Archives

Felicity Huffman sentenced to 14 days in jail for college admissions scandal

Felicity Huffman was sentenced to 14 days in jail on Friday for her role in the college admissions cheating scandal. The popular television actress has admitted to paying $15,000 in an effort to boost her eldest daughter’s SAT score.  Huffman, 56, also received one year of probation, 250 hours of community service and a $30,000 fine. Huffman said […]

SM Happy Hour Videocast 9-13-19 Jonathan Del Arco

Stephcast 9-13-19

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slams shocking ad that aired during Democratic debate

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Thursday criticized a television ad from a new Republican-aligned political action committee that calls her “ignorant” and sets fire to her picture. “Republicans are running TV ads setting pictures of me on fire to convince people they aren’t racist,” the New York Democrat tweeted. “Life is weird!”   Read the rest of […]

‘My AR Is Ready For You’: GOP Lawmaker Sends Ominous Message To Beto O’Rourke

Briscoe Cain, a Republican serving in the Texas House of Representatives, is facing a possible FBI investigation over a threatening message he sent to Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke. “My AR is ready for you Robert Francis,” Cain wrote on Twitter in response to O’Rourke’s proposed assault weapons ban.  Read the rest of the story […]

4 Takeaways From The Third 2020 Democratic Debate

The 2020 Democratic presidential primary is in the middle of a slog, and Thursday night’s debate reflected that. The campaign is mature enough that multiple candidates have dropped out of the race but still young enough for the top-polling candidates to bring risk-averse approaches to the debate, limiting the possibilities for fireworks. It was late […]

Justice Department rejects Andrew McCabe’s appeal to avoid prosecution

The Justice Department has rejected an appeal from former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe of a recommendation to indict him made by the US attorney in Washington, DC, sources familiar with the situation say. The US attorney has been scrutinizing alleged false statements McCabe made to investigators regarding his involvement in a newspaper report about […]

Impeachment inquiry ramps up as Judiciary panel adopts procedural guidelines

The House Judiciary Committee took a big step Thursday morning in its ongoing investigation into whether to recommend the filing of articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, passing a resolution that set procedures and rules for future impeachment investigation hearings. The resolution passed along party lines, 24-17. Read the rest of the story at NBC News.

Liz Cheney Shreds ‘Big Loser’ Rand Paul in Battle Royale to Impress Trump: You’re ‘Terrorists First, America Second’

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) lashed out at Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) in a tweet on Thursday accusing her fellow Republican of supporting terrorists and referring to him as a “big loser.” “Hi @RandPaul I know the 2016 race was painful for you since you were such a big loser (then & now) with a dismal 4.5% in Iowa,” tweeted […]

Stephcast 9-12-19

Tom Steyer: Democratic leaders, stop dragging your feet and impeach Trump now

Donald Trump is, and has always been, a threat to our democracy. The long rap sheet of crimes perpetrated by this president is getting longer every day; it only starts with special counsel Robert Mueller’s report. And now Congress has returned from recess to a country that’s reeling from a president who clearly lacks both […]

Trump administration moves to ban flavored e-cigarettes

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the US Food and Drug Administration would be putting out “some very strong recommendations” regarding the use of flavored e-cigarettes in “a couple of weeks.” Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, seated in the Oval Office with the President, first lady Melania Trump and the acting commissioner of the FDA, […]

Democrats gear up for ABC News debate in Houston, with front-runners set to face off on one stage, one night

The winnowing presidential primary field is five months out from the first ballots being cast – but Democrats all vying for the top of the ticket are still carving out their own paths to defeat President Donald Trump. Those differing routes are never more apparent than when standing shoulder-to-shoulder on a debate stage. “You know, we have a president, […]

Trump delays tariff hike on some Chinese goods by two weeks

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday welcomed China’s decision to exempt some U.S. anti-cancer drugs and other goods from its tariffs and announced a delay to scheduled tariff hikes on billions worth of Chinese goods. Beijing’s exemptions and Washington’s delay came days ahead of a planned meeting aimed at defusing a trade war between the world’s […]

Supreme Court allows U.S. to enforce tough restrictions on asylum seekers

The U.S. Supreme Court late Wednesday gave the Trump administration permission to enforce its toughest restriction yet on asylum seekers at the southern border, even though a lawsuit to stop the new policy is still working its way through the lower courts. As a result, the government can now refuse to consider a request for asylum from […]

Trump laments media coverage and polls ahead of 9/11 commemoration

In the moments before President Donald Trump was set to commemorate the 18th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks, his mind was decidedly elsewhere. “If it weren’t for the never ending Fake News about me, and with all that I have done (more than any other President in the first 2 1/2 years!), I would […]

CNN Poll: Biden leads as Warren and Sanders battle for second on eve of debate

Joe Biden leads the Democratic presidential primary but a tight race for second place has formed behind him as Sen. Elizabeth Warren leads Sen. Bernie Sanders by one point, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS. The former vice president is at 24%, Warren at 18% and Sanders at 17% are once again the […]

Nancy Pelosi GOES OFF on Reporter Who Tries to Blame Democrats for Inaction on Gun Control

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi completely lost it on a reporter for asking whether she regretted not calling the House back from recess to work on gun reform, saying she was “getting very angry about the silliness of these questions” and blaming Mitch McConnell for continued deaths from gun violence. On Tuesday, San Francisco Chronicle reporter Tal […]

Stephcast 9-11-19

Tomorrow’s Democratic debate: Everything you need to know

The 10 leading Democratic presidential candidates will take the stage at the party’s third 2020 presidential primary debate in Texas on Thursday. Unlike the prior debates, the event in Houston will feature all the highest-polling candidates — including Former Vice President Joe Biden, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, California Sen. Kamala Harris and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. […]

Alarm bells should be ringing at Trump HQ after N.C. House scare

Republican Rep.-elect Dan Bishop’s narrow victory in a North Carolina special election had drawn a half-dozen excited tweets from President Donald Trump by early Wednesday morning. “Dan Bishop was down 17 points 3 weeks ago. He then asked me for help, we changed his strategy together, and he ran a great race,” Trump tweeted. “Big Rally last […]

Trump Told Ex-National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster He Missed Him Amid Frustrations With Bolton: Report

As President Donald Trump began losing confidence in national security adviser John Bolton, whom he fired on Tuesday, he reached out to the man he had fired to give Bolton the job: retired Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster. In phone calls to McMaster — the first of which took place last fall — Trump told his second […]

Republican Dan Bishop projected to narrowly win closely watched North Carolina special congressional election

North Carolina state Sen. Dan Bishop will defeat Democrat Dan McCready in the North Carolina 9th District’s special congressional election, CNN projects, giving Republicans a narrow victory in the GOP-leaning district where President Donald Trump won by 12 points in 2016. The race drew national attention as a potential 2020 bellwether, in a district that stretched from the Charlotte suburbs […]

Tucker Carlson Calls Bolton Ouster a ‘Great Day for America’: He’s ‘A Man of the Left’

Fox News’ Tucker Carlson has been publicly critical of John Bolton on numerous occasions, so it’s no surprise that he opened his show tonight declaring that his leaving the White House is “great news for America.” “Especially for the large number of young people who would have been killed in pointless wars if Bolton had stayed on the job,” […]

A Powerful Sisterhood: Meet the Rocking Legal Analysts of MSNBC

Maya. Joyce. Jill. If you are an avid watcher of MSNBC, you know these women by their first names. They are legal analysts, but I think of them as the Avengers—only talking is their superpower, and right now, for them and their fans, the Zombie Apocalypse is in D.C. Once relatively obscure, toiling in the […]

Bob Cesca: Trump keeps trying to find a Biden scandal in Ukraine — but he can’t even get that right

As Donald Trump grows noticeably more desperate, he’s blundering his way into more unforced errors, metaphorically stepping on a series of rakes scattered on the White House lawn. With each careless step onto another rake, he keeps clobbering himself in the face again and again. In particular, Trump appears to be setting a trap for […]

Nancy Pelosi’s Prescription Drug Bill Draws Qualified Praise From Progressives

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s proposed bill to lower prescription drug prices has won qualified praise from some of the progressives who have been most critical of her handling of the issue. “This is an ambitious plan, as any meaningful response to outrageous prescription drug prices and nationwide treatment rationing must be,” Peter Maybarduk, director of […]

Jerry Falwell Jr. Alleges ‘Criminal Conspiracy’ Against Him at Liberty University

Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. alleged that there is a “criminal conspiracy” against him by former board members at the school, telling Hill.TV that he’s sharing information with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. His comments come after current and former Liberty University officials accused Falwell of alarming conduct in a Politico magazine story, including revealing inappropriate […]

CNN Poll: 6 in 10 say Trump does not deserve a second term

Six in 10 Americans say President Donald Trump does not deserve to be reelected, according to a new CNN Poll conducted by SSRS, and more now say he’s doing a poor job than a good one of keeping important campaign promises. Overall, the poll paints a picture of a President who has done little to improve […]

Trump ousts Bolton after anger over Afghan news coverage

President Donald Trump ousted national security adviser John Bolton on Tuesday, saying he and the hawkish aide had “disagreed strongly” on many issues and suggesting that Bolton had collided with other Trump advisers, too. The decision came after widespread reports that Bolton tried to stop Trump from inviting leaders of the Afghan Taliban to Camp […]

Stephcast 9-10-19

Trump rallies supporters in North Carolina ahead of today’s special election

President Trump took the stage in North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District on Monday ahead of a special election to throw his support behind Republican candidates Dan Bishop and Greg Murphy, who’s running in the state’s 3rd District. Bishop will face Democrat Dan McCready on Tuesday in the high-profile special election, which was ordered after widespread absentee […]

Natasha Bertrand: Air Force leaders order probe of Trump resort stays

The U.S. Air Force has ordered a world-wide review of how it chooses overnight accommodations on long flights following revelations that air crews had occasionally stayed at President Donald Trump’s Scotland resort while refueling at a small commercial airport nearby. The review comes as additional instances of military personnel staying at Trump properties have been […]

Charlie Pierce: The Bahamas Is Learning That the United States Has Pulled Up the Drawbridge

There was a rank obscenity posted on the electric Twitter machine Sunday night. It was posted by a very sharp reporter named Brian Entin from WSVN in Miami. Entin was on a ferry that was supposed to take Bahamians fleeing the devastation of Hurricane Dorian to Florida. Hundreds of Bahamians have been allowed to come […]

Commerce Chief Threatened Firings at NOAA After Trump’s Hurricane Tweets, Sources Say

The Secretary of Commerce threatened to fire top employees at NOAA on Friday after the agency’s Birmingham office contradicted President Trump’s claim that Hurricane Dorian might hit Alabama, according to three people familiar with the discussion. That threat led to an unusual, unsigned statement later that Friday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration disavowing the office’s […]

