judge rejected Trump’s claim that he was immune from criminal investigations in a bid to […]

Newsweek: Official Who Heard Call Says Trump Got ‘Rolled’ By Turkey and ‘Has No Spine’

Donald Trump got “rolled” by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a National Security Council source with direct knowledge of the discussions told Newsweek. In a scheduled phone call on Sunday afternoon between President Trump and President Erdogan, Trump said he would withdraw U.S. forces from northern Syria. The phone call was scheduled after Turkey announced it […]

Stephcast 10-7-19

Trump Accuses House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of ‘Treason’ in Furious Late Night Tweets

President Donald Trump unleashed on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Adam Schiff in a pair of furious tweets late Sunday night — absurdly accusing the Democratic lawmakers of “High Crimes and Misdemeanors, and even Treason.” Trump has been fixated on comments Schiff gave last week in which he paraphrased the president’s call with the president of Ukraine. The president also […]

GOP Sen. Ron Johnson Insists He Doesn’t Trust the CIA or the FBI in Clash With Chuck Todd

In a heated Meet The Press interview with NBC host Chuck Todd Sunday, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) accused the CIA and the FBI of conspiring against President Donald Trump — and even declared that he doesn’t trust the government agencies. “Ukrainian officials reportedly helped Clinton allies research Trump’s advisers,” claimed Johnson. “There is potential interference in the 2016 campaign. That’s what Trump wants to get […]

Trump Just Opened the Way for Turkey to Invade Syria—and ISIS to Make a Big Comeback

Turkey is about to invade the part of Syria the U.S. invaded to defeat the so-called Islamic State. Except Turkey is invading it to defeat the Kurdish proxy force the U.S. relied on to defeat ISIS, because Turkey considers that proxy a terrorist group. And U.S. President Donald J. Trump, apparently, is fine with that.  […]

Eric Boehlert: Visiting foreign journalists call out Trump’s increasingly erratic behavior. Why won’t D.C. press?

Donald Trump’s stupefying public performances last Wednesday as the widening collusion scandal continued to gain momentum were stunning, even by his erratic standards. Trump uncorked rambling, incoherent, angry, whiny monologues that were filled with lies and rattled conspiracy theories. That’s when he wasn’t yelling at a Reuters reporter and threatening to sue members of Congress. Incredibly, both disturbing Alex […]

The Rude Pundit: Trump’s Madness By the Numbers

16 – Number of times Trump declared his conversation with Ukraine’s President Zelensky “perfect” 12 – Number of times Trump said the conversation or something else was “nice” (note: Trump was not nice in the conversation.) 3 – Number of times Trump brought up Lindsey Graham telling him “I never knew you were that nice” (or a […]

2nd whistleblower comes forward after speaking with Inspector General

Mark Zaid, the attorney representing the whistleblower who sounded the alarm on President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine and triggered an impeachment inquiry, tells ABC News that he is now representing a second whistleblower who has spoken with the inspector general. Zaid tells ABC News’ Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos that the second person — also described as an intelligence official — […]

SM Happy Hour Videocast 10-4-19 Anniversary Show feat. Carlos Alazraqui

House Dems Subpoena WH Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney — Trump’s ‘Actions Have Left Us No Choice’

House Democrats leading the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump have issued a subpoena to White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, saying that the president’s repeated claim of executive privilege and stonewalling of various committees’ document requests “have left us with not choice.” Committee chairs Adam Schiff, Eliot Engel, and Elijah Cummings sent a four-page letter to the White House on Friday night, […]

Immigrants will be denied visas if they can’t pay for health care under new Trump rule

President Donald Trump announced Friday that legal immigrants will be denied visas unless they can prove they have health insurance or the means to cover medical costs. The rule, which takes effect Nov. 3, is part of a broader effort within the administration that seeks to make it more difficult for low-income legal immigrants who […]

Bernie Sanders had a heart attack

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders suffered a heart attack, his campaign confirmed on Friday after he departed Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center in Las Vegas. “I want to thank the doctors, nurses, and staff at the Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center for the excellent care that they provided,” Sanders said in a statement Friday. “After two […]

New York Times: 2nd intelligence official might submit whistleblower complaint

A second intelligence official with concerns and more direct knowledge regarding President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine is considering filing a whistleblower complaint, The New York Times reported Friday. The Times’ report, citing two people briefed on the matter, comes as House Democrats ratchet up their impeachment inquiry centered on Trump’s July phone call with Ukrainian President […]

Stephcast 10-4-19 (Rev)

U.S. ambassadors pushed Ukraine to investigate as condition for White House visit, texts show

Text messages given to Congress show U.S. ambassadors working to persuade Ukraine to publicly commit to investigating President Donald Trump’s political opponents and explicitly linking the inquiry to whether Ukraine’s president would be granted an official White House visit. The two ambassadors, both Trump picks, went so far as to draft language for what Ukrainian […]

Maya Wiley: Impeach William Barr

When William Barr was appointed attorney general, I believed he was capable of sticking to the rule of law and ensuring the Department of Justice maintained the public trust in the midst of an investigation of the president. I said as much on live TV. I was wrong. William Barr has eroded public trust in […]

