Friends,
I will start this edition with a quote from a good friend: “I read fast but man, it’s the Magna Carta every time Fordy”. I took that to heart. It is clear that a normal edition of the Lens is much too long.
However, the political climate of the day moves so quickly it’s seemingly impossible to cut anything out. Thus, I’ve come to the conclusion I’ll have to send you all more frequent emails. I know, I know. The thought of receiving political news more than once a week is a glorious one, trust me, I agree.
Shutdown
Yes, the shutdown is still on. Some quick facts about this partial government shutdown:
1. This is the longest shutdown in US history
2. There is no end in sight. Negotiations have not moved. In an effort to gain traction, both sides are desperately trying to woo moderates
3. Federal workers missed their first paychecks on Friday. Apparently, more money more problems doesn’t apply to airports. Airports in DC, Miami, Houston and Atlanta have had to close TSA screening lanes, leaving passengers standing idle and angsty for longer than usual.
How, you ask, does this get resolved? Honestly, no one has any idea. Neither Trump nor Pelosi will back down off their offer.
In the midst of such turmoil, Trump spent the weekend tweeting:
As I told you last week, this is a made-up crisis. Border apprehensions are down significantly since the early 2000s, the majority of drugs pass through ports of entry, and native born Americans are more likely to commit crimes than illegal immigrants.
Where do we go from here?
1. A compromise materializes out of nowhere. Unlikely especially after Trump told his own chief of staff, in a meeting with top Democrats, that he “f*cked it all up”. He directed his ire at Mick Mulvaney after he attempted to find a compromise between the $5.7 Trump wants and the $1.3 billion Democrats are offering.
2. Democrats cave. Not going to happen. A slew of polls have come out showing the majority of the country blames Trump. According to a new WaPo/ABC poll:
53% blame Trump/GOP versus 29% blaming Democrats
54% oppose the wall versus 42% who support it
3. Trump declares national emergency and takes funds from either the Pentagon, Justice Department or FEMA to build the wall himself (figuratively). He recently stated he wouldn’t declare an emergency but, keep in mind, Donald isn’t exactly the king of honesty. Regardless, any declaration would lead to a lengthy legal battle.
Moral of the story: there isn’t an easy way out and as a result middle class workers will continue to suffer.
Russia and Trump
The biggest bombshell report this weekend came from the New York Times: “F.B.I Opened Inquiry Into Whether Trump Was Secretly Working on Behalf of Russia”.
Now, if that sounds bad, it’s because it is.
But how does this differ from what we have already known? Here are the two key quotes:
“In the days after President Trump fired James B. Comey as F.B.I. director, law enforcement officials became so concerned by the president’s behavior that they began investigating whether he had been working on behalf of Russia against American interests, according to former law enforcement officials and others familiar with the investigation.”
“Unlike criminal investigations, which are typically aimed at solving a crime and can result in arrests and convictions, counterintelligence inquiries are generally fact-finding missions to understand what a foreign power is doing and to stop any anti-American activity, like thefts of United States government secrets or covert efforts to influence policy.”
A main piece of evidence used to open the investigation: Trump’s own unsent letter to Comey, where he thanks Comey for confirming he was not under investigation.
To make matters worse, a few days after the NYT article, the Washington Post reported that Trump has gone to great lengths to conceal his conversations with Putin. In fact, there are no detailed records of five personal meetings between Trump and Putin.
It is not illegal for Presidents to have off-record conversations with foreign leaders. But it is highly unusual to have 5 conversations with our top international adversary without briefing or consulting senior diplomatic officials.
Steve King
Winner of least surprising news of the week: Steve King is a racist. Last Thursday King, in an interview with the New York Times said:
“White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?” Mr. King said. “Why did I sit in classes teaching me about the merits of our history and our civilization?”
Add that to the list of racist actions attributed to the Iowa congressman who has been reelected NINE times:
· In 2013 he said this about undocumented immigrants “For everyone who’s a valedictorian, there’s another 100 out there that weigh 130 pounds and they’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they’re hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert”
· In 2012, he retweeted a Nazi sympathizer and then, retweeted another Nazi sympathizer a few months later.
· In 2012 he compared immigrants to dogs, stating we should only choose the “pick of the litter”
The Republican party, up until now, has been largely silent on King, allowing him to spew hate without punishment.This time, they are speaking up.
Led by Tim Scott an African-American Republican Senator from South Carolina, who published an op-ed in the Washington Post entitled “Why are Republicans accused of racism? Because we’re silent on things like this.” the GOP is now calling for punishment. Everything from withholding committee assignments to backing a primary challenger. The one thing we haven’t heard yet? Censure – a procedure to remove a legislature from the US House.
Kevin McCarthy promised on Sunday that “action will be taken,” but until Republicans get serious about rooting out hatred from the ranks of their party, accusations of racism won’t go away.
Bite Sized Politics:
- A federal judge freezes a Trump administration rule that would have let employers refuse to cover birth control by citing religious or moral objections.
- Trump’s Attorney General nominee, William Barr, pledged to allow Mueller to complete his investigation
- Julián Castro, former housing secretary and mayor of San Antonio is running for President, joining Elizabeth Warren as one of the highest profile candidate
- Who is next? Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is planning a trip to Iowa next weekend and has hired 3 senior staffers
- Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former attorney and central figure in the Mueller investigation, will testify publicly before the House Oversight Committee on February 7th.
Only 1071 words! Like this better? Let me know. Miss the detail? Tell me.
The Lens 