Inside the historic Mayflower Hotel in Washington D.C. this afternoon, the mainstream press junket packed into a cozy conference room, preparing for a long awaited detailed foreign policy speech from Donald Trump.

Outside, a small group of protestors braved the gray early spring chill to chant and jeer the billionaire businessman, as sleepy cameramen waited around hoping to capture Trump after his speech, which had the presidential hopeful reading from a teleprompter for the first time. (Which according to Twitter, didn’t go all that smoothly).

The protestors held colorful makeshift signs with slogans like: “Love trumps hate” and “stand against Islamophobia.”

Protestors face the gilded doors of the Mayflower Hotel as security looks on. [Image Courtesy of Alec Siegel for Law Street Media]

With a backpack slung over his shoulder and his hands cupping his mouth, Justin Scoville led the protestors in a rhythmic chant: “Donald Trump go away, racist, sexist not OK.”

“I don’t really care about his foreign policy,” said Scoville, 26, who was arrested twice last week as a participant of the Democracy Spring protests. “I care about his domestic policy. What he represents domestically I find much more disturbing.” Addressing Trump’s reason for visiting the posh Mayflower–a detailed foreign policy speech–he added: “I think [US foreign policy] will continue no matter who is in office.”

Over wailing sirens and the general cacophony of downtown D.C., the protestors at times banded together shoulder by shoulder in front of the entrance of the hotel, anticipating Trump’s arrival, or bunched up in a tight mass. 

Justin Scoville (center, hands clasped) converses with fellow protestors. [Image Courtesy of Alec Siegel Via Law Street Media]

Beyond the gray concrete exterior of the Mayflower, in front of a group of reporters and cameramen, Trump dove a bit deeper into his broad foreign policy plan. Press members have reported the following details of the speech on Twitter. Various statements by Trump include:

“I would absolutely bring back interrogation.”

“We are going to get rid of ISIS [Islamic State in Iraq and Syria] and we are going to do it very, very quickly. Believe me.”

“Replace chaos with peace.”

Amid the “Trump=Nazi” signs and young protestors–the Mayflower is blocks away from the George Washington University campus–the number of visible Trump supporters totaled one.

Laurie Saxson did not confront the chilly wind in a sleeveless turquoise dress simply to show support for a more detailed policy vision or a more “presidential” version of Trump.

Laurie Saxson shows her support for Trump, unlike the man in the camouflage jacket behind her. [Image Courtesy of Alec Siegel Via Law Street Media]

“I think he’s great the way he is,” said Saxson, who wore the ubiquitous red “Make America Great Again” hat. Saxson said she felt confident in Trump’s ability to follow through on the promise sewed onto her hat, and reiterated his positions in the same 140-character style of the candidate who hasn’t roused this much excitement in her “since Reagan”: “Strong economy, fight government corruption, and get rid of the illegal alien problem.”

As Saxson stood alone in the chilly air in a silent show of support, the protestors rushed to the curb as the wailing of a motorcade came cruising by, presumably escorting Trump. They stood on their tiptoes and shoved their signs toward the oncoming police cruisers and black SUVs, chanting, “two, four, six, eight, love always trumps hate!”

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Sources today are saying that Vice President Joe Biden is about to jump into the race for the Democratic nomination.

Fox News correspondent Ed Henry appears to have broken the story, and has had three separate sources confirm to him that Biden will be throwing his hat into the ring.

Three sources close to @VP telling me he's expected to announce he is running but the sources are all urging caution on 48-hr timeline

— Ed Henry (@edhenry) October 19, 2015

Henry was even more specific about a supposed date and time, tweeting:

The three sources say @vp telling supporters in calls planning to jump in race but not rushing — watch Sat Jefferson Jackson dinner iowa

— Ed Henry (@edhenry) October 19, 2015

Other prominent voices have also come forward to claim that Biden is ready to announce. A Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania, Representative Brendan Boyle, also tweeted that Biden is likely to jump in soon.