IRS whistleblower said to report Treasury political appointee might have tried to interfere in audit of Trump or Pence

An Internal Revenue Service official has filed a whistleblower complaint reporting that he was told at least one Treasury Department political appointee attempted to improperly interfere with the annual audit of the president or vice president’s tax returns, according to multiple people familiar with the document. Trump administration officials dismissed the whistleblower’s complaint as flimsy […]

Washington Post: Trump’s ex-envoy tells lawmakers he warned Giuliani that Ukraine claims weren’t credible

The former US special envoy for Ukraine told House lawmakers on Thursday that he warned President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani that the information he was receiving from Ukrainian political figures about former Vice President Joe Biden and his son was not credible, The Washington Post reported Thursday, citing two people familiar with his testimony. […]

Stephcast 10-3-19

Trump calls for China to investigate Bidens as impeachment investigation looms

Ensnarled in an impeachment investigation over his request for Ukraine to investigate a chief political rival, President Donald Trump on Thursday called on another nation to probe former Vice President Joe Biden: China. “China should start an investigation into the Bidens,” Trump said in remarks to reporters outside the White House. Trump said he hadn’t […]

Trump, Republicans accuse Schiff of orchestrating whistleblower complaint

The intelligence community employee who has accused President Donald Trump of abusing his office filed his whistleblower complaint after first consulting with an aide to the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, a committee spokesman acknowledged Wednesday, touching off a firestorm of criticism from Republicans. But while President Trump and others accused House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff, […]

Trump’s Ukraine mess leads to anxiety in Pence world

Vice President Mike Pence’s last-minute September meeting with the Ukrainian President has pulled him into a mess he has worked hard to avoid: a crisis involving his boss, President Donald Trump. Rather than traveling to Warsaw, Poland, last month to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump decided to stay home to track the damage from […]

Bernie Sanders hospitalized for blocked artery, cancels campaign events

2020 candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was hospitalized Tuesday in Las Vegas and underwent a significant medical procedure after a blockage was found in one of his arteries, his campaign said Wednesday. Sanders, who is 78, has canceled all of his campaign events “until further notice.” “During a campaign event yesterday evening, Sen. Sanders experienced […]

Trump’s day of rage: Profanity, false accusations and a press spat

President Donald Trump’s growing frustration with Democrats’ amped up impeachment efforts was on stark public display Wednesday as he spent the day openly raging against the media and his political rivals. In the stretch of a few hours, Trump called Democratic impeachment efforts “BULLSHIT,” got into a verbal altercation with a reporter during a press conference, and delivered unfounded […]

Adam Schiff: White House Stonewalling Will Be Considered Obstruction Of Justice

House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) warned Wednesday that any White House attempts to stonewall the House impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump could further solidify accusations of obstruction of justice. “If they are going to prevent witnesses from going forward to testify on the allegations in the whistleblower complaint, that will create an adverse inference that those allegations are, […]

State Department inspector general gives Congress bizarre packet of ‘disinformation’

The State Department inspector general provided Congress on Wednesday a packet of dozens of pages of documents that make many of the same unproven claims about Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, that Rudy Giuliani and his allies have been making, according to a copy of the documents obtained by CNN. The documents […]

Stephcast 10-2-19

Pompeo Confirms He Listened to Trump’s Call to Ukraine President

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed on Wednesday that he had listened in on President Trump’s telephone conversation with the president of Ukraine — a call that has become the subject of a whistle-blower’s complaint and is at the heart of an impeachment inquiry by House Democrats. “I was on the phone call,” Mr. Pompeo […]

Shoot Migrants’ Legs, Build Alligator Moat: Behind Trump’s Ideas for Border

The Oval Office meeting this past March began, as so many had, with President Trump fuming about migrants. But this time he had a solution. As White House advisers listened astonished, he ordered them to shut down the entire 2,000-mile border with Mexico — by noon the next day. The advisers feared the president’s edict […]

State Department inspector general requests ‘urgent’ Ukraine briefing on Capitol Hill today

The State Department’s inspector general is expected to give an “urgent” briefing to staffers from several House and Senate committees on Wednesday afternoon about documents obtained from the department’s Office of the Legal Adviser related to the State Department and Ukraine, sources familiar with the planned briefing told ABC News. Details of the briefing, requested by […]

Pompeo Pushed Out His Own Ukraine Rep Volker to Squash a Growing Scandal

When President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani appeared on cable news programs last week, he deflected questions about his work in Ukraine and instead hammered home one talking point over and over again: The State Department knew he was trying to dig up dirt on 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter.  Giuliani waved […]

Bob Cesca: Mystery wrapped in nasty… If there’s a Senate trial ahead, what evil will Mitch do?

