(Political animals eagerly await Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning, by former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) in bookstores next week. Spoiler alert: the warning has to do with Donald J. Trump’s third run for president. Scroll down for details.)]

FRIDAY 12/8/23

Hunter Biden Indicted – A grand jury for the Central District of California has indicted the president’s son, Hunter Biden, on nine federal counts of evading taxes on millions of dollars he was paid for his work for foreign countries. Special counsel David C. Weiss, who first began investigating the younger Biden five years ago as the Trump administration-appointed U.S. attorney for Delaware, accuses Biden of engaging “in a four-year scheme to not pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes he owed” between 2016 and 2019, The New York Times reports. 

In the 56-page indictment, Hunter Biden is charged with three counts each of:

•Evasion of tax assessment.

•Failure to file and pay taxes.

•Filing a fake or fraudulent tax return.

The indictment accuses the president’s son of spending money on sex clubs, escorts, a rented Lamborghini and other extravagances rather than pay federal taxes (per CNN).

Last August, Biden was “on the verge” of a plea deal over separate charges stemming from his failure to report his drug use when he purchased a handgun in 2018. 

About Weiss: Despite Weiss' Republican bone fides as a Trump-appointed U.S. attorney, pundits and commentators from Fox News to its right have tried to paint the special counsel as member of a “weaponized” Justice Department that tried to cover up Hunter Biden’s alleged misdeeds.

Upshot: Of course, Trump supporters see these accusations as a diversion from the former president’s civil and three criminal ongoing cases. As charges against Hunter Biden fester through the presidential election season (and as House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) threatens an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden) Democratic Party leaders could see this as an opportunity to move on to other potential presidential candidates.   

--TL

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THURSDAY 12/7/23

Unfunding Ukraine? – There is growing concern that Congress could break for the holidays without an agreement over funding for Ukraine, which Republicans want to tie to U.S. border security. Senate Republicans “insist” their decision Wednesday to block Biden’s massive foreign aid package will force a “reset” of the slow-moving negotiations, and are “openly deriding” House colleagues’ posture on the package, Punchbowl News reports.

Sen. Christopher Murphy (D-CT), lead Democratic negotiator: “They have to figure out whether they want to negotiate or whether they want to make ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ demands.”

Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), said it was a “positive sign” that Biden is willing to make “significant compromises” in order to get approval for funding for Ukraine’s fight to push out Russia.

--TL

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WEDNESDAY 12/6/23

McCarthy Out of the House -- Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), speaker of the House from January to October, announced Wednesday in an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal he will retire his seat at the end of this year. "I'm leaving the House but not the fight," he writes. With George Santos out, this whittles down the Republican House majority to just two members.

•••

Peril Over Ukraine – Republican Senators are about to block $110.5 billion in emergency aid to Ukraine unless Democrats agree to a strict clampdown on migration at the U.S.-Mexico border.  

The threat came Tuesday after a classified Senate briefing that devolved into a shouting match that “severely dimmed prospects for a bipartisan agreement,” The New York Times reports.

“We are about to abandon Ukraine,” said Sen. Christopher Murphy (D-CT). “When Vladimir Putin marches into NATO territory, they will rue the day they decided to play politics with the future of Ukraine’s security.”

Then there’s this from Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX): “They want tens of billions of dollars to help our friends and allies overseas, but they’re not willing to prevent a potential crisis at the border. The Biden administration just does not seem to care.”

•••

Tuberville Relents, Mostly – Promotions of four-star generals are still out, as far as Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) is concerned. But under threat of a Senate rule change backed by most Republicans as well as Democrats, Tuberville said he is “not going to hold the promotions of these people any longer,” (The Guardian), And so the Senate on Tuesday approved about 425 military promotions Trump acolyte Tuberville had held up for most of the year, over his opposition to a Pentagon abortion policy. 

--TL

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TUESDAY 12/5/23

SCOTUS Divided Over Purdue? – Supreme Court justices appeared divided over the question of whether Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy proceedings should be halted in order to expose the Sackler family to civil liability for marketing OxyContin, according to SCOTUSblog. As its bankruptcy agreement stands, the Sacklers are shielded from liability pending $6 billion in payment to creditors and victims of the opioid epidemic. Plaintiffs in Harrington v. Purdue Pharma believe the Sackler family would get off to easily if the bankruptcy is allowed to proceed, though many advocates for the victims fear revocation of the bankruptcy proceeding would drag out compensation far too long.

