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Cheney Blasts House Republicans Who Demanded Criminal Probe Of Her

Cheney Blasts House Republicans Who Demanded Criminal Probe Of Her

In a report released by House Republicans Tuesday, the conservative lawmakers call for former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) to be investigated over here involvement the January 6 House Oversight Committee, The Hill reports.

Per The Hill, the GOP leaders are "accusing her of witness tampering by being in touch with star witness Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide."

Cheney — a staunch critic of President-elect Donald Trump — begs to differ.

"January 6th showed Donald Trump for who is really is – a cruel and vindictive man who allowed violent attacks to continue against our Capitol and law enforcement officers while he watched television and refused for hours to instruct his supporters to stand down and leave," the former GOP lawmaker said in a statement, according to The Hill.

Cheney continued, "Chairman [Barry] Loudermilk’s (R-GA) 'Interim Report' intentionally disregards the truth and the Select Committee’s tremendous weight of evidence, and instead fabricates lies and defamatory allegations in an attempt to cover up what Donald Trump did. Their allegations do not reflect a review of the actual evidence, and are a malicious and cowardly assault on the truth. No reputable lawyer, legislator or judge would take this seriously."

Hutchinson, The Hill notes, "was previously represented by another lawyer before changing representation and ultimately agreeing to testify before the panel in a blockbuster hearing."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Prodded By GOP Senator, Trump Rejects RFK Jr. Daughter-In-Law For CIA Post

Prodded By GOP Senator, Trump Rejects RFK Jr. Daughter-In-Law For CIA Post

Robert F. Kennedy Jr's daughter-in-law and ex-undercover Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operative Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, was top of Donald Trump's list to become the agency's next director — until Monday.

The Washington Post's John Hudson reported via X that Donald Trump dropped his "consideration of RFK Jr.'s daughter-in-law for No. 2 job at CIA following campaign by Sen. Tom Cotton who lobbied Susie Wiles and others to oppose her."

Hudson noted that while "Cotton, one of the most hawkish senators, opposed her over counterterrorism issues," the ex-Trump pick has a "different" story.

The national security reporter posted a screenshot from his own Post report, which reads:

'A person close to Cotton said the senator's concerns pertained to comments Fox Kennedy made years ago to Al Jazeera noting the importance of understanding America's adversaries. 'The only real way to disarm your enemy is to listen to them,' Fox Kennedy told the news network. Cotton likened such remarks as sympathizing with terrorists, this person said.

Fox Kennedy has told others that the process of establishing commonalities with adversaries is a foundation of CIA's field tradecraft training, and that those efforts to recruit enemies as information sources are not sympathizing but at the core of basic spy craft, according to a person familiar with her private conversations.

Although Fox Kennedy — who's married to RFK Jr.'s son, Bobby Kennedy III — will no longer be considered for the deputy director position, "Trump has told others that he wanted a national security position for Fox Kennedy and that the CIA post was not the only option, said people familiar with the matter who suspect she is likely to be tapped for a position at the White House National Security Council or within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

'Public Health In Jeopardy': 75 Nobel Laureates Urge Senate To Reject RFK Jr

'Public Health In Jeopardy': 75 Nobel Laureates Urge Senate To Reject RFK Jr

A group of over 75 Nobel laureates on Monday submitted a letter to the US Senate, according to The New York Times, urging lawmakers to reject President-Elect Donald Trump's Department of Health and Human Services lead nominee: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Per the report, Richard Roberts, who won the 1993 Nobel in Physiology or Medicine said the group of laureates typically shies away from politics, but Kennedy's nomination called for a change in protocol.

Roberts told the Times that the letter "marks the first time in recent memory that Nobel laureates have banded together against" a president-elect's Cabinet pick.

"Placing Mr. Kennedy in charge of DHHS would put the public’s health in jeopardy and undermine America’s global leadership in the health sciences," the letter reads.

"The leader of DHHS should continue to nurture and improve — not to threaten — these important and highly respected institutions and their employees," it continued.

