Source: The Hill

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Trump administration in a case that contested the president’s “public charge” rule, which critics have called a “wealth test” for legal immigrants.

The policy in question, the Immigration and Nationality Act, makes immigrants who are “likely at any time to become a public charge” ineligible for greencards. The policy virtually bars legal immigrants in the process of obtaining permanent legal status or citizenship from using public assistance, including Medicaid, housing vouchers and food stamps.

The case heard by the Court, Wolf v. Cook County, sought to reject the policy’s effect in Illinois. The district court filed a preliminary injunction, which temporarily stalled the policy in the state and sent the case to the Supreme Court. On Friday, the five conservative justices ruled in favor of the stay, while the liberal justices opposed it.


The Supreme Court had previously voted 5-4 in January to lift a nationwide injunction imposed by a federal judge in New York while the case plays out in appeals court. Last week Solicitor General Noel Francisco sent a request asking the court to do the same for an injunction imposed by an Illinois district court.

Read more: https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/484196-supreme-court-allow-public-charge-rule-to-take-effect-across-country

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Another 5-4 decision, ugh...

Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg on Tuesday qualified for his first appearance in a Democratic presidential primary debate.

The billionaire media mogul received 19 percent of support from an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll, allowing him to join the stage at the Feb. 19 debate in Las Vegas.

Candidates need four national polls showing 10 percent or higher support or 12 percent or more in two single-state polls of Nevada and South Carolina. They have until 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 18 to qualify for the debate, which is being hosted by NBC News, MSNBC and the Nevada Independent.

Candidates can also qualify by winning at least one delegate from the Iowa caucus or the New Hampshire primary. To date, former Vice President Joe Biden, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., have all qualified for the stage, according to an unofficial NBC News survey.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/bloomberg-qualifies-next-democratic-debate-n1134976

Brand new poll. Feel the Bern!

http://filesforprogress.org/datasets/2020/2/nv/nv_2_17_2020.pdf

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/latest_polls/

Here's the Republican primary Senate polls. Looks like our best hope at winning, Roy Moore, is way behind:



And here's the General Election polls, against Doug Jones:

Alabama Senate - Sessions vs. Jones: Sessions 54, Jones 41 - Sessions +13
Alabama Senate - Tuberville vs. Jones: Tuberville 50, Jones 42 - Tuberville +8
Alabama Senate - Byrne vs. Jones: Byrne 51, Jones 42 - Byrne +9

Not looking good at all.

https://www.aldailynews.com/new-alabama-poll-shows-tight-race-for-u-s-senate/

Now, here's the General Election President's race polls. Not for the faint of heart, although Bloomberg does best:

Alabama: Trump vs. Sanders: Trump 60, Sanders 37 - Trump +23
Alabama: Trump vs. Buttigieg: Trump 58, Buttigieg 37 - Trump +21
Alabama: Trump vs. Bloomberg: Trump 54, Bloomberg 40 - Trump +14
Alabama: Trump vs. Biden: Trump 58, Biden 38 - Trump +20
Alabama: Trump vs. Warren: Trump 62, Warren 35 - Trump +27

https://www.aldailynews.com/trump-leads-democratic-contenders-in-alabama-poll/

Source: CNBC

Bernie Sanders will win Tuesday’s New Hampshire Democratic primary, NBC News projected, setting him up near the top of a fractured presidential field.

The Vermont senator will edge out former South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota will come in third, according to NBC.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and former Vice President Joe Biden were vying for fourth place as final results came in. Neither candidate will reach the 15% threshold needed to win pledged delegates, statewide and in both of its congressional districts.

The victory gives Sanders an early boost in the push for the Democratic presidential nomination after he left the Iowa caucuses with the second-most pledged national delegates in the field. The process now enters a series of generally larger, more diverse states, where the Vermont senator has outperformed Buttigieg and Klobuchar in polls.

Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/11/new-hampshire-primary-2020-results-and-updates.html

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Congrats to Bernie. Pete and Klobuchar did excellent as well.

Entirely possible, since he’d be 81. Well, if he does last that long on the Court, that will mean that we would have a Right-Wing Chief Justice for 50 freaking years!!! Are we kidding? As it stands now, it’s been 34 years of Rehnquist/Roberts as Chief Justice. Ridiculous!

Interesting. In second place is Biden with a 17% chance.

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2020-primary-forecast/?ex_cid=rrpromo

This is actually quite incredible. If she lives another two years, she will join an elite crew known as supercenturions. Even as it is now, she is probably one on the top 500 oldest humans on the planet. Not sure of her politics, but wishing her a happy birthday. Many more.

Source: The Hill

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday ripped up her copy of President Trump's prepared remarks at the conclusion of his State of the Union address.

As Trump finished speaking and most lawmakers stood to applaud, Pelosi stood, took the printed copy of Trump's speech and tore it in half. She placed the shredded copy in a stack on the dais as Trump made his way to greet members of Congress.

The moment capped a tense address from Trump that started when the president appeared to snub Pelosi's offer of a handshake.

Pelosi largely seemed to avoid looking at Trump throughout the address, instead reading from his prepared remarks and scanning the room.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/481540-pelosi-rips-up-trump-speech-at-conclusion-of-state-of-the-union?amp

I’m not sure, but it looked like she was telling someone to stop? Happened roughly 3 minutes ago. It was when Trump was talking about appointments my Gorsuch and Kavanaugh.