I have a very good source close to Joe that tells me VP Biden will run for Prez — US Rep Brendan Boyle (@RepBrendanBoyle) October 19, 2015

Additionally, Senator Chris Coons of Delaware (Biden’s home state), also said earlier today that Biden is expected to “decide about entering the race soon.” While that’s a less definitive statement than those made by Hardy and Boyle, it’s indicative that an announcement is probably coming soon. As expected, there have been a lot of reactions to the most definitive news yet that Biden is going to be jumping into the race.

Breaking: A very good source close to @VP, told me Joe Biden likes Pumpkin Spice latte.

— Ana Navarro (@ananavarro) October 19, 2015

And here comes Joe Biden! pic.twitter.com/tfHJutYzSw — Irv (@thisisIRV) October 19, 2015

Fun Fact: Joe Biden has been considering running for president for 11 weeks, which is how long Canada’s entire election has lasted. — Ryan Teague Beckwith (@ryanbeckwith) October 19, 2015

Overall, this pre-announcement drama isn’t surprising–questions about Biden’s candidacy have been floating around since this spring. Sources leaking that a candidate is going to announce also aren’t new. It allows the buzz about the particular candidate to build in the days before he actual makes an official announcement. That’s exactly what appears to be happening with Biden. 

Given that Biden hasn’t officially announced yet, this is a breaking story, so make sure to check back for updates.

But for now, the waiting time is upon us: 

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Political Rumorville: Joe Biden is in….Maybe? appeared first on Law Street.

Get excited everyone! The 2016 presidential campaign is beginning to take shape, with Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and Hillary Clinton all formally throwing their names into this election’s version of the Goblet of Fire. But let’s talk about the newest candidate to submit his bid for office–the 43-year-old Republican Junior Senator from Florida, Marco Rubio. His fresh face and conscious appeal to younger voters has already garnered comparisons to a young Barack Obama, but his shorter resume compared to his peers makes him a less familiar face for many voters.

That’s why I decided to compile some interesting facts about our newest Republican candidate that demonstrate just how “hip” with our generation he really is. So without further adieu here are the three facts millennials should know about presidential hopeful Marco Rubio.

He’s Meme Friendly

One thing we millennials love is our memes, and Rubio tapped into that love of combining photos with witty commentary when he gave us the awkward sip seen around the world. If you haven’t seen the sip, it happened during his turn at the GOP rebuttal to Obama’s State of the Union in 2013. Rubio took an uncomfortable pause in the middle of the speech for a questionably timed water break that managed to creep out many viewers.

.@marcorubio: He reaches for water, but we’re breaking out the Arbor red. pic.twitter.com/O6ATmGumkE

— The Democrats (@TheDemocrats) April 13, 2015

His nervous lip smacking combined with uncomfortably direct eye contact proved to be the perfect recipe for an instant viral meme. That sip alone generated at least 15 different parody Twitter accounts and instantly earned Rubio 13,000 new followers. With those kinds of gains in followers, Rubio could take this election one sip at a time.

Picked up over 13,000 new followers on #twitter since last night! Im going to start drinking #water in the middle of all of my speeches! — Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 13, 2013

He Loves Rap Music

In a December 2012 interview with GQ magazine, Rubio transformed into an old school music lover out of nowhere, sharing his affinity for Afrika Bambaataa, Public Enemy, and Tupac, and earning some instant street cred. When it comes to music Rubio prefers intensity over “party anthems” calling Eminem his favorite artist and “the only guy that speaks at any sort of depth.” When asked by GQ if he had a favorite song to play to psych him up before a Senate vote Rubio laughed saying:

..in terms of psyching yourself up, I don’t have time for that. You know you can’t put on earphones and the storm the floor and vote.

If you ever wondered what Rubio is currently jamming out to, he was kind enough to share his public Spotify playlist, but sadly it lacks Rubio’s favorite tracks which include: “Straight Outta Compton” by N.W.A., “Killuminati” by Tupac, and Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.”

