memeorandum: Wounded but defiant, Bloomberg promises to keep fighting (Associated Press)

7:00 AM ET, February 21, 2020

Top Items:

Lawmakers Are Warned That Russia Is Meddling to Re-elect Trump — A classified briefing to House members is said to have angered the president, who complained that Democrats would “weaponize” the disclosure. — WASHINGTON — Intelligence officials warned House lawmakers last week that Russia …

Washington Post:

After a congressional briefing on election threats, Trump soured on acting spy chief — President Trump erupted at his acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, in the Oval Office last week over what he perceived as disloyalty by Maguire's staff, ruining his chances of becoming …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, The Week, The Hill, Roll Call, Raw Story, Vanity Fair, CANNONFIRE, HuffPost, Redstate, Talking Points Memo, POLITICUSUSA, CyberScoop, Mother Jones, The Guardian, Law & Crime and Daily Kos

Daniel Lippman / Politico:

NSC aide who worked to discredit Russia probe moves to senior ODNI post — Kash Patel, a former top National Security Council official who also played a key role as a Hill staffer in helping Republicans discredit the Russia probe, is now a senior adviser for new acting Director …

Discussion: Associated Press, MSNBC, The Guardian, CNN, Raw Story and One America News Network

The Daily Beast:

Russia Is Helping Elect Trump Again, Intel Official Says — “Republicans went nuts” when an intelligence official told Congress that Russia was siding with Trump in the election—again. Then Trump tapped a political ally as his top spy. — Intelligence officials briefed House lawmakers …

Discussion: Raw Story, The Week, POLITICUSUSA, New York Times, Mediaite and Breitbart

CNN:
Russia is looking to help Trump win in 2020, election security official told lawmakers

Discussion: Raw Story, The Week and POLITICUSUSA

Ken Dilanian / NBC News:
Trump anger cost Joseph Maguire the job of director of national intelligence

Discussion: Washington Post, Washington Times and The Hill

Natasha Bertrand / Politico:
‘All traitors must die’: Feds charge man for threatening whistleblower attorney

Discussion: NBC News, Washington Post, Law & Crime, Raw Story and Axios

Morning Consult:

The 2020 U.S. Election — On a daily basis, Morning Consult is surveying over 5,000 registered voters across the United States on the 2020 presidential election. Every week, we'll update this page with the latest survey data, offering an in-depth guide to how the race for the White House is shaping up.

Discussion: Salon and Breitbart

David Siders / Politico:

Bloomberg quietly plotting brokered convention strategy — LAS VEGAS — Mike Bloomberg is privately lobbying Democratic Party officials and donors allied with his moderate opponents to flip their allegiance to him — and block Bernie Sanders — in the event of a brokered national convention.

Discussion: The Hill, Associated Press, Power Line, Axios, Breitbart and Outside the Beltway

Paul Kane / Washington Post:

Harry Reid says Sanders needs more than plurality to win Democratic nomination — LAS VEGAS — Former Senate majority leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) said Thursday that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) or any presidential candidate should not get the Democratic nomination if they end the primary process …

Associated Press:
Wounded but defiant, Bloomberg promises to keep fighting

Discussion: KSL-TV, The Hill, Althouse, Politico, The Daily Caller, Rolling Stone and The Cook Political Report

Nicole Gaudiano / Politico:
American Federation of Teachers urges members to support Biden, Sanders, Warren

Discussion: Redstate and The Hill

Washington Post: The Democratic race is now Sanders against the field, and a contested convention possibly awaits the party

Associated Press:
Biden slams rival Sanders over past gun control stance

Discussion: The Hill, NBC News, Breitbart and The Guardian

Gregg Re / Fox News:

Trump, energized after Dems' debate melee and frustrated with Oscars, takes rally blitz to Colorado — President Trump continued his four-state trip out west Thursday evening with a wild rally in Colorado Springs, Colo., as he openly celebrated Democrats' intra-party squabbling …

Discussion: One America News Network, Raw Story, Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit and FOX21News.com

