memeorandum: Jeff Bezos Is Sued by His Girlfriend's Brother (New York Times)

9:05 PM ET, February 2, 2020

Top Items:

Jennifer Epstein / Bloomberg:

Joe Biden Could Be Impeached by GOP Over Ukraine if He Wins, Iowa Senator Says — Iowa Senator Joni Ernst warned Sunday that Republicans would immediately push to impeach Joe Biden over his work in Ukraine as vice president if he win the White House. — “I think this door of impeachable whatever …

Discussion: The Hill, Mother Jones, Axios, Talking Points Memo, KTLA, HuffPost, Daily Kos, Raw Story, Mediaite, POLITICUSUSA and Twitchy

NBC News:

John Kerry overheard discussing possible 2020 bid amid concern of ‘Sanders taking down the Democratic Party’ — That he would even discuss the possibility suggests that prominent members of the Democratic Party remain deeply unsettled by the current field. — DES MOINES, Iowa …

Discussion: Politico, Fox News, Washington Post, Power Line, Redstate, CNN, Slate, The Hill, BuzzFeed News, New York Times, The Guardian, Twitchy, Instapundit, The Daily Caller, Mediaite and Common Dreams

Lara M. Brown / The Hill:

Democrats need a ‘dark horse,’ not a frontrunner, to win in November — While uncertainty abounds over what will happen in Iowa on Monday night, it is clear that if the Iowa caucuses were the proverbial smoke-filled back room of the party bosses, rather than a wintry endurance test for activists, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) would win.

Discussion: The Guardian and FiveThirtyEight

Associated Press:
In Iowa, anxiety and unpredictability clouds caucus finish

Discussion: Politico, Axios, The Hill, NBC News, ABC News and The Daily Beast

Natasha Korecki / Politico:
Rivals warn Sanders campaign plans to game Iowa results

Discussion: Washington Post, Fox News, Axios, PJ Media Home, The Nation, Associated Press and The Hill

Axios:
Ernst says Trump's focus on Bidens in Ukraine could influence Iowa caucuses

Discussion: Breitbart and The Hill

Jennifer Epstein / Bloomberg: Biden Advisers Say He's ‘Anything But Doomed’ Ahead of Iowa Vote

Andrew O'Reilly / Fox News:
On eve of Iowa Caucus, Klobuchar faces tough questions over prosecuting teen who is jailed for life

Discussion: Mediaite, Breitbart and HuffPost

Andy Shain / Post and Courier:

Sanders and Steyer closing gap on Biden as SC 2020 presidential primary nears — COLUMBIA — Joe Biden's hold atop South Carolina Democratic presidential primary polls has never wavered over nearly a year. — But the former vice president's lead continues to slide with the South's first primary just under a month away.

Discussion: Vox, CNN, Reuters, The Hill, Breitbart and Bloomberg

Mark Murray / NBC News:

NBC/WSJ poll: Country remains divided over Trump's impeachment trial — Majorities of Americans believe the president abused his power and obstructed Congress but split over whether it was enough to remove him. — WASHINGTON — Majorities of American voters believe that President Donald Trump abused …

Discussion: The Hill, KXAN-TV, Axios, IJR, Outside the Beltway and Twitchy

Philip Klein / Washington Examiner:

New South Carolina poll is a disaster for Joe Biden — Joe Biden may have just received the worst news of his campaign, as a new poll shows his support in his firewall state of South Carolina collapsing along with his once-dominant support among black voters, with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Tom Steyer closing the gap.

Discussion: Redstate

Robert T. Garrett / Dallas Morning News:

Donald Trump ahead in Texas, though Joe Biden, Mike Bloomberg close behind, Dallas Morning News-UT Tyler poll shows — While Trump may face ‘ceiling’ on his support, pollster says turning Texas purple will require ‘significant investment’ by Democratic hopefuls.

