Year: 2019

A senior official at the Department of Housing and Urban Development has been sent a letter of warning by the Special Counsel Office after the violation of the Hatch Act by the use of promoting […]

Trump Blames Beto O’Rourke for Gun Legislation Comments

President Donald Trump said Wednesday it has become “much harder” to reach a deal with Democrats on gun legislation, blaming an emphatic call by former congressman Beto O’Rourke for a mandatory buyback program for assault-style […]

Russia Criticizes Trump for Urging Country to Increase Sanctions on Iran

The Russian Foreign Ministry criticized Wednesday President Donald Trump’s move to increase sanctions on Iran, after the recent attacks on Saudi Arabian oil production plants, most likely carried out by Iranian proxies. As a result […]

Riyadh Holds Tehran Responsible for Oil Attacks

Saudi Arabia said it holds Iran responsible for attacks that debilitated Saudi oil facilities, directly implicating Tehran for the first time but stopping short of explicitly accusing it of conducting the strikes, The Wall Street […]

White House Withdraws President’s Nominee to Head FEMA

The White House will withdraw Jeff Byard’s nomination to head the Federal Emergency Management Agency, seven months after President Donald Trump nominated him for the position, according to a senior administration official and a congressional […]

Lewandowski Should Have Been Held in Contempt ‘Right Then and There’, Pelosi Says

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stated that Corey Lewandowski should have been held in contempt “right then and there” for declining to contribute to the Democratic hearing a day before, The Hill reported. Pelosi expressed her frustration […]

North Korea Reportedly Developing Own Cryptocurrency

North Korea is in the early stages of developing its own cryptocurrency in a bid to avoid crippling international sanctions and circumvent the U.S.-dominated global financial system, a representative for the regime told VICE News. […]

Venezuela Wants U.S. to Reopen Diplomatic Ties

Venezuela’s socialist government on Wednesday called on the United States to restore diplomatic ties with Caracas after it opened talks with fringe opposition parties, AFP reported. Venezuela broke off relations with the United States after […]

September 18, 2019 John Ganjei

LUNCHTIME POLITICS: Biden, Warren Top New Polls – California Here We Come – Big, Bold, Expensive?

Your Daily Polling Update for Wednesday, September 18, 2019 TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 46%Same as yesterday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on five polls, ranging from 43% (Politico) to 51% (Rasmussen). Without these extremes, […]

Trump Picks Robert O’Brien as National Security Advisor

President Donald Trump on Wednesday named Robert O’Brien, his envoy for hostage affairs, to replace John Bolton as his fourth national security advisor, elevating a relatively unknown figure in a move that appears to solidify […]

Netanyahu Could Fall Short of a Governing Majority, Elections Results Suggest

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to fall short of a governing majority in Israel’s election, raising doubts Wednesday over whether he could maintain his decade long grip on power, NBC News reports. After 90 […]

Trump Orders Additional Iran Sanctions as Saudis Displays Attack Evidence

President Donald Trump ordered a major increase in sanctions on Iran on Wednesday as Saudi Arabia displayed remnants of drones and missiles it said were used in a crippling attack “unquestionably sponsored” by Tehran. Trump […]

Administration

Top Intel Official Defies Subpoena for Whistleblower Complaint

The acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, refused to meet the deadline by the House Intelligence Committee which had subpoenaed him seeking the contents of a whistleblower complaint and relevant correspondence with the White […]

Iran Provoking Response from Donald Trump, Says Former Diplomat

Although President Donald Trump is trying to avoid war with Iran, it seems as if Tehran is daring him to respond, “testing the Trump administration,” said Gerald Feierstein, a former U.S. Ambassador to Yemen. He […]

DHS General Counsel John Mitnick Fired by the WH

The White House has fired John Mitnick, who served as the general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), The New York Times reported on Tuesday. The White House has sacked the general counsel for the […]

Former President Carter Hopes for Age Limit for Presidency

Former President of the United States Jimmy Carter claims that there must be a limit on the presidency, recalling that he would not have been able to serve as president at the age of 80, […]

Democrats Urge Action on Gun Control

Democrats held the Senate floor for about five hours Tuesday hoping to underscore the chamber’s lack of action on passing gun legislation after several deadly shootings in recent weeks. Democrats, who are trying to pressure […]

U.S. to Exchange Ambassadors with Belarus After Years of Tensions

The U.S. is ready to exchange ambassadors with Belarus, said a top-ranking State Department official on Tuesday, a step that comes after a decade of tensions between the two nations. “It is my honor to […]

New Poll Shows Biden Still in Lead, Warren Rising

A new NBC/WSJ poll released Tuesday has found presidential candidate Joe Biden still in the lead among Democrats after last week’s third Democratic presidential debate with Senator Elizabeth Warren closely trailing behind him. The poll […]

September 17, 2019 John Ganjei

LUNCHTIME POLITICS: Tuesday Trivia – Environmental Policies – New York – Castro Rating Slips

Your Daily Polling Update for Tuesday, September 17, 2019 TRUMP JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 46%Up 1 from yesterday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on five polls, ranging from 43% (Politico) to 50% (Rasmussen). Without these extremes, […]

Saudi Energy Minister Says Oil Production to Be Fully Restored by End of Month

Saudi Arabia’s energy minister said the Kingdom will have restored its oil production by the end of the month after attacks on two major Aramco facillites, Arab News reported. Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman told a press […]

Journalist, Author, and Political Commentator Cokie Roberts Dies

Journalist, author and political commentator Cokie Roberts died Tuesday due to complications from breast cancer, family members said in a statement released by ABC News. She was 75 years old. ABC News President James Golston […]

Pentagon Stops Construction of Three Border Wall Projects Due to High Costs

The Defense Department has decided to put the brakes on three border barrier projects in California and Arizona, a court filing showed on Monday. Late last month, the Pentagon announced the construction of 20 miles […]

FAA Will Test Changes to Boeing Software in Simulator

The chief of the Federal Aviation Administration is preparing to test out later this week the company’s software changes to its 737 Max airplane, he announced on Monday. The Boeing 737 Max was grounded in […]

Trump Says Iran Appears Responsible for Saudi Attack

President Donald Trump said Monday that Iran appeared to have been responsible for the weekend attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities. But he also said he would “like to avoid” a military conflict with Tehran, […]

Manhattan DA Subpoenas Eight Years of Trump’s Tax Returns

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance has sent a subpoena to Mazars USA, President Donald Trump’s longtime accounting firm, requesting eight years of Trump’s tax returns as part of the DA office’s investigation into hush money […]

Democrats Focused on Impeaching President, not Kavanaugh, Says Nadler

The House Judiciary Committee will not impeach Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, although some Democratic presidential candidates have urged so, said the panel’s chairman, Jerrold Nadler, on Monday. “We have our hands full with impeaching […]

Kamala Harris Renews Call for Kavanaugh’s Impeachment: The Allegations are ‘Credible’

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., once again called for impeachment of the Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh following the criticized New York Times story that revived sexual misconduct allegations, Fox News informed. Appearing on MSNBC Monday […]

Trump Slams NYT’s ‘Smear Report’, Praises Kavanaugh as ‘Great, Brilliant Man’

President Donald Trump showed admiration for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, describing him as a “great, brilliant man” during his New Mexico campaign rally and added that the sexual assault allegation published in a report […]

Oil Prices Have Biggest Spike in a Decade after Saudi Oil Field Attack

Oil prices spiked Monday after a devastating attack on the heart of Saudi Arabian oil production over the weekend shocked markets and could disrupt the global supply of crude for some time, CNN reported. U.S. […]