Senior Political Correspondent
@TheHill
covering 2024/third party. Board of Directors, Cosmic Writers. Co-creating my dream life with God! htrudo
@thehill
.com
✨Some professional news that's been in the works for a few months!✨
So excited to announce I'm joining the exceptional team at
@thehill
as a senior political correspondent, where I'll help create a new beat focused on progressive politics in the Biden White House and Congress!
New and notable: Jill Biden is traveling to El Paso, Dallas, and Houston on Tuesday, the latest indication that
@JoeBiden
’s campaign sees a reasonable path to victory in the state
NEW:
@JoeBiden
w/ a stmt on Trump ending Covid talks:
“Make no mistake: if you are out of work, if your business is closed, if your child’s school is shut down, if you are seeing layoffs in your community, Donald Trump decided today that none of that—none of it—matters to him.”
News:
@JohnKasich
says on CNN there's a prominent congressman that is going to come out for
@JoeBiden
tomorrow, in reference to a question from Wolf Blitzer about working with Republicans.
Declined to say who it was.
"I'm the guy who ran against a socialist," Biden says about
@BernieSanders
Biden keeps throwing Bernie under the bus. Meanwhile, Bernie campaigned for him over the weekend and hosted an event for him today in Michigan
I must say, it's a bit odd
New:
@JoeBiden
will speak tomorrow in Delaware on “how Trump’s failure to address COVID-19 is impacting students, educators, and children,” per the campaign
Scoop:
@ewarren
has been in contact with
@AndrewGillum
in recent months, according to multiple sources familiar, who said the talks resemble the kind of courtship that happens when a leading presidential candidate is exploring potential VP contenders.
NEW: After we reported silence from nearly a dozen prominent women’s groups on Tara Reade’s allegation against
@JoeBiden
, Planned Parenthood’s president released a statement: “we believe survivors—and saying we believe survivors doesn't mean only when it's politically convenient”
New: We contacted 10 top women’s groups about the Tara Reade allegation against
@JoeBiden
, including Emily’s List, Planned Parenthood Action Fund & NARAL Pro-Choice America, among others.
None provided comment.
w/
@scottbix
New:
@BernieSanders
’ 2020 campaign in New Hampshire announces it surpassed the 2016 record for doors knocked. (Context: more than a door a second or 69 doors per minute)
New:
@JoeBiden
is expected to say today during his speech, in part, “This president long ago forfeited any moral leadership in this country. He can’t stop the violence – because for years he has fomented it.”
Excerpt released by the campaign
NEW from George W. Bush alumni group: "Welcome to the ticket, Kamala Harris. Joe Biden has proven once again that he will make decisions that are in the best interest of the American people. Senator Harris will be a role model for America's children. She will be a great MVP"
Re:
@AOC
raising more than $3M for Texas. This is a moral imperative. Progressives are leading on every major issue (think back to immediate aftermath post-Jan. 6). It’s not a matter of ideology, it’s out of a deep sense of purpose for country
The progressive wing of the party quite literally flipped its most consequential swing state.
Hard to see how this doesn’t change Dems’ “electability” calculus moving forward
.
@JoeBiden
has already started making good on his promise to staff his administration in a way that looks like the country. He is building a highly diverse team at major levels of government
NEW:
@JoeBiden
's campaign is forming a Public Health Advisory Committee.
The division will "provide science-based, expert advice regarding steps the campaign should take to minimize health risks for the candidate, staff, and supporters"
New:
@JoeBiden
in a lengthy statement for World Press Freedom Day says "I will restore a relationship with the independent press that is grounded in mutual respect, even — and especially when — they critique policies or positions of my administration." 1/2
Whoa- this seems notable.
@JoeBiden
on court packing says: “You will know my opinion on court-packing when the election is over.”
The Supreme Court is on the minds of many and people are voting now. He needs to answer
New:
@RepJayapal
tells me the eviction moratorium extension would NOT have been possible without
@CoriBush
's direct protest outside for days
"It would not have been possible to get to this result without Rep. Bush's action," Jayapal says
Centrists often make the argument that progressives win in deep blue “safe” districts, which is accurate/nothing wrong with pointing out.