--TL

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MONDAY 12/4/23

Cheney’s Warning – Washington has been obsessed with former Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney’s book due for release next week, Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning since CNN reported excerpts last week. In it, Cheney accuses Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) of “cowardice” in his unwillingness to stand up to ex-President Trump, according to the excerpts. She outlines current Speaker Mike Johson’s (R-LA) role in filing an amicus brief in Texas urging the U.S. Supreme Court to set aside the Electoral College in several states Biden won. 

This was when Johnson was “aggressively” gathering signatures from his Republican colleagues, and Cheney overheard a congressman say, in exasperation, “The things we do for the ‘Orange Jesus.’” 

“Mike played a particularly destructive role,” Cheney told NPR’s Leila Fadel on Morning Edition Monday. She disputes those who say our institutions, traditions and separation of powers could control Donald J. Trump if he wins the 2024 election, noting a recent op-ed in The Wall Street Journal. “No, you can’t count on those institutions to restrict him,” she said. 

Cheney questioned Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-AL) destructive holds on key Pentagon promotions.

Is he “holding the positions open so Donald Trump can fill them? What’s he doing?”

Fadel asked about the future of the Republican Party and American conservatism. 

“I think the Republican Party as it exists today is dangerous to the country,” Cheney said. She does not believe the GOP, or a new truly conservative party, can be built in time for the 2024 elections.

“The most important thing to do now is stop Donald Trump,” she said. Would the vice chair of last year’s House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6^th Attack on the United States Capitol run for president in 2024?

“I haven’t … ruled it out. I look at it very much through the lens of stopping Donald Trump. It needs to be everybody’s priority.”

•••

Christie Out? – Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie as of Sunday did not know whether he would qualify for Wednesday’s GOP presidential candidate debate, 8 p.m. Eastern on News Nation, but he does plan to stay in the race to defeat Donald J. Trump, at least through next summer’s Republican Party convention in Milwaukee. CBS News’ Margaret Brennan asked Christie on Face the Nation Sunday whether he should step down from the primary race to consolidate the opposition. 

“This field is already consolidated,” he replied, “more than any non-incumbent field in this century.”

•••

Also on Sunday – Last Friday, The New York Times reported that Israeli intelligence officials were warned of a Hamas attack on the country about a year before October 7. On Sunday, NBC News’ Kristin Welker asked White House national security spokesman John Kirby on Meet the Press Sunday whether U.S. intelligence also was tipped off. 

“The intelligence community has indicated that they did not have access to this document,” Kirby responded.

“Should they have?” Welker asked. 

“Intelligence is a mosaic,” Kirby replied. “Sometimes you can piece these together. Sometimes pieces of the puzzle are missing.”

No confidence in Austin: Meanwhile, on CNN’s State of the Union, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told Dana Bash he has lost all confidence in Lloyd Austin over remarks made by the defense secretary that Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip would inflame more Palestinians. 

“He’s naïve. I’ve just lost all confidence in this guy.” Graham said. “They’re already inflamed … Israel is not just fighting Hamas, but all infrastructure around Hamas.”

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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COMMENTS: editors@thehustings.news

FRIDAY 12/1/23

(Nobel Peace Prize winner ... War criminal? Ultimate diplomat? Henry Kissinger, who consulted 12 Republican and Democratic presidents and was both national security advisor and secretary of state for Presidents Nixon and Ford, has died at 100. He was the model for the title character in Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb and is famous for saying, “Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.”)

UPDATE: Santos Expelled -- On the third attempt in six months, Rep. George Santos (R-NY) was expelled from Congress by a vote of 311-114-2 (per The Hill). A two-thirds majority was required. Almost all House Democrats and 105 Republicans voted for Santos' removal.

•••

Cease-Fire Expires, War Restarts – After seven days, the truce between Israel and Hamas has expired, NPR’s Morning Editionreports, with both sides blaming each other for resuming attacks. The Qatari government, central to the ceasefire that commenced a week ago, is trying to negotiate another truce with little hope for success.

Israel was warned: The New York Times has reviewed a translated plan called “Jericho Wall” that outlines Hamas’ October 7 attack it reports Israeli officials saw a year ago. Israel concluded the plan, which detailed the attack point-by-point couldn’t be carried out. The document was circulated widely among Israeli military officials, but experts determined the attack as outlined “was beyond Hamas’ capabilities …” It was unclear, the NYT report says, whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or other top leaders saw the report.

