Daily Archives: April 13, 2022

Every time a president moves into the White House, the new occupant tweaks the place to their own personal style and preferences. Gerald Ford brought in striped couches. George W. Bush had the walls of the Oval Office painted ecru. Barack Obama replaced much of the 19th-century still lifes, pastorals and portraits that dominate[d] thepublic rooms with bold, abstract art works. The latest transition, however, apparently required more extensive modifications than simply swapping some color schemes here and art choices there. Thats because, according to Joe Bidens sister, they basically needed to rid the place of Donald Trumps demon spirit.

In a new memoir published Tuesday, Valerie Biden Owens, the sister and closest confidante of the 46th president, wrote that as part of the team decorating the Oval Office, she wanted everything Trump had touched out of there. That meant getting rid of the former guys chosen portrait of 19th-century populist president and ethnic cleanser Andrew Jackson and replacing it with one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, as well as adding busts of MLK, Cesar Chavez, RFK, Rosa Parksall of which reflected Joes understanding and reverence for the soul of this nation. Biden Owens said that she wanted to ditch the Resolute desk Trump used and bring in FDRs in its place, but was unable to do so as the latter resides at FDRs family home in Hyde Park. Thus, the desk Trump had sat behind remained. Still, the fact that the desk was used by both JFK and Obama made her feel better about her brother having to sign documents behind a piece of furniture where the worst president in history also conducted business. So that was certainly good enough, and went a long way toward exorcising from my mind the repugnant image of its previous occupant, she wrote.

Speaking of exorcisms and Biden Owenss thoughts on Trump, the presidents sister, like many Americans, appears to view the last inhabitant of the Oval Office as being on par with the devil, a characterization some people might say is unfair to Satan. In her book, Biden Owens said, If ever there was a force of anti-empathy in the world, it is Donald Trump. He is a bully, pure and simplea narcissistic, incompetent, and incomplete man. He is the embodiment of resentment. His power comes from tapping into our baser instincts. She observed that Trump, appealed to our lowest common denominator and didn't just represent policy failure or erratic personal behaviors; he represented something darker, more primal, more insinuating, striking deeper into the heart of what made us who we are. Biden Owens was initially hesitant about her brother running, she said, because she could see the campaign Trump would run. It was as vivid as a movie. Brutal. Crass. Classless. And every time I saw that movie, I would feel sick. (Incidentally, she wasnt wrong. Among other things, Trump suggested his 2020 opponent was taking performance-enhancing drugs, and during the first presidential debatethe one where we later found out Trump showed up after secretly testing positive for COVID-19the then president interrupted Biden talking about his deceased son to call the one whos still alive a deadbeat.) He had the mind not of a President, but of a vengeful dictator, and running against him felt almost degrading, Biden Owens wrote.

Elsewhere, Biden Owens said she wasnt surprised in the slightest that Trump chose not to attend her brothers inauguration because, essentially, hes a little bitch. A small man does not rise to the occasion, she wrote.

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Joe Bidens Sister Had to Exorcise the White House of Trumps Demon Spirit - Vanity Fair

Ask people what they remember most about the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, and many responses would likely show that people continue to be astonished that such a terrible thing could have happened in our nation.

But one person remains fixated on something else: the size of the crowd that gathered at the Ellipse, the park between the White House and the National Mall. It was the site of a rally by those who believed, despite exactly no evidence supporting such claims, that Democrat Joe Biden had stolen the November 2020 election from then-President Donald J. Trump.

Here was Trump, in a recent interview with The Washington Post: The crowd was far bigger than I even thought. I believe it was the largest crowd Ive ever spoken to. I dont know what that means, but you see very few pictures. They dont want to show pictures, the fake news doesnt want to show pictures. But this was a tremendous crowd.

There he goes again, focusing on something that might boost his always-delicate ego, but completely missing the point.

In that same interview, the former president strongly hinted that hed be likely to run again in 2024, with one important caveat: his health. You always have to talk about health. You look like youre in good health, but tomorrow, you get a letter from a doctor saying, Come see me again. Thats not good when they use the word again, he said.

One could read that statement as a forecast of Trumps anticipated way out. Trump repeatedly talks of running, hints of running, raises money for another campaign, but then, at the very last minute, uses his health as a reason to bail.

The last thing Trump would want is to be seen as a two-time loser. But not only that, its entirely possible that when he launched his bid for the presidency with his famed ride down an escalator at Trump Tower on June 16, 2015, he did so with no thought of actually winning, but instead with an eye on boosting his brand. He went on to win not only the Republican Partys presidential nomination, but ultimately the presidency.

