memeorandum: Listen 57 min MORE — It was a full week. On Monday … (KCRW)

1:25 PM ET, February 8, 2020

Top Items:

Exclusive NH Tracking Poll: Buttigieg Takes Lead Over Sanders In Tight New Hampshire Race — BOSTON (CBS) - Pete Buttigieg continued his rise in Friday night's exclusive WBZ/Boston Globe/Suffolk University poll, for the first time taking a narrow lead that falls within the survey's 4.4% margin of error.

Discussion: BuzzFeed News and Washington Post

CNN:

CNN poll: Sanders leads as Buttigieg grabs momentum in New Hampshire — Buttigieg and Sanders both claim victory in Iowa — (CNN)Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders heads into the New Hampshire primary still holding a lead over his top rivals for the Democratic nomination, but with Pete Buttigieg …

Discussion: WTOP

Matthew Yglesias / Vox:

Bernie Sanders showed us he's a very skilled politician — Sen. Bernie Sanders walks onstage as he arrives for the Democratic debate on February 7, 2020. Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images — He's a much savvier operator than the establishment gives him credit for.

Discussion: ABC News, Talking Points Memo, Politico, The Daily Caller, The Federalist and Outside the Beltway

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:

Winners and losers from the New Hampshire Democratic debate — The Democratic presidential primary entered a new phase Friday night, with the Iowa results finally all in and the candidates debating in New Hampshire ahead of Tuesday's primary. — Below, some winners and losers. — Winners

Discussion: Breitbart, The Daily Beast and Bern Notice

Axios:

Bloomberg's big bet on massive campaign spending — Data: Advertising Analytics, FEC; Chart: Danielle Alberti/Axios — Michael Bloomberg's prolific spending aims to make him as legitimate and familiar as his rivals. It also confronts two realities: President Trump is out-raising …

Discussion: Ballotpedia News, The Hill, Fox News, Washington Post and Politico

The Boston Globe:

Buttigieg opens slight lead over Sanders in N.H., Globe/WBZ/Suffolk poll shows — Former South Bend, Ind., mayor Pete Buttigieg has moved slightly ahead of Senator Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire, besting the Vermont independent by 1 percentage point among likely Democratic presidential primary voters …

Discussion: Axios, Politico and New York Post

Julie Pace / Associated Press:

Democrats on edge after 2020 election season's ragged launch — CONCORD, New Hampshire (AP) — For Democrats, this was supposed be a moment to begin easing three years of built-up of anxieties. Instead, the launch of the 2020 presidential primary has left the party deeply unsettled and President Donald Trump gleeful about the chaos.

Discussion: Breitbart and Washington Post

Wall Street Journal: Iowa Democratic Turnout Prompts Concerns About Voter Enthusiasm

Niall Stanage / The Hill:
Five takeaways: Fear of Trump hangs over Democratic debate

Discussion: Associated Press, Outside the Beltway, Politico and NBC News

NBC News: Elizabeth Warren's ‘unity’ pitch clashes with her ‘fighter’ message

Politico:
Everything you need to know about the 2020 race in New Hampshire today

Discussion: The Hill, NBC News and Washington Post

Nihar Kabinittal / ABC News:
Klobuchar takes aim at Buttigieg in ABC News debate in New Hampshire

Discussion: New York Times and Breitbart

New York Times:
7 Takeaways From the Democratic Debate in New Hampshire

Discussion: Mother Jones and The Hill

New York Times:
How Pete Buttigieg Became the Surprise of the Iowa Caucuses

Discussion: Mediaite

Astead W. Herndon / New York Times:
Elizabeth Warren Has a Pete Buttigieg Problem

Discussion: Mediaite and The Guardian

The Philadelphia Inquirer:

Trump used Philly girl's story to attack ‘failing government schools.’ But she's at one of the city's most desired charters. — President Donald Trump turned a Philadelphia fourth grader into a poster child for the school-choice movement Tuesday when he told the nation that thousands of students were …

New York Times:

Trump Fires Impeachment Witnesses Gordon Sondland and Alexander Vindman in Post-Acquittal Purge — Emboldened by his victory and determined to strike back, the president removed Mr. Sondland as ambassador to the European Union after the White House earlier on Friday dismissed Colonel Vindman.

