Summary
Shutting down for the day. Here’s what happened in politics this evening if you’re just tuning in:
- It’s going to be a cold week, as the polar vortex rips through much of the US bringing with it record-breaking freezing — and dangerous — temperatures. Across the midwest officials are working to bring their unhoused residents inside, and most schools will be closed. Meanwhile Trump has used the emergency to mock climate change. Read more here:
- On 5 February Stacey Abrams will give the Democratic response to Trump’s State of the Union address, and will be joined by California attorney general Xavier Becerra, who will give a response in Spanish.
- Eric Garcetti, who has been the subject of political speculation recently, is having a news conference tonight. Read more about his announcement here.
See you tomorrow!
Updated
Senator Elizabeth Warren, now one of many in the rapidly expanding Democratic field for 2020, has slammed Starbucks head Howard Shultz, who is also considering an Independent bid for the presidency.
In an email sent to donors Warren excoriated the coffee CEO for his ridiculing comments on her “Ultra-Millionaire Tax” plan, which aims to hit roughly 75,000 of the richest Americans with a new 2% fee, and cast him as one of the billionaires she hopes to reign in:
In Howard Schultz’s world, people like him who are rich and powerful get to block any popular policy ideas they don’t like. And if they feel so inclined, people like him can even buy themselves the presidency of the United States. Now, that’s ridiculous.
The only thing standing between popular ideas getting passed are politicians who are beholden to someone or something other than their constituents. We can change that”.
This is what happens when you challenge the rich and powerful. They'll fight tooth and nail against anyone who stands up to them. But we need structural change to get our economy and our democracy back on track - and no billionaire is going to get in my way of fighting for it.
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) January 29, 2019
Politico is also reporting that one of Schultz’s competitors, La Colombe Coffee Roasters’ Todd Carmichael, has endorsed Warren and come to her defense.
“I first met Howard in 1984 and he’s done a lot for coffee, but right now he’s out of his depth on a vanity run for the presidency”, he told Politico. “Of course a billionaire would complain about a tax on billionaires, but it doesn’t mean it’s good policy for America”.
The polar vortex is sweeping through the midwest this week, and freezing temperatures are plunging even farther below areas in the arctic. Officials and communities are scrambling to find solutions for the unhoused residents who will be in extreme danger from cold.
[Thread] 👇
— Business Insider (@businessinsider) January 29, 2019
-75% of the continental US population is expected to face below-freezing temperatures this week as a polar vortex hits.
-Weather forecasters have warned of cold and wind so intense that it could give people frostbite within five minutes. https://t.co/OvFKWwqCEF pic.twitter.com/2vjmCcXwJp
Today Time Magazine published a story on Chicago’s 80,000 homeless people trying to escape the life-threatening weather, expected to reach into the double-digit negatives with windchill.
ALL @Chicago_Police Stations are warming centers, open to anyone in need of a warm place to get out from the cold. Contact 311 for assistance finding a warming center near you or to arrange a well being check on a friend or loved one. Dial 911 for police or medical emergency.
— Chicago PD 14th Dist (@ChicagoCAPS14) January 29, 2019
As temperatures continue to drop, we’re adding extra beds to shelters to ensure everyone in need has a safe, warm place to stay. No one in need of a shelter bed will be turned away. Those seeking access to #warmingcenters, a bed or experiencing inadequate heat should call 3-1-1. pic.twitter.com/dGH1oBTpCW
— Mayor Rahm Emanuel (@ChicagosMayor) January 29, 2019
Doug Schenkelberg, the executive director of Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, says Chicago has added about 500 beds to its homeless shelters during the current freeze, and has opened warming centers in buses, libraries, and recreational centers across the city. However, he says that there are many reasons homeless people may avoid shelters. Some are fearful for their safety or their belongings, others have difficulty traveling to them, and some can’t meet a shelter’s rules, such as a sobriety requirement. Most Chicago shelters also require people to leave in the morning, Schenkelberg adds”.
Following the President’s State of the Union address on February 5, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra will give the Democratic response in Spanish, Congressional leaders announced today. Former George House Minority Leader Stacy Abrams will give the English response.
I am proud to announce that @AGBecerra will deliver the Spanish response to the State of the Union.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) January 29, 2019
Xavier Becerra embodies the promise of America and his moral and vigilant leadership is a critical marker for all who believe that our country’s best days are still ahead of us.
