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GIVE ‘EM HELL, HUNTER! … "Where’s Hunter? Until Recently, On the Board of the Left’s Premier National Security Network," by WFB’s Eliana Johnson: If Joe Biden's presidential campaign collapses in the coming weeks, as looks increasingly likely, it will be in part because of stories like this.
In 2011, two years into his father's term as vice president, Hunter Biden was appointed by the Truman National Security Project, a left-leaning foreign policy network, to its board of directors. The younger Biden was, at the time, one of just six members of the governing board, where he served alongside the organization's founder and CEO, Rachel Kleinfeld, and a handful of corporate leaders. He had no obvious qualifications for the position.
ALL BETS ARE OFF … "Nevada Union Targets Sanders, Warren Over Socialized Medicine," by WFB’s Yuichiro Kakutani: Nevada’s most powerful union is attacking Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) over his support for Medicare for All, as the Vermont socialist attempts to build off of his victory in the New Hampshire primary.
The Culinary Union, the state's largest union and a key driver of the Democrats' 2016 victories in Nevada, is warning over 50,000 hospitality workers that the Medicare for All plans backed by Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) will "end culinary health care" benefits.
TOUGH CROWD … "Tom Perez Gets Earful on Superdelegates at Congressional Progressive Caucus Meeting," via INTERCEPT: Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez met privately on Tuesday with members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus … The conversation came in the wake of progressive frustration over the Iowa Democratic Party’s handling of the caucuses last week …
The role of American oligarch Mike Bloomberg in the race also came up in the meeting. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., asked Perez what procedures he had in place to monitor conflicts of interest for the officials he names to key Democratic National Convention committees.
TURN OUT THE LIGHTS … "Joe Biden’s Campaign About Nothing," via POLITICO: Bidenspeak has proved to be [a] colossal failure, imparting no punch, either literal or serious, on Democratic voters eager for a uniting figure. Despite his name recognition, pedigree, legislative acumen, and campaign cash, Biden finished near the New Hampshire cellar … with one of the drabbest, most purposeless campaigns since Harold Stassen flew his colors.
TRUTH IS AN ABSOLUTE DEFENSE … "Dems Want Local Mayor to Resign for Calling Ilhan Omar ‘Anti-Semitic Socialist’," by WFB’s Graham Piro: "Yep, that's me giving Ilhan Omar the key to the city. I didn't know her politics then, nor that she is an anti-Semitic socialist," mayor and congressional candidate Randy Henderson says in the advertisement. "Watching that now makes me sick." …
The chairwoman of the Lee County Democrats called on Henderson to resign from the mayorship, calling the advertisement inappropriate and shocking.
DARE TO DREAM … "Moderate Democrats Fear Bernie Sanders Could Cost Them the House," via NYT: Few are eager to publicly articulate their fears of a Sanders nomination, reluctant to call attention to the divisions within their party or risk alienating a potential nominee, but several of them privately described a sense of foreboding that has set in over the past two weeks as Sanders has emerged as the top finisher in the first two contests of the Democratic race.
"There is a growing concern among especially those of us on the front lines that we will not only lose the White House but the House of Representatives," one of them said in an interview, insisting on anonymity.
NEWSFLASH: KILLING TERRORISTS POPULAR … "Poll: Majority of Swing State Voters Approve of Trump’s Killing of Soleimani," by WFB’s Adam Kredo: While 2020 Democratic presidential contenders have largely criticized the decision to take out [Qassem] Soleimani, a majority of voters in Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Georgia, Michigan, and Pennsylvania said they backed the Trump administration's action, according to a poll conducted by the America First Action PAC, a pro-Trump organization led by Linda McMahon.
UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES … "Education Department Investigating Harvard, Yale Over Foreign Funding," via WSJ: The Education Department opened investigations into Harvard and Yale as part of a continuing review that has found U.S. universities failed to report at least $6.5 billion in foreign funding from countries such as China and Saudi Arabia, according to department materials viewed by the Wall Street Journal.
LOW BLOW … "NYT Writer Accuses Dem Rep of Being Bought by Bloomberg," by WFB’s Cameron Cawthorne: New York Times columnist Charles Blow on Wednesday accused Rep. Lucy McBath (D., Ga.) of being bought for her endorsement of Michael Bloomberg for president.
"Everyone has a price. EVERYONE," Blow said in a now-deleted tweet.
CHASER … "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.
JUSTICE FOR JUICY … "New Smollett indictment may shape Cook County State’s Attorney’s race," via WGN: Last year, [Jussie] Smollett claimed he was the target of a racial and homophobic crime, but then he was charged after police said he paid two brothers to stage the attack. Three weeks later, Cook County state's attorney Kim Foxx dropped the charges.
Foxx’s campaign is questioning the timing of the indictment [by the special prosecutor], saying it feels like a politicization of the justice system …
It was revealed [Foxx] had contact with a Smollett relative and former aide to Michelle Obama while the case was active.
GO TO CLASS … "Student Activists Demand UChicago Divest From Israel," by Matthew Pinna for the WFB: Students affiliated with the University of Chicago’s chapter of IfNotNow … briefly gathered outside the school's main administration building on Monday to call for the full disclosure of the university’s investments in Israel …
The new campaign is representative of broadening anti-Israel sentiment on college campuses, where the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, which aims to economically isolate the world’s only Jewish state over its alleged human rights violations, has gained traction.
WE DON’T SEE DEAD PEOPLE … "Liberal Groups and High-Powered Lawyers Swarm Detroit to Keep Dead Voters on Rolls," by WFB’s Joe Schoffstall: Liberal groups and high-powered New York attorneys swooped into Detroit this week to help the city fight a lawsuit over its voter roll irregularities, which included thousands of deceased individuals appearing on the rolls.
DAYS SINCE JOE BIDEN DID A SUNDAY SHOW: 4. Welcome back, Joe!
"You know who really doesn’t have it? Joe Biden." —Former President Barack Obama
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