David Rothkopf / The Daily Beast:
Friday Night Massacre's Just the Beginning for Acquitted Trump

Discussion: Raw Story and NBC News

John Gans / New York Times:
Col. Vindman and the Trumpification of the National Security Council

Discussion: Raw Story, The Brussels Times, Mediaite, Vox, The Daily Caller and The Week

Washington Post:
Trump ousts Vindman and Sondland, punishing key impeachment witnesses in post-acquittal campaign of retribution

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Mother Jones, Vox, UPI, The Resurgent, The Last Refuge, Associated Press, Raw Story and The Hill

Todd Spangler / Detroit Free Press:

Bloomberg gets key endorsement from Michigan congresswoman, who says he will be president — WASHINGTON — Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg is pulling out all the stops to win Michigan's March 10 presidential primary and on Saturday picked up what could be a watershed endorsement …

Discussion: Political Wire

Brittany Shammas / Washington Post:

Meet the 71-year-old staging a one-man protest in his Trump-loving retirement community — For most of his life, Ed McGinty kept his political beliefs to himself. — Raised Irish Catholic in Philadelphia, the 71-year-old retired real estate broker has always been a Democrat, just like his parents before him.

Discussion: Raw Story

New York Times:

Amy Klobuchar — Jamelle Bouie (7/10) — Klobuchar sounded confident and aggressive, willing and able to go after her competitors. Her defense of experience, in particular, was strong. More and more, she looks like a real alternative for moderate Democrats.

Riham Feshir / MPR News:

Thousands of Hmong and Lao Americans face deportation under Trump proposal — In a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Rep. Betty McCollum calls the plan ‘unconscionable’ — Advocates warn that a Trump administration proposal to deport thousands of Hmong and Lao Americans back to Laos …

Associated Press:

Actor-comedian Orson Bean, 91, hit and killed by car in LA — LOS ANGELES (AP) — Orson Bean, the witty actor and comedian who enlivened the game show “To Tell the Truth” and played a crotchety merchant on “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman,” was hit and killed by a car in Los Angeles, authorities said.

Discussion: New York Times, Power Line and The Wrap

Lisa Rein / Washington Post:

VA chief Wilkie sought to dig up dirt on woman who complained of sexual assault, agency insiders say — The Veterans Affairs Department's inspector general is reviewing a request from a top House leader to investigate allegations that VA Secretary Robert Wilkie sought to dig up dirt …

Discussion: ProPublica

Cristina Gonzalez / Politico:

UK foreign secretary: Britain wants trade deal with Japan within the year — Dominic Raab says talks with Tokyo to begin before spring. — Britain is seeking an “ambitious” free-trade deal with Japan by the end of the year, according to U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.

Discussion: Reuters and Agence France-Presse

Nancy Pelosi / Washington Post:

McConnell and the GOP Senate are accomplices to Trump's wrongdoing — Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, is speaker of the House of Representatives. — For more than 200 years, our republic has endured, not only because of the wisdom of our Founders and the brilliance of our Constitution …

Discussion: Raw Story, HuffPost, The Hill, Mediaite and Contemptor

Josep Borrell / Project Syndicate:

Embracing Europe's Power — Europeans must deal with the world as it is, not as they wish it to be. And that means relearning the language of power and combining the European Union's resources in a way that maximizes their geopolitical impact. — BRUSSELS - The geopolitical upheavals …

Coral Davenport / New York Times:

Justice Department Drops Antitrust Probe Against Automakers That Sided With California on Emissions — WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has dropped its antitrust inquiry into four automakers that had sided with California in its dispute with the Trump administration over reducing climate …

Discussion: Axios, The Verge and Newsy