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.
VA DEMS CAN’T PULL THE TRIGGER … "Virginia Assault Weapon Ban, Magazine Confiscation Defeated in Senate," by WFB’s Stephen Gutowski: The crowd of gun-rights advocates who had filled the committee room to capacity began to cheer as the bill was defeated. Their cheers, combined with those of the overflow crowd in the hallway outside the meeting, were loud enough that senators briefly paused the meeting.
BLOOMBERG KNOWS HOW TO DIG A HOLE … "Bloomberg implied farming doesn't take intelligence in 2016 comments," via FOX NEWS: Presidential candidate and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg appeared to belittle both farmers and factory workers in 2016 comments made at a university forum …
"I could teach anybody, even people in this room, no offense intended, to be a farmer," Bloomberg said. "It's a process. You dig a hole, you put a seed in, you put dirt on top, add water, up comes the corn. You could learn that."
DEMS IN DISARRAY … "Campaigns warn of chaos ahead of the Nevada caucuses," via WAPO: Campaigns said they still have not gotten the party to offer even a basic explanation of how key parts of the process will work. Volunteers are reporting problems with the technology that’s been deployed at the last minute to make the vote count smoother …
"It feels like the [state party is] making it up as they go along," said one Democratic presidential aide.
AND HE’S THE ‘MODERATE’ CANDIDATE … "For first time, Biden calls Obama deportations 'big mistake'," via AP: Going further than he ever has in expressing regret over Obama administration immigration policy, presidential candidate Joe Biden called it a "big mistake" to have deported hundreds of thousands of people without criminal records. …
Biden stuck to his defense that the Obama administration did not "put kids in cages," as Trump has done. [Jorge] Ramos showed Biden a photo of an unaccompanied minor who was apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border and detained during Obama's second term.
SENDING THE BOMBERS … "B-52 Bomber Spotted Flying Low Just Off Somali Coast," via THE DRIVE: A B-52H bomber belonging to the U.S. Air Force has been photographed flying low [on Feb. 14] near the Somali island of Koyama. According to a local photographer, the bomber, which appeared at around 2:30 PM local time, caused some confusion and concern among the locals …
B-52Hs are currently forward-deployed to Diego Garcia, America's outpost in the Indian Ocean. As we reported at the time, the Pentagon planned to send six of the bombers there as a contingency for a potential conflict with Iran.
WFB ABROAD … "U.S. Vows to Continue Backing Fight Against Islamic Terror in Africa," by WFB’s Adam Kredo: The United States is committed to sending counter-terrorism resources to Africa to aid the continent’s ongoing fight against radical Islamic forces, according to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo …
Pompeo’s comments are being viewed as a dose of much-needed reassurance to African nations concerned about America’s ongoing commitment to their safety and security.
APPLE POISONED … "Apple to Fall Short of Projected Revenue Due to Coronavirus," via WSJ: Apple Inc. AAPL 0.02% became the first major U.S. company to say it won’t meet its revenue projections for the current quarter due to the coronavirus outbreak, which it said had limited iPhone production for worldwide sales and curtailed demand for its products in China.
GRAY LADY RED-FACED … "New 1776 Project Aims to Counter ‘Lethal’ Narrative of 1619 Project," by WFB’s Cole Carnick: Bob Woodson, a leader in the African-American community who has spent his career fighting to stave off the cycle of poverty and crime, argued on Friday that the 1619 Project’s message—that life outcomes for African Americans are shaped by the history of slavery and Jim Crow—is a "lethal" narrative that perpetuates a culture of victimhood in the African-American community.
WELL, SINCE YOU ASKED … "Stelter: Was I Stupid to Take Avenatti Seriously as Possible 2020 Candidate?," by WFB’s David Rutz: "Give me a media critique," [CNN media correspondent Brian] Stelter said. "Was that stupid on my part? What do you make of how Avenatti was covered by CNN and MSNBC?" …
Stelter was hardly alone in boosting Avenatti. Panelists on MSNBC's Deadline: White House said the political novice should be given attention as a possible 2020 hopeful because he was a "fighter."
THEY’RE STILL CASHING THE CHECKS THOUGH … "Bloomberg News’s Dilemma: How to Cover a Boss Seeking the Presidency," via NYT: Journalists who hoped [Michael] Bloomberg’s candidacy would prove short-lived have watched him vault to the upper tier of the Democratic race … In 2018, Mr. Bloomberg told an interviewer: "I don’t want the reporters I’m paying to write a bad story about me."
That policy proved awkward during Mr. Bloomberg’s three terms as mayor of New York City … Now it is bordering on untenable, according to interviews with half a dozen Bloomberg journalists who requested anonymity.
EVEN LENIN PANDERED … "How Bernie Sanders Fell in Line on Gun Control," by WFB’S Stephen Gutowski: The independent Vermont senator, who long took moderate positions on gun control, is now fully embracing left-wing positions on the issue as he works to become the Democratic Party's standard bearer in 2020 …
"Bernie shifted with the Democratic Party (even as an independent)," Professor Larry Sabato … said in an email. "And he saw in 2016 his gun record could be a real detriment to his presidential ambitions."
WATER ALSO WET … "ANALYSIS: Political Pundits Have No Idea What They’re Talking About," by WFB’s Andrew Stiles: From the perspective of voters who watch cable news and take seriously the so-called analysis and punditry they hear from so-called political experts in the media, [Elizabeth] Warren's downfall is a shocking development …
Maybe it's just difficult for upper-class residents of New York City and Washington, D.C., to assess the hearts and minds of average Americans. No one in the political punditry business would ever admit this, however. If it were true, what would be the point of their careers?
DAYS SINCE JOE BIDEN DID A SUNDAY SHOW: 2. Welcome back, Joe!
"You know who really doesn’t have it? Joe Biden." —Former President Barack Obama
Thanks for reading! Send tips to rutz@freebeacon.com.