But this was very much the opposite of that — statewide PA — and Fetterman explicitly ran as an economic populist
Scooplet:
@JoeBiden
's campaign has bought the URL to troll Trump
The homepage opens to a “Not Found” greeting with the adjoining message: “The Trump plan to defeat the coronavirus and reopen safely does not exist.”
During the Obama admin, folks thought we’d have a 60 Dem majority for a while. It lasted 4 months.
Dems are burning precious time & impact negotiating w/GOP who won’t even vote for a Jan 6 commission. McConnell’s plan is to run out the clock.
It’s a hustle. We need to move now.
Khizr Khan, a gold star father, says "when Donald Trump calls anyone who places their lives in service of others a 'loser,' we understand Trump’s soul. By his accounting, self sacrifice doesn’t make sense.”
“His life is a testament to selfishness," he says.
New:
@ewarren
made major news on
@JoeBiden
's virtual fundraiser tonight, where I was your trusty pooler.
The event was sold out & brought in $6 million, the most successful fundraiser the Biden Victory Fund has ever had.
“Like shit!!” someone yells out at
@BernieSanders
town hall when Michael Moore asks, rhetorically, how does it feel to be in student debt until age 50?
To be clear,
@JoeBiden
campaigned on being a union guy. But this statement (in the unsaid context of Amazon, particularly) goes further than any other president I can recall in many years
New from
@BernieSanders
: a push to abolish the filibuster
“Congress must pass legislation that codifies Roe v. Wade as the law of the land in this country NOW. And if there aren’t 60 votes in the Senate to do it, and there are not, we must end the filibuster to pass it…”
New: I had hours of talks this week w/ lifelong Republican women in suburbs
Kristen, a mom of 4 near Dallas, locked herself in her daughter's bedroom to talk to me about why she's abandoning Trump
She didn't want her husband to hear. And she's not alone
News:
@JoeBiden
sees Iowa in play. Former second lady Jill Biden will travel there with Doug Emhoff,
@KamalaHarris
' husband, on Sept. 26, the campaign says
🚨Scoop:
@AndrewYang
sent a letter to
@DNC
Chairman
@TomPerez
asking him to commission 4 early-state polls before Jan. 10 to encourage more diversity at the next debate.
Just a stunning statement from, again, Biden surrogate John Kasich: "The Democrats have to make it clear to the far-left that they almost cost him this election."
SCOOP:
@staceyabrams
has talked with close allies about running for Georgia governor in 2022, three people with knowledge of her aspirations tell The Daily Beast
She believes she can make a difference in the trending-blue state
w/ on the record talks:
New: The Washington Post's editorial board calls on
@JoeBiden
to address the Tara Reade allegation directly.
"TARA READE deserves to be heard, and voters deserve to hear her. They deserve to hear from Joe Biden, too," it starts
NEW: Some of
@BernieSanders
' top former aides and allies are fuming that
@JoeBiden
keeps bragging that he beat a "socialist" in the primary.
“It’s foolish and arrogant,” said a former senior Sanders aide. “And more importantly, absolutely unnecessary.”
In a letter to GOP state leg leaders, an election official warns 100K PA voters could be disenfranchised b/c of a ruling rejecting naked ballots. It "set PA up to be the subject of significant post-election legal controversy, the likes of which we have not seen since FL in 2000."
Walking to Trader Joe’s for my weekly grocery run, a woman decides to make an unnecessary/rude comment about my legs, which are totally fine and strong as hell. This is such a hard time for people right now, please be kind to each other
NEW:
@JoeBiden
stmt on Meadows’ comment this AM: “Mark Meadows stunningly admitted this morning that the administration has given up on even trying to control this pandemic, that they've given up on their basic duty to protect the American people.”
Not to beat a dead horse, but I get in fights w/ people about this often & I think it's important.
If you have discounted
@BernieSanders
bid for much of the election, you probably don't know any people who support him. That's on you. Engage with more people. It won't kill you.
.
@PeteButtigieg
just causally said: “I can see my twitter mentions blowing up right now.” As a young presidential candidate, he naturally connects with the way many other young people talk.
#CNNTownHall
Abortion as a closing pitch was always going to be a really risky proposition. But up against the economy? It makes it look almost fringe. Of course many people will disagree with this, but the cost of gas is *extremely* important to nearly everyone, abortion is simply not
There are around 13 people here for Tulsi’s early morning Des Moines stop. She said “values of service over self” is what she wants to bring back to the White House, referencing her national guard background.
