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IMPEACHMENT UPDATE … Donald J. Trump is still President of the United States.
THE OLDEST HATRED … "New Koch Group Dogged by Charges of Anti-Semitism," by WFB’s Eliana Johnson: Yet the Quincy Institute’s hires include a string of figures who have courted controversy due to their views of Israel and American Jews.
Lawrence Wilkerson, a nonresident fellow at the institute, said in a 2007 documentary that "the Jewish lobby in America" and "AIPAC in particular" played an outsize influence in the run-up to the war—and, in fact, had more of an impact than the administration's belief that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction or the president's belief in spreading democracy …
The Quincy Institute is also home to several experts who have accused American Jews of being loyal primarily to Israel, a charge that has often been used to slur Jews.
RETAIL POLITICS 101 … "Biden to Iowa Voter: ‘Go Vote for Someone Else’," by WFB’s Graham Piro: Former vice president Joe Biden told a Democratic voter asking about climate change to "go vote for someone else" and then wrongfully accused him of supporting Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) …
Biden told [Ed Fallon] he was looking for primary supporters, not general election supporters. Biden then started to criticize what Sanders has promised to do about climate change, seeming to assume Fallon was a Sanders supporter. Fallon interrupted to say he is actually a Tom Steyer supporter.
BETO BUSTS … "Republican Gary Gates handily beats Democrat Eliz Markowitz in Texas House District 28 runoff," via TEXAS TRIBUNE: Republican Gary Gates has decisively beaten Democrat Eliz Markowitz in the nationally targeted special election runoff for Texas House District 28, a disappointing loss for Democrats who had hoped to use the race to build momentum toward capturing control of the lower chamber in November.
With all vote centers reporting Tuesday night, Gates defeated Markowitz by 16 percentage points, 58% to 42%, according to unofficial results …
The overtime round drew massive attention from Democrats. At least three presidential candidates got involved, national and state groups poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into the race, and Beto O'Rourke made it his top political priority since ending his White House bid in November.
CLASSY ... "Exclusive Audio: Michael Bloomberg’s Concern After JFK Assassination Was Cancelled Frat Party," by WFB's Brent Scher: Michael Bloomberg was unfazed by news of Princess Diana's tragic death, telling a friend in the immediate aftermath of her 1997 passing that it was "just one life" and the world would go on just the same.
Bloomberg's remarks, reported by the Washington Free Beacon for the first time, came during a 1999 interview with his alma mater, Johns Hopkins University. Recalling his comments to a grieving friend who told him "life will never be the same again," Bloomberg remarked, "Well, never the same again for Princess Diana, but everyone else went on."
INSIDE THE RACE FOR STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT … "Facing Racial Tensions, Buttigieg Camp Surveyed Staff About Microaggressions," by WFB’s Alex Griswold: The New York Times reported Tuesday that [Pete] Buttigieg national engagement coordinator Raven Hollins circulated a survey to employees in January after numerous staffers of color reported "feeling disrespected" by colleagues. Hollins asked that only minority staffers fill out the survey …
The list of microaggressions included "Been interrupted / talked over," "Left off a relevant email chain," "Someone else taking credit for your idea or insight (even accidentally)," and "Been called the name of a different staff member of color."
ONLY THE BEST PEOPLE … "Top Sanders Surrogate Appears to Parrot 9/11 Conspiracy Theory," by WFB’s Andrew Kugle: Phillip Agnew, a self-described "militant" who has made multiple appearances on the campaign trail for Sanders since joining the campaign in July, tweeted on the eve of the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that America remembers the day "she turned on herself, dismantled her constitution, and killed her own citizens in the name of money."
SH*T LIBERALS DO … "Steyer Slams Private Education, Sent Kids to Pricey Prep School," by WFB’s Charles Fain Lehman: Tom Steyer has promised to put government money where his mouth is, telling the Washington Post that he "does not support using public money for private or religious education." In doing so, Steyer would deny parents of lesser means the ability to do as he did when he sent his children to the San Francisco University High School, whose annual tuition costs $49,496 …
At the same time, it recalls Steyer's opponents' own dishonesty on the topic, particularly Sen. Elizabeth Warren's (D., Mass.).
JUSTICE FOR JUSSIE … "Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren endorses Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s reelection bid," via CHICAGO TRIBUNE: As a first-term prosecutor on the campaign trail, Foxx has touted her philosophy and record on criminal justice reforms. But her handling of the controversial case against actor Jussie Smollett last year drew national attention.