Looking forward to this. Truth, candor and unity should be the order of the day! Thanks to @SenSchumer and @SpeakerPelosi for the opportunity. #SOTU https://t.co/TIO76t2YZ3
— Xavier Becerra (@AGBecerra) January 29, 2019
Here is his statement, released with the announcement:
I’m looking forward to addressing my fellow Americans on a day when truth, candor and unity should be the order of the day. There is enough good going on in this country that we don’t need to hide behind misrepresentations to describe the State of our Union. Americans work hard, we remain the hub of innovation, and we’ll fight to defend our liberties and the rule of law. The America I know is ready to fight to keep its healthcare, to root out public corruption, and treat everyone in our nation with respect. Democrats are ready to build a stronger Union”.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti will hold a press conference at City Hall today at 5 pm Pacific, some think to settle once and for all whether or not he will enter the 2020 race. The LA Times reports that it’s unlikely Garcetti would announce his candidacy on city property, and insiders have also told Politico he is not going to run, so this could be a way for him to put all the speculation to rest.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti will hold a press conference at 5p PT/ 8p ET at Los Angeles City Hall, according to a press release from his office.
— Dan Merica (@merica) January 29, 2019
Garcetti has been mulling a presidential bid and urged reporters asking about his plans last week to “stay tuned.”
Others were hopeful that his unplanned and elusive announcement might be about something more important to the city he governs.
This tweet was a total joke meant for those of us who were just notified that the mayor has called a press conference today at 5 on some unknown topic but honestly what other announcement could be as important??? https://t.co/BLKPFejnhx
— Alissa Walker (@awalkerinLA) January 29, 2019
We will have more on this at 5 pm so stay tuned.
Gabrielle Canon here on the west coast, taking over for Ben Jacobs.
The Associated Press is reporting that Eric T. Schneiderman, the former New York State attorney general and vocal proponent of the #MeToo movement, who resigned in May after he was accused of assaulting four women, used campaign funds to finance his legal fees.
Eric Schneiderman used nearly $340,000 in political campaign funds to pay the law firm that represented him during an investigation of allegations that he physically abused several women, according to campaign finance reports reviewed by the AP. https://t.co/AeVWdMl7aT
— erica orden (@eorden) January 29, 2019
AP reports that roughly $1.5 million in contributions was refunded since his resignation but his campaign finance documents show that Schneiderman’s re-election committee paid a law firm $339,710 from May through December of 2018.
Michelle Manning Barish, a Democratic activist and writer who accused Schneiderman of abusing her when they dated in 2013, said he should have been forced to pay his lawyers out of his own pocket.
‘That money was given in good faith by donors who expected Mr. Schneiderman to help women’, Manning Barish said. ‘What a luxury to be able to assault women who donated to your campaign and then use their money to defend yourself’”.
In November, a special prosecutor declined to file charges against Schneiderman, citing legal hurdles in proving the claims. Roughly $6.5 million remains in his committee’s fund.
Summary
- Roger Stone pleaded not guilty in court today on charges of lying to investigators
- Losing Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams will give the Democratic response to the State of the Union
- Former Arizona senator Jeff Flake ruled out a presidential bid as a never-Trump Republican as he signed on to be a pundit with CBS
There is fierce competition right now for operatives among Democratic presidential campaigns. Julian Castro’s campaign has gone so far as to post an application on their website for potential hires with detailed options to choose from.
George Papadopoulos, the former Trump campaign aide who served a brief prison stint for lying to FBI agents in the Russia investigation, has a new job at a medical marijuana company.
Papadopoulos joins a medical marijuana startup https://t.co/oIAw6Jzcqs
— Lachlan Markay (@lachlan) January 29, 2019
Coffee magnate Howard Schultz will take his time to decide to pursue a third party presidential bid. The former Starbucks CEO has become a lightning rod on the left in recent days with his public musing about running as an independent.
New: @HowardSchultz may not decide on a presidential run until "summer or fall," his political adviser Bill Burton tells me.https://t.co/0nYekuZNUD
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) January 29, 2019
It appears that the White House will miss the statutory deadline for submitting a budget to Congress.
BUDGET NEWS: The WH won't be transmitting the president’s FY20 budget next week and is working on a revised schedule, a senior OMB official tells @BGOV .
— Cheryl Bolen (@cherylbolen) January 29, 2019
By statute, president's annual budget is due no later than first Monday in February, but no penalty for missing deadline.
Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer became the youngest woman in Capitol Hill history to lead a subcommittee. The 29-year-old Finkenauer, who was elected last year from a swing district in Iowa, is the second youngest woman to ever serve in Congress.
