Tonights vice presidential debate

PRINCETON, N.J. — By the time he was a senior at Princeton University in 1992, Ted Cruz had developed an arsenal of rhetorical skills and theatrical gestures that made him one of the most polished performers on the college debate circuit. So when he reached the quarterfinals of the national championships at M.I.T., with the title that had eluded him so far now in sight, he decided to try to knock his Harvard opponents off balance with one of his favorite tricks. Instead of the regular practice of defending his proposed topic — the merits of mind-reading — Mr. Cruz let his adversaries choose which side to argue. But the tactic, intended to highlight his confidence, backfired. As he waited for them to decide, the two Harvard students conspicuously dithered, eating up Mr. Cruz’s allotted speaking time as they whispered and searched their pockets for a coin to flip. The audience, now on to the stalling tactic, chuckled as Mr. Cruz snapped: “Gentlemen! You must have decided by now.” … [Read more...] about Ted Cruz Showed Eloquence, and Limits, as Debater at Princeton

WASHINGTON — Kamala Harris was frustrated. The text of a speech she had been given to deliver in Chicago to the nation’s biggest teachers’ union was just another dreary, scripted talk that said little of any consequence. As Air Force Two made its way to the Midwest over the summer, the vice president told her staff she wanted to say something more significant, more direct. She brandished a Rolling Stone magazine article about the backlash against Florida school officials after new legislation barring the discussion of gender identity in the classroom. The teachers she was about to address were on the front lines of the nation’s culture wars, Ms. Harris told her staff. They were the same ones on the front lines of school shootings. Just blandly ticking through federal funding for education would not be enough. The plane was just an hour out from Chicago, but she said they needed to start over. By the time she landed, she had a more spirited version of the speech in hand, accusing … [Read more...] about Kamala Harris Is Trying to Define Her Vice Presidency. Even Her Allies Are Tired of Waiting.

PARIS (AP) — France’s parliament on Monday started debating a fiercely contested pension bill that’s triggered recent strikes and large street demonstrations, with more protests set to come this week. The lower house, the National Assembly, began debating the plans that would raise the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64. The parliamentary session comes one day before Tuesday’s third round of protests called by eight main workers’ unions, with more demonstrations planned Saturday. French President Emmanuel Macron’s government is now facing a harsh political battle at parliament that could span weeks or months. Macron vowed to go ahead with the changes – his second presidential term’s flagship legislation — which he described last week as “indispensable when you compare to (other countries) in Europe.” Faced with opinion polls repeatedly showing that a growing majority of people are against the reform, and his own popularity shrinking, Macron argues that it was a key electoral … [Read more...] about French parliament debates Macron’s divisive pension bill

WASHINGTON — The Club for Growth, a conservative anti-tax group that spent nearly $150 million in the past two election cycles, has invited a half-dozen potential Republican presidential candidates to its annual donor retreat next month — but not Donald J. Trump. In a meeting with reporters on Monday, David McIntosh, president of the group, said that Republican chances of winning back the White House next year would be diminished if Mr. Trump were once again at the top of the ticket and that he hoped to introduce Republican donors to other possibilities. “The party should be open to another candidate,” Mr. McIntosh said, suggesting that Republicans had already lost too many elections with Mr. Trump as the face of the party. Mr. Trump and the Club for Growth, which is based in Washington, were frequent foils during the 2022 midterms, backing opposing candidates in some high-profile primary contests, including Senate races in Ohio and Pennsylvania. When the group started … [Read more...] about Club for Growth Distances Itself Further From Trump

The memos of Supreme Court clerks evaluating death row petitions usually consist of a brief review of the facts and then a dispassionate legal analysis as to whether the court should hear the case. Not so for Ted Cruz . Mr. Cruz, the most ardent death penalty advocate of Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist’s clerks in the 1996 term, became known at the court for his signature writing style. Nearly two decades later, his colleagues recall how Mr. Cruz, who frequently spoke of how his mentor’s father had been killed by a carjacker, often dwelled on the lurid details of murders that other clerks tended to summarize before quickly moving to the legal merits of the case. “That, I think, was a special interest of his,” said Renée Lerner, then a clerk for Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who said she was impressed with how deeply Mr. Cruz delved into the facts and history of a murder case. “It was unusual for a Supreme Court clerk to do that.” Other clerks, however, had a less admiring … [Read more...] about As Supreme Court Clerk, Ted Cruz Made Death Penalty His Cause