When Kennedy was nominated last month, Georgetown University’s O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law director Lawrence Gostin told TIME, "I can’t think of a darker day for public health and science itself than the election of Donald Trump and the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of health."

He added, "To say that RFK Jr. is unqualified is a considerable understatement. The minimum qualification for being the head of the Department of Health and Human Services is fidelity to science and scientific evidence, and he spent his entire career fomenting distrust in public health and undermining science at every step of the way."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Hegseth Nomination Failing As GOP Senators Start To Back Away

Hegseth Nomination Failing As GOP Senators Start To Back Away

As sexual assault allegations pile up against Donald Trump defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, Republican lawmakers are questioning whether the Fox News host will make it through the confirmation process.

CNN's Manu Raju reported via X: "New on Pete Hegseth’s tough road to confirmation. [Senator] Joni Ernst (R-IA), a victim of sexual assault, plans to have a 'really frank and thorough conversation' with Hegseth amid misconduct allegations."

Raju continued, "Roger Wicker, incoming chairman, told me of the whistleblower report detailed in the New Yorker article about his time running veterans group: 'I’m sure I’ll see it.'"

The New Yorker published a bombshell report Monday revealing that in addition to the sexual assault allegations against him, Hegseth is allegedly known to have been drunk "on the job" on several occasions.

Additionally, the CNN reporter noted that [Senator] Susan Collins (R-ME) says the FBI should investigate the Hegseth allegations," while "several" Republicans are "uncertain they can back" the Fox News host.

In opposition to his colleagues, Senator Kevin Cramer said earlier today that "standards have 'evolved' since the last Defense nominee was voted down in 1989," adding, "I'm interested in who Pete Hegseth is today."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Hegseth Confronted Over Alleged 'Alcohol Problem' On Capitol Hill

Hegseth Confronted Over Alleged 'Alcohol Problem' On Capitol Hill

Donald Trump's defense secretary nominee, Fox News host Pete Hegseth, already faced sexual assault allegations on top of his lack of experience within the Department of Defense. But on Sunday, The New Yorker published a bombshell report containing more allegations against the MAGA pick.

In the past, the potential DOD secretary is said to have been "repeatedly intoxicated on the job," according to the report.

Confronted by a swarm of reporters during his visit to Capitol Hill Monday, Hegseth — while walking with security — was asked by one reporter, "Do you have an alcohol problem?"

The Fox News host ignored the question.

In her report published by the New Yorker, journalist Jane Mayer wrote, "A trail of documents, corroborated by the accounts of former colleagues" reveals that "at one point, Hegseth had to be restrained while drunk from joining the dancers on the stage of a Louisiana strip club, where he had brought his team."

Mayer also interviewed Senate Armed Services Committee senior member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), who spoke to Hegseth's alleged alcohol problems.

"Much as we might be sympathetic to people with continuing alcohol problems, they shouldn't be at the top of our national-security structure," the Connecticut lawmaker said. "It's dangerous."

Watch the video below or at this link.

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Republican Senator Displays GOP's Truly Abject Submission To Trump

Republican Senator Displays GOP's Truly Abject Submission To Trump

Despite Donald Trump's lengthy list of Cabinet nomination announcements less than one month after his White House win, the president-elect's transition team has yet to agree to FBI background checks on the MAGA picks.

Nominees like Fox News host Pete Hegseth and conspiracy theorist Kash Patel are broiled in controversy, as Hegseth faces piling sexual assault and alcohol abuse allegations, and Patel has promised to punish members of the media and any Trump enemy in government.

Still, some Republican leaders don't think FBI checks are necessary at all.

On Monday, the Washington Post's Liz Goodwin reported via X: "Sen [Michael] Crapo (R-ID) on whether nominees should get a full FBI background check: 'My position is what President Trump decides to do is what I will support.'"

HuffPost White House correspondent S.V. Dáte replied: "If He says the kool-aid is excellent, then it is excellent and I shall drink it all."

