Tuesday evening summary:
- Democratic representatives reintroduced the Journalist Protection Act, which would make it a federal crime to threaten, intimidate or attack reporters. The announcement included rebukes of Trump’s rhetoric against the press and others who have followed his example.
- A Senate committee will hold hearings to investigate the fatal Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed all 157 people onboard, hoping to shed light on any issues with Boeing’s 737 Max planes. Representatives have called for the planes used by many airlines in the US to be grounded, as they have been in several other countries.
- Beto O’Rourke is expected to declare his 2020 candidacy this week.
More than a dozen Republican Senators headed by Utah’s Mike Lee, introduced a bill today that seeks to rein in executive branch authority to issue emergency declarations without Congressional approval.
“If Congress is troubled by recent emergency declarations made pursuant to the National Emergencies Act, they only have themselves to blame. Congress gave these legislative powers away in 1976 and it is far past time that we as an institution took them back. If we don’t want our president acting like a king we need to start taking back the legislative powers that allow him to do so,” Lee said in a statement.
Inbox: Mike Lee introduced the ARTICLE ONE Act to take back legislative powers given to the exec. branch by the National Emergencies Act of 1976.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) March 12, 2019
The bill would automatically end emergency declarations after 30 days unless Congress voted affirmatively to extend the emergency.
Under the current law, to block an emergency declaration Congress has to pass a resolution. The proposed legislation would require Congressional extensions after 30 days for a declaration to continue.
The new bill would not apply to Trump’s border wall declaration and the New York Times reports it was devised as a way to garner support for the president’s plan.
Per the Times:
And one of the Republicans who said he favored the resolution of disapproval, Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, appeared to be wavering, according to multiple people at the policy lunch. Without him — and barring any other defections — the resolution would fail to reach the president’s desk.
‘If you would have asked me before this lunch then I would have said, in the Senate, the president is going to lose,’ said Senator John Kennedy, Republican of Louisiana, who opposes the resolution. ‘But I’m not so sure now. A lot of people are trying to think of a way to express their support for the president, but at the same time express their concern’ about ceding too much power to the White House.
While Mr. Lee’s bill would not retroactively apply to Mr. Trump’s border emergency declaration, it would give Senate Republicans cover — and offer their only chance of defeating the House resolution by easing concerns that a future Democratic president could take advantage of the precedent set by Mr. Trump”.
Updated
US prosecutors are officially investigating allegations of ballot fraud in North Carolina congressional race, The Washington Post confirmed today.
A federal grand jury issued subpoenas to former Republican candidate Mark Harris’s lawyer this month, along with officials at the north Carolina State Board of Elections, calling for documents connected to the 9th Congressional District race held in November.
Per the Washington Post:
The federal subpoenas come less than a month after state election officials tossed the November results in the 9th District after finding that Dowless orchestrated a “coordinated, unlawful, and substantially resourced absentee ballot scheme” last year to illegally collect, forge and possibly discard other voters’ mail-in ballots.
Officials also accused Dowless of hiding evidence of the operation as it unfolded and obstructing the state’s investigation after the election”.
Journalist Protection Act Reintroduced
The Journalist Protection Act, which would classify intimidation or attacks against reporters as federal crimes, was reintroduced today by Representative Eric Swalwell, a Democrat from California, and Democratic Senators Richard Blementhal and Robert Menendez.
A press release about the bill emphasized the need for legislation to protect journalists, who have faced increasing levels of intimidation, threats, and bodily harm.
The values celebrated during #SunshineWeek—accountability through transparency, access to public info, & freedom of the press—are being attacked like never before. This bill makes it crystal clear: Engaging in any kind of violence against members of the media won't be tolerated. pic.twitter.com/aTRz7ywtpv
— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) March 12, 2019
Highlighting that the announcement comes during Sunshine Week, a national campaign to celebrate open access to public information, the press release cited a “climate of extreme hostility toward the press,” stoked by President Trump:
He has called the press ‘the enemy of the American people,’ and described mainstream media outlets as ‘a stain on America’. He once tweeted a GIF video of himself body-slamming a person with the CNN logo superimposed on that person’s face, and retweeted a cartoon of a ‘Trump Train’ running over a person with a CNN logo on its head.
Such antagonistic rhetoric encourages others to think, regardless of their views, that violence against journalists is more acceptable. Last April, the international organization Reporters Without Borders dropped the United States’ ranking in its annual World Press Freedom Index by two points, to number 45 overall, citing President Trump’s bashing of the media”.
The Communications Workers of America and a coalition of news organizations working to protect press freedoms under the News Media for Open Government have come out in strong support of the legislation.
“A journalist should not have to worry about threats of harassment or physical attacks solely for doing their jobs and informing the public,” Coalition Director Melissa Wasser said in a statement. “The Journalist Protection Act would not elevate journalists to a special status, but rather would ensure they receive the same protections if attacked while gathering and reporting the news.”
A Senate panel responsible for aviation oversight will hold hearings on the deadly Boeing 737 Max 8 crashes, Reuters reports. In addition to investigations, Senator Ted Cruz, who heads the subcommittee on aviation and space, also pushed for the planes to be temporarily grounded until more is understood on what caused the crashes, joining other representatives including Senators Mitt Romney and Richard Blumenthal.
Out of an abundance of caution for the flying public, the @FAANews should ground the 737 MAX 8 until we investigate the causes of recent crashes and ensure the plane’s airworthiness.
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) March 12, 2019
Following the Ethiopians Airlines crash Sunday, which killed all 157 people on board, several countries including the United Kingdom, China, Indonesia, and Australia grounded their planes.
In the US, the Federal Aviation Administration said Monday that it is investigating the crashes but deemed the planes safe. In a statement released early Tuesday, Boeing said it was complying with regulators and emphasized that safety is the first priority.
Boeing Statement on 737 MAX Operation: https://t.co/mrzADVRMKZ pic.twitter.com/L8eF4r0pTl
— Boeing Airplanes (@BoeingAirplanes) March 12, 2019
Gabrielle Canon here, taking over for Ben Jacobs.
Beto O’Rourke has been teasing that he might seek the presidency in 2020 for weeks now but has not yet officially announced his candidacy. CNN reports, that’s likely to change this week:
Former US Rep. Beto O’Rourke is ready to “push the button” to launch his presidential campaign, with the announcement expected to first come on social media, a source familiar with his plans told CNN.
Aware that the 2020 Democratic primary is quickly taking shape, O’Rourke is set to announce his candidacy this week, rather than launching an exploratory committee”.
.@BetoORourke campaign up with bunch of Facebook ads promoting 2020 announcement, first time advertising on FB since November. Example: pic.twitter.com/Oqz7M6bezg
— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) March 12, 2019
Summary
- Beto O’Rourke will travel to Iowa this weekend to campaign for a state senate candidate.
- President Donald Trump spoke to the CEO of Boeing after tweeting “planes are becoming too complex to fly” in the aftermath of the Ethiopian Airlines crash.
- Andrew Yang, a longshot Democratic presidential candidate, announced he had received the 65,000 individual donations to his campaign necessary to qualify for the first Democratic presidential debates.
Mitt Romney was quizzed by TMZ over his unique method of blowing out birthday candles earlier today
IMPORTANT UPDATE: @tmz asked the question all Americans are asking: Why does Mitt blow out his candles like that?
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) March 12, 2019
The answer: "I have a bit of a cold and I didn't want to spray my germs all over the twinkies for everybody else to eat!"
Video: https://t.co/WesWwAWJu8
Democrats introduced a new version of the Dream Act today in order to create path to citizenship for young undocumented immigrants.
Similar legislation has been introduced for years but has become more urgent after the Trump administration took steps to curb DACA, the program that shields 700,000 undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children from deportation.
Congressman Seth Moulton of Massachusetts just published an op-ed in the Washington Post calling for abolishing the Electoral College and the filibuster in the Senate.
Moulton is considered a potential presidential candidate and both the Electoral College and the filibuster have become bugaboos on the left by some who view them as structural obstacles to progressive reform in the United States.
South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg raised over $600,000 in the 24 hours following his televised town hall on CNN Sunday. There were 22,000 individual donations, more than a third of the threshold needed to qualify for the first Democratic primary debates.
The budget proposed by the White House yesterday features deficits over over a trillion dollars a year for the next few years. The result is a significant increase in interest payments for the national debt, more in fact that funding for all of Medicaid.
"The government will spend $482 billion on interest payments for the debt next year, more than the entire budget for Medicaid." https://t.co/diJpzKLOaM
— Jon Ward (@jonward11) March 12, 2019
With the vote in Parliament on Brexit, it’s worth noting that Donald Trump once touted himself as Mr. Brexit.
They will soon be calling me MR. BREXIT!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 18, 2016
Raul Grijalva, the former head of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, has criticized Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for her approach towards her colleagues on Capitol Hill.
“In my experience it has never really been productive in the past,” Grijalva said. “But that’s her political call, the consequences are hers.”
The White House announced today that President Donald Trump will award the Medal of Honor posthumously to Staff Sergeant Travis Atkins who died protecting his fellow soldiers from a suicide bomber in 2007.
#BREAKING President @realDonaldTrump to award the Medal of Honor to @USArmy Staff Sgt. Travis W. Atkins, who tackled an insurgent with a suicide vest in Iraq in 2007. pic.twitter.com/k7xFzRnsLR
— James LaPorta (@JimLaPorta) March 12, 2019
The AFL-CIO, the largest labor organization in the United States, has criticized the Green New Deal in a new letter as “not achievable” and “unrealistic.”
In a letter last week to Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), the lawmakers who introduced a resolution last month detailing the key components of their plan, the AFL-CIO said it could not support a proposal that did not address their concerns.
“We will not stand by and allow threats to our members’ jobs and their families’ standard of living go unanswered,” wrote Cecil Roberts, president of the United Mine Workers of America, and Lonnie Stephenson, president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
Trump in talks with Boeing CEO
After tweeting about airplane safety earlier today, Trump reportedly spoke with the CEO of Boeing.
President Trump spoke with Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenberg today following his tweet about how flying has become too complicated, per @jeffzeleny and @fschouten. It’s the first known conversation between the two since the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash.
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) March 12, 2019
Updated
Nancy Pelosi has stripped Vice President Mike Pence of his office on the House side of the Capitol.
Although, Pence as President of the Senate, has an office on the Senate side of the building, the former congressman was given an additional office on the House side as well by Speaker Paul Ryan.
Pelosi has taken that perk away.
Michael Avenatti has ended his legal representation of Stormy Daniels.
Please see below statement relating to our representation of Stormy Daniels. pic.twitter.com/RgXd4DXf4X
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) March 12, 2019
I have retained Clark Brewster as my personal lawyer and have asked him and his firm to review all legal matters involving me. Upon completion of Mr. Brewster's review and further consultation with me, I anticipate Mr. Brewster will serve as my primary counsel on all legal issues
— Stormy Daniels (@StormyDaniels) March 12, 2019
Updated
A prominent former Republican elected official is criticizing Trump’s budget.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former governor of California, criticized Trump on Twitter today for cutting spending on after school programs.
President @realDonaldTrump, we need to talk about your decision to cut after-school programs from the budget. pic.twitter.com/KdQAoZ0Fvm
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) March 12, 2019
After criticizing Dick Cheney earlier today, Donald Trump Jr is now attacking former Speaker Paul Ryan on Twitter.
Pretty rich. Mitt Romney’s failed 2012 running mate, the speaker who lied to us and didn't deliver Wall funding (and then lost the house) gives advice on winning. https://t.co/aJsGfHhsVv
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) March 12, 2019
There was a moment of bipartisan criticism of big tech when Ted
Cruz retweeted Elizabeth Warren’s criticism of Facebook over temporarily refusing to run several of her ads.
First time I’ve ever retweeted @ewarren But she’s right—Big Tech has way too much power to silence Free Speech. They shouldn’t be censoring Warren, or anybody else. A serious threat to our democracy. https://t.co/VoesOKSqhA
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 12, 2019
Republicans are facing a challenge in the historic special election in North Carolina’s Ninth District. The special election was called after the state election board threw out the results of the midterm contest for the seat due to election fraud that benefited Republican nominee Mark Harris.
Dan McCready, the Democratic candidate in 2018, is poised to run for the seat again. However, there is no clear Republican frontrunner in what is shaping up to be a bruising primary where Republicans may need to resort to a runoff to select their eventual nominee.
Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, will appear at a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee on March 27. The event which will also feature DNC chair Tom Perez and is expected to have 20-30 attendees.
USCIS to close immigration offices abroad
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service announced that it will close all 21 of its immigration offices abroad. It will shift the duties performed at those offices which include processing applications from potential immigrants to domestic employees and to the State Department.
The Trump administration is preparing to shutter all 21 international offices of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, a move that could slow the processing of family visa applications, foreign adoptions and citizenship petitions from members of the military.
USCIS Director L. Francis Cissna said in an email to staff Tuesday that he is working to transfer those duties — now performed by employees worldwide — to domestic offices and the State Department’s embassies and consulates. He wrote that if the State Department agrees, the agency would move to close its international field offices in coming months “in an effort to maximize our agency’s finite resources.”
“I believe by doing so, we will better leverage our funds to address backlogs in the United States while also leveraging existing Department of State resources at post,” he wrote. “Change can be difficult and can cause consternation. I want to assure you we will work to make this as smooth a transition as possible for each of our USCIS staff while also ensuring that those utilizing our services may continue to do so and our agency operations continue undisrupted.”
Updated
In an interview with Breitbart, Donald Trump hinted at new regulation of big tech companies like Google and Facebook.
“I understand a lot of people wanting to look into it. I mean normally I’d like to say let it be free, let it all be free, but it’s not free. It’s really run by a small number of people,” said Trump.
He added “A lot of people are talking about breaking them up. They’re dishonest, there’s tremendous dishonesty.” Trump also said big tech companies were biased against conservatives. “And it’s really all steered toward the Republicans and the conservative movement. It’s a hundred percent steered against.”
Norman “Ned” Sharpless, who currently leads the National Cancer Institute, will become acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration after the departure of Scott Gottlieb in April. The appointment was announced by HHS Secretary Alex Azar before Congress Tuesday.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet with top oil executives in Houston before speaking to an oil and gas industry conference.
The outreach represents a significant new effort to sway industry executives to the Trump Administration’s “energy dominance” agenda that seeks to advance diplomatic and policy objectives through rapidly expanding U.S. oil and gas exports. The effort has won success in convincing nations including China, Poland, Japan and South Korea to purchases more U.S. oil and natural gas.
Pompeo plans on discussing how to boost U.S. energy dominance worldwide, but particularly in Asia, and further isolate the Islamic Republic of Iran, which the United States re-imposed sanctions on last year, through strengthening ties with other Middle East nations,
Beto O'Rourke launches new Facebook ads
Beto O’Rourke launched over 300 different ads on Facebook yesterday, only days before a scheduled trip to Iowa.
Beto O'Rourke launched over 300 Facebook ads yesterday, after not running an ad on the site since November '18, per FB's ad archive pic.twitter.com/Vcg9WM36KU
— David Wright (@DavidWright_CNN) March 12, 2019
Updated
In an interview with Breitbart, Donald Trump said he was considering labeling Mexican drug cartels as international terrorist organizations.
When asked if he would designated cartels as terrorist groups, Trump said “We are. We are. We’re thinking about doing it very seriously. In fact, we’ve been thinking about it for a long time.”
Eric Adams, the Brooklyn Borough President, is pushing to name Brooklyn’s municipal building after Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a native of the borough.
Adams will hold a rally at the building on Friday, which is Ginsburg’s 86th birthday to promote the effort.
Washington lobbyists are using geofencing to target Donald Trump and other key figures in his administration to influence them with specific ads designed just for them to see.
The consultants tracked Team Trump’s movements inside the Beltway and beyond. When the commander in chief was in Washington, they sent their ads to IP addresses that covered the White House and the Trump hotel. If Trump headed to his golf club in New Jersey, they beamed the ads to IP addresses there. When he went to Mar-a-Lago, they sent them to his club in Florida . . .
Others try to influence the thinking of the White House officials Trump listens to. One consultant told me he has geofenced the Kalorama home of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump with digital ads in an effort to shape their views on an issue. Beyond the White House and Trump’s hotel, S-3’s influencers also targeted power restaurants such as Central Michel Richard in case a top aide popped in for lunch.
