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☆ Sally Yates: Voters ‘have a right’ to hear evidence against Trump before election
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Jack Forrest | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Sally Yates, a former acting attorney general early in Donald Trump’s administration, said voters “have a right” to hear the special counsel’s evidence against the former president before they head to the ballot box in 2024. She was set to serve until Trump’s pick for attorney general, Jeff Sessions, could be confirmed. Yates, who served in the DOJ for nearly three decades, called Smith “a talented, no-nonsense guy” and praised the strength of his team’s cases against Trump. “I’m not convinced that the government has to prove that Donald Trump believed in his heart of hearts that he had lost the election,” she said. “I think that Attorney General Garland took the right step in leaving the Trump-appointed US attorney in place to complete that investigation,” she said.

Persons: Sally Yates, Donald Trump’s, “, ” Yates, Obama, CNN’s David Axelrod, Trump, Yates, Jeff Sessions, Jack, Smith, let’s, ”, Axelrod, “ I’m, Donald Trump, ” Trump, ‘, Hunter Biden, General Merrick Garland’s, David Weiss, General Garland Organizations: CNN, Department, longtime Justice Department, Trump, DOJ, Justice Department Locations: United States, Florida

☆ Opinion: A powerful weapon for prosecutors is now in the hands of Fani Willis
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. In the US, prosecutors are given enormous power to apply the law as they see fit, choosing who to charge and what to charge them with. Evidence of their misdeeds can secure convictions and allow for strict sentences that otherwise couldn’t be imposed. Bill Bramhall/Tribune Content AgencyThe 97-page indictment unveiled by Willis last week cites a lot more evidence than could be arrayed against a sandwich served at lunch. “We are the chief law enforcement officers in each jurisdiction, with the weighty power to deprive others of their freedom,” Aronberg observed.

Persons: CNN — Caesar Enrico “ Rico ” Bandello, Caesar, ”, Edward G, Robinson, Rico, Rudolph Giuliani, Fani Willis, Willis, Giuliani, Donald Trump, Sol Wachtler, Bill Bramhall, Jennifer Rodgers, “, Trump, Ruby Freeman, Shaye Moss, Dave Aronberg, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Aronberg, Jack, Smith, ” Aronberg, Trump Walt Handelsman, James Antle III, ” Antle, ” Trump, Biden, Dean Obeidallah, Clay Jones, Tucker Carlson, Ron DeSantis, Lanhee Chen, Joe Biden, DeSantis, David Axelrod, Axelrod, Vivek Ramaswamy, Rich Lowry, “ Ramaswamy, … ”, Lowry, ” Carrie Sheffield, ” Lisa Benson, GoComics.com, ‘, Julian Zelizer, Jeff Zelevansky, Sandra Bullock, Leigh Anne Tuohy, Jill Filipovic, “ it’s, Michael Oher, Sean, Leigh Anne Tuohy —, … Oher, …, Facebook Filipovic, “ Oher, ” Bradley Cooper’s, ’ “, Leonard Bernstein —, Bradley Cooper, ’ —, David M, Perry, Bernstein, Felicia Montealegre, Carey Mulligan, Cooper, ‘ Maestro, ’, Joel Pett, Agency “, Celia Wexler, Joan Meyer, ” Wexler, Don’t, Ric Ward, Sigrid Fry, Alden Wicker, Jay Michaelson, Al Gore, Lauren Hersh, Rebecca Zipkin, David Andelman, Africa —, Michael Coren, Elsie Robinson, UC Berkeley Elsie Robinson, “ Robinson, Allison Gilbert, ” Gilbert, — Organizations: CNN, ”, New, Appeals, New York Daily News, Department, Electoral, Palm, Manhattan, Attorney, “, White House, of Justice, Trump, Agency, GOP, Republicans, Florida Gov, Republican, Fair, Politico, Hawaii, Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, NFL, Oher, Twitter, Netflix, Rican, ” Press, Marion County, Russia, Hearst, San Francisco Examiner, Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley, Google, Smithsonian Locations: Rico, Fulton County, Atlanta, county’s, Georgia, Coffee County, Palm Beach County , Florida, “, Milwaukee, Iowa, GoComics.com Maui, Maui, Delaware, Hawaii, Tennessee, Costa, Rican American, Marion, The Kansas, Revere, Africa

