Fox News Halftime Report -- GOP poised to retake former So-Cal stronghold
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May 13, 2020
By Chris Stirewalt
On the roster: GOP poised to retake former So-Cal stronghold - À la McKinley: Biden in no hurry to leave home - Tensions grow between Trump officials, CDC - Justices dubious on claims from both House, Trump - Ron the sheepish bull
GOP POISED TO RETAKE FORMER SO-CAL STRONGHOLD
LAT: "Republican Mike Garcia jumped to an early lead Tuesday over Democrat Christy Smith in the runoff for a House seat in the Los Angeles suburbs, raising GOP hopes of flipping a blue California Congressional District for the first time since 1998. Early results in the election to fill the remainder of Rep. Katie Hill's first term showed Garcia, a defense industry executive, ahead of Democratic state Assemblywoman Smith of Santa Clarita by 12 percentage points, with 76% of precincts reporting. The final tally in the nearly all mail-in ballot contest won't be available for several days — ballots postmarked by Tuesday and received by end of day Friday will be counted. But Garcia's lead suggests the 25th Congressional District, which includes Palmdale, Porter Ranch, Santa Clarita, Simi Valley and part of Lancaster, is within his party's reach."
Nebraska primary shatters mail-in record - AP: "Nebraska's primary voters mostly steered clear of polling sites Tuesday while shattering the state record for absentee voting with nearly 400,000 mail-in ballots in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Republican President Donald Trump and presumptive Democratic challenger Joe Biden sailed to easy victories in the election, the first in-person primary since a heavily criticized election in Wisconsin five weeks ago in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. So did Republican U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse, who faced a GOP primary challenge because of his previous criticism of Trump. Sasse will face Chris Janicek, the owner of an Omaha cake-baking company, who won a nine-way Democratic primary Tuesday night. In a closely watched Democratic primary for an Omaha-based congressional district, voters chose progressive Kara Eastman over a more conservative candidate. Eastman will once again face Republican Rep. Don Bacon, as she did in 2018."
Studies show no partisan advantage in mail voting - FiveThirtyEight: "If the coronavirus pandemic rages on, most Americans will probably vote by mail in November. But like most political issues in the U.S., voting by mail is an increasingly partisan affair, with Democrats more likely to support it than Republicans. The fight over voting by mail isn't new. But if the political cues around voting by mail weren't firmly set before, they are now, with President Trump calling voting by mail 'corrupt' and pushing Republicans to fight efforts to expand it. … But before the political fighting gets too ugly, lawmakers really ought to look at the evidence. Numerous studies have arrived at the same conclusion: Voting by mail doesn't provide any clear partisan advantage. In fact, as states have expanded their use of mailed ballots over the last decade — including five states that conduct all-mail elections by default — both parties have enjoyed a small but equal increase in turnout."
Ocasio-Cortez campaign caught in embarrassing lapse - NYT: "Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is one of the best-known progressive politicians in the country… But Ms. Ocasio-Cortez will not be appearing on the Working Families Party ballot line in the November general election because she failed to collect the required number of signatures — 15. The loss of the ballot line will make no discernible difference in her re-election bid; she is still heavily favored to win the Democratic primary and the general election. But ever since Ms. Ocasio-Cortez became the youngest woman elected to Congress in 2018, her every move has been scrutinized by both sides of the political spectrum, especially those on the right, who seldom miss an opportunity to magnify any perceived flaw. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez was found to have only 13 valid signatures after her petitions were challenged by lawyers for one of her opponents in the Democratic primary, Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, a former anchorwoman for CNBC."
À LA MCKINLEY: BIDEN IN NO HURRY TO LEAVE HOME
AP: "Joe Biden has no foreseeable plans to resume in-person campaigning amid a pandemic that is testing whether a national presidential election can be won by a candidate communicating almost entirely from home. The virtual campaign Biden is waging from Wilmington, Delaware, is a stark contrast with President Donald Trump, who is planning travel despite warnings from public health experts about the coronavirus's spread. It also intensifies the spotlight on how Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, will manage his campaign, with some in his party fretting that his still-developing approach isn't reaching enough voters. For now, Biden and his aides are brushing back hand-wringing from Democrats and mockery from Republicans who argue that the 77-year-old is 'hiding in his basement.' 'Voters don't give a s--- about where he's filming from,' campaign manager Jen O'Malley Dillon told The Associated Press. … Biden was more diplomatic in assessing the situation on Tuesday."
