Author: Buck Banks
Jared Kushner — Surfer Dude
“One thing you have to remember when you work for President Trump is that you don’t make the waves. He makes the waves. Your job is to surf the wave as best as you can every day. And you have to always smile and have a sense of humor with it, because he’s the one who’s got the instinct.”
— Jared Kushner, quoted by Time.
Lev Parnas Sings Like a Bird
“President Trump knew exactly what was going on. He was aware of all my movements. I wouldn’t do anything without the consent of Rudy Giuliani, or the President. I have no intent, I have no reason to speak to any of these officials.”
— Lev Parnas broke his silence in an interview with Rachel Maddow on MSNBC.
GOP Senator Says He’ll Vote Against Press Limits on Impeachment Trial
“There is an effort to limit the press …. I’m going to vote against that, if I’m allowed to vote. U.S. senators are grown women and grown men. If they don’t want to make a comment, they know how to say ‘no comment.”
— Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) distanced himself from proposed restrictions on reporters covering the upcoming Senate impeachment trial, calling it a “huge mistake,” The Hill reports.
Virginia Ratifies Equal Rights Amendment
38th
“Virginia moved to the brink of becoming the crucial 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment on Wednesday, a momentous victory for many women’s rights advocates even though it is far from certain the measure will ever be added to the U.S. Constitution,” the AP reports.
Trump Threaten Europe with Tariffs Over Iran
25%
“A week before Germany, France and Britain accused Iran of breaching the 2015 nuclear deal, the Trump administration privately threatened to impose a 25 percent tariff on European automobiles if they didn’t, according to U.S. and European officials,” the Washington Post reports. “The U.S. effort to coerce European foreign policy through tariffs represents a new level of hardball tactics with America’s oldest allies and could result in the reimposition of sanctions against Iran.”
Romney Wants Impeachment Witnesses
“I presume I’ll be voting in favor of hearing from John Bolton.”
— Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), quoted by The Hill, on calling witnesses for the Senate impeachment trial.
Resolution to Limit Trump’s War Powers Has the Needed GOP Votes
4
“Four Republicans have agreed to vote with Democrats in support of the measure, according to Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), who wrote the legislation that seeks to prevent President Trump from further escalating hostilities with Iran,” the Washington Post reports.
Steyer Surging in Early States
15%
Tom Steyer surged to third place in the Morning Consult tracker of the four early primary and caucus states, his best showing in the poll since he launched his presidential campaign. Joe Biden leads with 27%, followed by Bernie Sanders at 19%, Steyer at 15%, Elizabeth Warren at 12% and Pete Buttigieg at 9%.
Which Democratic Candidate Do You Agree with Most?
The Washington Post has a 20-question quiz that measures which of the Democratic candidates agrees with you the most on some of the biggest issues of the cycle.
I agreed on 15 of 20 questions with Pete Buttigieg and Andrew Yang, on 14 (surprisingly) with Amy Klobuchar, 12 with Joe Biden, 10 with Elizabeth Warren and just five with Bernie Sanders.
