4 left-leaning states up for grabs in 2020, Trump campaign manager says

Brad Parscale, the campaign manager for President Trump’s 2020 campaign, said on Sunday that he believes states that normally vote Democrat could be flipped, according to recent data.
Parscale told CBS’ “Face the Nation” that New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada and Colorado could be up for grabs. He said the campaign also understands the importance of maintaining support in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Florida.
“In every single metric we’re looking at being bigger, better and badder than we were in 2016. But this time we’re not out there trying to prove we can do something. The president’s proved he has done it, and now we just have to deliver what he’s done,” he said.
CBS News pointed out that Hillary Clinton won New Mexico by over 8 points and Colorado by 5. The other states were closer.
There is no clear Democrat who will win the nomination, which could be a drawn-out drubbing for the likes of Sen. Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden and others.
Larry J. Sabato, the director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics and Kyle Konik, who manages the center’s office in Washington co-authored an op-ed in The Washington Post last week titled, “It’s Easy to See How Trump Can Win Reelecton.” The piece points out that Trump is not a shoo-in, but has a solid base and benefits from a strong economy.
“Credit the powers of incumbency and a strong economy, the state of which may matter more to Trump’s odds than nearly anything else,” they wrote. “Incumbency and the economy, among other matters, ended up being more than enough for Nixon, Reagan and Bush. Despite Trump’s unprecedented outlandishness, that same combination might work for him, too.”

AOC accuses Kellyanne Conway of trying to 'stoke suspicion' about her faith

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.  accused Kellyanne Conway Sunday of attempting to "stoke suspicion" regarding the freshman lawmaker's religion after the White House adviser questioned why she didn't comment on the Sri Lankan terrorist attacks on Easter Sunday.
In a back-and-forth exchange on Twitter, Ocasio-Cortez asked why Conway would note that she didn't tweet about the bombings, which left more than 250 people dead.
"Are you trying to imply that I am less Christian? What was the point of you bringing this up on national TV?" the lawmaker asked, alongside a jab about how she was visiting her grandmother in Puerto Rico, "which continues to suffer from the White House's incompetent disaster response."
Ocasio-Cortez called the Sri Lanka attack "horrifying," and called out Conway for "using this as an excuse to stoke suspicion around my Christianity + faith life."
"No one should be targeted for their religion," she tweeted. "If you’re so moved, let’s do more to welcome immigrants fleeing religious persecution."
Conway initially questioned the widespread use of the term "Easter Worshippers" among politicians who expressed their condolences, including former President Obama and Hillary Clinton. Ocasio-Cortez said, "Saying ‘Easter worshippers’ matters bc Easter is the holiest day of the year for Christians, & to be targeted on Easter highlights how heinous the attack was - just as saying yesterday’s #SanDiego shooting was on Passover.
In her response, Conway said it was "good" that Ocasio-Cortez condemned the attacks, as she "found it odd a prolific tweeter was silent" on the topic. The Trump confidante said that both women agree on the idea that places of worship should remain unharmed.
At least 253 people, several of whom were American citizens, were killed and more than 500 others were injured after a series of explosions struck three churches and three luxury hotels just outside of Sri Lanka's capital on Easter. The attacks were among the worst since the South Asian country’s 26-year civil war ended in 2009, according to local officials.

Chicago prosecutor Kim Foxx subpoenaed over Jussie Smollett case: report

Chicago’s top prosecutor, Kim Foxx, has been subpoenaed Friday over her handling of the Jussie Smollett case, according to The Chicago-Sun Times.
Foxx, Cook County’s state’s attorney, will have to appear in court after a retired appellate judge, Sheila O’Brien, filed a petition last week for a special prosecutor to probe the Smollett case, in which a 16-count indictment against the “Empire” actor was dropped last month.
Foxx’s top deputy, Joseph Magats, was also subpoenaed, and another document requested that Smollett appears at the hearing, the report said.
O’Brien requested Foxx, Magats, and Smollett produce original documents in the criminal case to assure the public “that they have not been altered or destroyed and will not be destroyed throughout this case,” the Sun-Times reports.
The petition for a special prosecutor claimed Foxx’s handling of the case was “plagued with irregularity.”
O’Brien argues that Foxx, who informally recused herself from the case due to contact she had with a relative of Smollett’s during the investigation, should have appointed a special prosecutor.
“Foxx’s conflict in this matter is beyond dispute,” O’Brien wrote, “instead, Foxx misled the public into believing that Smollett’s case was handled like any other prosecution and without influence.”
Smollett told police he was attacked on Jan. 29 around 2 a.m. as he was returning home from a sandwich shop in Chicago. He said two masked men shouted racial and anti-gay slurs, poured bleach on him, beat him and tied a rope around his neck. He claimed they shouted, “This is MAGA country” — a reference to President Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan.
After an intense investigation, police said Smollett staged the entire incident to drum up publicity for his career.
Barnini Chakraborty contributed to this report.

