the trump Presidency
The Man. His Policies. And his Foes.
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Next Class:
returns in january
10:00 AM
Fall Semester Classes: September 10 • October 22
OLLI at Cal State Fullerton * Fall Semester 2020
Class notes: tinyurl.com/olli-trump2020
october 22 class notes
Class topics preview:
.
Please note that article links preceded by "$" are located on websites with a paywall restricting access to nonsubscribers. For example, New York Times non subscribers can view 10 articles per month free of charge before being prompted to subscribe for a monthly fee to receive full access to The Times on digital platforms.
Articles posted below are not an endorsement of their content, but intended to provide perspectives or supplementary information for class presentations.
General
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Policy
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february 13 class notes
General
The Election Year Economy Is Everything Trump Could Hope For
How economists are interpreting a January report that shows the U.S. added 225,000 jobs
$NYT: Why Trump may never get much of a boost from the economy
Policy
Democratic Presidential Nomination
january 30 class notes
Impeachment/Senate Trial
Trump lawyers: Hunter Biden’s Burisma job reason enough to seek probe
What The Latest Polling On Trump’s Removal Does (And Doesn’t) Mean
Policy
Trump offers two-state peace plan for Israeli-Palestinian conflict amid skepticism
$WP: Trade was supposed to be Trump’s signature issue. His efforts have fallen flat
Democratic Presidential Nomination
january 16 class notes
Impeachment/Senate Trial
As trial nears, Trump keeps discredited Ukraine theory alive
Impeachment trial: The six Republican senators Trump and McConnell should worry about
Democratic Presidential Nomination
538.com forecast: Who Will Win The 2020 Democratic Nomination?
$WP: Two polls frame the Democratic race and the power of African American voters
Only white candidates have qualified for the Democrats’ January debate
november 21 CLASS NOTES
Poll: Americans Overwhelmingly Say Impeachment Hearings Won't Change Their Minds
Most Democrats Have Picked A Candidate, But They Could Still Change Their Minds
It Doesn’t Matter If DACA Is Good Policy. It’s Unconstitutional
$WP: Smugglers are sawing through new sections of Trump’s border wall
november 7 CLASS NOTES
Five things to know about Warren's 'Medicare for All' funding plan
$WP: Warren’s plan to pay for Medicare-for-all: Does it add up?
Impeachment
How centrist Dems learned to stop worrying and love impeachment
Democrats Handling Of Impeachment Process May Have Already Given Republicans The Win
States that will decide the 2020 election oppose impeaching President Trump
2020 Elections
$NYT: One Year From Election, Trump Trails Biden but Leads Warren in Battlegrounds
$WP: Trump unveiled his reelection strategy at the World Series. Democrats should be nervous.
Trump is on his way to an easy win in 2020, according to Moody’s accurate election model
OCTOBER 24 CLASS NOTES
$NYT: Text: Ukraine Envoy’s Statement to Impeachment Inquiry
The Logic of Staying in Afghanistan and the Logic of Getting Outy
Republican Voters Are Largely Backing Trump’s Withdrawal From Syria
$WP: Hamilton pushed for impeachment powers. Trump is what he had in mind
october 10 CLASS NOTES
Trump Speech Offers Dizzying Preview Of His Health Care Campaign Strategy
White House Fact Sheet: Trump Stands Against the Lies of Medicare-For-None
Syria-Turkey-Kurds
Ukraine
Impeachment Inquiry
Text: White House counsel letter refusing impeachment cooperation
$WP/Opinion: White House’s scathing and legally questionable impeachment letter, annotated
$WP: Trump impeachment inquiry is off to a quick and fruitful start
$WP: Read: text message excerpts between U.S. diplomats, Giuliani and a Ukrainian aide
Why Partisans Look At The Same Evidence On Ukraine And See Wildly Different Things
How Has The Ukraine Scandal Affected Trump’s Approval Rating?
Fox News Commentary: Trump’s call with Ukraine president manifests criminal and impeachable behavior
Red State: Joe Biden Is Desperately Trying To Shake The Stench Of Corruption
See How They Run (Elections of 2020)
Articles submitted by class members
September 26 CLASS NOTES
Video link: [when available]
Book recommendations
James Poniewozik, "Audience of One: Donald Trump, Television, and the Fracturing of America"
Brenda Wineapple, "The Impeachers: The Trial of Andrew Johnson and the Dream of a Just Nation"
Articles posted below are not an endorsement of their content, but intended to provide perspectives or supplementary information for class presentations.
Impeachment Inquiry
Trump Presidency
$BusinessWeek: Health Insurance That Doesn’t Cover the Bills Has Flooded the Market Under Trump
$WP: The surprising holes in our knowledge of America’s homeless population
$WP: How decades of L.A. smog led to California’s war with Trump over car pollution
Democratic Nomination Preview
Preview: 2020
September 12 CLASS NOTES
Video link (click)
Class topics preview:
Trump Presidency
2020 Democratic Nomination Preview
Trump Presidency
Democratic Nomination Preview
Preview: 2020
Videos: Past Classes and Future Postings
Click:
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After each session of the class, learners should be able to:
1) Share perspectives on the significant news regarding the the Trump presidency, Administration policies and political and/or legal action to advance or frustrate the success and popularity of the President.
2) Better understand the processes and policy “actors” relative to political campaigns and the exercise of Presidential leadership and power.
3) Apply critical thinking to differentiate among sources of information including traditional and empirical journalism, propaganda, and fake news.
To accomplish the above learning objectives, the instructor will use lectures and audio-visual presentations from identified sources, the instructor’s experience in journalism, politics and government, and this class notes website containing explanatory and original documents.
SOURCES FOR CLASS PRESENTATIONS
Primary Sources
New York Times
Washington Post
Wall Street Journal
Los Angeles Times
Five Thirty Eight.com
Secondary Sources
Axios
Bloomberg Politics
CalWatchdog.org
Cook Political Report
FactCheck.org
Fox News
Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (health care policy)
Lawfare
OC Register
NPR Politics
New York Post
Pew Research
Roll Call
Sacramento Bee
The Green Papers (elections tracking)
Time Magazine
The Economist
The Hill
University of Virginia Center for Politics (Sabato's Crystal Ball)
USA Today
"Alternative Views"
American Enterprise Institute
Brookings Institution
Huffington Post
New York Post (reputedly the first newspaper read each day by the President)
Red State
Podcasts
The Daily (NY Times)
The Daily 202's Big Idea (Washington Post)
Face the Nation Diary (CBS)
Can he do that? (Washington Post)
FiveThirtyEight Politics
New Washington (NY Times)
NPR Politics
Political Economy (American Enterprise Institute)
President's Inbox (Council on Foreign Relations)
Potomac Watch (Wall Street Journal Opinion)
Weekly Standard Confab
march 28 class notes
Video link: [when available]
Class topics preview:
Special Counsel report
(Very) early 2020 Election Preview
Please note that article links preceded by "$" are located on websites with a paywall restricting access to nonsubscribers. For example, New York Times non subscribers can view 10 articles per month free of charge before being prompted to subscribe for a monthly fee to receive full access to The Times on digital platforms.
Articles posted below are not an endorsement of their content, but intended to provide perspectives or supplementary information for class presentations.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Report and Reactions
$NYT: For President Trump, it may have been the best day of his tenure so far
$WP: How much of the Mueller report will the public see — and when?
President Trump Says Opponents Did 'Treasonous Things' and Vows Investigation of His Own
White House claims 'total and complete exoneration' after Mueller report
Nate Silver: First Thoughts On The Political Fallout Of The Mueller Report
$WSJ: Editorial: All Americans should be pleased with the end of the collusion illusion
$WP: Editorial: Trump did not collude with Russia. But he’s wrong to say Mueller exonerated him
Pelosi, Schumer Say Barr 'Not a Neutral Observer,' Urge Full Release of Mueller Report
The Politics Surrounding Mueller Have Changed A Lot Since He Started
$WP: Trump’s legal troubles are far from over even as Mueller probe ends
Democrats zero in on obstruction to plot relentless campaign against GOP
Trump: The Man
Immigration
2020 Election
$WP: Two early warning lights are flashing for Democrats in 2020
What The Big Sanders And O’Rourke Fundraising Numbers Don’t Capture
Class participant-suggested articles
march 14 class notes
Video link: [when available]
There's No Reason to Obsess' Over Budget Deficit, President Trump's Top Economic Adviser Says
$WP: Five tantalizing questions about Mueller’s investigation
Why Aren’t Sherrod Brown And Michael Bloomberg Running For President? And What Does It Mean?
Why Some Democrats And Virtually All Republicans Want To Talk About Israel
february 28 class notes
Video link: Feb. 28 Class Video
Class topics preview:
North Korea Summit
China trade negotiations
New Democratic Presidential nomination contenders
Articles for review:
Trump-Kim Summit
Use of Emergency Power
Lawfare: Congress Should Limit the Emergency Powers of All Presidents
AEI: Trump’s national emergency is a misuse of military funds
Lawfare: How Congress and President Obama Made Trump’s Wall Possible
2020 Presidential/Congressional Elections
$WP: In Iowa, the field of Democratic presidential candidates splits into haves and have-nots
Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate Rules Won’t Make The 2020 Primaries Any Less Chaotic
Class members-submitted articles/website sources
february 14 class notes
Video link:
Articles for review:
Border security/government funding
Faith-based issues/politics
Congressional investigations
When The Opposition Party Runs The House, The President Gets Investigated
$WP: Trump lashes out as Democrats step up inquiries of president and administration
2020 Presidential/Congressional Elections
Class members-submitted articles
january 31 class notes
Class topics preview:
Government shutdown and border security
Trump foreign policy
New Democratic Presidential nomination contenders
Articles for review:
january 17 class notes
(First class of spring semester)
$WP: Text: Letter Pelosi Sent to Trump on the State of the Union$The Economist: What to expect from the second half of Donald Trump’s first term
Government Shutdown/Border Wall
The Shutdown Is Hurting Trump’s Approval Rating. But Will It Hurt Him in 2020?
$LAT: Why using emergency powers to build border wall may be legal
What Qualifies as a National Emergency? These Historic Events Offer a Guide
$LAT: Five takeaways from Trump's prime-time border security speech
International trade agreements/trade war
See How They Run: The elections of 2019/2020
November 29 Class
Video: The results, causes, forces and consequences of the 2018 General Election
Guest Speaker: Dr. Raphael J. Sonenshein
Video of presentation:
Dr. Raphael J. Sonenshein, the Executive Director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at CSU Los Angeles will review the results, causes, forces and consequences of the 2018 General Election.
Dr. Sonenshein is the former chair of the CSUF Division of Politics, Administration, and Justice. He taught political science at CSUF from 1982 to 2012. He is the author of three books on Los Angeles politics and government.
The Pat Brown Institute is dedicated to “unleashing the power of participation” through programs to motivate young people to be engaged in their communities, raise awareness about timely policy issues and bring public officials closer to their constituents.
November 29 class notes
(Final class of fall semester)
$WP: Late gains in California vindicate DCCC’s intervention in House primaries
$WP: House results underscore that what’s good for Trump isn’t so good for the GOP
Democrats Didn’t Win The Senate. But They Did Better Than It Seems.