•••

Santos Sunk? – The House on Friday will vote on whether to remove Rep. George Santos (R-NY) from Congress, Roll Call reports. This will be the House’s third attempt for his expulsion. 

“I will be filing a slew of complaints in the coming hours of today and tomorrow to make sure that we are keeping the playing field even,” Santos said, in a Thursday press conference in front of the Capitol. 

Santos faces a slew of charges in a 23-count criminal indictment, including:

•A fraudulent political contribution solicitation scheme.

•Unemployment insurance fraud.

•Filing false disclosure statements with the House.

•Filing fraudulent fundraising reports.

•Charging donors credit cards without permission.

In addition, a House ethics panel report says Santos used campaign funds on personal expenses.

--TL

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THURSDAY 11/30/23

Another Day of Cease Fire – Secretary of State Antony Blinken has returned to Tel Aviv to urge extension of the pause in fighting as Israel and Hamas extend their cease-fire for a seventh day, NPR’s Morning Edition reports. Since Friday, 210 Palestinians, 73 Israelis and 24 foreign nationals have been released, according to The Washington Post, including an American-Israeli mother who was freed Wednesday. An estimated 159 hostages remain in the Gaza Strip.

So Long Santos, Today? – The “Mary Magdalen of the United States Congress,” Rep. George Santos (R-NY) faces a likely expulsion vote Thursday. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), has “reservations” however, over removing a Congress member who has not yet been convicted of a crime, Roll Call notes.

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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COMMENTS: editors@thehustings.news

Elon Musk met with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in his Knesset office Monday, after the owner of X tweeted anti-semitic remarks that resulted in an exodus from the social media platform by key blue-chip advertisers.  (Israeli government photo.)

WEDNESDAY 11/29/23

So Long, Santos -- A Politico whip count says House Republicans have the votes to expel Rep. George Santos (R-NY) from Congress. According to the whip count, 75 Republicans say they plan to vote to oust him, while another dozen say they are likely to support his removal. A two-thirds vote is required for Santos' expulsion, which is expected before the end of the week.

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TUESDAY 11/29/23

On Capitol Hill – An Israeli major general quietly visited Capitol Hill Monday evening to reassure Senate Democrats who have been critical of the country’s military campaign against Hamas, Punchbowl News reports. Democratic senators were to discuss whether to add conditions to U.S. aid to Israel during their weekly caucus lunch Tuesday. The major general met with the Democrats in the LBJ Room just off the Senate floor. 

Meanwhile, in Tel Aviv: X owner Elon Musk Monday toured an Israeli kibbutz attacked by Hamas on October 7, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as his guide, The Hill reports. Musk’s social media platform has been losing advertisers since he tweeted antisemitic remarks earlier this month. He was shown a residence where a Sha’ar Ha Negev Regional Council chair was killed the morning of the attacks during an exchange of gunfire.

--TL

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MONDAY 11/27/23

UPDATE: Israel and Hamas have agreed to a two-day extension of their cease-fire past Monday's deadline, in a deal announced on X by Majid Al Ansary, spokesman for the Qatari Foreign Ministry. the AP reports. Hamas will further exchange militants it is holding for Palestinians being held by Israel. A fourth swap was expected late Monday.

Hope for Extended Truce – Both Hamas and Israel have signaled they might extend the humanitarian pause begun 7 a.m. last Friday local time and due to end Monday, though nobody is talking about President Biden’s hope the truce will turn into a full ceasefire just yet, as his party remains split between support for Israel and for the Palestinians.

Hamas said in a statement it is “seeking to extend the truce after the end of the four-day period,” as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “was open to the idea of extending the pause by 24 hours for every 10 hostages released,” according to NPR’s Morning Edition. In return, Israel would release up to 150 Palestinians, Netanyahu said.

The White House says Biden is working with Qatar, which brokered the four-day truce scheduled to end Monday with other negotiators, Semafor reports. Nine Americans remain missing and are presumed to be held by Hamas, which on Sunday released Abigail Eden, who spent her fourth birthday held by the group. Both of Eden’s parents were killed in the October 7 Hamas attack that sparked the fighting. 

•••

Senate Pushes Vote on Funding Ukraine, Israel – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) plans to hold a vote as early as December 4 -- next week -- on the White House’s request for billions of dollars of aid to Ukraine and Israel, Politico reports. But Schumer’s announcement Sunday puts pressure on the Senate to come up with a border security deal to assure the necessary support by the chamber’s Republicans. 