Bobby Kogan, senior director of policy at American Progress, commented: "imagine saying this out loud"

Former Republican Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) added: "It. Is. A. Cult."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

'Enjoy Your Cheap Avocados': Trump Vows Big Tariffs On Mexico And Canada

'Enjoy Your Cheap Avocados': Trump Vows Big Tariffs On Mexico And Canada

President-elect Donald Trump announced via social media on Monday that he will enforce tariffs on goods imported from Canada, Mexico, and China.

"On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders," the MAGA leader wrote via his Truth Social website. "This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country! Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem. We hereby demand that they use this power, and until such time that they do, it is time for them to pay a very big price!"

He continued, "I have had many talks with China about the massive amounts of drugs, in particular Fentanyl, being sent into the United States - But to no avail. Representatives of China told me that they would institute their maximum penalty, that of death, for any drug dealers caught doing this but, unfortunately, they never followed through, and drugs are pouring into our Country, mostly through Mexico, at levels never seen before. Until such time as they stop, we will be charging China an additional 10% Tariff, above any additional Tariffs, on all of their many products coming into the United States of America. Thank you for your attention to this matter."

Several political and economic experts slammed the president-elect's announcement.

Adam Isacson replied: "Using the same logic, Mexico and Canada could impose tariffs on US goods until we get serious about: - Reducing US demand for illicit drugs - Stopping cross-border trafficking of guns easily purchased in US shops - Curtailing money-laundering in US banks, real estate, etc."

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) said: "Donald Trump’s first act as president will be to intentionally *raise* prices for the American people."

Economist and University of Los Angeles law professor Kimberly Clausing commented: "Policy by tweet is something we once again brace for. But the uncertainty and chaos are just part of the economic damage that these policies bring. Canada and Mexico are our largest trading partners, and these huge tariffs will raise prices for consumers."

Boston College political science assistant professor Masha Krupenkin replied: "Enjoy your cheap avocados and electronics while you can."


Trump Will Nominate Florida Crony Pam Bondi As Attorney General

Trump Will Nominate Florida Crony Pam Bondi As Attorney General

Less than 24 hours after former Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration for Attorney General, President-Elect Donald Trump announced Gaetz's replacement for the nomination.

"I am proud to announce former Attorney General of the Great State of Florida, Pam Bondi, as our next Attorney General of the United States," Trump wrote via Truth Social.

A slew of legal experts and journalists quickly reacted to the news, many criticizing the president-elect's choice.

Rochester Institute of Technology law professor David Cay Johnston commented: "Pam Bondi, Trump's new AG pick, is so corrupt. She took an illegal $25,000 campaign donation from the Trump Foundation. Bondi kept the money (!!!), given when -- as Florida AG -- she shut down her office's investigation of the utterly fraudulent Trump University."

Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell added: "Hi America. If you want to understand why Donald Trump likes Pam Bondi, know this: Complaints were filed about Trump U. in with attorneys general in two states. - NY's AG pursued and got a $25 million settlement - Trump gave Bondi $25k, and she did nothing."

Journalist Ken Klippenstein wrote: "Trump's new pick for AG, Pam Bondi, was a registered lobbyist for the government of Qatar"

Human Rights Campaign national press secretary Brandon Wolf replied: Two days after my best friends and 47 others were murdered at Pulse Nightclub, Pam Bondi tried to paint herself as a friend to the community. She hoped we’d forget that, just TWO years earlier, she said our freedom to marry would cause 'significant public harm.' We didn’t."

New York's Suffolk Young Democrats Chair Skyler Johnson commented: "Trump makes sure to point out that she was the first female Attorney General of Florida. I’m sorry - I thought acknowledging such things was an unforgivable sin, and proof someone was selected because of DEI? Are the rules different now?"

