March 2, 2018

Mueller eyes charges against Russians who stole, spread Democrats emails

WASHINGTON — Special counsel Robert Mueller is assembling a case for criminal charges against Russians who carried out the hacking and leaking of private information designed to hurt Democrats in the 2016 election, multiple current and former government officials familiar with the matter tell NBC News.

Much like the indictment Mueller filed last month charging a different group of Russians in a social media trolling and illegal-ad-buying scheme, the possible new charges are expected to rely heavily on secret intelligence gathered by the CIA, the FBI, the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), several of the officials say.

Mueller's consideration of charges accusing Russians in the hacking case has not been reported previously. Sources say he has long had sufficient evidence to make a case, but strategic issues could dictate the timing. Potential charges include violations of statutes on conspiracy, election law as well as the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. One U.S. official briefed on the matter said the charges are not imminent, but other knowledgeable sources said they are expected in the next few weeks or months. It's also possible Mueller could opt not to move forward because of concerns about exposing intelligence or other reasons — or that he files the indictment under seal, so the public doesn't see it initially


https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/mueller-eyes-charges-against-russians-who-stole-spread-democrats-emails-n852291?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma

March 1, 2018

FBI counterintel investigating Ivanka Trump business dea

(CNN)US counterintelligence officials are scrutinizing one of Ivanka Trump's international business deals, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

The FBI has been looking into the negotiations and financing surrounding Trump International Hotel and Tower in Vancouver, according to a US official and a former US official. The scrutiny could be a hurdle for the first daughter as she tries to obtain a full security clearance in her role as adviser to President Donald Trump.

It's standard procedure to probe foreign contacts and international business deals as part of a background check investigation. But the complexity of the Trump Organization's business deals, which often rely on international financing and buyers, presents a challenge.


https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/01/politics/ivanka-trump-fbi-investigation/index.html

March 1, 2018

Hicks Refused to Answer If Others Asked Her to Lie

In testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, outgoing White House communications director Hope Hicks refused to answer whether a “litany of 50” people, including “the entire Trump family,” had ever asked Hicks to lie, CBS News reports.

The list of names included Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump, Donald Trump, Jr., Jared Kushner, Steve Bannon, Paul Manafort, Corey Lewandowski, Michael Cohen and others. Hicks was also asked whether she heard President Trump ask others to lie for him.

Hicks gave a “blanket” response by declining to answer in each instance.



https://politicalwire.com/2018/03/01/hicks-refused-answer-others-asked-lie/

March 1, 2018

Tomorrow is Election Day in New Mexico

Important Dates

Election Day: March 6, 2018
7am to 7pm
Early Voting: February 14 – March 2

Alamogordo

Democrats to Vote for:

Nadia Sikes for City Commission District 2
List of Election Day Polling Locations:

Willie Estrada Memorial Civic Center, 800 E 1st St, Alamogordo
Tays Special Events Center, 2235 N. Scenic Drive, Alamogordo
Otero County Fairgrounds, 401 Fairgrounds Road, Alamogordo
List of Early Polling Locations:

Office of the City Clerk, 1376 East 9th Street, Alamogordo (8am – 5pm Monday – Friday)

Artesia

Democrats to vote for:

George Mullins in Ward 2 (Write-in)
Terry Hill in Ward 4
List of Election Day Polling Locations:

Faith Baptist Church, 401 S 20th St, Artesia, NM 88210
Artesia Senior Center, 202 W Chisum Ave, Artesia, NM 88210
List of Early Polling Locations:

City Hall,511 W Texas Ave, Artesia, NM 88210, Monday – Friday, 8am to 5pm
Aztec

Democrats to vote for:

Rosalyn Fry in District 2
Victor Snover in District 4
Mark Lewis in District 5
List of Election Day Polling Locations:

Aztec City Commission Room at Aztec City Hall, 201 W. Chaco, Aztec, New Mexico.
List of Early Polling Locations:

Office of the Municipal Clerk, 201 West Chaco Aztec, NM during regular hours and days of business
Bloomfield

Democrats to Vote for:

City Council:
Cecelia Gunnell
Richard Kemp
(Voters get to select their top 2 picks for the 2 seats that are open – both at-large seats)

List of Election Day Polling Locations:

City Hall, 915 N 1st St, Bloomfield, NM 87413
List of Early Polling Locations:

City Hall, 915 N 1st St, Bloomfield, NM 87413
Carlsbad

Democrats to vote for:

Ward 1
Lisa Anaya Flores
Mark A. Williams
Ward 2 (2 year)
Leo Estrada
Maurice Pruitt
Ward 2 (4 year)
John Barry
Ward 3
Bill Niemeier
Denton McCollough
Anthony Alanzo
Municipal Judge
Collis Johnson
List of Election Day Polling Locations:

VFW Post 8703, 1916 San Jose Blvd, Carlsbad, NM
Hillcrest Baptist Church, 605 N 6th St, Carlsbad, NM
St. Peter Lutheran Church, 1302 W. Pierce St, Carlsbad, NM
County Clerks Voting Center, 326 S. Canyon Street, Carlsbad, NM
List of Early Polling Locations:

City Hall, room # 204,101 N. Halagueno St., Carlsbad, NM
Lordsburg

Democrats to Vote for:

Glenda Greene for Mayor
List of Election Day Polling Locations:

James H. Baxter Civic Center
List of Early Polling Locations:

City Hall, 409 W. Wabash St.
Loving

Democrats to vote for:

Mayor
Pete Estrada
Cruz Onsurez
Village Council Position 1
Jose Martinez
Village Council Position 2
Rick Fuentes
Arturo Muñoz
Judge
Bobby Granger
Ernesto Castro
Rio Rancho

Democrats to vote for:

Tom Swisstack for Mayor

Andrea Padilla for District 2



http://www.dpnm.net/2018/02/27/municipal-election-hub/

March 1, 2018

AZ-08: Special Election Gets More Vulnerable for GOP

NOTE: Check out Democrat Hiral Tipirneni at http://hiralforcongress.com



It might look like Republicans dodged a disaster in Arizona’s 8th District, considering former state Sen. Steve Montenegro didn’t win Tuesday’s primary. But as we’ve written before, Republicans seem to find new ways to make these special elections competitive, and Democrats everywhere are excited to send a message to President Donald Trump.

Unlike Montenegro, former state Sen. Debbie Lesko, the GOP nominee, has not received a topless photo from a staffer. But she has been accused of violating campaign finance rules by illegally funneling state funds to a federal race.

It’s unclear whether that will be enough to loosen the GOP grip on a district that Trump carried by 21 points in 2016. But the trend is clear: Democrats are consistently over-performing, and sometimes it’s enough to win in unlikely places.

At a minimum, the trend demonstrates that this race will get more competitive in the weeks ahead. We’re changing our Inside Elections rating from Solid Republican to Likely Republican, and we somewhat expect it to get more vulnerable between now and the April 24 election.

Democrats haven’t invested a significant amount of money into the race at this point, but will likely poll the contest to take a fresh look at the situation now that the nominees are set.

Their nominee is Hiral Tipirneni, a doctor who immigrated to the United States from India when she was three years old. She’s not a household name yet but seems likely to get more attention, particularly if Conor Lamb wins the special election in Pennsylvania’s 18th District in a couple of weeks.


https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/rating-change-arizona-8-special-gets-vulnerable?utm_source=rollcallafternoon&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_content=022818&utm_source=rollcallafternoon&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_content=022818

March 1, 2018

I will never understand those people

Jared Kushner has more money than he’ll ever spend in a lifetime, but I am watching an MSNBC report that his company took loans totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. Why? What do they to accomplish with that kind of cash?

March 1, 2018

Democratic turnout is up 90% over 2014 in Texas primary.

https://twitter.com/coldandnervous/status/969020060508422144

March 1, 2018

Trump Berated Hicks After Testimony

An ally close to President Trump told CNN that President Trump berated White House communications director Hope Hicks after her testimony to the House Intelligence Committee in which she admitted she sometimes told “white lies” to protect the president.

Said the source: “She was his last emotional crutch.”


https://politicalwire.com/2018/02/28/trump-berated-hicks-testimony/

February 28, 2018

NC Dems field candidates for EVERY legislative seat in 2018

The filing deadline for North Carolina congressional and legislative seats passed with Democrats and Republicans making good on goals to compete in every corner of the state.

The filing period closed at noon Wednesday at the state elections board office in Raleigh and in all 100 counties. And both the state Democratic and Republican parties say they have candidates to support for every one of the 170 General Assembly seats. GOP Executive Director Dallas Woodhouse says that includes the GOP backing an unaffiliated candidate in one eastern North Carolina seat.

Primaries for these and other races are May 8. The filing period for judicial seats was delayed until June because the legislature cancelled primaries for those positions this year.


https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/north-carolina/articles/2018-02-28/the-latest-parties-say-no-uncontested-legislative-elections

February 28, 2018

Trump campaign chief lends name to penny stock tied to felon

WASHINGTON — The political strategist and online guru who was named President Donald Trump's 2020 campaign manager Tuesday has a close financial relationship with a penny-stock firm with a questionable history that includes longstanding ties to a convicted fraudster, according to an Associated Press investigation.

Brad Parscale, who played a key role in Trump's 2016 election victory, signed a $10 million deal in August to sell his digital marketing company to CloudCommerce Inc. As part of the deal, Parscale currently serves as a member of California-based company's management team.

The company touts itself as "a global provider of cloud-driven e-commerce and mobile commerce solutions." Records reviewed by the AP raise questions about its current finances and its rocky past.

CloudCommerce's operations have not turned a profit in nearly a decade. The company's most recent quarterly earnings showed it has spent more than $19 million in investor money since its creation nearly two decades ago and has only $107,000 in cash on hand.

In 2006, a top executive at the company, which was operating under a different name at the time, was caught in an FBI bribery sting and later pleaded guilty to securities fraud. Documents reviewed by the AP indicate he remained involved in CloudCommerce's major corporate decisions in recent years.


https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-campaign-chief-lends-name-to-penny-stock-tied-to-felon/ar-BBJGqaG?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=mailsignout