KKK-Sympathizing Racist Pardons Disgraced Birther

By issuing a presidential pardon for convicted criminal, disgraced sheriff, and all-around-birther Joe Arpaio, Donald Trumptonight made a complete and total fool of anyone who believed the lying KKK-apologist in the White House’s recent claimed conviction that “there is no room for prejudice, no place for bigotry, and no tolerance for hate” in the United States.

American Bridge President Jessica Mackler issued the following statement on Trump’s Arpaio pardon:

“Donald Trump is abusing the power of the presidency to endorse bigotry, racism, and fascism. Arpaio’s pardon is just the latest example. It’s horrifying and utterly disqualifying that Trump continues to coddle Neo-Nazis, hire white nationalists, and inspire repugnant anti-American hatred among far-right racists across the country. The public isn’t going to stand for this, and the Republican Party should expect to be held accountable.”

 

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Editorials Roundup: Quadrupled-Down Week

This week, President Trump quadrupled-down on his divisive, disgusting, and woefully inadequate comments about the white supremacists who marched in Charlottesville and the death of Heather Heyer.  

Can Trump think about anything other than himself and his own ego? Editorial boards across the country answered this week in a resounding “no.” From flirting to a pardon for Sheriff Joe Arpaio, to new petty feuds with Senators in his own party, to threatening a government shutdown if Congress won’t give him the money to pay for his border wall, this was a banner week for the Trump White House. What a time to be alive.

8/19

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: America must openly consider Trump’s fitness for office

Big egos come with the job. But it requires the ability to set ego aside in service of the nation’s good. Trump shows few indications that he’s capable of […]

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Sanders Questions: Two Days In A Row, Lucky Us Edition

On-camera press briefings two days in a row? It’s almost like this is a real, functioning White House. Almost. American Bridge Rapid Response Director Emily Aden calls on White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders to answer the following questions: 

1. Will you confirm Gary Cohn’s promise that tax reform will be done by the end of the year? 

2. What is President Trump going to do to address the fact that the housing market plummeted to an eleven-month low in July? 

3. Isn’t $7,100 a lot to spend on luxury toilets for the Secret Service to accommodate President Trump on his vacations to Bedminster? 

4. After promising to treat Dreamers (young people brought to this country as children) with “great heart,” why is this administration now threatening to end the program that keeps them in this country? Is the White House concerned about taking this step at a time when racial tensions are so high […]

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With no more bare counties, the Trump Administration has no answers – only lies

The Trump Administration did not welcome today’s news that now every single county in the United States has health insurers participating in the exchanges and offering coverage.

Instead, they responded by continuing to tout the negative consequences of President Trump sabotaging insurance markets – efforts that medical experts, industry leaders, and health insurance companies themselves have all stated are undermining the Affordable Care Act.
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Experts have especially decried ​Trump’s threats to withhold payment of cost-sharing reductions that help working Americans have health coverage, which they say are the primary driver of premium increases and insurer withdrawal decisions.

“Someone should tell the Trump Administration that it’s the President’s deliberate sabotage of the marketplaces that is causing the premium increases they’re disingenuously pointing to,” said American Bridge spokesperson Andrew Bates. “They should be welcoming this good news for families – not rooting for bad developments that might help their politics.”

THE FACTS

​TRUMP HAS THREATENED TO END AFFORDABLE CARE ACT […]

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Sanders Questions: Since U Been Gone Edition

It’s been exactly three weeks since there has been an on-camera White House press briefing–or by another measure–just over two-Scaramucci’s. Since White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders last took the podium the nation witnessed President Trump’s disgusting response to the death of Heather Heyer and praise for white supremacists in Charlottesville and is still waiting for any sort of tax reform or infrastructure plan from the White House. 

American Bridge Rapid Response Director Emily Aden calls on Sanders to answer the following questions: 

1. Why is the President threatening to shutdown the government if American taxpayers don’t fund a wall we all were promised Mexico would pay for? 

2. Did President Trump know that his Deputy Chief of Staff Rick Dearborn tried to arrange a meeting for him with Vladimir Putin in June 2016? Now that Dearborn is a known target of the Russia investigation, will John Kelly fire him? 

3. Will President […]

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WATCH: More Than A Dozen Times Trump Attacked Veterans & the U.S. Military

Ahead of Donald Trump’s speech at the National Convention of the American Legion, here are a dozen times Donald Trump has attacked, belittled, insulted and maligned American men and women serving uniform. 

