The White House News

New polling data on next week’s U.S. Senate special election Republican primary in Alabama shows former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore pulling ahead in a three-way battle between Moore, Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) and Sen. Luther Strange (R-AL). Strange was appointed to the seat earlier this year by then-Gov. Robert Bentley to fill the seat vacated by Jeff Sessions. The survey of likely 2017 special election primary voters released on Friday shows Moore with 35.07 percent, followed by Strange at 23.07 and Brooks in third with 19.68 percent. The Trafalgar Group’s (TFG) senior strategist Robert Cahaly told Breitbart News the poll results reflect Moore’s popularity in the state and the impact of President Donald Trump’s recent endorsement of Strange. “Brooks had momentum and we believe short of Trump’s endorsement tweet, Brooks would have overtaken Strange for second place,” Cahaly said, adding that things can change in the final days of an election, including future presidential tweets, which in recent days have been critical of McConnell. “Brooks had been gaining daily before the Trump tweet, but that growth has slowed,” Cahaly said. “By contrast, Strange has yet to receive a significant bump from the president’s endorsement possibly due to

On Friday’s broadcast of HBO’s “Real Time,” host Bill Maher stated that he’s more worried about the US becoming North Korea under President Trump than North Korea attacking the US. Maher said, “I must tell you, my bigger fear, I am afraid of North Korea attacking us. … My bigger fear is we’re becoming North Korea.” Trump cited Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ press conference on leaks, stating, “When state government is functioning that way, when you’re doing a press conference to be seen by just the Dear Leader.” He continued by citing reports that President Trump gets a folder of flattering media coverage, polling showing half of Republicans would support postponing the 2020 election to guarantee only eligible citizens can vote, news on the quickness with which voting machines can be hacked, Trump thanking Vladimir Putin for expelling US diplomats, and a piece by Fox News’ Chris Stirewalt about Trump entitled, “Would You Even Care if He Was Guilty?” … This is what I worry about, what I have called the slow-moving coup.” Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett

On Friday’s broadcast of HBO’s “Real Time,” author Richard Dawkins argued that Muslims aren’t being oppressed by critics of Islam like himself, but that they are oppressed by Islam. Host Bill Maher and Dawkins talked about their mutual dis-invitation from speeches at UC-Berkeley and a radio station canceling an interview with Dawkins. Dawkins said that there is “an epidemic that’s going on of people running scared from open speech,” and terrified of things that might be offensive. He added, “I think that this radio station and these universities, they are on our side. We’re on their side. Now, I was de-platformed specifically because of what I was alleged to have said about Islam. I think that the reason they did it was probably a laudable motive, they are on the side of oppressed minorities. They think that Muslims are an oppressed minority, oppressed by people like us. Actually, of course, Muslims are oppressed by Islam.” He later argued that Muslims who don’t oppress women or gay people are being persecuted by those who do and “That’s where the persecution comes from.” Maher added that “criticism of a religion is not the same thing as bigotry.” Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett