President Trump "loves the poorly educated," as he so bluntly reminded supporters in a 2016 speech. But he's making an exception for non-Ivy Leaguer Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
The Justice Department head just can't catch a break with the president. He's been slammed as "weak" on everything and is even hidden from the Trump at Cabinet meetings. That's because Trump apparently hates Sessions, right down to his "marbles in his mouth" Southern accent, aides tell Politico.
Ever since the attorney general recused himself from the Justice Department's Russia investigation last year, paving the way for the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, Trump has consistently hated on Sessions. What started as petty tweeted insults has turned into declarations that Sessions "never took control of the Justice Department," as the president told Fox & Friends last week. Even Sessions' former GOP friends have turned against him.
Now, it's apparently gotten down to personal attacks on Sessions' Alabama roots. Trump has told aides that he wants Sessions, who was born in Selma, Alabama, to avoid TV appearances because he "talks like he has marbles in his mouth," Politico reports. He also doesn't like that Sessions went to the University of Alabama, preferring Ivy League associations over the Crimson Tide. Trump has aired these gripes to "any senator who will listen," a GOP aide tells Politico.
It's a funny complaint coming from the president who's publicly touted his Southern supporters as "the true elite," Daily Intelligencer's Jonathan Chait opines. But behind the closed castle doors, Chait says Trump just "cannot stand the stink" of the working-class people who support him. Kathryn Krawczyk
One game is already under way in the NFL, but there's a lot more to come. Here are four Week 6 games to keep an eye on:
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Houston Texans, 1 p.m. ET on CBS — This matchup between two potential playoff teams could be an offensive explosion. Kansas City and Houston feature two of the game's top young playmakers in quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and DeShaun Watson, respectively. Houston was clicking on all cylinders last week when they torched the Atlanta Falcons for 53 points behind a stellar Watson performance. Kansas City and Mahomes, meanwhiel, played their worst game of the season against the Indianapolis Colts last week.
Miami Dolphins vs. Washington Redskins, 1 p.m. ET on Fox — Full disclosure: this is a bit tongue-in-cheek. Miami and Washington are probably two of the worst teams in the league this year, but one of them will have to win this one. It's also Washington's first game since firing head coach Jay Gruden earlier this week. In the long run, though, this is about the race for the number one pick.
Minnesota Vikings vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 1 p.m. ET on Fox — Alright, back to quality football. After a rough start to the season, the Eagles look formidable again, but a road game in Minnesota remains a tall task. Minnesota has had an up and down season, but they're coming off a strong performance against a weak New York Giants team. This should be a good litmus test for two 3-2 teams aiming for division crowns.
Los Angeles Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers, 4:05 p.m. ET on Fox — This promises to be an exciting divisional game. The Rams have been a bit of disappointment this year, but knocking off the 49ers, who remain the only undefeated team not called the New England Patriots, would be a great way to shake off some of their post-Super Bowl rustiness. The Niners, meanwhile, just destroyed the Cleveland Browns last Monday and look like a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Tim O'Donnell
It might not satisfy the Trump administration, but Hunter Biden, the son of Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden, said in a statement Sunday that he's stepping down from his position on the board of a Chinese-backed private equity form.
The decision comes after the Bidens became entagled in President Trump's Ukraine-related impeachment sags. Members of the Trump administration, namely the president's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, accused the Bidens of corruption related to Hunter's foreign business ties, including in Ukraine and China. Although there's no evidence that either Hunter or Joe Biden did anything illegal, it looks like they aren't going to take any risks going forward.
"Under a Biden administration, Hunter will readily comply with any and all guidelines or standards a President Biden may issue to address purported conflicts of interest, or the appearance of such conflicts, including any restrictions related to overseas business interests," Hunter Biden's attorney, George Misers, said in the statement. "In any event, Hunter will agree to not serve on boards of, or work on behalf of, foreign owned companies." Read more at The Washington Post and CNBC. Tim O'Donnell
Hundreds of people with suspected links to the Islamic State reportedly escaped from a camp for displaced people near a U.S.-coalition base in northern Syria on Sunday amid a Turkish military offensive and a simultaneous U.S. troop withdrawal from the region, Syrian Kurdish officials said.
The camp is home to around 12,000 people, including around 1,000 wives and widows of ISIS fighters and their children. The Kurdish-led administration in northern Syria said in a statement that more than 700 ISIS supporters escaped as clashes broke out between Turkey-backed Syrian fighters and Kurdish forces, though news sources were not immediately able to confirm that number. The remaining inhabitants of the camp are reportedly being evacuated by U.S. forces to another area, The Guardian reports.
U.S. troops stationed at bases to the west of the camp said they came under Turkish artillery fire Friday night, in what some suspect was a deliberate attempt to drive them away from the bulk of U.S. forces further east. Read more at The Associated Press and The Washington Post. Tim O'Donnell
Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, will reportedly testify to Congress next week that President Trump assured him he was not withholding military aid to Ukraine until Kyiv investigated former Vice President Joe Biden's son, Hunter, a personal familiar with Sondland's testimony said.
Sondland will reportedly say that a text message he wrote denying a quid pro quo with Ukraine came after he spoke with Trump, who told him there was no such thing. Sondland will reportedly tell Congress he is unsure as to why the aid was held up.
At the same, Sondland will reportedly testify that he has no knowledge as to whether Trump may have changed his mind on the matter at some point, though he did believe Trump at the time and reportedly relied on the president's words in "good faith" when he relayed the information to William Taylor, the acting ambassador to Ukraine, who had expressed concern about the ethics of withholding aid.
"It's only true that the president said it, not that it was the truth," the person familiar with the planned testimony told The Washington Post, referring to Trump's assurances about the aid. "Whether he's deciding it's getting too hot to handle and he backs off whatever his position really was a month earlier, I don't know."
Sondland plans to testify Thursday. Read more at The Washington Post and NBC News. Tim O'Donnell