CNN reporter says sidelining President Biden ‘seemed to help’ Democrats in the midterms
CNN Capitol Hill reporter Melanie Zanona said Sunday that keeping President Biden on the sidelines “seemed to help” Democrats in the midterm elections and that the party won “in spite of” him.
“No doubt it is such a good night for Biden, however it does seem when you look at the exit polls that Democrats prevailed in spite of him, not because of him necessarily,” Zanona said. “I mean, CNN exit polls show 49% of voters who said they somewhat disapprove of Biden, voted for Democrats, while 45% backed Republicans. So I mean, you see Biden, he sat off on the campaign trail in a lot of the key races, he wasn’t making big campaign pushes, he wasn’t front and center and that seemed to help Democrats.”
CNN “Inside Politics” host Abby Phillip noted earlier that the White House was taking a victory lap following the midterm elections.
“And they should,” Rachael Bade, a co-author for POLITICO Playbook, said. “I mean nobody saw this coming, I mean except, of course, some Democrats who were – we all dismissed as overly optimistic. But clearly, you know, their agenda has been resonating with people, and because of Trump’s, again, especially toxic political – and they were really able to capitalize on this.”
NEVADA DEMOCRAT CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO DEFEATS REPUBLICAN ADAM LAXALT IN SENATE RACE
The Fox News Decision Desk projected Saturday that Democrats will maintain control of the Senate after Sen. Catherine Cortez, D-Nev., was declared the winner against Republican challenger Adam Laxalt.
Phillip noted Biden received a lot of pushback for his final speech on democracy and said abortion played a big role in the decision for voters.
“I think – Democrats had an inflation problem. And that hurt a lot. But Republicans broadly had an extremism problem. And part of the extremism point number one was the Supreme Court ruling throwing the whole issue back to the states. But then it all fed into this big, big milieu of just violence and extremism,” The Washington Post’s Paul Kane said.
He added that the attack on Paul Pelosi also fit into this “broader narrative.”
“It all fit into this one thing and so, was Joe Biden on the ballot on Tuesday? Sort of. Was Donald Trump and the things he stands for on the ballot? Definitely,” Kane said.
Biden said Wednesday that he intends to run for re-election in 2024. A reporter asked the president about the two thirds of Americans who don’t want him to run again.
“What is your message to them and how does that factor into your final decision about whether or not to run for re-election?” a reporter asked.
Biden said it does not affect his decision and when asked what his message to them might be, he said, “watch me.”
Biden works to shore up friendships with Asian countries on Cambodia trip
President Joe Biden sought to win friends and influence Southeast Asian nations during a weekend visit to Cambodia for the ASEAN Summit.
‘3 strikes, you’re out’: Larry Hogan laments Trump’s election record
Outgoing Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, on Sunday aired frustration at former President Donald Trump’s role in last week’s midterm elections.
“It’s basically the third election in a row that Donald Trump has cost us the race, and it’s like, you know — three strikes, you’re out,” Hogan told host Dana Bash on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Republicans failed to win a majority in the Senate, and faced a closer-than-expected race for the House majority as votes were counted Sunday. A number of Trump-endorsed candidates lost crucial races, including Senate candidates Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania and Blake Masters in Arizona.
“There should have been a huge red wave,” said Hogan, a moderate Republican who has been a vocal critic of Trump.
The House flipped to a Democratic majority in 2018; Trump lost the presidency in 2020 and Republicans lost the Senate soon thereafter; and Democrats outperformed “red wave” expectations last week, despite historical trends and President Joe Biden’s low approval ratings.
Candidates who “tried to re-litigate the 2020 election” and push conspiracy theories “were all, almost universally, rejected,” while “common-sense conservatives” prevailed in some places, Hogan said.
Hogan did not endorse the Republican candidate who ran to replace him as governor, Dan Cox — instead, he referred to Cox as a “QAnon whack job.” Democrat Wes Moore was elected in that race last week.
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/13/larry-hogan-trump-election-record-00066633
With student loan forgiveness stuck in courts, here’s how feds are still erasing debt
With the president’s student debt relief plan on hold, the Education Department is simplifying other debt relief programs that include forgiveness
Israel’s Netanyahu officially tapped to form government
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel’s president officially tapped former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form a government on Sunday, opening the door for the likely return to power of the long-serving leader after a one-year hiatus. With Netanyahu comes what’s expected to be Israel’s most right-wing coalition ever.