The Senate Will Be Competitive Again In 2020, But Republicans Are Favored
november 8 CLASS Notes
(Fourth class of fall semester)
Election Results
Bad News for Dems: Rains risk dampening turnout in East Coast, Midwest
Races That May Not Be Decided Tuesday. Or Wednesday. Or Thursday …
Latest Polling/Forecasts - www.fivethirtyeight.com and other sources
Democrats Aren’t Certain To Take The House, But They’re Pretty Clear Favorites
Center for Politics: Combined Forecasts
OC Congressional Contests
Control of Congress
FactCheck: Republican Closing Ads: Immigration
$Economist: Polls augur well for House Democrats
$WP: If Tuesday is better than expected for Republicans, this number may help explain why
Trump Put Immigration Back In The Headlines. Will It Boost GOP Turnout?
The Battleground In The House Is Really Big — And That Makes Life Hard For Republicans
President Trump
Other Elections
Class Member Submitted Articles
October 25 CLASS Notes
(Third class of fall semester)
Latest Polling/Forecasts - www.fivethirtyeight.com and other sources
Center for Politics: Combined Forecasts
Some Competitive Races Have Little To No Polling. That’s A Problem.
Kaiser Foundation: Election Tracking Poll: Health Care in the 2018 Midterms
Latests/Updates
OC Congressional Contests
Control of Congress
President Trump Admits He Has 'No Proof' Terrorists Are in the Migrant Caravan
Trump’s Approval Rating Is Up. Republican House Chances Are Down. Does That Make Any Sense?
$WP: Democrats accuse GOP of plotting to cut Medicare, Social Security
Other Elections
Class Member Submitted Articles
september 27 Class Notes
(Second class of fall semester)
Justice Dept. Shakeup
Battle for the Supreme Court; Judge Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation
‘I have never sexually assaulted anyone:’ Brett Kavanaugh’s testimony to Congress, annotated
Trump attacks second Kavanaugh accuser: 'She admits she was drunk'
New Allegation of Sexual Misconduct, from Brett Kavanaugh’s College Years
How Will The Troubled Kavanaugh Nomination Affect The Midterms?
Red State: Anatomy Of A Smear: Brett Kavanaugh And The New Journalism
China Trade War
Political Lab: Orange County Congressional Contests
$LAT: Forget Trump and demonize Democrats as wild-eyed radicals — that's the Republican midterm strategy
Congressional Mid-Term Elections 2018
RNC internal poll finds GOP in danger due to complacent Trump voters: report
Poll: Almost three-quarters of Democratic women ‘very motivated’ to vote
Republicans Are Favorites In The Senate, But Democrats Have Two Paths To An Upset
The House Districts That Swing The Most (And Least) With The National
President Trump
Special Counsel Investigation
Class Member-Suggested Articles
september 13 Class Notes
(First class of fall semester)
Class one topics preview:
Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination
Emerging federal and state campaign issues
National/California campaign news and analysis
Please note that article links preceded by "$" are located on websites with a paywall restricting access to nonsubscribers. For example, New York Times non subscribers can view 10 articles per month free of charge before being prompted to subscribe for a monthly fee to receive full access to The Times on digital platforms.
Articles posted below are not an endorsement of their content, but intended to provide perspectives or supplementary information for class presentations.
OC Register article on Trump Presidency class
Latest/Updates
Battle for the Supreme Court; Judge Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation
Trump in good shape to secure second Supreme Court confirmation victory
$NYT Video: Answers to Your Questions About the Kavanaugh Hearings
Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings Weren’t Always Such a Spectacle. There’s a Reason That Changed
California Elections Including Orange County House Elections
$SacBee: Gavin Newsom has big plans for California. So how would he pay for them?
Rent control fuels costliest fight on California 2018 ballot
$LAT: Track California’s House races as the field is set for the midterm elections
Political Lab: 39th Congressional District
Republican PAC slams Dem candidate on sexual harassment allegations
Brietbart: Obama to Campaign in California for Democrat Gil Cisneros
Meet the Republican Running to Be the First Korean-American Woman Elected to Congress
Congressional Mid-Term Elections 2018
Election Update: Democrats Are In Their Best Position Yet To Retake The House
Election Update: Check Out How The Forecast Works For All 435 House Races
As Midterms Near, Democrats Are More Politically Active Than Republicans
President Trump . . . and Obama
$NYT: Opinion | I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration
Red State: Why the Anonymous New York Times Op-Ed Is a Major Media Blunder
$WP: Bob Woodward’s new book reveals a ‘nervous breakdown’ of Trump’s presidency$WP: Trump says he has a deal with Mexico. Here’s what’s in it.
Americans distrusted US democracy long before Trump’s Russia problem
july 31 Class Notes
(Summer Semester Class 5, final class of semester)
Latest/Updates
Battle for the Supreme Court; Judge Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation
International /Trade War
California Elections
Congressional Mid-Term Elections 2018
President Trump
july 17 Class Notes
(Summer Semester Class 4)
Battle for the Supreme Court; Judge Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation
California Elections
Congressional Mid-Term Elections 2018
President Trump
Trump NATO and Putin Summits
Five takeaways from Trump's jaw-dropping performance with PutinWhat Putin wants in Helsinki
$NYT: Trump Reaffirms NATO Ties, and Dismisses Concerns About Russia
The Russian Hacking Indictments Laid Out Cold, Hard Facts Amid the Theatrics
Trump pushes Germany, NATO allies to jack up defense spending in tense meeting
Is Trump Fueling Republicans’ Concerns About NATO, Or Echoing Them?
$ Economist: Will Donald Trump be Triumphant, Tetchy or Torpedo?
International /Trade War
Class Member-Suggested Articles
july 3 Class Notes
(Summer Semester Class 3)
Latest/Updates
Supreme Court deals blow to public-sector unions, ruling against 'fair-share' fees
Upsets In New York and Maryland Primaries May Signal a Major Change for the Democrats
Battle for the Supreme Court; Justice Kennedy's Replacement
California Elections
Congressional Mid-Term Elections 2018
Special Election In Texas Could Be A Good Sign For The GOP … Or Not
Republicans put power of party behind eleven 'Young Gun' congressional candidates
Primaries Expose Division Among Democrats, While Republicans Unite Behind President Trump's Picks
Political stunner! Crowley knocked off by millennial challenger
President Trump
Trump-Putin Summit
International /Trade War
Supreme Court's monumental ruling in support of Trump's travel ban
Trump Decides Against Harshest Measures on China Investments
Class Member-Suggested Articles
.
june 19 Class Notes
(Summer Semester Class 2)
Latest/Updates
Inspector General Report on FBI investigation of Clinton Email
California Primary
Latest 39th CD Results (with many more votes pending from mail-in, provisional ballots)
House Ratings Changes: Democrats Breathe a California-Sized Sigh of Relief
Democrats Avoided a Nightmare Scenario in California That Could Have Cost Them the House
Congressional Mid-Term Elections 2018
President Trump
Korea Summit
International Trade
Media and politics
Class Member-Suggested Articles
june 5 Class Notes
(Summer Semester Class 1)
California Primary
Democrats’ Final Push to Avoid Shutout in Key California Races
$WP: California’s open primaries are a cautionary tale about political reform
$WP: In Southern California, Democrats play the blame game as House races loom
How a surge of progressive energy could backfire on Democrats in California
$16 million spent by three millionaire Congressional candidates
Dem money floods Calif. primaries to avert electoral disaster
Congressional Mid-Term Elections 2018
Immigration dominates GOP candidates' TV ads in House contests across the country
What Happens If Republicans Keep Control Of The House And Senate?
President Trump
Trump’s Handling Of North Korea Has Been One Of The Few Things Americans Likes About His Presidency
Trump is proving to be the most fearlessly pro-life president in history
Trump: Senate Democrats ignoring willing of public on border security
President Trump Claims His Campaign Was ‘Spied’ On. Here’s What Really Happened
Special Prosecutor