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Having managed to secure at least a partial transcript of a call between President Trump and Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff seems to think he’s on a roll. After learning that the White House had been keeping records of the President’s various phone calls with other world leaders under tight security, Schiff is now thinking about demanding some more of them as part of the ongoing impeachment hearings. What’s not been made clear is the reason he might offer for the request, or what he suspects he will find. (Reuters) The chairman of the U.S. House...

The number of states where liberals outnumber conservatives has dropped more than 30 percent, with just six now in that category: Massachusetts, Hawaii, Vermont, Washington, New York, and New Hampshire. According to the latest Gallup survey, in every other state but California, where conservatives and liberals split 29 percent to 29 percent, conservatives lead. Nationally, those who identify themselves conservative hold a nine-point lead. Before conservatives start to cheer, Gallup said the gap used to be 21 points and a handful of the state numbers fall in the margin of error. But the survey still shows a large swath of...

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows that 52% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Forty-seven percent (47%) disapprove. Trump's highest level of approval since shortly after his inauguration. The latest figures include 39% who Strongly Approve of the job Trump is doing and 39% who Strongly Disapprove

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has appointed fellow Republican Rep. Martha McSally to the Senate, he announced Tuesday, picking a favorite of GOP leaders to fill the seat John McCain held for decades. McSally, who lost a close race for Arizona’s other Senate seat this year, will succeed Sen. Jon Kyl (R). Kyl will step down at the end of the year following a brief time in McCain’s seat after McCain’s death in August. “With her experience and long record of service, Martha is uniquely qualified to step up and fight for Arizona’s interests in the U.S. Senate. I thank her...

BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgian police fired tear gas and water cannons at yellow-vested protesters calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Charles Michel after they tried to breach a riot barricade, as the movement that started in France made its mark Saturday in Belgium and the Netherlands. Protesters in Brussels threw paving stones, road signs, fireworks, flares and other objects at police blocking their entry to an area where Michel’s offices, other government buildings and the parliament are located. Brussels police spokeswoman Ilse Van de Keere said that around 400 protesters were gathered in the area. About 100 were detained,...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rebuffed a challenge by three conservation groups to the authority of President Donald Trump’s administration to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, a victory for Trump who has made the wall a centerpiece of his hardline immigration policies. The justices’ declined to hear the groups’ appeal of a ruling by a federal judge in California rejecting their claims that the administration had pursued border wall projects without complying with applicable environmental laws. The groups are the Center for Biological Diversity, the Animal Legal Defense Fund and Defenders of Wildlife. Their...

For some time now, the advance guard of the caravan has been sheltered in the Tijuana sports complex, where officials have been providing them with food and basic medical attention as best they can. That came to an end this weekend. While officials in Tijuana had said that they didn’t plan to forcibly move anyone, they are now shipping the migrants to a concert venue ten miles further from the border. Apparently, the conditions inside the stadium had become too grim to bear. (Washington Times) The conditions inside that stadium definitely sound grim. It doesn’t help that the venue had...

Macron on the Brink: Water Cannon, Tear Gas, and Stun Grenades as ‘Yellow Jackets’ Storm Security Cordons(Full Title) Riot police have deployed water cannon, tear gas, and stun grenades against protesters on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, France, as the “Yellow Jackets” stage their third major rally against President Emmanuel Macron’s “green” tax hikes on fuel. The clashes on the famous avenue leading to Napoleon Bonaparte’s iconic Arc de Triomphe come as Macron is in Argentina for the G20, threatening to disrupt a planned trade deal between the European Union and South America’s Mercosur bloc over a disagreement with Brazil’s new...

President Trump on Wednesday threatened to declassify documents related to the Russia investigation that he claimed would be damaging to Democrats if they decide to investigate him when they take control of the House next year. Trump's comments, made in an interview with The New York Post, come two months after he walked back his original plans to declassify and publicly release the documents as a result of concerns from U.S. allies and his own Justice Department. “If they want to play tough, I will do it,” Trump told the Post. “They will see how devastating those pages are.” He...

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Wednesday suggested the central bank could be close to slowing down the pace of its recent interest rate increases, saying rates are now just slightly below what he considers a “neutral” level. His comments marked a sharp change from his position last month, when he said the Fed still had a “long way” to go before it reached that equilibrium. U.S. stock markets soared on Powell’s comments, as he appeared to signal that the Fed would not move forward aggressively to raise rates much further than it already has. Still, by saying rates were...

The breaking down of Paul Manafort’s plea deal has dealt a blow to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. A witness to the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between Jared Kushner, Donald Trump Jr., and a Russian lawyer predicated on damaging information about then-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, Manafort was seen as a valuable potential witness in Mueller’s investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow. The decision to call him out as a liar effectively takes his testimony off the table, removing a valuable asset for the government. It comes after a lengthy trial where prosecutors won guilty...