•••

Up on the Hill – The Senate was scheduled to be in session Monday, November 27. Both the Senate and House will be in session Tuesday through Friday, and Monday through Thursday December 4-7 and 11-14. The Senate only is in session December 8 and December 15, before holiday break through the end of the year.

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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COMMENTS: editors@thehustings.news

THANKSGIVING RECESS 2023

The Consumer Price Index slipped by half a point in October, to 3.2%. It’s a nice drop from September’s 3.7%, but still well above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. Month-over-month prices were flat at 0%, though that was led by gas prices, which fell 5%, with energy off by 2.5%. Food, and food from home, was up 0.3%. Food away from home was up 0.4%. That other basic necessity, shelter, was up 0.3%.

Israel to Hold Gaza – Israel will have to occupy and control Gaza for the foreseeable future to assure Hamas’ authority there is not replaced by another Hamas-like group, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told NPR. 

“Once we defeat Hamas, we need to make sure there’s no new Hamas,” Netanyahu told Morning Edition’s Steve Inskeep on its Friday broadcast. “No resurgence of terrorism. The only force that is able to secure that is Israel.”

Netanyahu described the Al Shifa hospital in Gaza which the Israeli Defense Force has raided for days as a “command center” for Hamas; “a lot of terrorists there, they fled as our forces approached the hospital, and happily we didn’t have to have a firefight with anyone.”

Gaza health authorities and Shifa directors have denied assertions by Israel and the United States that the hospital is hiding an elaborate tunnel system and have invited international inspection (Reuters).

The IDF has let reporters see a stairway leading under the hospital, but not the alleged tunnel system. Netanyahu said the IDF has found “a lot of weapons … a lot,” as well as ammunition and bombs underneath.

•••

So Long, Santos? – Rep. George Santos (R-NY) is “in real jeopardy of being expelled,” says Punchbowl News, after Thursday’s House Ethics Committee report sent to the Justice Department that says the freshman congressman diverted tens of thousands of dollars from his campaign fund for personal use, secretly funneled more than $176,000 from it to a company he secretly controlled and falsified his financial disclosures and campaign reports. 

On Thursday, Santos issued a statement with Trumpy language, accusing the Ethics Committee of a “disgusting political smear,” and announced a November 30 press conference on the Capitol steps. 

He may not have that much time. Rep. Michael Guest (R-MS), chairman of the Ethics Committee, planned Friday to introduce a privileged resolution, backed by ranking member Susan Wild (D-PA) to remove Santos from Congress, Punchbowl News notes. It would be the first such removal since Rep. Jim Trafficant (D-OH) was convicted in 2002 of bribery, tax evasion and other crimes.

Note: An earlier resolution to remove Santos backed by fellow New York Republicans in the House had the support of just 24 GOP congress members. If all 213 Democrats back Guest’s resolution, it needs at least 77 Republicans. 

Given Santos’ fervent support for ex-President Trump and his House minions, it’s in the interest of those minions to keep him in his seat. If Santos is removed, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) could afford to lose only three Republicans to pass legislation.

•••

Tuberville Christmas – Republican senators are “laying the groundwork” to vote before Christmas for a Democratic-drafted resolution to change the Senate’s rules and circumvent Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-AL) hold on more than 400 military nominees, The Hill reports. Defense hawk Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who otherwise like Tuberville is a Trump ally, said he would be ready to vote for the bill, which would allow Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to confirm the military promotions as a bloc.

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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THURSDAY 11/16/23

UPDATE: Santos announced shortly after release of the scathing House Ethics Committee report he will not run for re-election next year (The Hill).

Ethics v. Santos -- The House Ethics Committee handed over a 55-page report to the Justice Department that finds "substantial evidence" that Rep. George Santos (R-NY) violated federal criminal laws. The report says freshman congressman Santos spent campaign funds on Botox treatments and lavish Atlantic City trips with his husband. It also details efforts to obscure his money trail and that he sought to build a "fictional" financial narrative on official records. The report "almost certainly" will trigger another expulsion attempt, according to Politico.

