Buttigieg’s Cybersecurity Chief Suddenly Quits
“The cybersecurity chief for Democratic candidate for president Pete Buttigieg’s campaign has resigned, as concerns mount about attempts by foreign governments and hackers to interfere in the 2020 election,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Mick Baccio left his job as chief information security officer for Mr. Buttigieg’s campaign earlier this month due to differences with campaign leadership over how to manage information security.”
Bolton’s Book Nearly Complete
Former National Security adviser John Bolton’s book “is almost finished, according to people familiar with his plans, and is set to be on sale well ahead of the Republican and Democratic National Conventions this summer,” the New York Times reports.
Trump Portrayed as ‘Erratic’ and ‘Dangerously Uninformed’
A new book says President Trump is “woefully uninformed about the basics of geography” and “does not seem to grasp fundamental history,” the Washington Post reports.
“Many of the key moments reported in the book are rife with foreign policy implications, portraying a novice commander in chief plowing through normal protocols and alarming many both inside the administration and in other governments.”
Senators Restricted During Impeachment Trial
“The top Republican and Democratic senators on Wednesday jointly announced new restrictions on movement and behavior by lawmakers, staff and members of the public inside the Capitol during President Trump’s impeachment trial,” the New York Times reports.
Among those: “During the impeachment proceedings, standing will not be permitted on the floor and this requirement will be strictly enforced. Accordingly, all senators are requested to remain in their seats at all times they are on the Senate floor during the impeachment proceedings.”
“Senators who have become addicted to checking their Twitter feeds on their iPhones will have to temporarily kick that habit — they will not be allowed to take electronic devices into the chamber during the trial. But perhaps the biggest change for senators? They are not supposed to talk.”
Judge Blocks Trump’s Refugee Policy
A federal judge ruled that state and local officials cannot block refugee admissions in their jurisdictions, finding the Trump administration’s new refugee policy is likely “unlawful,” the Washington Post reports.
Wrote Judge Peter J. Messitte: “Giving states and local governments the power to consent to the resettlement of refugees — which is to say veto power to determine whether refugees will be received in their midst — flies in the face of clear Congressional intent.”
State Department Cancels Briefing on Embassy Security
“The State Department abruptly canceled a classified congressional briefing Wednesday that was supposed to focus on embassy security, infuriating Capitol Hill staffers seeking answers on alleged Iranian threats to U.S. missions overseas,” Politico reports.
Bloomberg Holds Biggest Lead Over Trump In Michigan
A new EPIC-MRA poll in Michigan shows Michael Bloomberg has opened a 7-point lead in a head-to-head matchup with President Trump in the state, 49% to 42%.
His lead is the largest among all the Democrats running, though 9% remain undecided.
Joe Biden leads Trump 50% to 44% and Sen. Bernie Sanders holds a 50% to 45% lead on the president in the survey.
Trump Accuses Democrats of ‘Con Job’
President Trump accused House Democrats of a “con job” shortly after Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the lawmakers who would be managing the case to impeach him in the Senate, The Hill reports.
Trump’s tweet suggested he was watching Pelosi’s press conference announcing the impeachment managers on Wednesday morning.
Trump Rants About Dishwashers
President Trump ranted about what he said was the effect of efficiency standards on appliances like dishwashers, lightbulbs, toilets, and showers, at his rally last night in Milwaukee, Business Insider reports.
Trump took aim at “new” dishwashers, and said they meant you sometimes need to wash your dishes “10 times.”
He then asked the crowd: “Anybody have a new dishwasher? I’m sorry for that.”
He also lamented what he said were weaker showers in the modern age, adding: “I have this beautiful head of hair, I need a lot of water.”
A Very Stable Genius
Out next week: A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump’s Testing of America by Philip Rucker and Carol Leoning.
The Guardian has a preview.
