Thursday, June 27, 2019

Rex Tillerson spent 6 hours talking to Hill staff about his time as Secretary of State. The full transcript is amazing, given his usual reticence. We may never get more from him. My story


Mexico's foreign minister was stunned to see Tillerson walk into restaurant where he was meeting w/ Kushner. "I saw the color go out of his face," Tillerson told lawmakers. “I said: Welcome to Washington …. Give me a call next time you're coming to town."


Tillerson claims Kushner at times went around him and his staff and the State Department was not able to efficiently manage U.S. diplomacy because of it


NYTimes (Miriam Jordan) reports that Homestead Detention Center rules prohibit children from writing in a journal. How dare they! What could possibly justify such a prohibition? (We know what motivates it.)


Paul Manafort today.


A top Environment Protection Agency official who helped lead the Trump administration’s rollback of Obama-era restrictions of carbon emissions is resigning amid a congressional probe into whether he improperly aided former industry clients.


Whether the President warns Putin against interference in our next election is not a private matter between Trump and Putin. It is a national security imperative and critical to deterring further Russian meddling. That is, without question, the business of the American people.


This is Paul Manafort arriving at court in Manhattan today.


This is pretty remarkable: The Supreme Court, in a decision by Chief Justice Roberts, basically says the Trump administration was lying about its reasons for wanting to add a citizenship question to the census.


Rampant, discriminatory voter suppression is what you get when an activist Republican Supreme Court strays from its lane and undoes the careful work of a near-unanimous bipartisan Congress.


Justice Roberts called out for pro-GOP gerrymandering ruling: ‘He’s absolutely doing politics’


Wilbur Ross failed to disclose he was in business with sanctioned members of Vladimir Putin's family before his confirmation.


"For the first time ever, this Court refuses to remedy a constitutional violation because it thinks the task beyond judicial capabilities," Justice Elena Kagan wrote in her dissent. Gerrymandering.


Keep a Supreme Court seat open and prevent exposure of Russian interference to help Trump win a minoritarian electoral victory which will allow him to appoint judges confirmed by a minoritarian Senate who will then preserve minoritarian elections.


NEW: The Tennessee General Assembly is returning to Nashville Aug. 23 to elect a new speaker. @GovBillLee says it'll be up to the House if they want to vote to expel David Byrd during it.


This is an absolutely insane opinion by Roberts, saying that no matter how extreme partisan gerrymandering is, courts can't strike them down. Will give a green light to even more extreme gerrymandering in next round of redistricting after 2020


Clarence Thomas casually libeling the district court judge in his opinion.


Today the Supreme Court, by a 5-4 majority along partisan lines, ruled that gerrymandering is a political issue that is beyond the reach of courts. In 2000, the Supreme Court decided that stopping the Florida recount process was *not* beyond its reach.


Good news on Census case could be bad news for pretextual House subpoenas of Trump: SCOTUS was willing to look at motives & pretexts to block citizenship question. Now more likely to find House subpoenas pretextual if not tied honestly to "high crimes."


The Roberts Court is the problem, not the solution: Supreme Court Rules Partisan Gerrymandering Is Beyond The Reach Of Federal Courts


Trump Wants To Withdraw Deportation Protections For Families Of Active Troops


CONFIRMED: @BofA will no longer lend to private prisons and immigrant detention facilities. This is massive.


Alabama is prosecuting a pregnant woman for manslaughter for being shot in the stomach — but not her shooter


House backs ban on White House spending at Trump’s properties, sending message to president


“The biggest threat to the security of the United States is Donald Trump.” —Jay Inslee


In which Google Trends shows us ‘Trolls for Tulsi’ is swamping its algorithm by giving us results proving Russian bots still control searches. Get a grip @Google


GOP leader resigns after sexting woman x-rated photo and saying he’d choke her during intercourse


The President says a war with Iran would be over very quickly. And he doesn’t need an exit strategy. The war in Afghanistan has been going on for eighteen years. How about putting an end to that war instead?


Trump is making up an egregious accusation against Mueller, claiming without evidence that Mueller broke the law. Trump accused Mueller of deleting text messages -- no proof Mueller was involved and all the messages were recovered and made public.


Cory Booker: Majority of Americans agree with me on common sense gun control


JuliΓ‘n Castro on Beto O’Rourke: He hasn’t done his homework


Klobuchar: Inslee wasn't only one on stage for reproductive rights—there were 3 women on stage too


Warren: I have the biggest anti-corruption plan since Watergate


Watch highlights from round 1 of the first Democratic debate