Speed Reads'harsh'A former adviser to first lady Melania Trump has reportedly taped her making "disparaging" comments about President Trump and his adult children.Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, Melania Trump's former friend and adviser, is called Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with The First Lady, and on Monday, journalist Yashar Ali that Wolkoff "taped the first lady making disparaging remarks about the president and his adult children" that will be revealed in the book.Though Ali's report doesn't include the remarks the first lady evidently made, they're said to include...…Speed Reads'harsh'A former adviser to first lady Melania Trump has reportedly taped her making "disparaging" comments about President Trump and his adult children.Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, Melania Trump's former friend and adviser, is called Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with The First Lady, and on Monday, journalist Yashar Ali that Wolkoff "taped the first lady making disparaging remarks about the president and his adult children" that will be revealed in the book.Though Ali's report doesn't include the remarks the first lady evidently made, they're said to include...WW…

Speed Reads'we would have a problem'After President Trump "total" authority amid the coronavirus pandemic, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) says he would not follow a presidential order to reopen the state too soon.Cuomo spoke to CNN on Tuesday morning after on Monday, Trump insisted it's his decision when states reopen after issuing stay-at-home orders and closing non-essential business during the coronavirus pandemic. "When somebody's the president of the United States, the authority is total," Trump said. Earlier in the day, that it is not the "governors' decision to open up the states"...…Speed Reads'we would have a problem'After President Trump "total" authority amid the coronavirus pandemic, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) says he would not follow a presidential order to reopen the state too soon.Cuomo spoke to CNN on Tuesday morning after on Monday, Trump insisted it's his decision when states reopen after issuing stay-at-home orders and closing non-essential business during the coronavirus pandemic. "When somebody's the president of the United States, the authority is total," Trump said. Earlier in the day, that it is not the "governors' decision to open up the states"...WW…

Speed ReadsREVISIONIST HISTORYPresident Trump's daily briefings on the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic are apparently working to his political benefit, .A Democratic strategist, speaking on condition of anonymity, a private research initiative in which voters were shown a 90-second clip of a recent briefing. Trump's general election performance against his likely Democratic opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, reportedly by more than two percentage points after voters watched the clip. Considering most polls are indicating a tight contest, that's quite a shift after such a small amount...…Speed ReadsREVISIONIST HISTORYPresident Trump's daily briefings on the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic are apparently working to his political benefit, .A Democratic strategist, speaking on condition of anonymity, a private research initiative in which voters were shown a 90-second clip of a recent briefing. Trump's general election performance against his likely Democratic opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, reportedly by more than two percentage points after voters watched the clip. Considering most polls are indicating a tight contest, that's quite a shift after such a small amount...WW…

Speed Readsthe coronavirus crisisDemonstrators gathered in front of the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing on Wednesday — some staying in their cars, others getting out and standing shoulder-to-shoulder — to protest against the stay-at-home policy enacted by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) as a way to fight the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.The protest, called "Operation Gridlock," was organized by conservative groups arguing that Whitmer's order, which bans travel between homes and closes down non-essential businesses, is too strict. As of Wednesday night, Michigan and the death toll stands...…Speed Readsthe coronavirus crisisDemonstrators gathered in front of the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing on Wednesday — some staying in their cars, others getting out and standing shoulder-to-shoulder — to protest against the stay-at-home policy enacted by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) as a way to fight the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.The protest, called "Operation Gridlock," was organized by conservative groups arguing that Whitmer's order, which bans travel between homes and closes down non-essential businesses, is too strict. As of Wednesday night, Michigan and the death toll stands...WW…

Speed Readsrepublicans for bidenOver two dozen former Republican members of Congress are backing Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.The Biden campaign on Monday announced that former Republican Senator Jeff Flake and more are joining a "Republicans for Biden" effort as they endorse the former vice president in the 2020 election, . Some of the Republicans on the list, including former Rep. Charlie Dent, had Biden.NEWS: A lengthy list of Republicans including former U.S. Senator are endorsing on the first day of the conventionFlake will also give remarks to the press later today on his...…Speed Readsrepublicans for bidenOver two dozen former Republican members of Congress are backing Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.The Biden campaign on Monday announced that former Republican Senator Jeff Flake and more are joining a "Republicans for Biden" effort as they endorse the former vice president in the 2020 election, . Some of the Republicans on the list, including former Rep. Charlie Dent, had Biden.NEWS: A lengthy list of Republicans including former U.S. Senator are endorsing on the first day of the conventionFlake will also give remarks to the press later today on his...WW…