☆ The new twist in Hunter Biden’s case is a huge political headache for his father
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —A sudden new twist in the investigation into Hunter Biden means his legal tribulations will likely stretch on for months, creating an unwelcome new drag on his father’s White House and reelection bid. Just weeks ago, the shadow of criminal suspicion over Hunter Biden seemed about to lift. The change of status followed the collapse of a deal last month that likely would have seen Hunter Biden get sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges. But the symbolic weight of an appointment of a special counsel stiffens the perception of scandal and potential wrongdoing even if the legal realities of the case haven’t shifted. Important differences between Hunter Biden and Trump casesThere are two important distinctions between Biden and Trump that the Republicans are trying to blur.

Persons: Hunter Biden, David Weiss, Joe Biden’s, Weiss, Joe Biden, Alberto Gonzales, Jake Tapper ”, it’s, …, ”, Gonzales, George W, Bush, Merrick Garland, Hunter Biden’s, Abbe Lowell, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Lowell, Trump, Garland, Clinton, Biden, Donald Trump, It’s, Tanya Chutkan, David Axelrod, Barack Obama, Biden’s, Hunter, Tapper, James Comer –, –, “, Joe Biden hasn’t, ” Comer, Comer, he’s, General Garland, Kevin McCarthy, couldn’t, Carolina Sen, Lindsey Graham, General Garland’s, Hunter Biden – Organizations: CNN, House, Justice Department, White, House Republicans, Trump, Republican, GOP Locations: Delaware, Weiss, Florida, Ukraine, China, Kentucky, California, Carolina

☆ Slow pace of Biden’s reelection campaign feeds Democrats’ 2024 anxiety
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Edward-Isaac Dovere | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

It’s a persistent sense that the inner circle of advisers to the president and several of the very few aides who have been hired for his reelection campaign dismiss as absurd. “They are so underestimated, and they keep getting it right,” said Jim Messina, former president Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign manager, who has been one of the people privately advising Biden’s team to ramp up gradually. “We will grow and ramp up alongside the Biden campaign, probably in late fall or early next year,” Barnes said. “The most important power of incumbency is taking time to plan and build your campaign while your challenger is busy with a primary,” a Democratic campaign veteran said. “You can raise more now, but President Biden is raising less,” a veteran Democratic fundraiser on the West Coast said.

Persons: –, Joe Biden won’t, Biden, “, ”, Jim Messina, Barack Obama’s, Obama, aren’t, Donald Trump, ‘, “ I’m, Trump’s, David Axelrod, “ Trump, ” Axelrod, Biden’s, Kevin Munoz, Harris, Roe, Wade, Mitt Romney, Trump, Jen O’Malley Dillon, Messina, ” Messina, Roy Cooper, you’re, ” Cooper, Kamala Harris, Lavora Barnes, Julie Chávez Rodriguez, Barnes, ” Barnes, ’ ”, Axelrod, who’s, – “ it’s, Larry Cohen, Bernie Sanders, Obama’s –, Lis Smith Organizations: CNN, Democratic, Trump, GOP, Republicans, MAGA Republicans, Biden, Democratic National Committee, Republican, America, White, North Carolina Gov, ” Michigan Democratic Party, Communications Workers of America, Obama, Biden pessimists Locations: America, Wilmington, Capitol Hill, Washington, Chicago, stoke

☆ Former Obama advisor David Axelrod says Cornel West's presidential candidacy could swing the 2024 election to Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Former Obama advisor David Axelrod said that Cornel West could flip the 2024 election to Trump. Axelrod brought up the 2016 election, as many Democrats feel Jill Stein cost Hillary Clinton the race. West is running on a progressive platform and could siphon some of Biden's support with young voters. "In 2016, the Green Party played an outsized role in tipping the election to Donald Trump," Axelrod tweeted, pointing to Jill Stein's candidacy in the contest featuring Trump and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. "Now, with Cornel West as their likely nominee, they could easily do it again.

