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GOT HER AGAIN … "Warren’s Son Attended One of Nation’s Most Elite Private Schools," by WFB’s Collin Anderson: The Haverford School’s leafy campus, arched doorways, and neatly uniformed boys would seem to denote the sort of class and privilege that Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) has decried on the campaign trail.
That may be why Warren, confronted by a school-choice activist in November, denied that her kids had attended private schools. The 2020 Democratic hopeful insisted that "my kids went to public school"—a half-truth, at best, that obscures a reality at odds with her image as a scrappy public school teacher-turned-populist crusader …
Located in suburban Philadelphia, the all-boys college preparatory school employs a "rigorous liberal arts curriculum" that recognizes boys' "innate competitiveness," according to the school's website. High school tuition runs $39,500 a year.
A NEW WARREN PLAN THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN … "Warren Plans to End Electoral College by 2024," by WFB’s Elizabeth Matamoros: Presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) said she plans to be the last person elected president by the Electoral College.
"I want to get rid of it," Warren said during an Iowa campaign event on Sunday. "So here's my goal: my goal is to get elected and then to be the last American president elected by the Electoral College. I want the second term to be that I got elected by direct vote."
SHOOTING BLANKS … "Gun-Rights Groups Celebrate as Gun Control Recedes From 2020 Debate," by WFB’s Stephen Gutowski: In interviews with the Washington Free Beacon, gun-rights groups argued that the media have downplayed gun control and candidates have avoided it because 2020 hopefuls who have run on the issue have failed. A Free Beacon analysis lent credence to this claim, finding that gun control is no longer drawing the same media attention it did in the aftermath of the mass shooting in El Paso, Texas. The issue was all but absent from the most recent Democratic debate, a fact lamented by gun-control advocates.
KAMALA MAKES REPARATIONS … "Harris: Marijuana Offenders Should Be ‘First in Line’ for Cannabis Industry Jobs," by WFB’s David Rutz: [Sen. Kamala] Harris said anyone convicted on marijuana charges should have their record expunged and be put "first in line" for jobs in the new industry …
Harris has faced criticism on the 2020 campaign trail for her aggressive record of prosecuting marijuana violations as California attorney general.
HUNTER DOESN’T PULL OUT … "Hunter Biden’s lawyers want to pull out of his paternity case," via PAGE SIX: The papers filed by former Arkansas attorney general Dustin McDaniel and two other attorneys cite an unspecified "irreconcilable conflict" and also say Biden’s "personal attorney" told them they were fired, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette said …
Hunter, 49, has denied having sex with [Lunden Alexis] Roberts, 28, but court papers she filed last month said that DNA testing proved his paternity.
SEND HER BACK … "Linda Sarsour backs Bernie Sanders, but not his support for Israel," via JTA: "Ask those who call themselves progressive Zionists to explain to you how they can be against the separation of children on the U.S.-Mexican border, … but then you tell me ‘Oh, you can’t push me out of the movement because I’m also against white supremacy,’" Sarsour said at the conference. "Ask them this, how can you be against white supremacy in America and the idea of being in a state based on race and class, but then you support a state like Israel that is based on supremacy, that is built on the idea that Jews are supreme to everyone else."
BROKEN CLOCK … "International Criminal Court Declines to Prosecute Alleged Israeli War Crimes," by WFB’s Adam Kredo: The International Criminal Court on Monday declined to reopen an investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes stemming from a 2010 incident in which a Gaza-bound flotilla filled with militant anti-Israel agitators was intercepted by Israeli authorities, leading to a bloody confrontation …
Pro-Israel legal experts who have been following the hotly contested case celebrated the decision as a hard-fought win in a court that has historically been hostile to Israel.
PRESSURE TO ACT … "U.S. Senators Want Turkey Sanctioned Over Russia Missile System," via REUTERS: Republican U.S. senator Lindsey Graham and Democratic senator Chris Van Hollen called on the Trump administration on Monday to impose sanctions on Turkey over its purchase of a Russian missile defense system, saying the failure to do so sends a "terrible signal" to other countries.
MULLAHS CRACK DOWN AS SQUEEZE CONTINUES … "Iran Takes Hard Line to Keep Protests Down," via WSJ: Days after 32-year-old Hamid Rasouli joined demonstrations over Iran’s troubled economy, he was killed by security forces, according to a friend. They handed over his body to his family with two demands: Pay nearly $8,000 and say your son was a member of a state militia who died at the hands of protesters …
Sanctions have slashed the Iranian government’s revenue from oil exports to between $10 billion and $12 billion from $50 billion last year, the head of Iran’s budgeting department said this week.
BLOOMBERG PRIMED TO INVESTIGATE WELD, WALSH CAMPAIGNS? … "Trump Campaign Denies Bloomberg News Press Credentials," by WFB’s Alex Griswold: The decision comes one week after Bloomberg News editor in chief John Micklethwait informed staff in a memo that the organization would continue its policy of not investigating its CEO and founder Michael Bloomberg even after the former New York City mayor entered the 2020 Democratic primary.
WAPO SWOONS OVER ANTI-SEMITE … "Valerie Plame, America’s most famous ex-spy, finds her new identity," via WASHINGTON POST: On the patio at Harry’s, Plame was hard to miss with her blond hair, blue jeans and a pristine white short-sleeve shirt. She looks astoundingly good, at 56, as if the high-altitude desert air has preserved her skin since the day she arrived here 12 years ago. She’s joined artists, aging hippies, and retirees in finding sanctuary in this charming town of oddballs. Attire at nearby tables included cowboy hats and Patagonia fleeces. Someone, somewhere, was surely wearing a bolo tie.
HOW DARE WE … "Greta Thunberg's North Dakota photo is at national library," via AP: A photo of Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg at a Native American reservation in North Dakota has been archived at the Library of Congress in Washington.
Photographer Shane Balkowitsch preserved the image on a glass plate and titled it "Standing For Us All." The method known as "wet plate collodion" involves wetting glass with various chemicals before inserting the plate into a camera and developing the photo.
Balkowitsch told the Bismarck Tribune that it's his "most important work to date."
JOY TO THE WORLD, WE’VE OWNED THE LIBS … "The War on Christmas Is Over and America Won," by WFB’s Andrew Stiles: The East Room features Christmas trees topped with gilded eagles, and other decorations inspired by the American flag, a symbol of national pride that hard working Americans are no longer afraid to fly outside their homes thanks to President Donald Trump's courageous leadership.
[First Lady] Melania [Trump] shared several photos of the decorations via her official Twitter account on Monday. Users of the popular social networking website were quick to share their awe and appreciation for the American-themed elegance on display in our nation's capital.
DAYS SINCE JOE BIDEN DID A SUNDAY SHOW: 1,087. Come back, Joe!
"They have him in the candidate-protection program." —Fmr. Obama Chief Strategist David Axelrod
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