Good Tuesday morning.
Here’s what is on the president’s agenda today:
- The president receives his intelligence briefing
- President Trump participates in a signing ceremony for S. 153, The Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act
The New Hampshire primary is today
Today is the big day for New Hampshire Democrats as they head to the polls for their primary. The latest poll has Sanders with a strong lead followed by Mayor Pete. Warren, Biden and Amy! are bringing up the bottom. How long before some of these folks start dropping out? I can’t imagine Biden can last that much longer, his funding is going to dry up if he does poorly in New Hampshire and he should get out before he totally humiliates himself. The next caucus/primary is Nevada and there aren’t any recent polls but the ones from mid-January show Biden with a small lead. I can’t believe that is still the case with all the bad press he’s been getting about Iowa and his projected New Hampshire performance. There will be more Nevada polls after the NH primary today but after Nevada, Biden might hang on for South Carolina but that’s it. Also, Elizabeth Warren performing poorly so she might be out soon too.
The Democrats are desperate to find a palatable candidate that is not Bernie Sanders, but Sanders has a good solid following who will not abandon him. They might stay home or vote for Trump, but how many will just move to another candidate if Bernie can’t pull it off or is robbed of the nomination?
One important factor is the pressure the Democrat party is putting on these candidates to drop out so that their supporters can coalesce around NOT BERNIE SANDERS. Sanders has the largest chunk of support among a large field but if other candidates drop out and urge their supporters to back the designated favorite non-Bernie candidate, the Democrats are betting their “moderate” will have better numbers than Bernie does once they are not spread out among a large field. We’ll see who cracks first.
Will you stay up to watch the returns? I won’t.
Related:
Biden’s support slumps to lowest on record, Bloomberg surges nationally as Democratic race heats up: poll
Klobuchar attracts big crowds in primary’s final days
Campaigns ditch DNC voter protection program
Progressive journalists say they were ‘harassed’ by Buttigieg campaign staff at rally: We’ve never dealt with this at Trump events
Krystal Ball: Democratic establishment would rather have four more years of Trump than see Bernie elected
Sanders leads national primary race, new poll shows
Trump cleaning out NSC viper pit
The National Security Council was ground zero for shenanigans during the Obama Administration, that’s why it grew so large: all kinds of stuff was cooked up in there. Now President Trump is downsizing it. Too many Obama #resistance holdovers have set up shop in the agency.
Officials confirmed that Trump and national security adviser Robert O’Brien have cut 70 positions inherited from former President Barack Obama, who had fattened the staff to 200.
Many were loaners from other agencies and have been sent back. Others left government work.
Bye. They should cut another 70.
Meanwhile, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-New York) is demanding an investigation into the firing of the Vindman twins from the NSC. Now the Vindman twins weren’t fired, they were transferred somewhere else. Schumer sent a letter to 74 federal inspectors general (IGs) to protect whistleblowers from “retaliation.” Here we go again. The president does something totally kosher and the left decides (projects?) his motives are corrupt and they are off the races.
Not only is retaliation LTC [Alex] Vindman, the anonymous whistleblower [who triggered the impeachment proceedings, and others like them shameful, it is also illegal. … All federal employees have the legal right to make protected disclosures to Congress and Inspectors General anonymously and free from reprisals.
Reprisals? The president can’t trust these folks and it’s not illegal to move them to another agency, far away from influence.
Other morsels:
Federal judge indefinitely postpones sentencing of Michael Flynn
Maryland will ban disposable e-cigarettes exempt from Trump policy
DOJ whistleblower complaint suggests anti-trafficking grants went to questionable charities: report
NCAA and its allies spent &750K on lobbying last year amid push for athlete pay
Conservative Group Behind Viral Video Of Pelosi Ripping SOTU Speech Pushes Back Against Media Critics
Attorney General William Barr Vows Lawsuits And ‘Significant Escalation’ Against Sanctuary Jurisdictions
Nadler questions Barr’s ‘back channel’ for receiving Giuliani’s Ukraine info
Andy Ngo Reacts To Latest Antifa Attack Against Journalist And The Defacing Of A War Memorial In Oregon
Amazon wants Trump, Esper to testify in lawsuit against Pentagon
Court rejects lawsuit over Trump’s recordkeeping
More than 100 US troops suffered traumatic brain injuries in Iran strike
Jackson State University president arrested in prostitution sting
Florida man arrested for machete attack inside McDonald’s
2 police officers injured, suspect dead at Walmart shooting in Arkansas
China reopens many businesses amid coronavirus outbreak, but economy may remain slow
Coronavirus death toll surpasses 1,000 in mainland China
Barr announces sweeping new sanctions, ‘significant escalation’ against left-wing sanctuary cities
A soldier in the US Army has pleaded guilty to distributing bomb making instructions
Oscars viewership plunges to record low
Trump ally Roger Stone should be sentenced 7 to 9 years in prison: Prosecutors
BBC to Partner with Greta Thunberg for (Another) TV Climate Series
And that’s all I’ve got, now go beat back the angry mob!