GOP LEADERS vs TRUMP & PUTIN - "THESE HOES AIN'T LOYAL" (TWO PARTIES MORPH INTO ONE)

GOP LEADERS vs TRUMP & PUTIN - "THESE HOES AIN'T LOYAL"):

TRUMP HELPS GOP WIN IN 2016 & THEY TURN ON HIM.

IT'S NOT REALLY ABOUT PUTIN, RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE, NOR ELECTION FRAUD.

INSTEAD IT IS JUST DIRTY POLITICS AS USUAL PREPARING FOR THE 2020 ELECTION.

GOP TOP BRASS FINALLY REVEALS TWO PARTY GOV'T NO LONGER EXISTS.......TRUMP IS JUST A SCAPEGOAT.

DEMOCRATS AND THE GOP HAVE MORPHED INTO ONE GOV'T.

WHICH POLITICAL PARTY WINS IN 2020?

BOTH PARTIES WILL WIN BECAUSE THEY HAVE MORPHED INTO ONE.


Post Sources: ABC News, NBC News, NY Times, CNN, Youtube


***** Republicans Rebuke Trump for Siding With Putin as Democrats Demand Action


For nearly two years, Republicans have watched uncomfortably, and often in silence, as President Trump has swatted away accusations that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential race, attacked his own intelligence agencies and flattered President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.

On Monday, even for members of his own party, Mr. Trump apparently went too far.

The president’s extraordinary news conference with Mr. Putin in Helsinki, Finland, stunned Republicans across the ideological spectrum and the party’s political apparatus, leaving them struggling to respond after the president undermined his national intelligence director, blamed both the United States and Russia for poor relations between the two countries and seemingly agreed to Mr. Putin’s suggestion that Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, cooperate with Russia.

Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, declared, “No prior president has ever abased himself more abjectly before a tyrant.” Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker and Trump adviser, declared the news conference “the most serious mistake of his presidency.” Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee and current Senate candidate from Utah, called it “disgraceful and detrimental to our democratic principles.”

The effect extended far beyond official Washington. One local official — Chris Gagin, the chairman of the Republican Party in Belmont County, Ohio — resigned his post, announcing on Twitter that he “did so as a matter of conscience, and my sense of duty.” Neil Cavuto, a Fox Business Network host, called Mr. Trump’s performance “disgusting,” adding, “I’m sorry, it’s the only way I feel. It’s not a right or left thing to me, it’s just wrong.”

Yet no Republican in Congress pledged any particular action to punish Mr. Trump, such as holding up his nominees or delaying legislation, nor did any Republican promise hearings or increased oversight.

It was left to Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, to demand actual action. He called for increased sanctions on Russia; for Mr. Trump’s national security team to testify before Congress; for defense of the Department of Justice and other intelligence agencies; and for Mr. Trump to press Mr. Putin to extradite the 12 Russian intelligence agents who were indicted Friday.

“In the entire history of our country, Americans have never seen a president of the United States support an adversary the way President Trump has supported President Putin,” Mr. Schumer said.

He added: “A single, ominous question now hangs over the White House: What could possibly cause President Trump to put the interests of Russia over those of the United States? Millions of Americans will continue to wonder. The only possible explanation for this dangerous behavior is the possibility that President Putin holds damaging information over President Trump.”

Republican leaders largely tempered their remarks, confining their backhanded comments to denunciations of Russia and expressions of faith in American intelligence agencies. But even they appeared to have given up hope that they could shape the actions of an erratic and unpredictable president.

Senator John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, concluded that Mr. Trump was unable to distinguish between the fact that Russia had interfered in the election and the accusation — as yet unproven — that the Trump campaign had colluded with Russia.

“In the president’s mind, I think he’s conflating different things — the meddling and the collusion allegations for which there does not appear to be any evidence,” Mr. Cornyn said.

Representative Peter T. King, Republican of New York and a former chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, who has defended Mr. Trump amid the Russia inquiry, was not quite as charitable: “I understand in the bigger picture the president genuinely feels that he can establish better relations with Russia the way Nixon did with China,” Mr. King said in an interview, “but the nuance eludes him.”

And as to Mr. Trump’s openness to having Russia cooperate with Mr. Mueller’s investigation, Mr. King said, “It would be like bringing ISIS into a joint terrorism task force.”

At least one Republican, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, veered from the script and delivered a full-throated defense of Mr. Trump: “I think it’s a good idea to have engagement, and I guess I don’t quite understand all of the people who have gone completely deranged criticizing the president.”

Elected Republicans have been uneasy about Mr. Trump’s unorthodox views toward Russia and his willingness to embrace Mr. Putin since Mr. Trump first grabbed the attention of the party as its primary contest heated up in summer 2015. Many thought that once he was in office, surrounded by Washington’s national security experts, Mr. Trump would adopt the wary stance that has guided previous American presidents.

Instead, time and again he has defied those expectations, as he repeatedly called into question the collective conclusions of the C.I.A., the F.B.I. and other intelligence agencies, and ignored his own advisers’ advice in seeking a personal relationship with Mr. Putin.

For most Republicans on Capitol Hill and around the country, Mr. Trump’s stance toward Mr. Putin, coupled with his recent attacks on the United States’ allies in Europe, have presented a challenge: either defend the post-World War II international order, and risk angering a president who is immensely popular with their voters, or hold their tongues.

That challenge is especially tricky for Republican leaders, who must work closely with Mr. Trump and are especially reluctant to criticize him in public.

Hours passed on Monday before Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, commented. During a rare hallway interview in the Capitol, he uttered three terse sentences: “The Russians are not our friends. I’ve said that repeatedly, I say it again today. And I have complete confidence in our intelligence community and the findings that they have announced.” He refused to answer questions.

