The Commentariat -- February 9, 2020

Afternoon Update:

Here's Politico's summary of today's events in New Hampshire's Democratic primaries. New York Times live updates are here. The whole sprint reminds me of Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign speech when he asked New Hampshire voters to give him a second chance, in exchange for which he promised to be with them "till the last dog dies."

David Masciotra in Salon: "The recent events of Trump's acquittal in the Senate, his State of the Union address and his spiteful, rambling monologue at the White House on Thursday have collectively acted as the flatline on the heart monitor of decency. As decency dies, American life becomes ever more precarious." Thanks to NJC for the link. Mrs. McC: What Masciotra is talking about here is what conventional pundits were calling "institutional norms" after Trump's inauguration. But, at bottom, Trump violates those norms because, as Masciotra writes, he has "no sense of decency."

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David Siders & Trent Spiner of Politico: "Three days before the still-unsettled New Hampshire primary, 10 candidates shared a stage in the state for the final time at the annual McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Dinner in Manchester. Here are our six takeaways from the shindig."

The New York Times is live-updating Saturday events in New Hampshire. "Tensions in the Democratic presidential primary reached new heights on Saturday as the candidates launched new and sometimes personal attacks on their rivals on the last weekend before the New Hampshire primary. Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Pete Buttigieg clashed over experience in their most pointed confrontation to date, with Mr. Biden calling Mr. Buttigieg 'not a Barack Obama' and releasing a video belittling his mayoral experience.... [Bernie] Sanders slammed both Mr. Buttigieg and Michael R. Bloomberg over the influence of money in politics. Amy Klobuchar drew a big crowd in Durham, and her campaign announced she had raised $2 million since Friday night's debate. Elizabeth Warren, who admitted that she 'didn't fight hard enough' in the debate, told her supporters she was betting big on them." ~~~

~~~ Politico's liveblog of Saturday's events is here.

Jon Keller of CBS Boston: "Pete Buttigieg continued his rise in Friday night' exclusive WBZ/Boston Globe/Suffolk University poll, for the first time taking a narrow lead that falls within the survey's 4.4% margin of error. Buttigieg pulled in 25 percent, up two points from Thursday night, while Bernie Sanders held steady at 24 percent. Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden also rose by two percentage points, placing Warren third with 14 percent and Biden fourth with 11. These slight changes seem to be driven by a four-point drop in the number of undecided voters climbing off the fence, a process likely to be enhanced by Friday night's televised debate."

New York Times opinion writers rate & comment on the Democratic presidential candidates' debate performances.

Reid Wilson of the Hill: "Former New York City Mayor and Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg paid a quiet visit to a gathering of Democratic governors Saturday morning in what some guests took as an early outreach effort to party leaders who are growing increasingly nervous about the presidential nominating contest. Eight governors sat down with Bloomberg at a breakfast hosted by the Democratic Governors Association (DGA), two sources with knowledge of the meeting told The Hill. The sources said he did not make a hard pitch seeking support, but he sketched an overview of his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination."

Jordan Freiman of CBS News: "The Iowa Democratic party on Saturday announced they are reviewing reported inconsistencies in 95 precincts from Monday's caucuses. Any corrections will be made by 12 p.m. CT Monday, the party announced.... The stated timing ensures the Iowa results will be officially announced prior to the New Hampshire Democratic primary, which will take place February 11." The IDP will announce allocation of delegates Monday.

Peter Baker, et al., of the New York Times: "A handful of Republican senators tried to stop President Trump from firing Gordon D. Sondland, the ambassador to the European Union who testified in the House impeachment hearings, but the president relieved the diplomat of his post anyway, according to people briefed on the discussions. The senators were concerned that it would look bad for Mr. Trump to dismiss Mr. Sondland and argued that it was unnecessary, since the ambassador was already talking with senior officials about leaving after the Senate trial.... But Mr. Trump [chose] ... to make a point by forcing Mr. Sondland out before the ambassador was ready to go. When State Department officials called Mr. Sondland on Friday to tell him that he had to resign that day, he resisted, saying that he did not want to be included in what seemed like a larger purge of impeachment witnesses.... Mr. Sondland conveyed to the State Department officials that if they wanted him gone that day, they would have to fire him. And so the president did, ordering the ambassador recalled from his post effective immediately.... Among the Republicans who warned the White House was Senator Susan Collins of Maine, who after voting to acquit Mr. Trump said she thought he had learned a lesson." ~~~

     ~~~ A CNN summary of the NYT report is here. ~~~

~~~ Sarah Westwood & Jason Hoffman of CNN: "... Donald Trump on Saturday defended the firing of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman from the National Security Council. The President complained about news coverage of the firing in a tweet, saying reporting was done 'as though I should think only how wonderful he was. Actually, I don't know him, never spoke to him, or met him (I don't believe!).'... Trump on Saturday claimed that Vindman 'reported contents of my "perfect" calls incorrectly,' which those close to Vindman have disputed. Vindman reported concerns about Trump's July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to other officials with the National Security Council. The President also attacked Vindman's work performance, claiming he was given a 'horrendous' report by his superior that he had problems with judgment and leaking information." ~~~

~~~ David Badash of the New Civil Rights Movement, republished in the Raw Story: "... Donald Trump late Friday afternoon and evening ended the week by firing three administration and White House officials, he blames for his impeachment in a campaign of retribution that some experts are calling illegal.... The hashtag #FridayNightMasacre is trending on Twitter right now. CNN Legal Analyst and former federal and state prosecutor Elie Honig says Trump's actions today are 'criminal.'"

Maureen Dowd of the New York Times: "What could be more flamboyantly offensive than the anti-bullying advocate, Melania, hanging a Presidential Medal of Freedom around the neck of one of the biggest bullies and hate preachers of all time, Rush Limbaugh? Talk about the bully pulpit."

Evan Semones of Politico: "... Donald Trump on Saturday launched a vitriolic attack on his perceived enemies.... Trump took to Twitter on Saturday afternoon to heap scorn on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), the widow of the late Rep. John Dingell, among others.... He also attacked Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the NSC official who testified about the president's actions on Ukraine, drawing a furious response from Vindman's lawyers, who called Trump's attacks a 'campaign of intimidation.' Later Saturday, Trump also assailed Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) for their votes to convict him, in an echo of attacks he'd leveled against the senators on Friday." Then there was this: ~~~

~~~ Orange Man. Daniel Politi of Slate: "... Donald Trump took time out of his day Saturday to comment on a photo that had gone viral. The photo showed Trump walking across the south lawn of the White House with his hair swept back by the wind and appeared to show a very distinct tan line around the president's face.... Some argued that maybe the stark contrast between the president's orange hue and his very white skin bordering his hair may have been the result of poor makeup blending. The president, however, insisted it was none of those. 'More Fake News,' Trump wrote as he shared the black-and-white version of the photo. 'This was photoshopped, obviously, but the wind was strong and the hair looks good? Anything to demean!'" ~~~

~~~ James West of Mother Jones: "... there's been some debate about whether or not the Twitter poster enhanced the coloring on this photo.... The version I've used as the main photo for this article was taken by Associated Press photographer, Manuel Balce Ceneta, as the president returned to the White House, from a trip to Charlotte, N.C. on Friday; I haven't adjusted it at all, aside from cropping it to size." West also embeds a tweet by Chris Sorenson who writes, "Here's an official Reuters pic and they don't allow photoshop or retouching." The Reuters photo shows the same make-up/"tan" line. Mrs. McC: I don't know why Trump bothers to lie. It's obvious he tints his pasty-white face. ~~~

~~~ Jonathan Chait: "It is of course hilarious that Trump would complain that he is being demeaned on the basis of his appearance. He has spent his entire career as a celebrity put-down artist, sexual harasser, and politician who relentlessly demeans his targets based on their bodies.... Trump himself places more importance on appearance than any president in history, and perhaps any powerful person who does not work in modeling, television, or film. He staffs his administration in large part based on their appearance.... That a president would bully others based on their appearance, and select his aides on their looks, is one of his many utterly disqualifying character traits. But ... what tips it from the infuriating to the absurd is the fact that the body-shamer-in-chief is also quite possibly the most ridiculous-looking president in American history."

AND Ben Carson says, in prepared remarks at a North Carolina event, that Trump "is not a racist" because the people (of color, we presume) who park cars & wash dishes at Mar-a-Lago "love him ... because he's kind and compassionate." Mrs. McC: Okay, I'm convinced.

