At least three Democrat Senators are reportedly considering acquitting President Donald Trump of the charges leveled against him in the Democrats’ partisan articles of impeachment.
“Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Doug Jones of Alabama are undecided on whether to vote to remove the president from office and agonizing over where to land,” Politico reported. “It’s a decision that could have major ramifications for each senator’s legacy and political prospects — as well shape the broader political dynamic surrounding impeachment heading into the 2020 election.”
The move would give the president a bipartisan acquittal to the Democrats’ partisan charges, something that Trump is eagerly seeking.
“All three senators remain undecided after hearing arguments from the impeachment managers and Trump’s defense team. But they could end up with a creative solution,” Politico added. “One or more senators may end up splitting their votes, borrowing a move from Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), who voted for the abuse of power charge but against the one on obstruction of Congress.”
WARREN: “It’s funny you would say that, I really don’t focus on polls and haven’t from the beginning. I thought we were going to start with is I just got endorsed by the Des Moines Register, and I’ve been endorsed by The Storm Lake Times. What I feel — and that’s all I can tell you you — when I’m out in Iowa is I feel how many people truly are off the sidelines and in this fight. People all across Iowa — and that’s true whether we’re in cities or rural Iowa — understand that for decades now we have had a government that works just great for giant corporations, works just great for billionaires, works just great for the whole lobbying class. It’s just not working for them. And when you’ve got a government that works great for those at the top and not for everyone else, it’s corruption. And we have a chance in 2020 to turn that around. And that’s why I think so many people are in this fight. People want to make this happen. That’s how we’re going to beat Donald Trump.”
Prince Charles was last night facing embarrassment after taking a series of private jet flights while lecturing world leaders about climate change.
On a trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos last week, the Prince met activist Greta Thunberg and used an electric Jaguar car to travel to the Swiss resort.
But the MoS can reveal that in the 11 days before his high-profile appearance, Charles took three flights on private jets for official Government business and one on a helicopter.
After his speech last Wednesday, during which he urged world leaders to take ‘bold and imaginative action’ on the environment, he took a fourth jet to Israel for an official trip.
A Long Island judge intentionally ignored the state’s controversial bail-reform law and refused to release a defendant he deemed a “menace to society,” The Post has learned.
Nassau County District Judge David McAndrews admitted in court that accused two-time bank robber Romell Nellis wasn’t charged with a “bondable or bail offense” — but still ordered him held on $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond.
“I don’t want you walking around my neighborhood,” McAndrews told Nellis, according to a transcript of the Jan. 9 hearing in Hempstead.
But McAndrew’s principled stand was short-lived, as a higher-level judge promptly reversed his order and released Nellis with an ankle monitor — only to have him cut it off and disappear.
The situation has local law-enforcement officials outraged, with Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder saying of Nellis, “He’s out there, somewhere, able to commit another crime.”
Celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti’s trial for allegedly extorting multi-billion dollar shoe company, Nike, is set to begin in New York, but attorneys are reportedly having a very difficult time finding a jury.
The jurors were given a questionnaire ahead of official voir dire in order to narrow down the potential jury pool, making actually impaneling a jury a less onerous task for both the prosecution and defense. ‘The questionnaire asked jurors if they have heard anything regarding Avenatti and the charges against him. It also asked if they could put whatever they’ve heard aside and decide the case fairly,” NBC News New York reported.
The answers given by some members of the jury pool were enlightening.
GOP Sens. Braun and Barassao holding a presser. Braun says the NYT Bolton reporting “really doesn’t change anything.” Barrasso says “the facts of the case remain the same.” pic.twitter.com/dBSwNe8EUY
This is sounding more positive although not conclusive that they’ll hold not to have witnesses, but it was sounding like only one more needs to flip, so let’s hope that holds. Otherwise it leaves the door open to all kinds of Democratic funny business, just like with Kavanaugh.
Senate Republicans emerged from a closed-door caucus meeting on Tuesday voicing renewed confidence that they will bypass a nasty witness fight in the impeachment trial.
“The consensus is that we’ve heard enough and it’s time to go to a final judgement,” Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) told reporters.
Asked if the trial proceedings should go past Friday, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), another member of Senate GOP leadership, said that it “shouldn’t.”
“We’re kind of confident,” Thune added.
The chamber is expected to vote Friday on whether or not to allow new witnesses or documents in President Trump’s trial. If they skip witnesses, that will pave the way for a swift vote to acquit Trump.
