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ANOTHER BID TO REPLACE PENCE ON 2020 TICKET … "Gabbard to Introduce Censure Alternative to Impeaching Trump," via NRO: Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D., Hawaii) is expected to introduce a resolution calling for President Trump’s censure ahead of a Wednesday vote on the articles of impeachment drafted by the House Judiciary Committee …
The Hawaii representative is one of the last House Democrats to remain publicly undecided on impeachment.
NYT AND CNN HARDEST HIT … "Court Orders FBI to Fix National Security Wiretaps After Damning Report," via NYT: In an extraordinary public order, the presiding judge on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, Rosemary M. Collyer, gave the F.B.I. a Jan. 10 deadline to come up with a proposal …
"The frequency with which representations made by FBI personnel turned out to be unsupported or contradicted by information in their possession, and with which they withheld information detrimental to their case, calls into question whether information contained in other FBI applications is reliable," Judge Collyer wrote.
HUNTER BIDEN’S DAD SAYS NO ONE WANTS THEIR KIDS TO GROW UP LIKE TRUMP, by WFB’s Cameron Cawthorne: As his son Hunter Biden faces allegations of drug abuse, soliciting prostitutes, and participating in an influence peddling scheme at a Ukrainian gas company, former vice president Joe Biden assailed Trump's character while speaking at a New York City fundraiser.
"The American people, including the senators who are going to vote to acquit him, know no one wants their kid to grow up like him," Biden said.
HILLARY CLINTON UNAVAILABLE FOR COMMENT … "Ocasio-Cortez: Republicans Call Election Losses Illegitimate," by WFB’s David Rutz: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) said during a recent town hall that Republicans regularly call any election loss "illegitimate" …
A number of prominent members of her own party have said that fraud and cheating marred, or even invalidated, Democrats' recent gubernatorial losses in Georgia and Florida, as well as Hillary Clinton's defeat in the 2016 presidential election.
REP. TONY SOPRANO … "Dem on Party Switcher: ‘Do You Know How We Would Have Handled This Back in Paterson?’," by WFB’s Cameron Cawthorne: Rep. Bill Pascrell (D., N.J.) on Tuesday expressed frustration over fellow New Jersey Democrat Rep. Jeff Van Drew's switch to the Republican Party, telling a reporter, "Do you know how we would have handled this back in Paterson?" Paterson, N.J., a city in Pascrell's congressional district, is the congressman's hometown …
Following his remark, Pascrell quickly added that he was not advocating for violence against Van Drew.
DUH … "Party Switching Dem: Many Democrats Don’t Believe the U.S. Is Greatest Country in the World," by WFB’s Andrew Kugle: Rep. Jeff Van Drew (D., N.J.) said Tuesday that many of his Democratic colleagues do not believe in American exceptionalism and do not think the United States is the greatest country on earth …
Van Drew, a freshman congressman from a pro-Trump district, has been critical of his fellow Democrats' push to impeach Trump and announced that he opposes both articles of impeachment issued by the House Judiciary Committee.
WARREN CLOSING IN WAMPUM RACE … "Warren second to Buttigieg in campaign cash from McKinsey employees, despite criticism of firm," via EXAMINER: Despite her attacks against South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg's ties with McKinsey & Co., Elizabeth Warren has received the second-most amount of money from employees of the management consulting firm, according to a review of Federal Election Commission documents.
Since she announced her candidacy in February, the Massachusetts senator, 70, has received $10,098.85 from those who work or have worked at McKinsey, compared to Buttigieg, who has raised $17,280.
WARREN TO PIMP FOR ALL AMERICANS … "Elizabeth Warren Voted For A Sex Trafficking Crackdown. Now She’s Worried About "Unintended Consequences."," via BUZZFEED: Congressional Democrats filed a bill on Tuesday to study the safety of sex workers—an attempt to figure out if Congress’s own crackdown on sex trafficking websites has caused dangerous ramifications …
But [Elizabeth] Warren, a presidential candidate, voted for the anti-trafficking bill known as FOSTA-SESTA that she now worries may be problematic …
"Sex workers have reported a reduced ability to screen potential clients for safety, and negotiate for boundaries such as condom use, resulting in 14 reports of physical and sexual violence," said the legislation.