House Democrats unveil impeachment probe parameters

President Donald Trump’s attorneys would be permitted to review some of Congress’s impeachment-related evidence under a set of procedures unveiled Monday by the House Judiciary Committee, part of a plan to spell out the panel’s authorities as it intensifies its consideration of articles of impeachment. The measure, obtained by POLITICO, would also allow smaller groups of […]

The Trump Family Has a Long And Spectacularly Crazy History

The empire begins with a brothel. It stands, sturdy and square, at the heart of a gold-rush boomtown in northwest British Columbia, a monument to careful branding. The windows of the Arctic Restaurant have no signs offering access to prostitutes—even in a lawless Yukon outpost in 1899, decorum rules out such truth in advertising—but Friedrich […]

Todd Palin files for divorce from former Alaska governor Sarah Palin

Todd Palin appears to have filed for divorce from former Alaska governor and one-time vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, his wife of 31 years. In a document filed Friday in Anchorage Superior Court, Todd Palin, 55, asked to dissolve the marriage, citing an “incompatibility of temperament between the parties such that they find it impossible to […]

Stephcast 9-9-19

How Trump’s Plan to Secretly Meet With the Taliban Came Together, and Disastrously Fell Apart

On the Friday before Labor Day, President Trump gathered top advisers in the Situation Room to consider what could be among the profound decisions of his presidency — a peace plan with the Taliban after 18 years of grinding, bloody war in Afghanistan. The meeting brought to a head a bristling conflict dividing his foreign […]

NOAA Warned Staffers Not To Contradict Trump On Hurricane Dorian: Report

A top official with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned staffers last week not to contradict President Donald Trump’s false claims about Hurricane Dorian’s path, according to The Washington Post.  The email obtained by the Post was sent last Sunday, just hours after Trump tweeted that Alabama “would most likely be hit (much) harder than […]

Air Force leaders order probe of Trump resort stays

The U.S. Air Force has ordered a world-wide review of how it chooses overnight accommodations on long flights following revelations that air crews had occasionally stayed at President Donald Trump’s Scotland resort while refueling at a small commercial airport nearby. The review comes as additional instances of military personnel staying at Trump properties have been […]

Eric Boehlert: Fox News, GOP media now warn of bloodshed if Democrats win in 2020

That’s one way to try halt public debate in this country: by threatening mass violence and a bloody people’s revolt in the streets. That’s what conservative media voices, including those on Fox News, have done in recent days. Specifically, the reckless rhetoric has revolved around proposed new gun laws in the wake of America’s latest string […]

Trump says he’s called off secret meeting at Camp David with Taliban leaders

In a series of tweets Saturday night, President Trump wrote that he called off a secret meeting at Camp David with the Taliban and canceled peace talks. The president wrote that the Taliban “admitted” to an attack in Kabul that “killed one of our great great soldiers” and 11 others. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo […]

Former Rep. Mark Sanford announces he will challenge Trump in GOP primary

Former Rep. Mark Sanford, R-S.C., said on Sunday that he will run for president, giving President Donald Trump another longshot primary challenger. “I plan to announce that back home this week.,” Sanford told “Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace, adding, “But I am here to tell you now that I am going to get in.” […]

Natasha Bertrand: Air Force crew made an odd stop on a routine trip… Trump’s Scottish resort

In early Spring of this year, an Air National Guard crew made a routine trip from the U.S. to Kuwait to deliver supplies. What wasn’t routine was where the crew stopped along the way: President Donald Trump’s Turnberry resort, about 50 miles outside Glasgow, Scotland. Since April, the House Oversight Committee has been investigating why […]

McConnell vows to protect Kentucky middle school from Trump’s grab for wall funding

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would defend funding for a new middle school in his home state of Kentucky after it was selected as one of the military projects the Trump administration will delay in order to fund border wall construction. Secretary of Defense Matt Esper announced on Tuesday the list of projects impacted by […]

House panel to take formal steps on impeachment probe next week

The House Judiciary Committee is prepared to vote next week on a resolution laying out the procedures for its investigation now that it is actively considering moving to impeach President Donald Trump, a major step toward formalizing its sweeping probe, according to multiple sources familiar with the effort. Read the rest of the story at CNN.

NOAA Bends To White House Pressure, Throws Federal Forecasters Under The Bus, Says Alabama Was Threatened By Dorian

The head of the union that represents federal weather workers said Friday that his members are “shocked, stunned and irate” that the federal agency whose workers they represent put out a statement siding with President Trump in the increasingly bizarre dispute over whether Hurricane Dorian was on track to hit Alabama. Read the rest of […]

Congress Investigates Vice President Pence’s Trip to Trump Golf Resort in Ireland

Two congressional committees have opened investigations into Vice President Mike Pence’s trip to the Trump International Golf Links and Hotel in Doonbeg, Ireland, as well as President Trump’s promotion of the Trump National Doral Miami as a U.S. venue to host the G-7 summit. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform and the House Committee […]

SM Happy Hour Videocast 09-06-2019 Alyssa Milano

Stephcast – 9-6-19

Trump called Fox News correspondent into Oval Office to argue he wasn’t wrong about Alabama

Fox News senior White House correspondent John Roberts had just finished his 3 p.m. live shot on Thursday when President Donald Trump beckoned him into the Oval Office. The President had one argument to make, according to an internal Fox email Roberts sent about the meeting provided to CNN.   Read the rest of the story at CNN.

Dorian skims North Carolina, bringing high winds and ‘life-threatening’ storm surge

A weakened Hurricane Dorian was still packing a powerful punch as it skimmed North Carolina’s coast Friday morning, bringing fierce winds and a dangerous storm surge, according to the National Hurricane Center. Residents were told to shelter in place Thursday while more than a quarter-of-a-million homes and businesses were left without power on the South Carolina coast […]

Republicans to scrap primaries and caucuses as Trump challengers cry foul

Four states are poised to cancel their 2020 GOP presidential primaries and caucuses, a move that would cut off oxygen to Donald Trump’s long-shot primary challengers. Republican parties in South Carolina, Nevada, Arizona and Kansas are expected to finalize the cancellations in meetings this weekend, according to three GOP officials who are familiar with the […]

‘It Was Trump’: WH Official Tells The Washington Post Trump Himself Doctored ‘Sharpiegate’ Map

President Donald Trump was the person who doctored a NOAA projection map of Hurricane Dorian to include parts of Alabama, according to an anonymous White House official: “It was Trump.” According to a new Washington Post report, “Sharpiegate,” as it’s now known, was the direct result of Trump using a marker to draw in an extra bump on a […]

Pete Buttigieg: GOP Will Face A ‘Reckoning’ As Christians Realize Its Hypocrisy

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg predicted a coming “reckoning” for Republican leaders who promote policies he believes contradict core Christian values.  During an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Thursday, the South Bend, Indiana, mayor said that, for a party that claims to defend religious values, the GOP’s policies appear to contradict major religions’ teachings […]

The Rude Pundit: Corporate America Is Finally Getting Sick of Your Guns

How fucking pathetic is this: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his mass murder-enablers in the GOP caucus are refusing to do anything to tighten gun laws, including things that are supported by between 60 and 90% of Americans. McConnell is taking the bitch way out by saying that he won’t bring to the floor anything that […]

Top Senate Democrat Wants To Investigate Pence’s Stay At Trump Golf Club In Ireland

A top Senate Democrat wants to investigate whether Vice President Mike Pence’s taxpayer-funded stay at a golf club in Ireland owned by President Donald Trump was another “apparent conflict of interest” involving Trump, his administration and his business properties. “Citing security and logistical concerns, you and your Chief of Staff have made the claim that […]

Bob Cesca: “Moscow Mitch” wants an election overrun by trolls and plunged into chaos

In the interest of big-picturing the past week or so, we learned from the Republican-controlled Senate Intelligence Committee that Russian hackers successfully infiltrated election systems in all 50 states during the 2016 election cycle. We also learned that the accused felon who was installed as commander in chief as a likely consequence of that cyber-attack spent […]

Twitter Astonished as Trump Fires Off His Ninth Tweet in 102 Hours About the Hurricane Hitting Alabama (Don’t Panic, It’s Not)

Dude. Just take the L. That sums up much of the reaction to President Donald Trump’s latest tweets — in which he, astonishingly, continues to defend his tweet from last Sunday claiming Alabama would be hit by Hurricane Dorian. “Just as I said, Alabama was originally projected to be hit,” Trump wrote on Thursday afternoon. “The Fake News denies […]

Stephcast 9-5-19

Lawmakers furious after learning how military will pay for Trump’s wall

The Pentagon’s announcement that it will divert $3.6 billion in military construction funds to help fund President Donald Trump’s border wall has sparked bipartisan anger from lawmakers who learned Wednesday that their states will be impacted by the decision. Domestically, just under $1.8 billion is being shifted away from projects in 23 states and three US […]

Democrats Participate In Marathon 7-Hour CNN Town Hall On Climate Change

At CNN’s seven-hour marathon climate crisis town hall Wednesday, the top 10 candidates for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination united on calls to recommit to the Paris climate accord, end subsidies to oil, gas and coal companies, and halt fossil fuel leasing on public lands. Read the rest of the story at HuffPost.

Trump flails when a reporter presses him on the bogus weather map he shared: ‘I don’t know, I don’t know’

As with many stories about President Donald Trump, this one may toss you into a familiar cycle: first you laugh, then you cry, and then you fantasize about November 2020. The president’s latest round of nonsense began on Sunday when he announced on Twitter that, among other southern states, Alabama “will most likely be hit […]

Migrant Children Separated From Parents Show Signs Of PTSD, Report Finds

Migrant children who were separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border last year suffered post-traumatic stress and other serious mental health problems, according to a government watchdog report Wednesday. The chaotic reunification process only added to their ordeal. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the report in advance of the official release.  Read […]

Did Trump Doctor a Hurricane Map With Sharpie to Prove His False Prediction That Dorian Could Hit Alabama?

While warning of Hurricane Dorian, President Donald Trump today displayed a NOAA map that appeared to be doctored to line up with his proclamation that Hurricane Dorian could hit Alabama.  Read the rest of the story at Mediaite.

