Monday News & Notes

Even though it’s Monday, there’s still a little bit of news and notes to share. Click through to read more on each story.

Trump goes after Mitch McConnell’s wife, calls Elaine Chao ‘crazy’

Former President Donald Trump derided Elaine Chao, who served in his cabinet, over the weekend and accused her husband, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, of helping her and their family “get rich on China!”

“Why do Republican Senators allow a broken down hack politician, Mitch McConnell, to openly disparage hard working Republican candidates for the United States Senate. This is such an affront to honor and to leadership,” Trump posted online Saturday. “He should spend more time (and money!) helping them get elected, and less time helping his crazy wife and family get rich on China!”

Trump's comment came after McConnell said last week that the GOP's fight to take control of the U.S. Senate from the Democratic Party this November may not succeed, suggesting "candidate quality" is a factor. (Courier-Journal)

Eastern KY representative to seek funding for study of flood control along Kentucky River

U.S. Rep. Harold “Hal” Rogers has asked federal engineers to analyze the deadly flooding in Eastern Kentucky last month with an eye toward trying to limit damage from future floods. In an Aug. 12 letter to the commander of the Louisville District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rogers asked the agency to analyze the flooding while Rogers works to get federal money for an “expansive study” of flooding in the Kentucky River basin. (Herald-Leader)

Results from two polls, one about same-sex marriage, the other about the Trump investigations

A majority of voters support federal protection of same-sex marriage

The House of Representatives recently passed a bill that would protect the right of same-sex couples to marry under federal law. New Data for Progress polling reveals that a majority of voters support the passage of this bill by a +29-point margin, including Democrats by a +62-point margin and Independents by a +42-point margin. Republicans, however, oppose its passage by a -13-point margin. Additionally, voters under the age of 45 support the bill by 14 more points than voters under 45, by a +38-point margin and a +24-point margin respectively.

Following the bill’s passage in the House, a majority of the Senate must also vote in support of the bill so that it can be signed by the President into law. Sixty-two percent of voters believe it is important that the Senate votes in support of this bill, including 82 percent of Democrats, 65 percent of Independents, and 39 percent of Republicans. (Data for Progress)

Poll: A majority of voters want the Trump investigations to go on

In recent months, Donald Trump has found himself buried in a growing pile of lawsuits and investigations. Officials are probing his company’s finances, his attempt to overturn the 2020 election, his role in inciting a mob on January 6, and, most recently, his alleged possession of classified documents. And from the outset, Trump and his supporters have claimed that the various investigations into his alleged wrongdoing are political hit jobs, rather than legitimate legal inquiries.  Now, a new NBC News poll suggests that a majority of American voters disagree.

According to the poll, 57 percent of voters said they thought investigations into Trump’s conduct should continue “because he needs to be held accountable,” while 40 percent said they should not continue “because they are politically motivated and divide the nation.” Perhaps unsurprisingly, there were stark differences along party lines: While 92 percent of Democrats and 61 percent of independents approved of the investigations, just 21 percent of Republicans thought the same. (Mother Jones)

And from the Twitter machine ...

With news about the upcoming special session:

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