Ever since Nancy Pelosi first announced the launching of an impeachment inquiry, many of us jumped forward in time to the Senate trial that would follow an impeachment vote in the House, wondering out loud whether Mitch McConnell would block Donald Trump’s trial from ever taking place. I thought for sure McConnell would pull a […]

House Democrats warn Pompeo to stop ‘intimidating’ witnesses

House Democrats issued a stark warning to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Tuesday after the top US diplomat accused lawmakers of “intimidating and bullying” State Department officials by calling them for depositions related to the Ukraine inquiry. In a letter sent Tuesday afternoon, the chairmen of the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees told […]

Chuck Grassley defends Ukraine whistleblower, breaking with GOP and Trump

A top Republican senator Tuesday defended the whistleblower at the center of the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry following repeated attacks from President Donald Trump. “This person appears to have followed the whistleblower protection laws and ought to be heard out and protected. We should always work to respect whistleblowers’ requests for confidentiality,” Sen. Chuck Grassley, head of the […]

Pompeo resists House Democrats’ efforts to interview State Dept. officials in impeachment inquiry

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday pushed back against a request by a key House committee to interview five current or former State Department officials as part of an impeachment inquiry centering on the Ukraine scandal, accusing House Democrats of attempting to “intimidate” and “bully” them. “I am concerned with aspects of your request […]

Giuliani hires Watergate prosecutor to represent him in House impeachment probe

Rudy Giuliani, the outspoken personal attorney for Donald Trump, has hired his own lawyer to represent him in the House’s fast-moving impeachment investigation into the president. The former New York mayor tapped Jon Sale, a former Watergate prosecutor and assistant U.S. attorney, in what’s shaping up to be a battle with Democrats over documents tied […]

Stephcast 10-1-19

Republican Rep. Chris Collins resigns ahead of expected guilty plea

New York GOP Rep. Chris Collins has resigned his seat effective Monday, according to a Republican source, one day ahead of an expected guilty plea to federal insider trading charges. The 69-year-old Collins, one of the first GOP lawmakers to back President Donald Trump before the 2016 election, is scheduled to make an appearance in […]

Sanders rakes in huge third-quarter cash haul

Bernie Sanders raised more than $25 million in the third quarter of his presidential campaign, his aides announced Tuesday. The large haul demonstrates that the Vermont senator, despite slipping to third place behind Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden in national polling averages, remains a fundraising juggernaut. Sanders also recently revealed that 1 million people have donated to […]

Pompeo was on Trump-Ukraine call at center of impeachment inquiry

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was on the July phone call where President Donald Trump asked his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate Joe Biden and his son, a senior State Department official told NBC News. The July 25 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy and a related whistleblower complaint are now at the center of […]

CNN Poll: Support for impeaching Trump rises among independents and Republicans

Americans are about evenly split over impeaching President Donald Trump and removing him from office, as support for that move has risen among independents and Republicans, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS after the announcement of a formal impeachment inquiry by House Democrats last week. About half, 47%, support impeaching the President and removing him from […]

CNN Poll: Support for impeaching Trump rises among independents and Republicans

Americans are about evenly split over impeaching President Donald Trump and removing him from office, as support for that move has risen among independents and Republicans, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS after the announcement of a formal impeachment inquiry by House Democrats last week. About half, 47%, support impeaching the President and removing him from […]

Trump pressed Australian Prime Minister to help with Justice review of Russia probe origins

President Donald Trump pressed Australia’s Prime Minister during a recent phone call to help Attorney General William Barr with his review of the origins of the Russia probe, according to an official familiar with the call. The call happened with Barr’s knowledge and at his suggestion, says the official. The New York Times first reported this call.   Read […]

Charlie Pierce: Rudy Giuliani Is the Loosest Cannon on the Deck. Democrats Just Served Him a Subpoena

Congressman Adam Schiff and the other chairmen of the House committees looking into Camp Runamuck seem dreadfully intimidated by the fuming and fussing on the electric Twitter machine. The letter specifically cites a now famous interview on September 19 with Chris Cuomo on CNN in which Giuliani bounced from saying that he had not asked the Ukrainian […]

Stephcast 9-30-19

House subpoenas Rudy Giuliani for Ukraine documents as part of impeachment inquiry

House Democrats have subpoenaed President Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani for Ukraine-related documents as part of their impeachment inquiry. “Pursuant to the House of Representatives’ impeachment inquiry, we are hereby transmitting a subpoena that compels you to produce the documents set forth in the accompanying schedule by October 15, 2019,” the letter from House Intelligence […]

Trump Says He Wants To Meet His Whistleblower

President Donald Trump said Sunday that he wants to meet the whistleblower behind the bombshell complaint at the center of his historic impeachment inquiry. “Like every American, I deserve to meet my accuser, especially when this accuser, the so-called ‘Whistleblower,’ represented a perfect conversation with a foreign leader in a totally inaccurate and fraudulent way,” […]

Trump Raises Threat Of National Violence If He Is Removed From Office

President Donald Trump ominously raised the possibility of national violence Sunday if he is removed from office, quoting an evangelical pastor who warned on Fox News of a “Civil War-like” fracture. Illinois Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an Air Force veteran of Iraq, quickly slammed Trump’s tweet as “beyond repugnant,” adding: “I have never imagined such […]

Washington Post: State Department steps up email probe of dozens of former Hillary Clinton aides

President Donald Trump‘s administration is investigating the emails of dozens of current and former senior State Department officials who sent emails to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton‘s private email, The Washington Post reported Saturday. Current and former officials tell the Post that as many as 130 officials have been contacted in recent weeks by investigators at the State […]

