Live political reporting continues in Thursday’s blog:
Kari Paul in San Francisco, signing off for the night! Please turn to our separate live blog of tonight’s Democratic debate, headed by politics reporter Maanvi Singh who is on the ground in Las Vegas.
Before you go, here are the top stories of the night:
- The hashtag #AskBloomberg was trending on Twitter throughout the day ahead of tonight’s debate, calling into question the former New York City mayor’s past alleged personal digressions and policy choices.
- Former Elle magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll announced on Twitter Wednesday that she was fired from her previous job following intense backlash for revealing she was sexually assaulted by Donald Trump in the mid 1990s.
- A super PAC has been formed to support Elizabeth Warren.
- The Trump administration sided with software firm Oracle in an explosive copyright case against Google, shortly after its co-founder held a fundraiser for Donald Trump.
- Nevada Democrats will not say whether the caucus results will be released the day of the elections this week.
- Pop group TLC is performing at a Tom Steyer rally on Friday.
- Bernie Sanders denies he ever wanted to run against Barack Obama in 2012, despite a previous Atlantic story saying so.
That’s all, everyone! Again, follow Maanvi Singh for updates on tonight’s debate.
Bernie Sanders’ campaign team is now staunchly denying a previous story that said the Senator attempted to challenge Barack Obama for the 2012 Democratic presidential nomination.
An earlier report from the Atlantic’s Edward-Isaac Dovere said Sanders was so seriously considering a run in 2012 that he had to be talked out of it by Senator Harry Reid. Reid is now saying he will not comment on the issue but that “Bernie was running for re-election in 2012. He would’ve been a fool to run against Obama and Bernie’s no fool”.
Ari Rabin Havt, campaign manager for Sanders, said the conversation never happened, and that it never “crossed his mind to challenge Obama”.
Updated
Today in unexpected celebrity presidential candidate endorsements: TLC is performing at a Tom Steyer rally this week in Nevada. Yes, that TLC, and yes, that Tom Steyer.
The bestselling group known for 1990s hit singles including “Creep”, “Waterfalls”, and “No Scrubs” will perform on Friday ahead of the Nevada caucuses. Despite the 2003 death of one of the three members, Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes, the group still performs today, having come out with its most recent album in 2017.
Updated
Want to know who wins Saturday’s Nevada caucuses? Don’t hold your breath. Democrats in the state have refused to commit to releasing results on the same day as the election following the disaster in Iowa’s caucuses earlier this month.
Tom Perez, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee told the Associated Press that in this vote they will take care to emphasize accuracy over speed, so to avoid the struggles faced in Iowa, wherein an app malfunction delayed the results by days.
“We’re going to do our best to release results as soon as possible, but our North Star, again, is accuracy,” he said late Tuesday after touring an early voting site in Las Vegas.
He said that high turnout, early voting, and other factors could make it more difficult to quickly tally all votes. Like Iowa, Nevada is for the first time reporting three stages of caucus votes rather than only the final vote.
The Democratic party in Nevada had previously planned to use the same app used in Iowa to report votes, but abandoned the technology due to its failure in the first state to hold elections this year. It remains to be seen how Nevada’s backup technology will work, and from the sounds of it, it may be slow going.
Updated
The Trump administration is siding with software company Oracle in an ongoing copyright battle which major implications for tech giants.
What has been referred to as “the copyright case of the decade” will determine whether it is possible to copyright the computer code known as an application programming interface, or API, which allows software products to communicate with one another.
In a Wednesday filing by the Department of Justice, the Trump administration said the Supreme court should rule in favor of Oracle, which claims that Google violated copyright law by copying 11,500 of the company’s code more than a decade ago. The administration’s support could have major consequences in the case. From the Hill:
Google, backed by a broad swath of the tech industry, has argued that software developers and innovators rely on open APIs in order to create products that work together and build on one another. But Oracle, in a case that has bounced through lower courts for more than a decade, has alleged that Google exploitatively stole its code while building Android, which is today the world’s most popular operating system.
The Trump administration, including U.S. Solicitor General Noel Francisco and Joseph Hunt, the assistant attorney general of the DOJ’s Civil Division, argued that “computer programs are copyrightable” and Oracle “holds a valid copyright” over the code in question.
The Trump administration filed the brief in favor of Oracle just hours after the company’s executive chairman Larry Ellison hosted a fundraiser for Donald Trump at his golf course in California. Oracle employees are planning a walk out in response to their executive’s actions.
A super PAC has formed to support presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren, a noted critic of super PACs.
Warren has frequently criticized the influence of big spending in politics, much of which is facilitated by PACS that are allowed to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money to support a candidate. This PAC, called Persist PAC, filed papers on Tuesday and has already launched a pro-Warren ad in Nevada ahead of the debates there on Wednesday.
Warren’s campaign told the Washington Post her position on PACs has still not changed.
“Since day one of this campaign, she has made clear that she thinks all of the candidates should lock arms together and say we don’t want super pacs and billionaires to be deciding our Democratic nominee,” the campaign said.
Former ELLE magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll, who in 2019 accused Donald Trump of raping her in the mid 1990s, said on Wednesday she was fired from her editorial position over backlash to coming forward.
“Because Trump ridiculed my reputation, laughed at my looks, & dragged me through the mud, after 26 years, ELLE fired me,” Carroll wrote on Twitter. “I don’t blame Elle. It was the great honor of my life writing ‘Ask E. Jean.’”
