Month: January 2019

The long, agonizing decline of the American newspaper industry took another major hit Monday as The Dallas Morning News said it is eliminating 43 jobs—20 from the newsroom—in a move, according to Publisher Grant Moise, […]

January 9, 2019 Lisa Clayton

LUNCHTIME POLITICS: Polling on the Shutdown, Immigration, the Wall

Your Daily Polling Update for Wednesday, January 9, 2019 TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 44% Same as yesterday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on three polls, ranging from 41% (Reuters/Ipsos) to 47% (Rasmussen). Without these two […]

U.S.-Turkey Cannot Find Common Ground on Syria Withdrawal

The United States and Turkey remain at odds over American troops’ withdrawal from war-ravaged Syria even as top U.S. officials visited Turkey this week. The public disagreement comes shortly after President Donald Trump announced that […]

Ex-Israeli Minister to Serve 11 Years in Jail After Admitting to Spying for Iran

Former Israeli cabinet minister Gonen Segev is to be jailed for 11 years after he admitted spying for Iran, Israel’s justice ministry says, BBC informs. Segev, who served as energy minister in the 1990s, was […]

Fox News Anchor Fact-Checks Trump, Disputes Oval Office Address Claims

Fox news anchor Shepard Smith contended Donald Trump’s comments that the President made in his first prime-time address of Oval Office, sparking hostility between the President and his favored news channel. After Trump’s Oval Office […]

California’s New Governor Proposes Cameras in Forests as Part of $305M Boost in Fire-safety Spending

The new governor of California on Tuesday proposed spending $105 million more annually on wildfire safety as a result of the devastating fires that have cost billions of dollars in damage, Fox News informed. The […]

Kim Tours China after Meetings with Xi Jinping

A train believed to be carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong-un left a station in the Chinese capital on Wednesday, Reuters reported. Kim was invited to Beijing by Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit China […]

Pelosi, Schumer Accuse Trump of Spreading ‘Misinformation,’ ‘Malice’ in Oval Office Address

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Tuesday night that President Donald Trump used his prime-time Oval Office address to “manufacture a crisis, stoke fear, and divert attention from the turmoil in his Administration,” Fox […]

Rosenstein to Leave the Justice Department After Attorney General Is Confirmed

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will most likely leave his post soon, according to sources with knowledge of his plans. The sources said that Rosenstein has told President Donald Trump and White House officials that […]

Senator Murkowski Calls for End to Government Shutdown

As the partial government shutdown drags on in its third week, some GOP senators have begun to lose patience and are now calling for reopening the government. A number of Senate Republicans have indicated that […]

Unredacted Court Filing Shows Manafort Shared Polling Data with Russians

Improperly redacted new court filings show that former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort shared 2016 presidential campaign polling data with a Russian with ties to the Kremlin, several news outlets have reported. The latest information, […]

U.S.-China Trade Talks Continue

Trade talks between Beijing and Washington were extended until Wednesday, a spokesperson for the office of the U.S. Trade Representative said. The face-to-face meeting between American and Chinese negotiators is a clear sign that the […]

D.C. Council Passes Emergency Bill Allowing Couples to Get Married During Shutdown

The D.C. Council unanimously passed an emergency bill on Tuesday, making couples able to get married in the District until the government shutdown ends. The bill comes several days after BuzzFeed News reported that a couple was […]

Trump Invites News Network Representative to Lunch in White House Ahead of Prime-Time Address

President Donald Trump invited representatives from broadcast and cable news outlets to lunch in the White House, just before his prime-time address from the Oval Office later in the evening. According to The New York […]

Trump is Using his National Prime-Time Address for Fundraising

President Donald Trump is using his national prime-time address on Tuesday for is fundraising. The address is to be focused on border security amid the ongoing partial government shutdown. According to The Hill, Trump in […]

January 8, 2019 Lisa Clayton

LUNCHTIME POLITICS: Market Outlook – France, UK – Ratings – Top Issues – Tuesday Trivia

