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SURE KNOWS HOW TO PICK 'EM … "Hunter Biden's Blood Mine," by WFB’s Yuichiro Kakutani: The Chinese company in which Hunter Biden held a stake invested in a Congolese mine that was the site of gross human rights abuses and at least one death.
Biden, son of Democratic presidential frontrunner Joe Biden, joined the board of Chinese investment firm BHR in 2013, while his father served as vice president … Among BHR's investments was one the largest cobalt and copper mine in the Democratic Republican of Congo, the Tenke Fungurume mine, where the Congolese military in June executed a brutal crackdown on illegal mining viewed as a threat to the mine's bottom line.
HILLARY 2.0 … "Biden tells coal miners to ‘learn to code’," via THE HILL: During a rally yesterday, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden spoke to a crowd in Derry, N.H., a town that many miners call home. He acknowledged the economic setbacks and job insecurity that coal miners face these days, and gave them some advice: learn to code …
According to [Dave Weigel of the Washington Post], the comment was met with silence from the audience.
POW WOW CIAO … "Elizabeth Warren Isn’t Talking Much About ‘Medicare for All’ Anymore," via NYT: After months of attacks from other candidates, and questions and some blowback from both liberals and moderates, the most ambitious and expensive of Ms. Warren’s many plans—and the one most likely to transform the lives of voters—is just a passing mention in her standard stump speech, rarely explored in depth unless a questioner brings it up …
It is a clear indication that, in a tight multicandidate race in Iowa, Ms. Warren has not become fully comfortable with staking her candidacy on her plan for health care, even as many Democrats cite the issue as their top priority.
WINE CAVE$ PAYING DIVIDEND$ … via WSJ: Pete Buttigieg raised $24.7 million in the final three months of the year, his campaign said Wednesday. That brings the former South Bend, Ind., mayor’s total last year to about $76 million, making him one of the best fundraisers in the Democratic presidential field.
BLOOMBERG’S TIES TO CHICOMS DRAWING SCRUTINY … "Bloomberg’s Business in China Has Grown. That Could Create Unprecedented Entanglements if he is Elected President," via WAPO: Tensions have grown between Washington and Beijing in recent years amid trade disputes, clashes over democracy and human rights, and disagreements over China’s efforts to expand its influence around the world. Yet [Michael] Bloomberg, who is spending tens of millions of dollars of his own money to compete for the Democratic presidential nomination, has deepened his entanglements with that key U.S. adversary—forging close financial ties there while showering praise on the Communist Party leaders whose goodwill is required to play a role in that fast-growing market.
The billionaire, whose core business sells financial information to investors, has led efforts since 2015 to make it easier for U.S. companies to trade in Chinese currency, a move embraced by China’s largest banks. He expanded one of his company’s financial indexes, which could steer $150 billion into China while earning his firm an undisclosed amount in fees.
"PROTESTERS" DEFEATED … Pro-Iranian Protesters Ending Standoff at U.S. Embassy, on Orders From Militia Leaders," via NYT: After vowing to camp outside the United States Embassy until the Americans left Iraq, and trying for a second day to scale the compound’s walls, demonstrators drawn largely from Iranian-backed militias called off their protest on Wednesday.
They gradually drifted away on foot or drove off in trucks, ending a tense standoff in which American diplomats were trapped in the embassy compound, and United States troops fired tear gas to disperse the thousands of people who stood outside chanting "Death to America."
NEW DECADE, SAME NORKS … "'No denuclearization' if U.S. continues 'hostile policies' toward North Korea: Kim Jong Un," via ABC NEWS: After an unprecedented four-day policy meeting, North Korea's leader also announced that the regime would develop "new strategic weapons" for its own defense, reported the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korea’s state news outlet, on Wednesday.
North Korea took "preemptive and crucial measures of halting its nuclear test and ICBM test fire and shutting down the nuclear test ground," as part of its negotiations with the U.S. but wasn't rewarded with "appropriate measures," Kim said.
HACKER STILL AT LARGE … "MSNBC's Joy Reid deletes tweet falsely suggesting Pompeo spoke to Russia's RT," via FOX NEWS: [Secretary of State Mike] Pompeo spoke this past April at Texas A&M University, recalling the sins he witnessed when he oversaw the CIA … Pompeo's remarks had aired on Russia's RT and a Twitter user shared the clip suggesting that the secretary of state had said that directly on Russian television, something Reid initially seemed to believe.
"Can you imagine what Republicans would have said if Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had gone on Russian State TV and said this during the Obama administration?" Reid asked. "Now? Republicans are unphased by this remarkably brazen Kremlin bowing. Putin really did win the year…"
TRIGGERED BY AMERICAN HERO … "Armed, even in church: Texas shooting is about a lot more than Jack Wilson's heroism," via AZ REPUBLIC: Jack Wilson is a hero alright. It took him only six seconds to kill a gunman at a Texas church, saving countless lives.
Unfortunately, that kind of split-second heroism has been turned into a PR tool by gun advocates … We know nothing about the at least six other parishioners who also appeared to draw their handguns at West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas.
And that's terrifying.
THREE MINUTES, EDITED DOWN FROM 2 HOURS … "The Worst of MSNBC in 2019," by WFB’s David Rutz: In one of the year's few highlights, either Hardball host Chris Matthews or Rep. Eric Swalwell (D., Calif.) farted loudly on the air on Nov. 18, and the show tried to cover it up by blaming the sound on a mug.
That was—sadly—about as good as it got.
MEN OF THE YEAR … by WFB STAFF: The Washington Free Beacon unveiled its annual list of the men who lived the hardest, loved the fiercest, and left their mark on 2019 as true heroes. Honorees include Conan the Dog, Hunter Biden, and the husbands and boyfriends of the U.S. Women’s World Cup champion soccer team.
DAYS SINCE JOE BIDEN DID A SUNDAY SHOW: 1,117. Come back, Joe!
"You know who really doesn’t have it? Joe Biden." —Former President Barack Obama
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