Conservative Operative Jacob Wohl Wanted on Felony Arrest Warrant

Conservative operative Jacob Wohl is wanted on a felony arrest warrant in California, a development that could hamper his spree of bizarre, blundering political schemes. Wohl and former business partner Matthew Johnson were both charged with the unlawful sale of securities in a Riverside Superior Court criminal complaint filed on Aug. 19.  Wohl has not […]

John Kelly Reportedly Writing White House Tell-All

CNN reports that in one of Kelly’s last meetings with Trump before leaving the administration, the president asked him if he intends to write a book someday. Sources say that Kelly told Trump he did plan on writing a memoir, but would wait until Trump was no long president before he publishes. Read the rest […]

Stephcast 9-4-19

Jeanine Pirro Caught Complaining About Fox News, Confirms She Was Suspended

Fox News host Jeanine Pirro slammed her employers and complained about the network suspending her during a Tuesday appearance on former White House aide Seb Gorka’s show. While talking over a commercial break that was broadcasted on Gorka’s YouTube livestream, Pirro told the host that she may not be able to appear on his Salem Radio program in-person […]

Boris Johnson loses crucial vote in Parliament, Brexit set to be delayed

Britain may have to wait to leave the European Union. Prime Minister Boris Johnson lost a key vote in the House of Commons on Tuesday after lawmakers used an obscure procedural motion to wrest control of the parliamentary agenda from the government in an extraordinary bid to stop a “no deal” Brexit. Read the rest of […]

Chicago mayor tells Ted Cruz: ‘Keep our name out of your mouth’ about gun control

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot ripped Senator Ted Cruz and “coward Republicans” after he cited the city as an example for why “gun control doesn’t work.” On Monday, Cruz linked to a story from the far-right website Breitbart News about fatal gun violence in “Democrat-controlled Chicago” over Labor Day Weekend. Read the rest of the story […]

Pentagon approves diversion of military construction funds for Trump’s wall

Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper agreed on Tuesday to free up $3.6 billion from the Pentagon budget for President Trump’s border wall by effectively defunding 127 military construction projects using emergency authorities.  Read the rest of the story at The Washington Post.

Walmart to halt sales of some ammunition, asks shoppers not to openly carry weapons

Walmart said Tuesday that it would discontinue the sale of ammunition used in high-capacity magazines and military-style weapons and also asked its customers not to openly carry firearms in stores even in states where it is permitted. The news follows mass shootings across the country, including 22 people who were killed last month in a Walmart […]

Axios: Trump allies raise money to target reporters

President Trump’s political allies are trying to raise at least $2 million to investigate reporters and editors of The New York Times, The Washington Post and other outlets, according to a three-page fundraising pitch reviewed by Axios.  Read the rest of the story at Axios.

Former Defense Secretary James Mattis says he’ll ‘speak out’ about Trump policies ‘when the time’s right’

Former Defense Secretary James Mattis, who has declined numerous opportunities to criticize President Donald Trump’s policies since leaving his Cabinet post, said Tuesday he may not stay silent forever. In a conversation with Council on Foreign Relations President Richard Haass, Mattis said that “when the time’s right to speak out about policy or strategy, I’ll […]

Stephcast 9-3-19

Democrats Preparing To Investigate Trump Over Links To Hush Money Payments: Report

Congressional Democrats plan to open an inquiry into claims that President Donald Trump was involved in hush money payments to two women during the 2016 election, according to a report Monday evening in The Washington Post.  Read the rest of the story at HuffPost.

At least 20 bodies found from California dive boat fire

Thirty-three people had signed up to spend what promised to be a glorious Labor Day weekend aboard the Conception, a 75-foot boat that offered a scuba diver’s dream: unlimited diving among giant fish and colorful underwater sea life, with gourmet meals served between dives. The destination was San Miquel, in California’s Channel Islands, where huge halibut […]

Hurricane Dorian Downgraded to Category 3, but Still Threatens Florida

Hurricane Dorian has been downgraded to a Category 3 storm after stalling over the Bahamas, where officials say it is responsible for the deaths of at least five people. The National Hurricane Center says the storm is expected to remain over the Bahamas for much of Tuesday before moving “dangerously close” to the Florida coast […]

Odessa gunman had been on a long downward spiral before killing 7 people, FBI said

A west Texas man, on a “downward spiral,” made “rambling” calls to police and the FBI before embarking on a shooting spree that took the lives of seven innocent bystanders, authorities said Monday. The killer, 36-year-old Seth Ator, had been fired by his employer, Journey Oil Field Services, on Saturday before he went on his bloody rampage […]

Eric Boehlert: Trump’s 2020 polling numbers are a disaster. Why doesn’t his press coverage reflect that?

The Beltway press has spent years normalizing many things about Donald Trump’s radical presidency. Now it seems to be normalizing Trump’s disastrous polling numbers on the eve of his re-election run. Any other incumbent in his lowly polling position would likely be getting hammered by the pundit class as it dubbed his presidency a failure. But […]

The Rude Pundit: America Is Not Just for Americans

At my college, the semester just started. And in my classes, as usual, I have an array of students from other countries, including Syria and Lebanon. I have said on other occasions that my Middle Eastern students are almost always some of the best, hardest-working, least-complaining ones. It’s just an anecdotal observation based on years […]

Police Never Responded After Odessa Shooter Threatened Neighbor With Rifle Last Month

The Odessa mass shooter threatened his neighbor with a rifle last month, but the police never responded after she reported the incident to them, according to breaking news via CNN. According to the CNN report, the 36-year-old perpetrator, who shot and killed seven people and wounded 22 more on Saturday afternoon, was reported to law […]

Odessa Mayor Blames Shootings On Evil People, Violent Video Games

The mayor of Odessa, Texas, on Sunday blamed the mass shooting in his town that claimed seven lives on “evil people” and “violent video games.” When MSNBC news host Kendis Gibson asked Mayor David Turner how he was going to comfort the people of his town, Turner responded: “You comfort your city with prayer. We’re […]

Justice Ginsburg reports she’s on the way to being ‘very well’ after cancer treatment

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said Saturday she’s “alive” and on her way to being “very well” following radiation treatment for cancer. Ginsburg, 86, made the comments at the Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington. The event came a little over a week after Ginsburg disclosed that she had completed three weeks […]

Trump’s tariffs on $112 billion of Chinese imports kick in

It just became 15% more expensive for U.S. companies to import everything from milk to diapers and sports equipment from China. Tariffs on $112 billion of Chinese goods went into effect Sunday. While some duties have been delayed and some items have been removed from the original list of $300 billion Chinese imports, many everyday grocery items […]

Hurricane Dorian strengthens to Category 5 as ‘catastrophic’ storm closes in on Bahamas

Hurricane Dorian strengthened to a “catastrophic” Category 5 storm early Sunday as it closed in on the Bahamas, the National Hurricane Center said. It’s expected to bring devastating 160 mph winds, heavy rainfall and life-threatening storm surge as it prepares to hit the Abaco Islands in the northern Bahamas. It will then hit Grand Bahama Island later on Sunday. Read […]

West Texas Shooting Spree Leaves 7 Dead, Scores Injured; Gunman Killed

Seven people were killed and scores more were wounded—including three police officers and a 17-month-old child shot in the face—when a man armed with a rifle carried out a terrifying rampage in west Texas on Saturday afternoon. After opening fire on state troopers during a traffic stop on Interstate 20 between Odessa and Midland, the suspect went […]

SM Happy Hour Videocast 8-30-19 Bob Cesca (from 4-7-15)

Stephcast 8-30-19

Charlie Pierce: Here’s One Way for the Never Trumpers to Find Redemption

Recently, I have become intrigued by President Benjamin Harrison. I am, as has been said by editors and friends, very easily intrigued. I fell into this most recent interest when, while backgrounding myself on tariffs, I learned that President Harrison had as pets two possums. One was named Mr. Reciprocity and the other was named […]

Trump Reacts To Justice Department Finding James Comey Violated FBI Policy

President Donald Trump on Thursday welcomed parts of a report by the Justice Department’s inspector general that concluded former FBI Director James Comey had violated FBI policies in his handling of certain memos regarding his interactions with the president.  Read the rest of the story at HuffPost.

NYTimes: Trump’s Personal Assistant, Madeleine Westerhout, Resigns for Dishing on First Family to Reporters

President Trump’s personal assistant, Madeleine Westerhout, whose office sits in front of the Oval Office and who has served as the president’s gatekeeper since Day 1 of his administration, resigned on Thursday, two people familiar with her exit said.  Read the rest of the story at The New York Times.

Judge rejects Democrats’ bid to speed lawsuit for Trump’s tax returns

A federal judge on Thursday rejected House Democrats’ bid for quick consideration of their lawsuit seeking President Donald Trump’s tax returns. D.C. District Court Judge Trevor McFadden denied their request to both expedite consideration of the case and to decide on its merits without holding a trial. Read the rest of the story at Politico.

Hurricane Dorian is days away from striking Florida, and could be a monster storm by landfall

Hurricane Dorian is days away from crashing ashore in Florida, and forecasters are warning it’s getting stronger and could grow into a monster storm by landfall. Dorian was moving over the Atlantic as a Category 2 storm early Friday with sustained winds of 105 mph. By evening, it is forecast to strengthen to a Category […]

Stephcast 8-29-19

Eric Boehlert: Why it’s okay for Democratic candidates to ban Breitbart News from campaign events

Beto O’Rourke’s presidential campaign made some news this week when it evicted Breitbart News’ Joel Pollack from a private event. The right-wing site with white nationalist loyalties hyped the kerfuffle as an attack on the free press, claiming Pollack is a news reporter. And lots of Beltway journalists rushed to the defense of the GOP propaganda outlet, insisting that the […]

Former Defense Secretary Mattis on Trump’s Tweets: ‘Beneath the Dignity of the Presidency’

In his first interview since resigning from office, former Defense Secretary Mattis appeared reluctant to directly criticize the president, but when he was asked about Trump’s tweets about North Korea he said: “Any Marine general or any other senior servant of the people of the United States would find that, to use a mild euphemism, […]

Here Are All The Ways Democrats Are Trying To Get Trump’s Tax Returns

Deutsche Bank revealed to a federal court this week that it may have copies of President Donald Trump’s tax returns that it could hand over to congressional Democrats in response to their subpoena.  Whether the bank obeys the subpoena will be up to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, and possibly the […]

Kirsten Gillibrand drops out of 2020 presidential race

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, of New York, dropped out of the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination Wednesday afternoon.  Read the story at CNN.

Trump Tweets ‘Fox Isn’t Working For Us’ After Amicable Interview With DNC Staffer

President Donald Trump sent Fox News a message Wednesday that he would not tolerate watching hosts on his favorite TV network go easy on Democrats. The president threw a tantrum on Twitter after Fox News anchor Sandra Smith hosted Democratic National Committee communications director Xochitl Hinojosa to discuss ― amicably ― the 2020 Democratic presidential […]

The Third Democratic Debate Will Likely Be A One-Night Affair

Only 10 candidates qualified by the Aug. 28 deadline, which means ― unless ABC News suddenly reverses itself ― the candidates who will participate in the Sept. 12 event are: Former Vice President Joe Biden Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg Former Rep. […]

Queen Approves Boris Johnson’s Plan To Suspend Parliament As No-Deal Brexit Fears Mount

Queen Elizabethas approved Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan to suspend Parliament days after members of the body return to work. After a meeting of the privy council at the queen’s holiday home at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, the monarch backed Johnson’s request for Parliament to be “prorogued” between Sept. 9 and Oct. 14. The government […]

MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell Admits to ‘Error in Judgment’ on Thinly-Sourced Trump Story: ‘I Shouldn’t Have Reported It’

Last night on MSNBC, Lawrence O’Donnell shared a report that Russian oligarchs co-signed loans President Donald Trump obtained. It was very thinly sourced and even as he broke the report O’Donnell himself placed an “if true” on it. O’Donnell and MSNBC have since been roundly criticized on how this made it to air in the […]

Stephcast 8-28-19

Lawrence O’Donnell Reports Russian Oligarchs Co-Signed Trump’s Deutsche Bank Loan

MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell reported news Tuesday night that, if it proves to be true, could have a significant impact on current presidency of Donald Trump and Congressional investigations into Trump’s finances and his possibly compromised relationship with Russia.  Read the rest of the story at Mediaite.

