Mediaboss Marketing

With help from Josh Gerstein

TO BENGHAZI, OR NOT TO BENGHAZI? A certain potential presidential candidate looked unbeatable, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) once said, until a congressional select committee dug so deeply into a crisis on that candidates watch that the politician in question became untrustable. McCarthy uttered those words six years ago about Hillary Clinton, but they could soon apply to Donald Trump.

Thats because, after GOP senators blocked a proposed independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, House Democrats are set to vote this week to create a select committee devoted to that purpose. The panel will examine security issues raised by the riot as well as its root causes, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.

Hillary Clinton testifies before the House Select Committee on Benghazi on Oct. 22, 2015, on Capitol Hill. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

As we reported last week, Democrats are leery of turning this select panel into a rerun of the hyper-partisan brawl that was the 2015 GOP-led select committee on the U.S. consulate attack in Benghazi, Libya. One should take House Democrats seriously when they say they dont want a bitter Benghazi reboot, particularly as some of them warn against animating Trumps base ahead of the 2022 midterms. Still, the party may find value in crafting an insurrection inquiry that, without getting overly partisan, can bruise Trump ahead of 2024.

After all, the Benghazi committee gave conservatives a chance to tee off on Clintons handling of the attack as secretary of state and launched Clintons private email server into the national consciousness, creating an indelible (albeit ultimately questionable on the substance) line of attack for her opponents. While her unflappable demeanor during an 11-hour appearance before the panel gave her 2016 presidential bid a boost, the email flap arguably dimmed her 2016 chances.

Democrats Jan. 6 select committee will have even more potentially damaging Trump-related avenues of inquiry to pursue. They range from the then-presidents mid-insurrection phone call with McCarthy Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are, Trump is reported to have told the House GOP leader to direct ties between the former presidents 2020 campaign aides and the Stop the Steal rally that preceded the riot.

When Pelosi refers to root causes of the deadly siege, its hard to picture her partys select committee not considering Trumps speech to that rally. We fight like hell. And if you dont fight like hell, youre not going to have a country anymore, he told the crowd before its march to the Capitol turned violent.

Trump might not look as unbeatable in a 2024 primary as McCarthy claimed Clinton was in 2015. Still, a party trying to cling to its majorities might want to consider that its Jan. 6 select committee is a powerful tool to make Trump look, to use another McCarthy term, un-trustable in the eyes of swing voters.

Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas for us at [emailprotected], or on Twitter at @eschor.

A message from AARP:

Millions of family caregivers are struggling to provide care for their older parents and spouses. Many are sacrificing their income, tapping into life savings, and taking on debt to keep their loved ones safeat home and out of nursing homes that could put their lives at risk. Family caregivers are reaching their breaking point. Congress must pass the Credit for Caring Act now to give caregivers some of the relief they desperately need. Learn more.

BUZZING IN AD-VANCE The Manhattan District Attorneys office is expected to file charges against the Trump Organization this week. The question remains: How big will DA Cyrus Vance go? The legal world has been abuzz with several possibilities ranging from a very limited indictment over unreported perks for Trump employees to a more far-reaching case over alleged fraud related to numerous Trump properties. Trump, for his part, today called the prosecutors rude, nasty, and totally biased in a statement.

Heres our own Josh Gerstein with an update on where things stand: There seems to be some debate among lawyers whether Vances office will bring a narrow case initially, focusing on a few select instances of alleged wrongdoing, as the Trump firms lawyers say theyve been told, or whether the prosecutor will try to frame any charges more broadly as an enterprise corruption case against the Trump Organization as a whole. In any case, signals are that the indictment whether narrowly targeted or framed as an attention-grabbing RICO case will initially focus on failure to properly report and pay taxes on benefits to key employees like CFO Allen Weisselberg. We havent seen indications that prosecutors are ready, yet, to unleash a massive indictment addressing the kind of property tax fraud and insurance fraud claims Michael Cohen leveled at the Trump Org during his House testimony two years ago or that charges are imminent against Trump himself. And as for the hush money payments and campaign finance violations Cohen admitted to in 2018, people close to the investigation say theyve heard crickets on that front for many months now.

Psaki: No plans right now for Biden to visit collapsed condo building: White House press secretary Jen Psaki said today that such a trip would draw law enforcement resources away from ongoing search-and-rescue operations in South Florida. Psaki said Biden does support a full investigation by federal agencies into Thursdays collapse, which killed at least 10 people and has left more than 150 still missing.