The 76 year old revealed she had been sexually assaulted by the president in an excerpt from her 2019 book “What Do We Need Men For?” published by New York magazine. From NBC News:
Trump has not only repeatedly denied the allegation, but has also denied ever meeting Carroll. When presented with a picture in which they were both photographed at a 1987 party alongside Carroll’s former husband, John Johnson, Trump maintained that he had “no idea” who Carroll is.
Carroll sued Trump for defamation in New York State Court in November, after which her lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, had the black wool dress Carroll was wearing at the time of the alleged attack tested for DNA. Last month, Carroll’s counsel served notice to Trump’s lawyers for the president to submit a DNA sample by March 2 to see if he matched the unidentified male DNA found on the outfit.
Yet, earlier this month, Trump’s lawyers argued that Carroll’s defamation suit should be delayed until New York’s highest court rules on whether former “Apprentice” contestant Summer Zervos, who has also accused Trump of assault and defamation, can proceed with a somewhat similar suit. Trump has denied Zervos’ allegations.
Ahead of his first debate in the race to the 2020 presidential elections, Michael Bloomberg is under fire over past statements, behavior, and policies as New York City mayor.
Tonight Bloomberg must answer for:
— Robert Reich (@RBReich) February 19, 2020
— Stop & frisk
— His defense of redlining
— Sexual harassment
— His advocacy of Wall Street
— Never disclosing taxes
— Being a Republican
— Trying to buy the election#AskBloomberg
The hashtag #AskBloomberg trended on Twitter on Wednesday, encouraging moderators to inquire into the candidate’s past transphobic and sexist remarks, allegations of sexual misconduct, his support of the Iraq war, and policies affecting minority populations implemented while he was mayor of New York City.
#AskBloomberg why millions of completely innocent men, predominantly black and Latinos, had their names entered into a comprehensive police database effectively turning them into permanent police suspects while he was mayor. https://t.co/Nl9kC3PG6G
— The Jewish Vote (@TheJewishVote) February 19, 2020
Hashtags were not Bloomberg’s only problem on Twitter on Wednesday: he also exchanged insults with Donald Trump and rival candidate Joe Biden.
The trend on Twitter represented a grassroots response to Bloomberg’s extensive media campaign as he pursues the presidential office, on which he has already spent millions of dollars in advertising.
Hello readers, Kari Paul in San Francisco here, taking over the blog from the West Coast. Stay tuned for more updates soon.
Evening summary
That’s it from me today. My west coast colleague, Kari Paul, will take over the blog for a few hours before we begin our special debate coverage from Las Vegas.
Here’s where the day stands so far:
- Mike Bloomberg and Trump traded insults over Twitter as the former New York mayor prepares for his first debate performance tonight.
- Bloomberg also attracted criticism from some of his Democratic rivals, including Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden. Sanders attacked Bloomberg for previously suggesting changes to Social Security and Medicare, while Biden criticized Bloomberg for incorporating Barack Obama into his ads even though he did not endorse Obama in 2008.
- Bloomberg’s campaign criticized Sanders’ press secretary for falsely claiming that Bloomberg had previously suffered heart attacks, as Sanders faces renewed scrutiny over his health following his own heart attack in the fall.
- The White House denied a claim from Julian Assange’s lawyer that the WikiLeaks founder was offered a pardon if he denied Russian involvement in the 2016 leaking of Democratic emails.
- John Rood, a senior official at the Pentagon who raised concerns about the freeze on Ukraine’s military assistance, resigned, saying his departure was “requested” by the president.
Kari will have more coming up, and the Guardian’s west coast team will later be blogging from the Las Vegas debate, so stay tuned.
The next debate is just a few hours away, but CBS News has announced the moderators for the tenth Democratic debate, which the outlet will host next Tuesday.
.@CBSEveningNews anchor @NorahODonnell and @CBSThisMorning co-host @GayleKing will moderate the CBS News Democratic Debate joined by @FaceTheNation's @margbrennan, chief Washington correspondent @MajorCBS and @60Minutes correspondent @BillWhitakerCBS https://t.co/kMivQm2eLH pic.twitter.com/lQEKYPwE8H
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 19, 2020
“CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell and “CBS This Morning” co-host Gayle King will moderate the debate, alongside “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan and chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett.
The debate will take place next Tuesday in Charleston, South Carolina, and it will be the final debate before the South Carolina primary and Super Tuesday.
The six candidates participating tonight have already qualified, and billionaire activist Tom Steyer hopes he can meet the delegate or polling requirements by the deadline.
Mike Bloomberg’s campaign said the candidate would not be standing on anything to boost his height during tonight’s debate, despite Trump’s claims to the contrary.
NEW: Campaign officials tell @NBCNews that Mike Bloomberg will *NOT* stand on a box during tonight's debate, despite Trump's repeated claims that he requested one to boost his height
— Josh Lederman (@JoshNBCNews) February 19, 2020
The president has repeatedly referred to Bloomberg as “Mini Mike” in tweets to mock the former New York mayor for his height. (But as the AP has pointed out, Bloomberg is not quite as short as Trump has claimed.)
Bloomberg fired back at Trump last week, saying during a campaign event in North Carolina, “He calls me Little Mike and the answer is, ‘Donald, where I come from we measure your height from your neck up.’”
The White House said that Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke over the phone yesterday.
“The two leaders discussed the importance of NATO, French and United States counterterrorism efforts in the Sahel, and other bilateral issues,” the readout says.