Trump Singles Out 4 Congresswomen Of Color, 2 Jewish Lawmakers As ‘Democrat Savages’

President Donald Trump attacked “Democrat savages” in a vicious new tweet Saturday following the launch of a formal impeachment inquiry — and specifically referred to four congresswomen of color and Jewish lawmakers Rep. Jerry Nadler (N.Y.) and Rep. Adam Schiff (Calif.). He singled out the women even though as of Saturday they were among at […]

Rudy Giuliani Upped Trips to Russia and Former Soviet States After Trump’s Election: ProPublica

Rudy Giuliani has had many identities in his time on the public stage. A crusading federal prosecutor who struck terror in mobsters and Wall Street titans alike. A sometimes-cantankerous New York City mayor who became a national hero for his stirring leadership after the 9/11 attacks. And, currently, President Donald Trump’s unpaid attorney in the […]

Trump, caught off guard, struggles to fight impeachment storm

As soon as President Trump learned he was facing an impeachment investigation on Tuesday, he upended his meetings with world leaders near the United Nations and rushed to his soaring skyscraper a few blocks away in midtown Manhattan. Then, back in his penthouse at Trump Tower, he sought solace at his favorite place — in […]

Eric Boehlert: Fox News rallies around impeachment talking points—but is it enough to save Trump?

After some initial hesitation on how to defend Donald Trump from allegations of trying to collude with the Ukraine government to influence the 2020 campaign, when Trump himself had admitted to doing exactly that, Fox News and most of the right-wing echo chamber have rallied around White House talking points. Robotically defending Trump and pitching the unfolding […]

Rude Pundit: That Trump/Zelensky Call Was F***ed Up for Even More Reasons Than Biden

It’s pretty goddamn clear that the motherfuckin’ quid has a motherfuckin’ pro quo in the weird pseudo-transcript of the July 25 phone call between Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine. And a great deal of it all comes down to the word “though.” Zelensky says, “I would also like to thank you for your great support in the area […]

Nancy Pelosi Says Public Opinion Shifting In Support Of Impeachment Inquiry

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Saturday that public opinion is now on the side of an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump following the release of new information about his conversations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Pelosi this week announced her support for an investigation after the surfacing of a whistleblower complaint that […]

Trump Meets With LaPierre to Discuss How N.R.A. Could Support Political Defense

President Trump met in the Oval Office on Friday with Wayne LaPierre, the chief executive of the National Rifle Association, and discussed prospective gun legislation and whether the N.R.A. could provide support for the president as he faces impeachment and a more difficult re-election campaign, according to two people familiar with the meeting. It was […]

White House restricted access to Trump’s calls with Putin and Saudi crown prince

White House efforts to limit access to President Donald Trump’s conversations with foreign leaders extended to phone calls with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, according to people familiar with the matter. Those calls — both with leaders who maintain controversial relationships with Trump — were among the presidential conversations that […]

WaPo: Trump Told Russians in 2017 Oval Office Meeting He Wasn’t Concerned About Russian Interference

Another stunning report dropped tonight, this one concerning President Donald Trump’s infamous 2017 conversation with Russian officials in the Oval Office. Per the Washington Post, Trump said he was “unconcerned” about Russian election interference because “the United States did the same in other countries” Read the rest of the story at Mediaite.

Pompeo subpoenaed by House Democrats over Trump-Ukraine scandal

Three top Democratic House chairmen on Friday subpoenaed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to turn over documents related to the House’s impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine. The three chairmen — Reps. Eliot Engel of the Foreign Affairs Committee; Adam Schiff of the Intelligence Committee; and Elijah Cummings of the Oversight Committee […]

SM Happy Hour Videocast 9-27-19 Paula Poundstone

Stephcast 9-27-19

Rep. Maxine Waters Statement on the Formal Impeachment Inquiry of Donald J. Trump

WASHINGTON – Rep. Maxine Waters (CA-43) issued the following statement on the formal impeachment inquiry of Donald J. Trump: “I am supportive of the leadership of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who has united the Democratic Caucus and has formalized an impeachment inquiry of the current President of the United States. Donald Trump has admitted to abusing […]

Whistleblower complaint alleges White House cover-up of Trump-Ukraine call

In a detailed, nine-page complaint, a whistleblower said “senior White House officials” worked to “lock down” all records of a presidential phone call this summer, out of fear that “they had witnessed the president abuse his office for personal gain.” In that call, President Trump repeatedly urged Ukraine’s new president to investigate Joe Biden and his […]

‘Total panic’ as ‘shell-shocked’ White House struggles to find impeachment footing

White House officials were scrambling Thursday to figure out how to counter the House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry, with one source familiar with the situation describing a sense of “total panic” over the past week at the lack of a plan to address the new reality. There appears to be rising “anxiety, unease, and concern” — […]

POLL: Support For Trump Impeachment Swings 13 Points in Just Days

The first polling on the question of whether or not President Donald Trump should be impeached since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that she’s supporting an impeachment inquiry shows a major swing — one which leaves the public split right down the middle. According to the Morning Consult, there has been a 13 point swing in favor of impeachment […]