Bob Cesca: How do we recover from the surreal nightmare of this presidency? It will take some work.

Back in the middle 1990s, HBO premiered one of the great sketch shows of our time. “Mr. Show with Bob and David” was hosted by Bob Odenkirk and David Cross, and one of the most memorable sketches was one in which President Guy “Whitey” Corngood decides to literally blow up the Moon. “And we’ll be doing […]

Trump whines of ‘yet another big storm’ as Puerto Rico comes under a hurricane watch

With Puerto Rico under a hurricane watch on Tuesday, President Trump complained about “yet another big storm” heading toward the U.S. territory and lamented how much aid Congress had previously allocated for recovery efforts there, using an inflated figure. “Wow! Yet another big storm heading to Puerto Rico. Will it ever end?” the president wrote on […]

WaPo Report Reveals Trump’s Frantic Push to Complete His Border Wall: ‘Take the Land… Don’t Worry, I’ll Pardon You’

President Donald Trump is obsessed with completing 500 miles of border wall before the 2020 election and has embarked on a frantic push to build it, which includes directives to simply “take the land” and promises of “don’t worry, I’ll pardon you” if his aides overstep the law. Read the rest of the story at Mediaite.

Attorney General William Barr planning private holiday party at Trump’s DC hotel

Attorney General William Barr is planning a holiday bash at his boss’ hotel in downtown Washington. The party at the Trump International Hotel, Washington, DC, could wind up costing more than $30,000, according to The Washington Post, which first reported on the party and its details. A Justice Department official told CNN that the party is […]

Deutsche Bank discloses it has tax returns tied to Trump sought by House committees

Deutsche Bank said Tuesday that it possesses tax returns tied to President Donald Trump — the latest development in the effort by House Democrats to obtain the president’s financial information. In a court filing related to subpoenas from two House committees, Deutsche Bank said it possessed tax returns — which may be related to Trump, […]

Stephcast 8-27-19

Charlie Pierce: Tom Cotton Needs to Be Watched Carefully

There’s a new feelgood summer movie just released: Cotton Comes To Denmark. Over at Talking Points Memo, Summer Concepcion points us to this account from talkbusiness.net in which Senator Tom Cotton, the bobble-throated slapdick from Arkansas, takes credit for being the first to raise the looney-tunes notion of buying Greenland from Denmark. Read the rest of Charlie Pierce’s story at Esquire.

Stephcast 8-26-19

Fmr GOP Rep. Joe Walsh Announces 2020 Primary Run Against Trump: He’s ‘Completely Unfit’

Joe Walsh, a former Republican congressman who’s gone from fierce Trump supporter to perhaps equally fierce Trump critic, is running for president. Walsh announced on ABC this morning, “I’m gonna run for president… We’ve got a guy in the White House who is unfit, completely unfit to be president and it stuns me that nobody […]

Trump says US may host next G7 at Trump National Doral Golf Resort

President Donald Trump said Monday that he is “possibly” looking at hosting the next G7 summit at his Trump National Doral Miami Golf Resort.  The US is next up to host the G7 in 2020. Trump said while he hasn’t made a final decision on where to host the summit, officials “haven’t found anything that’s even close […]

Trump floated the idea of using nuclear bombs to stop hurricanes headed for US

President Donald Trump has floated multiple times the idea of thwarting hurricanes headed for the US by bombing them, including by dropping nuclear bombs on hurricanes to disrupt their course, Axios reported Sunday, citing conversations with sources who heard Trump’s comments and were briefed on a National Security Council memo that recorded the comments.  Read the […]

Trump claims China asked for renewed trade talks, China says they didn’t

President Donald Trump claimed on Monday that Chinese officials are prepared to return to the negotiating table, signaling there may be a path to a potential détente in his tit-for-tat trade war with Beijing.  Read the rest of the story at Politico.

The Rude Pundit: Focusing on the Amazon in a Time of Maximum Distraction

The Amazon rainforest is on fire. The Arctic, along with parts of Alaska, Siberia, and British Columbia, have burned this summer or are continuing to burn.  The conflagrations destroying the forests of the northernmost parts of the world are a result of the effects of climate change. While climate change has made fires more likely, […]

Eric Boehlert: Trump dupes the press about passing gun laws—again

Folding like a cheap suit, Donald Trump once again signaled that he’s going to stand in the way of any kind of gun reform legislation in the wake of two more massacres that left 31 people dead and dozens more injured. Trump lying about gun laws and brazenly walking back his public pledges for action […]

SM Happy Hour Videocast 8-23-19 Richard Cheese

Stephcast 8-23-19

Sarah Huckabee Sanders To Join Fox News As A Contributor

Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders will join Fox News as a contributor, the company disclosed on Thursday. She’ll make her first appearance on the Sept. 6 airing of “Fox & Friends,” a show that President Donald Trump favors and to whom he has given a rare interview from time to time. Read […]

Overstock Ex-CEO’s Bonkers Rant to Fox Business: I’m Part of ‘Deep State’

Hours after stepping down as the chief executive of online retail giant Overstock.com over his tryst with Russian spy Maria Butina and what he described as his role in a “deep state” government plot, Patrick Byrne appeared on Fox Business Network on Thursday to ostensibly make sense of both his baffling claims and his resignation. He made sense of neither. […]

Justice Department Sent White Nationalist Blog Post to Immigration Court Employees: Report

An email sent from the Justice Department to all immigration court employees this week included a link to an article posted on a white nationalist website that “directly attacks sitting immigration judges with racial and ethnically tinged slurs,” according to a letter sent by an immigration judges union and obtained by BuzzFeed News. Read the rest […]

Brazil’s Amazon Fires Highlight The Threat Of Deregulation Amid Climate Change

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro took power this year promising to open the Amazon rainforest to industry, roll back environmental and indigenous protections and stack his Cabinet with ideologues who dismiss climate change as a Marxist hoax.  But the record wildfires now raging in the Amazon offer a terrifying rebuke and serve as a stark reminder of what’s at stake as Bolsonaro’s […]

Stephcast 8-22-19

Trump is either trolling everyone or thinks he’s like a god

There’s been a change in President Donald Trump. He used to say he had accomplished more than any other President, a debatable claim. But now he’s using messianic language about himself. “I’m the chosen one,” he said Wednesday about what he claims is a singular, and still only hoped-for, trade deal with China.  Read the rest of […]

Trump’s new trade war rationale: ‘I am the chosen one’

President Donald Trump on Wednesday adopted a religious theme in describing his role in picking a trade fight with China, saying: “I am the chosen one.” The president turned to look at the sky as he made the claim, using language that some Christians might consider offensive, because in Christian theology Jesus Christ is the […]

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee drops out of the 2020 presidential race

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is dropping out of the 2020 Democratic presidential race, he announced Wednesday night on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show.” Inslee plans to send an email to supporters on Thursday announcing that he will run for a third term as governor, two sources close to Inslee told NBC News on condition of […]

Trump Backtracks On Tax Cuts, Says Economy Is Already Great

President Donald Trump insisted Wednesday that he doesn’t want another tax cut, a day after the White House signaled that the economy could use a little help. “I am not looking at a tax cut now,” the president told reporters in a reversal. “We don’t need it because we have a strong economy.” Trump and […]

Trump says he’s ‘very seriously’ looking at changing constitutionally-mandated right to US citizenship

President Donald Trump says he is looking “very seriously” at altering a constitutional right to citizenship at birth. The president made his remarks during a press gaggle during which he also called himself “the chosen one” as he looked up at the sky. Those remarks came just hours after he tweeted praise calling him “the […]

Stephcast 8-21-19

Bob Cesca: Trump’s outrageous claims of voter fraud have a clear goal… Refusing to accept defeat in 2020

A brand new Fox News poll shows Donald Trump well behind the top four Democratic candidates for president, with Joe Biden topping the list at 12 points ahead of Trump. Don’t get happy, though, or else we “tempt the wrath of whatever from high atop the thing,” to quote “The West Wing.” We’re still a […]

Trump Reportedly Assured NRA’s Wayne LaPierre that Universal Background Checks Are Nonstarter

President Donald Trump reportedly privately reassured National Rifle Association boss Wayne LaPierre  that he would not pursue increased background check measures for firearms amid rising mass shooting concerns.  Read the rest of the story at Mediaite.

Trump says U.S. ‘far from a recession’ as White House economic anxiety mounts

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he was weighing a payroll tax cut — an idea his advisers had insisted was not under consideration, given its potential to signal administration concern about a weakening economy. “It is something that I’m thinking about,” he told reporters at the White House.  Read the rest of the story […]

Trump cancels Denmark trip after PM says Greenland isn’t for sale

President Donald Trump is calling off an upcoming trip to Denmark after its prime minister rebuffed his interest in buying Greenland, a Danish territory, the White House announced on Tuesday. “Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s comments, that she would have no interest in discussing […]

Trump: Jewish people who vote Democratic show ‘great disloyalty’

President Donald Trump on Tuesday told reporters that “any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat” are either uninformed or show “great disloyalty.” Trump made the comments after he was asked about Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar’s suggestion that the U.S. might want to reconsider how much it pays Israel in aid after she and Rep. Rashida […]

Stephcast 8-20-19

Jeffrey Epstein signed will 2 days before death in Manhattan jail

Jeffrey Epstein signed a will two days before he apparently hanged himself in a federal jail in New York City. The will, filed in the U.S. Virgin Islands and obtained by CBS News, showed that Epstein was worth more than $577 million.  Read the rest of the story at CBS News.

Here’s who has qualified for the September debates so far…

So far, nine candidates have met both thresholds, qualifying them for the debates scheduled for September 12 and 13: Former Vice President Joe Biden New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker Mayor Pete Buttigieg California Sen. Kamala Harris Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren Businessman Andrew Yang […]

Hillary Clinton zings Trump over new voter conspiracy theory involving Google

Hillary Clinton swatted back at President Donald Trump’s attempts to spread another conspiracy related to her popular-vote victory in the 2016 presidential election, this time claiming it was due to a search engine manipulation. Read the rest of the story at Politico.