•••

Just in Time, Senate Passes CR – Or you could call Wednesday’s 87-11 Senate passage of the House’s Continuing Resolution early, in that it prevents government shutdown Friday. The bill now goes to President Biden’s desk for his signature, but the CR does not include additional funding for Israel or Ukraine. Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) told NPR’s Morning Edition there is bi-partisan support in the Senate and House to pass a separate bill for Israel and Ukraine after Thanksgiving. According to Roll Call the Senate Armed Services Committee’s ranking member, Roger Wicker (R-MS) won a commitment Wednesday to vote on sending the annual defense policy bill to a formal conference with the House.

•••

Biden Meets With Xi – President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jingping have agreed to resume military-to-military contact at their first in-person meeting in a year in Woodside, California Wednesday, ahead of an annual summit of Asian leaders in San Francisco.

“As a lot of you press know who follow this, that’s been cut off, and it’s been worri … worrisome,” Biden said in a press conference following the meeting. “That’s how accidents happen; misunderstandings. So, we’re back to direct, open, clear, direct communications on a … direct basis.”

Biden also announced Xi has agreed to a crackdown on precursor chemicals and pill presses used to process fentanyl and fentanyl chemical ingredients flowing from China to the West, “which are being shipped without controls.”

“We’re taking action to significantly reduce the flow of precursor chemicals and pill presses from China to the Western Hemisphere,” Biden said. “It’s going to save lives, and I appreciate President Xi’s commitment on this issue.”

--TL

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WEDNESDAY 11/15/23

Government Stays Open, For Now – Will Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) survive his “clean” two-step Continuing Resolution (CR), passed by the House Tuesday by 336-95 vote (per NPR)? The oppo came from two Democrats, Reps. Jake Auchincloss (MA) and Mike Quigley (IL) and 93 Republicans, including Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, who was one of eight who voted to take away Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) gavel.

“Everybody gets a mulligan,” Gaetz, who was among the 93, explained (per The Hill). 

“He’s had two weeks to pass it. His predecessor had since January, and then he jammed us up against the September 30 deadline,” agreed Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN), another of the eight who voted to remove Johnson’s predecessor.

The CR extends four appropriations bills – Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture and Energy & Water – to January 19, and the remaining eight bills to February 2. 

The “clean” part of the bill is that it doesn’t include deep spending cuts or provisions for a southern border crackdown. It also does not include funding for Israel or Ukraine, both of which are likely to be in the Senate’s version of the CR expected in time to keep the government open past Friday.

Saving Speaker Johnson: In a CNBC interview Tuesday, Johnson reiterated his support for Donald J. Trump and endorsed him for president for 2024. He also has the backing of “Christian Nation” advocates, who were represented in the January 6^th Capitol insurrection. That may be enough to prevent Republican Congress members from invoking a motion to vacate when the appropriations bills face expiration again early next year.

If it’s not enough, House Democrats will likely enjoy watching the House GOP caucus collapse into chaos again.

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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MONDAY 11/13/23

ICYMI Dept: Trump's Second-Term Dictatorship

By Todd Lassa

Donald J. Trump did everything he could to tear up the Constitution in his first term, including desperate attempts to procure a concurrent second term. The Washington Post last week outlined in an expose how “Trump and his allies plan to use a second term to wrest control of and politicize the Justice Department to target his political foes.” The analysis piece, by Aaron Blake, notes this is “hardly the first evidence of the plans for a consolidation of power and a more authoritarian second term.”

“Authoritarianism” does not go quite as far as “dictatorship,” but a potential dictatorship is what it is. So notes Dan Froomkin, editor of Press Watch, which on its front page at presswatchers.org offers readers the chance to “Read the full transcript of (Trump’s) fraud-trial testimony.” If the authoritarianism isn’t enough, this transcript offers insight into how unhinged Trump is.

Froomkin told WNYC’s On the Media that “elite journalists in our top institutions lack the vocabulary and the mechanics necessary to accurately cover Trump right now.” Responsible media outlets that endeavor to present straight news objectively – among them, WaPo, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, CBS News, ABC News and NBC News. They are mired by covering him with “false equivalency,” as if there is a counterpoint to authoritarianism. [It should be noted that CNN’s new CEO, Mark Thompson, told staffers on his first day at the office not to be “distracted by complicated arguments about balance or whataboutism or false equivalency.”]

Trump is no Vladimir Putin, dictatorship-wise, though as told by sources to WaPo his second term would be in the same class as Hungary’s Viktor Orban, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Poland’s recently defeated Andrzey Duda. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been working on consolidating his power by kneecapping Israel’s judiciary, also could be included in this discussion.

