memeorandum: How Rick Perry waltzed past the impeachment probe (Politico)

12:50 PM ET, February 5, 2020

Top Items:

Pelosi trashes Trump address: ‘He shredded the truth, so I shredded his speech’ — Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday trashed President Trump's raucous State of the Union address while huddling with rank-and-file Democrats and explained why she dramatically ripped up his speech as he wrapped up his remarks.

Discussion: Breitbart and New York Post

Elizabeth Vaughn / Redstate:

Reaction to SOTU: ‘We Need to Put a Cape on His Back, an ‘S’ on His Chest, and Call Him Superman’ — Fox News' Pete Hegseth asked voters in Carthage, NC what they thought about President Trump's State of the Union address. One elderly woman told him, “We need to put a cape on his back, an “S” on his chest, and call him Superman.

Discussion: New York Times, Vanity Fair and Real Clear Politics

Politico:

Pelosi unloads on Trump in private meeting after SOTU standoff — Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped into President Donald Trump in a private meeting with Democrats Wednesday, just hours after the two jousted in a silent sparring match during his State of the Union address.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Jim Geraghty / National Review:

Pelosi's Petty Move — On the menu today: I don't know about you, but I'm really eager to dive into today's topics. For once, we've got four consequential stories brewing simultaneously: Trump's reelection argument in the State of the Union Address and House speaker Nancy Pelosi's decision …

Discussion: The American Spectator, Washington Post and CNN

Miami Herald:

Parkland father removed from State of the Union speech after shouting at Trump — The father of a high school freshman killed in the 2018 mass shooting at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was removed from the audience at President Donald Trump's State of the Union address Tuesday night …

Discussion: The Hill, The Guardian, Vox, Mother Jones and Axios

Rebecca Falconer / Axios:

In photos: All the drama from State of the Union address — President Trump delivered his State of the Union address during what was an eventful night at the Capitol on Tuesday. — Details: From Trump appearing to snub House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's handshake before his address …

Discussion: Redstate, Newsweek, Breitbart and Politico

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Pelosi ripped up a speech. Trump is ripping up our democracy.

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA, New York Times and Mediaite

Ashley Parker / Washington Post:
With chants, walkouts and a ripped-up speech, bitter partisanship dominates Trump's State of the Union

Discussion: Washington Monthly, New York Times, Associated Press, Outside the Beltway, Axios and Politico

Michael Goodwin / New York Post: Nancy Pelosi shamed herself at Trump's State of the Union address

Stephen Collinson / CNN:
Trump makes dazzling, divisive reelection pitch in State of the Union

Discussion: Vox, COURIER, Columbia Journalism Review and alicublog, more at Mediagazer »

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:
Trump and Pelosi Exchange Snubs at the State of the Union Address

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA, Washington Post and Breitbart

Jamie Lovegrove / Post and Courier:

Upstate GOP leaders plotting to meddle in SC Democratic primary by boosting Bernie Sanders — COLUMBIA — A group of prominent Upstate Republicans are preparing to launch a wide-scale effort this week to encourage GOP voters across South Carolina to vote for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders …

Discussion: National Review, New York Post, POLITICUSUSA, The Hill, Raw Story and No More Mister Nice Blog

Associated Press:

Biden's poor showing in Iowa shakes establishment support — DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Joe Biden's third presidential bid enters a critical stretch after a disappointing finish in the Iowa caucuses sent the former vice president on to New Hampshire with a skittish donor base …

Discussion: UnionLeader.com, ABC News, Vanity Fair, Politico, The Hill, The Daily Beast, Washington Post, Redstate and The Gateway Pundit

Ken Thomas / Wall Street Journal:
How Iowa Slipped Away From Joe Biden

Discussion: Breitbart

The Boston Globe:
Bernie Sanders widens lead in latest N.H. poll

Discussion: TheDenverChannel.com, Breitbart, New York Times, The Federalist and National Journal

Joan Walsh / The Nation:
Elizabeth Warren Has a Movement. You Just Don't See It Yet.

Discussion: The Hill

jones.senate.gov:

Senator Doug Jones Statement on Impeachment Decision — “As this chapter of history draws to a close, one thing is clear: our country deserves better than this. We must find a way to come together, to set aside partisan differences, and to focus on what we have in common as Americans.”

Discussion: Mother Jones, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit and Bloomberg

Politico:
Red state Democrat Doug Jones will vote to convict Trump

Discussion: ABC News and Althouse

Washington Post:

Fact-checking President Trump's 2020 State of the Union address — President Trump's State of the Union speech once again was chock-full of stretched facts and dubious figures. Many of these claims have been fact-checked repeatedly, yet the president persists in using them.