In an emailed statement, Warren talked about why she’s endorsing Foxx: "When Cook County first elected Kim Foxx to the state attorney’s office, it not only gained a seasoned advocate but a champion invested in rethinking the county’s approach to criminal justice reform."
IT’S HAPPENING … "Hillary Clinton admits she feels an ‘urge’ to run against Trump again," via NY POST: "Yeah. I certainly feel the urge because I feel the 2016 election was a really odd time and an odd outcome," she told [Variety] in an interview published online Monday.
"And the more we learn, the more that seems to be the case. But I’m going to support the people who are running now and do everything I can to help elect the Democratic nominee."
BUSINESS WITH THE BIDENS … "Lobbyist bought tropical land from Biden’s brother," via POLITICO: In 2005, Joe Biden’s brother bought an acre of land with excellent ocean views on a remote island in the Caribbean for $150,000. He divided it into three parcels, and the next year a lobbyist close to the Delaware senator bought one of the parcels for what had been the cost of the entire property. Later, the lobbyist gave Biden’s brother a mortgage loan on the remaining parcels.
The Virgin Islands land deal, reported here for the first time, furthers a pattern in which members of the Biden family have engaged in financial dealings with people with an interest in influencing the former vice president.
HAMAS STILL DEVOTED TO PUSHING ISRAEL INTO SEA … "Palestinians Reject Trump Administration’s Middle East Peace Plan," via WSJ: In anticipation that the plan would strongly favor the Israelis, the Palestinian Authority has threatened to cut its security and economic relations with Israel formed in previous peace talks.
Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip, said Mr. Trump’s speech hasn’t changed its goals.
"After Trump’s speech, as before it, our people will continue to struggle to regain its lands and holy sites and seize its freedom," Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasem wrote in a Tweet.
CHICOMS INFILTRATE FRIENDLY INSTITUTION … "U.S. Accuses Harvard Scientist of Concealing Chinese Funding," via NYT: Charles M. Lieber, the chair of Harvard’s department of chemistry and chemical biology, was charged on Tuesday with making false statements about money he had received from a Chinese government-run program, part of a broad-ranging F.B.I. effort to root out theft of biomedical research from American laboratories.
Dr. Lieber, a leader in the field of nanoscale electronics, was one of three Boston-area scientists accused on Tuesday of working on behalf of China.
BLOODY HELL … "UK will allow Huawei to help build its 5G network despite US pressure," via CNN: The British government said Tuesday that it will allow China's Huawei to help build the country's next generation of super-fast wireless networks, a decision that could undermine trade and intelligence ties with the United States …
The Trump administration had been pressing for a total ban on Huawei products, alleging that Beijing could use the equipment for snooping … Under Chinese law, Chinese companies can be ordered to act under the direction of Beijing.
THE FIX IS IN … "NYT Columnist Fails to Disclose Husband’s Work for Warren in Attack on Sanders," by WFB’s Brent Scher: New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg failed to disclose in her Monday column criticizing Bernie Sanders that her husband is a high-paid consultant for campaign rival Elizabeth Warren.
Goldberg wrote … that she is "terrified" about his chances in a general election contest with President Donald Trump … Unmentioned in the column is that Goldberg's husband Matthew Ipcar is a top executive at Blue State Digital, a design firm that has been paid $1,080,972 by Warren's presidential campaign, according to Federal Election Commission records.
UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT … "Business Expert Says You Shouldn't Talk Sports at Work Because Women Can't Understand It," via BARSTOOL and BBC: Chartered Management Institute head Ann Francke said sports banter can exclude women and lead to laddish behaviour such as chat about sexual conquests.
"A lot of women, in particular, feel left out," she told the BBC's Today programme.
BERNIE WAS RIGHT … "SHE CAN’T WIN: Early State Dems Prefer White Male Billionaire to Warren in New Poll," by WFB’s Andrew Stiles: Among Democratic voters in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina, [Elizabeth Warren] placed fourth, polling at 11 percent. Tom Steyer, one of two white male billionaires in the race, was in third place at 17 percent, presumably thanks to the massive amounts of money he has spent on advertising in those early primary states …
Oh, and it turns out the New York Times‘s stupid double endorsement of Warren and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.) had precisely zero impact on Warren's standing in the race. In fact, the biggest post-endorsement change among Democratic voters who read the Times was a five-point increase in support for Joe Biden.
DAYS SINCE JOE BIDEN DID A SUNDAY SHOW: 1,144. Come back, Joe!
"You know who really doesn’t have it? Joe Biden." —Former President Barack Obama
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