Speaker Paul D. Ryan was a bit more pointed. “The president must appreciate that Russia is not our ally,” he said in a carefully worded statement. “There is no moral equivalence between the United States and Russia, which remains hostile to our most basic values and ideals.”

Democrats wanted more than carefully calibrated statements.

“This is a disgraceful moment. The president’s party knows better,” John Kerry, the former secretary of state and senator, wrote in a statement. “America needs them to speak out with clarity and conviction not just in this news cycle, but until there’s common sense governing America’s foreign policy.”

Senator Brian Schatz, Democrat of Hawaii, suggested on Twitter that if Republicans “were serious,” they would pass a long-stalled legislation protecting the jobs of special counsels such as Mr. Mueller.

But Republican leaders did not appear ready to go beyond measured phrases. Mr. Cornyn told reporters that it was “wishful thinking” to expect Mr. Putin to agree to the extradition of the 12 Russian agents. “Much of what Senator Schumer’s asking for, I think we’ve already done,” he added.

As Republican leaders struggled to come up with tactful ways to respond to a stunning news conference, responses from some of their colleagues signified a moment when Republicans could not defend their president.

Mr. McCain’s was undoubtedly the harshest.

“It is tempting to describe the press conference as a pathetic rout — as an illustration of the perils of under-preparation and inexperience,” said Mr. McCain, who has brain cancer.

“But these were not the errant tweets of a novice politician,” he continued. “These were the deliberate choices of a president who seems determined to realize his delusions of a warm relationship with Putin’s regime without any regard for the true nature of his rule, his violent disregard for the sovereignty of his neighbors, his complicity in the slaughter of the Syrian people, his violation of international treaties and his assault on democratic institutions throughout the world.”

Mr. McCain’s fellow Republican senator from Arizona, Jeff Flake, released his own rebuke: “I never thought I would see the day when our American President would stand on the stage with the Russian President and place blame on the United States for Russian aggression. This is shameful.”

Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican Alaska, struck a mournful tone: “Sadly President Trump did not defend America to the Russian president, and for the world to see. Instead, what I saw today was not ‘America First,’ it was simply a sad diminishment of our great nation.”

Senator Ben Sasse, Republican of Nebraska and a frequent critic of Mr. Trump, echoed the sentiment. “Everyone in this body should be disgusted by what happened in Helsinki today,” he said Monday in a speech on the Senate floor.

Even for congressional Republicans used to avoiding commenting on the president’s outbursts, Mr. Trump’s performance in Helsinki was difficult to ignore. For those who are accustomed to speaking out against Mr. Trump, and those whose impending retirements have freed them to do so, it was yet another occasion for public hand-wringing.

Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, the retiring chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that he “did not think this was a good moment for our country.”

It was, he added, a very good moment for Mr. Putin.

“It was almost an approval, if you will, a public approval by the greatest nation on earth towards him,” Mr. Corker told reporters. “I would guess he’s having caviar right now.”

GOP 2017 TAX BILL PROVES THEY STILL CONTROL THE MONEY IN POLITICS (BILL HIGHLIGHTS)

GOP 2017 TAX BILL PROVES REPUBLICAN PARTY STILL CONTROLS MOST OF THE MONEY IN POLITICS: (BILL HIGHLIGHTS)

WHAT CAN DEMOCRATS DO BEFORE 2020 TO PUT SOME OF THAT MONEY BACK INTO HANDS OF "AVERAGE, HARDWORKING JOE" VOTERS??

TRUMP CALLED FOR CHANGES TO THE HOUSE TAX BILL BEFORE IT PASSED.

13 HOUSE REPUBLICANS VOTED AGAINST THIS OMNIBUS "RICH GET RICHER" TAX BILL.


Sources: AP, Fox News, MSN, NY TIMES, Youtube


**** The House just passed its big tax bill. Here's what is in it.


President Trump and GOP House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (Wis.) won a major victory as the House passed the tax bill Thursday, the central piece of the Republican plan to boost the U.S. economy.

No Democrats voted for the bill. Ryan could lose 22 GOP votes, but in the end, he only lost 13.

The legislation would affect every American household and business owner.

The bill was first introduced Nov. 2 and was voted on just two weeks later, leaving little time for analysis or debate on the 440-page legislation.

The next step is for the Senate to pass its version and then for both chambers to reconcile their substantial differences.

The main goal of the House's “Tax Cut and Jobs Act” is to lower taxes on companies in an effort to make them more competitive and discourage them from moving abroad.

The bill reduces the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent and the rate for pass-through businesses down to 25 percent (with some restrictions).

Many families would also pay less, although Ryan has admitted that won't be the case for everyone. Here's a rundown of what is actually in the final version of the bill that passed.

It keeps the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate.

The House voted on a tax bill only.

The Senate bill includes a provision to scrap the legal requirement that almost all Americans buy health insurance or pay a penalty.

The House isn't touching that, which may lead to a showdown between the two chambers if they have to resolve their very different versions of the bill

Big businesses win.

The House bill cuts the top rate that large corporations pay from 35 percent to 20 percent, the biggest one-time drop in the big-business tax rate ever. It is a permanent change that does not expire.

On top of that, companies would get some new tax breaks to help lower their bills, such as the ability to deduct all the costs of purchasing new equipment for five years, as well as a special low rate on any money they bring back to the United States from low-tax countries such as Ireland.
Many businesses have been holding cash overseas to avoid 35 percent U.S. taxes.

Now they would get to bring the money home at a tax rate of 12 percent.