Speed Reads'the rest of us'Former Vice President Joe Biden has penned an op-ed calling for ramped up coronavirus testing and condemning the White House as those around President Trump are tested for COVID-19 daily. published on Monday, Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, argues Trump "isn't up to the task" of providing states with "the tools, resources and guidance they need from the federal government to reopen safely and sustainably," saying "we need widespread testing" to do so.Biden noted that that Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and White House officials are now...…Speed Reads'the rest of us'Former Vice President Joe Biden has penned an op-ed calling for ramped up coronavirus testing and condemning the White House as those around President Trump are tested for COVID-19 daily. published on Monday, Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, argues Trump "isn't up to the task" of providing states with "the tools, resources and guidance they need from the federal government to reopen safely and sustainably," saying "we need widespread testing" to do so.Biden noted that that Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and White House officials are now...WW…

Speed ReadsstonewalledThe Pentagon inspector general's office said in a report Wednesday that it of decisive irregularities in the Defense Department's decision to award a $10 billion Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure cloud contract to Microsoft over Amazon Web Services last October. But the inspector general investigation "could not definitively determine the full extent or nature" of White House input into the decision, because seven senior Pentagon officials, including Defense Secretary Mark Esper, had asserted "a 'presidential communications privilege'" and refused to hand over...…Speed ReadsstonewalledThe Pentagon inspector general's office said in a report Wednesday that it of decisive irregularities in the Defense Department's decision to award a $10 billion Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure cloud contract to Microsoft over Amazon Web Services last October. But the inspector general investigation "could not definitively determine the full extent or nature" of White House input into the decision, because seven senior Pentagon officials, including Defense Secretary Mark Esper, had asserted "a 'presidential communications privilege'" and refused to hand over...WW…

Talking PointsFifty-four percent of Americans disapprove of Donald Trump’s handling of the presidency. He trails Democratic nominee Joe Biden in national polls by more than 7 percentage points. Biden leads in every swing state, often by substantial margins.The only way for Trump to turn it around is for his campaign and its cheerleaders in the right-wing media to deploy a strategy based on the — which is the act of claiming that something is true of a whole because it is true of a part (even a very tiny part). We see this all the time on the right when a muckraking website like Campus...…Talking PointsFifty-four percent of Americans disapprove of Donald Trump’s handling of the presidency. He trails Democratic nominee Joe Biden in national polls by more than 7 percentage points. Biden leads in every swing state, often by substantial margins.The only way for Trump to turn it around is for his campaign and its cheerleaders in the right-wing media to deploy a strategy based on the — which is the act of claiming that something is true of a whole because it is true of a part (even a very tiny part). We see this all the time on the right when a muckraking website like Campus...WW…

Speed ReadscorroborationTwo more sources — one a former neighbor and the other a former co-worker — have come forward and corroborated certain details about Tara Reade's sexual assault allegation against former Vice President Joe Biden, .Reade has accused Biden of assaulting her while she worked as aide for him in 1993 when he was a senator. Biden hasn't addressed the allegations, although his staff says they are false. But Lynda LaCasse, who lived next door to Reade in the mid-90s, that Reade told her about the incident in 1995 or 1996. "She was crying," LaCasse . "She was upset. And the...…Speed ReadscorroborationTwo more sources — one a former neighbor and the other a former co-worker — have come forward and corroborated certain details about Tara Reade's sexual assault allegation against former Vice President Joe Biden, .Reade has accused Biden of assaulting her while she worked as aide for him in 1993 when he was a senator. Biden hasn't addressed the allegations, although his staff says they are false. But Lynda LaCasse, who lived next door to Reade in the mid-90s, that Reade told her about the incident in 1995 or 1996. "She was crying," LaCasse . "She was upset. And the...WW…

Speed ReadsflatteryPresident Trump's fondness for Mt. Rushmore is well known, so it's likely South Dakota Kristi Noem (R) scored some bonus points with the gift she gave the president when he came to her state to give an Independence Day speech in front of the monument in July.Noem of Trump when introducing him before the speech, comparing him to former President Theodore Roosevelt and describing him as a leader who "brave the dangers of the arena." In private, , the flattery went a little further when Noem apparently greeted Trump with a four-foot replica of Mt. Rushmore, with a twist. In...…Speed ReadsflatteryPresident Trump's fondness for Mt. Rushmore is well known, so it's likely South Dakota Kristi Noem (R) scored some bonus points with the gift she gave the president when he came to her state to give an Independence Day speech in front of the monument in July.Noem of Trump when introducing him before the speech, comparing him to former President Theodore Roosevelt and describing him as a leader who "brave the dangers of the arena." In private, , the flattery went a little further when Noem apparently greeted Trump with a four-foot replica of Mt. Rushmore, with a twist. In...WW…