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NASTY WOMAN! … "Tulsi Gabbard sues Hillary Clinton for defamation," via NY POST: Democratic presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard has filed a defamation suit against Hillary Clinton for calling her a "Russian asset," according to newly filed court papers.
"Tulsi Gabbard is running for President of the United States, a position Clinton has long coveted, but has not been able to attain," Wednesday’s Manhattan federal lawsuit reads. "In October 2019—whether out of personal animus, political enmity, or fear of real change within a political party Clinton and her allies have long dominated—Clinton lied about her perceived rival Tulsi Gabbard. She did so publicly, unambiguously, and with obvious malicious intent."
THE SILENT MAJORITY … "Poll: Two-Thirds of Americans Want Candidate Who Supports ‘Significant Restrictions’ on Abortion," by WFB’s Yuichiro Kakutani: The annual Marist poll commissioned by the Knights of Columbus showed that 55 percent of Americans identify as pro-choice. However, 70 percent of the country, including nearly half of self-described pro-choice respondents, oppose all abortions or believe they should be permitted only during the first 12 weeks, in medical emergencies, or in cases of rape or incest.
The data do not bode well for the leading Democratic presidential candidates, all of whom espouse ambitious pro-abortion policy platforms. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) wants to install a federal statutory right that "parallels the constitutional right in Roe v. Wade" and prohibit states from restricting abortion in later months of pregnancy.
TOUGH BOSS … "Klobuchar Pledges to Fire Betsy DeVos in First 100 Days," by WFB’s David Rutz: Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.) in a new ad released Wednesday pledged to fire Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos within her first 100 days as president—a likely unnecessary move given that DeVos would depart with sitting president Donald Trump …
Klobuchar's odd promise recalls failed 2020 hopeful, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D., Calif.), who told the New York Times he would fire Trump adviser Jared Kushner on his first day in office.
ABRAMS DELIVERS CONCESSION SPEECH … "Stacey Abrams: Time to stop fighting past elections," via AP: Democratic politician and voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams told a college crowd Wednesday that it's time to move beyond past elections and ensure future ones are fair.
CHASER … "Abrams: I’m Comfortable Saying ‘I Won’ Georgia Governor’s Race Because ‘Something Happened"
DEADBEAT DAD … "Appear in Arkansas court, explain, judge orders Hunter Biden," via DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE: Hunter Biden must appear Jan. 29 in a Batesville courtroom and explain why he shouldn't be held in contempt for violating court orders to provide financial information in his Arkansas paternity case …
Biden, son of former vice president Joe Biden, is being ordered to appear in the Arkansas courtroom days after President Donald Trump's impeachment trial began in the Senate. Hunter Biden has been mentioned as a possible witness in the impeachment proceedings.
CHASER … "Hunter Biden renting $12,000-per-month Hollywood home while refusing to pay child support," via EXAMINER: Hunter Biden is defying a court order to disclose his financial information as part of a child support fight while renting a $3.8 million designer home in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, for $12,000 per month.
DEBBIE DOWNERS OF THE WORLD UNITE! … "Trump Roars, and Davos Shrugs," via POLITICO: An annual survey known as the "Trust barometer" sponsored by the Edelman public affairs firm—collecting views from 34,000 people in 28 countries—captured the downbeat assumptions that pervaded many conversations at Davos. Some 56 percent of respondents say they believe that capitalism does more harm than good. Fewer than one in three people in developed markets believe they and their families will be better off in five years’ time. Nearly 80 percent agree that "elites are getting richer while regular people struggle to pay their bills."
CHICOM CONTAGION … "China quarantines Wuhan amid coronavirus outbreak," via FOX NEWS: The Chinese government has quarantined the city of Wuhan and plans to shut down the airport and public transportation within hours amid an outbreak of the coronavirus, state media reported. The virus has been linked to at least 17 deaths and has sickened over 500 others.
Xinhua News Agency said on Thursday that the city had asked people not to leave Wuhan without specific reasons, with the People's Daily newspaper then tweeting that no one would be allowed to leave the city starting at 10 a.m. and that train stations and the airport will shut down.
CNN FINDS THE REAL CRIME … "Media Interest in Jeffrey Epstein Heightens Amid Scrutiny of Environmental Record," by WFB’s Andrew Stiles: CNN reports that a U.S. Virgin Islands lawsuit against the multi-millionaire pervert's estate accuses Epstein of having "potentially damaged the delicate environment with illegal construction projects and brushed aside fines and other efforts to curb his behavior." These alleged environmental offenses, according to the lawsuit, were "part of a pattern of behavior in flouting the laws of the Virgin Islands and holding [Epstein] above the law."
Perhaps if American journalists had known of Epstein's environmental crimes much earlier, they might have been compelled to report on the massive international sex-trafficking ring Epstein allegedly oversaw.
SHORT-CIRCUIT … "Biden to CBS reporter: 'Why, why, why, why, why?'," via THE HILL: "Yesterday, you said you accepted Bernie's apology, now you're attacking him," said Ed O'Keefe, the veteran reporter … "Why are you doing that? Why wasn't his apology enough, Mr. Vice President? Why attack Sanders?" …
"Why, why, why, why, why, why, why?" Biden said, waving his hands toward O'Keefe and bending toward him slightly.
"You're getting nervous, man. Calm down, it's OK!" Biden said, putting his hands gently on O'Keefe's shoulder.
BEACON MAN OF THE YEAR MAKING A COMEBACK … "Chris Hughes wants another chance," via VOX: He blew more than $4 million on his husband’s congressional campaign, which lost to the Republican incumbent by nearly 30 percentage points in a district President Barack Obama had won two years prior. He bought the New Republic in an attempt to turn around the venerable but ailing magazine, and when he tried to remove his handpicked editor, almost the entire staff resigned in protest …
Since those debacles, Hughes has settled into a different niche, one that harks back to his long-ago role as Facebook’s house "empath." He’s now a philanthropist, and a convener of other philanthropists and organizations. His full-time job, he says, is trying to craft a world "after neoliberalism"—one with a heavier hand of government and a smaller role for corporate power, one perhaps without Twitter monopolizing our sidewalks.
THOSE WHO CAN’T, TEACH … "STUDY: Profs donate to Dems over Republicans by 95:1 ratio," via CAMPUS REFORM: Two researchers, Heterodox Academy director of research Sean Stevens and Brooklyn College professor Mitchell Langbert … looked at the political donations of 12,372 college professors at universities in 31 states and the District of Columbia during the past two election cycles in 2015-16 and 2017-18.
Of those professors, 2,301 made political donations, 2,081 of which were donated to Democrats. Just 22 of those 2,301 professors donated to Republicans … Nearly half of the 12,372 professors—48.5 percent—are registered Democrats while just 5.7 percent are registered Republicans.
LOVE TRUMPS HATE … "Fifteen Years Ago Today, Hillary Clinton Learned the Meaning of True Love," by WFB’s Andrew Stiles: [Yesterday] in 2005, Donald J. Trump married the love of his life, Melania Knauss, in a tasteful church ceremony in Palm Beach, Fla. A grateful nation wishes them all the best as they celebrate 15 happy years together.
One of the attendees at the wedding happened to be a U.S. senator who would go on to become one of the least successful female presidential candidates in American history … One can only imagine the pride Hillary must feel at having witnessed such a historic event, the joy she must have felt at seeing true love manifested for perhaps the first time in her life.
DAYS SINCE JOE BIDEN DID A SUNDAY SHOW: 1,138. Come back, Joe!
"You know who really doesn’t have it? Joe Biden." —Former President Barack Obama
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