Questions for the Watergate babies.

Did ever believe Nixon was going to get away with it? What did you do to cope with that feeling?

Joe prepares Iowa prebuttal to Trump before weekend rally

TX-28: Bernie Sanders endorses Jessica Cisneros, primary challenger to Henry Cuellar

Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is wading into one of Texas’ most closely watched primary challenges, endorsing progressive candidate Jessica Cisneros who has mounted a bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, one of the most conservative Democrats in Congress.

“This is the most important election in our lifetime and I’m proud there are so many candidates running for Congress who understand that real change comes from the bottom on up, not the top on down,” Sanders said in a statement.

Cisneros was one of nine candidates Sanders endorsed early Wednesday, in addition to incumbent Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Peter Welch of Vermont.

Some progressives had weighed in wondering why Sanders had not endorsed Cisneros earlier while she collected a number of high-profile endorsements, including from fellow presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren and U.S. Reps. Ayanna Pressley, D-Massachusetts, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York.

Justice Democrats, the progressive group famous for helping elect Ocasio-Cortez, also endorsed Cisernos last year.





https://www.texastribune.org/2020/01/29/bernie-sanders-jessica-cisneros-henry-cuellar-texas-2020/

Poll: Biden leads in Iowa, with Sanders in close second

Former Vice President Joe Biden continues to lead in Iowa just before the first-in-the-nation caucuses, but Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is closing the gap between himself and the front-runner, according to a Monmouth University poll released Wednesday.

The poll, conducted from Jan. 23-27, found Biden with 23 percent support among likely Democratic caucusgoers, roughly on par with a previous Monmouth survey from earlier this month that showed him at 24 percent in the Hawkeye State.

Sanders, however, is within the margin of error for first place, notching 21 percent in the latest poll — a 3-point gain since the early January survey.

Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), meanwhile, are neck and neck, scoring 16 percent and 15 percent, respectively. Another contender, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), took 10 percent in the poll, marking the first time since launching her presidential bid last year that she has scored in double digits in Iowa.

The survey suggests that, just five days out from the Iowa caucuses, the presidential race in the state is wide open, with no candidate having a clear advantage heading into caucus day.

What’s more, 45 percent of likely caucusgoers surveyed expressed at least some degree of openness to supporting a candidate other than their current first choice at the caucuses. Another 47 percent said they were firmly decided on their candidate of choice.



https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/480454-poll-biden-leads-in-iowa-with-sanders-in-close-second

Illinois lawmaker latest to endorse Biden for president

Former Vice President Joe Biden won the endorsement of Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) Wednesday, marking the latest endorsement he’s earned from a Democratic lawmaker.

Schneider, who represents a swing district in Illinois, heads up the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s Frontline program to re-elect House Democrats in tight races.

Schneider said Biden is the only candidate running who can defeat President Trump and bolster America’s international standing.

“Our nation is at a crossroads and needs an experienced leader who will immediately restore America’s standing in the world, fight for working families, and bring our country together. That leader is Joe Biden, which is why I am proud to endorse him for President of the United States,” Schneider said in a statement circulated by Biden’s campaign.

“Donald Trump has turned his back on America’s most trusted allies, chipped away at America’s reputation on the world stage, and fueled global crises. Joe is the only candidate in this race who will defeat Donald Trump and step into the Oval Office on day one with the credibility to immediately begin repairing and rebuilding international alliances — setting our nation on a path to again be a trusted and respected leader.”

Schneider is the 38th member of Congress to endorse Biden’s presidential campaign.





https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/480513-illinois-lawmaker-latest-to-endorse-biden-for-president

Outside group to launch Warren attack ad over Native American land rights bill

An outside group is launching a new attack ad on Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren over the Massachusetts senator’s endorsement of a bill aimed at protecting Native American land rights.

The digital ad will launch Thursday and run in Iowa and New Hampshire before the crucial, early state contests, according to a consultant with knowledge of the ad. The seven- to 10-day ad campaign will also run in Washington, D.C., the consultant said.

The ad is paid for by the Coalition to Restore American Values, a group that has previously hit Warren over her support for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Reservation Reaffirmation Act.

The ad aims to cast Warren, a top-tier candidate in the Democratic primary, as “fake” and “hypocritical,” according to a copy of the ad obtained by The Hill.

The 30-second digital ad is the latest rolled out by the Coalition to Restore American Values attacking Warren over her support for the bill.

The group was also behind an online ad featuring Warren in a Native American headdress over her “casino plan,” that ran in May, The Daily Beast reported at the time.