The entire business tax system would also change from a worldwide system, in which money anywhere around the globe is taxed, to a territorial system in which it's mostly money made in the United States that is taxed.

Businesses have long lobbied for this change.

Small businesses get a mini-win.

The National Federation of Independent Businesses, the largest small business lobby, initially was against the House bill, but Republicans made some changes and now the NFIB is giving its blessing.

95 percent of American businesses are organized as pass through companies (LLCs, S-Corps, partnerships), and they “pass through” the business income to the owner's individual tax rate.

The House plan lowers the top rate from 39.6 percent to 25 percent for small businesses (excluding “service companies” like consultants and lawyers) and requires a complex formula where the 25 percent rate only applies to about 30 percent of the business income.

But the reality is most small businesses — 85 percent — already pay taxes at rates of 25 percent or less.

To help out the small “mom and pops,” the final bill has a 9 percent rate on the first $75,000 in income for business owners making $150,000 or less.

But that tax break phases in, meaning it isn't fully available until 2022.

<<<<< The rich do very well. The wealthy get a lot of benefits in the bill.

The estate tax, which is paid only when property and other assets worth over $5.5 million are passed on to heirs, doubles to about $11 million in 2018 (around $22 million for couples), meaning a lot fewer people have to pay it.

And the estate tax goes away entirely in 2024.

The mega-wealthy also would get to keep charitable deductions, a popular way that lowers their tax bills, and they no longer would have to pay the alternative minimum tax (AMT), a safeguard against excessive tax dodging that's been in place since 1969.

Some wealthy business owners would be able to take advantage of the lower pass-through rate as well.

Overall, the Tax Policy Center found that half the benefits of the bill go to the top 1 percent by 2027.

Donald Trump would probably benefit a lot.

As The Washington Post explains, many parts of the bill help Trump.

One of the interesting ones is that the lower 25 percent pass-through rate would apply to all income for passive real estate investors like Trump, a much better deal than most active pass-through business owners get.

Most Americans pay the same — or lower — taxes until 2023. For the next five years, the vast majority of Americans (92 percent) would either pay less or see little change, according to the official estimates from the Joint Committee on Taxation.

But that shifts sharply after five years. In 2023, only 40 percent of Americans would pay less. Twenty-two percent would pay more (the rest see little change), JCT found

Taxes will get simpler for many. The House bill collapses the seven tax brackets the country has down to just four (12 percent, 25 percent, 35 percent and 39.6 percent).

The top rate becomes a “millionaire rate” applying to income of $1 million or more a year for couples (and of $500,000 or more for individuals).

In an effort to simplify, the House bill also does away with many of the credits and deductions and replaces them with a larger standard deduction, a slightly larger child tax credit ($1,600 per kid versus $1,000 now) and a new Family Flexibility Credit worth $300 a year for individuals and $600 for couples.

The larger standard deduction means the first $12,000 for individuals and $24,000 for couples is tax-free

Say goodbye to most deductions. Almost all itemized deductions are going away, except for three.

The final House bill keeps the deductions for charitable donations, property taxes up to $10,000 a year and the mortgage interest deduction.

The mortgage interest deduction would be capped at $500,000 for mortgages (down from $1 million now).

About 30 percent of filers itemize. Most of the people who itemize claim the state and local tax deduction (SALT) where they deduct their state and local sales, income and property taxes.

Under the House bill, only the property deduction would remain. This hurts people living in high-tax (and often blue) states like New Jersey, New York and California. Several GOP representatives from these states plan to vote no on the bill in protest.

The adoption credit stays. The 401(k) exemption stays.

But . . .

Say goodbye to the tax credits for plug-in motor vehicles. It gets repealed in 2018.

Say goodbye to the deduction for medical expenses. It goes away in 2018.

Say goodbye to being able to write off the costs of your tax preparer. That goes away in 2018.

Say goodbye to the deduction for moving expenses. It goes away in 2018, except for members of the military.

Say goodbye to most tax benefits for college.

At the moment, low and middle income Americans can deduct up to $2,500 a year in student loan interest.

That benefit would go away in 2018.

In addition, grad students who get tuition waivers because they teach or do research would now have to pay income tax on the waiver, a big change.

For students currently in school, the American Opportunity Tax Credit would remain, which allows a $2,000 credit for higher education expenses.

OBAMACARE EXPLODES IN DEMS' FACES; GOP CIVIL WAR KILLS REPLACEMENT

OBAMACARE EXPLODES IN DEMOCRATS' FACES; GOP INFIGHTING KILLS REPLACEMENT:

DEAR GOD HELP GOP LEADERS IF THEY BLOW ANOTHER GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO REBUILD THIS COUNTRY.


Sources: CBS News, Fox News, YouTube


**** Trump blames Democrats for GOP health care bill failure, says ObamaCare is 'imploding'


President Trump said Friday the White House “learned a lot about loyalty and the vote-getting process” following the dramatic failure of a Republican-backed bill that would have made good on a campaign promise to repeal and replace ObamaCare.

Trump said House Republicans were 10 to 15 votes shy of getting the bill passed and blamed the defeat on Democrats. House Speaker Paul Ryan pulled the bill minutes before a vote was to take place as it became apparent there was not enough support for passage. Democrats were united against it, and a conservative bloc of Republicans were unmoved by 11th-hour negotiations.

“We had no Democratic support,” Trump said from the Oval Office. “They weren’t going to give us a single vote.”

The president added that the “best thing we can do, politically speaking, is let ObamaCare explode. It’s exploding right now… Almost all states have big problems.”

Trump claimed he never said he would “repeal and replace [ObamaCare] within 64 days,” though he repeatedly promised during the campaign he’d do it on Day One.