Persons: David Axelrod, Cornel, Axelrod, Jill Stein, Hillary Clinton, Cornel West's, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, Axelrod —, Barack Obama —, Jill Stein's, Trump, Cornel West, Stein, Clinton Organizations: Trump, Service, White House, Biden, Green Party, Democratic, House, Black Locations: Wall, Silicon, Wisconsin, Michigan

☆ Opinion | To Jail or Not to Jail
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Maureen Dowd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON — Studying “Hamlet,” the revenge play about a rotten kingdom, I tried for years to fathom Hamlet’s motives, state of mind, family web, obsessions. His consciousness was so complex, Harold Bloom wrote, it seemed bigger than the play itself. Now I’m mired in another revenge play about a rotten kingdom, “Trump.” I’ve tried for years to fathom Donald Trump’s motives, state of mind, family web, obsessions. The man who dumbed down the office of the presidency is a less gratifying subject than the smarty-pants doomed prince. Trump is feral, focused on his own survival, with no sense of shame or boundaries or restraint.

Persons: WASHINGTON, Harold Bloom, “ Trump, ” I’ve, Donald, Trump, ” David Axelrod, “, ”

☆ Donald Trump’s criminal cases, explained
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Trump was indicted back in March by the Manhattan district attorney on state charges related to hush-money payments to a former adult-film star in 2016. Smith is also overseeing other investigations related to Trump, including those regarding the January 6, 2021, insurrection and the 2020 election. That federal law deals with the illegal retention of “national defense information,” a broad term that encompasses classified documents and other sensitive government materials. Federal charges related to classified documents likely do not either. But people do routinely serve prison time for retention of classified documents, conspiracy and obstruction.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, He’s, Jack Smith, Trump’s, Trump, Aaron Burr, Wasn’t, isn’t Trump, Smith, Joe Biden’s, Jim Trusty, ”, Elie Honig, CNN’s Marshall Cohen, CNN’s Evan Perez, Joe Biden, Honig, “, Robert Ray, Ray, it’s, David Axelrod, ‘ They’re, ’, Richard Hasen, don’t, Jean Carroll, We’re, hasn’t, Hasen, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Nixon’s, Spiro Agnew, Agnew, Burr, We’ve, Let’s Organizations: CNN, US Department of Justice, Trump, White, National Archives, Prosecutors, Lago, USC, FBI, DOJ, That’s, Manhattan, Justice Department, Republican, Democratic, University of California, Senate, State, Quinnipiac University, Service Locations: Lago, Miami, Manhattan, Florida, Trump . Miami, Washington, New York, Dade County, Los Angeles, United States, New York City, Fulton County , Georgia, York

☆ Opinion: The ultimate ‘Succession’ lesson
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. Walt Handlesman/Tribune Content AgencyIn a much more ominous vein, the theme of survival dominates the HBO show “Succession,” which is coming to an end Sunday. She’s so caught up in beating her brothers at the succession game that she can’t see this baby as anything but an obstacle.”“Ultimately, this storyline is a perfect encapsulation of the larger tragedy that is ‘Succession,’” Bodenheimer added. The contest for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination heated up last week with the official entry of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former President Donald Trump’s strongest challenger in the polls.

☆ Opinion: A boast that could sink Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +20 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. CNN —“I’m the one that got rid of Roe v. Wade,” former President Donald Trump boasted Tuesday on Newsmax. Congress has the power to rein in the court, wrote CNN legal analyst and law professor Steve Vladeck, whose new book “The Shadow Docket” focuses on the Supreme Court. Courtesy Boaz FreundIn 2019, then-President Trump issued an executive order requiring hospitals to post the prices of common medical services and procedures. For some, its celebration of a multiracial but purely fictional British aristocracy may even be a big part of its appeal.”As escapism, “Queen Charlotte” is a success.

