If Democrats are to emerge victoirous in 2020, they need a candidate who is not created by or defined by opposition to President Trump but holds nuanced, left of center populist positions is clearly the most likely to take the White House.
Yesterday, the GOP escaped a near catastrophic loss in Ohio’s 12th congressional district special election. State Senator Troy Balderson eked out a victory in the 12th district north of Columbus Tuesday night over his Democratic challenger, Franklin County Recorder Danny O’Connor.
The Iranian rial has seen its value plummet against the dollar this past week amid rumors that the U.S. will impose a new round of economic sanctions in the coming days. Iranians have scrambled to exchange in their rials for dollars in recent months, not knowing what the future may hold for their economy. These transactions, along with the speculation of sanctions, have caused the currency to see a sharp decline in value year to date.
The Trump-Russia narrative alleging collusion between the President and the Russian government or leverage that the Russians supposedly have on him has continued its long and dramatic plunge into lunacy.
The American public is outraged, as it should be, by the indictment of 12 Russian intelligence officers by Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. Uncovering their efforts is direct proof of Russian meddling in American affairs, but this discovery should not be taken at face value. One should remember that there is a clear distinction between collusion with the Trump campaign and efforts to undermine faith in American democracy; collusion requires active cooperation, and there is no evidence thus far to support this conclusion.
Ever since Justice Anthony Kennedy, the Supreme Court’s swing voter, announced his retirement, conservatives have rightly declared filling this vacancy as the most crucial decision of Donald Trump’s presidency. With freshly appointed Justice Neil M. Gorsuch already providing the key vote in major conservative rulings upholding the Trump travel ban and against compulsory labor union dues, Republicans are keenly waiting on Trump to deliver another proven conservative to the bench—especially with the liberal Justices Ginsberg and Breyer in the swansongs of their legal careers. Now, conservatives and the president have a golden opportunity to enshrine and protect key constitutional rights for a generation.