Ryan, R-Wis., withdrew the legislation after Trump called and asked him to halt debate without a vote.

“We came really close today but we came up short,” Ryan said. He added that Friday’s developments were “not the end of the story” though he immediately pivoted to other items on the GOP agenda, including tax reform.

“We have big, ambitious plans to improve people’s lives,” he said.

Ryan made the walk to the White House shortly after noon to tell the president he lacked the votes to push the bill through. Friday marks the seventh anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act by former President Barack Obama.

The GOP bill would have replaced ObamaCare, which mandated that almost every American have health insurance.

“This was a rejection of the repeal of the Affordable Care Act,” Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez said in a written statement. “In the words of my friend Joe Biden: This is a BFD.”

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called the failed GOP health care bill a “victory for the American people.”

Republicans have spent seven years campaigning against Obama's signature health care law, and cast dozens of votes to repeal it in full or in part. But when they finally got the chance to pass a repeal bill that actually had a chance to get signed, they couldn't pull it off.

What happens next is unclear, but the path ahead on other priorities, such as overhauling the tax code, could grow more daunting.

The development came on the afternoon of a day when the bill, which had been delayed a day earlier, was supposed to come to a vote, come what may. President Trump's top aides had told Ryan to call a vote - and possibly call the bluff of balky Republicans in the House Freedom Caucus.

But instead of picking up support as Friday wore on, the bill went the other direction, with some key lawmakers coming out in opposition.

Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-N.J., chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee, said the bill would raise costs unacceptably on his constituents. Rep. Barbara Comstock of Virginia, a key moderate Republican, and GOP Rep. David Joyce of Ohio also announced "no" votes.

The defections raised the possibility that the bill would not only lose on the floor, but lose big.

In the face of that evidence, and despite insistences from White House officials and Ryan that Friday was the day to vote, leadership pulled back from the brink.

The GOP bill would have eliminated the Obama statute's unpopular fines on people who do not obtain coverage and would also have removed the often-generous subsidies for those who purchase insurance.

Republican tax credits would have been based on age, not income like Obama's, and the tax boosts Obama imposed on higher-earning people and health care companies would have been repealed. The bill would have ended Obama's Medicaid expansion and trimmed future federal financing for the federal-state program, letting states impose work requirements on some of the 70 million beneficiaries.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the Republican bill would have resulted in 24 million additional uninsured people in a decade and lead to higher out-of-pocket medical costs for many lower-income and people just shy of age 65 when they would become eligible for Medicare. The bill would have blocked federal payments for a year to Planned Parenthood.

Democrats were uniformly opposed. "This bill is pure greed, and real people will suffer and die from it," said Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington state.

PAUL RYAN MAINTAINS HOUSE SPEAKER ROLE (GET TO WORK)

PAUL RYAN MAINTAINS HOUSE SPEAKER ROLE:

NOW GET TO WORK HELPING TRUMP PROTECT US MILITARY TROOPS & GOVERN OUR NATION PROPERLY.


Sources: AP, Washington Post, YouTube


****** Paul Ryan is easily reelected House speaker


Lawmakers reelected Paul D. Ryan as House speaker Tuesday, choosing the Wisconsin Republican with a fraught history with President-elect Donald Trump to serve as Trump’s chief legislative partner.

Ryan won the support of all but one Republican, winning with many fewer GOP defectors than when he first won the speakership in 2015. The vast majority of Democrats voted for Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who was reelected as party leader last year despite an abortive effort among some colleagues to oust her after November’s disappointing election results.

The near-unanimous vote for Ryan stands as a strong show of Republican unity as the party embarks on an ambitious legislative agenda that, for the first time in eight years, has a real chance to be signed into law.

But the 24 hours preceding the vote showed that unity can be fleeting: His reelection came less than two hours after Republicans held an emergency meeting to reverse proposed changes that would roll back the authority of the independent Office of Congressional Ethics. Ryan opposed those changes ahead of a Monday night conference meeting, but lawmakers voted for them anyway — then agreed to reverse course Tuesday after a public firestorm.

Addressing the House after his election, Ryan made a sharp call to action: “We are not here to be; we are here to do.”

“Millions and millions of Americans are deeply dissatisfied with their situation,” he said. “They have let out a great roar. … We hear you, we will do right by you and we will deliver.”

Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.) was the only Republican not to cast his ballot for Ryan. Massie invoked a Trump campaign mantra as he voted for Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.), saying Webster would “drain the swamp.”

Massie was one of nine Republicans who broke with Ryan in October 2015; seven of the remaining eight continue to serve in the House and supported Ryan on Tuesday.

Republicans currently enjoy a 241-to-194 advantage over Democrats in the House, though that margin stands to narrow slightly in the coming weeks as the Senate takes up nominations of several House members to the Trump administration. Should those members be confirmed, their seats would be filled through special elections to be held later this year.

Trump has picked Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) to serve as White House budget director, Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) to serve as CIA director, Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) to serve as health and human services secretary, and Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) to serve as interior secretary. One Democrat, Rep. Xavier Becerra (Calif.), is expected to depart the House soon to become his state’s attorney general.

Democrats prefaced their votes with a short script before casting their votes for Pelosi: “Because the people’s House should be ethical, accountable and open to free debate,” several of them said. Rep. John Lewis (Ga.), for one, delivered his vote from the well of the House.

One Republican had a sharp retort: “Because the people’s House should be in order, Paul Ryan,” said Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill.).

Four Democrats opposed Pelosi: Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) voted for Lewis; Reps. Jim Cooper (Tenn.) and Kathleen Rice (N.Y.) voted for Rep. Tim Ryan (Ohio); and Rep. Ron Kind (Wis.) voted for Cooper.