☆ David Axelrod: After Barack Obama, America will never be the same
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( David Axelrod | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

David Axelrod, a CNN senior political commentator and host of “The Axe Files,” was a senior adviser to former President Barack Obama and chief strategist for the 2008 and 2012 Obama presidential campaigns. CNN —In all the years I worked for Barack Obama, I didn’t think enough about the burdens of being America’s first Black president – in part because he bore them so gracefully. The president asked me to chat with her and assess how she would hold up under the pressures of the confirmation process and that weighty history. Jacob Philadelphia, the son of a White House staff member, touches then- President Barack Obama's hair in the Oval Office of the White House. It was a moving, spontaneous scene captured by the splendid White House photographer Pete Souza.

☆ Opinion: Biden’s secret weapon to defuse the age issue
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Opinion Dean Obeidallah | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Recent polls tell us that many Americans have questions about the age of the 80-year-old Biden heading into the 2024 election. It’s in everybody’s mind and by everyone, I mean The New York Times.” Biden then added, “Headline: ‘Biden’s advanced age is a big issue. Biden’s reelection campaign (he announced his bid last week) is not the first time that age has been front and center in a presidential campaign. It became even more acute after the first presidential debate in October 1984. At the second presidential debate, however, Reagan was ready for the age question.

☆ Opinion: What happens when you knock on a door
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. In Kansas City, Andrew Lester, an 84-year-old White homeowner shot Ralph Yarl, a Black teenager who rang his doorbell. And, “with Trump as the front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination, Fox has resumed coverage of him which often veers into the free-advertisement category. Neither Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who announced his candidacy last week, nor Marianne Williamson represents a serious threat, Axelrod noted. “The calendar reads 2023,” wrote the Republican former lieutenant governor of Georgia, Geoff Duncan, “but it feels like 2016 all over again.

☆ Opinion | DeSantis’s Puddin’ Head Campaign
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Maureen Dowd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON — Back in the more openly sexist days of Hollywood, writers would get notes on their scripts about women characters. The studio suits would ask questions like, “Can they go to a strip club here?” or “Can you chain her to a wall?”The most common note from male executives was, “Make the girl more likable.”No doubt Ron DeSantis’s advisers are getting notes from donors these days with the message, “Make the guy more likable.”As David Axelrod told me, the Florida governor is coming across like “the high school quarterback who throws the geek against the lockers to get a laugh from the cheerleaders — and that’s not a good look.”He said DeSantis is learning a lesson: “The kind of tricks you use to get elected to other offices don’t work in a presidential race because you get scrutinized so closely.”

☆ Opinion | Biden Should Take Voters’ Concerns About Age Seriously
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But candidates shouldn’t pretend, as Mr. Biden often does, that advanced age isn’t an issue. If Mr. Biden runs again, as he recently said he intends to, questions will persist about his age until he does more to assure voters that he is up to the job. The current Senate, where the average age is 63.9 years, is the second oldest since 1789. The House, where the average age is 57.5 years, is the third oldest. By comparison, the average age in the United States is 38.8 years.

☆ Opinion: Why Biden has little 2024 Democratic opposition
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( David Axelrod | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —President Joe Biden was the toast of Ireland last week, as he was treated to a hero’s welcome in a pageant-laden return to his ancestral home. Biden, who is expected to formalize his plans next week, has a significant body of achievements on which to run. So is the absence of a real primary challenge simply the luck of the Irish? Perhaps with that primary battle in mind, Biden has worked assiduously to court the progressive wing of the party, from which such Democratic primary challenges generally arise. Finally, there is former President Donald Trump, whose candidacy is a boost to Biden among Democrats.

☆ Maggie Haberman says Trump is 'stronger than people think' and Democrats should be cautious about pining for a rematch
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

"I do think that he is stronger than people think," Haberman said on a recent podcast. Trump has called Haberman "like my psychiatrist" and the veteran Times reporter wrote a lengthy biography about the former president. She ticked off a list of reasons why Trump remains a formidable force in the GOP, including his committed base of supporters even if that support has eroded. Haberman added out that even after the January 6 Capitol riot, a segment of the Republican Party remains behind Trump. "There are plenty of Democrats that you and I know that are rooting for Trump to be the nominee, because they think he will be the easiest for President Biden to beat," she said.