Trump says those who gave info to the whistleblower are like spies, reports say

President Donald Trump ratcheted up his defenses on Thursday, likening those who provided information to the whistleblower to spies, according to reports, and tweeting that “our country is at stake” on the day the complaint against the president was made public. “THE DEMOCRATS ARE TRYING TO DESTROY THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND ALL THAT IT STANDS FOR,” […]

Whistleblower complaint says White House officials acted to ‘lock down’ record of Trump-Ukraine call

A whistleblower’s complaint about President Donald Trump, made public on Thursday, says White House officials were so concerned about what the president said in a July call with Ukraine’s new leader that they intervened to “lock down” the transcript of the conversation. The whistleblower, whose name and gender has not been released, lodged the formal complaint out of […]

Stephcast 9-26-19

GOP Insider Drops a Bomb on MSNBC: In a Secret Vote, 30 Republican Senators Would Impeach Trump

A longtime GOP insider is claiming that if a majority of Republican senators could cast their ballot in secret, they would vote President Donald Trump out of office. Appearing on Andrea Mitchell Reports Wednesday, Mike Murphy — a former senior adviser to Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) and John McCain — claimed that the politics of the Ukraine controversy scare the GOP. Murphy contended that an […]

Oops! White House Emails Democrats Its Trump-Ukraine Talking Points

In what sounds like a scene straight out of “Veep,” the White House on Wednesday accidentally emailed all of its talking points on President Donald Trump’s call with the Ukrainian president to House and Senate Democrats ― and then followed up with a “recall” email hoping lawmakers would ignore what just happened.The White House even sent those GOP […]

Trump Brings Up Hillary Clinton’s Emails While Defending Ukraine Call

In a rambling press conference Wednesday in which he asserted he had done nothing wrong and tried to pivot the focus to Hillary Clinton’s emails, President Donald Trump defended asking the Ukrainian president to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden.“You know there was no pressure,” Trump told reporters of his July 25 call with Volodymyr Zelensky, who joined him […]

Stephcast 9-25-19

Bob Cesca: Watch out for Bill Barr. Trump’s new fixer will work his black magic on Ukraine scandal

During normal times, Donald Trump’s attempted extortion of the Ukrainian government, aimed at forcing an investigation against one of his chief political opponents would almost immediately become the purview of the attorney general, who would — again, during normal times — appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the allegations. After all, the president attempted to use taxpayer […]

McConnell says Senate will ‘find out what happened’ on whistleblower complaint

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday “we’re going to find out what happened” about a whistleblower’s complaint regarding President Donald Trump and said he expects the Senate Intelligence Committee will conduct a “responsible, rather apolitical, at least bipartisan” probe of the matter. But the Kentucky Republican and his fellow GOP senators did not explicitly […]

Schiff says whistleblower wants to talk to House Intelligence Committee

House Intelligence Committee chairman Rep. Adam Schiff announced Tuesday that the whistleblower who filed a mysterious complaint, which includes allegations about President Donald Trump’s conduct, would like to speak to the committee. The whistleblower has requested guidance from acting DNI Joseph Maguire on how to do so, Schiff said.   Read the rest of the […]

‘Can you believe this?’: Trump vents over impeachment push

President Donald Trump cycled through a range of conflicting reactions Tuesday as Democrats moved swiftly toward concrete congressional action on impeachment. The president moved from dismissing the renewed push by Democrats for impeachment proceedings early in the day to bemoaning the effort’s impact while holding meetings with world leaders at the United Nations just a few hours later, to […]

Nancy Pelosi announces formal impeachment inquiry of Trump

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who for months resisted efforts to launch impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump, announced a formal inquiry on Tuesday, saying that the president’s growing Ukraine scandal marked a “breach of his Constitutional responsibilities.” “This week the president has admitted to asking the president of Ukraine to take actions which would benefit him […]

Stephcast 9-24-19

Trump whistleblower complaint fuels impeachment pressure among Democrats

As House Speaker Nancy Pelosi warns that continued efforts by the Trump administration to block Congress from learning more about a national security whistleblower complaint would take Congress “into a whole new stage of investigation,” congressional Democrats are facing renewed pressure to supporting impeaching President Donald Trump. Read the rest of the story at ABC News.

President Trump To Address U.N. General Assembly Today

President Donald Trump will address the United Nations General Assembly today. The president’s speech comes amid ongoing tension with Iran and allegations that the president pressured Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son. As Trump met with world leaders Monday, he hinted Iran will be part of his address. The Middle Eastern Country is being blamed for an attack on […]

Manhattan DA asks judge to toss Trump bid to keep tax returns secret

Prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office want a judge to throw out President Donald Trump’s bid to block them from looking at his personal and corporate tax returns. The office of Manhattan D.A. Cyrus Vance subpoenaed Trump’s accountants for the returns late last month as part of a criminal investigation into the Trump Organization over hush money payments […]

Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg delivers scathing speech at U.N.

Teen environmental activist Greta Thunberg delivered an emotional and scathing speech at the United Nations on Monday, accusing world leaders of stealing her dreams and her childhood with their inaction on climate change. “I shouldn’t be up here. I should be back at school on the other side of the ocean,” the 16-year-old from Sweden told the […]

Jill Wine-Banks: Allegations Against Kavanaugh Were Not Properly Investigated By Dept. Of Justice

See Jill Wine-Banks’ appearance on MSNBC talking about the improper investigation of Kavanaugh here.