Discussion: The Hill and Politico

Daniel Politi / Slate:
Poll: Biden, Sanders Tied for First Place in Iowa

Discussion: The Hill, Associated Press and Des Moines Register, more at Mediagazer »

Ryan Grim / The Intercept: The Unfiltered Thoughts of Voters Who've Switched

Allan Smith / NBC News:

Trump attacks Bloomberg's height hours before their dueling Super Bowl ads — “He is a pathological liar who lies about everything: his fake hair, his obesity, and his spray-on tan,” the Bloomberg campaign said in response. — Hours before their dueling ads are set to compete in Sunday's Super Bowl …

Discussion: Redstate, The Gateway Pundit, Breitbart, Raw Story, Mediaite, Vox, Axios, CNN, Politico, Mother Jones, New York Post, Florida Politics, Washington Post, The Independent, Occupy Democrats and One America News Network

HuffPost:

Taxpayers Get $3.4 Million Tab So Trump Can Host Super Bowl Party For His Club Members — The president's latest trip to his Palm Beach resort and nearby golf course brings the taxpayer-funded total for his golfing hobby to $130.4 million. — Taxpayers shelled out another $3.4 million …

Discussion: The Independent

The Daily Beast:

Trump's Ugly Media Obsessions: ‘Fat’ Meghan McCain, ‘Bitch’ Katy Tur & More — EXCERPT — In this selection from their new book, “Sinking in the Swamp,” Daily Beast reporters Lachlan Markay and Asawin Suebsaeng lay bare Trump's petty, relentless rants about the media.

Discussion: Raw Story

The Times of Israel:

Savaging Trump plan, Abbas says Palestinians cutting all ties with Israel, US — ‘I will not have it recorded in my history that I sold Jerusalem,’ PA leader tells emergency meeting of Arab League; offers to present alternative proposal — Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas …

Discussion: Breitbart, Politico and Axios

New York Times:

Jeff Bezos Is Sued by His Girlfriend's Brother — Michael Sanchez says he was trying to protect his sister in a lawsuit complaint. — The brother of Jeff Bezos's girlfriend has filed a lawsuit accusing Mr. Bezos and his security consultant of defaming him in connection …

BBC:

Streatham attack: Man shot dead by police after stabbings in London — A man has been shot dead by police in south London after he attacked people on a busy high street. — The man was under active police surveillance at the time of the attack, which police believe to be an Islamist-related terrorist incident.

Discussion: Breitbart, National Review, Mynewsdesk, NPR and NBC News

Associated Press:
Man wearing fake bomb stabs 2 in London and is shot to death

Discussion: BBC, The Week, The Gateway Pundit and The Daily Beast

CNN:

Ernst on Ukraine call: Trump ‘knows now’ to use proper channels - CNN Video — In an interview with Jake Tapper, Iowa GOP Senator Jonie Ernst says that she doesn't think Trump will press a foreign country to investigate a political rival again

Will Bunch / The Philadelphia Inquirer:

The truth that mattered at Trump's impeachment trial? America is a monarchy now — In the end, it was kind of fitting that famed attorney Alan Dershowitz showed up to deliver the fatal blow. In the 1990s, the Harvard Law prof was part of a team of lawyers that established that if you're …

Mara Liasson / NPR:

What The 2020 Election Is All About — More than anything, this election is about President Trump. — For most incumbent presidents running for reelection, approval ratings really matter. With Trump, there are several different striking ways to look at those numbers.

Martin Pengelly / The Guardian:

‘How do you fall for the Bernie Sanders scam?’ Martin O'Malley on the Democrats and Iowa — In 2016, the Maryland governor ran for president. Now he's taking the battle to Trump - and hoping his party won't veer too far left — Four years ago, in Iowa, Martin O'Malley withdrew …

Washington Post:

Senate Republicans defend decision to bar new evidence as Trump acquittal vote nears — Senate Republicans on Sunday acknowledged that President Trump was wrong to pressure Ukraine for his own political benefit, even as they defended their decision to prohibit new evidence in his impeachment trial …

Discussion: Associated Press, New York Times, Mother Jones and The Hill

Philip Rucker / Washington Post: ‘A massive historical story’: Trump's impending acquittal could have profound ramifications for future presidents

Summer Concepcion / Talking Points Memo:

GOP Chair Won't Defend Her Uncle Mitt Romney After Witness Vote Backlash — So much for blood is thicker than water. — Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel dodged when asked to respond to the GOP backlash her uncle Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) has faced since being one of two Republicans …

Rachel Wolf / Jerusalem Post:

EU top diplomat: US ‘so-called peace plan’ challenges international law — On Sunday, the EU released Borrell's remarks following his meeting with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi. — European Union High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell said that US President Donald …