France said earlier this month that it would increase its troop presence in Africa’s Sahel region, and during the Munich Security Conference this weekend, some congressional Republicans tried to convince defense secretary Mark Esper not to withdraw US forces from the region.
Bernie Sanders may also be asked about this during tonight’s debate: the Atlantic is reporting that the Vermont senator considered challenging Barack Obama for the 2012 Democratic nomination.
The Atlantic reports:
Bernie Sanders got so close to running a primary challenge to President Barack Obama that Senator Harry Reid had to intervene to stop him.
It took Reid two conversations over the summer of 2011 to get Sanders to scrap the idea, according to multiple people who remember the incident, which has not been previously reported.
That summer, Sanders privately discussed a potential primary challenge to Obama with several people, including Patrick Leahy, his fellow Vermont senator. Leahy, alarmed, warned Jim Messina, Obama’s presidential reelection-campaign manager. ...
Messina called Reid, then the Senate majority leader, who had built a strong relationship with Sanders but was also fiercely defensive of Obama. What could you be thinking? Reid asked Sanders, according to multiple people who remember the conversations. You need to stop.
Some of Sanders’ critics will likely point to the potential Obama challenge to resurrect questions about the Vermont senator’s loyalty to the Democratic party, although Sanders’ allies have dismissed those concerns by pointing to the fact that the independent lawmaker has consistently caucused with Democrats.
Updated
It seems like all of Mike Bloomberg’s opponents are joining in on attacking him before his first debate appearance tonight.
Bernie Sanders tweeted a video criticizing the former New York mayor for previously suggesting changes to benefits programs like Social Security and Medicare.
We will not defeat Donald Trump with a candidate who advocated for cuts to Medicare and Social Security. pic.twitter.com/avYbzoppN1
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 19, 2020
Bloomberg will likely come under fire from each of his five opponents on the debate stage tonight, but Sanders may also be trying to deflect some of the criticism away from himself.
As the clear frontrunner in the race, Sanders is also likely to attract criticism from fellow candidates.
A new poll of South Carolina Democrats shows Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders statistically tied in the early voting state.
According to the UMass-Lowell/YouGov poll, Biden is attracting the support of 23% of South Carolina Democrats, putting him 2 points ahead of Bernie Sanders, which is well within the poll’s 7.5-point margin of error.
South Carolina poll of 2020 Democrats: UMass Lowell
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) February 19, 2020
Biden 23%
Sanders 21%
Steyer 13%
Warren 11%
Buttigieg 11%
Klobuchar 9%
Gabbard 4%https://t.co/GA98m9jWuo
After disappointing performances in Iowa and New Hampshire, Biden is counting on strong showings in Nevada and especially South Carolina to regain some of his lost support.
If he cannot pull off a win in South Carolina, before he goes on to the Super Tuesday states where he will have to face Mike Bloomberg, it could doom his candidacy.
Tom Steyer, who will not be on the Democratic debate stage tonight but remains in the race, will start running an ad next week spotlighting Mike Bloomberg’s controversial stop and frisk policy.
The policy, which Bloomberg supported while he was mayor of New York, has been accused of unfairly targeting young men of color.
In the ad, a narrator describes the policy, along with Bloomberg’s comments about redlining, as “racist.”
Steyer, who like Bloomberg is using his personal fortune to bankroll his candidacy, said the ad would run as part of a seven-figure buy across Super Tuesday states starting Monday.
There’s some reason to doubt the White House’s claim that Trump “barely knows Dana Rohrabacher,” the former Republican congressman who allegedly offered a pardon to WikiLeaks Julian Assange.
Assange’s lawyer said Rohrabacher offered him a pardon “on instructions from the president” if Assange denied Russian involvement with the 2016 leaking of Democratic emails.
Trump’s press secretary called that claim a “complete fabrication and a total lie.” “The President barely knows Dana Rohrabacher other than he’s an ex-congressman,” said Stephanie Grisham.
But Trump and Rohrabacher had a 45-minute meeting in 2017, and the president congratulated the infamously pro-Russia congressman on his primary victory the next year.
Congratulations to Dana Rohrabacher on his big California win. We are proud of you Dana!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 6, 2018
Biden attacks Bloomberg over his Republican past
Joe Biden and Mike Bloomberg continue to attack each other over Twitter, likely previewing a contentious debate later tonight.
Biden reacted to a video from Bloomberg featuring a glowing speech the former vice president gave about him in 2013 by calling out Bloomberg’s past party affiliation as a Republican.
I don’t endorse Republicans. https://t.co/uQMjLdxHA3
— Joe Biden (Text Join to 30330) (@JoeBiden) February 19, 2020
Biden made similar comments moments ago while campaigning in Nevada, criticizing Bloomberg for including Barack Obama in his campaign ads when he refused to endorse Obama in 2008.
Biden on Bloomberg
— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) February 19, 2020
“The truth is he’s basically been a Republican his whole life. The fact of the matter is he didn’t endorse Barack or me when we ran. This is a guy using Barack’s pictures like, you know, they’re good buddies. I’m going to talk about his record” pic.twitter.com/m0MXsVksUL
White House denies report of Assange pardon offer
The White House has denied a report that Trump offered a pardon to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange if he said Russia was not involved in the leaking of Democratic emails.
According to Assange’s lawyer, the former Republican congressman Dana Rohrabacher extended the offer during a 2017 visit with Assange.
