Politics

Bret Stephens: Hi, Gail. Damn, it’s hot. Gail Collins: Ah, Bret, we agree once again. How inspiring it is to realize that even in these troubled times, Americans of all political stripes can gather to complain about the weather. Bret: Just give this conversation another five seconds … Gail: And, of course, vent about Senator Joe Manchin, who keeps putting his coal-loving foot on any serious attempt to deal with climate change. Am I moving out of our area of agreement? Bret: Maybe a tad. I’m grateful to Manchin for fighting for American energy. We’ll all be complaining about climate change a whole lot more when diminished power generation and supply shocks leave us with rolling blackouts and long stretches without air-conditioning. On the other hand, I mentioned in a previous conversation that I’m going to Greenland later this summer. Wasn’t kidding! An oceanographer I know pretty much wants to shove my face into a melting glacier in hopes of some kind of Damascene … [Read more...] about There’s Hot, and Then There’s Hot as … Politics

Prince Harry is "well within his rights" to weigh in on U.S. politics because he lives in the country and his "wife and children are citizens", according to a discussion on a new episode of Newsweek 's The Royal Report podcast. Chief royal correspondent Jack Royston and royal commentator Kristen Meinzer discussed Harry's address at the United Nations last week marking Nelson Mandela International Day where he likened the "rolling back of constitutional rights here in the United States," with the war in Ukraine and COVID-19 pandemic. Discussing the content of the speech where the prince also revealed the touching association he holds between his mother, wife and Africa , Royston said: "it's always nice to see him speaking about Diana and about Meghan." To this, Meinzer added that it was the political heart of the address which "stood out to me even more." "We all know that royals are not supposed to wade into politics, even though just last week on this show we were … [Read more...] about Prince Harry Is ‘Well Within His Rights’ to Comment On U.S. Politics

Crime has spiked in Washington, DC, in recent months after Biden-appointed United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, Matthew Graves, refused to prosecute 67 percent of those arrested who would have been put on trial in the D.C. Superior Court, according to 2022 District statistics. Among those Graves declined to prosecute were some 52 percent of all felony arrests, along with 72 percent of misdemeanor arrests, the U.S. Attorney’s Office Annual Statistical Reports revealed. Graves, who was nominated by President Joe Biden on July 26, 2021, and confirmed on October 28, 2021, admitted to the Washington Post the lack of prosecutions has mostly applied to those arrests for gun possession, drug possession, and burglaries. He said he mostly prosecutes those who were charged with homicides, armed car-jackings, assaults with intent to kill, and first-degree sexual assault cases. As the Biden crime wave surges across the nation, police say a father was fatally shot … [Read more...] about Biden-Appointed DA Declined to Prosecute 67% of Those Arrested in DC

One week after his anticipated arrest by New York City prosecutors failed to materialize, former President Donald Trump has a theory on why the grand jury investigating his role in an alleged hush money scheme has suddenly and, without warning , gone quiet: They've got nothing on him. Taking to Truth Social on Tuesday morning, Trump—who is currently under investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office for campaign finance violations for paying off former adult film star Stormy Daniels in an effort to influence the 2016 presidential election—speculated the grand jury had grown skeptical of the DA's case, and was refusing to act as a "rubber stamp" for the prosecution. Late Tuesday night, multiple news outlets reported that the panel convened by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg would not be meeting as originally expected Wednesday, marking the second time in a week the panel had canceled its behind-closed-doors proceedings without explanation. After … [Read more...] about Trump celebrates sudden change to grand jury schedule

Howard Schultz isn’t yet a presidential candidate, but Democrats are already slinging mud in his direction, hoping it may dissuade him from entering the 2020 race or diminish his impact should he do so. American Bridge, a high-dollar super PAC that focuses on opposition research, has compiled its first “oppo” hit against Schultz, the former Starbucks CEO currently mulling an independent run at the White House. The group pitched reporters for this outlet on Friday on a story about Schultz’s charitable foundation, suggesting he uses it to minimize his personal tax bill even as the foundation spends lavishly on executive compensation and overhead. The group’s oppo pitch against Schultz piggybacks off of reporting that found Schultz gave less than one percent of his fortune to Schultz Family Foundation during the last fiscal year for which its tax filings are available. Bridge dug into the foundation’s expenditures and found that it “used its tax-free funding to spend … [Read more...] about Democratic Opposition Research Group Begins Digging in on Howard Schultz