Reprinted with permission from AlterNet

'Complete Fraud' RFK Jr. Caught Chomping McDonald's Burger With Trump

'Complete Fraud' RFK Jr. Caught Chomping McDonald's Burger With Trump

Donald Trump and a few of his allies were called out Sunday, in a jab at the president-elect’s health department nominee, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Policy expert Eric Feigl-Ding wrote via X: “Not exactly MAHA—Eating high processed McDonalds burgers and large fries + full sugar Coke.”

The post included a photo of Trump, Donald Trump Jr., billionaire Elon Musk, and RFK Jr., eating McDonalds on a private jet.

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Tulsi Gabbard

Furor Over Trump Choosing 'Russian Spy' Gabbard As Intel Chief

Donald Trump chose former Democratic-turned-MAGA Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to be director of national intelligence under his second administration, according to CNN.

The president-elect wrote in a statement, "For over two decades, Tulsi has fought for our Country and the Freedoms of all Americans. As a former Candidate for the Democrat Presidential Nomination, she has broad support in both Parties – She is now a proud Republican! I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community, championing our Constitutional Rights, and securing Peace through Strength. Tulsi will make us all proud!"

CNN noted that the selection is "sure to set off a major confirmation fight," which quickly became evident as a slew of experts weighed in on social media.

Reporter Eoin Higgins wrote: Tulsi Gabbard may be Trump's pick for director of national intelligence. Gabbard in this position—in any position in this White House—is bad news. I've been writing about her for nearly a decade, she is a dangerous, far-right Islamophobe.

NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study law professor Chase Madar wrote: "Very hard to see Gabbard disciplining the natsec apparatus (per paleo/Weird Right fantasy) in any way other than turning it into a personalist Trumpian political police. She learned a lot growing up in her her dad’s authoritarian Hare Krishna spin-off sect and suddenly has a bigger stage to play on."

Willamette University US history professor Seth Cotlar added: "That clipping sound you heard was all of our global allies cutting the cables that connect to the American intelligence network."

Georgia State University College of Law professor and political scientist Anthony Michael Kreis replied: "Tulsi Gabbard as DNI? There’s not even a pretense of responsibility from Trump. We might as well just sign up to be a Russian client state."

Ex-Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger wrote: "Tulsi Gabbard for DNI, a Russian spy. Brilliant"

Patrick Chovanex, former professor at China's Tsinghua University and Columbia SIPA, added: "Tulsi Gabbard as DNI? We might as well just email Putin all our war plans."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Robert Lighthizer

Trump Could Impose Tariffs On Day One -- Followed By Big Price Hikes

Robert Lighthizer — who served as Donald Trump's U.S. Trade Representative — is on a mission to "convince lawmakers and the public that their plans for dramatically higher tariffs will energize the economy instead of tanking it," Politico reports.

"According to a document viewed by POLITICO," the news outlet notes that Lighthizer "and those close to him are preparing to aggressively sell their plans for massive new tariffs on imports that will go far beyond anything seen" during the president-elect's first term.

Politico reports:

Though no final decisions have been made, Trump could start, as early as Day 1 of his term, to impose tariffs through executive action under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a law that gives the president broad authority to take trade actions. Other tariff actions Trump is expected to take are being explored under laws he used during his first term to impose duties on China and other countries. Those latter options would require months of investigation by federal agencies, people close to Lighthizer caution, and the exact sequencing of actions is still being discussed.

Vox reported earlier this week thatTrump's proposed tariff policy "alone could raise consumer prices by as much as 5.1 percent and could diminish US economic growth by up to 1.4 percent," according to The Budget Lab at Yale.

Still, Vox notes that "the legal arguments in favor of allowing Trump to unilaterally impose high tariffs are surprisingly strong. Several federal laws give the president exceedingly broad power to impose tariffs, and the limits imposed by these statutes are quite vague."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Democrats Pursue 'Tight And Narrow Path' To Controlling House

Democrats Pursue 'Tight And Narrow Path' To Controlling House

Following Donald Trump's win, Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday expressed concern around "their path to retaking the House," according to Semafor.

"The path is there," a Democratic aide told the news outlet." But it's "tight and narrow."

