In other news, a new CNN poll taken after Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court found support for Democrats has ticked upward, not downward.
Democrats lead in the new survey of likely voters by 54 percent to 41 percent, a 13-point edge. That’s up from 10 points when SSRN last polled for CNN in early September.
Those numbers are some of the best recent poll figures for Democrats. And while they should be looked at in the broader scope of things, they suggest the building narrative that the Kavanaugh confirmation was a disaster for Democrats isn’t totally correct.
More importantly, this poll shows Democrats leading among women by 30 percent (63 to 33)
Meanwhile, a comprehensive study conducted by USA Today found that Trump's attacks on football players who kneel to protest police brutality had little to no effect on TV ratings. Ratings have declined over all, but ratings have declined for virtually everyone, not just the NFL, as more people give up satellite and cable TV. USA Today also found that the biggest declines in ratings came in cities where the home team just sucks.
The worst plunge happened in Phoenix. There, Trump was strong. Cardinals football was not. Fans came into the 2016 season with Super Bowl hopes that never materialized. There was no such delusion in 2017, and the TV audience tanked, falling more than 27% across the area. The Cardinals limped to a .500 record and their second straight season missing the playoffs.
The next biggest drop was in Houston. The region voted Trump in 2016. But the far more likely explanation for the ratings slide is that Houston fans lost interest after superstar J.J. Watt broke his leg Oct. 1, laying waste to the Texans' hopes. The team went from a division winner in 2016 to four wins in 2017.
Finally, the defunct Trump Foundation is asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit file against it by the New York attorney general's office and the AG has responded with the strongest language that I've seen anyone use against a Trump entity in an official filing.
Attorney General Barbara Underwood says the Trump Foundation engaged in "persistent illegality" and Trump himself used the foundation "for his benefit to advance his personal, business, and political interests in violation of federal and state law governing charities."
Also, Nikki Haley resigned today if anyone cares.