Lisa Rein of the Washington Post: "The Veterans Affairs Department's inspector general is reviewing a request from a top House leader to investigate allegations that VA Secretary Robert Wilkie sought to dig up dirt on one of the congressman's aides after she said she was sexually assaulted at VA's Washington hospital. The appeal late Friday from House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) came after he received information from a senior VA official, confirmed by The Washington Post, that Wilkie worked to discredit the credibility of the aide, senior policy adviser Andrea Goldstein. Wilkie, who led the Pentagon's vast personnel and readiness operation before his VA appointment, quietly began inquiring with military officials last fall about Goldstein's past, according to three people with knowledge of his efforts. That is when Goldstein said a man groped and propositioned her in the main lobby of VA Medical Center in Washington. Over several months, Wilkie shared his findings with his senior staff at morning meetings on at least six occasions, three current or former senior VA officials confirmed." Mrs. McC: If this is true, what a creep Wilkie is.

Barbara Starr of CNN: "Initial reports indicate there are multiple US casualties after an attack on a joint US-Afghanistan operation in the Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, one defense official told CNN. The official cannot say how many US service members may be dead or wounded. And as is often the case early in these incidents, information could change as more details are learned. The US military is saying very little officially." ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Susannah George & Sharif Hassan of the Washington Post: "Two U.S. service members were killed and six were wounded in the attack according to a statement from the U.S. military command. The incident is under investigation, but some Afghan officials say the attacker was a member of the Afghan security forces." Reuters has a story here.

No Accounting for Taste. Amanda Hurley in the Atlantic: "As first reported by Architectural Record and confirmed by The New York Times, the Trump administration is considering an executive order that will direct that U.S. government buildings with budgets greater than $50 million be designed in classical and other traditional styles. A draft document retains [Daniel Patrick] Moynihan's ringing phrase about 'dignity, enterprise, vigor, and stability,' but stipulates that 'the classical architectural style shall be the preferred and default style.' All federal courthouses and federal buildings in and around Washington, D.C., would have to follow the work of Greek and Roman architects and their emulators in subsequent centuries." Hurley argues why this is a bad idea in practically, esthetically and politically. ~~~

~~~ New York Times Editors: "The proposed executive order reflects a broader inclination in some parts of American society to substitute an imagined past for the complexities and possibilities of the present. It embodies a belief that diversity is a problem and uniformity is a virtue. It is advocating for an un-American approach to architecture." As the editors demonstrate, the new "traditional" guidelines are already having their effects on federal building designs throughout the country.

** Jeffrey Ostler in the Atlantic: "The opening words of the Declaration of Independence -- and easily its most remembered part -- are widely celebrated as signifying the beginning of an exceptional American history, one characterized, despite setbacks, by a progressive expansion of rights. The closing words of the Declaration are far less known. The last of a list of 27 grievances against King George III, they read as follows: 'He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes, and conditions.'... The 27th grievance reveals that the original sin at America's founding was twofold. America was built by the labor of enslaved people. It was also built on stolen lands and the genocide of indigenous peoples.... The revolution wasn't only an effort to establish independence from the British -- it was also a push to preserve slavery and suppress Native American resistance." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Of course, not being a man, I have always been leery of a document that declares as its cardinal principle that "all men are created equal," but now I understand that this founding document also specifically targets people of color. I don't know what's going on in elementary public education these days, but it would be a good idea if their little textbooks quit falsely aggrandizing and idealizing the rapacious colonists and "Founding Fathers." Four hundred years to the year after English Pilgrims first set foot on Cape Cod, we are still a "Christian nation" of, by and for white men.

The Commentariat -- February 8, 2020

Afternoon Update:

Jon Keller of CBS Boston: "Pete Buttigieg continued his rise in Friday night's exclusive WBZ/Boston Globe/Suffolk University poll, for the first time taking a narrow lead that falls within the survey's 4.4% margin of error. Buttigieg pulled in 25 percent, up two points from Thursday night, while Bernie Sanders held steady at 24 percent. Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden also rose by two percentage points, placing Warren third with 14 percent and Biden fourth with 11. These slight changes seem to be driven by a four-point drop in the number of undecided voters climbing off the fence, a process likely to be enhanced by Friday night's televised debate."

New York Times opinion writers rate & comment on the Democratic presidential candidates' debate performances.

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Daniel Strauss of the Guardian: "Democratic presidential candidates clashed on Friday night in a tense televised debate that was dominated by attacks against Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders, the two candidates who declared victory after the Iowa caucuses.... Sanders fielded criticism from his fellow candidates over his support for his Medicare for All universal healthcare proposal, a government-run health insurance plan favored by progressives that would revolutionize the US system, while Buttigieg was forced to fend off criticism over his youth and inexperience.... Opening the debate, [Joe] Biden acknowledged he 'took a hit' in Iowa, and he predicted that he would 'probably take a hit' in New Hampshire too, casting himself as an underdog in the Granite state considering Sanders' strong finish there in 2016.... When the debate veered toward a discussion on experience, 38-year-old Buttigieg ... contrasted himself with Biden, [Amy] Klobuchar and Sanders, saying he represented experience outside of Washington. But Klobuchar, 59, shot back that 'we have a newcomer in the White House, look where it got us'."

Reid Epstein & Shane Goldmacher of the New York Times: "Here are seven takeaways from the night."

Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: So I listened to 90 percent of the New Hampshire debate (most of which was men talking), and I decided Amy Klubuchar seemed most "presidential," the least likely to seem foolish at a G-7 meeting or in delivering an Oval Office speech to the nation -- and someone who could KO Donald the Impeached. I sent her campaign a contribution, my first of contribution to a presidential candidate this season.

Kendall Karson & Quinn Scanlan of ABC News: "Friday's Democratic debate, hosted by ABC News and its Manchester, NH-based affiliate WMUR-TV, caps a tumultuous political week that included the highly contentious and deeply partisan impeachment trial of President Trump and the problem-plagued Iowa caucuses. Without a clear front-runner, the debate in New Hampshire is the last chance for Democrats to make their case before the first-in-the-nation primary there next week.... The debate will be from 8-11 p.m. ET [Friday] at Saint Anselm College."

Here's the New York Times' live snark blog. The Washington Post's liveblog of the debate is here.

Politico's live debate analysis is here. Politico also has a live video feed (on about a 30-second delay) of the debate.

Katie Glueck & Jonathan Martin of the New York Times: "Anita Dunn, a veteran Democratic operative and top adviser to former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., is taking on an expanded role in his campaign as he seeks a reset after a disastrous fourth-place finish in the Iowa caucuses.... But it's not clear that promoting Ms. Dunn will alter Mr. Biden's trajectory in the race -- or be the last change Mr. Biden makes." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Iowa and New Hampshire will not be moved from the Primary Schedule as long as I am President. Great tradition! -- Donald Trump, in a tweet today

While a president* may exert some control over the primary schedule of his own party, he can't do squat about primaries of other parties. -- Mrs. Bea McCrabbie

Akela Lacy of The Intercept: "Mike Bloomberg's presidential campaign plagiarized portions of its plans for maternal health, LGBTQ equality, the economy, tax policy, infrastructure, and mental health from research publications, media outlets, and a number of nonprofit, educational, and policy groups. The Intercept found that exact passages from at least eight Bloomberg plans or accompanying fact sheets were direct copies of material from media outlets...." --s ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Maybe we should mention here that Bloomberg owns his own media outlet. Perhaps he could find a writer or two at Bloomberg News.

Veronica Stracqualursi of CNN: "Former US Rep. Joe Walsh is ending his uphill challenge against Donald Trump for the 2020 Republican presidential nomination, after suffering a crushing loss in the Iowa GOP caucuses in which he received only 1% of the vote." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

** Peter Baker, et al., of the New York Times: "President Trump and his aides wasted little time opening a campaign of retribution against those he blames for his impeachment, firing on Friday two of the most prominent witnesses in the inquiry against him barely 48 hours after the Senate acquitted the president. Emboldened by his victory and determined to strike back, Mr. Trump fired Gordon D. Sondland, the ambassador to the European Union, within hours of the White House dismissing Lt. Col. Alexander S. Vindman, a decorated Iraq war veteran who was a Ukraine expert on the National Security Council. Both officials testified to a House committee about the president's efforts to pressure Ukraine to help him against his domestic political rivals. 'I was advised today that the president intends to recall me effective immediately as United States Ambassador to the European Union,' Mr. Sondland said in a statement just hours after Colonel Vindman's dismissal. He expressed gratitude to Mr. Trump 'for having given me the opportunity to serve.' Colonel Vindman was escorted out of the White House by security officers on Friday afternoon and told that his services were no longer needed. His twin brother, Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman, who also worked on the N.S.C. staff, was fired too and escorted out at the same time. Both will be sent back to the Defense Department." ~~~

~~~ Politico's story, by Kyle Cheney & others, is here. "The succession of personnel moves came amid a promise of 'payback' by White House officials against those who testified or played a role in the impeachment of the president. Trump has spent the two days since his acquittal by the Senate railing against his perceived enemies." More on Col. Vindman's firing linked below.

