March 8, 2018
In her first television appearance since announcing she is running for Congress in California's 44th district, Clueless star and conservative commentator Stacey Dash didn't reveal too much about her platform, beyond President Trump being good and hate being bad.
Speaking to MSNBC's Ari Melber Thursday evening, Dash, a Republican, said she would be a "catalyst for change," but wouldn't say how — when asked, for example, her thoughts on ObamaCare, she said it should be fully repealed and "there will be another solution," but she wouldn't say what it is. Pressed about Attorney General Jeff Sessions' harsh stance on so-called sanctuary cities in California, Dash said, "We have to respect law enforcement, we have to respect laws." "Go on," Melber urged, but Dash was done. "That's it," she said.
When it comes to gun control, "I support the Bill of Rights," she said, and Trump was "absolutely right" to say there was "blame on both sides" at the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville last year. "There were two extreme sides," she said. "Here's what it boiled down to: our right, they had a right to assemble, both sides had a right, but they were both extremes."
Hate is "not the answer for anything," she added, but don't think about asking her to condemn anyone. "I'm not here to judge," Dash said. "The only one who can judge is God. Do I know every person in the Neo-Nazi party, if they have a good heart or not? No, I don't. Do I know every member of a gang, if they have a good heart or not? No, I don't." Watch the interview in its awkward entirety below. Catherine Garcia
Speaking to MSNBC's Ari Melber Thursday evening, Dash, a Republican, said she would be a "catalyst for change," but wouldn't say how — when asked, for example, her thoughts on ObamaCare, she said it should be fully repealed and "there will be another solution," but she wouldn't say what it is. Pressed about Attorney General Jeff Sessions' harsh stance on so-called sanctuary cities in California, Dash said, "We have to respect law enforcement, we have to respect laws." "Go on," Melber urged, but Dash was done. "That's it," she said.
When it comes to gun control, "I support the Bill of Rights," she said, and Trump was "absolutely right" to say there was "blame on both sides" at the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville last year. "There were two extreme sides," she said. "Here's what it boiled down to: our right, they had a right to assemble, both sides had a right, but they were both extremes."
Hate is "not the answer for anything," she added, but don't think about asking her to condemn anyone. "I'm not here to judge," Dash said. "The only one who can judge is God. Do I know every person in the Neo-Nazi party, if they have a good heart or not? No, I don't. Do I know every member of a gang, if they have a good heart or not? No, I don't." Watch the interview in its awkward entirety below. Catherine Garcia
8:54 a.m. ET
iStock
U.S. employers added 313,000 non-farm jobs in February, exceeding expectations and marking the biggest gain since mid-2016. Economists polled by MarketWatchhad predicted an increase of 222,000 jobs. January's gains were adjusted up to 239,000 from 200,000. Unemployment remained at 4.1 percent, and hourly pay rose by 4 cents to $26.75. The 12-month wage gain fell from 2.8 percent in January to 2.6 percent in February. The slowdown in wage growth pointed to a gradual increase in inflation, suggesting little reason to adjust expectations that the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates at its next two-day policy meeting, which starts March 20. Harold Maass
6:56 a.m. ET
MSNBC's Chris Hayes was on Thursday's Late Show, and Stephen Colbert dove right in. "As a newsman, an actual newsman, is the Stormy Daniels lawsuit important, or just news candy?" he asked. "I actually think it is important," Hayes said, both because "we are watching a cover-up come unraveled in real time, and it's a microcosm of what I suspect is something that they have done a lot of" — using nondisclosure agreements to "sweep unpleasant facts under the rug" — and also the timing.
"Michael Cohen was willing to pony up $130,000 for what seems like a thing that's priced into Donald Trump anyway — like, 'Donald Trump had an affair with an adult film actress' is not mind-blowing to anyone" — just weeks after the Access Hollywood tape sent President Trump's campaign into a panic, Hayes said. But WikiLeaks also immediately bailed them out, suggesting coordination between Trump's campaign, WikiLeaks, and the Russians who gave WikiLeaks the John Podesta emails.
"So are you all in on collusion?" Colbert asked. "It walks like a duck, it talks like a duck, let's indict the duck?" Hayes said he started out skeptical, because true conspiracies are rare and hard to pull off, but "as the facts have come in, my Occam's Razor — at this point, the simplest explanation is that everyone's running around acting guilty because they're guilty. ... Why is everyone lying to investigators? Why is everyone making stuff up? Why are people acting super guilty? They're acting super guilty because they're guilty."
As an example, Hayes asked why Trump fired FBI Director James Comey then secretly told Russian officials in the Oval Office that firing Comey took the heat off him. "There's no way of knowing other than him telling Lester Holt exactly why," Colbert deadpanned. Hayes laughed: "If we could just get one more interview with Lester Holt, he'd be like, 'I'll lay it out for you.'" Peter Weber
"Michael Cohen was willing to pony up $130,000 for what seems like a thing that's priced into Donald Trump anyway — like, 'Donald Trump had an affair with an adult film actress' is not mind-blowing to anyone" — just weeks after the Access Hollywood tape sent President Trump's campaign into a panic, Hayes said. But WikiLeaks also immediately bailed them out, suggesting coordination between Trump's campaign, WikiLeaks, and the Russians who gave WikiLeaks the John Podesta emails.