Charlie Pierce: Treason Doesn’t Require an Enemy at War

Well, Bill Weld, former governor of the Commonwealth (God save it!), really shot the moon to begin the week. Appearing on MSNBC, Weld made it plain. From the Washington Post: “Talk about pressuring a foreign country to interfere with and control a U.S. election,” Weld said during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “It couldn’t be […]

Stephcast 9-23-19

Pelosi threatens ‘new stage’ of probe as Trump admin stonewalls whistleblower complaint

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday assailed the Trump administration’s efforts to block a whistleblower complaint involving President Donald Trump’s apparent effort to have Ukraine investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his family. In a letter to colleagues Sunday, Pelosi said the administration “will be entering a grave new chapter of lawlessness which will take us […]

Emmys 2019: ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘Fleabag’ win top honors on TV’s big night

HBO’s fantasy epic “Game of Thrones” and Amazon’s dark comedy “Fleabag” won top honors at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, capping off a host-free night that moved briskly and largely shied away from political barbs. Read the rest of the story at NBC News.

Trump admits to discussing Biden in scrutinized talk with Ukrainian leader

President Donald Trump on Sunday acknowledged that he discussed former Vice President Joe Biden during a July phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but denied accusations that he is using the power of his office to hurt a major political rival. “No quid pro quo, there was nothing,” Trump told reporters on the White […]

Eric Boehlert: Kavanaugh’s confirmation was built on lies. The entire GOP traffics in lies. Why the press silence?

We’re witnessing a political revolution in this country, and the press is missing this monumental shift. It’s not that journalists can’t spot the game-changing story; it’s that they’re too afraid to document it. They’re too bullied to address it forcefully.   In the Donald Trump era, lying has become an unequivocal hallmark of the Republican Party and its political strategy. […]

The Rude Pundit: Remembering How Trump and the Right Tried to Convince Everyone Obama Was a Traitor

Every fucking day they went after President Obama. Every fucking day they looked for the merest hint, some seemingly insignificant spark that they could fan into a full conflagration, some misstep that would give his evil game away. Every fucking day the syphilitic cocks of the right tried to prove that Barack Obama, who was […]

Feinstein Demands Barr Hand Over Whistleblower Report: This Is ‘Unacceptable’

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is demanding that Attorney General William Barr release a whistleblower report that reportedly sounded the alarm on President Donald Trump’s requests for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s help in securing the 2020 election. “If media reports are correct that President Trump delayed military aid appropriated by Congress in order to get Ukraine […]

Elizabeth Warren edges out Joe Biden in Des Moines Register Iowa poll

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren has overtaken former Vice President Joe Biden in Iowa, according to a new Des Moines Register/CNN poll of the crucial state. The poll out Saturday night found Warren was the top choice for the Democratic nomination with 22 percent support among likely caucus-goers, while Biden had the support of 20 percent of respondents. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders […]

DHS Warns Against Growing Threat Of White Supremacist Extremism Online

The Department of Homeland Security is sounding the alarm on the growing danger of white supremacy across the country, warning of the internet’s ability to serve as a meeting space and a breeding ground for nationalist extremism.  In a 37-page report called the Strategic Framework for Countering Terrorism and Targeted Violence released Friday, the department emphasized the […]

SM Happy Hour Videocast 9-20-19 Lily Tomlin

Stephcast 9-20-19

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio Ends His 2020 bid

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio dropped out of the 2020 presidential race Friday, ending a long shot bid for the Democratic nomination that never went anywhere. “I feel like I have contributed all I can to this primary election. It’s clearly not my time, so I’m going to end my presidential campaign,” de […]

Pentagon is last holdout as Stephen Miller tries to slash number of refugees allowed in U.S.

The Pentagon is fighting against proposals by White House officials to drastically cut the number of refugees allowed into the U.S., and has called for reserving visas for Iraqis who risked their lives working for U..S. troops, according to five people familiar with the plan. In internal discussions, the Defense Department has expressed opposition to any […]

Schiff: Trump or ‘people around him’ likely behind effort to keep whistleblower details from Congress

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said Thursday that he believed it was likely that President Donald Trump or his aides were working to keep the details of an urgent complaint by an intelligence community whistleblower from Congress. “I believe that there is an effort to prevent this information getting to Congress, and if the assertion […]

Whistleblower complaint about Trump involves Ukraine, report says

Ukraine is at the center of a complaint made by a whistleblowing intelligence officer who filed the report after learning of a promise President Donald Trump made to a foreign leader, The Washington Post reported Thursday evening. The newspaper cited two people familiar with the matter whom it did not name. The Trump administration has withheld the […]

Rudy Giuliani Melts Down On Live TV About Ukraine In Bizarre Chris Cuomo Interview

Rudy Giuliani, attorney to President Donald Trump, got into it with CNN’s Chris Cuomo during a raucous interview on Thursday night. The former New York City mayor shouted at Cuomo, repeatedly contradicted himself, declared Cuomo to be “the enemy” and at one point, placed his head on his hand and closed his eyes, showing off a […]

Stephcast 9-19-19

Eric Boehlert: Kavanaugh’s confirmation was built on lies. The entire GOP traffics in lies. Why the press silence?