Sale
A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump's Testing of America
- Hardcover Book
- Rucker, Philip (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 480 Pages - 01/21/2020 (Publication Date) - Penguin Press (Publisher)
New Impeachment Evidence Keeps Rolling In
Jonathan Bernstein: “The new documents released by House Democrats on Tuesday, exposing previously unknown details about efforts by Trump associates to obtain material in Ukraine that would undermine Trump’s Democratic opponents, probably don’t change anything. Whatever evidence emerges is unlikely to change either the trial outcome or its effect on public opinion.”
“But it has to worry House Republicans, who have already voted to support Trump, and Senate Republicans expecting to vote to acquit him. At least a little bit. Because if new ugly details are still emerging, who’s to say that more won’t turn up later?”
Putin Proposes Constitutional Overhaul
Bloomberg: “Vladimir Putin outlined a raft of proposed constitutional changes aimed at strengthening the powers of the parliament and other government bodies, fueling speculation that he’s laying the groundwork for keeping power beyond the end of his current term in 2024.”
“The plans, announced unexpectedly at the end of his annual state-of-the-nation speech Wednesday, come as Putin is widely expected to seek a way to hold onto control in some form beyond the constitutional limit at the end of his current term.”
CNN: “The entire Russian government is resigning.”
Trump’s Impeachment Defense Crumbles
Neal Katyal: “Americans who have been wondering why President Trump has taken the extraordinary step of trying to block every document from being released to Congress in his impeachment inquiry need wonder no longer. The new documents released Tuesday evening by the House Intelligence Committee were devastating to Trump’s continuing — if shifting — defense of his Ukraine extortion scandal, just days before his impeachment trial is likely to begin in the Senate.”
“These new documents demolish at least three key defenses to which Trump and his allies have been clinging: that he was really fighting corruption when he pressured Ukraine on matters related to the Biden family; that Hunter Biden should be called as a witness at the Senate impeachment trial; and that there’s no need for a real, honest-to-goodness trial in the Senate.”
A New Ukraine Scandal Figure Emerges
Robert Hyde, the new mystery player in the Ukraine scandal who was “secretly monitoring” the whereabouts of ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, was taken into police custody at a Trump resort last year, Mother Jones reports.
He claimed the Secret Service and a hit man were after him and was later “involuntarily confined in a medical facility.”
The Daily Beast has more on Hyde, who is now a congressional candidate.
Did Pelosi Lose Her Showdown with McConnell?
Jonathan Bernstein: “That’s what CNN’s Chris Cillizza says. I don’t see it. The political scientist and Washington Post columnist Dan Drezner is closer to the mark. He tweeted: ‘Pelosi got little from McConnell in delaying the transmittal of impeachment. On the other hand, during the delay some damning new documents appeared, Bolton said he’d testify, and now even the Trump White House expects witnesses will be called.’ John Bolton, one of Trump’s former national security advisers, was part of the White House foreign-policy team when Trump ordered military aid withheld from Ukraine as he pressured that country to investigate a leading Democratic rival, ex-Vice President Joe Biden — the topic of one of the impeachment articles.”
“Overall, I’d say Pelosi may have marginally helped her cause, and it’s hard to make an argument that she harmed it.”
The Impeachment Managers
Associated Press: “Gaming out the ‘managers’ has been a hot avocation in the Capitol for months, and Pelosi has held the details close. But judging from the Clinton trial, the exposure is likely to boost the profiles of whomever she picks.”
Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to name the managers at 10 a.m. ET.
Second Choices Will Decide Iowa
Arnon Mishkin: “In recent polls, over 30 percent of Iowa Democratic caucus-goers appear to support a candidate who is unlikely to be above the threshold for winning delegates (which is 15%). In other words, during the course of the evening, 30 percent of people – more than support any of the top four candidates – will wind up caucusing for their ‘second choice.'”
“And so for the leading candidates – the ones on the debate stage on Tuesday – the goal is not just to win the audience over, but to make sure voters find them an acceptable ‘second choice.'”