"So are you all in on collusion?" Colbert asked. "It walks like a duck, it talks like a duck, let's indict the duck?" Hayes said he started out skeptical, because true conspiracies are rare and hard to pull off, but "as the facts have come in, my Occam's Razor — at this point, the simplest explanation is that everyone's running around acting guilty because they're guilty. ... Why is everyone lying to investigators? Why is everyone making stuff up? Why are people acting super guilty? They're acting super guilty because they're guilty."
As an example, Hayes asked why Trump fired FBI Director James Comey then secretly told Russian officials in the Oval Office that firing Comey took the heat off him. "There's no way of knowing other than him telling Lester Holt exactly why," Colbert deadpanned. Hayes laughed: "If we could just get one more interview with Lester Holt, he'd be like, 'I'll lay it out for you.'" Peter Weber
5:48 a.m. ET
The Late Show was already taping Thursday evening when South Korea announced that President Trump has agreed to meet with North Korea's Kim Jong Un by May, and Jimmy Kimmel was about to go live, but big news like that can't wait, so their joke writers went into overdrive. "This can only mean one thing: Dennis Rodman is going to get the Nobel Peace Prize," Stephen Colbert said. "We don't know all the details yet, but because North Korea is an economically starved country, the invitation is BYO everything."
While Washington and Pyongyang work out the details, Kim has pledged to refrain from missile tests, and "that's great," Colbert said. "They've gone from 'We'll blow up Guam' to 'We pinky-swear not to blow up Guam for a few days." He was willing to give Trump credit if he pulls this off, but punchily stumbled over the punch line: "How about bringing peace to your own country first?"
"The North Korean leader extended an olive branch to Donald Trump, which is a big deal because olive branches are really the only thing they have to eat there," Kimmel said. He wasn't sure about Trump's time frame, though. "May? He's not still going to be president by May," Kimmel said hopefully. "This needs to happen by Wednesday."
Kimmel was bullish on the two leaders getting along. "Imagine Kim Jong Un meeting Donald Trump, just the two worst hair cuts in the world, together," he said. "I wonder if they'll invite Dennis Rodman? He is a mutual friend. And you know those two are going to hit it off. ... They'll be golfing together, they'll be sharing a bucket of chicken. Maybe Kim Jong Un will be the next host of Celebrity Apprentice — who knows where this could lead? But it's never dull." Watch below. Peter Weber
While Washington and Pyongyang work out the details, Kim has pledged to refrain from missile tests, and "that's great," Colbert said. "They've gone from 'We'll blow up Guam' to 'We pinky-swear not to blow up Guam for a few days." He was willing to give Trump credit if he pulls this off, but punchily stumbled over the punch line: "How about bringing peace to your own country first?"
"The North Korean leader extended an olive branch to Donald Trump, which is a big deal because olive branches are really the only thing they have to eat there," Kimmel said. He wasn't sure about Trump's time frame, though. "May? He's not still going to be president by May," Kimmel said hopefully. "This needs to happen by Wednesday."
Kimmel was bullish on the two leaders getting along. "Imagine Kim Jong Un meeting Donald Trump, just the two worst hair cuts in the world, together," he said. "I wonder if they'll invite Dennis Rodman? He is a mutual friend. And you know those two are going to hit it off. ... They'll be golfing together, they'll be sharing a bucket of chicken. Maybe Kim Jong Un will be the next host of Celebrity Apprentice — who knows where this could lead? But it's never dull." Watch below. Peter Weber
2:36 a.m. ET
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
On Thursday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) shot down Idaho's bid to allow lower-cost, lower-coverage health insurance plans that don't comply with the Affordable Care Act. ObamaCare "remains the law, and we have a duty to enforce and uphold the law," CMS Administrator Seema Verma said in a letter to Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter (R) and the head of the state's insurance department. Verma, who pushed for repealing ObamaCare, did not seem enthusiastic about denying Idaho's bid, and she said that "with certain modifications," its proposal might pass muster.
In January, Otter signed an executive order paving the way for cheaper health plans that allow higher premiums for people with pre-existing conditions, cap the amount of coverage allowed, and exclude the suite of "essential health benefits" required under the ACA. Blue Cross of Idaho had proposed five such plans to be launched in April, but Veema said if Idaho fails to "substantially enforce" ObamaCare, the federal government will step in as "primary enforcer." Idaho said "dozens" of other red states had expressed interest in its plan to flout ObamaCare, though none has followed through.
ObamaCare supporters were pleased but not overly impressed by the CMS move. "The Trump administration is talking out of both sides of their mouth," said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). "While they claim to be upholding the law, they are explicitly inviting Idaho and other states to sell short-term, junk insurance — the exact opposite of the protections put in place by the Affordable Care Act." Peter Weber
In January, Otter signed an executive order paving the way for cheaper health plans that allow higher premiums for people with pre-existing conditions, cap the amount of coverage allowed, and exclude the suite of "essential health benefits" required under the ACA. Blue Cross of Idaho had proposed five such plans to be launched in April, but Veema said if Idaho fails to "substantially enforce" ObamaCare, the federal government will step in as "primary enforcer." Idaho said "dozens" of other red states had expressed interest in its plan to flout ObamaCare, though none has followed through.
