memeorandum: Virginia lawmakers have rejected assault weapon ban despite Northam's push (WJLA-TV)

11:25 AM ET, February 17, 2020

Top Items:

The costs of going after Bloomberg — Here's the growing dilemma for 2020 Democrats vying for a one-on-one showdown with frontrunner Bernie Sanders: Do they have the guts — and the money — to first stop Mike Bloomberg? — Why it matters: Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar …

Discussion: NBC News, New York Times, The Hill, Althouse, Breitbart and American Prospect

Jackson Diehl / Washington Post: The Sanders foreign policy you don't know about

Mark Moore / New York Post:
Topless protester confronts Bernie Sanders, de Blasio at Nevada campaign rally

Discussion: Mediaite and Redstate

Shant Shahrigian / New York Daily News:
Topless protesters storm stage as Bernie Sanders campaigns in Nevada

Discussion: Washington Examiner, his vorpal sword, Political Wire and The Daily Caller

Daniel Dale / CNN:

Trump campaign manager deletes dramatic Air Force One photo after people point out it's from 2004 — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump's campaign manager deleted a tweet featuring a dramatic photo of Air Force One at the Daytona 500 after users pointed out that the shot …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, No More Mister Nice Blog, Associated Press, The Daily Wire, The Week, PJ Media Home, Contemptor, HuffPost, The Hill, Althouse and Raw Story

WJLA-TV:

Virginia lawmakers have rejected assault weapon ban despite Northam's push — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's push to ban the sale of assault weapons failed on Monday after some of his fellow Democrats balked at the proposal. Senators voted to shelve the bill for the year and ask …

Discussion: National Review, Redstate, Mediaite and The Gateway Pundit

Laura Vozzella / Washington Post:

Assault weapons bill dies in Virginia, giving gun-rights groups a rare victory. — RICHMOND — A Virginia Senate committee killed a bill on Monday that would have banned the sale of assault-style weapons and possession of high-capacity magazines, handing gun-rights activists a rare win …

Discussion: The Hill

Donald Ayer / The Atlantic:

Bill Barr Must Resign — When Donald Trump chose Bill Barr to serve as attorney general in December 2018, even some moderates and liberals greeted the choice with optimism. One exuberant Democrat described him as “an excellent choice,” who could be counted on to “stand …

Discussion: Raw Story, Law & Crime, Washington Post, Political Wire, The Guardian and The Daily Caller

Jack Goldsmith / The Dispatch:
Should Attorney General Barr Resign?

Discussion: HuffPost, The American Independent, National Review and The Morning Dispatch

Rishika Dugyala / Politico:

Trump attends wedding of Stephen Miller — President Donald Trump attended the wedding of senior adviser Stephen Miller on Sunday evening, according to the White House. — The wedding took place in one of the president's hotels, just blocks away from the White House …

New York Times:

Katie Waldman and Stephen Miller Wed at Trump Hotel — Katie Rose Waldman and Stephen Miller, who both work in the Trump White House, were married Feb. 16 at Trump International Hotel in Washington. Rabbi Aryeh Lightstone, who is a senior adviser to David Friedman, the United States ambassador to Israel, officiated.

Discussion: Breitbart and New York Post

CNN:

Federal prosecutors weigh new charges that bring Lev Parnas investigation closer to Giuliani — Lev Parnas describes multiple quid pro quos with Ukraine — New York (CNN)Federal prosecutors are weighing new charges against associates of Rudy Giuliani in connection with a company that paid him $500,000 …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Tony Katz / 93.1 WIBC:

New York Times Has An Issue With Trump's Daytona 500 Appearance — BLOG > TONY KATZ > MORNING NEWS > NEW YORK TIMES HAS AN ISSUE WITH TRUMP'S DAYTONA 500 APPEARANCE — Air Force One flew low, just 800 ft above the massive crowd gearing up to watch the 62nd running of the Daytona 500.

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Breitbart and Townhall

David Edwards / Raw Story: ‘Communist’ FOX network angers Trump fans at Daytona 500 by cutting to commercial as he begins speech

Alexandra Stevenson / New York Times:

Senator Tom Cotton Repeats Fringe Theory of Coronavirus Origins — Scientists have dismissed suggestions that the Chinese government was behind the outbreak, but it's the kind of tale that gains traction among those who see China as a threat. — The rumor appeared shortly …

Paulina Firozi / Washington Post:
Tom Cotton keeps repeating a coronavirus conspiracy theory that was already debunked

Discussion: The Hill and Balloon Juice

Evie Fordham / Fox Business:
China ‘still lying’ about coronavirus outbreak: Sen. Tom Cotton

Discussion: UPI

Scott Pelley / CBS News:

Why President Trump asked Ukraine to look into a DNC “server” and CrowdStrike — The consensus view of the CIA, NSA, FBI and a Senate investigation is that Russians interfered in the 2016 election. But those findings don't line up with the ever-evolving story President Trump has been telling about Ukraine.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Christian Schneider / The Bulwark:

We Already Know What Trump Will Do Next — In the 1940s, Graham Greene entered a contest to write the best Graham Greene parody. He finished third. — None of us likes to think we're predictable—the highest compliment you can get is to be told that you are independent of thought …

Discussion: Raw Story

David Siders / Politico:

Bernie breaks out of the pack — LAS VEGAS — Bernie Sanders is becoming harder to stop. Nevada is where his opponents are starting to realize it. — Advisers to three rival campaigns privately conceded over the weekend that the best anyone else could hope for here is second or third.

Politico:

Democrats fear Republican sabotage in key Senate race — Democrats are growing alarmed about Republican attempts to prop up an insurgent liberal candidate in North Carolina — fearful that GOP meddling will undercut the party's prospects in a key Senate contest.

Discussion: Raw Story

bellingcat:

“V” For “Vympel”: FSB's Secretive Department “V” Behind Assassination of Georgian Asylum Seeker in Germany — In our previous investigation of the murder of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili on August 23, 2019 in Berlin, we identified the suspected assassin — who traveled under the fake identity of Vadim Sokolov, 49 — as Vadim Krasikov, 54.

Dan Cobb / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

The Jolt: A state lawmaker explains her support for Michael Bloomberg — We've told you that the Democratic presidential campaign of Michael Bloomberg is doing some heavy courting of DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond. And that U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, who has benefitted …

Rosie Gray / BuzzFeed News:

Michael Bloomberg's Huge Campaign Is Too Big To Be Ignored — RALEIGH, North Carolina — Michael Bloomberg is not a tall man. But his presidential campaign is very big. — The sheer hugeness of the former New York City mayor's campaign is its defining feature. It is the Death Star of presidential campaigns.

Discussion: American Prospect, Washington Post and CNN

Ashley Feinberg / Slate:

Meet the Man Who Tweeted “It's Lis,” Who Is Not Lis Smith — One could be forgiven for a bit of skepticism where Pete Buttigieg's campaign and its supporters are concerned. This is a politician who claimed to have no knowledge of or involvement in the editing of his Wikipedia presence …

Ellen Cranley / Business Insider: A senior adviser for Pete Buttigieg was accused of running a fake Nigerian supporter account …

Ali Breland / Mother Jones:
We Talked to the Man Behind That Nigerian Pete Buttigieg Fan Account. It's Not Lis Smith.

Discussion: Mediaite, Twitchy and BuzzFeed News

Cuneyt Dil / Associated Press:

California to apologize for internment of Japanese Americans — SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Les Ouchida was born an American just outside California's capital city, but his citizenship mattered little after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and the United States declared war.

Discussion: The Hill