February 2017 - Page 4 of 10

Threats to Jewish Centers Increasing Nationwide

February 21, 2017 Buck Banks

11

“In the wake of 11 new threats today against Jewish centers, from New York to New Mexico, the FBI said it is investigating, along with the Department of Justice, bomb threats to the centers across the country,” ABC News reports. “Federal authorities are looking into threats communicated to at least 60 Jewish centers around the country this year. The threats started in January and the FBI began investigating later that same month.”

McCain: A Free Press Protects Against Dictators

February 21, 2017 Buck Banks

If you want to preserve — I’m very serious now — if you want to preserve democracy as we know it, you have to have a free and many times adversarial press. And without it, I am afraid that we would lose so much of our individual liberties over time. That’s how dictators get started.

— Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), slamming President Trump’s attacks on the media this week, CNN reports.

Priebus Rails Against Anonymous Sources

February 21, 2017 Buck Banks

I think that the media should stop with this unnamed source stuff. Put names on a piece of paper and print it. If people aren’t willing to put their name next to a quote, then the quote shouldn’t be listed.

— Reince Priebus, in an interview with CBS News.

The Insecure Six

February 17, 2017February 23, 2017 Buck Banks

Maybe it’s because they frequent seedy discotheques,
Or maybe it’s because they prefer kinky sex.
Maybe it’s the weekend blow,
But chances are, we’ll never know
Why six White House staffers failed background checks.

Free Trade Is Suddenly Popular

February 17, 2017 Buck Banks

72%

A new Gallup poll finds a record-high 72% of Americans see foreign trade as an opportunity for economic growth. This is up sharply from 58% last year, after much debate about trade during the presidential election cycle.

Six White House Staffers Fail Background Checks

February 17, 2017 Buck Banks

6

Number of White House staffers who “were dismissed Thursday morning after failing FBI background checks, according to sources familiar with the matter,” Politico reports.

Donald Sinks to 38% Approval in Gallup Daily Tracking Poll – 30 Days into His Presidency

February 17, 2017February 17, 2017 Jon Ponder

Good news: People have caught on. Bad news: Donald will be even more determined to start a war in hope that, like Bush did in 2003, he’ll gain approval as a war-time president.

Trump’s Approval Hits Lowest Point Yet

February 17, 2017February 17, 2017 Buck Banks

56%

A new Pew Research poll finds that President Trump’s overall job approval is much lower than those of prior presidents in their first weeks in office: 39% approve of his job performance, while 56% disapprove. “The intensity of the public’s early views of Trump is striking: Fully 75% either approve or disapprove of Trump strongly, compared with just 17% who feel less strongly. Nearly half (46%) strongly disapprove of his job performance, while 29% strongly approve.”

Half of Iowans Disapprove of Trump’s Performance

February 16, 2017 Buck Banks

49%

A new Des Moines Register poll finds 42% of Iowans approve of the job President Trump is doing, while 49% disapprove. “Trump won Iowa on his way to the White House by 9 percentage points in November, his widest victory among states believed by many to be swing states.”

Animal? Mineral? Vegetable?

February 16, 2017March 17, 2017 Buck Banks

It was nominated to be Secretary of Labor,
But it had been accused of being an abuser.
But even after it withdrew,
We still wished we knew
What, for heaven’s sake, is a PUZDER?

Month: February 2017

Threats to Jewish Centers Increasing Nationwide

11

McCain: A Free Press Protects Against Dictators

If you want to preserve — I’m very serious now — if you want to preserve democracy as we know it, you have to have a free and many times adversarial press. And without it, I am afraid that we would lose so much of our individual liberties over time. That’s how dictators get started.

— Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), slamming President Trump’s attacks on the media this week, CNN reports.

Priebus Rails Against Anonymous Sources

I think that the media should stop with this unnamed source stuff. Put names on a piece of paper and print it. If people aren’t willing to put their name next to a quote, then the quote shouldn’t be listed.

— Reince Priebus, in an interview with CBS News.

The Insecure Six

Free Trade Is Suddenly Popular

72%

A new Gallup poll finds a record-high 72% of Americans see foreign trade as an opportunity for economic growth. This is up sharply from 58% last year, after much debate about trade during the presidential election cycle.

Six White House Staffers Fail Background Checks

6

Number of White House staffers who “were dismissed Thursday morning after failing FBI background checks, according to sources familiar with the matter,” Politico reports.

Donald Sinks to 38% Approval in Gallup Daily Tracking Poll – 30 Days into His Presidency

Trump’s Approval Hits Lowest Point Yet

56%

Half of Iowans Disapprove of Trump’s Performance

49%

A new Des Moines Register poll finds 42% of Iowans approve of the job President Trump is doing, while 49% disapprove. “Trump won Iowa on his way to the White House by 9 percentage points in November, his widest victory among states believed by many to be swing states.”

Animal? Mineral? Vegetable?

Poetic Justice

Verbatim

“One woman at a rally in New Jersey told me last week that she was ‘nauseously optimistic.’ That may capture a lot of people’s last-minute jitters.”

— Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), quoted by Axios, on what Democrats feel ahead of the midterm elections.

“I think Congress made a mistake not protesting turning the Rose Garden into what looks like the entrance to Liberace’s bathroom.”

— Former President Bill Clinton, quoted by The Wrap.

“Boy, they are scraping the bottom of the barrel. It feels like a real desperation play to me, because it has got zero basis in the law.”

— Republican election law expert Ben Ginsberg, quoted by Politico, on the Trump administration’s effort to invalidate Alaska’s election results.

Numerati

3,824

$1.4 billion

-35 points

31%

63% to 38%

KFF Poll: “With the 2026 midterm campaigns in full swing and early voting about to begin, there is a wide enthusiasm gap between partisan voters, with Democratic voters 25 percentage points more likely than Republican voters to say they are ‘more motivated’ than usual to vote (63% vs. 38%).”