Just dropped · Trial Balloon · Ep. 191
Blue Wave Update
“North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, said his country no longer felt bound by its self-imposed moratorium on testing nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles, its official media reported on Wednesday, the strongest indication yet that the country could soon resume such tests,” the New York Times reports.
“North Korea has not conducted a long-range missile test or a nuclear test in more than two years.”
Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO), a member of the Republican leadership, told KSSZ that he expects President Trump’s impeachment trial will be over by a State of the Union speech scheduled for early February.
“The Democratic presidential candidates spent the final day of 2019 sharpening their differences as they braced for the final sprint to the Iowa caucuses, with polls showing a fluid and unsettled race five weeks before the first nominating contest,” the Washington Post reports.
“The crossfire reflects the candidates’ urgency to perform well in Iowa at a moment when polls suggest any of the top four candidates could win the state. Each believes a victory on Feb. 3 — when Democrats will caucus at more than 1,000 precinct locations — could provide a critical breakthrough.”
Chief Justice John Roberts, whose new year will include presiding at a Senate impeachment trial of President Trump as well as leading the Supreme Court, called Tuesday for more focus on civic education at a time “when social media can instantly spread rumor and false information on a grand scale,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
Politico: “With New York likely to lose at least one congressional seat, the district held by Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez could be broken up, forcing her to find a new winning coalition. There’s little love for the disruptive young upstart in Albany, and many state lawmakers would like nothing more than to redraw her out of office. Ocasio-Cortez seems aware of the threat, as she’s been promoting Census sign-ups in her district to ensure that her constituents are fully counted.”
Sen. Susan Collins criticized Republicans and Democrats — citing Sens. Mitch McConnell and Elizabeth Warren by name — for making comments about the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump before it has even started, NBC News reports.
Said Collins: “It is inappropriate, in my judgment, for senators on either side of the aisle to prejudge the evidence before they have heard what is presented to us because the each of us will take an oath, an oath that I take very seriously, to render impartial justice.”
Corey Lewandowski announced he will not run for Senate in New Hampshire after flirting with a bid for most of 2019, The Hill reports.
Politico: “Liberals swooned. The Democratic establishment was on its heels. Powered by small donors and grassroots energy, in late 2003 Iowa seemed Howard Dean’s for the taking.”
“But then came the attacks … The surge became a stall. On caucus day, the Vermont governor came in third and never recovered.”
“Elizabeth Warren is trying to avoid the same fate. While the Warren campaign has stuck to its corruption-centric message, it has noticeably shifted tactics in recent weeks. The Massachusetts senator changed her stump speech and is now taking many more audience questions. She’s drawing sharper contrasts with opponents after months of trying to stay above the fray. There are more big, thematic campaign speeches, and more off the record chats with reporters.”
“Protesters broke into the heavily guarded compound of the United States Embassy in Baghdad on Tuesday and lit fires inside to express their anger over American airstrikes that killed 24 members of an Iranian-backed militia over the weekend,” the New York Times reports.
“The men did not enter the main embassy buildings and later withdrew from the compound, joining thousands of protesters and militia fighters outside who chanted ‘Death to America,’ threw rocks, covered the walls with graffiti and demanded that the United States withdraw its forces from Iraq.”
Pete Buttigieg told the Associated Press that he “would not have wanted to see” a son of his serving on the board of a Ukrainian natural gas company, like Joe Biden’s son did.
Buttigieg said if elected, he would “do everything we can to prevent even the appearance of a conflict.”
He added: “That’s very important because as we see it can create a lot of complications even when there is no wrongdoing,”
Michael Bloomberg said he has “no idea” about his current stance on New York City’s handling of the Central Park Five case, CBS News reports.
Said Bloomberg: “There was an awful lot of evidence presented at that time that they were involved.”
“The past year’s population growth rate in the United States was the slowest in a century due to declining births, increasing deaths and the slowdown of international migration,” the AP reports.
“The U.S. grew from 2018 to 2019 by almost a half percent, or about 1.5 million people, with the population standing at 328 million this year, according to population estimates.”
“Iraq has been caught for years in a tug of war between its two most powerful patrons, the United States and Iran. In recent months, public opinion began to tilt against Iran, with street protests demanding an end to Tehran’s pervasive influence,” the New York Times reports.
“But American airstrikes that killed two dozen members of an Iranian-backed militia over the weekend have now made Washington the focus of public hostility, reducing the heat on Tehran and its proxies.”
Lev Parnas, an associate of President Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, plans to turn over his iPhone data and other documents to the House Intelligence Committee, The Hill reports.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) told Maine Public Radio that she is “open” to calling witnesses as part of the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump but added that it is still too early to decide who, if anyone, should be called.
Said Collins: “I am open to witnesses. I think it’s premature to decide who should be called until we see the evidence that is presented and get the answers to the questions that we senators can submit through the Chief Justice to both sides.”
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) predicted in a video that it would be more difficult for House Democrats to remain in control of the House following passage of articles of impeachment against President Trump.
She added: “Unfortunately, the House impeachment of the president has greatly increased the likelihood Trump will remain the president for the next 5 years.”
“It no longer feels as though the most powerful human on the planet is after you. It feels as though a strange and slightly sad old guy is yelling at you to get off his lawn, echoed by younger but no less sad people in red hats shouting, ‘Yeah, get off his lawn!'”
— Former FBI Director James Comey, writing in the Washington Post, describing President Trump as a “shrunken, withered figure.”
“New state population totals released Monday offer fresh signs of how southern and western states will gain political power after the 2020 census,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Based on Monday’s figures, Texas is poised to gain two congressional seats, and Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina and Oregon are expected to gain one. Eight states are expected to lose one seat: California, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and West Virginia.”
Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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