Speaking with Semafor, Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) lamented, "We swung the pendulum too far to the left. We are increasingly becoming the party of the college educated rather than the working class. And as a result, we are paying an electoral price for it. I hope we have a serious reckoning with the results of the election."

However, the new outlet notes, "Regardless of which party takes the House, people on both sides acknowledge whoever is speaker will inherit a slim majority — setting up two more years of frantic struggles to get legislation passed, as Republicans have experienced this year."

One Republican operative told Semafor, "Buckle up," warning "that another two years of narrow control by either party will embolden individual members to take legislative hostages: "Every House member is about to be Joe Manchin.'"

Although Democrats could still declare wins in uncalled races, Semafor reports, "Republicans are still projecting confidence when it comes to holding the House."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

GOP Officials In Wisconsin Town Reject Trump's 'Third World Hell Hole' Slur

GOP Officials In Wisconsin Town Reject Trump's 'Third World Hell Hole' Slur

In September, Donald Trump, JD Vance, and MAGA allies publicly pushed the debunked claim that Haitian migrants in the town of Springfield, Ohio — population 57,910 — are eating people's pets.

According to a Sunday, November 3 Politico report, the former president has recently taken aim at an even smaller town: Whitewater, Wisconsin.

With a population of approximately "15,000 in the southeastern part of the Badger state," Politico reports, "Trump said the price of housing in Whitewater had 'soared,' 'diseases are spreading like wildfire' and 'police can’t handle the surge in crime' after being 'flooded … with an estimated 2,000 migrants from Venezuela and Nicaragua, very tough ones, very tough people in that group.'"

Per the report, "local officials, many of whom are nonpartisan or Republicans, have refuted his characterizations and slammed the former president for rhetoric they say distracts from the real problems they are facing" — repeatedly.

"If Kamala is reelected, your town and every town just like it all across Wisconsin and all across our country — the heartland, the coast, it doesn’t matter — will be transformed into a Third World hell hole,'" the MAGA hopeful emphasized during a rally in the nearby city of Prairie du Chien.

"I mean this in all respect to everyone in their beliefs and where they’re at," Whitewater city manager John Weidl told Politico, "but it’s like regular people wandering around Whitewater. It’s all very normal. And sure, there’s more people who speak Spanish, but we had people who spoke Spanish before."

Another city official, Whitewater police chief Dan Meyer, according to the report, "refuted Trump’s claim that there had been a crime surge in the town. While the influx of about 1,000 migrants has posed challenges to the 24 police officers there, he said, it’s mainly been due to unlicensed drivers and a lack of translators. The immigrant 'population, generally speaking, is no more likely to commit a crime than any other [member of] the existing population we have here,' he said."

Politicoreports:

Trump and his allies first jumped on Whitewater after Meyer and Weidl sent a letter to President Joe Biden last year requesting federal resources to address challenges the city faced due to the quick demographic change. 'None of this information is shared as a means of denigrating or vilifying this group of people,' Meyer wrote, adding: 'In fact, we see great value in the increasing diversity that this group brings to our community.' Days later, the right-wing outlet Breitbart ran an article with the headline 'Biden floods small Wisconsin town with 1,000 migrants.'

Meyer emphasized, "I really think the vast majority of people are supportive' of the immigrant population, and those who aren’t probably haven’t had a whole lot of interactions, or have had a few interactions that weren’t all that positive. But it’s not based on anything other than perception."

27-year-old Keylin Sarahi told Politico that she eventually arrived in Whitewater after fleeing threats of violence in Nicaragua.

"It’s a very peaceful place, very pretty," Sarahi said.

Meyer emphasized, "I really think the vast majority of people are supportive' of the immigrant population, and those who aren’t probably haven’t had a whole lot of interactions, or have had a few interactions that weren’t all that positive. But it’s not based on anything other than perception."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Trump: 'I Don't Mind' If Someone Shoots Reporters At Rally

Trump: 'I Don't Mind' If Someone Shoots Reporters At Rally

During his rally in the critical battleground state of Pennsylvania Sunday, Donald Trump said he wouldn't care if reporters were shot, according to Rolling Stone.