Charlie Pierce: Donald Trump’s Campaign Is Becoming an Exercise in Public Insanity

If the economy goes south, as a lot of people are warning us it will, then it’s comforting to know that the president* already is only a baby step away from blaming the Gnomes Of Zurich. From The New York Times: He has insisted that his own handpicked Federal Reserve chair, Jerome H. Powell, is intentionally acting against […]

American Families Will Pay $1,000 Per Year For Trump’s China Tariffs, JPMorgan Says

Despite repeated assurances from Trump administration officials that U.S. consumers are not bearing the brunt of its tariffs on China, a new JPMorgan analysis predicts that the average American family will shoulder $1,000 per year.  Read the rest of the story at HuffPost.

Democratic leaders assail Trump’s apparent reversal on background checks

Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi are lamenting President Donald Trump’s apparent about-face on enhanced backgrounds for firearm sales, with Schumer calling the move “not only disappointing but also heartbreaking.” Trump told reporters this weekend he will look “very strongly” at ideas from both Democrats and Republicans but said to remember that “we already have a […]

New York City Police Department Fires Officer Who Killed Eric Garner

The New York City Police Department announced Monday that it is firing Daniel Pantaleo, the officer who put Eric Garner in a fatal chokehold in 2014. The announcement comes more than two weeks after the judge presiding over Pantaleo’s disciplinary trial made a nonbinding recommendation for his dismissal. The choice ultimately fell to NYPD Commissioner […]

Stephcast 8-19-19

Proud Boys, Outnumbered By Anti-fascists, Get Police Escort After 30-Minute Rally

A few hundred fascists once again invaded Portland for a much-anticipated rally Saturday, but this time were mostly deprived of the violent spectacle they crave, as a much larger group of anti-fascists made them know they weren’t welcome in this city. Read the rest of the story at HuffPost.

Top Trump Economic Adviser Larry Kudlow Sees ‘No Recession In Sight’

hite House chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow said there is cause for optimism about the state of the U.S. economy despite growing fears of a recession in the coming months. In an interview with Fox News’ Dana Perino, Kudlow, who serves as the head of the National Economic Council, claimed the economy is “in pretty […]

There could have been three more mass shootings if these men weren’t stopped, authorities say

Authorities this weekend announced they had foiled three potential mass shootings after arresting three men in different states who expressed interest in or threatened to carry them out. All three cases were brought to authorities’ attention thanks to tips from the public. Here’s what we know about them.  Read the rest of the story at CNN.

Fretful Trump goes on attack as economy fears cloud 2020 hopes

President Donald Trump is not waiting for the economy to go south amid growing fears of a recession to wage what could be the defining fight of the 2020 election. Trump is becoming increasingly nervous that the end of an 11-year expansion could scupper his hopes of a second term and is going on the attack as […]

Eric Boehlert: D.C. media’s dirty little secret… It has no idea what’s happening inside Trump’s White House

Donald Trump’s new White House press secretary hasn’t given a single press briefing since she was appointed in June, and the odds are she never will. No briefing has been held there in more than 150 days, as Trump moves to drastically cut off the fourth estate’s access. It’s just another example of how reporters […]

The Rude Pundit: We’re Not Gonna Do a Damn Thing About Guns

A memo of talking points for House Republicans makes plain that the GOP has no intention of doing a goddamn thing about guns. The document, obtained by the Tampa Bay Times, is one of those repellent but totally expected things that clearly define exactly how low these motherfuckers are. It reads, in part, “White nationalism […]

Top White House economic adviser says Trump still ‘looking at’ buying Greenland

Greenland has said it’s not for sale, but that didn’t stop top White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow from adding fuel to the idea that the Trump administration wants to purchase the world’s largest island from Denmark. Speaking with “Fox News Sunday,” Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council, said the administration is “looking […]

Buttigieg on Whether Voting for Trump Is Racist: It’s ‘Looking the Other Way on Racism’ at Best

Democratic 2020 candidate Pete Buttigieg has determined that people are making an approximate decision on racism when they decide to support President Donald Trump. During a broad-range interview with Jake Tapper, Buttigieg was asked about how he previous told the CNN hot that he considers the president a “white nationalist.” To that point, Tapper asked the South Bend […]

Rashida Tlaib’s Grandmother on Trump: ‘May God Ruin Him’

The 90-year-old grandmother of Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) has a message for Donald Trump on Saturday: “may God ruin him.” Muftia Tlaib made the pronouncement in response to the president Friday tweet, where he said that the senior Tlaib is the “real winner” because she doesn’t have to see her granddaughter. “Trump tells me I should […]

At least 13 arrested at Portland right-wing rally, counterprotests

Police arrested at least 13 people and seized metal poles, bear spray and other weapons Saturday as hundreds of far-right protesters and anti-fascist counter-demonstrators swarmed downtown Portland, Oregon. Authorities closed bridges and streets to try to keep the rival groups apart. The city’s mayor said the situation was “potentially dangerous and volatile,” and President Donald […]

SM Happy Hour Videocast 8-16-19 Justin Utley

Stephcast 8-16-19

Charlie Pierce: The Department of Justice Is Being Politicized From Top to Bottom

On Wednesday, an alleged drug dealer named Maurice Hill barricaded himself for nearly eight hours in a Philadelphia rowhouse, blasting away with an AR-15 and wounding six of that city’s police officers. (The gun battle began in the afternoon when officers showed up at the house trying to serve a warrant.) Eventually, after lengthy negotiations […]

House panel subpoenas Lewandowski and former White House official as impeachment push ramps up

The House Judiciary Committee on Thursday issued subpoenas to former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and a former White House official as it ramps up its investigation to determine whether to impeach President Donald Trump.  Read the rest of the story at CNN.

Change Of Heart: Rep. Rashida Tlaib Granted Permission to Enter Israel to Visit Grandmother

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) has been granted permission to enter Israel to visit her elderly grandmother on the West Bank. Tlaib and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) had been denied access to enter Israel under pressure from President Donald Trump, who suggested Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would appear “weak” if he allowed the […]

Poll: Warren jumps over Sanders for second place behind Biden

Sen. Elizabeth Warren has leapfrogged Sen. Bernie Sanders for second place nationally in the Democratic presidential primary, according to a new poll out Thursday. The new Fox News poll of registered voters who say they plan to participate in the Democratic primary or caucus in their state shows that although Warren still trails former Vice President […]

Trump in New Hampshire: ‘You have no choice but to vote for me’

President Donald Trump made a rare move Thursday night — holding a rally in a state he didn’t win in 2016, with a stop in New Hampshire. Trump has spent most of his time as president in the key swing states of Ohio, Florida, and Pennsylvania. But his advisers urged him to make a stop […]

Stephcast 8-15-19

Bowing To Pressure From Trump, Israel will block Muslim Reps. Omar and Tlaib from visiting the country

Israel will bar two pro-Palestinian Democratic congresswomen from visiting the country, in a move that could strain relations between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Democrats in Washington, the deputy foreign minister said Thursday.  Read the rest of the story at NBC News.

Top Republicans chastise Steve King after he questions if humanity would exist without ‘rape or incest’

The three highest-ranking Republican leaders in the House took Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, to task after he questioned Wednesday whether humanity would exist if not for the rapes and incest that happened throughout history. “What if we went back through all the family trees and just pulled those people out that were products of rape […]

Gunman wounds 6 police officers in Philadelphia

At least one gunman opened fire on police Wednesday as they were serving a drug warrant in Philadelphia, wounding six officers and triggering a standoff that extended into the night, authorities said. Two other officers were trapped inside the house for about five hours after the shooting broke out but were freed by a SWAT […]

Dow drops 800 points, marking worst day for stock market this year

The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted more than 800 points on Wednesday, as investors suffered their worst day of the year as new concerns arose over data on global economic growth. The tumble followed a series of concerning economic indicators from Germany and China, signaling renewed recession fears in the global economy.  Read the rest of the […]

Report: Epstein autopsy finds broken bones in his neck

An autopsy performed on Jeffrey Epstein showed he “sustained multiple breaks in his neck bones,” the Washington Post reported Wednesday. People familiar with the autopsy report told the newspaper the bones broken in Epstein’s neck included the hyoid bone, which is near the Adam’s apple. This sort of break can happen when a person hangs themselves or dies […]

Hickenlooper expected to leave presidential race, source says

Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper is expected to drop out of the Democratic presidential race on Thursday, a source close to Hickenlooper told NBC News on Wednesday night.  Read the rest of the story at NBC News.

Stephcast 8-14-19

Recession Fears Hit Wall Street Following Poor Economic Data From China And Germany

Wall Street was set to open sharply lower on Wednesday, as poor economic data from China and Germany put the focus back on the impact of a bruising Sino-U.S. trade war which is pushing some major economies towards the brink of recession.  The outlook for Germany’s export reliant economy was also grim and Chinese industrial […]

Trump boycott: Top Dem calls on foreign governments to stop using his hotels, businesses

The head of the House Foreign Affairs committee is directing the panel’s staffers to warn foreign governments not to patronize President Donald Trump’s businesses. Rep. Eliot Engel — one of about 200 lawmakers who sued Trump in 2017 charging he’s violating the Constitution’s Foreign Emoluments Clause by making money from foreign governments while in office […]

Trump was supposed to give a speech on energy yesterday. He went way off script.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday headed to a Shell petrochemicals plant being built outside Pittsburgh to give what was billed by the White House as a speech on “America’s Energy Dominance and Manufacturing Revival.” But the hourlong address was light on energy policy and heavy on stump speech material and off-script riffs, as Trump touched […]

Trump aside, Washington grows alarmed over Hong Kong unrest

Lawmakers and government officials across Washington, including some of President Donald Trump’s top advisers, are growing increasingly alarmed about the unrest in Hong Kong. One person, however, seems less concerned than most: Trump. As pro-democracy protesters clash with police and as China hints that it may violently quell the demonstrations, the events in Hong Kong […]

Cuccinelli rewrites Statue of Liberty poem to make case for limiting immigration

The acting director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services in a new interview revised the iconic poem on the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal to suggest that only immigrants who can “stand on their own two feet” are welcome in the United States. Ken Cuccinelli tweaked the famous poem from Emma Lazarus — whose words, “Give me […]

Warden of Manhattan jail where Jeffrey Epstein died is reassigned, 2 guards placed on leave

The warden of the federal lockup where accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein apparently took his own life has been temporarily reassigned and two guards tasked with watching the financier have been placed on leave, Department of Justice officials said Tuesday. The move to reassign the warden, Lamine N’Diaye, came three days after Epstein was found unresponsive at […]

4Chan User Allegedly Reported Epstein’s Death Before Any News Outlet, and Authorities Are Investigating

The New York City Fire Department is investigating to find out if a first responder posted about Jeffrey Epstein’s death on an internet chat board popular with white nationalists and alt-right trolls, according to Buzzfeed News. Around 40 minutes before ABC News first reported Epstein’s death to Twitter, someone posted the news to the 4chan message board. Read […]

Trump Defends Retweet Of Baseless Conspiracy Theory Implicating Clintons In Epstein’s Death

President Donald Trump is defending his retweets of baseless conspiracy theories attempting to link Jeffrey Epstein’s apparent suicide with former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Speaking with reporters in Morristown, New Jersey, on Tuesday, Trump said he thought it was “fine” to retweet the conspiracy because it came from “a […]

Bob Cesca: Trump is driving us toward a big recession and it will be ghastly — but is it deliberate?