Its easy to imagine that what Trump most wants going forward is what would be best for the bottom line of the Trump organization and his various business ventures.

Link:

For Donald Trump, its all about his businesses success (Editorial) - MassLive.com

Donald Trumps upcoming Texas two-step will give him the chance to tout his Lone Star endorsements for the May 24 GOP state primary runoffs.

Trumps visit, however, is more personal.

Still the most influential voice in the Republican Party, the former president has an eye toward 2024, when he could make another run for the White House. And like his previous presidential runs, Texas would play a critical role.

This is perceived as a very strong base for him and he needs to keep the wires alive to tap into that Texas energy for him, said Bill Miller, an Austin-based Republican consultant and lobbyist. If the hard core here in some way should say, Yeah, I really like him, but ..., thats not what he wants. Hes got to keep that but right out of the conversation.

On May 9, Trump is scheduled to headline a Dallas dinner to raise money for Republican congressional candidates. The National Republican Congressional Committee began rounding up donors for that about a month ago.

Trump also has announced an all-day rally in Austin for May 14. Its part of his American Freedom Tour, a series of campaign-style events that seem designed to keep his profile high and to generate income.

Tickets to the Dallas dinner are treated as campaign contributions, but tickets for the American Freedom Tour event are not campaign donations, which suggests that proceeds go to the organizers and speakers.

Trump will likely use both events to tout his Texas endorsements. Trump-backed candidates are part of five GOP runoffs, most notably Attorney General Ken Paxton, whos running for a third term against Land Commissioner George P. Bush.

Despite the stakes, Trump has more than Texas runoffs on his mind.

He says he loves Texas. The Lone Star State has helped propel his political career. For his presidential bids, Trump had the help of prolific fundraisers like Dallas businessman Roy Bailey, who served as co-chairman of Trumps national finance committee. Dallas businessman Tommy Hicks Jr., an early Trump supporter, is now co-chairman of the Republican National Committee. Bailey said more money came out of Texas for Trump than any other state.

In 2020, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick was Trumps Texas campaign chairman. And Paxton filed the ill-fated and critics say ill-advised lawsuit to overturn election results in key battleground states.

Most of Trumps Texas rallies have been well-attended spectacles and a celebration of his movement. Where else will you find a woman draped in a dress decorated with photos of Trump?

If he runs for president in 2024, Trump needs Texas Republicans to maintain their energetic support for him, as well as the continued doling of campaign cash.

Thats why the May visit wont be his last trip to Texas, particularly if he plans to stay on the national political scene.

Meanwhile, other Republicans, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, will continue to position themselves as potential 2024 presidential hopefuls.

Then theres Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who this year wants to beat Democratic challenger Beto ORourke by 10 or more percentage points to help propel him as a possible 2024 candidate for president or vice president.

DeSantis and Abbott have been dueling each other on the most provocative new law or public policy. The Florida governor recently signed the Parental Rights in Education law, which prohibits instruction related to gender identity or sexual orientation in kindergarten through third grade. The law, which critics have dubbed dont say gay legislation, would possibly restrict such instruction for older kids, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Last week Abbott made a bold move of his own. He announced that Texas officials would begin busing migrants to the steps of the U.S. Capitol and inspecting vehicles driven in from Mexico. He called the move an unprecedented response to illegal immigration.

Abbotts latest move escalates his clash with President Joe Biden over how to handle illegal immigration. The governor has sent thousands of state police and Texas National Guard soldiers to the border to arrest migrants on trespassing charges. In a nod to Trump, Abbott also has committed $1 billion to erecting a barrier along the states border with Mexico. That came after Biden issued an order to discontinue wall construction begun by Trump.

Critics, including ORourke, have called Abbotts latest border tactic a political stunt.

The maneuvers by potential 2024 candidates wont matter, however, if Trump is a candidate in 2024. The way he keeps beating a path to Texas, it appears another Trump presidential bid is on the horizon. And entering 2022 Trumps various campaign accounts had totaled $122 million. While that money technically cant be rolled over into a 2024 presidential campaign, he can spend it now.

Until and unless he says hes not running, Trump is the Republican front-runner for 2024.

Republicans want to win, Miller said. Theyre going to take a long hard look at Trump. It wont be automatic. Hell have to work for it, but hes the front-runner for the nomination.

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Trump visits Texas ahead of primary runoff election - The Dallas Morning News

The USFL will launch on Saturday, April 16 in yet another attempt to start a professional football league.

This is the second attempt at spring football for the USFL. The first league enjoyed short-lived success from 1983-86. The new USFL will bank on that nostalgia factor with the same franchises and team names from the 1980s. It's also not a direct challenger for the NFL.