Kasich is just on an extended several-minute rant ripping socialism.
As we reported, progressives are ready to push Biden immediately. They were anticipating this:
Scoop: In a recording we obtained exclusively, a person conducting training calls for
@BernieSanders
' campaign instructed a volunteer to tell voters in NH, incorrectly, that he is the only 2020er who supports M4A.
Then the volunteer asked about
@ewarren
:
Scoop: The White House is privately assembling a left-wing brain trust, building on weeks of early talks & courtship with top progressives
The goal, described by chief of staff
@RonaldKlain
, is to make them a permanent part of the policy-making process
New: The news that
@ewarren
would not disavow that new super PAC mystified—and even infuriated—aides & allies to former 2020ers who dropped out over cash concerns, with several using the phrase hypocrisy.
First w/
@HunterMw
One prominent women’s political group cited a scheduling conflict and asked to be kept “in mind for other opportunities!” When pressed if the following day would work better, an associate said it would not, citing another scheduling conflict.
New from
@AOC
on pathway to citizenship for TPS holders:
"Congress has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to establish pathways to citizenship and finally provide these individuals — along with Dreamers, farm workers, and essential workers — the stability they deserve."
.
@PPact
’s President
@alexismcgill
continues: “Our country is hungry for leadership on this issue & now is the time to give it to them.
@JoeBiden
must address this allegation directly.”
On Feb. 25 I reported that
@BernieSanders
was preparing to release his tax returns, which he confirmed during a
@CNN
town hall. To date he hasn't released them.
A Dem consultant unaffiliated with any campaign now tells me
@TomPerez
&
@DNC
need to "make it a requirement" for 2020
NEW:
@CoriBush
is not backing down
I talked to the freshman progressive about the insurrection, top priorities in Congress & pushing Dems (including the Biden admin) to the left
My profile, w/ quotes from
@AyannaPressley
,
@Ilhan
,
@MondaireJones
& others
SCOOP with
@swin24
: Despite projecting outward confidence, Trump has repeatedly been asking top advisers about how
@BernieSanders
is polling and would likely perform in critical battleground states *including Pennsylvania* in 2020
Interesting development from Fetterman. Can he be the Dem to get Biden to change his stance on legalizing marijuana?
He plans on discussing w/ the president in PA
Many have pushed him on this. Policy is widely popular (nationally). And he’s seen his approval go up lately
New:
@BernieSanders
doesn't just want to win on Super Tuesday. He wants to beat two rivals in their home states.
How Sanders has tightened the race in Amy Klobuchar's Minnesota and Elizabeth Warren's Massachusetts:
Final thought about the DNC after being in Delaware for 4 days. I’m really grateful for all the heath provisions that were in place through the event. Mandatory testing, temp checks, hand sanitizer, even N95 masks. It made traveling a little less scary during such an anxious time
I would encourage people to watch the entire hour-plus long conversation with
@JoeBiden
from tonight before jumping on the 10-15% thing out of context. It was a thoughtful conversation that touched on a lot.
New: Biden's approval rating hits the lowest point within his own party, dipping 11 points w/ Dems according to a new Gallup poll
Among RVs, he's now at 37 percent
Scoop: I asked
@WhipClyburn
if
@BernieSanders
tried to actively court his influential endorsement, before he tossed his support behind
@JoeBiden
.
He told me he did not:
So Biden is coughing and hacking and playing “fingers” with his mask, all over the place, and the Fake News doesn’t want to even think about discussing it. “Journalism” has reached the all time low in history. Sadly, Lamestream knows this and doesn’t even care!
As results continue to come in,
@JoeBiden
&
@KamalaHarris
"received a briefing from their public health team on the ongoing crisis of COVID-19," per pool.
More: "Biden and Harris will also receive an economic briefing, the Biden official says"
NEW:
@JoeBiden
stmt on terrorism plot against Gretchen Whitmer
"There is a throughline from President Trump’s dog whistles and tolerance of hate, vengeance, and lawlessness to plots such as this one. He is giving oxygen to the bigotry and hate we see on the march in our country"