Biden, Sanders tap platform task force members in unity bid - AP: "Joe Biden and the last rival he bested to become the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Bernie Sanders, on Wednesday announced the members of joint task forces their campaigns will use to promote party unity by hammering out consensus on six top policy issues. They include New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who will provide input on combating climate change and potentially become a key conduit between strong progressives who supported Sanders and backers of the more centrist Biden. Each committee has eight members and will be focused on health care, immigration, education, criminal justice reform, climate change and the economy, which has taken a sharp downturn amid shutdowns to slow the spread of the coronavirus."
THE RULEBOOK: BETA TEST
"The Congress which conducted us through the Revolution was a less numerous body than their successors will be; they were not chosen by, nor responsible to, their fellow citizens at large; though appointed from year to year, and recallable at pleasure, they were generally continued for three years, and prior to the ratification of the federal articles, for a still longer term." – Alexander Hamilton or James Madison, Federalist No. 55
TIME OUT: CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR
CNET: "A handful of fossils and tools unearthed in a Bulgarian cave suggest modern humans were present in Europe some 46,000 years ago -- and they likely interacted with Neanderthals for longer than previously thought. According to two studies … the discovery of early modern human remains in south-east Europe are the oldest evidence of Homo sapiens in the region from a time known as the initial upper paleolithic. In addition, an assortment of unique stone tools that exhibit features of both Homo sapiens and Neanderthal tool-making are present at the site, suggesting the cultures may have mixed during this time. The discovery, located within the Bacho Kiro Cave in Bulgaria, consisted of remains such as bones and a single tooth, as well as ornaments including a pendant made from bear teeth. The cave already holds some significance, with a history of Homo sapiens archaeological finds discovered within its walls dating back to the 1970s."
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SCOREBOARD
PRESIDENTIAL POWER RANKINGS
(270 electoral votes needed to win)
Toss-up (103 electoral votes): Wisconsin (10), Ohio (18), Florida (29), Arizona (11), Pennsylvania (20), North Carolina (15)
Lean R/Likely R: (186 electoral votes)
Lean D/Likely D (249 electoral votes)
[Full rankings here.]
TRUMP JOB PERFORMANCE
Average approval: 44.6 percent
Average disapproval: 50.8 percent
Net Score: -6.2 points
Change from one week ago: ↓ 1 point
[Average includes: CNN: 46% approve - 51% disapprove; CNBC: 46% approve - 54% disapprove; Monmouth University: 44% approve - 51% disapprove; PRRI: 43% approve - 54% disapprove; IBD: 44% approve - 44% disapprove.]
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TENSIONS GROW BETWEEN TRUMP OFFICIALS, CDC
AP: "Advice from the top U.S. disease control experts on how to safely reopen businesses and institutions during the coronavirus pandemic was more detailed and restrictive than the plan released by the White House last month. The guidance, which was shelved by Trump administration officials, also offered recommendations to help communities decide when to shut facilities down again during future flareups of COVID-19. The Associated Press obtained a 63-page document that is more detailed than other, previously reported segments of the shelved guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It shows how the thinking of the CDC infection control experts differs from those in the White House managing the pandemic response. The White House's 'Opening Up America Again' plan that was released April 17 included some of the CDC's approach, but made clear that the onus for reopening decisions was solely on state governors and local officials."
Trump son-in-law laments suggesting Election Day may change - WaPo: "Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner raised eyebrows Tuesday by suggesting that there was uncertainty about whether the presidential election would happen in November as scheduled because of the coronavirus pandemic and that he had some role in making that determination. …Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law, issued a clarification, saying he was unaware of and not involved in any 'discussions' about changing the date of the 2020 election. Neither Trump nor Kushner as his adviser has any legal authority to change the timing of the presidential election. In Kushner's interview with Time, he said while it wasn't his decision to make, he wasn't certain he could say the election would happen on Nov. 3 if there was a second outbreak of coronavirus in the fall. 'I'm not sure I can commit one way or the other, but right now that's the plan,' he said."