"You'll See." Shannon Pettypiece of NBC News: "... Donald Trump said Friday that his impeachment should be invalidated, and he gave an ominous warning when asked how he'll pay back those responsible, saying, 'You'll see.'... Trump showed little sign of wanting to mend fences with the Democrats, saying they suffer from 'Trump derangement syndrome' and that there is 'a lot of evil on that side.' When asked how he was going to unify the country following his divisive impeachment, Trump said he would do it by 'great success.'" ~~~

~~~ Morgan Chalfant of the Hill: "Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman was escorted out of the White House on Friday and told to leave his position at the National Security Council (NSC), according to a statement released by his attorney. Vindman was one of the key witnesses who testified in connection with the House impeachment inquiry about President Trump's phone call with the Ukrainian president during which Trump raised investigations of former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden's dealings in Ukraine. 'There is no question in the mind of any American why this man's job is over, why this country now has one less soldier serving it at the White House,' David Pressman, Vindman's attorney, said in a statement. 'LTC Vindman was asked to leave for telling the truth. His honor, his commitment to right, frightened the powerful.'... 'Well, I'm not happy with him. You think I'm supposed to be happy with him? I'm not. They'll make that decision. You'll be hearing. They'll make a decision,' Trump, apparently referring to the NSC, told reporters Friday morning before departing for a speech in North Carolina." Mrs. McC: He should get another medal for this & a promotion to full bird. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE. Ellen Mitchell of the Hill: "Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Friday said the Pentagon protects its service members from retribution, following reports that President Trump may oust the top White House expert on Ukraine [Alexander Vindman] after he testified during House impeachment hearings. 'We protect all of our persons, service members, from retribution or anything like that. We've already addressed that in policy and other means,' Esper told reporters at the Pentagon during a press conference with his Colombian counterpart." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Earlier. Josh Dawsey, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Trump is preparing to push out a national security official who testified against him during the impeachment inquiry after he expressed deep anger on Thursday over the attempt to remove him from office because of his actions toward Ukraine. Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman -- a National Security Council aide who testified during House Democrats' impeachment hearings -- will be informed in the coming days, likely on Friday, by administration officials that he is being reassigned to a position at the Defense Department.... Vindman had already informed senior officials at the NSC that he intended to take an early exit from his assignment and leave his post by the end of the month..., but Trump is eager to make a symbol of the Army officer soon after the Senate acquitted him of the impeachment charges approved by House Democrats." The Hill has a summary report here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Elura Nanos of Law & Crime: "Under federal law, retaliation against any officer or employee of any intelligence agency is illegal, and an allegation of retaliation triggers an external review by a panel of the Inspector General. So, would the White House be breaking the law by dropping Vindman from the NSC?... National security lawyer Bradley P. Moss told Law&Crime that 'A "reassignment" would ordinarily qualify as a retaliatory action in this context, and it is axiomatic this is retaliation according to the spirit, if not the letter, of the law. There is a potential loophole the White House could exploit,' Moss said, however. The administration could argue that 'testifying to Congress does not meet the strict requirements of PPD-19.... It's anyone's guess how that would shake out.' PPD-19 is specifically focused on protecting those who report waste, fraud, and abuse -- which is potentially distinct from Vindman's testifying at the request of Congress." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: There might be a better case for applying the law to Yevgeny Vindmand's "reassignment." Trump had him frog-stepped out of the White House alongside his brother. Yevgeny's misdeed? -- Sharing a gene pool with someone Trump hated. During his 62-minute post-acquittal ramble, Trump -- no doubt warned about the law -- bit his tongue, but he clearly had Yevgeny in his sights. He said, "But Lieutenant Colonel Vindman and his twin brother -- right -- we had some people that -- really amazing." ~~~

~~~ Susan Collins Disapproves. Eric Russell of the Portland (Maine) Press Herald: "U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, appearing in Maine for the first time since her vote not to impeach President Trump, said Friday that she disapproves of retribution against anyone who came forward with evidence during the process. Even as she was saying that, the Washington Post reported that Trump was expected to fire Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman.... The president also has hinted, as have some supporters, that there should be payback against some of his critics. Collins said she was 'obviously' against that, but she did defend her vote to acquit the president, while also acknowledging his conduct was wrong.... Collins did not answer whether she would support Trump's reelection but later told the Sun Journal after an event in Lewiston that she has not made up her mind. 'I haven't even given thought to presidential politics,' she said." ~~~

~~~ "Heads on a Pike." Nancy LeTourneau of the Washington Monthly: "During the Senate trial (and yes, I use that word loosely), CBS reported that 'senators have been warned -- vote against the president and your head will be on a pike.' Given Trump's obsession with revenge, that didn't come as a surprise to most of us. But as a Politico headline stated, Republicans were 'livid' when Representative Adam Schiff mentioned the CBS report during his remarks in the Senate.... Just as CBS reported, the president is in the midst of putting heads on pikes to demonstrate what happens to those who cross him." ~~~

~~~ Alex Ward of Vox: "At this rate, anyone speaking truth to power may soon feel they need to leave or be purged. This is the real American carnage of the Trump era."

~~~ The Collaborators. Nancy Pelosi, in a Washington Post op-ed: "For weeks, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and the Republican-controlled Senate have made themselves accomplices to the president's wrongdoing by suppressing additional evidence and rejecting the most basic elements of a fair judicial process. In declaring their loyalty to the president over our Constitution, Republicans have made a farce of the old boast that the U.S. Senate is the greatest deliberative body in the world. And they have joined the president in normalizing lawlessness and rejecting the checks and balances of our Constitution.... Sadly, because of the Republican Senate's betrayal of the Constitution, the president remains an ongoing threat to American democracy.... The president's lawyers all but concede his misconduct. Their argument was only that Congress and the American people have no right to stop him from using his power to cheat in our elections. With their vote, Senate Republicans embraced this darkest vision of power: that if the president believes his reelection is good for the country, he can then use any means necessary to win, with no accountability or consequences.

Sky Palma of RawStory: "According to an exclusive report from Fox News, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) is threatening to take action against Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson over his handling of the whistleblower's complaint, giving him until February 14 to comply with congressional requests for documents. 'I will be referring this matter for investigation by the Department of Justice if you once again refuse to comply,' Nunes wrote in a letter.... According to Fox News, House Intelligence Committee Republicans are investigating Atkinson's 'unusual handling' of the complaint, which was the key component of the Democrats' impeachment effort against President Trump." --s

Naomi Jagoda of the Hill: "Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) is criticizing the Treasury Department for providing Republican senators with financial records as part of their probe concerning Hunter Biden. Pascrell, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, blasted the department for turning over the documents while at the same time refusing to provide House Democrats with President Trump's tax returns. 'Continuing to violate the law to shield Donald Trump's tax returns while simultaneously aiding a blatantly partisan investigation is an affront to public service,' Pascrell wrote in a letter dated Thursday to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Pascrell's letter comes after a spokeswoman for Senate Finance Committee ranking member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said Thursday that the Treasury Department is complying with a request for documents from two Senate GOP chairmen. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) sent a letter to Treasury in November as part of an investigation into 'potentially improper actions by the Obama administration' concerning Ukraine and Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian gas company where Hunter Biden ... worked." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Jordain Carney of the Hill: "A pledge to investigate the Bidens and Ukraine once the impeachment trial wraps is sparking divisions among Senate Republicans.... Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a vocal ally of Trump's, is pledging 'oversight.' Other GOP senators are warning that it's time for the Senate to move on after a weeks-long divisive fight that left scars on the chamber's normally clubby atmosphere. 'I know there's been some discussion about the Judiciary Committee taking a look at that. I think what I would like to see happen around here is a return to normalcy,' said Sen. John Thune (S.D.), the No. 2 Republican senator...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Annals of "Journalism," Ha Ha Ha. Will Sommer, et al., of the Daily Beast: "Fox News' own research team has warned colleagues not to trust some of the network's top commentators' claims about Ukraine. An internal Fox News research briefing book obtained by The Daily Beast openly questions Fox News contributor John Solomon credibility, accusing him of playing an 'indispensable role' in a Ukrainian 'disinformation campaign.' The document also accuses frequent Fox News guest Rudy Giuliani of amplifying disinformation, as part of an effort to oust former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, and blasts Fox News guests Victoria Toensing and Joe diGenova -- both ardent Trump boosters -- for 'spreading disinformation.' The 162-page document ... was created by Fox News senior political affairs specialist Bryan S. Murphy, who produces research from what is known as the network's Brain Room -- a newsroom division of researchers who provide information, data, and topic guides for the network's programming." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

** Profiteer-in-Chief. David Fahrenthold, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Trump's company charges the Secret Service for the rooms agents use while protecting him at his luxury properties -- billing U.S. taxpayers at rates as high as $650 per night, according to federal records and people who have seen receipts. Those charges, compiled here for the first time, show that Trump has an unprecedented -- and largely hidden -- business relationship with his own government.... Trump's company says it charges only minimal fees. But Secret Service records do not show that.... At the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, the Secret Service was charged $17,000 a month to use a three-bedroom cottage on the property, an unusually high rent for homes in that area, according to receipts from 2017. Trump's company billed the government even for days when Trump wasn't there.... The records show more than $471,000 in payments from taxpayers to Trump's companies. But -- because these records cover only a fraction of Trump's travel during a fraction of his term -- the actual total is likely to be higher." TPM has a summary report here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Jonathan Chait: "There are several important takeaways from the Post's report. First, it shows that the Trump Organization has flat-out lied about the benefits it gets from the government business Trump throws its way.... Second, the Trump Organization appears to be overcharging the Secret Service for the use of its cottage properties.... Third, the federal government is withholding documentation about just how much it is spending on Trump properties.... While [the Secret Service is] required to report such expenses to Congress twice a year, it's only filed two of the six required reports. What's more, the reports it did file omitted key details.... And finally, as one might infer from the lack of disclosure, there may be a lot worse stuff out there.... Trump claims he has a 'legal obligation' to report corruption by people who happen to be running against him for president, but he is refusing even to comply with the current legal obligations to disclose his own profiteering at public expense." (Also linked yesterday.)

Tim Novak of The Chicago Sun Times: "Mired in delays for seven years, President Donald Trump's appeal for a refund of at least $1 million on his Chicago skyscraper is now the subject of two state of Illinois investigations that center on whether a Republican state official pressured his staff to cut the president a break. Trump's appeal of the 2012 property taxes he paid for Trump International Hotel & Tower has come under scrutiny by the state's executive inspector general's office and then Gov. J.B. Pritzker's administration, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned. Those are the result of an anonymous complaint the inspector general's office received last fall that Mauro Glorioso, the executive director of the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board, pressured his staff to rule in the president's favor, rejecting the staff's decision to deny Trump any refund." --s

Jonathan Chait: "Unsurprisingly, Trump is ginning up charges of illegality against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The Speaker's alleged 'crime' is tearing up her printed copy of Trump's State of the Union address.... 'First of all, it's an official document, you're not allowed, it's illegal what she did. She broke the law,' [Trump said].... As a non-insane person may have intuited, it is not actually a crime to tear up the printed copy of a speech.... There are rules requiring the preservation of documents such as memos to the president, which must be preserved for historical records. Trump in fact violates that law literally almost every day. There are people whose job it is to tape back together the documents that Trump illegally tears up." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ What a dumb idea! Not even Bill Barr would fall for that ludicrous misapplication of the federal law criminalizing mutilation of government records. The copy was the Speaker's own, it wasn't a government record to begin with, and her action was purely symbolic expression well within the protection of both the speech and debate clause and the first amendment. -- Laurence Tribe, Harvard Law

Matthew Chapman of RawStory: "On Thursday, former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner tweeted that the House of Representatives should 'make it rain subpoenas' -- and attach the threat of jail time to officials who refuse to honor them -- in order to find out whether Attorney General William Barr has quashed any Justice Department investigations into President Donald Trump. His tweet came in response to author Don Winslow, who asserts that sources in the DOJ tell him Barr has shut down six investigations into 'Trump and Trump related companies and surrogates,' and prevented two other investigations from beginning." --s

Coral Davenport of the New York Times: "The Justice Department has dropped its antitrust inquiry into four automakers that had sided with California in its dispute with the Trump administration over reducing climate-warming vehicle pollution, deciding that the companies had violated no laws, according to people familiar with the matter. The investigation, launched last September, had escalated a dispute over one of President Trump's most significant rollbacks of global warming regulations. The Justice Department's move was one of a slew of seemingly retributive actions by the White House against California, as the state worked with the four automakers -- Ford Motor Company, Volkswagen of America, Honda and BMW -- to defy Mr. Trump's planned rollback of national fuel economy standards."

Coral Davenport: "The Trump administration on Thursday finalized plans to allow mining and energy drilling on nearly a million acres of land in southern Utah that had once been protected as part of a major national monument. The Interior Department's release of a formal land-use blueprint for the approximately 861,974 acres of land will allow oil, gas and coal companies to complete the legal process for leasing mines and wells on land that had once been part of Utah's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, established by President Bill Clinton. In December 2017, President Trump cut the monument's acreage about in half, aiming to open the newly unprotected land for drilling and development. At the same time, he removed about a million acres from another Utah monument, Bears Ears. Together, the moves were the largest rollback of public lands protection in United States history." Thanks to Ken W. for the link. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Ryan Devereux of The Intercept: "Contractors working for the Trump administration are blowing apart a mountain on protected lands in southern Arizona to make way for the president's border wall. The blasting is happening on the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, a tract of Sonoran Desert wilderness long celebrated as one of the nation's great ecological treasures, that holds profound spiritual significance to multiple Native American groups. In a statement to The Intercept, U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed that the blasting began this week and will continue through the end of the month.... Celebrated as 'a pristine example of an intact Sonoran Desert ecosystem,' Organ Pipe was designated as a UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve in 1976." --s

Tess Owen of Vice News: "The FBI has elevated racially-motivated violent extremism to a 'national threat priority,' in yet another sign that the U.S. government has finally woken up to the threat posed by white nationalists and neo-Nazis at home and abroad. In a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray outlined several concrete steps the agency had taken to combat violent far-right extremists, explaining that the 'national threat priority' designation puts those groups or individuals on the same footing as ISIS in terms of the resources the FBI will devote to it.... The FBI chief also said that he'd created a domestic terrorism and hate crimes fusion cell to 'bring together the expertise of domestic terror folk and hate crimes folks.'" --s

Marina Villeneuve of the AP: "New York state will file a lawsuit challenging the Department of Homeland Security's decision to block New Yorkers from participating in 'trusted traveler programs' in retribution for a new state law that could hinder federal immigration enforcement, officials said Friday. 'It's an abuse of power. It's extortion. It is hurting New Yorkers to advance their political agenda. And we're going to fight back,' Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, said at a news conference in New York." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Josh Gerstein of Politico: "A federal appeals court has rejected a lawsuit from Congressional Democrats who accused ... Donald Trump of violating the Constitution by receiving profits from foreign governments' spending at his luxury Washington hotel and other businesses. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals decision did not address the legality of Trump's business dealings, but held that the more than 200 Democratic senators and House members who banded together in 2017 to bring the suit against the president lacked legal standing to do so. The unanimous ruling from an ideologically diverse three-judge panel suggested that if the House or Senate had formally authorized the suit, it may have been allowed to proceed, but the lawmakers acting as plaintiffs in the case did not have standing to pursue it on their own. 'Only an institution can assert an institutional injury,' the court wrote in its brief, 12-page decision." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Senate Race. South Carolina. Jay Connor of The Root: "FOX 24 Charleston, you done fucked up. During a news segment discussing 2019 Root 100 Honoree Jaime Harrison, who also just so happens to be running for U.S. Senate in South Carolina [against boot-licker Lindsey Graham] ... they flashed a mugshot while discussing the 44-year-old's ongoing campaign but no, the woman in that mugshot -- 22-year-old Javondrea Shaidasha McLeod -- isn't Harrison. And to imply as much, accidentally or otherwise, has the potential to not only irreparably harm his campaign, but his standing as a reputable politician." --s

Christian Davenport of the Washington Post: "Investigators probing the botched flight of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft in December have found widespread and 'fundamental' problems with the company's software that could have led to a disastrous outcome more grievous than previously known, the agency said Friday. Boeing is now reviewing all 1 million lines of code in the capsule's computer systems, officials said. How long that review will take is uncertain, Boeing officials said. The discovery of widespread software problems in the Starliner spacecraft is reminiscent of the issues that surfaced in the aftermath of the crashes of two Boeing 737 Max airplanes that killed 346 people and led to the plane's grounding since early last year. Doug Loverro, the head of human exploration for NASA, said he could not speak to what, if any, connection there might be between the Starliner's software problems and the issues with the 737 Max."

Kate Taylor of the New York Times: "Most of the parents charged in the nation’s largest college admissions scandal were accused of paying to cheat on admissions exams or bribing coaches to get one child into college, or perhaps two. But prosecutors say that Douglas Hodge, the retired chief executive of the bond giant Pimco, was in a different class, paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to get no fewer than four of his seven children into elite schools and attempting to do so with a fifth child. On Friday, a federal judge sentenced Mr. Hodge, who pleaded guilty to two counts -- money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and honest services mail and wire fraud -- to nine months in prison. It was the heaviest punishment of any parent who has been sentenced in the admissions scandal, though it fell considerably short of the two years that prosecutors had recommended."

Colin Dwyer of NPR: "Antarctica experienced its hottest day on record Thursday. At least, that's what scientists reported at Argentina's Esperanza research station, on the very northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. The finding, announced Thursday by Argentina's national meteorological service, placed the temperature at 18.3 degrees Celsius -- or just about 65 degrees Fahrenheit." Mrs. McC: Now many of us across the U.S. can honestly say that it was colder at our house than it was in Antarctica. In fact, I got a call from a friend in South Florida this morning, and he said it had gone down to 48 degrees Friday morning.

Way Beyond the Beltway

Autocrats' Club. Tom Phillips of the Guardian: "He has long styled himself as a tropical Trump -- a socialist-skewering hardman fighting Brazilian carnage. But in recent weeks Brazil's far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, has taken his fixation with the US leader to new heights, livestreaming himself on Facebook as he watched his political idol in action. More than 4,000 miles to the south, at the heart of Brazil's very own political swamp, Bolsonaro sat down to watch -- filming himself viewing Trump's entire hour-long ['acquittal'] address...'We're not the only ones with backstabbers in politics,' Bolsonaro sniped of Mitt Romney's decision to vote against Trump in the impeachment trial. 'They've found a Republican rat too.'" --s

News Ledes

AP: "Mainland China's death toll from the new virus outbreak has risen to 811, surpassing the number of fatalities in the 2002-2003 SARS pandemic. However, the number of new cases reported over the last 24 hours on Sunday fell significantly from the previous period, something experts see as a sign the spread of the virus may be slowing. Another 89 deaths were reported, while 2,656 new cases were added for a total of 37,198. On Saturday, 3,399 cases were reported for the previous 24 hours. SARS is widely considered to have killed 774 people and sickened 8,098, mainly in mainland China and Hong Kong. The response this time has been much quicker and countries around the world are enforcing stricter measures to contain the spread."

AP: "A gunman described as a soldier angry over a financial dispute killed two people and then went on a far bloodier rampage Saturday in northeastern Thailand, shooting as he drove to a busy mall where shoppers fled in terror. At least 21 people were killed in all, 31 were injured and others were believed to be still inside the building as more gunshots rang out early Sunday."

AP: "Robert Conrad, the rugged, contentious actor who starred in the hugely popular 1960s television series 'Hawaiian Eye' and 'The Wild, Wild West,' died Saturday. He was 84."

AP: "Orson Bean, the witty actor and comedian who enlivened the game show 'To Tell the Truth' and played a crotchety merchant on 'Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman,' was hit and killed by a car in Los Angeles, authorities said. He was 91."

New York: Friday "the National Transport Safety Board released its preliminary report into the January 26 helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others. For the first time, it revealed that moments before impact the pilot deliberately broke FAA regulations meant to prevent just such kinds of accidents. As previously reported, in the minutes prior to the crash, pilot Ara Zobayan was flying just a few hundred feet over the floor of the San Fernando Valley, which lies at an elevation of 800 feet. An opaque layer of overcast clouds covered the area at an altitude of 1,900 feet. As Zobayan reached the southwestern edge of the valley and crossed into Calabasas, the ground below him climbed higher until he was zooming 150 mph over the road at scarcely more than 100 feet, with hillsides rising up on either side into the low clouds."

The Commentariat -- February 7, 2020

Afternoon Update:

NBC News is reporting that, according to his attorney, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman "has been escorted out of the White House." Mrs. McC: He should get another medal for this & a promotion to full bird. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Morgan Chalfant of the Hill: "Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman was escorted out of the White House on Friday and told to leave his position at the National Security Council (NSC), according to a statement released by his attorney. Vindman was one of the key witnesses who testified in connection with the House impeachment inquiry about President Trump's phone call with the Ukrainian president during which Trump raised investigations of former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden's dealings in Ukraine. 'There is no question in the mind of any American why this man's job is over, why this country now has one less soldier serving it at the White House,' David Pressman, Vindman's attorney, said in a statement. 'LTC Vindman was asked to leave for telling the truth. His honor, his commitment to right, frightened the powerful.'... 'Well, I'm not happy with him. You think I'm supposed to be happy with him? I'm not. They'll make that decision. You'll be hearing. They'll make a decision,' Trump, apparently referring to the NSC, told reporters Friday morning before departing for a speech in North Carolina." ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE. Ellen Mitchell of the Hill: "Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Friday said the Pentagon protects its service members from retribution, following reports that President Trump may oust the top White House expert on Ukraine [Alexander Vindman] after he testified during House impeachment hearings. 'We protect all of our persons, service members, from retribution or anything like that. We've already addressed that in policy and other means,' Esper told reporters at the Pentagon during a press conference with his Colombian counterpart."

Profiteer-in-Chief. David Fahrenthold, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Trump's company charges the Secret Service for the rooms agents use while protecting him at his luxury properties -- billing U.S. taxpayers at rates as high as $650 per night, according to federal records and people who have seen receipts. Those charges, compiled here for the first time, show that Trump has an unprecedented -- and largely hidden -- business relationship with his own government.... Trump's company says it charges only minimal fees. But Secret Service records do not show that.... At the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, the Secret Service was charged $17,000 a month to use a three-bedroom cottage on the property, an unusually high rent for homes in that area, according to receipts from 2017. Trump's company billed the government even for days when Trump wasn't there.... The records show more than $471,000 in payments from taxpayers to Trump's companies. But -- because these records cover only a fraction of Trump's travel during a fraction of his term -- the actual total is likely to be higher." TPM has a summary report here. ~~~

     ~~~ Jonathan Chait: "There are several important takeaways from the Post's report. First, it shows that the Trump Organization has flat-out lied about the benefits it gets from the government business Trump throws its way.... Second, the Trump Organization appears to be overcharging the Secret Service for the use of its cottage properties.... Third, the federal government is withholding documentation about just how much it is spending on Trump properties.... While [the Secret Service is] required to report such expenses to Congress twice a year, it's only filed two of the six required reports. What's more, the reports it did file omitted key details.... And finally, as one might infer from the lack of disclosure, there may be a lot worse stuff out there.... Trump claims he has a 'legal obligation' to report corruption by people who happen to be running against him for president, but he is refusing even to comply with the current legal obligations to disclose his own profiteering at public expense."

<Iowa and New Hampshire will not be moved from the Primary Schedule as long as I am President. Great tradition! -- Donald Trump, in a tweet today

While a president* may exert some control over the primary schedule of his own party, he can't do squat over primaries of other parties. -- Mrs. Bea McCrabbie

Marina Villeneuve of the AP: "New York state will file a lawsuit challenging the Department of Homeland Security's decision to block New Yorkers from participating in 'trusted traveler programs' in retribution for a new state law that could hinder federal immigration enforcement, officials said Friday. 'It's an abuse of power. It's extortion. It is hurting New Yorkers to advance their political agenda. And we're going to fight back,' Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, said at a news conference in New York."

Josh Dawsey, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Trump is preparing to push out a national security official who testified against him during the impeachment inquiry after he expressed deep anger on Thursday over the attempt to remove him from office because of his actions toward Ukraine. Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman -- a National Security Council aide who testified during House Democrats' impeachment hearings -- will be informed in the coming days, likely on Friday, by administration officials that he is being reassigned to a position at the Defense Department.... Vindman had already informed senior officials at the NSC that he intended to take an early exit from his assignment and leave his post by the end of the month..., but Trump is eager to make a symbol of the Army officer soon after the Senate acquitted him of the impeachment charges approved by House Democrats." The Hill has a summary report here.

Coral Davenport of the New York Times: "The Trump administration on Thursday finalized plans to allow mining and energy drilling on nearly a million acres of land in southern Utah that had once been protected as part of a major national monument. The Interior Department's release of a formal land-use blueprint for the approximately 861,974 acres of land will allow oil, gas and coal companies to complete the legal process for leasing mines and wells on land that had once been part of Utah's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, established by President Bill Clinton. In December 2017, President Trump cut the monument's acreage about in half, aiming to open the newly unprotected land for drilling and development. At the same time, he removed about a million acres from another Utah monument, Bears Ears. Together, the moves were the largest rollback of public lands protection in United States history." Thanks to Ken W. for the link.

Jonathan Chait: "Unsurprisingly, Trump is ginning up charges of illegality against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The Speaker's alleged 'crime' is tearing up her printed copy of Trump's State of the Union address.... First of all, it's an official document, you're not allowed, it's illegal what she did. She broke the law,' [Trump said].... As a non-insane person may have intuited, it is not actually a crime to tear up the printed copy of a speech.... There are rules requiring the preservation of documents such as memos to the president, which must be preserved for historical records. Trump in fact violates that law literally almost every day. There are people whose job it is to tape back together the documents that Trump illegally tears up."

Josh Gerstein of Politico: "A federal appeals court has rejected a lawsuit from Congressional Democrats who accused ... Donald Trump of violating the Constitution by receiving profits from foreign governments' spending at his luxury Washington hotel and other businesses. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals decision did not address the legality of Trump's business dealings, but held that the more than 200 Democratic senators and House members who banded together in 2017 to bring the suit against the president lacked legal standing to do so. The unanimous ruling from an ideologically diverse three-judge panel suggested that if the House or Senate had formally authorized the suit, it may have been allowed to proceed, but the lawmakers acting as plaintiffs in the case did not have standing to pursue it on their own. 'Only an institution can assert an institutional injury,' the court wrote in its brief, 12-page decision."

Jordain Carney of the Hill: "A pledge to investigate the Bidens and Ukraine once the impeachment trial wraps is sparking divisions among Senate Republicans.... Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a vocal ally of Trump's, is pledging 'oversight.' Other GOP senators are warning that it's time for the Senate to move on after a weeks-long divisive fight that left scars on the chamber's normally clubby atmosphere. 'I know there's been some about the Judiciary Committee taking a look at that. I think what I would like to see happen around here is a return to normalcy,' said Sen. John Thune (S.D.), the No. 2 Republican senator...."

Naomi Jagoda of the Hill: "Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) is criticizing the Treasury Department for providing Republican senators with financial records as part of their probe concerning Hunter Biden. Pascrell, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, blasted the department for turning over the documents while at the same time refusing to provide House Democrats with President Trump's tax returns. 'Continuing to violate the law to shield Donald Trump's tax returns while simultaneously aiding a blatantly partisan investigation is an affront to public service,' Pascrell wrote in a letter dated Thursday to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Pascrell's letter comes after a spokeswoman for Senate Finance Committee ranking member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said Thursday that the Treasury Department is complying with a request for documents from two Senate GOP chairmen. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) sent a letter to Treasury in November as part of an investigation into 'potentially improper actions by the Obama administration' concerning Ukraine and Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian gas company where Hunter Biden ... worked."

Katie Glueck & Jonathan Martin of the New York Times: "Anita Dunn, a veteran Democratic operative and top adviser to former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., is taking on an expanded role in his campaign as he seeks a reset after a disastrous fourth-place finish in the Iowa caucuses.... But it's not clear that promoting Ms. Dunn will alter Mr. Biden's trajectory in the race -- or be the last change Mr. Biden makes."

Veronica Stracqualursi of CNN: "Former US Rep. Joe Walsh is ending his uphill challenge against Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, after suffering a crushing loss in the Iowa GOP caucuses in which he received only 1% of the vote."

Annals of "Journalism," Ha Ha Ha. Will Sommer, et al., of the Daily Beast: "Fox News' own research team has warned colleagues not to trust some of the network's top commentators' claims about Ukraine. An internal Fox News research briefing book obtained by The Daily Beast openly questions Fox News contributor John Solomon's credibility, accusing him of playing an 'indispensable role' in a Ukrainian 'disinformation campaign.' The document also accuses frequent Fox News guest Rudy Giuliani of amplifying disinformation, as part of an effort to oust former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, and blasts Fox News guests Victoria Toensing and Joe diGenova -- both ardent Trump boosters -- for 'spreading disinformation.' The 162-page document ... was created by Fox News senior political affairs specialist Bryan S. Murphy, who produces research from what is known as the network's Brain Room -- a newsroom division of researchers who provide information, data, and topic guides for the network's programming."