Speaking to a MAGA crowd in the town of Lititz — and "pointing to his far right" — Rolling Stone reports, the GOP nominee said, "I have a piece of [bulletproof] glass over here. And I don’t have a piece of glass there."

He added, "I have this piece of glass here. But all we really have over here is the fake news, right? And, to get me, somebody would have to shoot through the fake news, and I don’t mind that so much. I don’t mind. I don’t mind that."

Trump was pointing to the reporters in front of him as he made the statement.

Journalists and political experts responded to the ex-president's comments immediately.

Vanity Fair contributor Adrian Carrasquillo replied: "Pretty terrible stuff here"

Conservative Bulwark publisher Sarah Longwell added: "Another day, another Trump 'joke' about being cool with someone shooting at the media. It’s all so disgraceful."

Spectrum News national political reporter Taylor Popielarz said: "An example of why a growing number of news crews hire private security when covering Trump campaign events."

The Tennessee Holler founder Justin Kanew wrote: "Can’t wait to hear how they try to semantics and context their way out of this one"

University of North Carolina criminal law professor Carissa Byrne Hessick commented: I’m looking forward to hearing from the anti-anti-Trump crowd why it’s totally fine for a presidential candidate to say he would not mind someone shooting members of the media. My money is on 'this is just Trump’s crass way of criticizing the press' or 'context shows it’s a joke'"

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Elon Musk

Trump Canvassers Spoof GPS To Pretend They're Contacting Voters

Canvassers working for billionaire Elon Musk's pro-Donald Trump America PAC in the battleground states of Arizona and Nevada are "using GPS spoofing to pretend they have knocked on doors when they haven’t," The Guardian exclusively reported Tuesday.

Per the report, "A bootleg how-to-spoof video, made by an America Pac canvasser in Nevada and obtained by the Guardian, shows the apparent ease with which locations can be changed to fake door-knocks, calling into question how many Trump voters have actually been reached by the field operation."

The Guardian's Hugo Lowell notes that "the ramifications for Trump may be far reaching, given America Pac has taken on the bulk of the Trump campaign’s ground game in the battleground states, and the election increasingly appears set to be decided by turnout."

Lowell reports:

In the how-to-spoof video, the canvasser opens up a door-knocking route for America Pac in Nevada – apparently for the benefit of his colleagues – and explains the method he uses to change his location so that it appears as though he is visiting every house he is supposed to.

The canvasser first pulls up the location changer app and zooms in so that the map there mirrors the map on the Campaign Sidekick app that shows the houses supposed to be knocked with orange dots.

He then memorizes the position of the target Trump voter’s house on the Campaign Sidekick app, navigates back to the location changer app, and taps the same house to spoof his location as supposedly being in the driveway.

The politics reporter also notes that the scope of the GPS-spoofing practice is unclear because it is difficult to catch cheaters without cross-referencing data with another tracker. It is also not a problem limited to America Pac; GPS spoofing has been a problem for years and it has become increasingly resource-intensive to catch cheaters.

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Mike Johnson

Speaker Johnson Confronted On CNN For Evading Trump's Latest Vulgarity

During Sunday morning's episode of CNN State of the Union, host Jake Tapper discussed Donald Trump's latest "off the cuff" remark with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), and whether or not it will impact the GOP nominee's campaign with two weeks until Election Day.

Tapper cited that the Associated Press reported, "Donald trump's campaign suggested he would begin previewing his closing arguments Saturday night with Election Day barely two weeks away, but the former president kicked off his rally with a detailed story about Arnold Palmer, at one point, even praising the late legendary golfer's genitalia."

The former president told MAGA fans attending the Saturday, October 19 Pennsylvania rally that when the late golfer, Arnold Palmer, "took the showers with other pros, they came out of there. They said, 'Oh my God. That’s unbelievable.'"

