monitoring Trump and relevant contemporary events

Just 4% of companies boosted hiring because of tax cuts

If you thought you’d heard the last of Judge Roy Moore, you’d be wrong.


The former Alabama Supreme Court Justice whose U.S. Senate bid famously flamed out amidst accusations from multiple women of sexual misconduct isn’t done in politics.

Moore and his wife Kayla are co-signatories on a letter released Monday by the Conservative Action Project that takes aim at House Democrats’ top messaging bill for this Congress, H.R. 1. The letter’s signatories include a number of top conservative activists — including some in President Trump’s close orbit.

Signatories of the letter include Citizens United head David Bossie, a top outside adviser to President Trump, as well as American Conservative Union head Matt Schlapp, another informal Trump adviser whose wife Mercedes is the White House director of strategic communications.

When asked for comment Schlapp directed TPM to Ian Walters, the American Conservative Union’s spokesman, who said the group had agreed to sign on because it agreed with the letter’s substance.

“We were not involved in the process of accumulating co-signers. Although we stand by our support of the letter, we purposely did not ever endorse Roy Moore in his run for the Senate,” he said in an email. “When ACU signs onto coalition letters like this one, we do so because we agree with the substance of the letter itself. We can’t control who else agrees with our point of view on a letter with multiple signers.”

Bossie didn’t reply to a request for comment.

The rest of the signatory list is a who’s who of conservative activists: Former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese, Club for Growth head David McIntosh, Susan B. Anthony List head Marjorie Dannenfelser, Americans for Tax Reform head Grover Norquist,Family Research Council head Tony Perkins and former Heritage Foundation head and South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint are all on the letter as posted on the group’s website, along with more than 100 others.

Another interesting co-signer: Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX), whose career was derailed by an ethics scandal.

The Democrats’ bill focuses heavily on government and election reforms with an aim to expand voting rights, curtain the influence of major donors in the political process, and strengthen government ethics rules. Adam Bozzi of the liberal End Citizens United flagged the letter to TPM, and took a shot at the signatories.

“These groups associating with Roy Moore show there are no limits to the depth they will sink to in order to keep the system rigged. Instead of holding hands they should distance themselves from him,” he said.

A call to Alfred Regnery, the chairman of the Conservative Action Project, wasn’t immediately returned. A dozen other signatories to the letter didn’t answer phone calls or immediately reply to emails asking if they’d known that the Moores would be included on the letter and whether they would have signed on if they did know.

Moore has denied all allegations against him.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Monday on "Hannity" that though he has defended Special Counsel Robert Mueller in the past, the raid on Roger Stone's home was indefensible.

Christie said that, if the Mueller team knew Stone owned no weapons and had not posed a threat, then there was "no reason" for the show of force Mueller ordered the FBI to display in Fort Lauderdale on Friday.

"There's no reason except to intimidate... [Stone]," Christie, a Republican from Mendham, said.

Anti-government demonstrators in Honduras have clashed with riot police during protest marking the first anniversary of the inauguration of President Juan Orlando Hernández.

Thousands of people took the streets in the capital, Tegucigalpa, and across the country, demanding his resignation.

Mr Hernández, a conservative pro-US politician, won re-election in 2017 by a narrow margin.

The opposition has accused him of electoral fraud.

"There are people who have been gassed and beaten," said the opposition leader and former President, Manuel Zelaya.

"Like wasps, we have launched a wave of escalating protests that will end in a national strike until this dictatorship falls."

Mr Hernández, who is widely known by his initials, JOH, has repeatedly denied allegations of irregularities.

He defeated the popular television presenter, Salvador Nasralla, by 1.53 percentage points.

Mr Hernández stood for office after the Supreme Court controversially lifted a constitutional ban on re-election.

The opposition contested the electoral process and challenged his victory.

But the result was confirmed by the Honduran electoral court almost a month after the vote, following a partial recount.

During Sunday's protests Mr Hernández was at a Catholic youth meeting hosted by Pope Francis in Panama.

He met the Pope and asked him to include Honduras in his prayers.

Honduras is one of Latin America's poorest countries and has one of the world's highest murder rates.

Thousands, escaping poverty and gang-related violence, have joined the latest migrant caravans heading towards the United States southern border.

Lock em all up.

A senior judge has resigned from one of the UN’s international courts in The Hague citing “shocking” political interference from the White House and Turkey.

Christoph Flügge, a German judge, claimed the US had threatened judges after moves were made to examine the conduct of US soldiers in Afghanistan.

North Korea is “unlikely to give up” its nuclear stockpiles and Iran is not actively trying to make a bomb, according to a new intelligence assessment.

The findings are a direct contradiction of two top tenets of President Trump’s foreign policy.

U.S. Intelligence Chiefs Contradict Trump on North Korea and Iran

Iran is not actively trying to make a bomb,

New York Gov. Cuomo ends death penalty except for babies

Triggered Muslims see “allah” in Arabic on sole of Nike Airmax, demand recall

Child marriage, sex slavery, wife beating, stoning, rape, killing for “allah” – all ok. But this is an outrage in the mind of a Muslim.