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Mitch McConnell Is America’s Most Unpopular Senator – and He Just Got Yet Another Challenger

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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, is the longest-serving Republican U.S. Senate leader ever, and now he is America’s most unpopular Senator.

A Morning Consult poll released Thursday finds McConnell’s approval rating is even worse than President Donald Trump’s, just 36%. His disapproval rating stands at 50%. By comparison, Maine Independent Angus King is America’s most popular Senator, with a 62% approval rating and a 28% disapproval rating.

Over the past two weeks McConnell woke up – twice – to find he had new challengers.

Last week, former Marine Lieutenant Colonel Amy McGrath, a 20-year veteran and the first woman Marine to fly in an F/A-18 Hornet in front line combat, announced she is running for McConnell’s seat, as a Democrat.

And on Thursday, another Democrat, Mike Broihier, announced he too is running for McConnell’s seat. Broihier’s bio says he is a farmer, educator, former small-town newspaper editor, and military veteran.

He released this powerful video:

All of this is great news, right?

Two strong Democratic candidates challenging the most unpopular Senator should mean one Democrat will become the new Senator from Kentucky, right?

Not so fast.

“There aren’t enough Democrats and Independents to defeat McConnell in Kentucky, so as long as he keeps his approval rating up with the state’s Republicans, he will be favored to win reelection in November,” PoliticusUSA says.

And while that may be right, stranger things have happened. After all, Donald Trump is President.

Image by The White House via Flickr and a CC license

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CNN’s Tapper Flags ‘Killed’ Trump-Related Link in Epstein Dump — Access Restored Fast

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Access to a document originally released as part of Friday’s Epstein files document dump that included language related to accusations against President Donald Trump and others allegedly had been removed, according to Jake Tapper. In just under an hour access was restored after the CNN anchor’s social media post.

The page Tapper linked to had read: “We are sorry, the page you’re looking for can’t be found on the Department of Justice website.”

“DOJ has since killed this link,” Tapper wrote. “This is what was there.”

Access was restored about 48 minutes later, according to Tapper’s posts.

According to the screenshot the CNN journalist posted on social media, the document included complaint summaries alleging minors engaging in sexual acts with Trump and others. The complaints are allegations and not proof or evidence of wrongdoing. Donald Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

Part of one accusation alleged, “Caller named other individuals involved in ‘big orgy parties’ with her, other young girls, and older Victoria’s Secret models, including Bill Clinton and Donald Trump.”

“Online complainant reported she was a victim and witness to a sex trafficking ring at the Trump Golf Course in Rancho Palos Verdes. CA between 1995- 1996,” that same allegation continued. “Complainant reported Ghislaine Maxwell as the madam and broker for sex parties, clients of whom included Epstein, Robin Leach, and Donald Trump.”

The screenshot stated that the “Response” to those complaints was that “Complainant was spoken to and deemed not credible.”

Other complaints in the screenshotted document read: “One of complainant’s ex-girlfriend’s daughters told complainant Trump raped her, as did Epstein.”

The screenshot of the document included multiple allegations that are graphic and include references to rape and murder.

Image via Reuters 

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‘We Did Not Protect President Trump’ DOJ Says Upon Releasing Millions More Epstein Files

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More than forty days after federal law required the release of the Epstein files, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it will post about three million additional documents from its trove on Friday.

In addition to the documents, 2,000 videos and about 180,000 images will also be released, according to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who “said the files included images taken by Epstein and others that were on his devices but he didn’t take,” NBC News reported.

“Blanche said that the public should not find within the files the names of any men who abused women in connection with Epstein,” NBC added. “His comments affirm an unsigned statement from the DOJ and the FBI last year that sparked an avalanche of criticism and calls for more transparency.”

When asked by reporters if he had updated the White House on the release of the files, Blanche said, “My team has certain communications with the White House — let me just be clear, they had nothing to do with this review. They had no oversight with this review, they did not tell this department how to do our review, what to look for, what to redact, what not to redact. They absolutely knew that I was doing this press conference today and I was releasing the materials today.”

Blanche insisted there was no “oversight by the White House” in the process.

Asked if the DOJ is releasing all documents related to President Donald Trump from the files, Blanche told reporters, “I can assure that we complied with the statute.”

“We complied with the act,” he said, “We did not protect President Trump.”

“We didn’t protect or not protect anybody,” he added, while declaring that “that there’s a hunger, a thirst for information that I do not think will be satisfied by the review of these documents.”

Blanche insisted that President Trump has had the “same consistent message about Jeffrey Epstein.” He also insisted that “there’s not been a change, of course, or anything, and certainly his direction to … the Department of Justice was to release the files, be as transparent as we can.”

 

Image via Reuters

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‘We’re Not Going Back’: Outrage Mounts Over New Push to Overturn Gay Marriage

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The newly launched effort to overturn same-sex marriage — backed by nearly 50 right-wing groups — is drawing outrage after the coalition posted a video featuring controversial rhetoric. The group argues that Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 Supreme Court ruling that recognized same-sex couples’ right to marry nationwide, harmed children — and aims to roll those rights back.

The Greater Than campaign’s website promotes claims such as:

“A woman who identifies as a lesbian can be a loving mother, but she cannot be a father. A gay man can be a loving father, but he cannot be a mother. Children need, deserve, and have a right to both.”

“No adult has a right to a non-biologically related child. No child should lose their mother or father so an adult- gay, straight, single or married- can create a baby.”

They also claim that the “legal existence of same-sex marriage requires the redefinition of legal parenthood in a way that makes a child’s mother or father optional in their life.”

READ MORE: ‘All Tools Necessary’: GOP Hardliners Press Trump on Insurrection Act

In the video, anti-same-sex marriage activists including Tony Perkins, the head of the Family Research Council, said: “It’s a mother and a father that bring forth children into the world, and that’s by design, because children need a mother and a father.”

Lila Rose of Live Action said, “Redefining marriage robs children of the natural right to their mother and father.”

And Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Al Mohler said in the video that same-sex marriage “harms children in virtually every way imaginable.”

Critics blasted the group’ efforts to overturn marriage rights.

Jill Filipovic, who writes about women’s rights, U.S. politics, and foreign affairs, noted, “These are many of the same people who successfully overturned Roe v. Wade. We told you they’d come for same-sex marriage next. They’re coming. The only question is whether they succeed.”

READ MORE: Trump: ‘We’re Bringing Back God’

The Bulwark’s Bill Kristol, director of Defending Democracy Together, wrote: “Honestly glad to see all the cards out on the table. 1. People can stop being surprised by how radical and thorough-going the reactionary agenda is. 2) This is a chance to cause some rifts and wedges in Trump/MAGA world.”

Tim Miller of MS NOW and The Bulwark added, “I find it encouraging that these people are coming out of the shadows. Best to know who wants to nullify your family unit.”

“If these people had their way, my sister and I—and millions of other children of LGBTQ parents—wouldn’t exist,” wrote Iowa State Senator Zach Wahls. “Every child deserves a family as loving as the one I grew up in. And those are the same values that Chloe and I are passing on to our son. We’re not going back.”

Jessica Riedl of the Brookings Institution observed, “This video is nonsense on stilts. They are ranting about gay adoption as a reason to ban to gay marriage (separate issues) – and assuming that if gays cannot marry, they will instead raise kids within heterosexual marriages.”

The Bulwark’s Catherine Rampell, an MS NOW anchor, warned simply: “They’re coming for gay marriage.”

READ MORE: GOP Instability Deepens as Another Republican Candidate Calls It Quits

 

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