Assange’s lawyer said in a statement that Rohrabacher made clear he was offering a pardon to Assange, who is now fighting efforts to extradite him to the US, “on instructions from the president”.
But the White House called this story “a complete fabrication and a total lie” in a statement.
“The President barely knows Dana Rohrabacher other than he’s an ex-congressman,” said the press secretary, Stephanie Grisham. “He’s never spoken to him on this subject or almost any subject. It is is a complete fabrication and a total lie.”
Updated
An alum of Cambridge Analytica, the firm accused of improperly handling Facebook data, is reportedly now helping lead the Trump campaign’s data program.
Politico reports:
Matt Oczkowski, who served as head of product at Cambridge before it went bankrupt and shut down in 2018, is helping oversee the Trump campaign’s data program, according to two people familiar with the hire. Cambridge gained notoriety for its work on psychological voter profiling and because it allegedly improperly obtained the personal information of tens of millions of Facebook users.
The hiring of Oczkowski will likely intensify Democrats’ fears about the online tactics Trump’s campaign will deploy this year, although the president’s advisers have claimed they did not use Cambridge data during the 2016 race.
Democratic presidential candidates are previewing their strategies for tonight’s debate on social media.
After Joe Biden released a video earlier today criticizing Mike Bloomberg for opposing some of the Obama administration’s policies, Bloomberg is now out with an ad attacking Biden.
Joe Biden has dedicated his life to this country.
— Team Bloomberg (@Mike2020) February 19, 2020
As a senator, and as a vice president, he has always stood by the side of great men.
We are honored to have Joe’s support. pic.twitter.com/t4XxgE1Yul
The video includes footage from a 2013 speech Biden gave praising Bloomberg’s initiatives on gun control and climate change as mayor of New York.
“I don’t know anyone in my career – and I’ve been hanging around a long time – who does more to create the future than you, Mike,” Biden says in the ad.
Updated
Afternoon summary
Here’s where the day stands so far:
- Trump and Mike Bloomberg traded insults over Twitter, as the former New York mayor prepares for his first debate performance tonight.
- Advisers for Bloomberg and Bernie Sanders also sparred after Sanders’ press secretary falsely claimed that Bloomberg had previously suffered a heart attack.
- Sanders has surged to the top of national polls, taking a double-digit lead over Bloomberg, who is also gaining steam.
- Trump continues to tweet about the justice department, despite reports that the attorney general, William Barr, is considering quitting over the president’s Twitter activity.
The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
Updated
Trump defends Blagojevich despite incriminating tape
Trump defended Rod Blagojevich in a tweet, saying the former Illinois governor did not sell a US Senate seat.
Rod Blagojevich did not sell the Senate seat. He served 8 years in prison, with many remaining. He paid a big price. Another Comey and gang deal! Thank you to @LisaMarieBoothe who really “gets” what’s going on! @FoxNews
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 19, 2020
But Blagojevich, who was commuted by Trump yesterday, was rather infamously recorded trying to sell the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama when he became president.
“I’ve got this thing and it’s fucking golden,” Blagojevich was recorded saying. “I’m just not giving it up for fuckin’ nothing. I’m not gonna do it.”
Updated
Former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich profusely thanked Trump for commuting his prison sentence in a press conference today.
“We want to express our most profound and everlasting gratitude to President Trump,” said Blagojevich, appearing alongside his family. “How do you properly thank someone who’s given you back the freedom that was stolen from you?”
The former Democratic governor praised Trump’s “kind heart” and said he would vote for the president if he can, calling himself a “Trumpocrat”.
But others are less thrilled about Blagojevich’s commutation, considering he was caught on tape trying to sell a Senate seat.
A group of House Republicans from Illinois released a statement yesterday calling Blagojevich “the face of public corruption” in the state and saying they were “disappointed” by Trump’s decision.
Updated
Pompeo condemns China for expelling journalists
Secretary of state Mike Pompeo condemned China for expelling three Wall Street Journal reporters over a critical op-ed published by the newspaper.
The United States condemns the move by China to expel three @WSJ journalists. Mature, responsible countries understand that a free press reports facts and expresses opinions. China should not restrict #freespeech. https://t.co/szm0ujq2Ua
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) February 19, 2020
The Journal has more on the reporters’ expulsion:
China revoked the press credentials of three Wall Street Journal reporters based in Beijing, the first time in the post-Mao era that the Chinese government has expelled multiple journalists from one international news organization at the same time.
China’s Foreign Ministry said the move Wednesday was punishment for a recent opinion piece published by the Journal.
Deputy Bureau Chief Josh Chin and reporter Chao Deng, both U.S. nationals, as well as reporter Philip Wen, an Australian national, have been ordered to leave the country within five days, said Jonathan Cheng, the Journal’s China bureau chief.
In a new video, Joe Biden’s campaign appeared to preview how the former vice president would confront Mike Bloomberg on the debate stage tonight.
The video highlights Bloomberg’s past clashes with the Obama administration, including the former New York mayor’s criticism of the Affordable Care Act and Wall Street reform.
Welcome to the debates, Mike. We have a lot to catch up on about Barack Obama’s record. pic.twitter.com/bMYPLYwnfQ
— Joe Biden (Text Join to 30330) (@JoeBiden) February 19, 2020
The video concludes: “Money can’t rewrite history.”
