Month: October 2019

As the 2020 Democratic presidential field began to form earlier this year, Trump campaign officials received a directive from the president’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner: Don’t meddle in primary politics. Targeting specific Democratic presidential hopefuls was at best a waste of time — and could even be counterproductive, Kushner warned. “Basically what he has […]

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President Donald Trump’s multi-front trade war on the global stage has opened two distinct political battles over tariffs in the domestic arena that will shape the future of U.S. trade policy: in his race for reelection, and in the coming reckoning in Congress on his legislative priority, a renegotiated NAFTA. The new politics of trade […]

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Of the many senior officials to leave the Trump administration over the past two years, few have exited on better terms than former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley. Before her departure last December, President Donald Trump feted Haley with an Oval Office photo-op and declared that his U.N. diplomat “has been very special to me.” […]

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Pete Buttigieg is eager to "change the channel" from what he said is Washington’s "mesmerizing horror show." "Here you have this moment, probably the only moment in American history where it just might make sense for somebody my age, coming from experience in the industrial Midwest, nonfederal, different background, bringing something that will actually help […]

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Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke early Friday morning characterized an incendiary tweet from a Texas state representative as “a death threat” against him, and charged that the Republican lawmaker should be stripped of his assault weapon. O’Rourke, a former Texas congressman, championed hardline gun reforms at Thursday night’s Democratic primary debate in Houston, calling for […]

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Arizona has long been touted as a potential swing state in the presidential election. Its time may have finally come. Demographic shifts, progressive organizing efforts and President Donald Trump’s potential weakness in the state appear to be providing Democrats in 2020 with their best shot at capturing the state since Bill Clinton won it more […]

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Democrats are at war over disinformation. As illegitimate tactics like manipulated videos, troll farms, and fake social media accounts spread, state Democratic officials are demanding an official policy disavowing disinformation warfare. But the Democratic National Committee so far is refusing to go along. Earlier this year, all Democratic state party chairs sought to draw a […]

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Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg has privately recommended several potential hires to Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign, a rare example of direct political involvement from one of tech’s most powerful executives. Earlier this year, Zuckerberg sent multiple emails to Mike Schmuhl, Buttigieg’s campaign manager, with names of individuals that he might consider hiring, campaign […]

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Ever vigilant for ways to save money for the overburdened federal taxpayer, the Trump administration last week delivered its analysis of a change in eligibility for free or reduced-price school breakfasts and lunches. The savings: $90 million a year, or two thousandths of a percent of the $4.4-trillion federal budget. The collateral damage: about half […]

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