(CNN)As impeachment hearings play out on Capitol Hill, Iowans on both sides of the political spectrum see the inquiry as a boost to their party's chances of winning the general election next November, according to a new CNN/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll. That sentiment is stronger among registered Republicans who do not plan to attend the Democratic caucuses, with 60% saying the impeachment inquiry is more likely to make it easier than harder (26%) for President Donald Trump to win re-election. Among likely Democratic caucusgoers, 45% say the inquiry would make it easier for the Democratic nominee to win in 2020 compared to 24% who believe it will make it harder. The share of those who say they are not sure what impact the inquiry will have is roughly the same across both voter groups. For their part, likely Democratic caucusgoers are more likely to report following the impeachment proceedings than are registered Republicans. Nearly seven-in-10 likely Democratic caucusgoers say … [Read more...] about Members of both parties see impeachment as a political winner in 2020, new Iowa poll finds
Us politics
‘Medicare for All’ looks like a political loser for Democrats
Washington (CNN)The fault lines in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary are clear when it comes to health care. On one side are Sens. Bernie Sanders (Vermont) and Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts) who support "Medicare for All," a proposal that would eliminate the private health care industry totally and replace it with a government-run system. On the other side are former Vice President Joe Biden and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, both of whom have said the best course of action is to improve upon the current law of the land -- the Affordable Care Act -- rather than undergo a(nother) wholesale change in the health care delivery system. According to a new analysis of the 2018 midterm election results by Emory University Political Science professor Alan Abramowitz, Democrats who supported "Medicare for All" in the 60 closest House elections did significantly worse than those who did not. In the districts Abramowitz examined -- places President Donald Trump won in 2016 by less than … [Read more...] about ‘Medicare for All’ looks like a political loser for Democrats
Bay Area political events: Public watch parties for impeachment hearings, Democratic presidential debate
Upcoming political events in the Bay Area: TUESDAY Impeachment hearings screening: Screening of the House Intelligence Committee’s public impeachment hearings into President Trump. Free. 7 a.m., Manny’s, 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here. Russian political interference: Russia expert Alina Polyakova discusses the state of policy options to address disinformation, analyze Russian intentions and highlight emerging threats to the 2020 elections. Free. Noon, William J. Perry Conference Room, 616 Serra Mall, second floor, Stanford University. More information is here. WEDNESDAY Impeachment hearings screening: Screening of the House Intelligence Committee’s public impeachment hearings into President Trump. Free. 7 a.m., Manny’s, 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here. Politics of housing: A discussion of how state and local politics shape the housing crisis. Panelists include Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, Oakland City Councilman … [Read more...] about Bay Area political events: Public watch parties for impeachment hearings, Democratic presidential debate
Lawmakers say FBI may have been warned of Steele’s ‘political motivations’ before Trump aide surveillance
close Video Christopher Steele's anti-Trump dossier under new scrutiny after release of Mueller report Calls to investigate the origins of special counsel Robert Mueller's probe are getting louder; analysis from John Yoo and Harry Litman, former deputy assistant attorneys general. Top Republican lawmakers demanded answers Friday on whether the FBI was warned of anti-Trump dossier author Christopher Steele’s "political motivations" before the bureau applied for a surveillance warrant against a Trump campaign aide based in part on that document. In a pair of letters to FBI Director Christopher Wray and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Sens. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa., cited newly revealed notes that a State Department official took during a meeting with Steele in October 2016, just 10 days before the first warrant application and a month before the presidential election. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, … [Read more...] about Lawmakers say FBI may have been warned of Steele’s ‘political motivations’ before Trump aide surveillance
Private Prison Exec Pursues Federal Cash, Spends at Trump Hotel
A senior executive of the GEO Group—the nation’s largest private prison and immigrant detention company—who lobbied the Trump administration for a multimillion-dollar cash infusion has also been staying in the luxurious Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C., billing an unknown sum to his corporate expense account, according to previously unreported records unearthed by the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), a non-profit watchdog. The admission by David J. Venturella, GEO’s senior vice president of business development, came in a June 2019 deposition in an ongoing federal court case. The executive’s lobbying has drawn the scrutiny of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), a frontrunner for the Democratic 2020 presidential ticket. It was aimed at winning federal reimbursement for the company’s hefty legal bills in lawsuits accusing it of human trafficking and forcing immigrant detainees to work with little or no compensation. Venturella … [Read more...] about Private Prison Exec Pursues Federal Cash, Spends at Trump Hotel