According to The Daily Beast, when he was alive, Palmer was "appalled" by the former president.

Johnson, on the other hand, is not.

"Mr. Speaker, you're crossing all over the country. You're working hard to get Republicans over the line in this election. You're talking about substantive issues. Is this really the closing message you want voters to hear from Donald Trump? Stories about Arnold Palmer's penis?" the CNN host asked the Louisiana lawmaker.

"The headline that I read about the rally in Pennsylvania yesterday was the big question, and it's the one that Kamala Harris has not been able or willing to answer," Johnson replied. "And that is, 'Are you better off now than you were under the Trump administration four years ago?' And no one can answer that question with a yes."

Johnson then proceeded to claim that "everywhere" he travels across the country, people are "fed up and they're fired up about the cost of living that's unaffordable now, rising crime rates everywhere, and the weakness on the world stage, and the wide open border."

Tapper replied, "I'm sure that you think that a policy debate would be better than a personality debate, but if President Biden had gone on stage and spoke about the size of a pro-golfer's penis, I think you would be on this show right now saying you were shocked and appalled and you would suggest it was evidenced of his cognitive decline."

The CNN host added, "I wonder how Trump's remarks — not just the one about Arnold Palmer on his 'manhood' — but everything we've heard from Trump this week, how it fits in with the analysis that The New York Times offered a few days ago. They looked at his speeches from 2015 and 2016, and looked at his speeches today, and said, 'With the passage of time, the 78-year-old former president's speeches have grown darker, harsher, longer, angrier, less focused, more profane, and increasingly fixated on the past.'"

"I know you want to talk about policy and I respect that," Tapper continued, "but the reason that Donald Trump is not up ten points is because of comments like that one, where people do have concerns about his fitness, his acuity, and his stability. Why is he talking about Arnold Palmer's penis in front of Pennsylvania voters?"

The GOP leader replied, "Jake, you seem to like that line a lot."

Tapper interrupted, saying, "Let me just say something. I don't want to be talking about this. Donald Trump is out there saying it."

Johnson shot back, "You continue to talk about it."

"Because you won't address it," Tapper replied.

The speaker then said, "I'll address it. Don't say it again. We don't have to say it. I get it. When President Trump is at a rally, sometimes he'll speak for two straight hours. You're questioning his stamina, his mental acuity. Joe Biden couldn't do that for five minutes. He couldn't fill the room. Donald Trump does. You know why? Because they see him as a change agent, and they understand he has a record of performance."

Watch the video below or at this link.

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Elon Musk

Trump Donors Fret Over Campaign's 'Small GOTV Presence' In Battlegrounds

With 19 days until Election Day, Donald Trump allies are concerned that X owner Elon Musk's efforts to "boost turnout" for the ex-president are "failing in critical battleground states," according to an exclusive Wednesday Rolling Stone report.

Three sources tell the publication that some of the former president's allies have told Trump directly that some Republicans "partly blame the group’s lead strategists, who are linked to the failed 2024 primary run of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis."

One Republican operative told Rolling Stone, "We were upfront about our concerns," and showed the outlet "a screenshot of written communications further corroborating that these sentiments were conveyed to Trump himself."

Furthermore, "This source adds that they relayed to Trump that they have been in touch 'constantly' with conservative activists and other top Republicans based in key swing states, and few of them have had any positive comments lately about the Musk-supportedAmerica PAC’s impact in their respective states. Some say they are seeing a relatively small GOTV presence on the ground, despite the Super PAC’s massive spending to boost Trump — $75 million since Joe Biden withdrew from the Democratic ticket in July."

Rolling Stone notes that "some of the private airing of grievances in Trumpworld revolve around the fact that the Super PAC still appears to be building its field operation," as some GOP consultants and donors tell the publication "that America PAC still had open postings for canvassers on its website."

One MAGA donor asked, "Why isn’t the army already in place?”

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.