Why did the original USFL catch on and eventually fail? That's a history lesson worth looking at.

New Orleans businessman David Dixon, who helped get the Saints to the NFL, had a vision for a spring and summer football league, and that groundwork was laid in 1980.

MORE USFL: Top players from original league | Ranking uniforms | Rule changes | Schedule

The timing helped. The NFL had a strike-shortened season in 1982, and the USFL's first season was the following spring in 1983. The league had 12 teams, and several of those teams played in NFL stadiums.

The league also secured solid television deals. The 1983 USFL championship game between the Michigan Panthers and Philadelphia Stars was televised on ABC and Keith Jackson and Lynn Swann called the game.

The league lasted three seasons from 1983-85.

The USFL originally planned to bar underclassmen, but that changed when they allowed Georgia star Herschel Walker, arguably the greatest college football player of all time, to sign with the New Jersey Generals after his junior season. Heisman Trophy winners Mike Rozier and Doug Flutie followed Walker to the USFL over the NFL.

The talent level in the USFL was legitimate. Future Pro Football Hall of Famers Jim Kelly, Steve Young, Reggie White and Gary Zimmerman also played in the league. Kelly and Young played in a legendary 34-33 shootout between the Houston Gamblers and Los Angeles Express in 1985; a game in which Kelly passed for 574 yards and five TDs.

On the field, the USFL allowed for two-point conversions, a rule the NFL would not adopt until 1994. That was one of the quirks of a league that enjoyed modest success in its first season.

The USFL didn't have a salary cap, and that made for financial trouble for some franchises. The stability of those franchises from year to year was tough.

The league tried to expand from 12 to 18 teams for its second season, and by the third season it trimmed back down to 14 teams. Only six of those USFL franchises lasted all three seasons.

The new version of the USFL will start with eight teams in 2022.

Donald Trump also was involved in the USFL. He became the owner of the New Jersey Generals in 1984, and he led the push for the league to move to a fall schedule and directly compete with the NFL. The USFL filed an antitrust lawsuit with the NFL and won the case for $1, but the three-year court battle added to the league's financial woes.

The USFL would ultimately fold in 1986.

The original USFL had success and was seen as a fun alternative for the NFL and offered a blueprint for success in some cases.

The nostalgia factor will be high, too. The new USFL kept the teams names and it paid homage to the original league. The glamour franchise (New Jersey Generals), their biggest rival (Tampa Bay Bandits) and the most-successful franchise (Philadelphia Stars) are back.

Marv Levy and Bill Polian took the lessons learned from the Chicago Blitz and built a four-time AFC champion with the Buffalo Bills around Kelly at quarterback.

Ultimately, the financial instability and directly challenging the NFL led to the league's demise. That's a lesson the XFL would learn later, and the new USFL would be better served as a developmental league that experiments with new innovations the NFL can use later.

The USFL is in the right window on the sports calendar, and this time it coincides with the MLB coming off a lockout. Don't be surprised if there is modest success at the start, but can it maintain that viewership?

Excerpt from:

What happened to the original USFL? Herschel Walker, Donald Trump and an ill-fated NFL lawsuit - Sporting News

Former President Donald Trumps love for golf is no mystery. He has often been seen on a golf course, even before and after his term. Trump is said to be good at the game, frequently teaming up with various other people for one round.

That being said, one of Trumps more iconic rounds came in 2017.

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The businessman was out on a Columbus Day round, where he ended up shooting 73. It was an iconic moment for Trump, especially since he is known to love the game. Lindsey Graham was with Trump when he carried out the task, celebrating by tweeting later on.

The highlight of the day, as per Grahams tweet, was the windy and wet weather that day. While speaking with GOLF.com later on, Graham only furthered the claims in his tweet. Indeed, Trump had shot 73 that day at the Trump National Golf Club Washington DC in Virginia.

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Thats Our Major: Donald Trump Says Hes Successful in Golf and Reveals HisAchievements

about 1 month ago

The club mentioned is a private club and is about 30 miles from the White House. Apparently, they played from the blue tees, which measured around 6,800 yards. Trump, as per Graham, made one birdie and two bogeys, along with pars on all other holes. On the front nine, he shot even par, Graham revealed.

Trump also made most fairways, acting as a gracious host when he ran out of golf balls.

Furthermore, Graham referred to his swing as nice and compact, which results in accurate drives and consistent irons. Trumps swing could even be described as athletic, which eventually helps with his game.

Not one mulligan. Not one, Graham admitted.

