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"RED SCARE: Bernie Sanders Wins New Hampshire, Takes Control of Democratic Party," by WFB’s Andrew Stiles: Sanders's strong performance, on the heels of a (sort of) victory in the disastrous Iowa caucus, makes him the prohibitive favorite to win the nomination of a party to which he doesn't belong, with an establishment wing that remains highly skeptical of his socialist bravado …
Speaking of failed predictions, as recently as October 2019, betting markets considered [Elizabeth] Warren a 52.5 percent favorite to win the Democratic nomination. Today that number sits at just 3.8 percent. Donald Trump, among others, took notice. "Elizabeth Warren, sometimes referred to as Pocahontas, is having a really bad night," the president tweeted. He wasn't wrong.
DO NOT RESUSCITATE … "Biden looks to S.C. to revive faltering campaign, but success there is no longer seen as certain," via WAPO: "Black voters in South Carolina really like Joe Biden, trust Joe Biden and respect Joe Biden," said Steve Benjamin, the mayor of Columbia and a Bloomberg supporter. "But they are pragmatic and want to win and beat Trump. If your number one argument is electability, and you can’t crack the top four in two or three states in a row, that’s a tough argument to make."
HE PAID RETAIL … "Mike Bloomberg Spent Millions To Put Them In Congress. Now, They’re Endorsing Him.," via HUFFPOST: In the 2018 midterms, when [Rep. Harley] Rouda was locked in one of the most contested elections in the country, Bloomberg spent $4.5 million of his vast personal fortune on ads thrumming Rouda’s Republican opponent.
Now, Rouda is in Congress—and one of three members who endorsed Bloomberg after a super PAC financed by Bloomberg spent millions of dollars to help elect them, records reviewed by HuffPost show.
REMAIN CALM, ALL IS WELL … "Pro-Biden Super PAC Warns Of 'Doomsday Scenario' For Democrats," via FOX NEWS: A super PAC supporting former vice president Joe Biden’s White House bid is urging donors to "dig deep right now" into their pockets and is warning that if Biden’s campaign collapses, Democrats could face "a doomsday scenario" …
The memo, written by Unite the Country treasurer Larry Rasky, argues that the "[Bernie] Sanders-[Elizabeth] Warren wing of the Party is ready for the [Mike] Bloomberg fight. Democrats cannot afford a split Convention."
FROM WAR PATH TO NARROW PATH … "Warren, In New Memo, Outlines Her Path And Rivals’ Flaws," via NYT: The nearly 2,000-word memo describes a "volatile and unpredictable" 2020 race that they expect to remain muddled through Super Tuesday in early March and outlines her path despite a disappointing third-place finish in Iowa and [fourth-place finish in] New Hampshire on Tuesday …
There is a long history of candidates who lose the early states in the presidential nominating calendar predicting comebacks that never materialize.
CALIFORNIA EAST … "Virginia House Dems Pass ‘Assault Weapons’ Ban, Magazine Confiscation," by WFB’s Stephen Gutowski: The bill would outlaw new sales of some of the country's most popular firearms, including the AR-15. It would also make possession of ammunition magazines capable of holding more than 12 rounds punishable by up to one year in prison even if the magazines were legally purchased …
It is the most controversial measure Democratic lawmakers and Governor Ralph Northam (D.) have advanced since taking control of both houses of the state legislature in November.
SAY NO TO THAT CHICOM CASH … "U.S. Officials Say Huawei Can Covertly Access Telecom Networks," via WSJ: U.S. officials say Huawei Technologies Co. can covertly access mobile-phone networks around the world through "back doors" designed for use by law enforcement, as Washington tries to persuade allies to exclude the Chinese company from their networks.
Intelligence shows Huawei has had this secret capability for more than a decade, U.S. officials said. Huawei rejected the allegations.
SCORPION MAKES PROPOSAL TO FROG … "Afghan president says Pompeo reports progress in U.S.-Taliban talks," via REUTERS: In a post on Twitter, [Afghan president Ashraf] Ghani wrote that [Secretary of State Mike] Pompeo had informed him in a telephone call that the Taliban had made a proposal "with regards to bringing a significant and enduring reduction in violence."
Ghani’s tweet indicated a possible breakthrough in talks between U.S. and Taliban negotiators, who have been deadlocked in part over a U.S. demand that the insurgents agree to significantly reduce violence as part of any American troop withdrawal accord.
GOOGLE CENKS STREET CRED … "Google Provides Six-Figure Sum to Liberal Outlet With History of Genocide Denial," by WFB’s Alex Griswold: Google gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Young Turks as others have distanced themselves from the progressive YouTube series over its founder's denials of the Armenian genocide and other offensive comments …
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), one of the leading U.S. organizations lobbying for Armenian genocide awareness and recognition, expressed displeasure with Google's decision to fund the Young Turks.
SO THIRSTY … "MSNBC Anchors Praise Warren for Still Taking Pictures After Losing in NH," by WFB’s Cameron Cawthorne: "This is awesome," anchor Rachel Maddow said.
[Brian] Williams said Warren was "still at work" as MSNBC aired live pictures of her being photographed with some supporters on a night when she will not be receiving any delegates.
"She's a really, really, really good candidate," MSNBC anchor Nicolle Wallace added.
JUSTICE FOR JUICY … "Jussie Smollett Has Been Charged — Again — Over His Alleged Fake Attack," via BUZZFEED: Almost a year after charges were dropped against Empire star Jussie Smollett, the actor was charged once again on Tuesday in connection to the allegedly false police report he filed last year, insisting he was attacked by two men in Chicago.
Cook County special prosecutor Dan Webb, who was appointed by a judge last year to reevaluate the circumstances around the Smollett case, announced the actor had been charged by a grand jury with six counts of disorderly conduct for making false reports to police.
POLITICAL TERRORIST SEEKS MEDIA COVERAGE … "Man Who Attacked Florida GOP Volunteers Told Police He Didn’t Like Trump," by WFB’s Brent Scher: The man who deliberately crashed his van into a Republican voter registration tent in Jacksonville admitted to authorities that he "does not like Donald Trump," according to a redacted copy of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office report.
The driver, Gregory Timm, told police that he decided to ram his vehicle through the Duval County Republican Party's tent after noticing it on a trip to Walmart …
The incident has only been covered a handful of times on CNN and MSNBC since it occurred Sunday, according to a Tuesday afternoon Washington Free Beacon analysis.
BITING THE HAND … "Bloomberg Gave a Liberal Group $5 Million. Its Political Director Just Called Him a ‘True Terrorist’ Over Stop and Frisk.," by WFB’s Brent Scher: A top official for a liberal group that last year received a $5 million donation from Michael Bloomberg recently called the billionaire Democratic presidential candidate a "true terrorist."
Andre Fields is the political director for Fair Fight Action, a voting rights focused group launched by failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams.
DAYS SINCE JOE BIDEN DID A SUNDAY SHOW: 3. Welcome back, Joe!
"You know who really doesn’t have it? Joe Biden." —Former President Barack Obama
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