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IMPEACHMENT UPDATE … Donald J. Trump is still President of the United States.
BANNER NIGHT FOR DEMS … "Trump Wins Iowa, Democrats in Disarray," by WFB’s Andrew Stiles: President Donald J. Trump secured an overwhelming victory in the Republican caucus in Iowa on Monday, the first step on the path to his inevitable reelection in 2020. "Big WIN for us in Iowa. Thank You!" the president tweeted to his 72 million followers.
The Democratic caucus results, on the other hand, remained inconclusive early Tuesday as a result of what state party officials described as "inconsistencies" in the precinct reporting … Former Obama adviser David Plouffe captured the mood of many Democrats, saying: "We may be witnessing the last Iowa caucus."
CRACK REPORTING … "Biden to Reporter: ‘You Do Not Know What You’re Talking About’ on Hunter," by WFB’s Graham Piro: NBC News anchor Savannah Guthrie asked former vice president [Joe Biden] whether Burisma, a Ukrainian energy giant, paid Hunter Biden hundreds of thousands of dollars "because that company wanted access to you." …
"You're saying things—you do not know what you're talking about," Biden said. "No one's said that … No one's found anything wrong with his dealings in Ukraine except they say it sets a bad image."
FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS … "Doug Jones’ Son Says Senator Struggling To Eat, Sleep During Impeachment Trial," via YELLOW HAMMER: In a blog post entitled, "Doug Jones was elected for this moment in history," the senator’s son [Carson Jones] wrote … "The weight of history and this case is not an easy burden to bear. To be honest, my father isn’t eating well. He isn’t sleeping well. And for the 24 hours he has been able to return home in the midst of this impeachment hearing, I can tell his mind can’t turn ‘off.'"
ART OF THE DEAL … "Schiff: If Trump Isn’t Removed He ‘Could Offer Alaska to the Russians in Exchange for Support in the Next Election’," via GRABIEN: "If abuse of power is not impeachable … then a whole range of utterly unacceptable conduct and the president would now be beyond reach," [Rep. Adam Schiff (D., Calif.) said].
"Trump could offer Alaska to the Russians in exchange for support in the next election or decide to move to Mar-a-Lago permanently and let Jared Kushner run the country, delegating to him the decision whether to go to war."
VERY HAPPY YOUNG GIRL JOINS TRUMP AS A NOMINEE … "Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg nominated for Nobel Peace Prize," via AP: Jens Holm and Hakan Svenneling, who are both members of Sweden’s Left Party, said Monday that Thunberg "has worked hard to make politicians open their eyes to the climate crisis" and "action for reducing our emissions and complying with the Paris Agreement is therefore also an act of making peace."
GIVE ‘EM HELL, RUSH … "Rush Limbaugh announces he has 'advanced lung cancer'," via FOX NEWS: "This day has been one of the most difficult days in recent memory, for me, because I’ve known this moment was coming," Limbaugh said. "I’m sure that you all know by now that I really don’t like talking about myself and I don’t like making things about me."
NO THRILL UP HIS LEG … "Chris Matthews expresses worries: Democrats 'need to find' candidate who can beat Trump," via THE HILL: "What are my thoughts? I’m not happy. I’m not happy with this field. I think they have to find a candidate for president that can beat Trump," Matthews said during a panel discussion Monday on "Morning Joe." …
Mathews then compared the excitement around the [Bernie] Sanders campaign to that of 1972 Democratic nominee George McGovern, who lost in a landslide to President Nixon.
THE BLOB GOES TO IOWA … "Heartland, Chronicled: A Political Journalist’s Reflections on Iowa, U.S.A.," by WFB’s Andrew Stiles: Later in the evening, Bon Iver plays at a Bernie Sanders rally in the suburbs … Michael Moore takes the stage and starts dropping F-bombs. I miss Beto.
Bernie never showed. He had to call in from Washington, D.C., which has plenty of top-notch music venues, by the way, and world-class cuisine, but isn't even a state. Like most journalists, I agree with everything he says, but I also trust the New York Times and consequently have pre-written a synopsis on the "moral victory" of Elizabeth Warren's fourth-place finish. My second Uber driver, a white male, is "pretty pro-Trump" and wonders why Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D., Hawaii) hasn't gotten more traction. Guess they have Facebook here in Iowa. Thanks, Russia.
SELF-LOATHING IS FREE … "Why liberal white women pay a lot of money to learn over dinner how they're racist," via GUARDIAN: This is Race to Dinner. A white woman volunteers to host a dinner in her home for seven other white women—often strangers, perhaps acquaintances. (Each dinner costs $2,500, which can be covered by a generous host or divided among guests.) A frank discussion is led by co-founders Regina Jackson, who is black, and Saira Rao, who identifies as Indian American. They started Race to Dinner to challenge liberal white women to accept their racism, however subconscious …
So far, 15 dinners have been held in big cities across the United States …
GUTOWSKI TAKES SIN CITY … "Range Time: Here’s What Happens at the World’s Largest Gun Show," by WFB Staff: Machine guns, flamethrowers, a Humvee rolling down the Strip, and a wedding. It was all there in Las Vegas at the world's largest gun show: SHOT Show 2020.
At this year's show, Washington Free Beacon staff writer Stephen Gutowski explores the showroom floor, interviews industry leaders and gun-rights activists, shoots a freaking minigun, eats the best steak in Vegas, and watches Elvis marry a couple of gun-rights activists.
DAYS SINCE JOE BIDEN DID A SUNDAY SHOW: 1,150. Come back, Joe!
"You know who really doesn’t have it? Joe Biden." —Former President Barack Obama
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