Nation's largest university system cancels in-person classes for fall - NYT: "In the most sweeping sign yet of the long-term impact of the coronavirus on American higher education, California State University, the nation's largest four-year public university system, said on Tuesday that classes at its 23 campuses would be canceled for the fall semester, with instruction taking place almost exclusively online. The system is the first large American university to tell students they will not be returning to campus in the fall. Most of the nation's colleges and universities have gone out of their way to say they intend to reopen, but they are also making backup plans for online classes."
Pelosi defends $3T plan: 'Americans are worth it' - AP: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defended the stunning $3 trillion price of tag of Democrats' pandemic relief package Wednesday as what's needed to confront the 'villainous virus' and economic collapse. 'The American people are worth it,' Pelosi told The Associated Press. In an interview with AP, Pelosi acknowledged the proposal is a starting point in negotiations with President Donald Trump and Republicans, who have flatly dismissed the coronavirus relief bill headed for a House vote. As the pandemic rages, Pelosi had just one message for Trump: 'Tell the truth.' … 'We have to address in a big way,' she said. 'The American people are worth it.' The speaker and the president don't talk much anymore. But Pelosi remains in contact with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and expects to begin negotiations with him on the next aid bill from Congress."
JUSTICES DUBIOUS ON CLAIMS FROM BOTH HOUSE, TRUMP
Bloomberg: "Democrats may be as far as ever from seeing President Donald Trump's tax returns after a U.S. Supreme Court argument suggested a legal fight over House subpoenas could extend for months. Over three-plus hours Tuesday, the court gave mixed reviews to separate efforts by House committees and a New York prosecutor to subpoena Trump's banks and accountants for his financial records. Most justices suggested they favored limits on Congress' power to demand the president's personal information, an approach that could mean a new round of lower court scrutiny. The questioning indicated Trump isn't likely to get the sweeping protection he is seeking from state grand jury subpoenas. But the justices also gave no indication they would give House Democrats the clear-cut victory they probably need to see the tax returns before the November election."
Is Electoral College symbolic or do electors decide? SupCo will hear - WSJ: "The Supreme Court [today] will set out to clarify the nation's founding-era rules for the Electoral College system of selecting U.S. presidents, hearing two cases to decide whether a state's appointed presidential electors can vote for a candidate who wasn't chosen by that state's voters. While a 'faithless' elector hasn't come close to tipping the scales of who wins the White House, the rules could matter in the tightest of presidential contests. And the current cases are a product of a significant uptick in rogue votes in the 2016 election, in which 10 electors, mostly Democrats, out of 538 attempted to cast anomalous ballots for president as part of a long-shot effort to encourage Republican electors to back someone other than President Trump. …Wednesday's cases come from Washington state and Colorado, which are among 32 states and the District of Columbia that require a political party's appointed presidential electors to vote for their party's nominees…"
JUDGE WAITS ON DISMISSAL OF FLYNN CASE
NY Post: "A federal judge on Tuesday reportedly ordered a hold on the Justice Department's move to drop its case against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn in anticipation of potential challenges to the dismissal. US District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan of Washington, DC, issued the order, according to The Washington Post, saying he expects legal experts and other groups will want to argue against the Justice Department's decision. The judge did not set a time for possible challengers, but said he will do so 'at the appropriate time,' the report said. In late 2017, Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents about two contacts with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. He sought to change his plea last January when he got a new legal team, accusing federal prosecutors of setting him up."
List of officials who sought to 'unmask' Flynn released - Fox News: "Top Obama administration officials purportedly requested to 'unmask' the identity of Michael Flynn during the presidential transition period, according to a list of names from that controversial process made public on Wednesday. The list was declassified in recent days by Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell, and then sent to GOP Sens. Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson, who made the documents public. It features top figures including then-Vice President Joe Biden, then-FBI Director James Comey and intelligence chiefs John Brennan and James Clapper. It also included Obama's then-chief of staff, Denis McDonough. 'I declassified the enclosed document, which I am providing to you for your situational awareness,' Grenell wrote to GOP senators in sending along the list. Grenell's letter was addressed to Sens. Grassley, R-Iowa, and Johnson, R-Wis., who had penned a letter to him and Attorney General Bill Barr regarding the declassification of files related to the unmasking process earlier in the day."