GOP KEEPS CONGRESS IN 2016 ELECTION; REFERENDUM ON CORRUPTION

GOP MAINTAINS CONTROL OF CONGRESS IN 2016:

IT'S A REFERENDUM ON CORRUPTION.

THE VOTERS HAVE SPOKEN.

Sources: CNN, Bloomberg Politics, YouTube


**** Republicans keep control of Congress

Republicans won virtually all the battlegrounds needed to keep the Senate majority
The Donald Trump wave helped several incumbents hold on to their seats
Republicans pulled off a political stunner Tuesday night -- running the table down-ballot and keeping control of the House and Senate, CNN projects.

In a year when the GOP was almost entirely on defense, the party's incumbents -- many outspent and hobbled by struggling campaigns -- managed to survive a political landscape that long appeared all but certain to cost them the Senate.

Democrats believed they had the perfect mix: Near-locks in blue Illinois and Wisconsin. Top-grade recruits in red states Indiana and Missouri to get them close. And Donald Trump would drag down Republican incumbents in the battlegrounds of Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and North Carolina.

Then, on Tuesday night, everything went wrong for them.

The biggest surprise is that Trump was no drag on the GOP ticket at all -- and might have even helped carry the party.

Trump's margin of victory matched or exceeded those of Todd Young in Indiana and Sen. Richard Burr in North Carolina. Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, who embraced Trump despite expectations the GOP nominee lose his historically Democratic-leaning state, surged late in the race and benefited from Trump's stunning performance there. Incumbents Roy Blunt in Missouri and Pat Toomey won as well, CNN projects.

As of 3 a.m. ET, Republicans held 51 seats to 47 for the Democrats.

The Democrats' lone bright spots were knocking off Illinois Republican Sen. Mark Kirk and holding retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid's seat in Nevada with a victory by Catherine Cortez Masto. There is still a chance in New Hampshire, where GOP Sen. Kelly Ayotte and Democrat Maggie Hassan were neck-and-neck at votes were still being counted.

But there's nothing that will lessen the sting for Democrats.

The Republicans easily held the House, and on a night party officials were confident they'd tip the balance of power in the Senate, Republicans not only remain the majority party -- but appear to head into the 2018 midterms with a map so favorable that a filibuster-proof, 60-seat supermajority is within reach.

The magnitude of the GOP's down-ballot victories was stunning. Its incumbents held seats most Republicans began the 2016 election cycle assuming were lost in some states and overcame weak campaigns in others.

In Florida, Sen. Marco Rubio -- whose late decision to seek re-election after his failed presidential bid was a boon to the GOP's chances of keeping the Senate -- will best Democratic Rep. Patrick Murphy, CNN projects. Republican Sen. Rob Portman will also win re-election in Ohio, CNN projects. He ran what's likely the best Republican campaign of the cycle -- turning what was expected to be a close race with Democratic former Gov. Ted Strickland into a likely blowout.

Indiana delivered major a blow to Democrats' hopes. Former governor and senator Evan Bayh's late entry was expected to turn the state into a guaranteed pickup -- but scrutiny over his residency and lobbying work catapulted Republican Rep. Todd Young to victory, CNN projects.

Democrats picked off one of the five seats they need when Tammy Duckworth defeated Republican Sen. Mark Kirk in Illinois. That race was always a challenge for Kirk, who won Illinois in the 2010 Tea Party wave in the mid-term elections.

(CNN)Republicans pulled off a political stunner Tuesday night -- running the table down-ballot and keeping control of the House and Senate, CNN projects.

In a year when the GOP was almost entirely on defense, the party's incumbents -- many outspent and hobbled by struggling campaigns -- managed to survive a political landscape that long appeared all but certain to cost them the Senate.

Democrats believed they had the perfect mix: Near-locks in blue Illinois and Wisconsin. Top-grade recruits in red states Indiana and Missouri to get them close. And Donald Trump would drag down Republican incumbents in the battlegrounds of Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and North Carolina.


Then, on Tuesday night, everything went wrong for them.

The biggest surprise is that Trump was no drag on the GOP ticket at all -- and might have even helped carry the party.

Trump's margin of victory matched or exceeded those of Todd Young in Indiana and Sen. Richard Burr in North Carolina. Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, who embraced Trump despite expectations the GOP nominee lose his historically Democratic-leaning state, surged late in the race and benefited from Trump's stunning performance there. Incumbents Roy Blunt in Missouri and Pat Toomey won as well, CNN projects.

As of 3 a.m. ET, Republicans held 51 seats to 47 for the Democrats.

The Democrats' lone bright spots were knocking off Illinois Republican Sen. Mark Kirk and holding retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid's seat in Nevada with a victory by Catherine Cortez Masto. There is still a chance in New Hampshire, where GOP Sen. Kelly Ayotte and Democrat Maggie Hassan were neck-and-neck at votes were still being counted.

But there's nothing that will lessen the sting for Democrats.

The Republicans easily held the House, and on a night party officials were confident they'd tip the balance of power in the Senate, Republicans not only remain the majority party -- but appear to head into the 2018 midterms with a map so favorable that a filibuster-proof, 60-seat supermajority is within reach.

The magnitude of the GOP's down-ballot victories was stunning. Its incumbents held seats most Republicans began the 2016 election cycle assuming were lost in some states and overcame weak campaigns in others.

