Trump-endorsed Herbster loses in Nebraska

 

Tuesday's results were an indication of how much voters weighed the allegations against Herbster and turned to Pillen, who is backed by Gov. Pete Ricketts.

More.

Typhus, which claimed the greatest number of lives at Auschwitz in 1942-1943, breaks out in LA

Health officials warn of typhus outbreak in downtown L.A.:

It spreads when fleas become infected with bacteria known as Rickettsia typhi or Rickettsia felis. The illness reaches humans when fleas bite them or when infected flea feces are rubbed into cuts or scrapes in the skin, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ... [S]evere cases can lead to damage to the heart, brain and lungs without treatment. 

The article never mentions lice, blaming the outbreak on fleas passed by stray and wild animals, especially rodents and cats, but also on trash left uncollected in the streets for some reason (now why would that be?), and on pet owners who fail to use flea reduction products. That's it, it's the fault of pet owners.

It couldn't possibly be dirty, filthy homeless people, you see.

Booted from committee by Boehner, now voters boot anti-Trumper Rep. Tim Huelskamp entirely

Former House Speaker John Boehner famously booted Freedom Caucus members Tim Huelskamp, Justin Amash, Walter Jones and David Schweikert from House committees late in 2012 for not cooperating with leadership.

Now voters in Kansas have booted Huelskamp entirely by defeating him in his Republican primary. The three-term congressman lost to a challenger by 13 points and 13,500 votes.

Politico reports that the US Chamber of Commerce and the Ricketts family spent heavily to defeat Huelskamp, who had the temerity to vote against several versions of farming legislation which were more important to Kansas voters than the ideological reasons Huelskamp gave.

The same ideological reasons made Huelskamp anti-Trump, but that did him no good with the also anti-Trump Ricketts family.

Wayward child Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts endorses Donald Trump, as does former Gov. Dave Heineman

Trump takes a scalp, as it were

CNN reports here:

Some of the Ricketts family in Nebraska spent millions to defeat Donald Trump. Now the most high profile Ricketts is endorsing him. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts on Friday put his support behind the presumptive Republican presidential nominee while appearing at a rally with him in Omaha, Nebraska. ... 

"Ultimately, it's a choice election," former Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman told CNN Friday. "It's Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton." Heineman, who endorsed Mitt Romney four years ago and is a longtime admirer of the Bush family, endorsed Trump this week. He said he is nervous that Trump will misspeak or be less-than-presidential, but believes the advantages outweigh the risks.

#NeverTrump Ricketts family billion$ behind the delegate poaching effort benefiting Ted Cruz in North Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming

From the story here:

After that contest [North Dakota], Brian Baker, a senior adviser to the PAC [Our Principles PAC], issued a statement asserting that the race “is coming down to a ground game battle for delegates. We will fight for every last delegate vote all the way to Cleveland.” Baker also advises the PAC’s biggest donors, the Ricketts family, who had contributed $5 million of the $8 million raised by the PAC through the end of February, and who had come under fire from Trump when their involvement was revealed.

Marlene Ricketts of Chicago Cubs/TD Ameritrade fame is funding #NeverTrumper Erick Erickson, spending nearly $15 million so far against Trump

Reported here with FEC documentation here:

So it perhaps shouldn’t come as a surprise to find out that Erick Erickson’s media venture “The Resurgent“, is taking Super-PAC money from the (formerly Scott Walker advocates and financial backers) Ricketts family of Wisconsin who fund OUR PRINCIPLES PAC to the tune of $3,000,000 in February alone.

OpenSecrets reports here that Our Principles Pac, organized to oppose Donald Trump, has spent $14.8 million so far in the 2016 election cycle.

Last I checked Joe and Marlene Ricketts live in Wyoming, not Wisconsin.

The daughter of anti-Trump billionaire Marlene Ricketts is a gay activist and bundler for Barack Obama

Seen here:

Laura M. Ricketts is co-owner of the Chicago Cubs. Ricketts is also a board member of Lambda Legal and the Housing Opportunities for Women organization. Ricketts' ownership stake in the Cubs is uniquely noteworthy because it makes her the first openly gay owner of a major-league sports franchise. ... Laura Ricketts is a former corporate lawyer. She lives with her partner on the North Side of Chicago. Ricketts received her Bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago in 1994, and her Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School in 1998. Laura talks of her own struggle to come out; "I came out to my family I would say early to mid 90s. I think for a long time I wasn't really out to myself growing up in Omaha, Neb., to a Catholic conservative family. It took me a while to come out to myself and not long after that I came out to them. I think that it really couldn't have been a better experience. They were all immediately supportive. ... I have been really really fortunate in that regard."

The Washington Post reported in 2012 that Laura Ricketts raised about half a million dollars for Obama, here:

[Joe] Ricketts has an unusual profile for a rising political player, with little in his résumé to suggest that he favors controversial or attention-getting tactics.

A former Democrat who became a Republican, he later renounced all party affiliation to become an independent. His daughter, Laura, is a lesbian activist and prominent bundler for Obama; she raised about half a million dollars for the president.

Joe Ricketts, Pete, Todd, Laura, wife Marlene, and Tom

Marlene Ricketts, whose family bought the always-losing Chicago Cubs in 2009, is bankrolling the anti-Trump effort

The New York Times reports here:

The wife of Joe Ricketts, the founder of TD Ameritrade and a major Republican donor, wrote a $3 million check to a group focused on halting the rise of Donald J. Trump, an adviser to the family confirmed on Saturday evening.

Marlene Ricketts, who had previously donated several million dollars to a “super PAC” supporting Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin before he exited the presidential race, wrote the check to Our Principles PAC, which was founded by Katie Packer, a former adviser to Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee.

Separately The Hill reports here that the super PAC has spent more than $4 million trying to stop Trump just in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina:

The super-PAC has spent more than $4 million running attack ads against the GOP front-runner in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. It is the only serious anti-Trump group to date, in a campaign cycle where Republicans have been reluctant to take on their front-runner. ... Ricketts' family had previously given $5 million to a super-PAC supporting the failed presidential bid of Scott Walker. The family is yet to swing its full weight behind another presidential candidate, but clearly likes both Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. In June last year, Marlene Ricketts gave $10,000 to super-PACs supporting Rubio and Cruz.

Let's see. Cubs? Losers. Scott Walker? Loser. Mitt Romney? Loser.

Go Trump! Go White Sox!