@13:15, , 10/20/19

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1

Mick Mulvaney Struggles to Explain Comments on Ukraine

Katie Rogers and Emily Cochrane at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 30 minutes ago

The acting White House chief of staff admitted he did not have a “perfect press conference,” but said the administration did not tie military aid to investigating Democrats.

His comments need no explanation.

2 

Week-end Wrap – Political Economy – October 20, 2019

Tony Wikrent at Ian Welsh - 1 hour ago

Week-end Wrap – Political Economy – October 20, 2019 by Tony Wikrent North Carolina Democratic Party Progressive Caucus Strategic Political Economy Economist Mariana Mazzucato has demonstrated that the real driver of innovation isn’t lone geniuses but state investment. [Wired, via The Big Picture 10-19-19] ….Mazzucato, an Italian-American economist who had spent decades researching the economics […]

Less drama would please me more. 

3 

Pentagon Chief Makes Unannounced Visit to Afghanistan

Thomas Gibbons-Neff at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 2 hours ago

Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper arrived as the U.S. considers reviving peace talks with the Taliban.

No end in sight.

4 

Pelosi Visits Jordan to Discuss Syria Crisis Amid Shaky Cease-Fire

Patrick Kingsley at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 9 hours ago

Speaker Nancy Pelosi led a bipartisan delegation to meet the Jordanian king as an American-brokered truce with Turkey in northern Syria continued to stutter.

The Levant is no better.

5 

Trump Campaign Floods Web With Ads, Raking In Cash as Democrats Struggle

Matthew Rosenberg and Kevin Roose at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 9 hours ago

That campaigns are now being fought largely online campaign is hardly a revelation, yet only one political party seems to have gotten the message.

The Republican party has started the 2020 presidential campaign.

6 

After Criticism, Trump to Select New Location for G7

Katie Rogers and Eric Lipton at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 14 hours ago

White House officials would consider another site, the president said, suggesting Camp David was a possibility.

Someone is thinking.

7 

Francis Rooney, G.O.P. Lawmaker Who Won’t Rule Out Impeachment, Is to Retire

Emily Cochrane at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 21 hours ago

A day earlier, Mr. Rooney became the first House Republican to indicate that he was willing to consider supporting articles of impeachment.

It makes little difference.

The phalanks is damaged. 

8 

In Bracing Terms, Trump Invokes War’s Human Toll to Defend His Policies

Michael Crowley at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 1 day ago

Describing his opposition to foreign interventions, the president has spoken with unusual candor about a sensitive subject.

Trump does not think.

9 

In a Strong Economy, Why Are So Many Workers on Strike?

Noam Scheiber at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 1 day ago

A decade into the recovery, workers say they’re still dogged by the concessions they made when the economy was weak.

Yes.

10 

Review of Russia Inquiry Grows as F.B.I. Witnesses Are Questioned

Adam Goldman and William K. Rashbaum at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 1 day ago

The review, led by the prosecutor John Durham, has focused on former investigators who are frequent targets of President Trump.

Mueller did good work.

11 

What Happened in the Impeachment Inquiry This Week?

Kaly Soto at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 1 day ago

Mick Mulvaney creates a storm. A meeting devolves into insults and finger-pointing. More testimony. And a resignation.

Continued progress.

12 

Proclaiming ‘I Am Back,’ Bernie Sanders Accepts Ocasio-Cortez Endorsement

Sydney Ember at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 1 day ago

Ms. Ocasio-Cortez hailed Mr. Sanders and his influence on Democratic Party politics at Mr. Sanders’s first rally since his heart attack two weeks ago.

Necessary.

13
 

A Debate, Endorsements and Counting Cash: This Week in the 2020 Race

Maggie Astor and Matt Stevens at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 1 day ago

Here’s a rundown of major things that happened in the presidential campaign this week.

Reading tea leaves.

14 

Open Thread

Ian Welsh at Ian Welsh - 1 day ago

As usual, feel free to comment here on topics unrelated to recent posts.

Sooner is better.   As soon as you can is better.

15 

As Inquiry Widens, McConnell Is Said to See Impeachment Trial as Inevitable

Carl Hulse at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 1 day ago

With an eye toward protecting the Republican majority, Senator Mitch McConnell is preparing a serious review of impeachment articles he sees as unavoidable.

A refusal by the senate to remove is a shrinking asset

16 

Pence, Thrown Into Turkey Negotiations, Pleases Few With Erdogan Agreement

Annie Karni at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 1 day ago

By the time Mr. Pence returned to Washington, the cease-fire agreement he negotiated had been roundly denounced as a capitulation to the Turkish president.

The Turkes are not nice.

17 

Defiant Mulvaney Rides Out Storm Over His Ukraine Comments

Michael Crowley and Maggie Haberman at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 1 day ago

As he approaches his anniversary in the White House as acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney finds himself in a something of a netherworld.

So far so good.

18 

State Dept. Inquiry Into Clinton Emails Finds No Deliberate Mishandling of Classified Information

Catie Edmondson at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 1 day ago

The report appears to bookend a controversy that dogged Mrs. Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Faux will keep muttering.

19 

Giuliani Mixes His Business With Role as Trump’s Lawyer

Kenneth P. Vogel, Michael S. Schmidt and Katie Benner at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 1 day ago

Amid intensifying scrutiny of his own work, the former New York mayor met recently with senior Justice Department officials on behalf of a client in a foreign bribery case.

"It is an extraordinary time in Washington, but it is more or less business as usual for Rudolph W. Giuliani."
He is not a nice man.

20 

Biden Escalates Attack on Facebook Over False Political Ads

Cecilia Kang and Mike Isaac at NYT > U.S. > Politics - 1 day ago

Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s presidential campaign sent Facebook a letter about a false video ad that a super PAC ran on the social network.

Zuckerberg is a party hack.


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