Three years after Donald Trump stampeded through the presidential primary on a wave of free media , Democrats still harbor fear that the news industry, and CNN in particular, hasn’t learned its lessons. That criticism grew more pronounced last week after CNN announced it would hold a town hall with former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz . Schultz, unlike several elected Democratic officials, is undecided about running for president, has little evident support in public polls, and is attempting to promote his current book. But he has been awarded a platform that many actually announced candidates have yet to be given, leaving Democrats with the impression that a candidate’s celebrity is, once again, being prioritized over other campaign elements, including grassroots energy or small-dollar support. “CNN is free to make their own editorial decisions in 2020, just as they made the editorial decision in 2016 to spend hours broadcasting Donald Trump’s empty podium,” an adviser to a … [Read more...] about CNN Under Fire for Howard Schultz Town Hall

Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz took to Twitter Sunday to announce that he’s “seriously considering” running for president in 2020 as an independent. The billionaire’s announcement was quickly and brutally ripped by progressives—and some non-progressives too—who claimed that there were myriad better ways to help the country and that he’d likely help President Trump win re-election by jumping into the race. “Running as an independent would be a catastrophic mistake,” said Matt Bennett, Senior Vice President for Public Affairs and a co-founder of the center-left think tank, Third Way. Schultz, who left Starbucks last summer, teased his announcement with a separate tweet, noting that his intention was to “share my truth” and “to listen to yours.” “I love our country, and I am seriously considering running for president as a centrist independent,” he wrote . Almost immediately, angry replies rolled in. One of the most common criticisms echoed those in The … [Read more...] about Howard Schultz’s 2020 Presidential Flirtation Brutalized on Twitter

One of the top Democratic firms in the country is privately urging top officials in the party to leave Starbucks out of the burgeoning feud with the company’s former CEO and presidential aspirant, Howard Schultz. Officials at SKDKnickerbocker, a progressive public affairs and consulting firm, have been reaching out to Democratic operatives in the last week expressing fear the animus directed at Schultz over his proposed independent presidential bid was having a spillover effect on the coffee conglomerate he used to lead. One operative on the receiving end of the outreach said that the firm, which lists Starbucks as a client, offered to put a top Starbucks executive on the phone to discuss concerns over the politicization of their company in response to a prospective Schultz campaign. “They really wanna make sure that Democrats and liberals aren’t going after Starbucks and are stressing that it’s not fair to the company,” said the operative, who relayed details about the … [Read more...] about Top Progressive Firm Tells Dems to Leave Starbucks Alone

The press secretary for Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs resigned on Wednesday amid uproar over a tweet that seemingly invoked gun violence against “transphobes” following the mass shooting at a Nashville school by a transgender suspect. “The Governor does not condone violence in any form,” the Democratic governor’s office said in a statement . “This administration holds mutual respect at the forefront of how we engage with one another. The post by the Press Secretary is not reflective of the values of the administration. The Governor has received and accepted the resignation of the Press Secretary.” Hours after three children and three adults were killed by 28-year-old Audrey Hale, whom police later said was transgender , Berry posted an image from the 1980 movie Gloria featuring actress Gena Rowlands holding a gun. “Us when we see transphobes,” Berry wrote in a caption. Berry was replying to a Twitter user who said, “Not sure these transphobic-from-the-left posers know who … [Read more...] about Katie Hobbs’ Spokesperson Resigns Over Tweet Invoking Gun Violence Against ‘Transphobes’

Ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been formally blocked from standing as a candidate for the party at the next general election . Labour's governing body - the National Executive Body - today approved a motion proposed by Keir Starmer not to endorse his predecessor by 22 votes to 12. It means Mr Corbyn, who has had the whip suspended since 2020, will be unable to stand for Labour in the constituency of Islington North for the first time since 1983. Mr Starmer's motion says Mr Corbyn "will not be endorsed by the NEC as a candidate on behalf of the Labour Party at the next general election". It also states the NEC's purpose is to "avoid any detrimental impact on the Labour Party's standing with the electorate" and its "political interests". Mr Corbyn is sitting in the Commons as an independent after he was suspended over his response to the damning Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) report in 2020 which found Labour had broken equalities law. Read More … [Read more...] about Jeremy Corbyn officially blocked from standing for Labour at next general election