We’re witnessing a political revolution in this country, and the press is missing this monumental shift. It’s not that journalists can’t spot the game-changing story; it’s that they’re too afraid to document it. They’re too bullied to address it forcefully.   In the Donald Trump era, lying has become an unequivocal hallmark of the Republican Party and its political strategy. […]

Pompeo calls Saudi oil field attack an ‘act of war’

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday accused Iran of perpetrating an “act of war” after weekend strikes on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, saying the attack had the “fingerprints of the Ayatollah.” “This was an Iranian attack,” Pompeo told reporters after a flight to the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah. “We were blessed there were no […]

NY Times Reporters Say Kavanaugh Asked Them To Lie In Exchange For An Interview

New York Times reporters Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly said that Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh agreed to let them interview him for their upcoming book ― as long as they would publicly lie about it. Speaking at the National Press Club in Washington on Wednesday, Kelly and Pogrebin said that Kavanaugh said he would […]

Whistleblower Complaint Reportedly Involved Trump’s Shocking Pledge To A Foreign Leader

The secret whistleblower complaint that the acting director of national intelligence has refused to hand over to Congress involves President Donald Trump’s “communications with a foreign leader,” The Washington Post reported Wednesday, citing two former U.S. officials familiar with the complaint. The officials said Trump’s interaction with the foreign leader, whose identity was not disclosed, included a […]

Bolton unloads on Trump’s foreign policy behind closed doors

John Bolton, President Donald Trump’s fired national security adviser, harshly criticized Trump’s foreign policy on Wednesday at a private lunch, saying that inviting the Taliban to Camp David sent a “terrible signal” and that it was “disrespectful” to the victims of 9/11 because the Taliban had harbored al Qaeda. Bolton also said that any negotiations […]

Stephcast 9-18-19

Richard Painter: If Democrats don’t impeach, “they risk losing to Donald Trump”

Robert Mueller’s report, even in redacted form, reveals how Donald Trump and his inner circle colluded with a foreign power to undermine American democracy. It also shows a president and his allies who were and are willing to obstruct and otherwise interfere with justice in order to remain in power. The Trump regime’s assault on […]

Bob Cesca: Time for the 2020 candidates to go after Trump on his supposed strength: the failing economy

Among many outcomes and observations following last week’s ABC News/Univision presidential debate, there were only two candidates who were willing to attack Donald Trump and the trolls who surround him: Sen. Kamala Harris and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke. That’s not to say the others didn’t mention President Trump at all. It’s just that Harris and […]

Trump Fires Back at Sen. Graham Suggesting POTUS ‘Weakness’ on Iran: ‘No Lindsey, It Was a Sign of Strength’

President Donald Trump fired back at Sen. Lindsey Graham after the latter suggested the president showed “weakness” toward Iran for not responding more forcefully when Iran shot down a US surveillance drone in June. Graham made his comment on Twitter after receiving a briefing from Vice President Mike Pence on the recent, devastating attack on Saudi Arabia’s Abqaiq oil facility, which […]

Pompeo travels to Saudi Arabia amid fallout from oil facility attack

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is heading to Saudi Arabia Tuesday to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman amid the fallout from a drone and missile attack on a major Saudi oil facility over the weekend.  Pompeo has blamed Iran for the attack, although President Trump has been hesitant to do so until a full review has […]

Justice Department Sues Edward Snowden For Book Proceeds

The Justice Department has filed suit against National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden, seeking to seize any proceeds he makes from his new book, “Permanent Record.” The suit would not block the publication of Snowden’s book, which came out Tuesday, but rather seeks to prevent him from profiting from it. The suit names the book’s […]

Trump To Block California From Setting Its Own Car Pollution Standards: Report

President Donald Trump’s administration is expected to announce Wednesday that it will revoke California’s legal authority to set its own auto emissions standards, The New York Times reported Tuesday. The state has been in an ongoing legal fight with the Trump administration for the last year over its right to that waiver, which has major influence […]

Corey Lewandowski Refuses To Answer Questions At House Hearing

Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski refused to answer basic questions at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday. Democrats on the committee asked Lewandowski simple questions about his interactions with President Donald Trump as part of their probe into the possible impeachment of the president.  Read the rest of the story at HuffPost.

Stephcast 9-17-19

Grassley defends his investigation of Kavanaugh during confirmation process

With new questions arising about the confirmation process for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, on Monday defended his committee’s investigation of allegations against the then-nominee, calling it an “incredibly thorough review” into Kavanaugh’s personal and professional life. Grassley, who oversaw the confirmation process as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee last fall, made […]

Trump flip-flops, urges patience after ‘locked and loaded’ threat following attack on Saudis

President Donald Trump on Monday offered markedly more restrained language about possible retaliation for a weekend attack on a Saudi oil facility — compared to his Sunday tweets that the U.S. was “locked and loaded depending on verification” if and when the U.S. publicly announces Iran’s culpability. A senior administration official told ABC News that there […]

Trump in New Mexico: ‘Who do you love more — the country, or Hispanics?’

