House Democrats were already concerned about President Trump's dismissal of State Department Inspector General Steve Linick on Friday, but they think they've found a new wrinkle, The Washington Post reports.
Linick's ouster reportedly came on the advice of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, whose alleged misuse of a political appointee to perform personal tasks for him and his wife was being looked at by the federal watchdog. Democrats have requested the White House hand over all records related to Linick's firing on suspicion that it may have been retaliatory.
Now, House Foreign Affairs Chair Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) says he's found another possible reasoning behind the move — Engel provided a statement to the Post that said he had learned Linick's office was investigating Trump's emergency declaration last year that fast-tracked weapons sales to Saudi Arabia. Committee Democrats also reportedly discovered the State Department was recently briefed on the conclusions of that investigation.
There's no telling if the briefing had any role in Linick's firing, but Engel said it's "troubling" that Pompeo wanted Linick "pushed out before this work could be completed." Read more at The Washington Post. Tim O'Donnell
The Emmys this year won't look like ever before — but that doesn't mean there won't be the usual amount of shock upsets.
Pundits are generally in agreement about who will take the top prizes at Sunday's virtual Emmys. But what surprises could be in store? Here are some possibilities.
1. Ozark wins drama series - Critics largely see this top Emmy going to HBO's Succession, but some think Netflix could score an upset with Ozark, which debuted its third season in March. It could get a boost after, Deadline writes, many "housebound viewers finally discovered the series" in COVID-19 lockdown.
2. Insecure wins comedy series - The favorite here is easily Schitt's Creek, but what about Issa Rae's Insecure? Variety's Adam B. Vary is predicting a massive upset, writing that Insecure "feels like the right winner, both in quality and in capturing the current moment."
3. Issa Rae wins lead comedy actress - On that note, could Rae herself surprisingly defeat the heavy favorite, Schitt's Creek star Catherine O'Hara? Vanity Fair says Rae "may be the underdog victor."
4. Ramy Youssef wins lead comedy actor - Schitt's Creek star Eugene Levy is poised to win here. But Ramy's Ramy Youssef surprised at the Golden Globes in January by taking the best comedy actor trophy. He wasn't competing against Levy, but still, could he do so again?
5. Zendaya wins lead drama actress - Zendaya wasn't even originally expected to be nominated in this category, but as Jennifer Aniston, Olivia Colman, and Laura Linney duke it out, some see her swooping in for a shock victory.
6. Jason Bateman wins lead drama actor - This category seems like a battle between Succession stars Jeremy Strong and Brian Cox, but if they split the Succession vote, could Ozark's Bateman, who last year won a surprise directing Emmy, emerge victorious?
Expect the unexpected - more so this year than ever - when the Emmys kick off at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on ABC. Brendan Morrow
Trump gives TikTok deal his 'blessing,' but experts caution 'foreign control issue does not go away'
President Trump said Saturday that he has given his "blessing" to a deal that will keep the popular social media app TikTok operating in the United States, but the decision appears perplexing to some observers.
Despite Trump's approval, the deal itself is not done, but the current framework consists of U.S. tech company Oracle joining up with Walmart to form a new entity called TikTok Global, for which they'd pay TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, $12 billion. The two companies plan to own a combined 20 percent of TikTok Global, while ByteDance is expected to retain most of the remaining 80 percent. Per NPR, TikTok Global will still be presented as majority-American owned since 40 percent of ByteDance is owned by U.S. investors.
The negotiations to sell TikTok were spurred by Trump's threat to ban the app in the U.S. over national security concerns as tensions between Washington and Beijing remain high. It seems that the Trump administration is satisfied those concerns will be addressed in the Oracle deal, but Chris Kelly, the former chief privacy officer at Facebook, told NPR the Chinese government will likely still have "substantial" ability to pressure ByteDance under the future framework and the interactions "could stretch into personal data pretty easily," which has been Washington's primary worry.
On a similar note, Trump previously signed an executive order in August requiring ByteDance to completely divest from U.S. TikTok operations, which likely won't be the case under the proposed deal. "They're really moving the goalpoasts here," a former Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States told NPR on condition of anonymity. "ByteDance is still the biggest dog in this deal. The foreign control issue does not go away." Read more at Bloomberg and NPR. Tim O'Donnell
Speaking at a rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on Saturday night, President Trump told supporters that he has yet to select anyone to fill the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's seat, but said his nominee will be a woman.
Earlier Saturday, speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he will "most likely" choose a woman, but he appeared to make that a promise once he got on stage at the rally. Either way, Trump said an announcement could come within a week and reiterated his preference that the confirmation process happens swiftly, preferably before the November election. That will certainly continue to draw objections from his critics, who believe the choice should be made by whomever wins the election.
In a phone call with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who has expressed his desire to fast-track a Senate vote, Trump reportedly mentioned two female appellate court judges — Amy Coney Barrett and Barbara Lagoa — as possible selections. Barrett is seen as an early favorite since Trump interviewed her when he was selecting his last two nominees for the high court, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, and she is well-regarded by conservatives. Allison Jones Rushing, also an appeals court judge, is another contender. Politico notes that, at 38, she would be one of the youngest justices ever to serve on the Supreme Court, which means there'd be a chance she could hold the seat for quite some time. Read more at The Washington Post and Politico. Tim O'Donnell