Americans suffer from frustratingly short attention spans and even shorter memories. Case in point: Following the dark ride of the George W. Bush years, during which there were two wars, apocalyptic terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, torture as national security policy, warrantless eavesdropping and the most catastrophic economic crash since the Great Depression, […]

Stephcast 8-13-19

Donald Trump Reaches Yet Another Bleak Milestone With His Lies

Donald Trump has now made more than 12,000 false and misleading claims and statements since becoming president in January 2017, according to The Washington Post. Trump’s total of untruths hit 12,019 on Aug. 5, the newspaper’s Fact Checker column reported Monday. It means he’s made an average of almost 13 untrue claims on each of […]

One Of Jeffrey Epstein’s Guards Was A Temp Correctional Officer: Report

One of Jeffrey Epstein’s guards the night he hanged himself in his federal jail cell wasn’t a regular correctional officer, according to a person familiar with the detention center, which is now under scrutiny for what Attorney General William Barr on Monday called “serious irregularities.”  Read the rest of the story at HuffPost.

Jeffrey Epstein’s Virgin Islands Home Searched by FBI

FBI agents on Monday were searching the Virgin Islands residence of Jeffrey Epstein, an accused child sex trafficker, a bureau spokesman told NBC News. The search of Epstein’s private island of Little St. James comes two days after the wealthy financier died from an apparent suicide while in jail in Manhattan. Read the rest of the […]

Trump administration to make it harder for low-income immigrants to stay

The Trump administration introduced a new rule Monday making it harder for low-income, legal immigrants who receive food stamps or other forms of taxpayer-funded assistance to stay in the country legally. The rule would require immigrants applying for a change in immigration status (like a green card) or those seeking to come here to prove […]

Barbara McQuade: Jeffrey Epstein’s Death Once Again Denies His Victims Justice

For law enforcement officials, the first rule of dealing with victims of crime is to avoid re-victimizing them. In the case of Jeffrey Epstein, the Department of Justice failed.  Epstein, the wealthy financier who was charged with sex trafficking of underage girls, was found dead in his New York jail cell early Saturday morning in what Attorney […]

Charlie Pierce: Eventually, Bernie Sanders Will Have to Collide With Elizabeth Warren

Bernie Sanders dropped by the Iowa State Fair late on Sunday afternoon. He drew a big crowd. Not as big as the one he drew four years ago, and not as big as the one Elizabeth Warren had drawn the day before, but his crowd jammed the small area around the Des Moines Register’s “Soapbox” […]

Stephcast 8-12-19

Texas Republicans brace for 2020 drubbing

As bad as it’s been for Texas Republicans lately, some members of the party are warning that 2020 could be even worse. The rash of recent House GOP retirements is just the latest sign of a state party in distress: In last year’s midterms, Democrats flipped a pair of longtime GOP districts, a Democrat came […]

The Trump Administration Just Made It Harder To Apply For Green Cards And Visas

The Department of Homeland Security officially published a change to what’s known as the “public charge” rule on Monday that would make it much harder to apply for a green card or earn a visa. The new policy, which is set to go into effect in mid-October, expands the definition of what would make an […]

Scaramucci: Trump’s ‘gone off the rails’ & I Can No Longer Support Him

Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci on Monday accused President Donald Trump of having “gone off the rails,” comparing him to a “demagogue” and insisting the administration’s conservative policy agenda is not worth the damage Trump has inflicted upon America’s democratic institutions.  Read the rest of the story at Politico.

2020 Democratic candidates call for Senate action on background checks at Iowa rally

Seventeen Democratic presidential candidates joined gun control advocates at a rally in Iowa on Saturday and called for the Senate to vote on a pair of background check bills passed by the House earlier this year. A week after 31 people died in mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, the 2020 hopefuls […]

Jail protocols for checking on Jeffrey Epstein were not followed in hours before he died by suicide: Sources

Jail protocols requiring routine checks on the well-being of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein appear to have not been followed in the hours before the millionaire was found hanging in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City, sources told ABC News on Sunday. Read the rest of the story at ABC News.

After autopsy, cause of Jeffrey Epstein’s death awaits ‘further information’

The New York City medical examiner’s office said Sunday that it had completed an autopsy of the financier and accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein but that it needed more information before determining the cause of death. Multiple people briefed on the investigation told NBC News that suicide remains the presumed cause of death and that no […]

Epstein death brings birth of mainstream conspiracy theories

Jeffrey Epstein — his perversions, and the perversions of justice swirling around his case — has lived for years on the margins of politics because of his association with two presidents, Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, among others in a long roster of people with respectable titles who spent time in his disreputable orbit. Epstein’s […]

Democrats rip Trump for promoting conspiracy theory about Jeffrey Epstein’s death

Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke criticized President Donald Trump on Sunday for sharing unfounded conspiracy theories about the death of Jeffrey Epstein, accusing Trump of misusing the presidency to “attack his political enemies.” “This is another example of our president using this position of public trust to attack his political enemies with unfounded conspiracy theories,” O’Rourke, who […]

Eric Boehlert: Memo to media, ‘Congress’ isn’t blocking new gun laws—the GOP is

Obstructionist Republicans have been blocking common-sense gun laws for years, even as the laundry list of gun massacres continues to grow. The radical maneuver comes against overwhelming public support for Democrat-backed legislation. If ever there’s been an example of an entire political party in America completely out of step with the country, this is it. […]

The Rude Pundit: We Are Led by Ghouls and Goons

Check out this pair of fucking ghouls, acting like they just stole a baby to drink its sweet, young blood so they can live on for a few precious days before they suck another child dry. What you’re looking at is Donald Trump, a worn-out sack of lies painted orange and shoved into a terrible […]

An armed man who caused panic at a Walmart in Missouri said it was a ‘social experiment,’ police say

A man accused of walking into a Walmart in Missouri equipped with body armor, a handgun and a rifle less than a week after a gunman killed 22 people in a Texas Walmart said it was a “social experiment” and not intended to cause panic, police say. “I wanted to know if that Walmart honored […]

El Paso Shooting Suspect Says He Targeted Mexicans: Police

The man accused of carrying out last weekend’s deadly mass shooting at a Walmart in the Texas border city of El Paso confessed to officers while he was surrendering and later explained that he had been targeting Mexicans, authorities say. Patrick Crusius, 21, emerged with his hands up from a vehicle that was stopped at […]

Jeffrey Epstein Found Dead of Suspected Suicide in Manhattan Correctional Center

Convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, 66, has died inside a Manhattan correctional facility, two senior law enforcement officials have confirmed to The Daily Beast. They said that it appeared he had committed suicide.  Read the rest of the story at The Daily Beast.

SM Happy Hour Videocast 8-9-19 Suli McCullough

Stephcast 8-9-19

Rep. Jerrold Nadler Gives CNN Unambiguous Answer: ‘This IS Formal Impeachment Proceedings’

After months of will-they,won’t-they, House Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jerrold Nalder finally confirmed, to CNN’s Erin Burnett, that the his committee has begun an official impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump and that he has House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s political blessing: “This is formal impeachment proceedings.” Read the rest of the story at Mediaite.

Bad Week: The US is reeling from mass shootings and the government is rounding up undocumented immigrants in a way that leaves kids crying in parking lots

This has been an objectively awful week. Far from a sleepy end to the summer, the country is reeling from mass shootings that claimed 31 lives in Texas and Ohio, not paying enough attention to an extremely deadly summer of violence in Chicago, having painful and not particularly productive conversations about gun control and about racism, and […]

Trump laments coverage as aides concede visits to mourning cities didn’t go as planned

Some of President Donald Trump’s own aides conceded Thursday that his visits to two cities in mourning did not go as planned, as a new video revealed he bragged about crowd sizes while visiting patients at an El Paso hospital. “That was some, that was some crowd,” Trump said, according to cell phone video from one attendee. […]

Suspected El Paso gunman’s mother called police before rampage, attorneys say

The mother of the 21-year-old man accused of killing 22 people at an El Paso, Texas, Walmart called police weeks before the shooting concerned that her son owned an “AK”-type gun, the family’s attorneys said Wednesday. Read the rest of the story at NBC News.

Stephcast 8-8-19

Maggie Haberman: White House Staffers Privately Admit Trump’s El Paso, Dayton Visits Were a ‘Debacle’

New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman is quite sure the White House thinks President Donald Trump behaved disastrously on Wednesday while he was supposed to be consoling the victims of the El Paso and Dayton shootings. Haberman spoke to CNN’s John Berman on Thursday to discuss how Trump lashed out at his political enemies while traveling to see the shooting […]

Fitness Companies Equinox and SoulCycle respond to calls for boycott over owner’s Trump ties

Equinox and SoulCycle responded to calls for members to cancel their memberships on Wednesday over their owner’s plans to host a mega-fundraiser for President Donald Trump. Equinox Fitness, which operates its namesake company in addition to SoulCycle and Blink Fitness, issued a statement amid outrage over Stephen Ross’s upcoming fundraiser for Trump, where tickets run as high as […]

NYT Report: Trump Mulling Commutation of Sentence for Paragon of Corruption—and Former Celebrity Apprentice Star—Rod Blagojevich

President Donald Trump is reportedly mulling the commutation of the 14-year sentence of former Illinois Governor — and former Celebrity Apprentice contestant — Rod Blagojevich, who was convicted in 2011 of 17 federal corruption charges after trying to sell off the appointment to the vacated Senate seat of newly-elected President Barack Obama. According to new report in the New York Times, Trump told […]

Democrats and the FBI say white extremism is a huge problem. Trump disagrees.

