Dave Wasserman: Something IS going on in Texas

GA-GOV: New poll gives Dems good chance of winning

W.Va. lawmakers try to give teachers smaller raise, accidentally pass bill giving them full raise

he West Virginia state Senate on Saturday tried to vote to give teachers a smaller raise hike than negotiated, but accidentally voted on a bill giving teachers the requested raise.

The chaos in the W.Va. state legislature comes as teachers in the state have been on strike for seven days in demand of a raise.

The state House and Republican Governor Jim Justice had both approved a five percent raise.

Republicans in the state Senate on Saturday thought they had voted unanimously on a bill that only offered a four percent raise, according to local reporters.

Shortly after, lawmakers realized they had mistakenly voted to approve the House's five percent raise bill. Republicans immediately began working to repeal the law and instead pass a four percent raise for teachers.

Democrats reportedly opposed repealing the bill and cheered the accidental vote to approve a five percent raise.



http://thehill.com/homenews/news/376608-west-virginia-teachers-to-continue-strike-after-state-senate-passes-lower-raise

Father of Florida shooting victim: Rubio never reached out to offer condolences

The father of a Parkland, Fla., shooting victim intensified his criticisms of Sen. Marco Rubio (R) on Saturday, saying the Florida senator never reached out personally to offer condolences after his daughter was killed.

Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime Guttenberg was one of 17 people killed by a gunman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last month, has been a vocal critic of Rubio's handling of gun control following the shooting.

"Every single elected official in this state who represents me, as well as some on a national level and from other states, called me in the aftermath to offer condolence," Guttenberg told MSNBC's Joy Reid. "Senator Rubio? Not even a tweet, not even a text, not a phone call."

Guttenberg ripped Rubio over a tweet in which the senator said the post-Parkland debate "reminds us We the People don't really like each other very much."



https://www.google.com/amp/thehill.com/homenews/senate/376585-father-of-florida-shooting-victim-rubio-is-the-only-lawmaker-who-didnt-call%3famp

5 Reasons Democrat Conor Lamb could win Pennsylvania's 18th District special election

1. The polling is tight
A Monmouth University poll taken in the middle of February put Saccone up by a 49% to 46% margin. The average of all public polls taken in the race have shown a similarly tight race.

2. The trend in special elections during Trump's presidency

Democrats have so far been outperforming their presidential baseline by about 13 points in Trump-era special state and federal elections. If you were to take into account the Mitt Romney versus Barack Obama margin and the Trump versus Hillary Clinton margin in the districts and states with special elections so far and then tried to project how the Pennsylvania 18 special election would go, you'd expect Saccone to emerge victorious by less than 8 points.

3. Trump's relative lack of popularity

Yes, Trump won by 20 points in Pennsylvania 18, but look at the Monmouth poll. His approval rating in the district is just 51% to a 47% disapproval rating. If voters were casting a ballot solely on how they felt about Trump, a tight race would be expected.

4. The Democratic Party registration edge

So far in special elections during the Trump era, it turns out that the 2012 presidential results in a district or state have actually been a far better indicator of the outcome than the 2016 results. That suggests that ancestrally Democratic areas that went heavily for Trump may be reverting back to form.

5. The district is well educated

When some people think of southwest Pennsylvania (where Pennsylvania 18 is located) and the Rust Belt, they probably think of voters who lack a college degree. That's part of the reason southwestern Pennsylvania went so heavily for Trump.

Pennsylvania 18 doesn't really fit that mold, however. According to the 2016 American Community Survey, 37% of all adults 25 years and older in Pennsylvania 18 hold at least a college degree. That's higher than any other congressional district in that part of Pennsylvania. It's also higher than the 31% of Americans 25 years and older nationally who have at least a college degree.



https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/01/politics/five-reasons-conor-lamb-could-win/index.html

Democrats end early voting in Texas with 52.5% of the primary vote in the 15 largest counties.

JARED KUSHNER BACKED QATAR BLOCKADE A MONTH AFTER QATARIS WOULDNT FINANCE HIS PROPERTY

Jared Kushner's family-run real estate company tried to seek Qatari government financing for its troubled New York City property a month before Kushner backed a blockade on the Gulf kingdom, The Intercept reported on Friday.

Kushner Cos. directly solicited investment from Qatari Finance Minister Ali Sherif al-Emadi for its 666 Fifth Avenue luxury tower in April 2017, two sources in the finance industry told The Intercept. No deal came of it.

Kushner Cos. spokeswoman Chris Taylor denied such brokering attempts occurred. “To be clear, we did not meet with anyone from the Qatari government to solicit sovereign funds for any of our projects,” Taylor told Newsweek in an email. “To suggest otherwise is inaccurate and false.”

The following month, Kushner and the White House supported a blockade of Qatar organized by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Due to the crisis, alliances in the region have shifted, with Qatar—which holds the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East—aligning more closely with Iran and Turkey.


http://www.newsweek.com/jared-kushner-backed-qatar-blockade-after-qataris-wouldnt-finance-his-property-828847?utm_campaign=NewsweekTwitter&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Social

Texas sets early voting record in nonpresidential year

Texans have set a record for early voting in a non-presidential primary election year, the Laredo Morning Times reported Friday.

More than 602,000 voters have cast ballots in the largest counties through Wednesday. That total includes votes cast in both Democratic and Republican primaries, with more ballots cast buy Democrats than Republicans.

It does not count ballots that were cast on Thursday or Friday, the last day of voting.

It's the first time in a decade, when Barack Obama was battling Hillary Clinton in a presidential primary, that Texas Democrats have seen the largest turnout in a primary.

Democrats have outvoted Republicans by more than 25,000 ballots since early voting began on Feb. 20.


http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/376520-texas-sets-early-voting-record-in-nonpresidential-year

2 Guns, Bible Stolen From GOP Rep. Tom Graves SUV in Atlanta

Two guns, a driver’s license, credit cards, birth certificates, a laptop, and a Bible were among the items stolen last weekend from an SUV that belongs to Rep. Tom Graves of Georgia, Atlanta police said.

The Republican congressman and staffer Travis Loudermilk returned to Graves’ GMC Yukon last Saturday night in downtown Atlanta and drove at least a mile before they discovered the items were missing, according to a police report obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Loudermilk is the son of Georgia GOP Rep. Barry Loudermilk.

Investigators later determined the likely thief picked the lock on the driver-side door.

“I hope these knuckleheads will read the Bible and make a return,” Graves said in a statement to the AJC Thursday. “Regardless, I’m very grateful for the swift response of the Atlanta Police Department, the U.S. Capitol Police and other law enforcement officers. I’m confident they will see this incident through to its conclusion.”

The perpetrators apparently swiped numerous highly sensitive financial and identification documents from the vehicle.

Graves' congressional ID, bank cards, a checkbook, passport and Social Security papers were also missing, he told police.


https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/tom-graves-bible-guns-looted