Just Ask The Question Newsletter - 2.29.24
Happy Leap Day! Will Trump really jail reporters if he gets back in power?
Welcome back to the Just Ask the Question newsletter where we share insights on the White House and politics in general through podcast interviews, original articles and commentary.
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Good riddance to Mitch McConnell
The guy who made Donald Trump possible falls to Donald Trump
Senator Mitch McConnell, the political Louisville Lip is finally giving up his spot as the top Senate Republican.
It is a blessing and a curse as Tony Shalhoub would say in “Monk."
It is a blessing because we won’t have Mitch to kick around anymore. His divisive politics have created a rancor unparalleled in American politics until we saw Newt Gingrich and then Donald Trump arrive on the scene. Neither of them would be possible without McConnell and there is no doubt McConnell understands that. “Believe me, I know the politics within my party at this particular time,” McConnell said in a speech on the Senate floor as he announced to the world his pending retreat from the political stage. “I have many faults. Misunderstanding politics is not one of them.”
I agree with the “many faults” portion of that statement. And he does know the low art of politics.
The curse is that whoever follows McConnell could be worse than him. John Thune, John Barrasso, and John Cornyn are all thought to be prospective successors…
Do we even care?
Aaron Bushnell's startling sacrifice is a wake up call for all of us
When did our species become self-aware and what was the first abstract thought by a human being?
Was it a thought of love as a mother held her baby? Was it someone standing on an African plain at night and staring up the sky wondering “Who am I? Why am I here?”
Perhaps it was the mother with a child who wondered why her mate was standing out in the middle of the night staring at the stars while they starved. “How did I get stuck with this guy?” could be the first abstract thoughts of humanity.
I am haunted by these considerations as I examine humanity in its current state of disarray.
As I write, there are major wars ongoing in Ukraine, Gaza and there are now or have been in the last few years conflicts in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Somalia, Libya, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Colombia, and Mali.
In the United States we average a mass shooting almost every day.
Meanwhile, some of us are worried about drag queen shows.
Behind all of these struggles lies the inevitable question: “Why are we here?” Or, maybe, “How did we get stuck with these guys?”
To some it is all about money and power…
EP: 250 - Just Ask the Press - Hamas, Ukraine and 'Genocide Joe'?
This week on Just ask the Press: Hamas, Ukraine, the accusations of "Genocide Joe" and Donald Tramp does some bad, racist, standup rants. Plus; Will Trump really jail reporters if he gets back in office?
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Joe Biden gives the media a desperately needed lesson about Donald Trump
The most disturbing thing I’ve ever heard a president say did not come from Donald Trump.
It came from Joe Biden. Speaking with reporters in California on Thursday, the president said this about Donald Trump. “Two of your former colleagues not at the same network personally told me if he wins, they will have to leave the country because he’s threatened to put them in jail,” Biden told Katie Couric. “He embraces political violence,” Biden said of Trump “No president since the Civil War has done that. Embrace it. Encourages it.”
Perhaps I should have been shocked at the revelation that Trump, should he return to power, would jail reporters. I wasn’t of course. I had to fight him (and beat him) three times in court during his first administration to keep my White House press pass. I had already privately heard Trump’s threats. It was just disturbing to hear Joe Biden confirm it publicly.
I have already been jailed four times trying to defend my First Amendment rights when I covered a criminal case in Texas years ago. I spent a total of about two weeks in jail for that and do not want to repeat my experience. I am not alone. There are at least a dozen reporters in this country who’ve done the same thing: gone to jail to protect their rights. We call ourselves the First Jailbirds Club…
EP: 249 - Patrick Stone - Long Live Rock - Be it dead or alive!?
This week on Just Ask the Question: Lead singer of 'Budderside' joins us to talk beating addiction, Modern Rock N' Roll, the music industry, touring with Slayer and Motörhead, and what he thinks will become of Rock in the future.
Armed with elements of every vital decade of hard rock history, Modern rock ’n’ roll outfit BUDDERSIDE deliver high-energy hard rock anthems. All this and much more on this weeks episode of JATQ.
WATCH THE FULL VIDEO ON OUR YOUTUBE!
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Data suggests Biden or Trump may struggle with Congress in second term
Recent second-term presidents were 30 percent less successful with House
ANALYSIS — No matter who wins their expected rematch, President Joe Biden and Donald Trump should not expect much from Congress during a second term as far as legislation goes.
CQ Roll Call data suggests both Biden and Trump would struggle to shepherd bills through both chambers, and especially the House. Despite that history, lawmakers from both parties expressed optimism that no matter which candidate is sworn in on Jan. 20, 2025, Congress would be able to work with him on meaningful legislation.
A presidential election rematch between the 45th and 46th chief executives would likely deliver more than a bitterly contested race — it would ensure a second-term chief executive takes office next January. CQ Roll Call Vote Studies data tracking the support presidents get on legislation showed most recent two-term commanders in chief — Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama — all were less successful in their second four years than during their first terms.
The last four second-term presidents were, on average, 30 percent less successful on House votes. George W. Bush was 41.4 percent less successful with House members during his second term, followed by Obama at 38.1 percent. Clinton and Reagan came in at 20.6 percent and 20.1 percent less successful, respectively…
Will Alexei Navalny's death finally break Trump's hold on evangelicals?
The Russian dissident's apparent murder may yet lead a handful of the Trump faithful back to sanity
They are drunk with power and mad for revenge. Thanks to Donald Trump, they are destroying a century’s worth of progress in the name of Christ — while embracing his antithesis.
Or, if you prefer Barry Goldwater, whom many MAGA members embrace today without knowing it, “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.” That kind of deviltry nearly consumed America on several occasions in our past, but those who dwell in reality know the worst devils are the people who exploit such naïve ideals for their own benefit: Donald Trump.
Yet Trump remains nothing more than a con man — a would-be emperor with no clothes. According to Charlie Daniels, the devil had a fiddle of gold. All Donald Trump can muster are gold-colored sneakers that cost $400 up front — with the promise of getting them delivered in July. Don’t hold your breath.
The lyrics tell us the devil went down to Georgia looking for a soul to steal. He probably found it easier there because, as the AP reported this week, there is a legislative proposal that would require school libraries in that state to notify parents of every book their child checks out…
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Thank you for highlighting trumps desire to jail journalists and anyone who opposes him. How on earth the msm can still be enabling this criminal is beyond belief.