Special interests have begun targeting Trump’s “outfluencers” as well—people like Oklahoma billionaire Harold Hamm and ex–UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage, who don’t work in the White House but are believed to have the President’s ear. One consultant went so far as to geofence the school of the child of a particular outfluencer with ads specifically designed to appeal to younger viewers. “If [the family is] sitting around the dinner table talking and the issue comes up,” the consultant told me, “I want that kid to be able to say, ‘Hey, I saw something about that.’ ”
Speaking in Florida, former Speaker Paul Ryan warned that Donald Trump could be defeated in 2020 if the campaign is about personality not policy.
“The person who defines that race is going to win the race. If this is about Donald Trump and his personality, he isn’t going to win it,” said Ryan in a speech in Vero Beach.
Vice President Mike Pence is on Capitol Hill today for private meetings with lawmakers.
.@VP Pence is coming to Cap Hill today, a White House official confirms- the move was not on his public schedule. He is not attending the Senate policy lunch which he frequently attends, and instead has private meetings.
— Elizabeth Landers (@ElizLanders) March 12, 2019
Entrepreneur Andrew Yang has announced that he believes he has qualified for the first Democratic debates.
Yang, who is running to promote a universal basic income, has become a favorite on Reddit forums. The result is that he has met one of the criteria set out by the DNC to have over 65,000 small donors to his campaign.
Debate news: @AndrewYangVFA, with over 66k unique donors, claims in a press release that he has passed the grassroots fundraising threshold laid out by the DNC to qualify for the first two debates this year.
— Dan Merica (@merica) March 12, 2019
Also, his spox used the term "Yang Gang" to describe Yang supporters.
Elizabeth Warren calls for Boeing 737 Max 8 to be grounded
In a statement issued by her campaign, Elizabeth Warren has called for the Boeing 737 MAX8 plane to be grounded until further investigation. The plane model was the one involved in the Ethiopian Airlines crash Sunday.
“Dozens of Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes fly daily in the United States. The United Kingdom, China, Australia, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia and others have already grounded the 737 MAX. The FAA should follow their lead, reverse their decision, and immediately ground this plane in the United States until its safety can be assured.
“The world has now witnessed the second tragic crash of one of these planes in less than six months. While we do not know the causes of these crashes, serious questions have been raised about whether these planes were pressed into service without additional pilot training in order to save money. The FAA itself has indicated that software updates are likely coming. Any necessary changes must be made before, not after, more flights occur and more lives are potentially endangered.
“The Boeing 737 MAX 8 is a major driver of Boeing profits. In the coming weeks and months, Congress should hold hearings on whether an Administration that famously refused to stand up to Saudi Arabia to protect Boeing arms sales has once again put lives at risk for the same reason. But that is a question to be answered another day. Today, immediately, the FAA needs to get these planes out of the sky.”
Updated
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan is traveling to New Hampshire next month.
Hogan, a Republican who has long been a vocal critic of Donald Trump, will attend the Politics and Eggs breakfast on April 23, which is a frequent stop for potential presidential candidates.
A number of Never Trump Republicans have been urging Hogan to mount a primary challenge against Trump
The Club for Growth, the prominent national conservative groups, is running attack ads in Tennessee against former Republican governor Bill Haslam.
Haslam is considering a Senate bid for the seat being vacated by Lamar Alexander’s retirement in 2020. Club for Growth sees Haslam as too moderate and is trying to discourage him from running and persuade Mark Green, a first term congressman to run instead.
Bernie Sanders says criticism of 2016 bid is 'valid'
In an interview with Des Moines Register, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders acknowledged criticisms of his 2016 presidential campaign as “valid.”
We had to put together our (last) campaign really very, very rapidly. That 2016 campaign was criticized for being too male-oriented, for being too white. And I think those were valid criticisms. And I think what the people of America will see in this campaign is a much more diverse campaign in every sense of the word. And I think that’s the right thing and a good thing.
Updated
Republican Matt Gaetz of Florida, a top Trump ally and cable news fixture, tweets this morning that climate change is real and humans contribute. It comes only hours after Trump tweeted a Fox News hit from a climate change denier.
Climate change is real. Humans contribute.
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) March 12, 2019
President Donald Trump has thoughts on aviation.
Airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly. Pilots are no longer needed, but rather computer scientists from MIT. I see it all the time in many products. Always seeking to go one unnecessary step further, when often old and simpler is far better. Split second decisions are....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 12, 2019
....needed, and the complexity creates danger. All of this for great cost yet very little gain. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want Albert Einstein to be my pilot. I want great flying professionals that are allowed to easily and quickly take control of a plane!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 12, 2019
Eric Giddens’s state senate race in northeast Iowa has become a magnet for presidential hopefuls.
Giddens, a Democrat running in a special election for state senate, is not just drawing Beto O’Rourke out to campaign for him this weekend but other presidential hopefuls like Cory Booker and Amy Klobuchar as well.
The AP reports:
California Rep. Eric Swalwell called to congratulate him the day he won the nomination for a surprise special election for Iowa state Senate. California Sen. Kamala Harris did the same the next day. And this month, Democratic White House hopefuls have descended on his district to support his bid. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren helped him launch his campaign earlier this month. Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, another possible presidential contender, had a beer with him at a bar on the University of Northern Iowa’s campus while telling students to get out and vote. Swalwell worked the phones with him, calling voters to remind them about the race.
Giddens has a jam-packed Saturday coming up, with former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke expected to campaign for Giddens in his first trip to Iowa. That day, presidential candidates Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker are planning events as well. And even those contenders who can’t make it to the district, like Harris and New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, are sending their campaign staff to canvass for him.
This is what it looks like when your campaign is the only game in town less than a year before the Iowa caucuses. For the Democratic field, campaigning alongside Giddens is an opportunity to prove their commitment to building up the state party, something local elected officials and party operatives are looking for as they evaluate whom to support for the White House. And it’s a chance for candidates to promote themselves in traditionally blue Black Hawk County.
Today is Utah Senator Mitt Romney’s 72nd birthday. The 2012 Republican nominee is celebrating with a very unique cake.
My team surprised me with a cake made out of my favorite snack—twinkies! Looking forward to all this year has in store. pic.twitter.com/lQfyIrQ9Qe
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) March 12, 2019
Pollsters are struggling to measure the giant Democratic primary field. With roughly two dozen candidates, many of whom are still relatively unknown, polling the race has become difficult. Further, with polling as a key criterion for qualifying for debates, it has raised the pressure.
Politico reports:
New surveys are cramming up to 23 Democrats into their questionnaires after the Democratic National Committee set a low, 1 percent polling threshold to gain admittance into the party’s first primary debates. The miles-long list of candidates has created an unusual set of methodological challenges for pollsters already battling declining engagement with their surveys.
But pollsters say the criteria also put them in a no-win situation: A pollster’s decision about whether to include a candidate or not could be a make-or-break choice for that campaign, especially the lesser-known and first-time White House hopefuls hoping to make the debate stage.
Donald Trump Jr is now taking shots at former Vice President Dick Cheney on Twitter.
Cheney criticized Trump’s foreign policy at a private retreat last weekend.
Isn't it fitting that Cheney is the one mad that Trump is ending his reckless and endless wars? I never knew peace would be so unpopular!
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) March 12, 2019
Former VP Cheney challenges Pence at private retreat, compares Trump’s foreign policy to Obama’s approach https://t.co/NSvNagFViN
Former Vice President Joe Biden is now speaking to the International Association of Fire Fighters in Washington.
How the fire fighters convention greeted Biden, with the “Run Joe Run” chants to match.
— Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) March 12, 2019
“It looks like my old neighborhood - ready to take anybody on,” Biden says. pic.twitter.com/PSTrNNCgHB
Massachusetts Democrat Seth Moulton is expected to announce a presidential bid in the spring.
WGBH reports that Moulton is expected to make an announcement in late April or early May.
The three-term congressman was a vocal critic of Nancy Pelosi’s leadership but eventually backed her candidacy to be Speaker. Moulton has made a number of trips to early states and the 40-year-old former Marine officer is likely to be the only combat veteran on the ballot for the presidency.
Good morning.
Beto O’Rourke is making his first trip to Iowa this weekend to campaign for a state senate candidate in a special election amid speculation about a 2020presidential bid, House Democrats may avoid voting on a budget to avoid further division in their caucus and Dick Cheney criticized Trump’s foreign policy this weekend at a private retreat in Georgia.
It’s Tuesday in American politics.