CHICOMS CAN BUY WHAT THEY DON’T STEAL … via REUTERS: The Trump administration is finalizing a set of narrow rules to limit exports of sophisticated technology to adversaries like China, a document seen by Reuters shows, in a boon to U.S. industry that feared a much tougher crackdown on sales abroad …
But the internal status update seen by Reuters shows for the first time that Commerce is finishing a first batch of rules that touch on just a few technologies that will be proposed to international bodies before taking effect, a reprieve for U.S. companies.
FRIENDS OF HAMAS … "Turkey and Qatar give warm embrace to Hamas leaders," via JERUSALEM POST: The Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani smiled widely as he met Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh on Monday …
The Hamas visit to Turkey and Qatar appear more like a victory lap for the group than a random trip. The high-level reception the delegation received illustrates Ankara and Doha see Hamas as if it is a state, as opposed to a terror group based in Gaza. Qatar has hosted Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal in the past.
WHY YOU GOT LAID OFF, EXPLAINED … "Vox Media Fires Hundreds of Freelancers Due to Law Trumpeted by Vox," by WFB’s Alex Griswold: A September Vox headline declared that California's passage of a bill limiting employers' ability to classify workers as independent contractors was a "victory for workers everywhere." On Monday, Vox Media sports website SBNation announced it would have to let go hundreds of contributors living in California before the law takes effect in 2020.
CHASER … "Freelance Journalists Sue California Ahead of Gig Worker Law," via THR: One day after reports that Vox Media is ending business ties with hundreds of freelance writers in the state in part due to Assembly Bill 5, an industry group is suing California on independent journalists' behalf before the law takes into effect.
YOU HAD ONE JOB … "CNN Legal Analyst Does Not Know Supreme Court Justices Appear on Television," by WFB’s Andrew Kugle: "Uhhhhh why is a Supreme Court justice doing a TV interview," [CNN legal analyst Asha] Rangappa wrote on Twitter.
Not only have justices been interviewed before, but Gorsuch sat for an interview with Rangappa's CNN colleague Ariane de Vogue just three months ago. Also, CNN extensively interviewed Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg for its heavily promoted movie RBG, a documentary that chronicles her rise to "superstardom."
TERMINAL RATINGS … "Despite Viewership Woes, CNN Retains Stranglehold On 58 Airports," via DAILY CALLER: One reason airports are happy to retain CNN is the cash it’s willing to shell out. Public documents indicate CNN offered the Miami-Dade International Airport $150,000 annually for its most recent contract, which will expire in 2024. Documents obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution indicated CNN is paying $225,000 each year for rights to the airport in Atlanta, where CNN is headquartered.
15 SECONDS OF SHAME … ""A Beautiful Chorus" —Leftists Are Using TikTok To Break Down Socialism For The Next Generation Of Voter," via BUZZFEED: Young leftists are breaking down the points behind their political ideology on TikTok to make it easier for the next generation of voters to understand and get pulled into socialism.
"Yo yo yo! Inviting y’all to the motherfuckin’ revolution," Gem Nwanne said in their rendition of a TikTok trend where creators parody party announcements over bars of a Chief Keef song. "Location? Around the world. Time? Right the fuck now! Cost? Your privilege. We talkin’ BYO skillset! No cops!"
LOSERS UNITED … "Failed GOP Strategists and Notable Spouse Launch PAC to Defeat Trump in 2020," by WFB’s Andrew Stiles: President Donald Trump's reelection efforts in 2020 and beyond received a significant boost Tuesday with the announcement of the Lincoln Project, a new anti-Trump super PAC started by a group of failed Republican strategists and George Conway, a spouse of middling renown …
The Lincoln Project's founders may not succeed in their quest to elect a Democrat in 2020, but when it comes to getting themselves booked on cable news to talk about it, success is all but guaranteed.
DAYS SINCE JOE BIDEN DID A SUNDAY SHOW: 1,102. Come back, Joe!
"You know who really doesn’t have it? Joe Biden." —Former President Barack Obama
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