☆ Ukraine claims its first kill of Russia's 'Terminator' armored vehicle, believed to be one of Putin's most advanced weapon systems
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Images appeared to show Russia's "Terminator" armored vehicle after a direct hit. The "Terminator," designed to support armor and infantry units, can engage three targets at once. Russia has begun its new offensive in eastern Ukraine, according to one of Ukraine's military commanders. The "Terminator" was designed to support other armor and infantry units and can engage three different targets at once using its four weapons operators. The vehicle was first designed in the late 1980s, and is made by Russian company Uralvagonzavod, the Russian military's leading tank producer.

☆ Biden documents bungle seen as political black eye before 2024 launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Jeff Mason | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"It basically ... is a huge gift to Trump," said David Axelrod, a former political adviser to President Barack Obama. Axelrod said the latest developments were an "embarrassment" because Biden criticized his predecessor after the FBI found classified government documents during a court-ordered search of Trump's Florida resort. The White House has promised to cooperate with the Department of Justice investigation and says the documents were inadvertently misplaced. In September Biden called Trump's handling of classified documents "totally irresponsible." "This is a distraction for the White House right when they were starting to gain some momentum," said Alex Conant, a Republican strategist and former spokesman for Republican President George W. Bush.

But even Democrats acknowledge the issue will give the new GOP-controlled House a fresh line of attack against the White House and may help Trump neutralize or counteract one of the most potent charges against him. And of course, the FBI investigation into classified documents on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s private email server may have sunk her 2016 presidential campaign. Recent polls show most Americans have little interest in Congress investigating Biden and are more likely to trust him over Trump or the new Congress. “I think House Republicans have tied themselves into knots already,” Petkanas added, noting GOP lawmakers have downplayed Trump’s documents. James Comer said Trump’s documents are not 'a priority.’ So how can they with a straight face say that the Biden documents have legs but Trump’s do not?”

☆ Axelrod on 2024 primaries: If you're thinking of challenging Biden, 'forget about it'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

David Axelrod says the Democrats moving the first 2024 primary from Iowa to South Carolina shows Biden's intention to run in 2024. "I think the message here is, if you're an insurgent and thinking of challenging the President, forget about it, because there's not going to be an opportunity here to do that."

☆ If DeSantis doesn't get his 2024 decision timing right, he risks peaking too soon like Scott Walker or wasting his big moment like Chris Christie
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

But as he faces a decision over whether to run for president in 2024, DeSantis shares far more similarities with two other ex-GOP frontrunners: Former Govs. Like DeSantis, Walker and Christie once seemed like inevitable frontrunners for the White House. Walker seized the moment, while Christie let his moment pass. "That's a huge difference in my opinion in terms of that moment," DuHaime said. "There was a moment for Christie in 2012 and there is a moment for Ron DeSantis in 2024.

☆ Watch: David Axelrod reacts to election night voting trends
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ More layoffs hit CNN as CEO Chris Licht sets strategy and shuffles talent across the organization
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Lucia Moses | Emilia David | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

CNN is laying off a small number of people in its audio division. A company rep said audio remains an important area for the company and that it's refining its strategy. CNN is laying off people in its audio division, according to affected staffers. One product manager posted on LinkedIn that their position had been eliminated and that the company told staff it planned to produce fewer audio series in 2023. "Audio is an important growth area for the company," the CNN rep said.

☆ Adam Kinzinger warns that a GOP-led House could try to impeach Biden every week
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Adam Kinzinger said a GOP-majority Congress might try to impeach the president every week. "That's going to look like child's play in terms of what Marjorie Taylor Greene is going to demand of Kevin McCarthy," Kinzinger said, referring to the House Minority leader. "They're going to demand an impeachment vote on President Biden every week," he quipped. Kinzinger appeared to be referring to how Greene, a right-wing lawmaker from Georgia, has made impeaching Biden part of her official platform. "I think it'll be a very difficult majority for him to govern unless he just chooses to go absolutely crazy with them," said Kinzinger, referring to his far-right GOP colleagues.

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