You supposedly won’t have Brenda Snipes to kick around anymore. The subject of one of the more famous “Florida Woman” stories of late is reported to have resigned her position as Broward County Election Supervisor, taking effect in January. After numerous, spectacular failures in processing election results over the years, Saturday’s debacle of submitting their recount results two minutes after the deadline had passed was apparently a bridge too far and Ms. Snipes is stepping down. (Washington Times) Taking a page from the playbook of disgraced public officials around the country, Snipes reportedly wants to “spend more time with her...

PARIS (Reuters) - Thousands gathered on motorways across France on Saturday to protest against higher fuel taxes and President Emmanuel Macron’s economic policies, in a campaign of road blockades in which one protester was accidentally killed and dozens were injured. Dubbed the “yellow vests”, protesters took to motorway sliproads and tunnel entrances, causing major back-ups at some highway tolls and blocking access to airports, including in Toulouse. The demonstrations, coordinated on social media, and born out of a backlash against rising fuel prices, are the latest confrontation between Macron and dissatisfied voters who view the former investment banker as out...

TMZ broke some stunning news late this afternoon that Stormy Daniels attorney Michael Avenatti was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence. According to TMZ, Avenatti’s estranged wife filed a felony domestic violence report and her face was “swollen and bruised”: We’re told during today’s confrontation the woman ran out of the apartment building and was on the sidewalk on her cellphone with sunglasses covering her eyes, screaming on the phone, “I can’t believe you did this to me.” We’re told security brought her inside the building and Michael showed up 5 minutes later, ran into the building, chasing after her....

Angela Merkel is on her way out as Chancellor of Germany, whether it be at the end of her term (she’s not running again) or through being forced out sooner. But that doesn’t mean that she’s going quietly into that good night. Following some rather acerbic remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron about the European Union needing to be able to stand up to the United States, Merkel chimed in this week with a wonderful plan of her own, no matter how offensive it may sound. She suggested that the EU needs their own standing army so they can be...

House Democrats plan to probe every aspect of President Trump’s life and work, from family business dealings to the Space Force to his tax returns to possible "leverage" by Russia, top Democrats tell us. What they're saying: One senior Democratic source said the new majority, which takes power in January, is preparing a "subpoena cannon," like an arena T-shirt cannon. Show less Based on our reporting and other public sources, Axios' Zach Basu has assembled a list of at least 85 potential Trump-related investigation and subpoena targets for the new majority. (See the list.) Incoming House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff...

Is this the real life … or is this just fantasy? One thing’s for sure — we’re not caught in a landslide either way in Florida. The final release from GOP pollster Trafalgar in the Sunshine State shows Gov. Rick Scott edging out to a lead of almost two points against incumbent Democrat Sen. Bill Nelson. The poll also puts Ron DeSantis back on top over Andrew Gillum in the gubernatorial race by an even wider margin: Breaking: Our FINAL @trafalgar_group Florida #Midterm #poll conducted 11/4-5 shows: Governor@RonDeSantisFL 50%@AndrewGillum 46.6% Other 1.4% Und. 2.1% US Senate@FLGovScott 49%@NelsonForSenate 47.3% Und. 3.7%#FLsen...

If Joe Manchin loses in West Virginia, that will be one mountain-mama of a story. RealClearPolitics now assesses the race as a toss-up, moving it out of the Leans Democrat yesterday as part of its Election Eve final calls. That would be perhaps the most stunning upset of the night, not because of West Virginia’s voting character but because of Manchin’s storied record as a political survivor: Democratic incumbent senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia is in the fight of his political life, as his race against Republican Patrick Morrisey was changed to “toss up” on the eve of the...

James pulling the upset in Trump-friendly Michigan is a longer shot than Bob Menendez losing in Trump-hostile New Jersey. I wouldn’t wager on it even with someone else’s money. But I’m throwing this goofy poll at you anyway because: 1) It’s Election Day eve and goofy outliers are fun, like a suspiciously large present under the Christmas tree. What’s in that box? Probably it’s just a pair of socks placed in an oversized container as a gag gift. In fact, that’s definitely what it is. But there’s just enough doubt to create a bit of suspense. 2) I like James...

State auditor and Republican Senate nominee Matt Rosendale has taken an 11th-hour lead in Montana over Democrat Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), surging ahead of the Democrat in the wake of President Donald Trump’s latest rally there on Saturday. A Change Research poll released late Sunday evening shows Rosendale, at 49 percent, leading Tester’s 46 percent. Libertarian Rick Breckenridge, who dropped out last week and endorsed Rosendale’s campaign saying a Rosendale win is better for the liberty cause than a Tester win, got three percent in this survey. Tester only leads 51-38 among independents, and that's probably not enough for him...