While on the course last month, Trump seems to have shot an ace. Many people are asking, so Ill give it to you now, it is 100% true, Trump said. It happened while at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, where Trump was playing with some professionals as well.

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I hit a 5-iron, which sailed magnificently into a rather strong wind, with approximately 5 feet of cut, whereupon it bounced twice and then went clank, into the hole.

That being said, Trump has also enjoyed playing golf with PGA Tour stars. The list includes Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Rory McIlroy. Of course, the venues tend to be owned or managed by Trumps management.

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Do you have a favorite Trump and golf moment? Let us know in the comments below.

WATCH THIS STORY: How Scottie Schefflers Wife Saved Him From a Masters Meltdown With a Powerful Statement

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Donald Trump Is So Good at Golf That He Once Shot a 73 From the Blue Tees - EssentiallySports

Propagandists on Russian state television told their public audience last week that the time has arrived to sever diplomatic relations with the United States and that the Kremlin is finalizing its "preparations" to interfere with future American elections.

"The Daily Beast's" Julia Davisreported on Mondaythat President Joe Biden's unwavering support for Ukraine has revitalized Moscow's appetite for manipulating the American electorate.

Their objective, one of the individuals revealed, is to "again help our partner," former President Donald Trump, "to become president."

But Davis' takeaway was a little broader. While Trump is certainly a valued asset inside of Russia, Davis believes that "the real agenda of the Kremlin's operatives was never limited to boosting any particular candidates, but rather aimed to harm America as a whole."

This line of thinking was evident in conversations that occurred among Russian President Vladimir Putin's "puppets" on state television, Davis found.

"With Europe, economic wars should take priority. With America, we should be working to amplify the divisions and in light of our limited abilities to deepen the polarization of American society," political scientist Malek Dudakov said on Thursday's edition of "The Evening With Vladimir Soloviev".

"There is a horrific polarization of society in the United States, very serious conflicts between the Democrats and Republicans that keep expanding. You've already mentioned that America is a dying empire and most empires weren't conquered, they were destroyed from within. The same fate likely awaits America in the near decade," he continued. "That's why, when all the processes are thawed, Russia might get the chance to play on that."

Davis noted that the show's host, Vladimir Soloviev, believes that Putin's bloody war in Ukraine and the US's backing of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's government is a preview of an upcoming clash between the US and Russia that is only starting to heat up.

He lamented that Russia's ability to spread disinformation was significantly diminished when Russia Today was banned on American airwaves after Putin attacked Ukraine.

"I would act through various diasporas" to make up for the elimination of that channel for misinformation, Soloviev said. "For example, I would work with the Spanish-speaking mediasince America is becoming predominantly Spanish-speaking, with the colossal influence of Latin America, I would work through their press, through those narratives, moving in that direction they aren't allowing us to work with American media directly, but we have many opportunities that we aren't using thus far."

Other chatter, however, went far beyond ideological battles, according to what Davis' witnessed on Soloviev's program just days earlier:

Pundit Karen Shakhnazarov: "I would find it useful to break diplomatic relations with the United States. I don't see any point in maintaining them. And that would deliver a crushing blow to Biden. There are plenty of people in the U.S. who say that he is bringing us all to the edge of nuclear war. That will be a strong signal."

Soloviev expanded on that point, suggesting that Russia should just go ahead and nuke the US because that is the true nature of the war in Ukraine.

"De facto, we aren't fighting a campaign against Ukraine, but against the entire West," he said. "Maybe it's time we strike them?" he added, referring to the US, "since we're already a pariah state, a war criminal if everything is so bad."

Davis pointed out that "short of nuclear holocaust, it is now clear that Russia is focusing its efforts on distracting America from its foreign policy objectives by threatening to meddle in US internal affairs."

Konstantin Dolgov, the deputy chairman of the Committee on Economic Policy of Russia's Federation Council, confirmed as much on Soloviev's show.

"The results will apparently not be good for the Democrats," he said of the November midterms, which he designated as "just a rehearsal. The main elections are further ahead and preparations for those are already underway."

Continued here:

Russian state TV teases "preparations" to help "partner" Trump win in 2024 - Salon

Its Bidens messaging, not the message, that he seems to disagree with.

And on this topic Khanna shifts into off the record speak, punctuating every few actual words with the phrase off the record off the record off the record like hes redacting a document. Its the rare instance in which he sounds inarticulate.