GOP senator jams up Pentagon pick over Bidens Navy plan: Republican Sen. Roger Wicker is holding up a high-level Pentagon nominee in an attempt to push the Navy to commit to buying more amphibious ships, according to two people familiar with the situation. The nominee on hold, Susanna Blume, had been tapped to run the Pentagons Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation office, which would give her a central role in assessing new weapons systems proposed by the armed services. The veteran of the Obama Pentagon largely sailed through her confirmation hearing in May, and her nomination has been sent to the full Senate for a vote with several other top picks for the department.

White House targets corporate giants in draft executive order: The White House is crafting an executive order aimed at promoting competition throughout the U.S. economy, a move aimed at lessening the stranglehold of dominant players in industries ranging from banking and agriculture to shipping and air travel, according to three people familiar with the discussions. The order, which could be issued as soon as this week, fits in with a growing theme for Biden, who has elated progressives by appointing advocates of tougher antitrust enforcement to top jobs at the White House and agencies such as the FTC.

Federal court tosses antitrust suits seeking Facebooks breakup: A D.C. federal court today dismissed antitrust suits by the FTC and state attorneys general seeking to break up Facebooks social networking monopoly, dealing a massive blow to Washington regulators attempt to rein in Silicon Valleys giants. In a ruling that goes to the heart of the case, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in Washington, D.C., said prosecutors didnt offer enough explanation for how they determined that Facebook controls more than 60 percent of the social networking market.

Biden wont attend Tokyo Olympics: Psaki said Biden wasnt planning to attend the games when asked by a reporter about the invitation from the Japanese government.

Nightly asks you: Last summer, before July Fourth, we asked you how the pandemic would change your holiday. After a year of surges, vaccines and variants, we want to know: How are you celebrating July Fourth this year? Is the pandemic still affecting your usual plans? Send us your answers using our form, and well include select responses in our Friday edition.

BUT SHOULD WE STILL EXPECT A CHRISTMAS CARD? Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Sunday denounced the EU and the U.S. for trying to dictate a world order according to their whims, and to force Russia and China to bend to the Wests will.

Lavrovs comments in a lengthy manifesto, published in Russian in the daily newspaper Kommersant, and in English in the journal Russia in Global Affairs came just days after a high-stakes summit between Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin in Geneva had raised hope of new cooperation and, perhaps, an end to years of badly deteriorated relations between Moscow and the West.

But he seemed to allow little possibility for this new reality. Without any false modesty, Washington and Brussels called themselves an anchor for democracy, peace and security, as opposed to authoritarianism in all its forms, he wrote. In particular, they proclaimed their intent to use sanctions to support democracy across the globe.

Lavrovs article was also published just days after a European Council summit last week, where the 27 heads of state and government unanimously adopted unusually tough conclusions setting preconditions for Putins government before seeking the warming of diplomatic relations. The leaders settled on their statement after a fractious debate, in which Poland and the Baltics led a successful effort to reject a proposal by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron for new outreach toward Moscow, including the possibility of a summit.

85 percent

The percentage Rep. Lee Zeldin earned of the weighted vote in a New York gubernatorial straw poll taken during a meeting of GOP county leaders in a suburb of Albany. State party Chair Nick Langworthy said Zeldin will now be considered the presumed nominee to go up against Gov. Andrew Cuomo, allowing him roughly 17 months to drum up support and donors for the 2022 general election.

COMMISSIONING THE COMMISSION Pelosi is considering choosing a House Republican as one of her eight appointees for the Democrat-led investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, according to an aide in her office, Nicholas Wu and Sarah Ferris write.

Though Pelosi hasnt signaled which member she would pick, tapping a GOP lawmaker could dramatically influence a House insurrection probe that Republican leaders have dismissed as an overtly partisan bid to undercut Trump.

The Democrats panel will be composed of 13 members, five of whom will be chosen by the GOP, according to the text of the resolution released this evening. If Pelosi did choose a Republican as one her appointees, the panel would be nearly evenly split between the parties, with a makeup of seven Democrats and six Republicans.

The House is slated to vote on Wednesday to establish the select committee on Jan. 6. The legislation does not specify who would chair the committee, leaving that decision to Pelosi. Congressional Black Caucus members have floated House Homeland Security Chair Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) for the role, and hes signaled he wants the position.

Several Democratic sources said they expected Pelosi to appoint a Republican who has already pushed vocally for a meaningful investigation into the Jan. 6 insurrection. More than three dozen Republicans supported an independent, bipartisan commission on the floor earlier this month, though it was blocked in the Senate.