President Donald Trump, looking to put New Mexico in play in 2020, sought to win over Hispanic voters at a rally here Monday. The president’s pitch to Hispanic voters seemed to silo them off from the rest of the electorate, including the rally crowd (“We love our Hispanics.”) It featured an assertion that they had […]

Warren, in NYC rally, casts campaign as successor to other women-led movements

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, in a speech that drew thousands of supporters to a historic site in Lower Manhattan, on Monday made one of her most explicit appeals to female voters since announcing her bid for the White House. In Washington Square Park, an area etched with the history of women-led political action against corruption and […]

Charlie Pierce: Elizabeth Warren Is Having One Seriously Big Monday

Senator Professor Warren continues to play error-free baseball in this here presidential campaign. Not only does she schedule a certified Big Speech in Washington Square Park in New York on Monday night to talk about the contributions of women to the labor movement not far from the site of the Triangle Shirtwaist fire, but also, […]

Eric Boehlert: Vicious anti-Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attack ad shows 2020 swift boating has begun. Is press ready?

It started in depressing fashion, but the 2020 election season may have officially begun when a right-wing group aired a vicious attack ad last week against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. The spot, which aired on a couple of major-market ABC stations the night of a prime-time Democratic debate, featured Ocasio-Cortez’s image being consumed by fire, followed by […]

Trump’s deference to Saudi Arabia infuriates much of D.C.

Saudi Arabia is once again a radioactive political football in the U.S., and President Donald Trump can’t resist grabbing it. In a series of tweets this weekend, Trump indicated that Iran is behind the recent attack on Saudi oil facilities and that the United States will respond after hearing from the Saudi government “under what […]

Dem Senator urged FBI to reach out to Kavanaugh witness, letter shows

Days before Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh‘s confirmation, a Democratic senator urged the FBI to reach out to a witness who had key information about alleged misconduct by the nominee while at Yale, according to a letter obtained by CNN. The letter comes as The New York Times reported over the weekend that the Times had interviewed more […]

8 Years of Trump Tax Returns Are Subpoenaed by Manhattan D.A.

State prosecutors in Manhattan have subpoenaed President Trump’s accounting firm to demand eight years of his personal and corporate tax returns, according to several people with knowledge of the matter. The subpoena opens a new front in a wide-ranging effort to obtain copies of the president’s tax returns, which Mr. Trump initially said he would make public during […]

Russia Carried Out A ‘Stunning’ Breach Of FBI Communications System, Escalating The Spy Game On U.S. Soil

On Dec. 29, 2016, the Obama administration announced that it was giving nearly three dozen Russian diplomats just 72 hours to leave the United States and was seizing two rural East Coast estates owned by the Russian government. As the Russians burned papers and scrambled to pack their bags, the Kremlin protested the treatment of […]

Stephcast 9-16-19

Eric Boehlert: Letting Trump constantly lie about 9/11 means the press will let him lie about anything

Sometimes it feels like the press has just completely surrendered to Donald Trump’s relentless lies, and that reporters have essentially thrown up their hands, signaling that Trump has complete permission to fabricate whatever wild fantasies he wants and journalists won’t really do much. Perhaps it’s one part laziness, one part exhaustion? But watching what unfolded on […]

The Rude Pundit: How Much of a Pu**y A** Bi*ch Is Donald Trump? An Investigation

You don’t really need to know why model and TV host Chrissy Teigen called President Donald Trump a “pussy ass bitch.” I mean, you can probably think of a dozen reasons right off the top of your head and nod, saying, “Yeah, that makes sense.” Because, obviously, Donald Trump is a pussy ass bitch. He’s always been a […]

Trump: U.S. ‘Locked And Loaded’ For Response To Attack On Saudi Oil Sites

A weekend drone attack on Saudi Arabia that cut into global energy supplies and halved the kingdom’s oil production threatened Sunday to fuel a regional crisis, as the U.S. released new evidence to back up its allegation that Iran was responsible for the assault amid heightened tensions over Tehran’s collapsing nuclear deal. Read the rest […]

Tens of thousands of General Motors auto workers go on strike

Tens of thousands of auto workers across the country went on strike Sunday night after negotiations faltered between their union and General Motors. The strike began at 11:59 p.m. ET., with as many as 50,000 United Auto Workers at dozens of facilities from Michigan to Texas expected to participate. Read the rest of the story at […]

Ric Ocasek, frontman and songwriter of the new wave band The Cars, dies at 75

Ric Ocasek, a co-founder and lead singer of the new wave band The Cars, was found dead in New York City on Sunday, authorities said. Ocasek was 75. The New York Police Department said his body was found in a Manhattan townhouse on Sunday afternoon. Ocasek, who was unconscious and unresponsive, was pronounced dead at […]

Democrats call for Kavanaugh impeachment over new sexual misconduct claims

A slew of prominent Democrats called on Congress to impeach Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh after allegations of sexual misconduct that had once threatened to torpedo his nomination to the bench resurfaced, even as President Donald Trump continued to defend him. “I sat through those hearings,” Sen. Kamala Harris, a member of the Senate Judiciary Commitee […]