New York Times apologizes again for 'offensive' Trump, Netanyahu cartoon that 'included anti-Semitic tropes'

The New York Times Opinion section issued a second apology Sunday over a cartoon of President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu which was called offensive because of "anti-Semitic tropes."
"We are deeply sorry for the publication of an anti-Semitic political cartoon last Thursday in the print edition of The New York Times that circulates outside of the United States, and we are committed to making sure nothing like this happens again," the opinion section tweeted Sunday.
"Such imagery is always dangerous, and at a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise worldwide, it's all the more unacceptable," continued the apology, which was widely shared on Twitter.
The new apology said that the decision to run the syndicated cartoon was made by a single editor working without adequate oversight.
The cartoon showed Trump wearing a pair of sunglasses and being led by a dog depicted as Netanyahu. The dog had a Star of David collar. The cartoon appeared in the paper’s opinion section next to a column penned by Thomas Friedman.
The political cartoon was criticized globally by numerous social media users, who said the Times' first statement was inadequate.
The original apology read, “A political cartoon in the international print edition of The New York Times on Thursday included anti-Semitic tropes, depicting the prime minister of Israel as a guide dog with a Star of David collar leading the president of the United States, shown wearing a skullcap. The image was offensive, and it was an error of judgment to publish it. It was provided by The New York Times News Service and Syndicate, which has since deleted it.”
In an op-ed published online Sunday evening, Times columnist Bret Stephens took his employer to task, writing that the cartoon "in another age, might have been published in the pages of Der Stürmer," a virulently anti-Semitic tabloid published during Germany's Nazi regime.
"The problem with the cartoon isn’t that its publication was a willful act of anti-Semitism. It wasn’t," Stephens wrote. "The problem is that its publication was an astonishing act of ignorance of anti-Semitism .... at a publication that is otherwise hyper-alert to nearly every conceivable expression of prejudice, from mansplaining to racial microaggressions to transphobia."
Stephens added that the Times owed Netanyahu an apology and should reflect on "how it came to publish that cartoon — and how its publication came, to many longtime readers, as a shock but not a surprise."

Jussie Smollett Cartoons

John Hickenlooper forgets what 'GDP' stands for: 'Gross demographic product'

Smoking to much weed ?

Former Colorado Governor and 2020 hopeful John Hickenlooper forgot what "GDP" - gross domestic product - stood for while he answered a question at a labor conference on Saturday.
"Our gross, whatever that stands for, demographic product," he told a woman at the "National Forum on Wages and Working People."
He was discussing child care and lamented how the U.S. should be able to spend less of its GDP on health care. "You know, I should know that. I can't even remember," he added, in reference to the term's meaning.
The event, organized by the Service Employees Union International and Center for American Progress, hosted many Democratic candidates and sought to "provide an opportunity for thought leaders to go beyond talking points and share concrete plans to rebalance our economy and democracy."
Hickenlooper's comments came just a day after the Commerce Department posted a GDP rate of 3.2 percent, something the president celebrated with a tweet on Friday.
"This is far above expectations or projections. Importantly, inflation VERY LOW. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" he tweeted.
Before the 2020 election, Republicans have pointed to Trump's economic success while comparing him to the Democratic field of candidates. Along with low unemployment during his administration, GDP unexpectedly reached 4.1 percent in the second quarter of 2018.
Economic issues will likely be a large part of the 2020 election cycle as more progressive candidates like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., propose large government programs like "Medicare-for-all." The Trump administration has resisted those types of initiatives and focused on encouraging economic growth through policies like tax cuts.
Hickenlooper consistently lagged behind his fellow 2020 candidates, receiving between 0 and 1 percent of support in multiple polls from April.

2020 contender Kamala Harris calls for ban of 'right to work' laws

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., indicated on Saturday that she would use the "bully pulpit" to fight "right-to-work" laws, describing them as an attack on workers' rights.
"The barriers to organized labor being able to organize and strike are something that have grown over a period of time," the 2020 presidential hopeful said while speaking at the National Forum on Wages and Working People.
At the event, Harris emphasized the bully pulpit and executive authority to fight for workers' rights and specifically mentioned right-to-work laws.
"It has to be about, for example, banning right-to-work laws," she said.
The event, organized by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the Center for American Progress, sought to "provide an opportunity for thought leaders to go beyond talking points and share concrete plans to rebalance our economy and democracy," according to its website.
Harris' comments came after years of states like Michigan and Virginia debating controversial right-to-work laws — which would allow workers to exempt themselves from joining a union or paying its fees — as well as last year's Supreme Court decision, in Janus v. AFSCME, which said mandatory public union fees violated the First Amendment.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., a fellow 2020 contender, also said in April that he would work to ban right-to-work laws, which exist in 26 states.
Either could face off against President Trump, whom many saw as a more appealing candidate for workers and labor unions given his stances on immigration and trade.
Trump has praised the Janus decision, describing it as a "Big loss for the coffers of the Democrats!"
And during his 2016 campaign, Trump supported right-to-work legislation
"We've had great support from [union] workers, the people that work, the real workers, but I love the right to work," he said. "I like it better because it is lower. It is better for the people," he added.