This is what Trump and his loyal enablers have planned for 2025, according to WaPo:

•Use the Justice Department for political purposes. (Including prosecution of his former allies such as Bill Barr, who did much of Trump’s bidding as attorney general until Christmas 2020, just before the Capitol insurrection.)

•Purge the government and install loyalists.

•Consolidate power in the presidency.

•Pardon January 6 insurrectionists.

•Crack down harder on immigrants, with extraordinary tools.

On that last point, the NYT reported Sunday that Trump plans an “extreme expansion” of his first-term crackdown on immigrants, “including preparing to round up undocumented people already in the United States on a vast scale and detain them in sprawling camps while they wait to be expelled.”

This would destroy our democracy. All Trump needs next November is his MAGA core, roughly one-third of the electorate, plus a substantial share of swing voters and a majority of mainstream Republicans cowed by the threat coming from Trump’s power grab – or maybe no more than a handful of election officials in swing states who are willing to do his bidding.

-30-

R-Col. HED: Who Are Trump’s Potential Spoilers?

Seven Republicans want to spoil Trump’s huge lead in the polls for the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination. Of the five among those who qualified for last week’s debate, the former president’s former United Nations ambassador, Nikki Haley, now appears to lead the race for second place.

Another of the five, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, is the only one of seven Republican presidential candidates who has openly declared himself a Trump spoiler. So far, he has not done much more than take about 5% of poll standings from the other challengers.

Then there’s Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the formerly Democratic challenger to President Biden for the nomination who withdrew his challenge to go independent. Having gone indy, Kennedy as an anti-vaxxer would seem to appeal to the considerable conspiracy theory contingent of MAGA. He may also appeal to those mythical voters who claim they backed Barack Obama before they backed Donald J. Trump.

Your thoughts: …are most welcome for posting in these columns. If you’re pro-MAGA or a never-Trumper conservative, please post your comments in this column, or email editors@thehustings.news … if you chose the latter, please indicate your political leanings (right/left, Republican/Democratic, conservative/liberal, etc.) in the subject line.

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COMMENTS?: email editors@thehustings.news

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, of West Virginia announced Thursday he will not run for re-election in 2024, threatening his party’s thin majority in the Senate while also potentially becoming a third-party spoiler in next year’s presidential election.

“After months of deliberation and long conversation with my family, I believe in my heart of hearts that I have accomplished what I set out to do for West Virginia. I have made one of the toughest decisions of my life and decided that I will not be running for re-election to the United States Senate,” Manchin announced in a video on X. https://twitter.com/Sen_JoeManchin/status/1722698734910210420

“But,” he continued, “what I will be doing is traveling the country and speaking out to see if there is an interest to mobilize the middle and bring people together.”

Note that he does not have much of a youth advantage over either major party candidate. At 76, Machin is a year younger than Trump and three years younger than Biden.

Democratic counterpoint: After the announcement, “Democrats said they had hopes of expanding the map to Texas and Florida” to retain a Senate majority, The Washington Post reports, as West Virginia voters almost certainly will replace Manchin with a Republican. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rick Scott (R-FL) both are also up for re-election next year. 

Who’s spoiling whom?: It’s too early to say whether Manchin might siphon more votes from President Biden or from presumed GOP nominee Donald J. Trump.

But wait, there’s more: Jill Stein, the physician and activist who first ran for president in 2012, then again in 2016 with the Green Party has announced another third-party run for next year (USA Today). 

Stein’s ’16 vote totals in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin were big enough to give Trump the Electoral College wins in the three states, and it seems clear she would likely grab votes from Biden in ’24. About the time of her ’16 run, Stein was connected to Russian dictator/President Vladimir Putin. According to Accidental Czar – The Life and Lies of Vladimir Putin, a graphic bio by Andrew S. Weiss and Brian “Box” Brown, Stein “attended the 2015 RT (Russian Television) birthday gala dinner and sat at the same head table with Putin and Mike Flynn.”

--TL

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Axelrod Calls on Biden to Drop Campaign

On March 31, 1968, President Lyndon Baines Johnson spoke on national television to say he would not seek, nor would he accept, his Democratic Party’s nomination for president that November. It did not work out for the party, whose nominee, Vice President Hubert Humphrey, lost to Richard Nixon. But the point is that based on that timeline, President Joe Biden has a bit more than four months to drop his re-election campaign.

Former Obama political strategist David Axelrod wants Biden to reconsider, now, whether to run for re-election. “What he needs to decide is whether that is wise,” Axelrod wrote on X (per Axios).