Bloomberg has incorporated Barack Obama into his campaign ads, irking some of the former president’s allies who note Bloomberg did not endorse Obama in 2008.
From a former national security council spokesperson under the Obama administration:
It's jarring to see all these Bloomberg ads that suggest Obama has endorsed him, especially considering how...perfunctory his endorsement of Obama was back in 2012.
— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) February 18, 2020
Updated
White House spokesperson Hogan Gidley justified Trump’s recent spate of commutations and pardons by saying the president is “against aggressive sentencing.”
Gidley’s comment was met with a hefty dose of skepticism, considering Trump’s vocal support for the death penalty and his refusal to acknowledge the innocence of the wrongly convicted Central Park Five.
Trump last week: “States with a very powerful death penalty on drug dealers don’t have a drug problem." https://t.co/UarnvI61C5
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) February 19, 2020
The president has not apologized for calling for the death penalty for 5 black & Latino youth for a crime they didn’t commit https://t.co/8HRZnxzxTd https://t.co/UdbuLpuCT4
— Eugene Scott (@Eugene_Scott) February 19, 2020
Trump granted clemency yesterday to 11 people, including former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, who was caught on tape trying to sell a US Senate seat.
Rood says Trump 'requested' his resignation
In his resignation letter, senior Pentagon official John Rood noted that Trump had “requested” his departure.
John Rood resignation letter to President Trump “It’s my understanding from Secretary Esper that you requested my resignation...” pic.twitter.com/G2X030OoYR
— Courtney Kube (@ckubeNBC) February 19, 2020
Rood was involved in approving Ukraine’s receipt of US military assistance, and he reportedly raised concerns about the freeze on the funds, the issue at the heart of Trump’s impeachment.
Updated
As Mike Bloomberg fields complaints from his opponents about how he is using his personal wealth in the presidential primary, his campaign is reportedly launching an unusual effort to boost the billionaire candidate’s mentions on social media.
The Bloomberg campaign intends to pay hundreds of staffers $2,500 a month to post positive messages about the former New York mayor on their personal accounts.
The Wall Street Journal reports:
The effort, which could cost millions of dollars, is launching ahead of California’s March 3 primary and could later be deployed nationwide, according to people familiar with the matter and documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. It is one of the most unorthodox yet by the heavy-spending billionaire and blurs the lines between traditional campaign organizing and the distribution of sponsored content.
Most campaigns encourage their supporters to post on social media about their candidates, but paying them at this scale to express support on their personal accounts is unusual, experts say. ...
To staff the effort, the campaign is hiring more than 500 ‘deputy digital organizers’ to work 20 to 30 hours a week and receive $2,500 a month, the documents show. In exchange, those workers are expected to promote Mr. Bloomberg to everyone in their phones’ contacts by text each week and make social-media posts supporting him daily, the documents show.
The effort will almost certainly intensify accusations from Bloomberg’s opponents that he is attempting to use his $50bn fortune to “buy this election”.
Updated
Trump confirms Rood's departure
Trump has confirmed that John Rood, a senior official at the Pentagon, is leaving the administration.
I would like to thank John Rood for his service to our Country, and wish him well in his future endeavors! https://t.co/kPA1rYCKvp
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 19, 2020
Rood reportedly raised concerns about the freeze on Ukraine’s military assistance, which was at the center of Trump’s impeachment.
CNN explains:
Rood is the Pentagon’s top policy official and oversees aspects of the Pentagon’s relationship with US allies and partners. Rood was involved in certifying to Congress that Ukraine had embarked on significant reforms to justify its receipt of $250 million in security assistance. That certification undermined one of the justifications -- concerns about corruption in Kiev -- that some members of the Trump administration made to defend blocking aid to Ukraine.
Hours after Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which kicked off impeachment proceedings, Rood emailed Secretary of Defense Mark Esper -- who had been in the job two days -- informing him about an upcoming deputies meeting, ‘to discuss the President’s concern about endemic corruption in Ukraine and his reported view that US should cease providing security assistance,’ according to emails reviewed by CNN.
Rood notes in his email to the secretary that ‘placing a hold on security assistance at this time would jeopardize this unique window of opportunity and undermine our defense priorities with a key partner in the strategic competition with Russia.’
Updated
Trump and Bloomberg trade Twitter insults
While some of his advisers spar with Bernie Sanders’ campaign, Mike Bloomberg is aiming his fire at Trump after the president accused him (without evidence) of violating campaign finance laws.
Impeached president says what? https://t.co/Sf2gXXppZO
— Mike Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg) February 19, 2020
Trump has repeatedly accused Bloomberg of violating campaign finance laws by receiving endorsements from lawmakers who have benefitted from Bloomberg’s political contributions, even though such activity is not illegal.
In recent days, Trump has used his bully pulpit against Bloomberg more than any other Democratic presidential candidate, even as the former New York mayor trails Bernie Sanders in the polls.
But the president and Bloomberg have traded public insults frequently since the latter endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016 and mocked Trump’s business practices at the Democratic National Convention.
“Trump says he wants to run the nation like he’s running his business? God help us,” Bloomberg said at the time.
Updated
Briahna Joy Gray, Bernie Sanders’ press secretary, said she misspoke when she falsely claimed Mike Bloomberg had previously suffered a heart attack.
Gray emphasized Bloomberg and Sanders have both had coronary stents put in, but only Sanders underwent that procedure after suffering a heart attack.