He’s Social Media Savvy…Or at Least He Thinks He is

Rubio began his presidential campaign by first asking supporters to add him as a friend on Snapchat. Yes, Snpachat, the quick deleting photo/video sharing app that’s usually known for less than wholesome uses.

I’m now on @Snapchat. My username is marcorubio16. Please add me. — Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) April 13, 2015

However, his “story” making skills still need some work. His first posts consisted of a lot of clapping and name chanting from his presidential campaign announcement, as well as him being driven away in a super sexy gold minivan. I’m hoping he’ll step his selfie game up soon, or if all else fails just videotape himself taking more awkward sips from tiny water bottles. But till then I still want to know if Rubio is team follow back or nahh?

hi @marcorubio are you team follow back or what pic.twitter.com/l2KzeLAp35 — Marisa Kabas (@MarisaKabas) April 13, 2015

Why you gotta be so rude pic.twitter.com/HlAlqnnlQq — Marisa Kabas (@MarisaKabas) April 13, 2015

Since announcing his candidacy last night, Rubio has already begun to try to spin his inexperience and youngest contender status–both of which are concerns for the American people–to his advantage. Whether his plea to millennials will help him actually connect with younger voters will have to be seen.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Marco Rubio: Going After Millennials for 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

Most of us remember Todd Akin, former Missouri Senate candidate, for his comments about how women cannot get pregnant if they are “legitimately raped.” Unfortunately for him, and for everyone who has to deal with his moronic comments, the fiasco hasn’t ended there. In a recent attempt to explain his 2012 comments, all he did was dig himself into a deeper hole. It’s probably time to just stop talking, Mr. Akin. I mean, I’ve heard from doctors that if you legitimately have stupid thoughts, you won’t say them because your mouth has the ability to shut the whole thing down. Or, in this case, your hand will lose its ability to write a book if you plan to write legitimately ridiculous words.

In his new book (how did he get a publishing deal?), Firing Back, Akin defends his infamous 2012 “legitimate rape” comments and blames the evil media for spinning the whole thing. Someone needs to explain to Akin what spinning means, because he obviously doesn’t know. The media saying exactly what a politician says during an interview is not spin, Mr. Akin. That’s what we call “reporting the facts.”

In what I am sure is a positively invigorating piece of literature, Akin tries to educate his readers about what “legitimate rapes” are. You see, some rapes are not “legitimate” because some women falsely accuse, and when he spoke about a woman’s body shutting “that whole thing down,” he didn’t mean the reproductive system battening down the hatches. Rather, he was referring to rape-related “stress” inhibiting her ability to get pregnant. He does concede that perhaps his wording was a little off.  I feel like I need a Todd Akin Dictionary of Rape Terms to understand this guy’s insane reasoning.

Well, almost…

His comment brings up so many questions: what exactly is “illegitimate rape?” When a woman rejects sex sarcastically? When her attacker rapes her in a certain location? As far as I, and hopefully most other people with common sense know, uteri and fallopian tubes don’t have the capability of self-realization. I’ve never heard a case of ovaries yelling, “We’re under attack! Shut the whole thing down!” to their reproductive-system comrades.

Reviews say that the take away from his new book is that despite his apology immediately following the comments in 2012, Akin is legitimately not sorry. Apology redacted.

But not actually…

—

Marisa Mostek (@MarisaJ44) loves globetrotting and writing, so she is living the dream by writing while living abroad in Japan and working as an English teacher. Marisa received her undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado in Boulder and a certificate in journalism from UCLA. Contact Marisa at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured Image Courtesy of [Jennifer Moo via Flickr]

Marisa Mostek

Marisa Mostek loves globetrotting and writing, so she is living the dream by writing while living abroad in Japan and working as an English teacher. Marisa received her undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado in Boulder and a certificate in journalism from UCLA. Contact Marisa at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

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