Discussion: Vox, Associated Press and Daily Kos

Timothy Bella / Washington Post:
Rush Limbaugh joins the likes of Mother Teresa and Rosa Parks as recipient of highest civilian honor

Discussion: The Guardian, Raw Story and Politico

Cganemccalla / NewsOne:
Rush Limbaugh's Most Racist Quotes: A Timeline Of Destructive Commentary

Discussion: The Nation

Issie Lapowsky / protocol:

He complained about Democrats' tech ‘morass’ — then built the Iowa app — Shadow CEO Gerard Niemira had high hopes for improving Democrats' tech tools. — The CEO of the tech startup at the center of the Iowa caucus debacle complained last year that critical parts of the Democrats' election technology …

Discussion: VICE, The Verge, WDTN-TV, Politico, Bloomberg and Clash Daily, more at Techmeme »

Osita Nwanevu / New Republic:
Trump Has Never Looked More Comfortable as a Demagogue

Discussion: Raw Story

Bloomberg:
‘We Feel Really Terrible,’ Says CEO Whose App Roiled Iowa Caucus

Discussion: New York Times, National Review, Wall Street Journal, Fortune, The Verge, protocol, Brutal South, The Hill, New York Post, Fox News, Common Dreams and NPR, more at Techmeme »

Kenneth P. Vogel / New York Times:

Beyond the Partisan Fight, a Wealth of Evidence About Trump and Ukraine — Regardless of the Senate's verdict, the impeachment inquiry, President Trump's own words and other revelations yield a narrative establishing his involvement in the pressure campaign.

Christopher Miller / BuzzFeed News:

A US Pastor Also Wanted To Get Rid Of The Ambassador To Ukraine — Because She Backed LGBTQ Rights — KYIV — In the summer of 2018, an American evangelical pastor and dozens of Ukrainian Christian groups prayed for Marie Yovanovitch to be fired from her job as the US ambassador to Kyiv.

BuzzFeed News:

She Shunned Islam And Was Embraced By Trump World. They Took Her Money, Then Turned On Her. — Rabia Kazan, a Turkish national who used to be a Trump fanatic, made a big donation to the president's campaign. But she's not a US citizen. — A former rising star in MAGA world recently renounced …

Grace Segers / CBS News:

Susan Collins will vote to acquit Trump, saying he's “learned” from impeachment — Watch Norah O'Donnell's exclusive interview with Susan Collins on the “CBS Evening News” on Tuesday, February 4, at 6:30 p.m. ET. — Washington — Republican Senator Susan Collins announced Tuesday she will vote …

Ruth Marcus / Washington Post:
No, Susan Collins, Trump is never going to learn

Discussion: Crooked Media

Politico:

How Rick Perry waltzed past the impeachment probe — Former Energy Secretary Rick Perry will skirt questioning by Congress during the impeachment of President Donald Trump despite his central role in the administration's contacts with Ukraine. — Perry stonewalled all requests from lawmakers …

Discussion: Raw Story

Amanda Teuscher / American Oversight: Energy Department Releases New Batch of Ukraine Documents

Paul Bedard / Washington Examiner:

Record economic optimism under Trump, better than Reagan, Clinton, Obama — Economic optimism has reached a 44-year high and economic gloom a record low under President Trump in the latest survey that shows people in the United States are cheering their best personal economy in decades.

RJ Reinhart / Gallup:
Record-High Optimism on Personal Finances in U.S.

Discussion: Townhall, The Federalist and Twitchy

Vivian Salama / CNN:

Pentagon officials stunned by White House decision to block Ukraine aid, new emails show — Washington (CNN)Days before the July 2019 call between President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, US officials were still working to expedite the delivery of Javelin anti-tank missiles to the country …

Steven Rattner / New York Times:

The Economy Is Not as Good as It Looks — Democrats can easily show that the president has done little to help the economy. — Mr. Rattner served as counselor to the Treasury secretary in the Obama administration. — Every few days, fresh economic statistics roll out …

Steve Benen / MSNBC:
In SOTU, Trump plays make-believe, wildly exaggerates economic record

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Raw Story and Slate

Alex Griswold / Washington Free Beacon:

Bloomberg Used Box to Boost Height as NYC Mayor, Documents Show — The Bloomberg campaign was quick to shoot down President Donald Trump's claim that the Democratic presidential candidate plans to use a box to boost his height at Friday's Democratic debate.

Discussion: The Babylon Bee

The Boston Globe:

Kill the tradition: NH and Iowa should not vote first — A hundred years ago, New Hampshire blazed a trail as the first among 20 states to hold a 1920 presidential primary election. It is a tradition that has endured for the century since, and will repeat on Feb. 11 — a fact owed not just to custom …

Discussion: Axios and The Smoke Eater

Daniel Bice / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Board fires two leaders of the 2020 DNC Host Committee — The two leaders of Milwaukee's host committee for the 2020 Democratic National Convention are out. — Late Tuesday, the board for the Milwaukee 2020 Host Committee terminated President Liz Gilbert and her chief of staff, Adam Alonso.

Discussion: Politico, Washington Post, Althouse, The Hill, The Daily Caller, PJ Media Home and National Review

George Conway / Washington Post:

All the things I believe about President Trump — George T. Conway III is a lawyer in New York and an adviser to the Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump super PAC. — I believe the president, and in the president. — I believe the Senate is right to acquit the president.