Elections earlier this month indicated a clear win for Netanyahu and his ultra-Orthodox and ultranationalist allies and ended the short-lived, ideologically-diverse government that had ousted him last year after Netanyahu’s 12 consecutive years in power.
Though political horse-trading began as soon as the election results firmed up, Sunday’s development means Netanyahu now has up to six weeks to conclude negotiations and cobble together a government.
Netanyahu struck a conciliatory tone at the Jerusalem event where Israel’s ceremonial President Isaac Herzog bestowed upon him the task of forming a government. Netanyahu played down concerns by Israeli liberals and some of the country’s international allies that Israel was “entering a dark tunnel” with his expected government.
“We will do everything to make this, with God’s help, a stable government, a successful government, a responsible government, a dedicated government that will work for the benefit of all residents of the state of Israel, without exception,” he said.
With his allies keen on gaining power and ending the outgoing coalition’s rule as soon as possible, Netanyahu will likely try to quickly wrap up negotiations. But key portfolios, including finance and defense ministries, could prove a sticking point and Netanyahu’s partners could seek to drag out talks to achieve their aims.
Netanyahu returns to power after five elections in less than four years that were all essentially a referendum on his fitness to serve while on trial for corruption. He was toppled last year by a coalition of eight parties that united over their distaste for Netanyahu but ultimately collapsed over infighting. Netanyahu served as opposition leader during that time.
Netanyahu is expected to emerge from negotiations with a stable majority coalition of 64 seats in the 120-member Knesset.
Netanyahu, 73, faces charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in a series of scandals involving media moguls and wealthy associates. In exchange for their policy priorities and plum government appointments, Netanyahu’s likely coalition partners have promised to advance a series of legal reforms and to weaken the Supreme Court, measures that could make his legal woes disappear.
Netanyahu’s most prominent partner is Itamar Ben-Gvir, an extremist lawmaker who wants to expel Arab lawmakers and whose views were once on the fringes of Israeli politics. He is the top candidate of the far-right Religious Zionism party, which earned 14 seats in the polls, making it a key ally for Netanyahu.
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/13/israel-netanyahu-form-government-00066635
Bomb hits major Istanbul avenue, kills 6, wounds dozens
ISTANBUL — A bomb exploded on a popular pedestrian street in Istanbul on Sunday, killing six people, wounding dozens and sending people fleeing as flames rose.
Footage posted online showed ambulances, fire trucks and police at the scene on on Istiklal Avenue, a typically crowded thoroughfare popular with tourists and locals and lined with shops and restaurants. In one video, a loud bang could be heard and flames could be seen, as pedestrians turned and ran away. Social media users said shops were shuttered and the avenue closed down.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the blast a “treacherous attack” and said its perpetrators would be punished. In addition to the six dead, Erdogan said another 53 were wounded, according to information he received from the Istanbul governor.
Turkey was hit by a string of deadly bombings between 2015 and 2017 by the Islamic State group and outlawed Kurdish groups.
Five prosecutors were assigned to investigate the blast, state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
Turkey’s media watchdog imposed temporary restrictions on reporting on the explosion — a move that bans the use of close-up videos and photos of the blast and its aftermath. The Supreme Council of Radio and Television has imposed similar bans in the past, following attacks and accidents.
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/13/bomb-turkey-istanbul-erdogan-00066637
To play a ‘tornado’ in ‘Yellowstone,’ Kelly Reilly became as obsessive as her fans
Reilly’s visceral portrayal of Beth Dutton, the daughter of a wealthy rancher, has fans convinced she’s her character. She sometimes wishes she were.
‘The Sopranos’ meets ‘Yellowstone’ in Stallone’s likable crime comedy ‘Tulsa King’
At 76, Sylvester Stallone makes his scripted TV debut in a new series from Taylor Sheridan and Terence Winter, premiering Sunday on Paramount Network.
Northern Iraq: A new base for Iran’s protest movement?
Iran recently bombed sites in northern Iraq, saying “terrorists” there were behind Iran’s ongoing anti-government protests. What’s the truth?
Former Powerball winner explains the biggest mistake lottery winners can make
Timothy Schultz, who won a $28M Powerball jackpot in 1999, tells “Nightcap’s” Jon Sarlin the biggest mistake a lottery winner can make is not seeking a financial advisor to give guidance on their big jackpot winnings. For more, watch the full Nightcap episode here.
https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2022/11/10/nightcap-powerball-clip-contd-orig-wl.cnn