I mispoke when I said Bloomberg had a heart attack. Rather, he underwent the same stent procedure as Bernie. Bernie released 3 detailed medical reports in December — just like the other candidates.
— Briahna Joy Gray (@briebriejoy) February 19, 2020
Gray also criticized Bloomberg for a tweet from his campaign manager attacking Sanders’ supporters as “Bernie bros”:
Using this moment to attack the most diverse, working class constituency in this race as "BernieBros" is a troubling choice, but not an unexpected one given the claims of racial & sexual harassment that Bloomberg will surely be forced to defend tonight. pic.twitter.com/LFLdHoMIjx
— Briahna Joy Gray (@briebriejoy) February 19, 2020
The two campaigns are escalating their attacks on each other before tonight’s debate, when Sanders and Bloomberg will face off for the first time as polls show them leading nationally.
After his withdrawal from the Democratic presidential primary, tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang is joining CNN as a political commentator.
I’m excited to join @CNN to help shed light on the election and the candidates’ experiences. Learned a lot these past months and am glad to contribute to the public discussion.
— Andrew Yang🧢 (@AndrewYang) February 19, 2020
Yang based his long-shot campaign around his proposal for universal basic income, and he attracted enough support and donors to outlast much more “established” candidates.
But Yang suspended his campaign last week after receiving only 3% of the vote in the New Hampshire primary.
After dropping out, Yang told BuzzFeed News: “There’s part of me that feels disappointed, like I didn’t fulfill some people’s goals for this campaign.”
He then memorably added: “There’s also a competitive part of me, too – like I can’t believe I lost to these people.”
Updated
Trump is once again lashing out against Mike Bloomberg, mocking the Democratic candidate for his height and accusing him (without evidence) of violating campaign finance laws.
Is corrupt Bloomberg News going to say what a pathetic debater Mini Mike is, that he doesn’t respect our great farmers, or that he has violated campaign finance laws at the highest and most sinister level with “payoffs” all over the place?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 19, 2020
Trump has previously criticized Bloomberg for receiving endorsements from members of Congress who have benefitted from the billionaire’s political donations, but that activity is not illegal.
On the other hand, Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen is currently serving time in prison after pleading guilty to violating campaign finance laws (among other charges).
Updated
Mike Bloomberg’s campaign responded to a false claim from Bernie Sanders’ press secretary that Bloomberg had previously suffered heart attacks by releasing a statement on his health.
In it, campaign manager Kevin Sheekey noted Bloomberg had coronary stents put in 20 years ago after a positive stress test, but he emphasized the candidate has never suffered a heart attack, as Sanders did this fall.
STATEMENT from @ksheekey on Sanders Campaign spreading absolute lies: pic.twitter.com/7tbsuncyvt
— Galia Slayen (@gslayen) February 19, 2020
Updated
Trump tweets about the justice department, ignoring Barr
Trump continues to ignore attorney general William Barr’s advice to stop tweeting about the justice department.
There must be JUSTICE. This can never happen to a President, or our Country, again! https://t.co/5epW4JPYkF
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 19, 2020
Barr said in an interview last week that Trump’s tweets make his job “impossible”, and he has reportedly threatened to quit over the president’s Twitter activity (although a justice department spokesperson denied those reports).
However, if Trump continues to tweet about justice department affairs, Barr may have to follow through on his reported threat.
Updated
Sanders and Bloomberg attack each other over their health
Ahead of tonight’s Democratic debate, advisers for Bernie Sanders and Mike Bloomberg are attacking each other, as polls show the two candidates leading nationally.
During a CNN interview this morning, Sanders’ press secretary was asked about whether the frontrunner should release more medical records, considering his heart attack this fall.
In response, Briahna Joy Gray argued Sanders was being held to a double standard, considering Bloomberg had also “suffered heart attacks in the past”.
JUST NOW: Press Sec for @BernieSanders equates questions on his medical records to "smear" campaign. & claims @MikeBloomberg has "suffered heart attacks."
— John Berman (@JohnBerman) February 19, 2020
Bloomberg had an irregular heartbeat & stents. But I've seen no record of attack. Checking now.pic.twitter.com/iW5Ag2xbUt
But Bloomberg’s campaign quickly clarified that the billionaire candidate has never had a heart attack, with one adviser calling Gray’s claim “a Trumpy lie”.
This is such a Trumpy lie from the Sanders camp, which rolls like Trump in many ways.
— Tim O'Brien (@TimOBrien) February 19, 2020
Mike Bloomberg has *never* had a heart attack. Bernie Sanders, on the other hand, has had a heart attack.
Those are the facts.
It’s a dangerous time when Sanders goes all in with Trumpism. https://t.co/Yk6RlI8WaN
The confrontation comes as Sanders faces more questions about his health and concerns about him being the oldest president ever elected if he wins in November.
During a CNN town hall last night, Sanders said he would not be releasing full medical records. “We have released quite as much documentation as any other candidate has,” Sanders said. “I think we have released a detailed medical report and I’m comfortable on what we have done.”
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There’s been a boost for Joe Biden ahead of the critical Super Tuesday set of primaries on 3 March. Sylvia Garcia, one of the first two Latina congresswomen from Texas, has endorsed him in public as early voting has begun in the state.
“The vice-president is probably one of the most qualified people I’ve seen run for president,” the 69-year-old Garcia told Associated Press. “Having worked his way up from city hall to working side by side with President Obama is a story in itself.