In Florida, Sen. Marco Rubio -- whose late decision to seek re-election after his failed presidential bid was a boon to the GOP's chances of keeping the Senate -- will best Democratic Rep. Patrick Murphy, CNN projects. Republican Sen. Rob Portman will also win re-election in Ohio, CNN projects. He ran what's likely the best Republican campaign of the cycle -- turning what was expected to be a close race with Democratic former Gov. Ted Strickland into a likely blowout.

Indiana delivered major a blow to Democrats' hopes. Former governor and senator Evan Bayh's late entry was expected to turn the state into a guaranteed pickup -- but scrutiny over his residency and lobbying work catapulted Republican Rep. Todd Young to victory, CNN projects.

Democrats picked off one of the five seats they need when Tammy Duckworth defeated Republican Sen. Mark Kirk in Illinois. That race was always a challenge for Kirk, who won Illinois in the 2010 Tea Party wave in the mid-term elections.

View this interactive content on CNN.com
Control of the Senate will be key to the early successes of a Trump administration. In theory, controlling Congress and the White House will let the GOP swiftly pass legislation that reverses many of Obama's policies.

Republicans holding their own

Republicans faced a daunting task at the outset of the 2016 election cycle: They held 24 of the 34 seats on the ballot -- meaning many more to defend.

But strong GOP candidates have helped the party pull some contests in presidential swing states off the board such as Florida and Ohio.

In Florida, Rubio's loss in the presidential primary turned out to be the GOP's gain, as he held on to that seat.

Two other former GOP presidential candidates also won their Senate re-election bids, CNN projects. Sen. Rand Paul won in Kentucky, as did 2008 nominee John McCain in Arizona.

In Georgia, Sen. Johnny Isakson was struggling earlier in the year, but he will defeat Democratic challenger Jim Barksdale, CNN projects.

Two more Republicans who were expected to be safe -- Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt and North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr -- found themselves in closer races than expected.

In North Carolina, Burr's late fundraising start -- combined with the Clinton campaign's focus there -- allowed Democrat Ross to turn the state into a toss-up, but he won impressively.

And in Missouri, Secretary of State Jason Kander has run one of the strongest Democratic campaigns -- punctuated by a TV spot that featured the military veteran rebutting attack ads from the National Rifle Association by assembling an AR-15 rifle while blindfolded. But it doesn't appear to be enough to defeat Blunt.

Blame Comey?

Clinton's recent troubles, including the late focus on her email server, may have hurt Democrats down ballot.

House Democrats remain frustrated with FBI Director James Comey, who made a revelation 11 days before the election that the bureau was once again looking into emails potentially tied to its investigation of Clinton. Democrats believe his announcement provided down-ballot Republicans an opportunity to shift topics and attack Clinton, rather than defend Trump.

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday that Comey "became the leading political operative in the country -- wittingly or unwittingly."

Pelosi blamed Comey for costing Democrats a shot at winning Republican seats across the country, saying he created "more of an obstacle that we hope to overcome" but adding, "it's difficult."

PAUL RYAN FINALLY ENDORSES DONALD TRUMP FOR 2016 (VOTERS WIN)

@PaulRyan

HOUSE SPEAKER PAUL RYAN FINALLY ENDORSES DONALD TRUMP:

GOP ESTABLISHMENT IS SLOWLY BEGINNING TO SIDE WITH VOTERS.

IT'S ABOUT TIME.

Sources: AP, NBC News, YouTube

***** House Speaker Paul Ryan Says He Will Vote for Donald Trump

Nearly a month after being named the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party, Donald Trump has finally earned the vote of House Speaker Paul Ryan. 

Far from a wholehearted embrace of his party's 2016 standard-bearer's policies and temperament, Ryan's announcement on Thursday mainly emphasized that Trump would be a better ally to advance Ryan's policy goals than likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. 

The announcement, published in a column in his home town newspaper the GazetteXtra, failed to include the word "endorsement," instead indicating only that the Wisconsin lawmaker will cast his vote for Trump at the ballot box. Ryan wrote that he came to his decision after several conversations with Trump. 

"I feel confident he would help us turn the ideas ... into laws to help improve people's lives," he wrote.

NBC News had proclaimed Trump the presumptive nominee 29 days ago on May 4, after Trump's final GOP rivals exited the race. But Ryan withheld his support at the time, instead publicizing his concerns with the likely nominee. 

Ryan suggested then that it was up to Trump to unify the party after a primary that resulted in a nominee that many establishment Republicans did not prefer. 

"I think the bulk of the burden on unifying the party will have to come from our presumptive nominee," Ryan said last month. "I'm not there right now. And I hope to though, and I want to. But I think what is required is that we unify this party." 

In the column published Thursday, Ryan did not sugarcoat his continuing disagreements with Trump.

"It's no secret that he and I have our differences. I won't pretend otherwise. And when I feel the need to, I'll continue to speak my mind," Ryan wrote. "To enact (Republican) ideas, we need a Republican president willing to sign them into law. That's why, when he sealed the nomination, I could not offer my support for Donald Trump before discussing policies and basic principles." 

While it's hardly a glowing recommendation, Ryan's willingness to support Trump presents yet another obstacle to the "Stop Trump" movement as establishment Republicans are slowly lining up behind their nominee, albeit reluctantly.

A primary reason for that unification is Republicans' common enemy in Hillary Clinton, a fact not lost on Ryan in his announcement Thursday. 

"One person who we know won't support it is Hillary Clinton. A Clinton White House would mean four more years of liberal cronyism and a government more out for itself than the people it serves. Quite simply, she represents all that our agenda aims to fix," Ryan wrote.

Ryan was slow to the Trump train after expressing concerns over some of Trump's comments and positions. The two met twice in May, after Trump was deemed the presumptive nominee, but an endorsement wasn't immediate after the meetings. 

