Thursday, November 30

Tag: elections and campaigns

Joe Manchin continues to flirt with becoming an independent
Politics

Joe Manchin continues to flirt with becoming an independent

CNN  —  Sen. Joe Manchin, the moderate West Virginia Democrat who has yet to decide whether to run for reelection next year or mount a long-shot third party bid for the White House, said Thursday that he’s “thinking seriously” about becoming an independent. Manchin has long flirted with the idea of leaving the Democratic Party, something he reiterated on Hoppy Kercheval’s radio show on Thursday, saying he’s “absolutely” considering it. If Manchin became an independent and caucused with Democrats, the chamber would still have a 51-49 Democratic majority. If he decided not to caucus with Democrats, he would lose his chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, so he’s unlikely...
Inside McCarthy’s sudden warming to a Biden impeachment inquiry
Politics

Inside McCarthy’s sudden warming to a Biden impeachment inquiry

CNN  —  Speaker Kevin McCarthy in recent weeks has heard similar advice from both a senior House Republican and an influential conservative lawyer: prioritize the impeachment of President Joe Biden over a member of his Cabinet. Part of the thinking, according to multiple sources familiar with the internal discussions, is that if House Republicans are going to expend precious resources on the politically tricky task of an impeachment, they might as well go after their highest target as opposed to the attorney general or secretary of homeland security. And McCarthy – who sources said has also been consulting with former House GOP Speaker Newt Gingrich on the issue – has warmed up to an idea that has l...
Trump’s indictment divides 2024 Republican hopefuls
Politics

Trump’s indictment divides 2024 Republican hopefuls

CNN  —  Republican presidential candidates Vivek Ramaswamy and Asa Hutchinson Sunday articulated vastly different plans for how they’d approach the federal indictment against former President Donald Trump should either capture the White House in 2024. Contenders for the GOP nomination are grappling with how to strike the right tone on Trump, seen as the GOP front-runner to take on President Joe Biden next year, as they look to build their support among Republican primary voters. Trump is facing his first federal indictment for retention of classified documents and conspiracy with a top aide to hide them from the government and his own attorneys – a total of 37 counts. He’s expected to appear in cour...
Takeaways and key lines from the indictment against Donald Trump
Politics

Takeaways and key lines from the indictment against Donald Trump

CNN  —  The historic indictment and related court documents against former President Donald Trump have been unsealed. The criminal charges stem from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation into hush money payments, made during the 2016 presidential campaign, to women who claimed they had extramarital affairs with Trump, which he denies. Trump “repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election,” according to the charging documents. Each criminal charge Trump is facing relates to a specific entry among the business records of the Trump...
Why there are more Republican women in Congress than ever before
Politics

Why there are more Republican women in Congress than ever before

CNN  —  Lori Chavez-DeRemer sat in the gallery of the House nearly two decades ago with her mom and her twin daughters – tourists peering down at lawmakers on the floor of the chamber. “I’d really love to be here someday,” the Oregon Republican recalled telling her mother, who encouraged her to think about a run. She’d recently been elected to her city council, but she had her doubts. “I said, ‘Everybody on the floor there probably has a law degree. I’m a stay-at-home mom.’” But Chavez-DeRemer flipped a Democratic seat in November, helping Republicans win a narrow House majority. She is now among a record 42 Republican women in Congress and one of the first two Latino members of Congress from Orego...
Donald Trump is at his weakest political position in years
Politics

Donald Trump is at his weakest political position in years

CNN  —  Former President Donald Trump is giving it another go. He announced last week that he’s trying to become only the second man (after Grover Cleveland) to be elected to non-consecutive terms as US president. Trump’s move comes at a time when his political brand is at its weakest point since his first presidential bid in 2015-2016. He does remain a force to be reckoned with in GOP circles, and the news that the Justice Department has appointed a special counsel to oversee investigations related to the former president could elicit a rally-around-Trump effect among Republicans. Nevertheless, it’s clear his power within the party has diminished following the 2022 midterm elections. The easi...
Malaysia’s 15th general election, explained: Floods, climate change and years of political instability
Politics

Malaysia’s 15th general election, explained: Floods, climate change and years of political instability

CNN  —  Malaysians will head to the polls on Saturday to vote for a new government following years of political turmoil. Three prime ministers have governed the Southeast Asian country since a febrile election with a record turnout was fought four years ago on the key issue of corruption. This time around, the economy – and the rising cost of living – is likely to be the key battleground. Meanwhile, climate change has become a potential disruptor following weeks of torrential downpours and flooding that has hindered campaigning across roughly half of the country. More heavy rain is predicted on polling day and could reduce voter turnout, but officials say the election will go on – rain ...
Donald Trump is no Grover Cleveland
Politics

Donald Trump is no Grover Cleveland

A version of this story appears in CNN’s What Matters newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here. CNN  —  Former President Donald Trump wants to do a full Grover Cleveland and match the only US president to lose a presidential election and then rise from the ashes to regain the White House four years later. Other examples of former presidents trying to regain power have gone poorly. Theodore Roosevelt’s progressive rebellion split open a schism in the GOP; neither Herbert Hoover nor Martin Van Buren could get the Republican nomination after previous losses. So if Trump does indeed announce his third White House run, he’ll be trying to emulate Cleveland, who won, lost and then w...
Opinion: The US must free itself of political delusions about the border
Politics

Opinion: The US must free itself of political delusions about the border

Editor’s Note: Michelle García is the author of a forthcoming non-fiction book about the US-Mexico border. She is the 2021 winner of the American Mosaic Journalism Prize and the Covering Climate Now Award. She tweets @pistoleraprod. The opinions expressed in this commentary are her own. View more opinion on CNN. CNN  —  During the recent political hysteria surrounding the US-Mexico border, I took a stroll around my new neighborhood in South Texas, near the Rio Grande. It was a nice day – not too hot or humid. Govs. Ron DeSantis of Florida and Greg Abbott of Texas were using people as political billboards by sending people released by border agents to ci...
Live updates: US midterm election and early voting news
Politics

Live updates: US midterm election and early voting news

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams debate each other in Atlanta on Sunday. Ben Gray/AP Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams faced off in their second and final gubernatorial debate Sunday night, with a little more than a week to go before Election Day amid record high early voting. They sparred over the state’s economy, abortion rights and, in a sign of the race’s national implications, whose party should be blamed for the country’s woes. Kemp has led in most polling of the race, but Abrams – who came within a few thousand votes of pushing their 2018 race to a run-off – has a strong base of support a...