Comment on the latest news and issues in the appropriate section in this column, or email editors@thehustings.news and let us know whether you lean left or right in the subject line.

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FRIDAY 11/10/23

Former UN Ambassador and North Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley “won” Wednesday night’s GOP presidential candidates’ debate in Miami and broadcast by NBC, according to a 538/Washington Post/Ipsos poll, with 34% of those polled saying she had the best performance. Haley edged out Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who most impressed 23%, according to FiveThirtyEight.

Former President Trump, who again eschewed the debate, this time for his own political rally in nearby Hialeah, remains the frontrunner, though the share of Republicans most likely to vote for him slipped from 64.6%, to 63.1% in the latest poll. DeSantis’ score also fell, from 49.7% to 48.3%.

Haley gained on both Trump and DeSantis. Republicans likely to vote for her rose 2.5 points, to 38%. 

Businessman and MAGA vice presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy lost 1.2 points, to 19.8% and Sen. Rick Scott, of South Carolina, fell one full point, to 19.3%.

Anti-Trump candidate and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, like Haley, gained Republican support, from 13.7% before the debate to 14.9% after.

•••

Evacuation in Gaza? – Tanks are encircling hospitals in Gaza a day after Israel announced it would pause fighting four hours a day to distribute food and medical supplies and allow evacuation, The Washington Post reports. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel doesn’t “seek to occupy” Gaza.

•••

Biden to Meet with Xi – President Biden meets with China President Xi Jingping next Wednesday to “discuss issues in the U.S.-PRC (People’s Republic of) bilateral relationship, the continued importance of maintaining open lines of communication, and a range of regional and global issues,” according to a release from Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. The meeting will be on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Summit, The Hill notes.

•••

REMINDER – The federal government shuts down next Friday, November 17, if Congress fails to pass a spending bill.

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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THURSDAY 11/9/23

“Surprise” would be too strong a term, so let’s say there were a few unexpected turns in Wednesday night’s GOP presidential debate on NBC. Anti-Trump candidate Chris Christie had a handful of supporters cheer him, with no apparent “boos” from MAGA Floridians. The host state’s governor, Ron DeSantis, came off as calm and level-headed, but then he was standing next to MAGA vice presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. 

In the no surprise, no unexpected turn column, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott called for the United States to become a Christian nation again.

Former Trump administration UN Ambassador Nikki Haley said her former boss “was the right president at the right time,” before explaining why he’d be the wrong president in 2025.

Haley called on her inner Will Smith when in a heated exchange with Ramaswamy over who can impose a more imposing ban on Tik Tok, Ramaswamy accused Haley’s daughter of being a big fan of the Chinese-based social media outlet. Haley shot back; “Leave my daughter out of your voice!”

So will Haley, DeSantis, Christie or Scott gain ground on Donald J. Trump in the polls? Will Ramaswamy rise to the top of Trump’s list of potential running mates?

We’ll soon see.

Meanwhile, we hope you’ll weigh in with your thoughts on who won and who lost in the debate. Which of them would you most like to see become the Republican presidential nominee, and why? 

Please send your comments to editors@thehustings.news and note your political leanings, whether right or left, in the subject line. --TL

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WEDNESDAY 11/8/23

Election Results – Even as party angst bubbles up over a New York Times/Siena poll showing President Biden trailing Donald J. Trump for the 2024 election in five of six crucial swing states, the Democratic Party has scored some key wins in Tuesday’s elections. Here’s what we know so far…

Ohio Abortion Rights: Voters approved a constitutional amendment that ensures access to abortion and other forms of reproductive health care according to the AP, marking the latest pro-choice victory since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. With 79% counted, the “yes” vote overwhelmed the “no” vote, 55.6% to 44.3% according to Ballotpedia.

Meanwhile: In another referendum, Ohio became the 24^th state to legalize marijuana, the AP reports.

Kentucky Gubernatorial: Democratic incumbent Andy Beshear has won a second term in this otherwise red state, having defeated Republican challenger Daniel Cameron. Beshear took 52% of the vote to Cameron’s 47%, according to MSNBC’s The 11^th Hour. Beshear, the son of former Gov. Steve Beshear (2007-15), first earned the keys to the governor’s mansion when he defeated Republican incumbent Matt Bevin in 2019.