“Donald Trump’s own words prove he is no friend to America’s veterans,” said American Bridge President Jessica Mackler.  “And since taking office, Trump has only gotten worse. He tried to slash funding for half a million veterans relying on Meals on Wheels and excluded the American Legion, VFW, and other veterans advocates from policy discussions.”

Here are more than a dozen times President Trump insulted American veterans and the U.S. Military: 

Trump Suggested That Veterans Suffering From PTSD Aren’t “Strong” And “Can’t Handle It.” “When people come back from war and combat and they see things that maybe a lot of the folks in this room have seen many times over and you’re strong and you can handle it, but […]

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Donald Trump owes the American people the truth about tax reform

American Bridge spokesperson Andrew Bates released the following statement after details of conversations about tax reform between the Trump Administration and congressional Republican leadership were reported:

“After exploiting the presidency to personally profit and fighting for a plan that would have cost millions their healthcare – but cut his own taxes – Donald Trump needs to level with the public before Congress considers any tax reform plan: how much will he himself benefit?”

Politico: Trump’s team and lawmakers making strides on tax reform plan
The so-called Big 6 have found common ground on the best ways to pay for individual and corporate tax cuts.
By NANCY COOK 08/22/2017 05:22 AM EDT

President Donald Trump’s top aides and congressional leaders have made significant strides in shaping a tax overhaul, moving far beyond the six-paragraph framework pushed out in July that stoked fears about their ability to deliver on one of the GOP’s top […]

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WATCH: Matt Lauer Calls Pence Out For Defending Trump’s Support for neo-Nazis, KKK

After Mike Pence repeatedly dodged, ducked, deflected and danced around questions about Donald Trump’s defense of neo-Nazis, KKK, and other violent white supremacists who rioted in Charlottesville, Today Show host Matt Lauer called out the Vice President for continuing to defend the indefensible.  Lauer noted Trump’s comments have been denounced by Republicans, business leaders, and military officers — nearly everyone except for the Vice President, further illustrating that there’s no daylight between Trump and Pence. 

“There’s no daylight between Trump and Pence, particularly when it comes to turning a blind eye to white supremacists,” said American Bridge Vice President Shripal Shah.  “Trump’s racism is officially defining his administration, destroying his legislative agenda, and it exposing Mike Pence’s own moral failings along the way.”

Watch the full segment here.

Lauer: Let me ask you about other items in the news. Mr. Vice President, have you ever met a neo-Nazi or […]

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Sen. McConnell, the path on healthcare is clear

American Bridge spokesperson Andrew Bates released the following statement after Sen. Mitch McConnell alleged that Affordable Care Act places were “collapsing” and that the path forward on healthcare was “murky.”
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“The marketplaces have proved resilient despite repeated attempts by Donald Trump to sabotage the ​Affordable Care Act, but now it’s time for Republicans to come to terms with reality and commit to working across the aisle to improve existing law. We need an approach that puts the American people ahead of partisanship, something like that might even stop Sen. McConnell’s approval rating from ‘collapsing.’”

The Hill: McConnell: Path on healthcare ‘murky’
BY JORDAIN CARNEY – 08/21/17
02:03 PM EDT

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) acknowledged Monday that Congress’ next steps on healthcare are unclear after Republicans failed to repeal ObamaCare.

“Obviously we had a setback on the effort to make dramatic changes on ObamaCare. The way forward now is somewhat murky,” the Senate GOP leader said […]

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Report: Trump Still Ripping Off GOP Donors For Millions

“Donald Trump will go down in history as one of the most corrupt politicians to ever step foot in Washington and this is just the latest example. Never before has someone so blatantly profited of off their position in government, and it goes to prove the obvious: Trump cares about nothing except his own bank account.” –Brad Bainum, American Bridge spokesperson. 

Washington Post: Republican committees have paid nearly $1.3 million to Trump-owned entities this year

By Matea Gold and Anu Narayanswamy, 8/21/17

The Republican National Committee paid the Trump International Hotel in Washington $122,000 last month after the party held a lavish fundraiser at the venue in June, the latest example of how GOP political committees are generating a steady income stream for President Trump’s private business, new Federal Election Commission records show.

At least 25 congressional campaigns, state parties and the Republican Governors Association have together spent more than $473,000 at […]

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