Tag: sherrod brown

Democratic US senators have pressed Stephen Moore for detailed information on his finances over the past decade, after the Guardian revealed he owed $75,000 in federal taxes and was held in contempt of court over unpaid debts. Moore, the economics commentator chosen by Donald Trump for a seat on the Federal Reserve’s board of governors, was warned in a letter that he may need to provide a full tax return to senators preparing to consider his nomination. The articles disclosed that the IRS is pursuing Moore for $75,000 that it assesses he owes for 2014, and that he was separately reprimanded by a judge in November 2012 for failing to pay more than $300,000 in alimony and child support to his ex-wife. Brown and Wyden asked Moore to explain why he had still not paid the IRS, despite a lien for the debt being filed to court in Maryland in January 2018. Moore has blamed IRS bureaucracy, saying that calls to the service have gone unreturned. Moore said on Fox News this week that the findings on his personal finances and legal issues were irrelevant. “This doesn’t have anything to do with whether I’m qualified to be on the Federal Reserve board,” he said. He was asked in the letter if he had wrongly claimed deductions for child support in other tax years, and whether his alleged debt to the IRS related to any other issues on which he had been challenged. He was also pushed to explain why he apparently failed to respond to notifications from the IRS for several years, and whether any adjustments were made to his tax bills following audits in the last decade. The senators asked for a response by 15 April.

From the president’s checks to a resolution against hate, it’s been a busy week in American politics. Six such checks were provided to The Times, showing that the president was managing affairs of state while, allegedly, paying to keep his personal secrets out of the public eye. Mr. Cohen gave documents to the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday that he said backed up his claim that Mr. Trump’s lawyers helped to shape false testimony he delivered to Congress in 2017. The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee sent requests for information to 81 agencies, individuals and entities tied to Mr. Trump on Monday, opening a broad inquiry into possible obstruction, corruption and abuse of power. Mr. Trump signaled that he did not intend to cooperate with the requests, calling the investigation a “disgrace to our country.” Additional Reading • House Democrats Are Flooding Trump World With Demands. Representative Ilhan Omar again came under scrutiny for comments about Israel, after asking why it was “O.K. But a generational debate ensued between older Democrats in the House leadership and their young, more liberal counterparts, many of whom said Ms. Omar was being unfairly singled out. After much back and forth, the resolution became one condemning “hateful expressions of intolerance” against “African-Americans, Native Americans, and other people of color, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, immigrants and others.” It passed by a 407-to-23 vote on Thursday. Some join the 2020 race, others opt out (and one can’t decide). But Mr. Biden, who would give the Democratic field a clear front-runner, has yet to make a final decision.

Good Thursday morning. Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today. _____________________ • Despite multiple reports from his own government that call global warming a threat to national security, President Trump plans to set up a panel to examine the question again. It will include William Happer, a climate denialist who has said that carbon dioxide benefits humanity. • Mr. Trump heightened his attacks on the press this week, praising a libel lawsuit against The Washington Post, calling for “retribution” against NBC over “Saturday Night Live” and issuing his sharpest words yet against The Times, which he called “a true ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE!” • On one side, Bernie Sanders promises a single-payer revolution. On the other, Amy Klobuchar and Sherrod Brown are calling for incremental change. Here’s how health care became the first real debate of the 2020 Democratic primary. • Just over 24 hours after announcing his presidential bid, Mr. Sanders had already raised $6 million from more than 225,000 donors. • Wealthy investors are seeking tax breaks by plowing money into so-called opportunity zone funds. The funds are a creation of the 2017 tax law that provides incentives for spending on projects in poor areas.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is facing mounting pressure to resign after a racist photo from his yearbook surfaced. But look, he’s lost the authority to lead. He's lost the authority to govern. He has to resign. It's in the best interest of the Commonwealth. It's in the best interest of the party." Former Virginia governor L. Douglas Wilder I stated, earlier, that Gov. It is difficult for anyone who watched the press conference today to conclude that he has any other choice ... but to resign. Our state president in Virginia has spoken with him and our position is the same.

Washington Gov. “He cannot stop us,” Inslee said, adding “He has not stopped me either.” Inslee will soon travel to the first primary state of New Hampshire as he mulls a White House bid. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Montana Gov. Each person is making moves that could result in a presidential campaign. In North Las Vegas, he cited his record on climate change, gun control, the minimum wage and paid family leave in an appearance at the Battle Born Progress convention. Campaign finance laws give nonfederal officials more leeway to raise money without having an official presidential campaign or exploratory committee, so there’s less pressure on them to announce campaigns than for senators who want to travel. If those governors and mayors announce early and then fail to show fundraising prowess, their campaigns could be short-lived. Inslee is traveling now using his federal political action committee. His national advisers include Jen Palmieri, a former communications director to the Obama White House and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. In Colorado, Hickenlooper opened a federal political action committee last fall and has made some top staff hires.