Virginia Senate: Democrats will hold control of the state senate, winning 21 of the chamber’s 40 seats (AP). Democratic wins include Schulyer Van Valkenburg for a suburban Richmond district and Russet Perry in Northern Virginia to help prevent  Republicans from taking absolute control of the state government.

Meanwhile: Control of Virginia’s House of Delegates remained up in the air late Tuesday, though Center for Politics Director Larry Sabato told MSNBC’s The 11^th Hour that Democrats will win control of the lower chamber and put an end to talk of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin running for president as a Trump alternative.

Mississippi Gubernatorial: Incumbent Republican Gov. Tate Reeves was leading Democratic challenger Brandon Pressley – uh huh, Elvis’ second cousin – 53.5% to 43.2%, with 78% of “expected” votes in according to NBC News. Independent candidate Gwendolyn Gray had 1.4% of the vote. 

Pennsylvania Supreme Court: Superior Court Judge Daniel McCaffery won a special election for the Supreme Court to replace the late chief justice, Max Baer, to restore the Democratic Party’s 5-2 majority, The Hill’s Decision Desk HQ reports. He defeated Republican Carolyn Carluccio, president judge for the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, who downplayed her anti-abortion stance in her campaign. 

New York City Council: Democratic candidate and member of the ‘Central Park Five,’ Yusef Salaam won a seat on the New York City Council. Salaam was arrested age 15 in 1989 and served more than seven years in prison until his exoneration, which came after Donald J. Trump called for the death penalty for the wrongly accused five.

--TL

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ELECTION DAY 11/7/23

Trump Takes the Stand – No matter how hard Donald J. Trump tried, New York Judge Arthur Engoron refused to let the former president make MAGA-style campaign speeches in his court Monday. Trump took to the stand for nearly four hours in New York Attorney Gen. Letitia James’ civil fraud case over the Trump Organization’s inflation of its real estate values for financial gain.

Trump droned on in the manner to which pro- and anti-MAGA alike are accustomed as Engoron demanded he just answer the questions. Trump, in turn, took shots at the judge – always a good defense, huh? – including making the statement Engoron “always rules against” him, while also calling James a “political hack.”

Engoron reminded Trump that his court is not a campaign rally (report per NPR’s All Things Considered). 

“I think this court is a disgrace,” Trump said. “I think the statements of financial condition are good, and in some cases, very conservative.”

In his post-testimony press conference, Trump told reporters, “I think it went very well. …” He added again that the case should not have been brought to court, and said prosecutors claimed his Mar-a-Lago estate was worth $18 million. “It’s 50 to 100 times that,” Trump claimed.

“We have already been victorious,” James said, referring to Engoron’s pre-trial ruling on the case. “Now we are looking forward to … the remaining counts in our action against Donald Trump and his repeated and consistent fraud against the citizens of the great state of New York.”

Ranting scared: More than even Trump’s criminal cases, the New York civil case and its promise of prohibiting the Trump Organization from doing business in the state ever again is the case he fears most. 

Next up: Ivanka Trump is set to testify Wednesday. Unlike fellow offspring Donald Jr. and Eric, his daughter is not charged in the case.

•••

‘Tactical Pause’ in Gaza? – President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are discussing the possibility of a “tactical pause” one month into the war as the Gaza Health Ministry reports that 10,000 Palestinians have been killed, The Guardian says. Netanyahu says Israel may have “security responsibility” for Gaza for an indefinite period. 

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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COMMENTS: editors@thehustings.news

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) (above) called on announced and unannounced primary challengers to President Biden’s 2024 re-election campaign to stand down if they want to protect the country from another Trump administration, according to the Sioux City Journal. The freshman senator made his remarks at the Iowa Democratic Party’s annual Liberty and Justice Celebration fundraiser in Altoona Saturday. 

“I’m here to tell you, you know, he is a strong, decent dude,” the freshman senator said of Biden. He called out both Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN), who announced his Democratic primary challenge days after Robert Kennedy Jr. dropped out of the party to run as an independent, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who he said is running a “shadow campaign” to challenge the president for the ’24 Democratic nomination.

“If you are a Democrat that wants to criticize and go after Joe Biden, our president, just go ahead and write a check for Trump.”

It capped a big week for Fetterman, who on Thursday proposed internal sanctions for any senator indicted for such offenses as mishandling classified information, being charged as a foreign agent or compromising national security in his “move” against Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), who faces multiple bribery charges, Politico reports.

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COMMENTS: editors@thehustings.news