Your Daily Polling Update for Tuesday, January 8, 2019 TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 44% Same as yesterday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on three polls, ranging from 41% (Reuters) to 46% (Rasmussen). Without these two […]

Former Coal Miners Say Trump is Lying about Jobs

President Donald Trump’s ability to restore the United States industry was questioned by two former coal miners who spoke to the CNN, Newsweek reported. “He’s trying to get their [miners’] votes. He isn’t telling them the truth,” […]

Market Turmoil Won’t Derail Uber IPO Plans, CEO Says

Uber’s Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi said market turbulence in the U.S. would be unlikely to affect the ride-hailing titan’s plans for a public listing, Wall Street Journal reports. “Any company that’s going public would like […]

Rashida Tlaib Accused of Anti-Semitic Slur, Days after Profane Anti-Trump Tirade

Michigan Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib is under fire from Republican politicians for openly posting what they call an anti-Semitic dog whistle on Twitter, a week after she used a profane language to call for Trump’s […]

President Trump, Foreign Leaders Discuss Syria, Other Issues

On Monday, President Donald Trump discussed his country’s strategy in Syria with French President Emmanuel Macron and talked about economic issues with India’s and Canada’s leaders. According to the White House, President Trump and his […]

Conway Accuses Congress, Courts of Inciting Crisis at Border, Hedges on Use of Emergency Powers

The senior counselor to President Donald Trump, Kellyanne Conway stated that White House attorneys are focused to identify the legal implications of declaring a national emergency in order to build the border wall, and accused […]

China Sends Forces to Intercept U.S. Warships amid Rising Tensions in Asia-Pacific

The military of China has made a move to intercept U.S. battleships that have sailed through the South China Sea in a string of tensions in the region of the Asia and Pacific, Newsweek reported. The […]

Trump to Deliver Prime-Time Address to Make Case for His Border Wall

President Donald Trump will address the public on Tuesday from the Oval Office to make an argument in favor of building the long-sought wall and justify closing parts of the government over it. President Trump […]

January 7, 2019 Lisa Clayton

LUNCHTIME POLITICS: The Economy – Voter Ideology – Trump Re-Elect

Your Daily Polling Update for Monday, January 7, 2019 TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 44% Same as Friday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on four polls, ranging from 41% (Reuters/Ipsos) to 46% (Rasmussen). Without these two […]

Fed Chairman Powell Sees Flexibility on Rates This Year

Federal Reserve officials on Friday laid the groundwork to take a break from raising short-term interest rates in coming months, propelling stock prices already cheered by a stronger-than-expected December jobs report, Wall Street Journal informed. […]

Tesla’s Musk Breaks Ground at Shanghai Gigafactory to Launch China Push

Tesla broke ground on Monday for its Shanghai Gigafactory where it plans to begin making its Model 3 electric vehicles (EV) by year-end, a first step in localizing production in the world’s largest auto market, […]

Bolton Says No Withdrawal from Syria Until ISIS is Destroyed

White House national security adviser John Bolton on Sunday outlined conditions for a U.S. troop departure from Syria that appeared to contradict President Donald Trump’s insistence less than a month ago that the withdrawal would […]

Mulvaney and Hoyer Offer Little Hope for Ending Government Shutdown

On Sunday, Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer signaled that there’s little hope for an end to the government shutdown as both sides continue to hold firm […]

Trump ‘In No Hurry’ to Name Permanent Cabinet Replacements

President Donald Trump said Sunday that he is “in no hurry” to name official replacements for several Cabinet-level positions in his administration, CNN informed. “Well, I’m in no hurry. I have acting (administration officials). And […]

January 6, 2019 Focus Washington

Armed Services Committee Chairman Says Trump Doesn’t Understand Border Security

The new chairman of the House Armed Services Committee on Sunday stated that President Donald Trump “doesn’t really understand” border security as Trump continues to demand that a wall is built along the border with […]