Trump slams Jussie Smollett case as a 'disgrace to our nation' during Wisconsin rally

President Donald Trump derided actor Jussie Smollett as "third rate" during a Wisconsin rally on Saturday and called his legal trouble — in which he allegedly lied about Trump supporters attacking him in a hate crime — a "disgrace to our nation."
"That case in Chicago is a disgrace to our nation," he said, after defending his supporters. "He said 'I was beaten up by MAGA country.' Can you believe it?" Trump said, referring to Smollett during a rally in Green Bay.
"Turned out to be a total lie," he added.
Smollett's case ignited a media firestorm after the “Empire” actor, who is gay and black, said his alleged attackers yelled, "This is MAGA country."
A grand jury indicted him on 16 charges for allegedly lying about the attack but State's Attorney Kim Foxx controversially dropped the charges. Foxx's decision provoked widespread criticism and appeared to prompt some of her staff to resign.
Smollett became the target of a civil lawsuit in April as the city's law enforcement demanded payment, potentially above $130,000, to cover the costs of their investigation into his alleged attack.
His alleged assailants, brothers Abel and Ola Osundairo, also filed a defamation suit against Smollett's attorneys for continuing to accuse them of perpetrating a homophobic and racist attack.
On Saturday, thousands, including some who stayed the night and waited in the cold just to be first in the door, attended the “Make America Great Again” rally.
"There's no place I'd rather be than right here in America's heartland," Trump told the audience Saturday. "Is there any place that's more fun than a Trump rally?"

"There's no place I'd rather be than right here in America's heartland. Is there any place that's more fun than a Trump rally?"
— President Trump

The event occurred on the same night as the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, which Trump skipped for the third year in a row.
His speech came just hours after a tragic shooting that left one dead and several others injured at a synagogue in California.
"Our entire nation mourns the loss of life," Trump said, before noting that his administration "forcefully" condemned anti-Semitism.
In 2016, Trump won Wisconsin -- often considered a swing state with strong labor interests -- with just a slim 1 percent margin over former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. According to a statewide survey released in April, Trump has maintained nearly 50 percent of the state's support during his third year in office.
While 52 percent of registered voters disapproved of his job performance, 46 percent approved, the Marquette Law School survey found.
Trump's rally came just after he saw a 3.2 percent GDP report and Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report that expressed concerns about obstruction of justice but made no formal accusations of that or "collusion" with Russia.
But as the 2020 election cycle ramped up, Trump seemed to face heightened criticism from Democratic presidential candidates and politicians who continued pressing his administration on the issue – and, in some cases, calling for impeachment proceedings.
During his speech, Trump took aim at his 2020 rivals Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. - whom he referred to as "Crazy Bernie," "Sleepy Joe," and "Pocahontas." He also derided Democrats, whom he said had never been angrier, for putting all their hopes in what he called the "collusion delusion," a reference to speculation surrounding the Mueller investigation.
Some in the Democratic field have also attacked Trump's policies and, as Biden did, the president's character. Before the rally, Sanders ran an ad in the Green Bay Press-Gazette, accusing the president of lying to Wisconsin workers. Sanders, in the front page ad, portrayed himself as someone who would end "corporate greed" in the state.
Trump also defended his economic record and touted efforts on trade, promising that factories would return to the country and indicating that he wouldn't settle for an unfair deal with China. America, Trump said, was the "piggybank" that people kept taking advantage of on trade.
He also blasted Democrats as extreme, pointing out their positions on late-term abortion, the "Green New Deal" and other economic policies, and immigration. Democrats, Trump argued, would bring the country economic and financial "ruin."
The Republican Party, Trump said, was the party of all Americans while Democrats were the party of hoaxes and late-term abortion, among other things.
The president also spoke on the migration crisis in which thousands flooded the U.S.-Mexico border and created a thorny situation in which the administration could no longer hold some detainees. After vowing to build the southern border wall, he accused Democrats of preferring "open borders" which, he said, would bring "tremendous crime" and inflame the drug crisis.