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Beacon Extra 1/16/20

Pelosi gloats, two socialists aren't comrades anymore, and Putin will have more flexibility after the election

January 16, 2020

Welcome to the Washington Free Beacon’s morning newsletter, your comprehensive briefing on the Enemies of Freedom. To get this newsletter sent straight to your inbox every morning, sign up here.

NEITHER CAN AN ELECTION RESULT … "Pelosi: Trump's impeachment 'cannot be erased'," via THE HILL: "Yes, it is a fact: When someone is impeached, they are always impeached. It cannot be erased. So I stand by that comment, although I know you don't like hearing it," [Speaker Nancy] Pelosi said in remarks in response to Republicans defending Trump.

Pelosi previously said that Trump is "impeached for life."

RELATED  "Pelosi Hands Out Commemorative Pens to Dems to Celebrate ‘Somber’ Impeachment"

COMRADES NO MORE … "Audio reveals tense confrontation between Warren and Sanders," via CNN: "I think you called me a liar on national TV," Warren can be heard saying.

"What?" Sanders responded.

"I think you called me a liar on national TV," she repeated.

"You know, let's not do it right now. If you want to have that discussion, we'll have that discussion," Sanders said, to which Warren replied, "Anytime."

"You called me a liar," Sanders continued. "You told me -- all right, let's not do it now."

VOTERS HATE IT? SHE’S GOT A PLAN FOR THAT … "Elizabeth Warren Failed to Mention "Medicare-For-All" Once During Tuesday's Debate," via PASTE: Elizabeth Warren appears to have given up on Medicare for All—at least as a talking point. At Tuesday’s Democratic presidential debate in Iowa, the last before the caucuses, the 2020 hopeful did not utter the phrase a single time while discussing her health care proposal …

Even early on, despite having co-sponsored Sanders’ Medicare for All bill in 2017, the Massachusetts senator had a tendency to equivocate when asked what her plan would ultimately look like.

LOCK HIM UP! … "Michael Avenatti ordered to remain in jail amid new accusations of money laundering," via LAT: A federal judge revoked the bail of Los Angeles attorney Michael Avenatti on Wednesday and ordered him jailed as he awaits trial on three indictments, saying new allegations of fraud and money laundering show he poses a danger to the public …

Avenatti was one of President Trump’s fiercest critics on cable news for months after Stormy Daniels went public in 2018 with her allegation that Trump paid her $130,000 to keep quiet about their alleged one-night stand.

YOU HATE TO SEE IT … "Michael Moore Laments ‘The Sad Downfall of Elizabeth Warren’," by WFB’s Andrew Stiles: "Why are you doing this, so you can win?" he said. "Well, I have news for you and anybody else running on the Democratic side. This isn't about you winning. This isn't about you gaining this office. This is about us. This is about removing Trump."

Moore, who officially endorsed Sanders in October at a rally in New York alongside Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.), went on to criticize Warren's tendency to "embellish the truth" for political gain—from her false claims of Native American heritage to falsely describing her father as a "janitor."

SEND THE BOMBERS … "Trump Signs China Trade Deal, Putting Economic Conflict on Pause," via NYT: President Trump signed an initial trade deal with China on Wednesday, bringing the first chapter of a protracted and economically damaging fight with one of the world’s largest economies to a close …

To critics, it is the type of managed trade approach that the United States has long criticized, especially with regard to China and its control over its economy … The president’s approach may pay off politically. He will head into a re-election campaign with a commitment from China to strengthen its intellectual-property protections, make large purchases of American products and pursue other economic changes that will benefit American business.

HE’LL HAVE MORE FLEXIBILITY AFTER THE ELECTION … "Putin Proposes Vote on Constitutional Shake-Up That Could Extend His Rule," via REUTERS: President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday proposed a nationwide vote on sweeping constitutional changes that would shift power from the presidency to parliament and the prime minister, a move that could allow him to extend his rule after leaving the Kremlin.

In power as either president or prime minister since 1999, Putin, 67, is due to step down in 2024 when his fourth presidential term ends.

EUROPE HAS TROOPS? … "Iran threatens European troops, as FM Zarif admits officials lied about plane," via TOI: Iran’s top diplomat acknowledged Wednesday that Iranians "were lied to" for days following the Islamic Republic accidentally shooting down a Ukrainian jetliner, killing 176 people, as the country’s president warned that European soldiers in the Mideast "could be in danger" after three nations challenged Tehran over breaking limits of its nuclear deal.

CRACK WITNESS … "CNN Analyst: GOP Has 'Caricature' of Hunter Biden as a 'Troubled,' 'Ill-Equipped' Witness," via NEWSBUSTERS: On the flip side of that, CNN analyst Michael Smerconish suggested Republicans may be unhappily surprised if they called Hunter Biden as a witness in the Senate impeachment trial, because there's "this caricature that has been created of Hunter Biden being a very troubled and ill-equipped individual," but he graduated from Yale Law and "comported himself well" in a softball interview with ABC News, so "It's possible he comes off as credible."

Talk about putting on the most positive paint job!

YOU ARE SENTENCED TO 30 DAYS HARD FINGER-PAINTING … "N.Y. Justice Dem Appears to Support Substituting Art Class for Jail Time," by WFB’s Collin Anderson: Democratic congressional hopeful Jamaal Bowman on Wednesday shared an article detailing a New York City program that allows arrestees to avoid prosecution by attending a two-hour art course. Brooklyn district attorney Eric Gonzalez said the program is about "holding people accountable." Any perpetrator who attends the course has their case dismissed with no criminal record registered.

Those eligible for the program include shoplifters and trespassers.

HOPE FOR THE FUTURE … "Meet the 16-Year-Old Competitive Shooter Working to Keep her Guns Legal in Virginia," by WFB’s Stephen Gutowski: Mia Farinelli is like any other teenage girl, except for one key difference. Her skill as a world-class competitive shooter has brought her into the national spotlight. She uses that spotlight to teach others about her sport, but also to do something other top high school athletes don't have to worry about: stop political proposals seeking to ban the very guns she competes with …

Find out how Mia started competing with guns, what her favorite competition is, how she hopes to influence lawmakers, and how a ban on AR-15s could crush her dream to one day join the Army's shooting team.

DAYS SINCE JOE BIDEN DID A SUNDAY SHOW: 1,131. Come back, Joe!

"You know who really doesn’t have it? Joe Biden." —Former President Barack Obama

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Published under: Beacon Extra