The Coalition to Restore American Values is registered to conservative political donor David Langdon, according to The Daily Beast which cited Ohio state records.



https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/480552-outside-group-to-launch-warren-attack-ad-over-native-american-land-rights

Pennsylvania moves to push primary up five weeks starting in 2024

Pennsylvania is moving to become more relevant in the early primary conversation starting in 2024.

The Pennsylvania Senate passed a bill Wednesday to push up the date of the state’s presidential primary five weeks to occur during the third week in March, beginning in 2024. Current election laws require the primary to be held on the fourth Tuesday in April, which is April 28 this year.

The legislation is now headed to the state’s House of Representatives for approval. If passed, the primary would only be moved up during presidential election years.

The state now has one of the last Democratic primary contests of the cycle, even though Pennsylvania has the fifth-most pledged delegates in the Democratic presidential nomination promising, The Associated Press reported.

State Sen. John Gordner (R) sponsored the bill, saying it would allow Pennsylvania to have more influence in the presidential primary process, without breaking Democratic National Committee or Republican National Committee rules, according to the AP.


https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/480596-pennsylvania-moves-to-push-primary-up-five-weeks-starting-in-2024

Warren gets endorsements from 45 Michigan officeholders, activists

Sen. Elizabeth Warren's (D-Mass.) presidential campaign on Wednesday released a list of 45 endorsements from Michigan officeholders and activists.

The Massachusetts progressive has obtained the backing from seven current Democratic members of the state legislature, making up more than 10 percent of the Democrats in the state’s House and Senate.

She also has bagged the support of U.S. Rep. Andy Levin (D) and former U.S. Rep. Sander Levin (D).

“I’m grateful to have the support of longtime progressive champions who have fought to make Michigan a better place for working families," Warren said in a statement. "We're in this fight to create big, structural change — and that means building a movement that makes our country work for everyone."

The Democratic state representatives that have publicly backed Warren are Sen. Mallory McMorrow, Sen. Stephanie Chang, Sen. Rosemary Bayer, Rep. Rebekah Warren, Rep. Laurie Pohutsky, Rep. Jim Ellison and Rep. Bill Sowerby.

"Our next president must rebuild the path toward opportunity, equity, and justice – for all of us,” Chang said in a release. “Elizabeth Warren has what it takes to boldly take on our toughest social, economic and environmental justice challenges. She is the best candidate to move us forward on the arc toward justice.

Other officeholders and activists supporting the presidential candidate include Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor, Macomb County Commissioner Robert Mijac, Macomb County Commissioner Elizabeth Lucido and Lonnie Scott, who heads the liberal group Progress Michigan.




https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/480606-warren-gets-endorsed-by-45-michigan-officeholders-activists

Minneapolis NAACP, Black Lives Matter call on Klobuchar to suspend campaign

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) is being called to suspend her presidential campaign after an Associated Press story published Tuesday showed she may have mishandled a case while she was Hennepin County's District Attorney.

As the county DA, Klobuchar sentenced Myon Burrell, who was a teenager at the time, to life in prison for the 2002 murder of 11-year-old Tyesha Edwards. The AP story revealed that Klobuchar convicted Burrell, now 33, despite there being little evidence and even though his co-defendant confessed to the crime and said Burrell wasn’t there.

Though Klobuchar was not the county’s top prosecutor the second time Burrell was convicted after filing an appeal, she reportedly denied his request to attend his mother’s funeral, claiming he was a threat to society.

In past debates, Klobuchar has touted her tough-on-crime stance as a Minneapolis prosecutor, and during her first Senate campaign, she recounted Burrell's conviction among others as her finding justice for black families who lost their children to gun violence.

On Wednesday, the Racial Justice Network, Minneapolis NAACP, Black Lives Matter Twin Cities, Twin Cities Coalition for Justice for Jamar, and Communities United Against Police Brutality all asked Klobuchar to suspend her White House bid. Edwards's father has also come out saying he believes Burrell may have been wrongfully convicted.

“What I need people to understand is this isn’t about partisanship and this isn’t about politics,” Leslie Redmond, president of the Minneapolis NAACP said in a press conference. “This is about justice ... This isn’t just a situation that happened to the Central Park Five alone. This is a situation that happens all around America. This is a situation that happens right here in Minnesota.



https://thehill.com/campaign-issues/480611-minneapolis-naacp-black-lives-matter-call-on-klobuchar-to-suspend-campaign

Prosecutors Back Away from Prison for Michael Flynn

Prosecutors have appeared to back away from their recommendation that former national security adviser Michael Flynn serve up to six months in prison, saying in court filings that probation remained a “reasonable sentence” that they would not oppose, the Washington Post reports.




https://politicalwire.com/2020/01/29/prosecutors-back-away-from-prison-for-michael-flynn/