~~~~~~~~~~

Matt Elliott of CNET: "Ahead of the state's first-in-the-nation primary next Tuesday, seven candidates including front-runners Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren will take the stage for the eighth Democratic primary debate.... The debate will take place in Manchester, New Hampshire on Friday, Feb. 7 from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET (5 p.m. to 8 p.m. PT) and broadcast live on ABC." The other candidates who qualified are Amy Klobuchar, Tom Steyer & Andrew Yang.

Rebecca Morin of USA Today: "With 100% of precincts reported, Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders are in a near tie in state delegates in the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses. The complete results, which were long-delayed after Monday's caucuses, show Buttigieg, the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor, with 26.198% of delegate equivalents and Bernie Sanders with 26.128%, late Thursday evening.... The Associated Press on Thursday evening announced it is unable to declare a winner in the Iowa Democratic caucuses. 'The Associated Press calls a race when there is a clear indication of a winner. Because of a tight margin between former Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Bernie Sanders and the irregularities in this year's caucus process, it is not possible to determine a winner at this point,' said Sally Buzbee, AP's senior vice president and executive editor." ~~~

     ~~~ Politico's stats, currently (at 9:40 pm ET Thursday) showing 99.94% reporting, are here. ~~~

~~~ Nolan McCaskill of Politico: "Buttigieg insisted as early as Monday night that he was the clear victor, and he reportedly reassured supporters of that in a phone call on Wednesday. Sanders, meanwhile, told supporters in New Hampshire that he was leading in popular-vote totals and would come out of Iowa with the same number of national convention delegates as Buttigieg."

Nolan McCaskill & Zack Motellaro of Politico: "The leader of the Democratic National Committee called for an immediate recanvass of the Iowa caucuses Thursday, dealing another blow to Iowa's reputation and further extending an already delayed process to tally votes from Monday night. DNC Chairman Tom Perez‘s announcement came shortly before Bernie Sanders claimed victory Thursday in a race that officially remains too close to call. 'Enough is enough,' Perez tweeted. 'In light of the problems that have emerged in the implementation of the delegate selection plan and in order to assure public confidence in the results, I am calling on the Iowa Democratic Party to immediately begin a recanvass.' The parallel developments underscored the chaos that has gripped the party in the aftermath of Iowa's caucus debacle.... In a defiant statement, however, the Iowa Democratic Party made no mention of the the DNC's request for a recanvass. 'While I fully acknowledge that the reporting circumstances on Monday night were unacceptable, we owe it to the thousands of Iowa Democratic volunteers and caucusgoers to remain focused on collecting and reviewing incoming results,' said Troy Price, the state party chairman. 'Should any presidential campaign in compliance with the Iowa Delegate Selection Plan request a recanvass, the IDP [Iowa Democratic Party] ... will audit the paper records of report, as provided by the precinct chairs and signed by representatives of presidential campaigns.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Nate Cohn, et al., of the New York Times: "The results released by the Iowa Democratic Party on Wednesday were riddled with inconsistencies and other flaws. According to a New York Times analysis, more than 100 precincts reported results that were internally inconsistent, that were missing data or that were not possible under the complex rules of the Iowa caucuses. In some cases, vote tallies do not add up. In others, precincts are shown allotting the wrong number of delegates to certain candidates. And in at least a few cases, the Iowa Democratic Party's reported results do not match those reported by the precincts.... Not all of the errors are minor, and they raise questions about whether the public will ever get a completely precise account of the Iowa results." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Nate Cohn: "The winner of the Iowa Democratic caucus might come down to one not-so-simple question: How many state delegate equivalents does a satellite caucus get? The Iowa Democratic Party's answer, first evident when it released the results of satellite caucuses Wednesday night, differs from what was expected by at least one Democratic campaign and here at The Upshot, based on the state party's official delegate selection plan. The difference between the two interpretations is a net 3.8 state delegates -- small in just about any contest except one separated by 3.42 state delegates, as the Iowa race is right now." ~~~

~~~ Ben Collins, et al., of NBC News: "The phone number to report Iowa caucus results was posted on a fringe internet message board on Monday night along with encouragement to 'clog the lines,' an indication that jammed phone lines that left some caucus managers on hold for hours may have in part been due to prank calls. An Iowa Democratic Party official said the influx of calls to the reporting hotline included 'supporters of President Trump who called to express their displeasure with the Democratic Party.' The party official's comments were first reported late Wednesday by Bloomberg News. Users on a politics-focused section of the fringe 4chan message board repeatedly posted the phone number for the Iowa Democratic Party, which was found by a simple Google search, both as screenshots and in plain text, alongside instructions." Related stories linked below. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Jon Keller of CBS Boston: "In the latest exclusive WBZ/Boston Globe/Suffolk University poll, Pete Buttigieg continues his remarkable post-Iowa surge. Bernie Sanders is holding steady at 24 percent, but Buttigieg is up four points over last night with 23 percent, a virtual tie in a survey with a margin of error of 4.4 percent. Elizabeth Warren takes over third place with 13 percent, and Joe Biden slips to fourth with 11 percent. Mayor Pete's gains don't seem to be coming at the expense of Sanders, whose numbers haven't changed much all week. Instead, Buttigieg seems to be attracting registered Democrats. And his biggest gains appear to be raided from key backers of Warren and Biden."