Representative Beto O’Rourke of Texas said Monday that he isn’t ruling out running for president in 2020, after months of insisting that he would not seek the office. Todd Heisler/The New York Times The would-be 2020 Democratic contenders could not be clearer: They are not running for president. As they are not running for president. ‘Just thinking’ It is a political season for double negatives: Almost no one is running for president now, but many, many people are not not running. “I’m going to think about it,” former Secretary of State John Kerry, the Democrats’ 2004 presidential nominee, said Tuesday. Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio said he is “thinking” about a run for the Democratic presidential nomination. But the sales job can vary by candidate. Future points were to be addressed at a future point. Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey campaigned for Democratic candidates last month in Akron, Ohio. “Or still know who I am.” He has 61 weeks or so to make his case.

LORDSTOWN, Ohio - The General Motors plant in Lordstown will stop production in March of 2019, sources confirmed. RELATED: Community devastated after announcement that General Motors Lordstown plant to stop production In 2016, the autoworkers of Lordstown were among those who played a role in electing President Donald Trump. You better get back in there soon. That’s Ohio, and you better get back in there soon,'" Trump said during a press conference on Monday. "I spoke to the president about Lordstown back in June. "This country has been good to GM with the rescue of the auto industry, less then a decade ago they've been immensely profitable, President Trump just gave them a huge tax cut. Even worse, the company reaped a massive tax break from last year’s GOP tax bill and failed to invest that money in American jobs, choosing to build its Blazer in Mexico,” said Brown. “GM owes the community answers on how the rest of the supply chain will be impacted and what consequences its disastrous decision will have on the Mahoning Valley and our state. He issued a statement Monday morning that reads, in part: "I am deeply frustrated with General Motors’ decision to shut down its Lordstown plant and disappointed with how the hardworking employees there have been treated throughout this process. Accountability will be a key question for those workers and voters impacted by Monday's decision come 2020.

Democrat Joe Manchin wins re-election in West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin will win re-election in West Virginia, CNN projects, defeating Republican challenger Patrick Morrisey and keeping in Democratic hands a seat in a state that voted overwhelmingly for President Donald Trump. The state, once a Democratic stronghold, has become so heavily Republican that the sitting governor, Jim Justice, switched to the GOP last year. He broke with the rest of the party to vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, though he waited to announce his position until Kavanaugh’s confirmation was already guaranteed. Barr's win comes in a district President Donald Trump carried by 15 percentage points in 2016. It was seen as a must-win for the GOP's hopes of holding onto control of the House. McGrath, who defeated Lexington Mayor Jim Gray in a Democratic primary, was part of a surprisingly strong crop of Democratic political newcomers, many of whom had military experience. These 4 Democratic senators will win re-election, CNN projects Four Democratic senators will win re-election, CNN projects. They are: Sen. Amy Klobuchar in Minnesota Sen. Martin Heinrich in New Mexico Sen. Bob Casey in Pennsylvania Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in New York Watch below: Latest projections for key Senate seats The mood at Trump’s watch party is "good," source says A White House source described the mood at President Trump’s watch party in the White House as “good,” adding one main reason is because it’s still early in the night. The source echoed what other White House officials are saying tonight — that if anyone learned anything from 2016, it’s to not make assumptions based on exit polls. Melania Trump is watching election results Sen. Sherrod Brown calls his win the "blueprint for our nation in 2020" Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, in his victory speech, referred to his victory as “the blueprint for our nation in 2020” — a line certain to spark 2020 presidential speculation around the populist lawmaker.

Former President Barack Obama called for Democrats and others concerned about the direction of the U.S. to vote in November and fix “politics that feels broken right now,” as he campaigned in statehouse and Congressional races attacking the politics and policies of his successor, Donald Trump. Obama headlined a rally in Cleveland Thursday night for Richard Cordray, the former head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau who’s running for governor of Ohio, as well as other candidates including Senator Sherrod Brown. With the midterm elections fast approaching, Obama has returned to the campaign trail to help Democrats capture the 23 seats they need to regain control of the U.S. House, as well as backing up-and-coming candidates in races important for redistricting after the 2020 Census. Obama has been trying to make the case that the country has reached a pivotal point, exhorting Democrats and independents to vote in the November elections to reject the policies and behavior of Trump and his Republican allies. Obama also praised his shepherding of the American economy and tweaked Republicans who are taking credit for good economic times under Trump, saying “When you hear these folks bragging about this economic miracle just remember when it started.” He also criticized Republicans’ $1.5 trillion tax cut because of the deficits that will result. “None of this is conservative,” he said. Battleground State Battle In Ohio, Cordray faces Republican Attorney General Mike DeWine in the race to replace Republican Governor John Kasich, who cannot run again because of term limits. Trump easily won Ohio by eight percentage points after Obama carried it in 2008 and 2012 -- and Democrats clearly want to restore it as a swing state, said Paul Beck, professor emeritus of political science at Ohio State University. Trump replaced him with Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, and Republicans are trying to make Cordray’s tenure an issue in the Ohio race. “He didn’t go around trying to take credit for it,” Obama said.

While Democrats are hopeful for a blue wave this November, they still face a challenge in Ohio, a state that voted for President Obama in 2008 and 2012, then swung to Donald Trump in 2016. Senator Sherrod Brown, who’s up…