The issue of white extremism is taking on a new and important role in the American political conversation, and it is separate from the problem of guns and the people who will use them to mow down their fellow citizens. The two issues mix together after mass shootings carried out by racially motivated killers. But they […]

In visit to Dayton, Trump finds a victim — himself

President Donald Trump emerged from a Dayton hospital on Wednesday grieving — for himself. After visiting with survivors of this weekend’s shooting massacre in the mid-size western Ohio city, Trump took to Twitter to rage at Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley. He was furious about a press conference in which Brown […]

Stephcast 8-7-19

Fox News Says White Supremacy is a ‘Hoax’: ‘It’s Actually Not a Real Problem in America’

Following the El Paso shooting and the growing concern about domestic terrorism in the United States, Fox News host Tucker Carlson mocked the media concern and called white supremacy a “hoax” being used to divide the country. Carlson mockingly showed how the media wanted Trump to “denounce this supposedly existential threat to our nation” before showing […]

Chicago Mayor Blasts Ivanka Trump for ‘Nonsense’ Tweet About ‘Inner City’ Gun Violence

Ivanka Trump has come under fire for a tweet Tuesday in which she appeared to try to redirect “national outrage” over two mass shootings in Ohio and Texas to Chicago’s “inner city” gun violence problem. In a series of tweets, Trump said: “As we grieve over the evil mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, let […]

Bob Cesca: America’s recurring doomsday is by design – Gun culture is now part of our DNA

As we look back at the twin massacres in El Paso and Dayton with fear, crushing sadness and mind-blowing frustration due to the helplessness of it all, including the usual political cowardice, a clear majority of Americans continue to support reasonable and obvious regulations to limit the supply of these deadly retail products.  But what about the demand? What about the […]

Trump may get cool reception from Dayton, El Paso leaders

President Trump may face a cool reception Wednesday from local leaders in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas, when he travels to each city in the wake of back-to-back mass shootings. Democrats in both cities have indicated they’re not crazy about the president visiting, particularly in El Paso, where the suspected gunman allegedly published an […]

Huntsman resigns as Trump’s ambassador to Russia amid speculation about gubernatorial run

U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman has submitted his resignation to President Donald Trump after two tumultuous years on the job, two U.S. officials and another person close to the diplomat confirmed to NBC News. The former Utah governor has been in the job since 2017. His resignation, effective Oct. 3, comes amid widespread speculation […]

Some El Paso residents outraged by Trump’s speech that ‘failed to mention Latinos’

President Donald Trump condemned white supremacy from the White House Monday, but left Hispanics and Latinos out of his speech. It’s a significant omission and a stark difference from the document that has been linked to the 21-year-old man accused of opening fire on weekend shoppers Saturday at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas. The document mentions […]

Stephcast 8-6-19

Trump made it easier for the mentally ill to get guns when he rolled back Obama regulation

President Donald Trump responded to the El Paso and Dayton mass shootings by insisting Monday that “mental illness pulls the trigger not the gun,” but shortly after taking office he quietly rolled back an Obama-era regulation that would have made it harder for people with mental illness to buy guns. Read the rest of the story at […]

Pelosi and Schumer Condemn Trump After White House News Conference: He ‘Remains Prisoner … to the NRA’

Top Democrats House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (NY) issued a joint statement on Monday calling for a renewed focus on gun control legislation in light of the two mass shootings over the weekend in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas.  Read the rest of the story at Mediaite.

Trump Blames Everything But Guns And Himself For El Paso And Dayton Mass Shootings

President Donald Trump spoke Monday in response to the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, over the weekend, calling them a “crime against all of humanity.” The president blamed white supremacy, the internet, video games and mental illness for the massacres. He did not blame guns or himself.  Read the rest of the story at […]

Dow plummets on devaluation of China’s currency

U.S. stock markets plummeted on Monday following China’s move to devalue its currency, Beijing’s latest step in a tense faceoff on trade with President Trump.  Read the rest of the story at The Hill.

Obama calls on Americans to reject leaders who feed ‘climate of fear and hatred’

Former President Obama on Monday called for action in response to back-to-back mass shootings over the weekend and urged Americans to “soundly reject” leaders who feed “a climate of fear and hatred.”  Read the rest of the story at The Hill.

Charlie Pierce: Trump’s Condemnation of White Supremacy Will Only Last Until His Next Rally

First of all, I’d like to send out my thoughts and prayers to the people of Toledo, because why the hell not? We all need some thoughts and prayers these days.  On Monday, after a weekend of slaughter around the country, El Caudillo del Mar-a-Lago proved once again that he is incapable of rising to […]

Stephcast 8-5-19

Mexico vows to take legal action against U.S. after El Paso massacre

Mexico on Sunday threatened to take legal action against the United States for failing to protect its citizens after this weekend’s mass shooting in the border city of El Paso. Of the 20 people gunned down at a Walmart at the Cielo Vista Mall, at least seven were Mexican citizens, and Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard promised […]

Classmates say Dayton gunman had a ‘hit list’ in high school

As a high school student, the gunman in the Dayton, Ohio, massacre had a “hit list” of classmates he wanted to kill or hurt, according to four former students who said they were told by school officials they were on the list. Spencer Brickler said a counselor at Bellbrook High School told him that he and […]

Democrats pressure Mitch McConnell to cancel Senate recess for gun control vote

A growing number of Democrats are calling on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to cancel the chamber’s August recess so that they can take up gun control legislation in the wake of two mass shootings this weekend. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called on the Republican leader to end the chamber’s break to vote […]

Eric Boehlert: Why the D.C. press isn’t equipped to handle Trump’s racist re-election crusade

Doubling and tripling down on his bigoted commentary and racist tweets, Donald Trump is all but boasting that his re-election run will be fueled by hate speech and hardcore white grievance. Unlike anything ever seen before in American politics (remember, segregationist George Wallace didn’t have a Twitter feed), Trump’s re-election strategy is to basically spark […]

Accused El Paso Walmart Shooter Apparently Posted Racist Manifesto Before Attack

Patrick Crusius has been identified as the suspected gunman who attacked a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, a senior law-enforcement source told The Daily Beast. Crusius’ identity was first reported by CNN. Crusius apparently foreshadowed the attack online almost an hour beforehand, according to postings reviewed by The Daily Beast. Read the rest of the […]

At least 9 people killed and 26 injured after mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio; suspect also dead

At least nine people have been killed and 26 people injured after a shooting early Sunday in Dayton, Ohio, police said. The suspected shooter, who is believed to have acted alone, is also dead.  Read the rest of the story at NBC News.

El Paso shooting: 20 people dead, 26 injured, suspect in custody, police say

A gunman opened fire Saturday in a Walmart and around a nearby shopping mall in El Paso, Texas, leaving 20 people dead and 26 injured, law enforcement officials said. In delivering an updated number of deceased, Gov. Greg Abbott called it “one of the most deadly days in the history of Texas.”  Read the rest […]

After Gilroy, El Paso and now Dayton, Public Figures Express Anger, Disbelief Over Third Mass Shooting In A Single Week

A food festival in Gilroy, California. A busy Walmart in El Paso, Texas. A popular entertainment district in Dayton, Ohio. All three were sites of deadly mass shootings in the past week. At least 32 innocent people are dead. Two shooters were killed and one is in custody. The carnage never seems to end and […]

Here’s who has qualified for the September debates so far

With the second debate wrapped up, the third Democratic debate hosted by ABC and Univision will happen during the second week of September. The candidates are still working to qualify and have another month to reach the polling threshold and grassroots fundraising thresholds as laid out by the Democratic National Committee.  See the full list at CNN.

Liz Cheney Calls Bernie Sanders a ‘Commie’ with ‘Daddy Issues’

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, called 2020 contender Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) a “commie” during a Twitter spat Friday. “No surprise commie Bernie Sanders, who honeymooned in Soviet Union, is ok with U.S. getting attacked first,” Cheney wrote to Sanders after he came to the defense of Sen. Elizabeth […]

SM Happy Hour Videocast 8-2-19 Linoleum Knife

Stephcast 8-2-19

GOP-Controlled Senate Passes Massive 2-Year Spending Deal

After years of decrying deficits and debt, the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate on Thursday passed a massive $2.7 trillion budget plan, 67-28, that will suspend the debt ceiling for two years and increase spending to both domestic and military programs.  Read the rest of the story at HuffPo.

DOJ declines to prosecute James Comey despite pressure from Lindsey Graham and other Republicans

The Justice Department inspector general’s office referred former FBI Director James Comey for potential prosecution over his handling of memos that the FBI later determined contained classified information, a person familiar with the matter confirmed Thursday.  Read the rest of the story at CNN

Only black Republican in the House now sixth GOP retirement in little over a week

The only black Republican in the House of Representatives announced he would not be seeking re-election Thursday evening, the sixth such announcement in little over a week. Texas Rep. Will Hurd, who was first elected in 2015, said that he would be leaving Congress to work on issues “at the nexus between technology and national security.” […]

Natasha Bertrand: Ex-McConnell staffers lobbied on Russian-backed Kentucky project

Two former top staffers to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have lobbied Congress and the Treasury Department on the development of a new Kentucky aluminum mill backed by the Russian aluminum giant Rusal, according to a new lobbying disclosure.  Read the rest of Natasha’s piece at Politico.

Debate Backlash: Many Democrats Say Criticizing Obama’s Legacy Isn’t A Good Idea

Following a contentious debate among Democratic White House contenders Wednesday, a number of party leaders aren’t thrilled that some of the candidates focused on attacking former President Barack Obama’s legacy as a way to challenge Joe Biden.  Read the rest of the story at HuffPo.

FBI Document Warns Conspiracy Theories Are A New Domestic Terrorism Threat

The FBI for the first time has identified fringe conspiracy theories as a domestic terrorist threat, according to a previously unpublicized document obtained by Yahoo News. The FBI intelligence bulletin from the bureau’s Phoenix field office, dated May 30, 2019, describes “conspiracy theory-driven domestic extremists,” as a growing threat, and notes that it is the […]

Pelosi calls Kushner a ‘slumlord’ as she defends Cummings

Speaker Nancy Pelosi took a shot at Jared Kushner on Thursday as she defended Rep. Elijah Cummings after days of attacks from President Donald Trump. Pelosi, a Baltimore native, said that, instead of focusing his ire on Cummings, Trump should look within his own family when it comes to deteriorating housing conditions in the city. […]

Stephcast 8-1-19

Reagan Called Africans ‘Monkeys’ in Call With Nixon, Tape Reveals

Ronald Reagan was the governor of California in 1971 when he phoned the White House to vent his political frustration to President Richard M. Nixon and, according to a newly released audio recording, called African people “monkeys” in a slur that sparked laughter from the president of the United States. Read the rest of the […]

Republicans rattled after surge of retirements

The House GOP has been smacked by a wave of retirements over the past few weeks — but some Republicans fear the worst is yet to come. With the GOP relegated to the minority for the first time in eight years, a mix of veteran and vulnerable members have decided to call it quits instead […]

It Was Everybody vs. Joe Biden At Last Night’s Democratic Debate

Two senators, a governor, the mayor of the nation’s largest city and even a member of the same presidential administration Biden served in took turns squabbling and sparring with Biden, the leading candidate in the polls. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and former Housing Secretary Julián Castro both landed solid hits against the onetime […]

Federal Reserve Cuts Interest Rates For First Time Since 2008

The Federal Reserve cut interest rates on Wednesday for the first time since 2008, citing concerns about the global economy and muted U.S. inflation, and signaled a readiness to lower borrowing costs further if needed.  Read the rest of the story at HuffPo.

Trump Claims He’s ‘Least Racist Person’ While Calling Don Lemon ‘Dumbest Man’ On TV

President Donald Trump lambasted CNN’s Don Lemon as “dumb” and “stupid” after the Democratic debate moderator asked questions about the president’s “bigotry” on Tuesday.  Read the rest of the story at HuffPo.