DES MOINES, Iowa — The greatest trick Bernie Sanders ever played was convincing the world the chance he could win didn’t exist.
The independent senator from Vermont has been running for president for the better part of five years, but some Democrats are only just now, a week out from the first contest in the 2020 presidential primary season, beginning to come to grips with the fact that he could actually win the nomination.
“Suddenly, we have the Democratic establishment very nervous about this campaign. We got Wall Street nervous,” Sanders told a crowd of roughly 1,100 Sunday night in Sioux City. “They’re starting to think, could this really happen?”
“We are their worst nightmare,” he added.
Next Monday’s caucuses remain a toss-up, according to the polls. But Sanders has taken the lead in several recent surveys of Iowa and New Hampshire and continues to be the field’s best fundraiser — without having faced the same intensity of incoming fire as some other candidates, like fellow progressive Elizabeth Warren.
The U.S. budget deficit likely will break the $1 trillion barrier in 2020, the first time that has happened since 2012, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates released Tuesday.
After passing that mark this year, the deficit is expected to average $1.3 trillion between 2021-30, rising from 4.6% of GDP to 5.4% over the period. That’s well above the long-term average since around the end of World War II. The deficit since then has not topped 4% of GDP for more than five consecutive years, averaging just 1.5% over the period.
As part of a spending pattern that the CBO deemed unsustainable, the national debt is expected to hit $31.4 trillion by 2030.
Tuesday’s projections reflect a slight increase from the estimates presented in August 2019.
LONDON, Jan 28 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – British film stars including Carey Mulligan and Gemma Arterton have come up with alternative nominees for the BAFTA Film Awards after criticism that this year’s list is not diverse enough.
Top industry figures nominated their winners in a campaign organised by Time’s Up UK, the group set up to fight sexual harassment, to highlight movies and performances overlooked by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
“The awards season is upon us and while there are some great films and outstanding performances nominated, there have been glaring omissions,” said Time’s Up UK Chairwoman Heather Rabbatts in a statement.
“This invisibility is even more shocking given the choices which were available and the strength of films and performances where black talent was apparent this year.”
British director Susanna White said it was “disappointing to see so many amazing films by women and people of colour overlooked”, citing Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women”, Mati Diop’s “Atlantique” and Chiwetel Ejiofor’s “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind”.
HAVANA — The U.S. Geological Survey says a powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake has struck south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica.
It was centered about 78 miles north-northwest of Lucea, Jamaica, and hit at 2:10 p.m. local time Tuesday. The epicenter was a relatively shallow 6 miles beneath the surface.
It’s not immediately clear if there are damage or injuries.
Satisfaction with race relations in the United States has jumped under President Trump, the latest indication that the Republican is making significant inroads with blacks and other minorities in advance of the 2020 presidential election.
New details from a Gallup survey on satisfaction said race relations and the “position” of minorities under Trump are far higher than they were under President Barack Obama, the nation’s first black president.
Race relations scored the highest satisfaction advance, 14 points, from 22% at the end of the Obama administration to 36% this month, said Gallup.
And, “The position of blacks and other racial minorities in the nation” jumped 9 points, from 37% in January 2017 to 46% now.
Both in front of the cameras and behind closed doors, Republican Sen. Mitt Romney (UT) has embraced the role of leader of the Senate resistance to the party line on impeachment witnesses — and some of his colleagues are making brutally clear how they feel about it.
In a private lunch with fellow Senate Republicans Monday, the frequent critic of President Trump reportedly “made a strong pitch” for calling additional witnesses for the Senate trial, according to Politico’s sources.
In addition to trying to convince fellow Republicans to defect behind the scenes, Romney is going public with his plea. “The article in the New York Times I think made it pretty clear that [Bolton] has some information that may be relevant,” he said Monday, as reported by Politico. “And I’d like to hear relevant information before I made a final decision.”
The move followed reports based on the leaked manuscript of John Bolton’s upcoming book that reportedly claims that Trump “told his national security adviser in August that he wanted to continue freezing $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine until officials there helped with investigations into Democrats including the Bidens,” as The New York Times reported Sunday.
Gee, you think it was just dropped to try to influence the vote on witnesses? NYT claimed the Bolton book said Barr expressed concerns about remarks Trump made to the leaders of China and Turkey about various investigations, that Barr might have influence over.
DOJ statement in response to tonight’s NYT story on John Bolton and Attorney General Barr. pic.twitter.com/WzekTSqY0f