INBOX: Congresswoman @RepFinkenauer Appointed to Serve as Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Rural Development, Agriculture, Trade, and Entrepreneurship #IA01
— Clay Masters (@Clay_Masters) January 29, 2019
Stacey Abrams to give Democratic response to State of the Union
Stacey Abrams, the losing gubernatorial candidate in Georgia last year will give the Democratic response to the State of the Union next year. Abrams is being heavily recruited to run for Senate in the Peach State in 2020.
Sen. Schumer confirms what @chrislhayes reported first: @staceyabrams will give Dem response to State of the Union
— Jesse Rodriguez (@JesseRodriguez) January 29, 2019
A Democrat on the House intelligence committee is raising questions about the treasury secretary, Steve Mnuchin, to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, who had sanctions lifted against him recently.
Jackie Speier of California is demanding Mnuchin answer questions about a business deal with a Deripaska associate.
California Rep Jackie Speier, a member of the House intelligence committee, sent a letter to Mnuchin last week seeking answers about a deal he reportedly made in 2017 with an associate of Oleg Deripaska, the billionaire aluminum magnate whose companies Treasury surprisingly announced it would be taking off the formal sanctions list in December. The letter, sent Wednesday, was obtained by BuzzFeed News.
Mnuchin’s department has been embroiled in a fight on Capitol Hill over treasury’s decision to lift sanctions on companies controlled by Deripaska, the oligarch connected to President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort. Democrats in Congress – and some Republicans – tried unsuccessfully in recent weeks to block treasury from lifting the sanctions, which initially shook aluminum markets and reportedly cost Deripaska billions.
Speier says she wants to learn more about Mnuchin’s involvement with Leonid Blavatnik, a Ukrainian-born billionaire with whom he co-owned a Hollywood film company up until 2017. Mnuchin had to divest from RatPac-Dune Entertainment as part of his confirmation process and disclosed the sale of his shares, but the exact prices and purchasers are unknown. However, the Hollywood Reporter reported that Mnuchin sold the shares to Blavatnik for approximately $25m.
Updated
As snow and cold approach Washington DC, one new elected member of Congress is taking umbrage at the city’s reaction to winter weather.
People in DC love to show how tough they are and call their opponents ‘snowflake.’ Unless the weather forecast includes snowflakes, and then they cancel meetings, leave work early and buy all of the bottled water at the grocery store. Snowflakes. Also, #SkiUtah. #utpol
— Rep. Ben McAdams (@RepBenMcAdams) January 29, 2019
Updated
Dark horse moderate presidential candidate John Delaney has picked up the endorsement of three Democratic county chairs in Iowa.
Former Maryland congressman and presidential candidate John Delaney earned endorsements from three Democratic Party county chairs in Iowa, according to his campaignhttps://t.co/dHPOXAQw44
— POLITICO (@politico) January 29, 2019
Delaney, a former three-term congressman from Maryland, launched his presidential campaign 18 months ago and has already visited every county in Iowa. He is in Iowa this week to open two campaign offices in Council Bluffs and Sioux City.
Joe Biden is still playing coy about a potential presidential bid in 2020.
As he deplaned a flight at Dulles, @JoeBiden told me he’s in no hurry to announce whether he’s running for president in 2020. “I don’t have any particular timetable. I don’t think there’s any hurry, but there’s a bigger hurry to decide just personally.”
— Arlette Saenz (@ArletteSaenz) January 29, 2019
Losing Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum is joining CNN. Gillum’s defeat was one of the few bright spots for Republicans in the midterms.
The former Tallahassee mayor is still facing an ongoing ethics probe involving accepting a number of gifts including tickets to the Broadway musical Hamilton from lobbyists. Last week, the state ethics commission found probable cause that he violated Florida’s ban on elected officials accepting gifts worth more than $100 from lobbyists.
Former Tallahassee mayor and Democratic nominee for FL governor @AndrewGillum is joining @CNN as a political commentator.
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) January 29, 2019
Although Roger Stone did not speak to reporters outside the courtroom today, he is currently on the phone with Infowars.
Roger Stone declined to talk to cameras outside court but decided to call into perhaps a friendlier audience: InfoWars. He’s on right now, calling his indictment a “legal lynching”.
— Charlie Gile (@CharlieGileNBC) January 29, 2019
Leaving an event in New Hampshire this morning, Michael Bloomberg gave a very equivocal answer about a potential presidential bid.