Trump said on NBC's "Meet the Press" on May 8 that he was "blindsided" by Ryan's lack of an endorsement. 

"But (I) have a nice relationship with him. And then all of a sudden, he gets on and he does this number. So I'm not exactly sure what he has in mind. But that's okay," Trump added. 

In Ryan's column Thursday, he said Trump can "help us" move forward on their policy domestic and foreign policy priories. 

"As I said from the start, my goal has been to unite the party so we can win in the fall. And if we're going to unite, it has to be over ideas," Ryan said, seeming to get behind him for the sake of the party and not his satisfaction with the person. 

TRUMP SECURES REQUIRED DELEGATES, RNC STILL WON'T CLOSE THE DEAL (THE COUP)

TRUMP SECURES REQUIRED DELEGATES, RNC STILL WON'T CLOSE THE DEAL

AFTER TRUMP COLLECTED MORE THAN 1237 DELEGATES, RNC & GOP ESTABLISHMENT LEADERS STILL PLAY HARDBALL.

Sources: CBS News, Fox News, Youtube

It's Official people!

Billionaire Business Mogul Donald J. Trump has finally secured the required 1237 delegates to be officially crowned as the 2016 GOP Presidential nominee. Actually Trump garnered more than 1237 delegates.

However RNC officials and GOP Establishment leaders have yet to agree with Voters that Trump is IT!

When GOP party leaders catch up with the Voters who elected them into public office?

Are RNC and GOP party officials still planning a Coup this July at the RNC convention in Cleveland?

Stay tuned.

***** Mister 1,237: North Dakota delegate puts Trump over the top

John Trandem wanted to be the delegate who would put Donald Trump over the top, giving him enough delegates to clinch the Republican presidential nomination.

But when he was contacted by an Associated Press reporter, the AP delegate count stood at 1,235 — two delegates short.

"I'm happy to be No. 1,237," said Trandem, a small business owner from North Dakota. "But I won't commit until you're at 1,236."

Trandem is an unbound delegate, meaning he is free to support the candidate of his choice. All 28 Republican delegates in North Dakota are unbound because the state party declined to have a primary or caucus.

Trandem, who lives north of Fargo, was reached on his wife's mobile phone. He was on his way to an event where he and other North Dakota delegates would meet Trump, giving the billionaire businessman enough delegates to clinch the nomination.

Wanting to break the story first, reporters were calling and emailing unbound delegates across the country.

Trandem was for Trump, but he didn't want to say so unless he was Mister 1,237.

No problem, he had a solution. He handed the phone to another delegate, state Rep. Ben Koppleman, who was riding with him.

After Koppleman confirmed he was committed to Trump, Trandem took the phone back.

"Are you at 1,236?" he asked.

Yes, he was told. "Then I'm the one!"

Minutes later the AP declared that Trump had secured enough delegates to clinch the nomination.

Later on Thursday, both men shook hands with Trump before sharing a stage with him during a news conference in Bismarck, North Dakota.

TRUMP vs PAUL RYAN: TRUMP WINS (THE MEETING)

TRUMP vs PAUL RYAN: TRUMP WINS

TRUMP & RYAN ARE PLANNING TO TALK OUT DIFFERENCES.

IS PAUL RYAN BEING BLACKMAILED?

Sources: ABC,  Fox News, CNN, WSJ, Talking Points Memo, YouTube

US House Speaker and staunch Republican Paul Ryan publicly denounces his support for presumptive 2016 GOP Presidential Candidate Donald J Trump, yet no one thinks this is strange or out of character for Ryan.

Both Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney publicly state they would rather support Hillary Clinton than Trump and yet no one questions these unusual, out of character remarks from these two GOP Giants?

Could it be that the NSA has collected dirt on Ryan and Romney and they are being Blackmailed by the Democrats?

Trump and Ryan are planning to meet in the near future to discuss their ideological differences.

Stay Tuned.

***** Mr. Trump Goes to Washington: Inside His Capitol Hill Meetings

Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump will travel to Washington, D.C., Thursday for a series of meetings with top Republican leaders in an effort to bring the party together after a messy and divisive primary race.

Trump has at least three meetings planned with GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill, who largely spurned his presidential campaign during the GOP primary.

He'll first meet with House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, and Republican National CommitteeChairman Reince Priebus at the RNC at 9 a.m. Trump will then meet with Ryan and the other members on his leadership team: House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-California, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, Republican Conference Chair Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, R-Washington, and Deputy Majority Whip Patrick McHenry, R-North Carolina.

Ryan and McMorris-Rodgers have not yet endorsed Trump's campaign, while McCarthy and Scalise have said they will support the Republican nominee.

Later Thursday morning, Trump will meet with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, along with his leadership team: Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, and John Thune, R-South Dakota. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee -- Senate Republicans' campaign arm -- will also attend the meeting at the NRSC headquarters.

One person Trump won't be meeting? His former rival, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who told reporters today that Trump has not been in touch with him. "There are no plans for us to meet," Cruz said.

OBAMA'S FINAL SOTU SPEECH - HE LOOKS OLDER, STILL HAS POLITICAL SWAG (VIDEO)

OBAMA'S FINAL SOTU SPEECH - HE LOOKS OLDER, STILL HAS POLITICAL SWAG: 

PAUL RYAN'S FIRST SOTU AS HOUSE SPEAKER.

~ 8 Key Quotes From Obama's 2016 State Of The Union

In his final State of the Union Address, President Obama largely avoided requests for Congress to approve specific programs, instead focusing on broad themes about America's future.

