Trump Embarrasses The U.S. On The World Stage

Ken AshfordForeign Affairs, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

Asked at a news conference in Japan on Saturday whether he agrees with Vladimir Putin’s claim that “Western-style liberalism” is in decline, President Trump responded by criticizing the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco, which he said are “sad to look at” because they are “run by liberal people.” Obviously, this was not what the Russian strongman was talking about during his interview with the Financial … Read More

Frank Rich On The Dem 2020 Field

Ken AshfordDemocrats, Election 2020Leave a Comment

I endorse this: Over this week’s two nights of debates, the top 20 candidates in the Democratic primary have had a chance to introduce themselves to a national audience. Will anything they said winnow the field? I am happy to answer with a resounding “Yes!” I’ll take a minor risk and guess that as of this morning, the field has … Read More

Dem Debate No. 2: Thoughts

Ken AshfordDemocrats, Election 2020Leave a Comment

Unlike the first debate on Wednesday night, last night’s round of ten debate was exciting and revealing, probably because it contained 4-5 top tier and second tier candidates, rather than 2-3 in the first debate. The takeaway: It was a great night for Kamala Harris. She “won” it hands done. And it was a horrible night for Biden. And it … Read More

SCOTUS WrapUp: Trump Denied Citizenship Question In 2020 Census; On The Other Hand, Democracy Is Screwed

Ken AshfordElection 2020, Immigration and Xenophobia, Local Interest, Polls, Supreme Court, Trump & Administration, Voter Suppression & Voter SecurityLeave a Comment

The last day of the term meant the handing down of two critical and important opinions. The first, Department of Commerce v New York, was a blow to the Trump administration. The issue involves the inclusion of a question non the census about citizenship. It was challenged on the grounds that it was arbitrary and capricious — in essence, that … Read More

Dem Debate No. 1 Quick And Dirty Review

Ken AshfordDemocrats, Election 2020Leave a Comment

Look — it was too many candidates, covering too many issues, in too short a time. I watched last night to see if there were any standouts in the bottom tiers (Warren, being the only one in the pack who is in the top five polling-wise) My take, in order of my pre-debate preference: Warren: no changeBooker: looking slightly betterCastro: … Read More

Dem Debate No.1 One Is Tonight

Ken AshfordDemocrats, Election 2020Leave a Comment

The first debates of the 2020 Democratic presidential race are here. Ten candidates will participate tonight beginning at 9:00 pm ET. And the second 10 — led by Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg — go on Thursday. Slated for tonight: Cory Booker, Bill de Blasio, Julián Castro, John Delaney, Tulsi Gabbard, Jay Inslee, Amy Klobuchar, Beto … Read More

Is The Noose Tightening?

Ken AshfordTrump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

So much swampiness, but the fightback is palpable Emoluments clause case: A federal judge told US House and Senate Democrats they can begin collecting financial evidence this week about Donald Trump’s businesses for a lawsuit.Judge Emmet Sullivan, of the US District Court in Washington, denied an attempt by the Justice Department to stop the Democrats from collecting information from the Trump … Read More

The Perils Of Immigrants

Ken AshfordCongress, Immigration and Xenophobia, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

This photo hit the public yesterday and went viral. Chuck Schumer: “President Trump, I want you to look at this photo. These are not drug dealers or vagrants or criminals. They are people simply fleeing a horrible situation in their home country for a better life.”Via The Hill pic.twitter.com/r9an1kA7Br — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) June 26, 2019 The man and his … Read More

Mueller To Testify Publicly

Ken AshfordL'Affaire Russe, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

Finally: Robert Mueller will testify before Congress on July 17 after House Democrats issued a subpoena for his appearance, a move that paves the way for a reluctant special counsel to answer questions publicly for the first time about his 22-month investigation into President Donald Trump. The House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees announced Tuesday that Mueller had agreed to testify after they … Read More

Trump Denies Rape

Ken AshfordPolitical Scandals, Sex Scandals, Trump & Administration, Women's IssuesLeave a Comment

Trump, during an interview with The Hill, was asked about the recent rape allegation made by writer E. Jean Carroll: “I’ll say it with great respect: Number one, she’s not my type. Number two, it never happened. It never happened, OK?” the president said while seated behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. When asked if Carroll was lying, Trump … Read More

Nobody Pays Attention To Trump’s Rape Victim

Ken AshfordCrime, Political Scandals, Sex Scandals, Trump & Administration, Women's IssuesLeave a Comment

This is how low we’ve sunk. A very credible claim of rape, and it doesn’t register on the news: Acclaimed author E. Jean Carroll publicly alleged for the first time Friday that President Donald Trump raped her in a dressing room in the mid-1990s. Two days later, the hosts of the most popular Sunday morning talk shows in the U.S. … Read More