ObamaCare supporters were pleased but not overly impressed by the CMS move. "The Trump administration is talking out of both sides of their mouth," said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). "While they claim to be upholding the law, they are explicitly inviting Idaho and other states to sell short-term, junk insurance — the exact opposite of the protections put in place by the Affordable Care Act." Peter Weber
1:39 a.m. ET
Mohd Rasfan/AFP/Getty Images
A huge national park devoted to pandas will soon be created in China's Sichuan province, the country's forestry ministry announced Thursday.
The Bank of China has pledged to finance the park's construction by 2023, The Guardian reports, with estimates that the completed park will be more than twice the size of Yellowstone National Park. There are only about 1,864 pandas in the wild, mostly in the Sichuan mountains, with some in nearby Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. They are threatened by habitat loss, so this good news for the pandas, who will have free range of the open space, but it's also expected to be a major boost to the local economy. Catherine Garcia
The Bank of China has pledged to finance the park's construction by 2023, The Guardian reports, with estimates that the completed park will be more than twice the size of Yellowstone National Park. There are only about 1,864 pandas in the wild, mostly in the Sichuan mountains, with some in nearby Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. They are threatened by habitat loss, so this good news for the pandas, who will have free range of the open space, but it's also expected to be a major boost to the local economy. Catherine Garcia
1:24 a.m. ET
Porn star Stormy Daniels is suing President Trump, arguing that her nondisclosure agreement is null because Trump (a.k.a. "David Dennison") did not sign it, Stephen Colbert reminded everyone on Thursday's Late Show, and Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, has hit back with a restraining order against Daniels. "That's right, a restraining order to protect the president of the United States," Colbert said, assuming lawyer voice: "Your honor, my client has no way to defend himself, other than the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, and the top secret Pentagon nano-hornets. Meanwhile, the defendant here is viciously armed with a photo of an old man's schvantz!"
"The White House has shown surprisingly disciplined silence about the Trump-paid-porn-star thing," Colbert said, or at least it had until Thursday's White House press briefing. "Oops-a-truthie," he said after playing Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders admitting there was Trump-involved arbitration. Trump wasn't pleased. "Let me get this straight: He's blaming Sarah Huckabee Sanders for the fallout from his affair with a porn star?" Colbert asked. "Happy International Women's Day."
"But enough about porn stars, let's get to the really sexy news: tariffs," Colbert said. He did that — and annotated Trump's charmingly awkward dialogue with the steel workers he invited to the tariff-signing ceremony — and you can watch that below. Peter Weber
"The White House has shown surprisingly disciplined silence about the Trump-paid-porn-star thing," Colbert said, or at least it had until Thursday's White House press briefing. "Oops-a-truthie," he said after playing Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders admitting there was Trump-involved arbitration. Trump wasn't pleased. "Let me get this straight: He's blaming Sarah Huckabee Sanders for the fallout from his affair with a porn star?" Colbert asked. "Happy International Women's Day."
"But enough about porn stars, let's get to the really sexy news: tariffs," Colbert said. He did that — and annotated Trump's charmingly awkward dialogue with the steel workers he invited to the tariff-signing ceremony — and you can watch that below. Peter Weber
1:06 a.m. ET
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson should probably send Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke some nice flowers and a note, thanking his fellow Cabinet member for taking the decorating heat off of him.
Records posted online show that the Interior Department is spending $139,000 for new doors for Zinke's office suite, Politico reports — much more than the $31,000 HUD coughed up for a dining set for Carson's office (the order has since been cancelled). Spokeswoman Heather Swift said the department's facilities and security officials recommended the new doors, and Zinke "was not aware of this contract but agrees that this is a lot of money for demo, install, materials, and labor." The $139,000 will be used to replace three sets of double doors, The Associated Pressreports, including one that needs a lock.
Swift said the entire building is being modernized, and "between regulations that require historic preservation and outdated government procurement rules, the costs for everything from pencils to printing to doors is astronomical." Catherine Garcia
Records posted online show that the Interior Department is spending $139,000 for new doors for Zinke's office suite, Politico reports — much more than the $31,000 HUD coughed up for a dining set for Carson's office (the order has since been cancelled). Spokeswoman Heather Swift said the department's facilities and security officials recommended the new doors, and Zinke "was not aware of this contract but agrees that this is a lot of money for demo, install, materials, and labor." The $139,000 will be used to replace three sets of double doors, The Associated Pressreports, including one that needs a lock.
Swift said the entire building is being modernized, and "between regulations that require historic preservation and outdated government procurement rules, the costs for everything from pencils to printing to doors is astronomical." Catherine Garcia
MOREFROM AROUND THE WEBSponsored Links
Get 4 risk-free issues
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.