A message from AARP:

Family Caregivers Need Help Now

Caring for loved ones shouldnt lead to bankruptcy and financial ruin. But that is exactly what is happening for too many family caregivers. The financial strain of caregiving is immense, and it is unacceptable that more isnt being done to provide support for them. Thats why AARP is fighting for Americas 48 million family caregivers and their loved ones who depend on their care to survive. Family caregivers nationwide spend over one-quarter of their income, on average, providing this essential care. Congress must pass the Credit for Caring Act to help alleviate some of the financial strain of caregiving.

Tell Congress to act now to help protect family caregivers from financial devastation. Tell Congress to pass the Credit for Caring Act.

Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.

Visit link:
The select committee that could thwart Trump in 2024 - Politico

Proving once again she can pair pieces like no one else alive, Rihanna just invented the next great summer outfit: huge blazer, tiny shorts, hat, and jewelry. She debuted this ensemble while walking around New York City on June 29. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the red lipstick. Highly crucial.

Also crucial are the stilettos and anklet (are anklets back?), reminding us that while many mere mortals have lost a good heel to the uneven sidewalks and subway steps of the Big Apple, Rihanna can actually walk across grates in tiny high heels with no problem. It's her superpower. And her second superpower, of course, is collecting wine glasses from clubs and restaurants. All I want in the freaking world is to live one day as Rihanna.

JosiahW / BACKGRID

Baseball caps can actually be quite fashionable. Hillary Clinton famously wore a New York Yankees one with her own blazer, and Rihanna put a picture of that look on a T-shirt. And then Lena Dunham put a picture of Rihanna wearing a picture of Hillary Clinton on her shirton a shirt. October 2016 was a time, y'all.

These days Rihanna is absolutely leaning into Hot Girl Summer. She's in a relationship with rapper A$AP Rocky, who called her the love of my life and my lady in a recent interview, before totally making out with her in public just to let everyone with eyes know it's for real for real. They were also spotted going to a popular bar in Brooklynand almost getting turned away because they reportedly didn't have proper IDs. (Rihanna doesn't need ID! She's Rihanna!) Now that she's back in her iconic pixie cut, we can only imagine the serves coming our way. Maybe some new music? Please let it be new music. We need some new music.

Originally Appeared on Glamour

Continue reading here:
Rihanna Just Wore an Oversized Blazer With Shorts, Pearls, and a Baseball Cap - Yahoo Lifestyle

I saw more eagles than UFOs, John Podesta joked. The former chief of staff to Bill Clinton and veteran of the Obama White House had just returned from a trip to Alaska and, speaking with me from California last Friday, shared his thoughts on the highly anticipated government report on unidentified flying objects, set to be released later this week. Over the past few decades, Podesta has emerged as one of the most prominent public figures goading the Pentagon to disclose information on UFOsor, in official channel parlance, unidentified aerial phenomena(UAP). In his view the reports expected release marks a sea change in not only public sentiment, but political posturing around the issue. Theres always been tremendous public interest in this, but it was kind of pushed to the fringe. People were viewed as a little bit goofy if they wanted to raise the topic, he explained. Now I think thats changed.

At the end of his time in Barack Obamas administration, Podesta somewhat famously tweeted that his biggest failure in 2014 was not securing the release of the governments UFO files. Similarly, during the 2016 election, Hillary Clintons declaration that Podesta has made me personally pledge we are going to get the information out about UFOs and Area 51 made headlinesnot to mention fodder for the late-night circuit. But the political operatives dalliances with the unexplained, and his desire to determine what truth, exactly, is out there, have roots in his time working for Senator Patrick Leahy, a vocal proponent of declassification and the Freedom of Information Act. When he moved to the White House, Podesta was knee-deep in similar declassification efforts. He also was a member of the Commission on Protecting and Reducing Government Secrecy. Better known as the Moynihan Commission, after its chairman, former U.S. senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the group pushed for broad declassification across the government and aimed to dismantle the governments culture of secrecy. Im a big advocate for all this openness, he told me, articulating his stance as: declassify everythingbarring any information that might pose a threat to national security, of course.

Now Podesta might get his chance, after decades of trying. John can get totally maniacal and phobic on certain subjects. Hes been known to pick up the phone to call the Air Force and ask them whats going on in Area 51, White House press secretary Mike McCurry told The Washington Post back in 1998. During the 1990s, Laurance Rockefellerof the prominent Rockefeller familypushed for the government to release any classified information on UFOs and aliens. Known today as the Rockefeller Initiative, the effort involved a series of well-funded projects but also included direct lobbying of the Clinton administration, in which Podesta was involved. (Who can forget the disorienting photo of Hillary Clinton holding the book Are We Alone? Philosophical Implications of the Discovery of Extraterrestrial Lifewhich was taken at the Rockefeller compound in Wyoming.) Little came of it, though documents related to Rockefellers campaign were released under the Freedom of Information Act in recent years. As Podesta put it, they kind of got stonewalled by the Pentagon. At the time, he told me, I think their attitude was: Just dont bother me with this, and, Theres no good end to my engaging on questions around whether the U.S. military has encountered phenomena that they cant explain and could be arguably propulsion systems that are unearthly.

