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March 29, 2024
Trump can't match Biden's 2024 fundraising, Republican's campaign says
(Reuters) Donald Trump will be unable to match President Joe Biden's fundraising totals in this year's presidential election race, the Republican candidate's campaign said on Thursday. "We're never gonna be able to raise dollar for dollar with Biden," a Trump campaign adviser said in a call with reporters. The adviser blamed the fundraising disparity on "billionaire" supporters of the Democratic president, and appeared keen to paint a picture of a Trump campaign fueled by grassroots, working-class supporters. Asked for a response, Biden campaign spokesperson Ammar Moussa said: "Trump's campaign is strapped for cash."
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It's the Biden vs. Trump Economy -- and Hell No, It's Not Even Close
(New Republic) I’m going to tell you something that I’m pretty sure you don’t know — and that you probably won’t even believe. Ready? Real wages are now growing in the United States at a pace faster than the spike in the cost of living since the pandemic. More than that: For the first time in decades, wage growth is consistently stronger in the middle and at the bottom than at the top. Importantly, the real wages of the middle quintile are not only higher today than they were before the pandemic, but slightly higher than we would expect based on 2015-19 trends.
Go to discussionTrump Needs His MAGA Followers to Believe America Is Screwed
(Daily Beast) MAGA isn’t just a message on a red hat, it’s a mantra. And to acknowledge the ways America is currently great (and improving!) is to admit that the country does not, in fact, need a fulminating strongman like Trump to save us from the ashes of our once proud homeland. As I have learned, saying something like “It’s great to be alive and in America right now” constitutes fighting words. That’s because Donald Trump needs his MAGA followers to believe America is screwed.
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Biden Says Arab States Ready to Recognize Israel in Future Deal
(Bloomberg) President Joe Biden said Arab countries including Saudi Arabia were prepared to “fully recognize Israel” in a future deal as he and his Democratic predecessors Bill Clinton and Barack Obama pushed back on critics of his Middle East policies at a campaign event Thursday. Biden’s comments came during a discussion with his fellow presidents at a star-studded fundraiser at Radio City Music Hall in New York intended to display Democratic party unity ahead of a general-election rematch with Republican Donald Trump.
Go to discussionThe Christian reaction to Trump's Bible endorsement goes deeper than you think
(CNN) “Happy Holy Week!” Trump announced on social media Tuesday, during the most solemn period of the Christian calendar, the last week of the Lenten season marking the suffering and death of Jesus. “As we lead into Good Friday and Easter, I encourage you to get a copy of the God Bless The USA Bible.” The concept of a Bible covered in the American flag, as well as a former president’s endorsement of a text Christians consider to be sacred, has raised concern among religious circles. It’s also raised questions about Trump’s motivations, as the former president finds himself in the middle of several expensive legal battles.
Go to discussionTrump's megalomania is a trap for the GOP
(Salon) The most disturbing thing remains Trump’s enablers — the incense-burners, the bootlickers, the pursuivants who can ensure that his tyrannical ambitions are realized. That Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell truckled to Trump by endorsing him is further testament to the hollow men that are leading the GOP. At the same time, I remain convinced that Trump’s megalomania — his growing radicalism, his frequent threats, his general odiousness — represents a path to electoral calamity in 2024 for the GOP.
Go to discussionRFK Jr.'s Running Mate Has Truly Unhinged Ideas on IVF and Sunlight
(New Republic) While the Republican Party grapples with the realization that it’s losing elections thanks to its own extreme positions on abortion and IVF, one political candidate on the national stage has decided to go even more extreme on the issue. Robert F. Kennedy’s vice presidential pick, Nicole Shanahan, has attacked in vitro fertilization for years, and is apparently doing the heavy lifting on more extreme conservative talking points on reproductive rights while Kennedy himself remains relatively quiet.
Go to discussionCesar Chavez's family to endorse Biden after RFK Jr. claims civil rights leader would've voted for him
(CBS News) President Biden is set to be endorsed Friday by members of Cesar Chavez's family — a mostly symbolic gesture, but one meant to send a signal to independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who's trying to invoke his own family's ties to the late union organizer and civil rights leader. "The bonds of affection and respect for a president who by his character and actions consistently reflects the genuine legacy of my father, Cesar Chavez," Paul Chavez said in a statement.
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