Breaking: EXCLUSIVE - must credit @BostonGlobe - 1 question interview, @MikeBloomberg was asked where he was in process of running for President and he responded “somewhere between here and there.” #fitn pic.twitter.com/UgCT3NPncy
— James Pindell (@JamesPindell) January 29, 2019
Updated
Roger Stone has left the courtroom in Washington. As the Guardian’s David Smith reports, he left without saying anything. “A reporter asked him for comment. Stone said: ‘No questions.’”
Steny Hoyer, the number two Democrat in the House, dodged a question this morning about the latest reporting about Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib’s ties to antisemites.
.@LeaderHoyer, asked abt GOP efforts to get Dem leadership to weigh in on @RashidaTlaib’s connection to a fundraiser who made antisemitic comments: “I don’t know that I draw the conclusion that these two members (Tlaib & Omar) are antisemitic. I don’t accept that.”
— Rachael Bade (@rachaelmbade) January 29, 2019
As the Daily Caller reported yesterday:
Tlaib is a member of the Facebook group “Palestinian American Congress”, where members often demonize Jews. The group’s founder, Palestinian activist Maher Abdel-qader, was a key fundraiser for Tlaib and organized campaign events for her around the country.
In January 2018, Abdel-qader shared an antisemitic video that claimed Jews aren’t actually Jewish, and invented their historical claim to Israel and secretly control the media.
The video, which described Jews as “satanic”, also questioned whether 6 million Jews actually died in the Holocaust.
“Research the truth about the Holocaust, and you’ll definitely start to question what you thought you knew,” the video’s narrator says.
Updated
Roger Stone pleads not guilty
As expected, longtime Trump confidante Roger Stone pleaded not guilty this morning in Washington.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Trump confidant Roger Stone pleads not guilty to charges of lying to Congress, obstruction in Russia probe.
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) January 29, 2019
Top US intelligence officials contradicted Donald Trump this morning in a public hearing of the Senate intelligence committee.
Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence, testified: “We currently assess North Korea will seek to retain its WMD capability and is unlikely to completely give up its nuclear weapons and production capability.”
Trump is moving towards another meeting with Kim Jong-un in an effort to curb North Korea’s nuclear program and has claimed his efforts have been successful so far.
Updated
A protester waving two Russian flags dashed across the street to greet Roger Stone at the US District Court for the District of Columbia just after 10am on Tuesday.
Several dozen members of the public and media were gathered in downtown Washington for the arrival of Stone, who wore a suit and tie and smiled calmly.
A protester held a sign that said “dirty traitor”. Supporters chanted and waved laminated signs with pictures of Stone last Friday flashing a Richard Nixon-style victory sign, along with a link to his online defense fund. Three law enforcement vehicles with flashing lights were parked in the street.
Senate postpones vote on Barr confirmation
The Senate judiciary committee has postponed its confirmation vote on William Barr to be attorney general. Although Barr is expected to be eventually confirmed, concerns have been raised by Democrats over his views on the Mueller investigation.
Updated
At an event in Washington today, progressive billionaire Tom Steyer unveiled an effort to push top Democrats to support impeaching Donald Trump.
.@TomSteyer is going to announce today details of his plan to press impeachment by targeting key Dem committee chairs with organizers and ads in their districts: @JerryNadler, @RepAdamSchiff, @RepCummings, @RepMaxineWaters
— Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) January 29, 2019
The Trump Winery, which is owned by Donald Trump’s son Eric, is seeking foreign workers for 23 positions.
BuzzFeed reports:
Trump Winery, also known as Trump Vineyard Estates, LLC, is seeking the workers under the federal H-2 visa program, which allows US employers to hire foreign laborers on a temporary basis as long as no qualified US workers want the jobs. The work on the 1,300-acre estate, which pays $12.25 an hour, would start in mid-March and could run through late October.
Updated
The Senate intelligence committee hearing on worldwide threats has begun and is available here.
Updated
A top official on the Trump campaign says they are preparing to sue former White House official Cliff Sims over his new memoir.
The Trump campaign is preparing to file suit against Cliff Sims for violating our NDA. https://t.co/Xl1N95fPkH
— Michael Glassner (@michaelglassner) January 29, 2019
Former Arizona senator Jeff Flake ruled out a 2020 presidential bid this morning.
Flake, a Republican who was a vocal critic of Trump, made the comments in his first appearance on CBS News as a contributor.
Good morning.
Longtime Trump associate Roger Stone has an initial court hearing this morning, progressive billionaire Tom Steyer is continuing his push to impeach Donald Trump and top intelligence officials including FBI director Chris Wray and Gina Haspel are testifying before the Senate intelligence committee.
It’s Tuesday in American politics.
Updated