PLAY-BY-PLAY
Navarro won't testify on his early warnings on Corona - WaPo
Pergram: Capitol Hill tries catching up to coronavirus war - Fox News
James Freeman: An epidemic of sloppy journalism - WSJ
Veep-seeking missile: Stacey Abrams officially, officially endorses Biden - Politico
AUDIBLE: @ DANA PERINO
"No, no, this morning I just lifted a little bit. Jill [Biden] occupied the Peloton this morning." – Former vice president Joe Biden in an interview on Good Luck America, Snapchat's daily political show.
FROM THE BLEACHERS
"When you want Trump number to go down you omit the Gallup poll and continue to always have the college or university poll. Typical!" – Michael Carter, Erlanger, Ky.
[Ed. note: I can't quite follow your accusation in specific, but something about our polling average seems to have dampened your feathers. So, let's just run back over that policy quickly. You mention Gallup, which had its last poll on presidential approval in the field on April 28. Since then, we've had polls from lots of organizations and outlets. Our average is based on the five most recent, non-partisan, public surveys conducted by the appropriate methods, including sufficient cellphone and land-line calls. I hope that fluffs your fettle. Either way, you can be of good cheer! It's mid-May and the Reds are tied for first place in the NL Central!]
"It seems unseemly for a former President to make such a critical remark in a time of disaster. Why wouldn't he offer to help and volunteer his services?" – Karen Morrow, Tampa, Fla.
[Ed. note: I assume you're referring to remarks on the current administration's coronavirus response and the Flynn prosecution (or lack thereof) former President Obama made to an online reunion for the alumni of his administration. Looked at one way, Obama was following the example of at least his two most recent predecessors in holding these events and addressing the news of the day with the expectation that there would be leaks. Former presidents are like popes in this way. They can find ways to comment on things they cannot or should not by using a cut out. It's sort of commentary laundering. BUT Obama was unlike his predecessors in several ways. One) It was a remote event, not an in-person party in a hotel ballroom. That's coronavirus' fault not his, but Obama knew that his words would be broadcast across a larger than normal group and were ripe for recording. Two) The leak wasn't a gauzy characterization given to a political reporter, it was an explicit, weaponized excerpt given to former Newsweek investigative reporter Michael Isikoff, one of the most dogged critics of President Trump. That may be partly due to the digital format, but, again, Obama knew what the format was when he was talking. Three) Obama, like his successor, loves to play pundit and comment on the passing political parade as if he was a television talking head. He had no business doing so, especially in such a cutting fashion, during a time of serious national crisis. There is an election 25 weeks hence in which voters will get to decide if Trump deserves another term or whether to elevate Obama's former vice president to power. In the meantime, Obama should follow the precedent set by his predecessors and stay out of commentary on the current administration. Democrats who may have cheered at Obama's indirect entry to the fray or those who would welcome unprecedented behavior in unprecedented times ought to remember that the norms and traditions of our presidency and government are nearly as important as the constitutional limits on those institutions. If we let them slide in trying times, they won't be there to protect us in the next crisis.]
Share your color commentary: Email us at HALFTIMEREPORT@FOXNEWS.COM and please make sure to include your name and hometown.
RON THE SHEEPISH BULL
BBC: "A bull with an itchy bottom knocked a transformer off an electricity pole as he tried to scratch his backside - and cut power to 800 homes. Four-year-old Ron managed to avoid the box as it landed in his field, and escaped an 11,000 volt shock from the tumbling cables. But it left homes in three nearby villages in South Lanarkshire without electricity. Owner Hazel Laughton told BBC Scotland she was amazed that Ron had survived. It is thought that Ron, a limousin bull, brought the transformer down sometime between [10 p.m. and 11 p.m.] on Thursday at East Shawtonhill Farm in Chapelton. Mrs. Laughton, who owns the farm with her husband Greg, said power was not restored to the local area until about [4 a.m.] on Friday morning. … As the couple surveyed the damage, they were joined by Ron. [Mrs.] Laughton added: 'We were standing looking at it and the bull just sheepishly walked up to the fence. He just looked a bit stunned. I don't think he really knew what had happened during the night.'"
AND NOW A WORD FROM CHARLES…
"Of course, as with almost everything in American life, what should be a policy or even a moral issue becomes a legal one." – Charles Krauthammer (1950-2018) writing in the Washington Post on Feb. 9, 2017.
Chris Stirewalt is the politics editor for Fox News. Brianna McClelland contributed to this report. Want FOX News Halftime Report in your inbox every day? Sign up here.
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