Jonathan Chait: "Bernie Sanders is currently favored to win the nomination, a prospect that would make Donald Trump a heavy favorite to win reelection.... It is hard to see how the situation is likely to improve soon.... It seems hard to imagine how [Joe] Biden or a Biden alternative could emerge in the next three contests.... So it is entirely possible that, following South Carolina, Sanders will have won three or all four of the contests." You'll have to read the whole post to grasp Chait's thinking. ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: Right now, I think the only two candidates still standing who could beat Trump are Klobuchar & Warren, in that order. But Klobuchar, and to a lesser extent Warren, look like also-rans at this point. That really leaves the only alternative to Sanders as Buttigieg, and -- even tho he's smart as a whip -- he's greener behind the ears than Trump was in 2016. I would choose some who have dropped out over Buttigieg, even though I would not have voted for them in the primary: Harris, Booker, Castro, Gillibrand, Inslee, even O'Rourke. I think Buttigieg's rise to No. 1 or 2 is a backlash to Biden's candidacy. It troubles me that less than a week before my own state's primary, I don't know who will get my vote, Warren or Klobuchar. And whichever I choose, I may kick myself later.

Matt Viser, et al., of the Washington Post: Following his 4th-place showing in Iowa, Joe Biden left the campaign trail & retreated to to Delaware where he met with top advisors to regroup & held no public events.

Peter Beinart of the Atlantic: "... impeachment appears to have hurt Biden more than Trump.... Not only will Trump remain president, and not only does he appear stronger politically than before the impeachment battle began, but he has succeeded in doing precisely what he wanted in the first place: He tarred Joe Biden, who last year looked like Trump's most formidable Democratic rival, with the kind of vague suspicion of wrongdoing that presidential candidates can't easily shake.... By keeping Hunter Biden's business dealings in Ukraine in the news, they have turned them into a rough analogue to Hillary Clinton's missing emails in 2016 -- a pseudo-scandal that undermines a leading Democratic candidate's reputation for honesty.... Biden's extremely defensive response to the story has made matters worse." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: In fairness to Biden, few other Democratic presidential candidates can parry with Trump. Elizabeth Warren failed miserably in the Pocahontas fiasco. Those who seem to have done best are Michael Bloomberg -- who called Trump a liar in response to a Trump dig and questioned Trump's wealth in another case -- and Bernie Sanders who famously yelled during a 2016 debate with Hillary Clinton, "The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails." The candidates should ask Nancy Pelosi for advice; she makes Trump craz(ier).

~~~ And the Beat Goes on. Asawin Suebsaeng & Erin Banco of the Daily Beast: "... some of [Trump's] allies and most prominent lieutenants are in no mood to let the Ukraine impeachment scandal go.... Rudy Giuliani ... is planning on 'ramping up' his investigations into Joe and Hunter Biden. It's a matter of the fair administration of justice for real,' he told The Daily Beast.... One America News Network [-- which collaborated with Giuliani in a series supposed to exonerate Trump & implicate the Bidens --] ... doesn't appear to be through.... About an hour after Wednesday's acquittal, GOP senators Chuck Grassley (IA) and Ron Johnson (WI) announced a review regarding 'potential conflicts of interest posed by the business activities of Hunter Biden and his associates during the Obama' era."

Hunter Moyler of Newsweek: "New poll results from Morning Consult released Monday showed all five of the leading contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination defeating ... Donald Trump in hypothetical match-ups. Mike Bloomberg ... had the greatest lead over Trump. Forty-seven percent of respondents said they would vote for him if he were nominated to run against Trump, while 40 percent said they would vote for Trump and 13 percent were undecided." Mrs. McC: What this poll means to me is that Bloomberg, because he has been advertising in a lot of states, has higher name recognition than some of the other Democratic candidates. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Helene Cooper of the New York Times: "The Navy secretary ousted by President Trump said Thursday that he would endorse Michael R. Bloomberg for president, a high-profile defection that Mr. Bloomberg's allies hope will convince Democratic voters that their best chance of defeating Mr. Trump is the former mayor of New York. Richard V. Spencer, who was ousted as Navy secretary in November after he publicly disagreed with Mr. Trump's intervention in an extraordinary war crimes case involving a member of the Navy SEALs, is a lifelong Republican." An NBC News story is here.

Martin Matishak of Politico: "Widespread paralysis in the Obama administration prevented the U.S. from developing an effective response to combat Russian hacking in the 2016 election, according to a new, bipartisan report from the Senate Intelligence Committee. The panel found that the U.S. government 'was not well-postured to counter Russian election interference activity with a full range of readily-available policy options.'... [The report] lays out several factors tha hamstrung the White House's ability to coordinate a response, including partisan concerns not only on the campaign trail, but also in Congress. The report details resistance by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to issuing a bipartisan statement in 2016 about the Russian effort.... The committee makes a number of recommendations to counter future attacks on U.S. elections...." Mrs. McC: Ha ha. Good luck with that. Putin's Puppet is encouraging foreign hacking, not countering it.

Mrs. McCrabbie: I saw only three minutes of Trump's victory speech. I thought he sounded NUTS even though he wasn't drooling and screaming in that moment. Then I read this by unwashed in yesterday's Comments: "Made myself watch the display by the Orange Menace. All I can say is Oh-My-Geebus.... It'll likely be used in training future mental health experts." So I guess any sample snippet will do. (Also linked yesterday.)~~~

~~~ Peter Baker of the New York Times: "At a jampacked ceremony in the East Room of the White House that veered back and forth between celebration and condemnation, the president complained about the 'crooked politics' that had resulted in his impeachment and trial on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. In addition to Democrats and other favorite targets, he singled out Senator Mitt Romney of Utah, the only Republican to vote for conviction. 'It was evil,' Mr. Trump told the roomful of supporters from Congress and his administration in a long, rambling, stream-of-consciousness talk, tossing aside the text that had been so carefully prepared for him by his staff.... He reviewed the long litany of investigations against him over the last three years, dismissing them all as nothing more than partisan efforts to take him down and suggesting that the 'top scum' at the F.B.I. had plotted to stop him from serving as president." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Caitlin Oprysko of Politico: "... Donald Trump on Thursday unloaded on his perceived political enemies, declaring that the investigations into him have been 'all bullshit' in a sprawling and teleprompter-free address at the White House less than a day after senators acquitted him on two articles of impeachment.... He lit into his antagonizers from the opulent East Room, lobbing verbal attacks at everyone from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), and calling them 'some very evil and sick people.' He singled out Utah Sen. Mitt Romney ... and Hunter Biden, the son of the former vice president.... The hourlong stemwinder was also littered with doting anecdotes and praise for the president's allies, including at one point a reenactment of the 2017 shooting of House Minority Whip Steve Scalise and a compliment of GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik's appearance." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ John Wagner, et al., of the Washington Post have numerous entries on what-all Trump said. This is an update of a report linked yesterday. ~~~

~~~ Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "President Trump ripped into his critics on Thursday, making clear he plans to use his bully pulpit to exact at least some verbal revenge on Democrats and Republicans who crossed him during his impeachment and subsequent Senate trial. He called Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) a 'horrible person' and derided Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) as a flip-flopping Republican with 'no sign of principles' whose vote to convict Trump on abuse of power charges was born not out of principle but bitterness over his failed 2012 presidential bid.... Some of the president's aides are discussing whether to remove or reassign administration officials who testified during the impeachment inquiry, according to aides and advisers who spoke on the condition of anonymity...." ~~~

~~~ Jen Kirby of Vox has the transcript of Trump's remarks. "The rambling, stream-of-consciousness, more-than-hourlong 'speech' touched on the usual grievances: Russia, Mueller, witch hunts, impeachment. Trump leapt from topic to topic, calling out random members of the Senate, House, and Cabinet with weird biographical details, including a Chuck Grassley impression. At one point, he referenced the NCAA and Rep. Jim Jordan's lack of a sport jacket. At another, he talked about Rep. Devin Nunes going into dungeons to get documents." Mrs. McC: BTW, one person Trump didn't thank or mention was his personal attorney Rudy.