WASHINGTON — As President Biden prepared to deliver one of the biggest speeches of his presidency, he met with a close group of aides at the White House and read drafts aloud from top to bottom. He practiced in front of teleprompters at Camp David, making sure the language was relatable and clear. And, in quiet moments ahead of the State of the Union address on Tuesday evening, he marked up his speech with subtle lines and dashes that he has long used as a signal to take a breath, pause between his words or steer through a tricky transition. Mr. Biden is the first modern president to have a stutter, which he has navigated since childhood and still speaks of in emotional terms. According to seven current and former aides who have helped Mr. Biden prepare for high-profile speeches throughout his career, the president’s shorthand will help him as he delivers an hourlong speech in which he will have to make an emphatic case for his legislative achievements and urge Republicans and … [Read more...] about Biden’s State of the Union Prep: No Acronyms and Tricks to Conquer a Stutter

William H. Rehnquist, who died Saturday at the age of 80 almost a year after learning he had thyroid cancer, helped lead a conservative revolution on the Supreme Court during 19 notably successful years as chief justice of the United States. Including 14 years as an associate justice, Chief Justice Rehnquist's tenure on the court was not only one of the longest in the institution's history but also one of the most consequential. With a steady hand, a focus and commitment that never wavered, and the muscular use of the power of judicial review, he managed to translate many of his long-held views into binding national precedent. Chief among those was an enhanced role for the states within the federal system, which the court accomplished under his leadership by overturning dozens of federal laws that sought to project federal authority into what the Supreme Court majority viewed as the domain of the states. In the zero-sum game of the tri-partite separation of powers, the Supreme … [Read more...] about William H. Rehnquist, Chief Justice of Supreme Court, Is Dead at 80

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) is claiming to be the latest “target” of former President Trump after stating during an appearance on ABC’s This Week that Trump was so “toxic” that “boring” Joe Biden won in 2020. “Joe Biden’s president because Donald Trump lost. Joe Biden didn’t win, and Joe Biden’s never taken possession of that fact. So he continues to do what he did when he was running which he thinks was great, because ‘I won,'” Christie told ABC’s Jon Karl over the weekend. “No, you didn’t win, Trump lost, and you can’t change who somebody is, Jon,” Christie continued, admitting that Biden is “old” and “boring.” However, Christie said Biden was successful in the last election because he was “running against someone … who was so toxic that he won anyway.” Trump took to TruthSocial, hitting back against Christie, pointing to the former governor’s abysmal approval ratings as well as the failure of the 60-year-old’s presidential campaign and his recommendation of … [Read more...] about Chris Christie Claims to Be ‘Target’ of Trump After Bashing Him

On Abe’s 200th birthday, it seems everyone wants a piece of the Great Emancipator. Except the Republicans, that is, who have wiled away the legacy of their one-time standard-bearer. Avlon is the author of Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe Is Hijacking America . Today is the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln and rarely has Honest Abe been in such demand. Our nation's first African-American president—also a self-made lawyer from Illinois—rarely loses an opportunity to compare himself to the Great Emancipator. There are new documentaries like Looking for Lincoln on PBS and best-selling biographies like Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals that inform our political debates. Lincoln looms large because his wisdom, integrity, and humility are always in short supply among politicians. But for the Republican Party this anniversary is at best bittersweet. Lincoln was, of course, the first Republican president—and the GOP has called itself with justifiable pride "the Party of … [Read more...] about How the Party of Lincoln Forgot About Lincoln

Harry Whittington, a Texas lawyer accidentally shot by former Vice President Dick Cheney, died Saturday morning at age 95, according to his family. Whittington died peacefully at his home, his wife told The New York Times (NYT). He gained global fame in 2006 after he was unintentionally shot by Cheney during a hunting trip. Cheney had turned around to shoot a quail and ended up shooting Whittington in his face and body, causing serious injuries. Harry Whittington, a lawyer who gained sudden global fame in 2006 as the unintended victim of a shotgun blast by former Vice President Dick Cheney, died early Saturday morning, his wife said. He was 95. https://t.co/hW5WY0uWzq — The New York Times (@nytimes) February 6, 2023 Whittington, a supporter of former President Bush, initially apologized to Cheney and took blame for the incident. He later revealed his injuries from the blast were worse than initially reported. (RELATED: REPORT: Alleged ISIS Member In The US … [Read more...] about Harry Whittington, Texas Lawyer Shot By Dick Cheney, Dead At 95