What Khanna will say for readers is this: Bidens instincts are much better than all the junior staff who work for him, he tells me. He speaks in language thats not politically correct. When his staff winces at things, hes channeling what real Americans think. And I think theyre too careful. I think: Let him be out there. Let him speak. Let him inspire. Dont try to over-protect him. I mean, thats the only thing that I can think of . . . he says, trailing off.

Consider Ro Khannas own district, Californias 17th.

The area spans parts of Silicon Valley and, in approximately 185 square miles, contains $11 trillion in market capital. One big tech company in the area is Intel. The chip-making corporation is pledging to build semiconductor fabrication plants outside Columbus, Ohio, bringing thousands of jobs to the area. I would be taking weekly trips to Columbus, Khanna says.

If Trump were still in office, the whole country would have known about it.

Biden could go there, he says, and people could see a party with energy. A forward motion. A sense that we are on the march. On the move. It seems like Washington is not moving. Its all caught up in staleness. And in this imagined trip to Ohio, Khanna envisions Biden on stage with a new generation of active, exciting members with him, he says not needing to mention, of course, that he would be one of them.

Ro Khanna was 27 years old when he saw Barack Obama deliver his speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. From the cheap seats at the Fleet Center in Boston, he attended as a volunteer for John Kerry, watching the future president deliver what he felt was an I love America speech.

Less than 10 years later, Khanna ran for his Congressional district, losing to seven-term incumbent Mike Honda. Two years later, he ran again and this time, he won. Khanna is now one of the most visible young Democrats in Congress. Inside the bookcases in his office, memoirs by Gene Sperling and Elizabeth Warren flank a potty-training manual. (Khanna has two young children at home. As a rule, he and his wife do not discuss them in political settings.)

A former lecturer of economics at Stanford University, Khanna is academic by nature, conversant in the technology of his district and how to transfer some of that wealth to the rest of the country. But he draws some blanks on the cultural fascination with his district. Khanna makes a point of reading People magazine, just to see if Im keeping up, he says. I used to have this challenge on pop culture. When I ask whether hes watching The Dropout, a Hulu series about Silicon Valleys most well-known fraud case, the story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos, Khanna says no, but also doesnt seem to know what Im talking about. That night, at drinks with friends, he tells me a few days later, they explained the show and told him, You really should be watching this.

While he is eager to model at least parts of Trumps approach to the news cycle, he does not share the same appetite for celebrity entertainment. At the Gridiron dinner in Washington last weekend, Khanna agreed that the featured Republican speaker, Chris Sununu, was genuinely funny and witty. But when a guest turned to him mid-speech and said, That guy could be president, Khanna flinched. I was like, really? This is what we need in this country? Like, the bar is entertaining and stand-up comedy? I mean, its better to have a sense of humor than not. Lincoln had one. Reagan had one. But the deification of entertainment as, like, the criteria for what we want in our president it was amusing to me.

In his office, Khanna clips his iPhone into a tripod by his desk, staring into the small screen. As he flits from the Hartmann podcast to a meeting with progressive leaders to a hit with Fox News Digital, the congressman has the look of a man who is waiting a guest in his own building until the next generation truly takes over. In Washington, the big-name Democrats who have power or have come close to it Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders are all over 70.

Congressman Ro Khanna prepares for a Zoom call in his office at the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, DC, on April 1, 2022. Detail shot of Khanna's bookshelf.

Why has the transition to a newer generation been so slow? There are two reasons, Khanna says. One is structural: Running for office still requires money and name recognition. But the second reason is philosophical.

We are in such a time of flux that the familiar is more comfortable for people. People are craving stability.

But there will be a moment when people say, OK, its time for the new.

Khannas last interview of the day is with Fox Newss America Reports, in the rotunda of the Cannon House Office Building. He has been asked, and not for the first time, to talk about rising oil prices. On Foxs daily programming, Biden is to blame for rampant inflation, but Khanna is asking viewers to consider the role of the corporations. As chair of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Environment, he has waged a monthslong campaign against oil executives, forcing six to testify before lawmakers for the first time late last fall.

He likes going on Fox. Some activists on the left criticize him for it, but for Khanna, its a sport. He enjoys the pressure of debate, the ability to measure his own performances after the fact. If you are a Democrat and not going on these shows, Khanna says, then youre not getting intellectually challenged. Youre not hearing the counter-argument. Youre not seeing the blind spots to your point of view. After each hit, he sometimes checks Twitter to read the reviews. A recent appearance on Neil Cavutos show, he says, wasnt one of his best interviews, but Cavuto had raised some very good points, also about oil prices, and this he enjoyed.

Frankly, it made me think harder about the question.

Read more here:

The One Thing Ro Khanna Thinks Donald Trump Gets Right - POLITICO