Catherine Rampell of the Washington Post: "Our vindictive president, now unshackled by his frightened followers in Congress, may well be teed up to punish his perceived political enemies. And we needn't exercise much imagination to envision how this loaded-gloved counterpuncher might weaponize his executive authority. Because he's done it already. Many, many times.... Consider the selectively punitive antitrust actions undertaken by this administration, which is otherwise not exactly known for caring about market concentration.... Elsewhere, he has allegedly tried to use federal procurement to punish perceived enemies -- in particular, Amazon, because the company's chief executive, Jeff Bezos, personally owns The Post.... And for years, Trump has openly called for the Justice Department to prosecute his political adversaries. He pressured senior law enforcement officials, including former attorney general Jeff Sessions, to appoint a second special counsel to investigate Hillary Clinton." ~~~

~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Here is an example of how Trump's personal corruption translates to institutional acts of corruption: ~~~

~~~ Luppe Luppen of Yahoo! News: "The Treasury Department has complied with Republican senators' requests for highly sensitive and closely held financial records about Hunter Biden and his associates and has turned over '"evidence" of questionable origin' to them, according to a leading Democrat on one of the committees conducting the investigation. For months..., powerful committee chairmen in the Republican-controlled Senate have been quietly but openly pursuing an inquiry into Hunter Biden's business affairs and Ukrainian officials' alleged interventions in the 2016 election, the same matters that President Trump and his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani unsuccessfully tried to coerce Ukraine's government to investigate.... 'Applying a blatant double standard, Trump administration agencies like the Treasury Department are rapidly complying with Senate Republican requests -- no subpoenas necessary -- and producing "evidence" of questionable origin,' [Sen. Ron] Wyden['s (D-Oregon)] spokesperson Ashley Schapitl said in a statement. 'The administration told House Democrats to go pound sand when their oversight authority was mandatory while voluntarily cooperating with the Senate Republicans' sideshow at lightning speed.'" ~~~

~~~ One example not convincing? How about two in one news cycle? ~~~

~~~ Joel Rose & Colin Dwyer of NPR: "The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says it will no longer allow New York state residents to enroll in programs intended to expedite international travel because of a state law that blocks immigration authorities from accessing motor vehicle records. New York's 'Green Light' law, which took effect in December, allows immigrants without legal status to apply for driver's licenses. It also includes a provision barring state officials at the Department of Motor Vehicles from sharing data with immigration authorities unless a judge orders them to do so. Ken Cuccinelli, acting deputy secretary at DHS, told reporters on a conference call Thursday that the state law was 'dangerous -- really thoughtless in terms of unintended consequences.'... He said his department has suspended all applications and renewals connected with several of its Trusted Traveler programs, such as Global Entry and NEXUS, which are designed to facilitate and speed up security screening at ports of entry." Thanks to Ken W. for the link.

Anthony Faiola & Karen DeYoung of the Washington Post: "In the year since the Trump administration declared what amounted to economic war against the Venezuelan government of President Nicolás Maduro -- an oil embargo that cut it off from its biggest petroleum buyer, the United States -- the move has yielded some clear losers, including U.S. investors now shut out of the market. It has also produced one clear winner: Vladimir Putin's Russia. U.S. officials, oil industry insiders and analysts say secret deals between Moscow and Caracas to produce, transport and sell oil to other markets have become a cash cow for Russia that is earning its state-controlled enterprises an estimated $120 million a month.... The Russians are to some extent extorting Maduro.... They're chartering vessels from third parties and obscuring the origin of the crude as they market it around the world. But they're also charging Maduro dearly for their efforts.... Today's relationship with socialist Venezuela is providing Russia with a rare opportunity to make a mint as it strengthens its foothold in the backyard of the United States." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Uh, isn't Russia's surest foothold in the U.S. on the steps of the South Portico?

Martin Pengelly of the Guardian: "Though Jared Kushner was a 'lead point of contact' for US allies worried about Donald Trump's threats to Nato, the president's son-in-law did not 'seem to know what Nato actually did', a new book [by Daily Beast reporters Lachlan Markay and Asawin Suebsaeng] claims. Kushner even appeared to be ignorant of article 5, the treaty clause which stipulates that an attack on one member is an attack on all." Mrs. McC: He shoulda read some books about NATO, so he could be an expert.

Mike DeBonis of the Washington Post: "An indignant Nancy Pelosi signaled Thursday she was in no mood to reconcile with President Trump and his congressional Republican allies a day after the Senate voted to acquit him of impeachment charges. Instead, the House speaker launched into a fierce attack on Trump's State of the Union address, his record on the economy and health care, his response to the months-long impeachment process and the swipes he leveled Thursday morning at the National Prayer Breakfast targeting the faith of his political enemies. And the California Democrat defended her decision to publicly tear up a copy of Trump's speech Tuesday night in the moments after he concluded his speech, saying she did not 'need any lessons from anybody, especially the president of the United States, about dignity.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Michael Gerson of the Washington Post: At yesterday's National Prayer Breakfast, "the president again displayed a remarkable ability to corrupt, distort and discredit every institution he touches. The prayer breakfast was intended to foster personal connections across party differences. Trump turned it into a performative platform to express his rage and pride -- the negation of a Christian ethic.... Trump has again shown a talent for exposing the sad moral compromises of his followers, especially his evangelical Christian followers.... Trump's unholy outburst (and the White House event that followed) shows we are reaching a very dangerous moment in our national life. The president is seized by rage and resentment -- not heard on some scratchy Watergate tape, but in public, for all to see and hear. He now feels unchecked and uncheckable." Gerson leads with this:

"... the main remarks were made by the former president of the American Enterprise Institute (and Post columnist) Arthur C. Brooks, who spoke on the themes of his wonderful 2019 book 'Love Your Enemies.' President Trump then prefaced his speech by saying: 'Arthur, I don't know if I agree with you. But I don't know if Arthur's going to like what I'm going to say.'... The command to love your enemies, of course, came from Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. 'Love your enemies, bless those that curse you, do good to them that hate you.' It might be expected for a president to express how difficult obeying such a mandate can be. Trump decided to dispute the command itself."

Mrs. McCrabbie: Of course Christian evangelists' favorite president* had no idea he was refuting what is regarded as the second of the "two greatest commandments" and using the prayer breakfast itself to essentially disavow the religion he claims to follow and make of himself a new, Old Testament-style messiah. ~~~

~~~ Daniel Burke of CNN: "... the National Prayer Breakfast is typically a nonpartisan event that organizers say is meant to provide a spiritual refuge from political warfare.... It's striking to hear Trump, who is a Presbyterian, so directly reject one of Christianity's core teachings. Instead, the President has said he prefers another part of the Bible, where it talks about taking 'an eye for an eye.' (Ironically, some Christians see Jesus' instruction to turn the other cheek as moving past that kind of morality.) Later in his speech on Thursday, Trump seemed to acknowledge that many in the room, which included Christians, Muslims and other faith leaders from around the world, might disagree with him about loving one's enemies. 'I'm sorry, I apologize,' he said. 'I am trying to learn. Not easy. It's not easy when they impeach you for nothing, and you're supposed to like them.'" Mrs. McC: Yeah, and right after that "apology," Trump took another swipe at President Obama.

Way Beyond the Beltway

Li Yuan of the New York Times: "The Chinese public have staged what amounts to an online revolt after the death of a doctor, Li Wenliang, who tried to warn of a mysterious virus that has since killed hundreds of people in China, infected tens of thousands and forced the government to corral many of the country's 1.4 billion people. Since late Thursday, people from different backgrounds, including government officials, prominent business figures and ordinary online users, have posted numerous messages expressing their grief at the doctor's death and their anger over his silencing by the police after sharing his knowledge about the new coronavirus."

News Ledes

USA Today: "Federal investigators on Friday dispelled the notion that engine failure was to blame for the helicopter crash last month that killed Kobe Bryant his daughter and seven others. The helicopter damage was consistent with 'powered rotation' -- from the engine moving the rotors -- when the flight crashed, according to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board. The finding is significant because investigators determined immediately after the accident that the copter was in a fast descent at the time of impact, after having climbed to try to get out of thick clouds. That gave rise to the notion that perhaps the engines had failed."

AP: "Hiring jumped at the beginning of the year as U.S. employers added 225,000 jobs, bolstering an economy that faces threats from China's viral outbreak, an ongoing trade war and struggles at Boeing. The Labor Department also said Friday that a half-million people streamed into the job market in January, though not all of them found jobs. That influx meant more people were counted as unemployed, and it boosted the jobless rate to 3.6%, from a half-century low of 3.5% in December."

The New York Times' coronavirus updates are here. A guide to protect yourself from this & other viruses is linked below under PSAs.