Given his growing reputation as an advocate for declassification, Podesta was introduced to Leslie Kean, an investigative journalist who has earned her keep reporting on and advocating for government transparency around UFOs, in the early aughts. The Sci Fi Channelnow Syfyhad approached Kean to spearhead an effort to cast light on a UFO incident through the use of the Freedom of Information Act. Kean had zeroed in on an incident in Kecksburg, Pennsylvania, that occurred on December 9, 1965, and involved an unknown object, described as a clay acorn the size of a Volkswagen with Egyptian hieroglyphs running around the base, falling out of the sky and later being removed from the woods where it landed, per witnesses at the time. She filed a Freedom of Information Act request for information from NASA on the incident, but the effort stalled out, prompting her to sue. To promote the project the network hired Washington, D.C., P.R. firm PodestaMattoon, which was cofounded by Podesta and his brother, Tony. (The firm has since changed its name to the Podesta Group.) And Podestabecame a public advocate for Kean and the suit. They processed the request, she got some documents, Podesta said. However, he continued, there were clearly documents that had been created that werent found. Ive described this as the dog ate my homework. The search, the review sort of should have turned up more, but it didnt.The suit garnered a fair bit of media attention. Federal judge Emmet Sullivana familiar name, no doubt, to spectators of the Michael Flynn caserebuked NASA for its disregard for Keans FOIA request, and after four years, Kean won a $50,000 settlement for legal fees. But as she told me last week, The upshot of it was that we never got one document that had even any relationship at all to anything to do with this case.

Kean was not deterred. In 2010 she published a best-selling bookfor which Podesta wrote a forewordtitled, UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record. And in December 2017, Kean shared a byline with Helene Cooper and Ralph Blumenthal on a New York Times article that undoubtedly shifted public and political sentiment around UFOs. The storyGlowing Auras and Black Money: The Pentagons Mysterious UFO Programdetailed the existence of a program dedicated to investigating unexplained aerial phenomena, known as the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program. Propped up by senators Harry Reid, Ted Stevens, and Daniel Inouye and $22 million in funding, the AATIP was created in 2007 and shut down by the Pentagon in 2012, though Luis Elizondo, a military intelligence official who ran the program until his resignation in 2017, has publicly said work continued even after funding dried up. But perhaps even more important, the Times story included two videos of UFOs.

Excerpt from:
I Hope the Mindset Has Changed: John Podesta Is Thrilled That Congress Finally Cares About UFOs - Vanity Fair

Tannen Maury/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images

When former Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez launched his Maryland gubernatorial run last week, he also launched what will surely be an expensive fight for the governors mansion.

Perez headed the Democrats main fundraising arm between 2017 and 2021, and led the party organization through a dominating 2018 midterm cycle and a winning 2020 presidential cycle. Much of that success resulted because Perez brought more money into the DNC than any other DNC chair in history.

During the 2020 election cycle, the DNC raised more than $492 million, and spent nearly all of it ($462 million) defending the narrow Democratic House majority, winning an even more narrow Senate majority and aiding President Joe Bidens ascent to the White House. In 2016, the DNC raised just $372 million when Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) led the organization.

The last time the DNC raised more than $400 million in a presidential election cycle was in 2004 when former Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) challenged former President George W. Bush.

Of course, Perez wasnt alone in his fundraising prowess during the 2020 election the most expensive election cycle in U.S. history.

The Republican National Committee, led by chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, trounced the DNC in fundraising, and brought in more than $890 million in the 2020 election. The RNC also beat Democrats in fundraising for the 2018 midterms. The Republican fundraising arm hauled in nearly $325 million in the 2018 cycle, while the DNC raised a comparatively paltry $176 million.

While Perez enters the Democratic primary for governor as one of the more notable candidates, the gubernatorial race will be a test for the former DNC chair, whos never held federal or statewide office. Perez served as the secretary of labor under former President Barack Obama and led the Civil Rights division of the Department of Justice.

Current Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) is term-limited from running for a third term. The popular Republican won both of his elections by comfortable margins (more than 3 points in 2014 and more than 10 points in 2018) despite the state becoming increasingly Democratic. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won the state with more than 60% of the vote in 2016 and Biden won Maryland with 65% of the vote.