Ex-McConnell staffers lobbied on Russian-backed Kentucky project

Two former top staffers to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have lobbied Congress and the Treasury Department on the development of a new Kentucky aluminum mill backed by the Russian aluminum giant Rusal, according to a new lobbying disclosure.  Read the rest of the story at Politico.

Stephcast 7-31-19

Democratic debates 2019: What to expect from night 2 of 2nd debates

After Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren fended off repeated attacks from moderate competitors, the next 10 presidential primary contenders take the stage Wednesday for second night of the second Democratic debates. Read the rest of the story at ABC News.

Night One Of Dem Debate Two Is Over… Night Two Is Tonight

CNN’s first Democratic debate went down in Detroit on Tuesday night, to much fanfare. The network wheeled out all the stops to make the event a showstopper from the moment it kicked off at 8 p.m.: a sleek stage in an ornate theater, a minutes-long opening sequence mimicking an early-2000s action movie, an absolutely electric […]

Bob Cesca: What “Moscow Mitch” wants: An election overrun by trolls and plunged into chaos

In the interest of big-picturing the past week or so, we learned from the Republican-controlled Senate Intelligence Committee that Russian hackers successfully infiltrated election systems in all 50 states during the 2016 election cycle. We also learned that the accused felon who was installed as commander in chief as a likely consequence of that cyber-attack spent […]

California Gov. Gavin Newsom Signs Bill Requiring Trump Tax Return For Presidential Run

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a controversial bill Tuesday that would all but force President Donald Trump to give in to longstanding demands that he release his tax returns.  Read the rest of the story at HuffPo.

Trump Intel Pick John Ratcliffe Started Theory of FBI Anti-Trump ‘Secret Society’

Donald Trump’s new pick for director of national intelligence played a role last year in popularizing what briefly became one of the right’s most easily debunked conspiracy theories about the investigation into the president and Russia, offering what he presented as evidence of an anti-Trump “secret society” operating within the FBI.  Read the rest of […]

Stephcast 7-30-19

Trump aides privately balk at Cummings attacks as strategy

President Donald Trump’s attacks on Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummingshaven’t gained as much internal support at the White House as his earlier attacks on the “Squad,” according to administration officials. But there are no signs Trump believes his strategy is wrong or is planning to pull back his attacks on the African American lawmaker from Baltimore.  Read the […]

Over 100 million credit card applicants at risk in Capital One breach, Seattle woman arrested

A former software engineer from Seattle has been arrested in connection with a massive data breach that potentially puts over 100 million Capital One credit card applicants at risk.  Read the rest of the story at NBC News.

Intel officials worry Trump’s pick for top spy will politicize the job

Hours before President Donald Trump announced him as the pick to be the new director of national intelligence, Rep. John Ratcliffe was on Fox News saying the Russia investigation may have been tainted by a criminal conspiracy.  Read the rest of the story at NBC News.

Laurence Tribe: We are finally on the path to Trump impeachment and saving what our Founders gave us

Don’t let anybody fool you: We are engaged in an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump’s “high crimes and misdemeanors,” to quote the Constitution. The inquiry began on Friday, July 26. No fireworks, no fanfare — omitted for fear of frightening the natives. But the message was loud and clear in the House Judiciary Committee’s […]

Tonight Is The First Night Of The Second Round Of Democratic Debates

CNN is hosting the second set of Democratic presidential debates Tuesday and Wednesday, taking place in Detroit.  Find out who’s debating and how to watch by going to CNN.

Rand Paul Offers To Help Buy ‘Ungrateful’ Ilhan Omar A Ticket Back To Somalia

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) suggested Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) should visit Somalia, where she was born, to gain a better appreciation for the United States, calling the Muslim lawmaker “ungrateful” to be an American.  Read the rest of the story at HuffPo.

Charlie Pierce: Trump’s New Intelligence Chief Got the Job By Going Stark-Raving Mad at the Mueller Hearing

Not too long ago, John Ratcliffe was the mayor of Heath, Texas, a town of less than 8,000 people that was incorporated in 1959, largely because they were in the process of building Lake Ray Hubbard and every lake needs a town where folks can buy suntan oil and flip-flops and build a yacht club. […]

Stephcast – 7-29-19

Three dead, suspect killed in shooting at Gilroy Garlic Festival in Northern California

At least three people were killed and 15 other people injured in a shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Northern California, authorities said Sunday night. A suspect was also shot and killed.  Read the rest of the story at NBC News.

Trump to nominate Texas congressman to replace intelligence chief Dan Coats

National Intelligence Director Dan Coats said Sunday that he will leave the Trump administration in mid-August. President Trump announced in a tweet that he would nominate Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) to replace Coats.  Read the rest of the story at NBC News.

Stephanie Miller vs John Cox on “The Issue Is: with Elex Michaelson”

Stephanie Miller takes on John Cox in this debate on “The Issue Is: with Elex Michaelson.” Video of the debate is at this link.  Miller is a progressive radio icon. Cox was the 2018 Republican nominee for Governor of California. They square off on the Mueller report, Impeachment, and the 2020 Democratic field. They also […]

House Judiciary Committee Is Investigating Possible Impeachment Of Donald Trump

The House Judiciary Committee is investigating President Donald Trump to determine whether to file articles of impeachment against him, members of the committee said on Friday.  Read the rest of the story at HuffPo.

Trump Attacks Elijah Cummings As ‘Brutal Bully’ From ‘Rodent Infested’ District

President Donald Trump slammed one of his leading congressional opponents, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), in a Saturday morning Twitter rant calling him a “brutal bully” and berating his majority-black Baltimore district as a “rodent infested mess.”  Read the rest of the story at HuffPo.

Laurence Tribe: Impeach Trump, but don’t necessarily try him in the Senate.

In preparing articles of impeachment, the House would be acting consistent with its overriding obligation to establish that no president is above the law.  Read the rest of Laurence Tribe’s op-ed piece at The Washington Post.

Eric Boehlert: How The New York Times’ obsession with white voters helps amplify Trump’s racism

Forever committed to shining a constant, glowing spotlight on members of Donald Trump’s political base with a series of endless updates that closely examine their unwavering support, The New York Times has carved out a completely new political beat during the past two years. The Times’ white voter obsession (see here, here, here, here,  here, here, and here) remains baffling and absurd as a form of political journalism. […]

The Rude Pundit: Profiles in Cowardice – Random Observations on the Mueller Hearings

Yesterday’s congressional hearings with former Special Counsel Robert Mueller revealed the profound cowardice at the heart of our nation’s leaders right now in dealing with Donald Trump (himself a coward of the lowest order) and the crimes that he has so blatantly committed and continues to commit on a daily basis. Anyone who has actually […]

SM Happy Hour Videocast 7-26-19 Tom Steyer

Stephcast 7-26-19

New Senate Intelligence report shows “extensive” Russia 2016 election interference in all 50 states

The Senate Intelligence Committee has just released the first section of its report on 2016 Russian interference, which found that hackers likely tried to access election systems in all 50 states, confirming widespread fears that America’s election system may not be secure from attack.  Read the rest of the story at Vox.

Attorney General Barr orders reinstatement of the federal death penalty

Attorney General William Barr directed the Justice Department on Thursday to adopt a new rule for carrying out the death penalty, which would restore executions in the federal system for the first time in 16 years.  Read the rest of the story at NBC News.

McConnell blocks two election security bills

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) blocked two election security measures on Thursday, arguing Democrats are trying to give themselves a “political benefit.”  Read the rest of the story at The Hill.

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) : Trump administration could leave Congress no choice but an impeachment inquiry

Donald Trump’s disdain for the law is no secret. Since becoming president, Trump has expended a large amount of energy trying to discredit the FBI, the special counsel, our nation’s intelligence agencies, state attorneys general and other law enforcement officials I’m probably missing.  Read the rest of Rep. Lieu’s Op-Ed at USA Today.

Stephcast 7-25-19

The Major Moments of Robert Mueller’s Testimony to Congress

The partisan war over Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election reached a messy and contentious climax on Wednesday as lawmakers spent hours grilling Mr. Mueller about his conclusions but extracted little information beyond what he had written in his voluminous report.  Read the rest of the story at The […]

Trump attorney: ‘Case is closed’ after Mueller testimony

Jay Sekulow, an attorney for President Trump, said Wednesday that former special counsel Robert Mueller’s daylong testimony validated the claims of the president and his allies and revealed “troubling deficiencies” in the probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election.  Read the rest of the story at The Hill.

Most Americans Say Mueller Probe Is Fair — Even Republicans

Americans’ confidence in the fairness of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation has never been higher — even among Republicans, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center released Wednesday, the day Mueller testified before Congress.  Read the rest of the story at HuffPost.

Randi Rhodes Joins The Free Speech TV Family!

Free Speech TV is thrilled to announce the addition of The Randi Rhodes Show to its weekday lineup from 3-5pm Eastern daily beginning Monday, July 29, 2019. The Randi Rhodes Show delivers smart, fact-checked, forward, free-thinking, entertaining, news and opinion that challenge the status quo and amplifies free speech. The show is impeccably researched and […]

Stephcast 7-24-19

Mueller, Trump’s silent foil, gets ready to talk

Since he was first appointed special counsel, Robert Mueller has been a unique foil for President Donald Trump — the kind who doesn’t clap back on Twitter, issue press releases in his own defense or go on television to accuse the president of committing crimes.  Read the rest of the story at NBC News.

Democrats planning Mueller ‘war room,’ social media blitz

House Democrats are preparing an all-out messaging blitz over the next three days to refocus Americans’ attention on special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, hoping to channel the intense focus on Mueller’s congressional testimony Wednesday into a public outcry against President Donald Trump, as well as the prospect of future foreign interference in U.S. elections.  Read […]

Trump sues Democrats to shield New York tax returns

President Donald Trump is going to court to prevent House Democrats from getting his long-hidden tax returns from the state of New York.  Read the rest of the story at Politico.

Stephcast 7-23-19

White House, congressional leaders reach budget, debt ceiling deal

The White House and congressional leaders have struck a budget deal that would suspend the debt limit until mid-2021, President Donald Trump and Democratic leaders announced Monday.  Read the rest of the story at NBC News.

2 Louisiana police officers fired over Facebook post suggesting Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez should be shot

Two police officers in Louisiana were fired Monday after one wrote a Facebook post suggesting Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez should be shot and the other liked it.  Read the rest of the story at CNN.

DOJ Sends Mueller Letter on Keeping Testimony Within ‘Boundaries’ of His Report

The Department of Justice has sent a letter to Robert Mueller warning him that he should not go beyond the “scope” of his report when he testifies in front of Congress on Wednesday.  Read the rest of the story at Mediaite.

Jill Wine-Banks: How Will Republicans Respond To Mueller Testimony?

See the video of Jill’s answer in a video at her blog.