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Senator Jon Kyl Could Potentially Sway GOP Kavanaugh Victory

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The late U.S. Senator John McCain’s seat was filled on Wednesday when Jon Kyl, a former senator, took the oath of office in time to help Republicans in their push to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Kyl, 76, was sworn in as the new senator from the southwestern state of Arizona in a brief ceremony on the Senate floor. Vice President Mike Pence, who also serves as president of the Senate, administered the oath.

In replacing McCain, a maverick who at times went against his party, Kyl is expected to bring a somewhat more conservative political viewpoint to the Senate, which is controlled by Republicans. They hold 51 seats with 47 Democrats and two independents who align with Democrats – unchanged from when McCain held the seat.

McCain died on Aug. 25 after being diagnosed last year with brain cancer. He was buried on Sunday following tributes in both Arizona and Washington.

Senate Judiciary Committee hearings began on Tuesday to consider President Donald Trump’s nomination of Kavanaugh to fill a vacant U.S. Supreme Court seat. Kyl, as a private citizen, had been helping usher Kavanaugh’s nomination through the Senate.

A full Senate vote on Kavanaugh could come later this month. Kyl likely will give Republicans a little more of a cushion in what is expected to be a close vote, given Democratic opposition.

Kyl, who had been working as a lobbyist at the law firm Covington & Burling, had a previous stint as senator, rising to serve in Republican leadership before retiring in 2013.

“He has great judgment, an even keel, he’s a team player, a true friend and an inspiring example of what a senator can and should be,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said of Kyl shortly before the swearing-in.

Kyl was appointed on Tuesday by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, also a Republican, to temporarily fill McCain’s seat.

In a news conference on Tuesday, Kyl said he would not be a candidate in a special election in 2020 to finish McCain’s term that ends in January, 2023.

Reporting By Richard Cowan; Editing by Bill Berkrot, Reuters

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COMPLICIT ENABLERS

20 Dead in El Paso Shooting Massacre That Has ‘Nexus to a Hate Crime’ – Some Slam Governor After This Tweet

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5 years ago

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August 3, 2019

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20 people were shot to death and dozens more were injured at an El Paso Walmart Saturday, Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott announced.

At least one intelligence and terrorism expert has labeled the massacre domestic terrorism, and some are calling the suspect a Trump-supporting white supremacist.

Other reports say the shooter used an AK-47-style assault weapon.

El Paso Police Chief Greg Allen came close to describing the attack as a hate crime, saying it has a “nexus to a hate crime,” according to CNN’s Jim Sciutto.

But many are pointing fingers at Texas Governor Abbott, citing this 2015 tweet and saying he has blood on his hands today.

Fred Guttenberg, father of Jaime Guttenberg, who was shot to death in the Parkland, Florida massacre, spoke out against the governor:

Here’s how some others are responding:

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Loyal Trump Economist Caught on CNN ‘Making Up Numbers’

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6 years ago

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December 28, 2018

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Washington Post columnist Catherine Rampell busted Trump-loving economist Stephen Moore on Friday when he falsely claimed that we are seeing vast “deflation” in the United States economy thanks to interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve.

During a CNN appearance, Moore tried to maintain that the economy was as strong as ever, but he also blamed the Fed for tanking the stock market by raising interest rates over the past several months.

“Both of the rate hikes were unnecessary and were a cause for deflation in the economy,” he said.

“Wait, wait, wait!” interjected Rampell. “There is no deflation!”

“Yeah there is,” Moore replied.

“No there is not,” she shot back. “Look at the Consumer Price Index!”

Moore tried to counter by noting that some prices on the Commodities Price Index had dropped — but Rampell hit back by saying that much of that was due to President Donald Trump’s trade wars.

“Soy bean prices are falling because of the trade war,” she said.

Rampell then nailed Moore for his false warnings during the Obama presidency that it was unwise for the Fed to keep interest rates low because it would lead to hyperinflation — despite the fact that the economy at the time was deeply depressed and much more in need of easy money.

“I’m old enough to remember when, ten years ago, during an actual deflation, you went on TV on a rival network and said we were about to have hyperinflation and told the Fed that it was irresponsible then to keep rates low,” she said. “It’s totally inconsistent and it’s totally irresponsible to make up numbers.”

“I’m not making up numbers,” Moore replied defensively.

Watch the video below.

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President’s New Chief of Staff Once Said Trump Would Be Disqualified From Office in an ‘Ordinary Universe’

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6 years ago

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December 17, 2018

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And He Supported Him Anyway

Mick Mulvaney, who is about to become the President’s Acting Chief of Staff, just two years ago said Trump would be disqualified from office in an “ordinary universe.” At the time, Mulvaney was a sitting Republican U.S. Congressman.

CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski reports Mulvaney’s remarks came one week after the “Access Hollywood” bombshell tape dropped, exposing some of Trump’s most disgusting remarks ever.

Mulvaney, who now says he “believes in” President Trump, had a far different take in October of 2016.

“My guess is worse stuff is going to come out in the last 30 days,” Mulvaney said on a South Carolina radio show. “They’ve got more videotapes. Everything the guy’s ever said is on a videotape or an audio tape. There is going to be some atrocious things that are gonna come out.”

But he also made clear he would still not support the Democratic candidate.

“That’s not going to make Hillary Clinton a good candidate for president,” Mulvaney added.

“Should either of these people be, be a role model for my 16-year-old triplets? No,” Mulvaney told the radio station. “In an ordinary universe, would both of these people’s past activities disqualify them for serving for office? Yes. But that’s not the world we live in today. The world we live in today, it’s either him or her and for me that’s still an easy choice.”

In the interview Mulvaney also compared Hillary Clinton to “a man-eating lion.”

Listen:

Weeks later, in November of 2016, Mulvaney called Trump “a terrible human being,” as The Daily Beast reported.

Mulvaney is the current director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, and will remain in that role as well.

In 2017 Mulvaney infamously claimed Meals on Wheels, the program that puts food in the mouths of home-bound seniors, was “just not showing any results.”

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WHITE HOUSE LAUDS ARTICLE THAT SAYS TRUMP BUDGET WILL ‘PUNCH THE IMPOVERISHED IN THE FACE’

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