Hogan hasnt weighed in on either the Republican or Democratic primaries for governor and hasnt said what his future plans will be. The Maryland governor was rumored to be considering a primary run against former President Donald Trump in 2020, and hasnt ruled out a presidential run in 2024.

Perez joined at least six other Democrats in the rapidly growing Democratic primary. At least two Republican candidates, including Marylands Commerce Secretary Kelly Schulz, announced theyd run in the Republican primary. The primary elections will be held on June 28, 2022.

Support Accountability Journalism

At OpenSecrets.org we offer in-depth, money-in-politics stories in the public interest. Whether youre reading about 2020 presidential fundraising, conflicts of interest or dark money influence, we produce this content with a small, but dedicated team. Every donation we receive from users like you goes directly into promoting high-quality data analysis and investigative journalism that you can trust. Please support our work and keep this resource free. Thank you.

Original post:
Tom Perez's Maryland run could put fundraising at the forefront of the race - Center for Responsive Politics

Jack Burgess| Correspondent

President Bidens recent meeting with Russias Putin was an apparent success.Bidens an experienced leader, and he puts America first, not personal gain or ego. Our nation does best when we focusas Bill Clinton said, like a laser, on the economy. In 1992 Clinton defeated incumbent President G.H.W. Bushwhod led us into war in Iraqwhile unable to keep his promise of no new taxes. Clinton got re-elected in 96, even as Republicans smeared him with impeachment over his private life, mainly because real wages were going up for everybody, includingfor the only time since the 60s---lower-income groups.

Republicans, whove saddled themselves with the philosophy of mostly helping the wealthy, with tax cuts and deregulation, have trouble winning majorities because of that, and the unemployment and poorer government services that result. Most voters know that tax cuts are not generally good for working folks. So, Republican strategists have often used the Southern strategy, developed by Nixon, to scare ordinary white folks into believing people of color and foreigners are taking over our country.

Going back to the 1940s, Republicans have often tried to scare folks with communism and socialism.They blamed Democratic President Truman for losing China to communism, and for the Korean War.

Republican Eisenhower steered clear of sending troops to Vietnam, but Kennedy did send a small force, and Johnson sent 500,000 Americans in a losing battle to convince the poor people of S.E. Asia theyd be better off on our side than Chinas. We know how that ended, with over 50, 000 Americans killed, and Vietnam becoming communist,---though ironically theyre now a significant trading partner.

And even though Johnsons Great Society programs were generally successful, Democrats lost the 68 election to Nixon, mainly because of the disastrous Vietnam War.

Wars are often popular at their beginnings.Both Bushes got a big political lift from their attacks on Iraq.But Bush Sr.s war ended a bit too soon for his 92 election.His sons invasion and occupation of Iraq, looking for the fictional weapons of mass destruction, lasted long enough to get him past Sen. Kerry, whod been unfortunately for his political status on both sides of the Vietnam War.Kerry was reviled as a flip-flopper, and it was all over.

Forward to 2008.Democrats had a choice between two firsts a black man, and a woman.Obamas natural assets were partly why he edged out Hillary Clinton.But so was the fact that he seemed less warlike on foreign policy.Obama admitted Americas role in overthrowing the government of Iran in 1953, which spiraled our relationship with that nation into endless conflict.Hillary, as Sec. of State, pushed for overthrowing Gadhafi in Libya and Assad in Syria, and she lost the sizeable peace vote in the Democratic primaries of 08. She never regained that vote in losing to Trump in 16, who took the stance that we should get along with Russia.

He was right about that. Russia has never attacked America, though we invaded them in 1917, trying to put down their budding revolution.Weve also pushed NATO ever closer to Russias borders, in spite of Reagans promise to Gorbechev that we wouldnt. Russia is defending Crimea-Ukraine, with its only warm-water port, even as we blockaded Cuba in 1962. Russia is a smaller country than us in population and economically, but they have more nuclear weapons. Enough to blow up the world, and us with it. So Trump and Biden are both right that we need to get along. Putin seems to agree, though he may well have sanctioned the hacking of our cyber networks. In fairness, our spies are everywhere, too, and it would be nave to think we dont try to interfere in their internal affairs.

So, lets hope President Biden and the Democrats stay focused on building America back, better, as they promised. While were at it, we could invest more in cyber security, but not more bombs or more wars.

Jack Burgess is a retired teacher of American & Global Studies, and a member of Veterans For Peace.

Original post:
Burgess: Democrats right to focus on economy, not Russia and China - Chillicothe Gazette