“He’s not forgotten where he came from. He’s proven himself. We know who he is. And like us, and I’m talking about Latinos when I say ‘us,’ he has a strong sense of social justice and a deep respect for humankind as a Catholic.”
Early voting started in Texas on Tuesday, and closes on 28 February, giving Texans 10 days to express their preference before the voting on Super Tuesday itself.
Garcia served as an impeachment manager during the Senate trial of Donald Trump.
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Tom Perez, chair of the Democratic National Committee, has been on CNN this morning attempting to reassure people that the fiasco of counting at the Iowa caucuses won’t be repeated at the weekend. He said he had “a lot of confidence in Nevada. We have gone to school over the lessons of Iowa. We are as low-tech as is humanly possible, while still preserving efficiency.”
DNC Chair Tom Perez says he has "a lot of confidence" things will run smoothly in Nevada following the chaos in this year's Iowa caucuses: "We have gone to school on the lessons of Iowa" https://t.co/cCiDJMgJDQ pic.twitter.com/79XaY0NPZf
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) February 19, 2020
He also hinted that there could be a higher than usual turn-out in Nevada, enabled partly by the change in the rules to allow early voting.
Describing the math of the early voting phase as “remarkable”, Perez said “In the first three days there were 36,000 early voters. We had 84,000 total participants in 2016. And that 36,000 doesn’t include yesterday, which I think may have been the biggest day of them all.”
Having visited several sites in the state, he said he put the expected increase down to people just “wanting this president out”.
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Another potential diplomatic row between the US and China has been opened up with the decision by Chinese authorities to revoke the press credentials of three journalists from the Wall Street Journal. The Chinese had objected to a column that was published naming China as the “real sick man of Asia”.
The column had criticised China’s efforts to combat the coronavirus epidemic. Despite none of them working on the piece in question, the three journalists - two American and one Australian - have been ordered to leave the country within five days.
The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China has issued a statement via Twitter describing the move as “an extreme and obvious attempt by the Chinese authorities to intimidate foreign news organizations by taking retribution against their China-based correspondents” adding that “China has not outright expelled a foreign correspondent since 1998, as far as the FCCC is aware.”
Our statement on China’s expulsion of three foreign correspondents - “an unprecedented form of retaliation.” pic.twitter.com/yDAFJqc163
— Foreign Correspondents' Club of China (@fccchina) February 19, 2020
2020 may not be a year that “It’s the economy, stupid!” holds true for the top priorities of the US voter. A new joint poll by Politico and Harvard that has come out this morning which suggests that healthcare costs are going to trump the health of the economy as the number one concern.
Regardless of party affiliation, some 80% of voters rated “taking steps to lower the cost of health care” as “extremely” or “very” important, and there was a similar level of support for “reducing prescription-drug costs”. The two issues polled higher than any structural changes to the healthcare system.
It certainly seems unlikely to be the climate crisis election that some people have been calling for. The climate crisis ranked only 11th among voters concerns, with “just 52 % overall agreeing that it was crucial to drastically increase federal spending and regulation to combat the issue”.
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In the last couple of hours the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, has arrived in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.
He had just been in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he was addressing the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.
The Department of State have published a video of his talk, where he spoke of his love of entrepreneurs, saying: “I love risk-takers and those people willing to just go out and crush it every day.” He introduced several businesswomen who were beneficiaries of the White House’s Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative.
State department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus re-iterated Pompeo’s message.
There is nothing more noble than allowing our people to have the dignity of work. As @SecPompeo reaffirmed in Ethiopia today, the U.S. believes in entrepreneurs across Africa. With the right policies and leadership, we believe true economic liberation can happen everywhere.
— Morgan Ortagus (@statedeptspox) February 19, 2020
Pompeo also had to cope with a lapel-mic failure that left him delivering the first minute of his speech to an auditorium that couldn’t actually hear him.
The trip to Saudi Arabia is Pompeo’s first visit since top Iranian general Qassem Suleimani was killed by US forces. Before leaving Ethiopa, Pompeo said of the visit to Saudi Arabia: “We’ll spend a lot of time talking about the security issues with the threat from the Islamic Republic of Iran in particular.
“The pressure campaign continues,” he said. “It’s not just an economic pressure campaign, it’s diplomatic pressures, isolation through diplomacy as well.”
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Donald Trump doesn’t get to take part in the set-piece election TV debates yet, but he certainly can’t seem to keep away from them. Approaching Saturday’s Nevada Democratic caucuses, the Trump campaign have chosen the day of the Democrats debate to publish a full-page ad attacking the leading candidates in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the city where it takes place.
The advert, which pictures Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, declares that “Democrats will kill Nevada jobs” and promises that “Big government socialism will wreck the economy”. It goes on to extol Trump’s record in office.
An image of it was tweeted out by Sarah Matthews, part of the Trump campaign’s press team.
Full page @TeamTrump newspaper ad running tomorrow in @reviewjournal on same day as Democrat debate in Las Vegas.
— Sarah Matthews (@SarahAMatthews1) February 19, 2020
The economy is booming thanks to @realDonaldTrump, but Democrats’ socialist policies threaten to upend that success and kill Nevada jobs! pic.twitter.com/54joE3QKUA
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CNN’s Jim Sciutto and Barbara Starr have been reporting that John Rood, currently undersecretary of defense for policy at the Pentagon, is expected to depart his role.
Breaking: Pentagon’s top policy official is expected to depart his post soon. John Rood, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, has lost the
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) February 19, 2020
support among senior national security leadership & has been asked for his resignation. - @barbarastarrcnn and I reporting.