Here are eight key passages from his speech:

1. On bipartisanship

"Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the constructive approach you and the other leaders took at the end of last year to pass a budget and make tax cuts permanent for working families. So I hope we can work together this year on bipartisan priorities like criminal justice reform, and helping people who are battling prescription drug abuse. We just might surprise the cynics again."

2. On the economy

"Anyone claiming that America’s economy is in decline is peddling fiction. What is true — and the reason that a lot of Americans feel anxious — is that the economy has been changing in profound ways, changes that started long before the Great Recession hit and haven’t let up."

3. On combating cancer

"Last year, Vice President Biden said that with a new moonshot, America can cure cancer. Last month, he worked with this Congress to give scientists at the National Institutes of Health the strongest resources they’ve had in over a decade. Tonight, I’m announcing a new national effort to get it done. And because he’s gone to the mat for all of us, on so many issues over the past forty years, I’m putting Joe in charge of Mission Control."

4. On climate change

"We’ve got to accelerate the transition away from dirty energy. Rather than subsidize the past, we should invest in the future — especially in communities that rely on fossil fuels. That’s why I’m going to push to change the way we manage our oil and coal resources, so that they better reflect the costs they impose on taxpayers and our planet."

5. On U.S. strength

The United States of America is the most powerful nation on Earth. Period. It’s not even close. We spend more on our military than the next eight nations combined. Our troops are the finest fighting force in the history of the world ... when it comes to every important international issue, people of the world do not look to Beijing or Moscow to lead — they call us.

6. On the Islamic State

"As we focus on destroying ISIL, over-the-top claims that this is World War III just play into their hands. Masses of fighters on the back of pickup trucks and twisted souls plotting in apartments or garages pose an enormous danger to civilians and must be stopped. But they do not threaten our national existence. That’s the story ISIL wants to tell; that’s the kind of propaganda they use to recruit. ... We just need to call them what they are — killers and fanatics who have to be rooted out, hunted down, and destroyed."

7. On diversity

"We need to reject any politics that targets people because of race or religion. This isn’t a matter of political correctness. It’s a matter of understanding what makes us strong. The world respects us not just for our arsenal; it respects us for our diversity and our openness and the way we respect every faith."

8. On politics

"The future we want — opportunity and security for our families; a rising standard of living and a sustainable, peaceful planet for our kids — all that is within our reach. But it will only happen if we work together. It will only happen if we can have rational, constructive debates.It will only happen if we fix our politics."

Sources: PBS, USA Today, Youtube

NIKKI HALEY TO DELIVER GOP RESPONSE TO OBAMA'S 2016 SOTU ADDRESS (CONFEDERATE FLAG)

NIKKI HALEY TO DELIVER GOP RESPONSE TO OBAMA'S 2016 SOTU ADDRESS (CONFEDERATE FLAG):

GOV HALEY IS A GREAT VP PICK; WOULD ATTRACT MANY WOMEN VOTERS IN NOV 2016.

South Carolina's first legally elected Woman Governor NIKKI HALEY, has been selected to deliver the GOP's response to Pres OBAMA's 2016 State of the Union Address.

Along with receiving Kudos for demanding the CONFEDERATE FLAG be removed from South Carolina's state Capitol, there are several legitimate reasons why NIKKI HALEY would be a Perfect choice as Vice-President pick on the 2016 GOP ticket.

~ Paul Ryan: "Nikki Haley Has Extremely Bright Future In The GOP"

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is a "natural" and will deliver a "great" response to the State of the Union, House Speaker Paul Ryan said Monday.

Haley will respond to President Barack Obama's speech for the Republican Party on Tuesday, an honor bestowed on rising stars in the GOP. 

The high-profile event has been both a launching pad for careers and an opportunity for embarrassment, depending on how the politician performs.

But the recently minted House speaker told Jake Tapper on CNN's "The Lead" that he helped pick Haley because he believes the Indian-American governor, who is rumored as a contender for the vice presidential nominee, will knock it out of the park.

"I'm really excited about this," Ryan said. "If you want to hear an inclusive leader who's visionary, who's got a path for the future, who's brought people together, who's unified, it's Nikki Haley."

Ryan himself gave the response in 2011, a year before he was tapped to be the running mate of Mitt Romney in an unsuccessful bid to take the White House.

"Believe me, I understand the stakes can be high for a person doing this speech," Ryan said. "I think she's a natural."

He also divulged some of the advice he gave Haley, big and small.

"Put a cough drop in the corner of your mouth, it keeps you salivating so you don't go thirsty," Ryan said. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio famously had to awkwardly reach for water during his response in 2013.

But in seriousness, Ryan said he just told her to be herself.

PREVIOUS GOP STATE OF THE UNION RESPONSES:

2009: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (1)
2010: Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell
2011: U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin
2012: Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels
2013: U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida
2014: U.S. Rep Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington
2015: U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa

(1) Jindal’s response came after President Barack Obama’s first speech to a joint session of Congress.

Sources: CNN,  PBS, Youtube

BILL MAHER (A LIBERAL) CRITICIZES RADICAL ISLAMIST IDEOLOGY

“This idea that somehow we do share values, that all religions are alike, is bullshit.

And we need to call it bullshit,”

BILL MAHER

Some 2016 Voters are concerned that if Syrian & Iraqi Refugees are allowed entry onto American soil without passing a thorough Certified Background Check, Pres OBAMA'S intentions might not be in our nation's best interest.

Other Voters are concerned a certain percentage of these Refugees (at least 13%) ascribe to extreme Anti-Western ideology, including orders from ISIL to help destroy the United States.

What do you think?

I say we need to Wake up!

Sources: Arab Center of Research & Policy, Investors.com, The Wrap, YouTube