According to their sources, Rood has “lost support among senior national security leadership and has been asked for his resignation”.
The Pentagon has declined to comment. Rood had been instrumental in implementing Trump’s National Defense Strategy.
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Sanders surges to poll lead – Bloomberg rises as Biden falls
A new poll this morning from ABC News and the Washington Post has firmly put Bernie Sanders into the lead ahead of tonight’s debate in Las Vegas.
The Vermont senator now commands 32% support among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, according to the poll. That’s up eight points since the previous ABC News/Washington Post poll on 23 January.
The poll also reflects the stalled momentum of Joe Biden’s run for the White House. Long considered the party establishment favourite, over the same period his support has slumped to 17%, which is down 11 points.
Mike Bloomberg is still behind Biden – on 14%, but that’s a rise of six points in a few weeks. Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg also made slight gains, with 6% and 7% support respectively, while Elizabeth Warren remained unchanged on 11% support.
BREAKING: Bernie Sanders is soaring and Joe Biden has crashed in national preference for the Democratic primary, new @ABC News/WaPo poll finds—while Iowa and New Hampshire helped clear room for a candidate not yet on the ballot: Mike Bloomberg. https://t.co/I2ciI4bOim pic.twitter.com/lsynMaYn1q
— ABC News (@ABC) February 19, 2020
The numbers will buoy the Sanders and Bloomberg teams going into the debate, but indicate again how much the other four contenders needs some kind of break-out moment tonight to reignite their campaigns
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If you’d like something to listen to over breakfast this morning, then Wednesday’s edition of Today In Focus might fit the bill. Our tech reporter Julia Carrie Wong spent a year analysing Trump’s Facebook campaign. In this podcast she discusses how the sophisticated social media machine is targeting voters with nearly $20m spent on more than 218,000 different ads.
Tonight’s debate will be a test for Mike Bloomberg’s strategy of bypassing Iowa and New Hampshire, and only getting his campaign into full stride ahead of his main aim – Super Tuesday on 3 March. Skipping the opening caucuses and primaries has never worked for a candidate in modern times.
Democratic strategist Brian Brokaw has told Associated Press that for his first debate appearance: “He is going to have a giant target on his back from all sides. It’ll either all come together brilliantly or could fall apart very quickly. The stakes are just incredibly high for him.”
There’s a question mark over Bloomberg’s readiness for the format. The last time he was on a debate stage was in 2009, and during his campaigns to be New York City mayor he never faced more than one challenger at a time. It is likely that the other five candidates will seize on their first opportunity to confront him in person.
And there’s been a lot emerging to confront him over during the last few days, as a series of past comments from Bloomberg about race have been highlighted. My colleague Adam Gabbatt has gathered together the most explosive quotes here. They are guaranteed to come up in Las Vegas tonight.
Bloomberg’s campaign. though, are promising to tackle the other contenders head on. “I think you’re going to see us go toe-to-toe with Bernie Sanders on important issues” said Bloomberg’s senior adviser Tim O’Brien, citing questions about Sanders’ own personal wealth, and his record on criminal justice and gun control.
Here’s Sam Levin with more …
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Department of Justice spokesperson Kerri Kupec has attempted to quash the rumours that the attorney general, William Barr, has considered resigning over Trump’s repeated tweeted interference in the Roger Stone case.
She used her official account overnight to state: “Addressing Beltway rumors: The Attorney General has no plans to resign.”
Addressing Beltway rumors: The Attorney General has no plans to resign.
— KerriKupecDOJ (@KerriKupecDOJ) February 19, 2020
Stone is still expected to be sentenced tomorrow.
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Good morning.
The main focus today for the Democratic challengers for the presidential election nomination is tonight’s televised debate in Las Vegas. After a controversial change of qualifying rules let him in, former mayor of New York Mike Bloomberg will be making his debate debut. It’s his chance to put his mouth where so far mostly his advertising money has been.
He takes the stage mired in controversy about his record on race and a whole series of comments that have re-emerged to haunt his campaign.
Joe Biden’s flagging campaign could do with a blockbuster performance from the former vice-president in the debate tonight, which could help shape the outcome of Saturday’s Nevada caucuses and the South Carolina primary the following week.
It all starts at 6pm Pacific time, and will last for two hours. NBC and MSNBC will air it, and it will also be available to stream online.
Donald Trump, meanwhile, is heading to Phoenix for his latest “Keep America Great” evening rally at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
His day is likely to be dogged by continued controversy over his comments about Roger Stone’s conviction and upcoming sentencing for witness tampering and lying to Congress, and the pardons he issued on Tuesday.
The president’s flurry of tweets about Stone yesterday, where he said “Everything having to do with this fraudulent investigation is badly tainted” may have pushed attorney general, William Barr, closer to the edge. Administration officials told the Washington Post and Associated Press that Barr has said to people people close to him that he is considering quitting his post.
Having falsely claimed, in relation to the Stone case that “I’m actually, I guess, the chief law enforcement officer of the country” the president also raised eyebrows yesterday by pardoning the swamp, rather than draining it.
Among a handful of pardons issued on Tuesday was one to former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. Blagojevich’s 14-year prison sentence for political corruption was commuted. The 63-year-old Democrat had been found guilty of crimes that included seeking to sell an appointment to Barack Obama’s old Senate seat. Expect the row about that to continue rumbling today.
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