David Ignatius / Washington Post:

The rest of the world is preparing for four more years of Trump — Many commentators have argued that the big winner in Wednesday's poisonous Democratic Party debate was President Trump. But as the world assesses the United States in this 2020 election season, the long-term political beneficiaries …

Discussion: GovExec.com, Los Angeles Times and Breitbart

New York Times:
How Bloomberg Bungled a Debate That He Had Been Prepped For

Discussion: Press Watch and No More Mister Nice Blog

Nolan D. McCaskill / Politico:
Warren taunts Bloomberg with document to release his employees from NDAs

Discussion: HuffPost and The Week

New York Times: Elizabeth Warren ‘Crushed’ the Debate. But Is It Too Late?

John Koblin / New York Times:
Democrats Set a TV Ratings Record at Their Las Vegas Debate

Discussion: Townhall

Scott Morefield / The Daily Caller:

Tucker Carlson Calls For Roger Stone Judge's Impeachment: ‘Democratic Activist Wearing Robes’ — Fox News host Tucker Carlson called for the impeachment of U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson during a Thursday night “Tucker Carlson Tonight” monologue in which he called her a “Democratic activist wearing robes.”

Molly Jong-Fast / The Daily Beast: Roger Stone Judge Amy Berman Jackson: Look Out, America, ABJ Is the New RBG

Bloomberg: Trump Stews Over McCabe But Is Wary of Driving Barr to Resign

Dareh Gregorian / NBC News:
Trump says Roger Stone has ‘very good chance of exoneration’ hours after sentencing

Discussion: Washington Post, The Hill, The Daily Beast, The Slot, Raw Story, The Week, Right Wing Watch, Breitbart, Townhall, TheBlaze and Politico

courthousenews.com:
Judge Hands Stone Light Sentence but Scorches Meddling at Justice

Discussion: New York Magazine, The Guardian, CNBC, The Moderate Voice, TalkLeft and Mother Jones

Washington Post:
At the Justice Dept., a cautious sigh of relief as Roger Stone's sentence hits Barr's preferred target

Discussion: The Intercept, American Greatness and Breitbart

CNN:
Trump says he won't pardon Roger Stone — for now

Discussion: Raw Story, The National Interest, Washington Post and Center for American …

Alex Ward / Vox:

Mike Bloomberg tweeted a doctored debate video. Is it political spin or disinformation? — Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg is shown on a screen during a Democratic debate watch party at the candidate's field office on February 19, 2020. Jeenah Moon/Getty Images

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon, HuffPost, Outside the Beltway, Digital Polity, Twitchy, Washington Post and Rolling Stone

Ben Collins / NBC News:
Twitter is testing new ways to fight misinformation — including a community-based points system

Discussion: National Review, Engadget, Vox, The Verge, Big League Politics, The Hill, Twitchy, Talking Points Memo and The Week, more at Mediagazer »

Maggie Severns / Politico:

Dems race to avoid going broke before Super Tuesday — Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren each started the month scraping perilously close to the bottom of their campaign bank accounts, posing an existential threat to their candidacies as the Democratic primary goes national.

Discussion: CNN and Breitbart

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
The Debate Exposed Bloomberg's Downside — But It Was There All Along

Discussion: Tangle and Spectator USA

Kevin Robillard / HuffPost:
How Super PACs Took Over The 2020 Democratic Primary

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Federalist and The Daily Caller

Craig Timberg / Washington Post:

How conservatives learned to wield power inside Facebook — Facebook created “Project P” — for propaganda — in the hectic weeks after the 2016 presidential election and quickly found dozens of pages that had peddled false news reports ahead of Donald Trump's surprise victory.

Discussion: Mediaite, The Daily Caller and Balloon Juice, more at Techmeme »

Washington Post:

Coronavirus-infected Americans flown home against CDC's advice — In the wee hours of a rainy Monday, more than a dozen buses sat on the tarmac at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. Inside, 328 weary Americans wearing surgical masks and gloves waited anxiously to fly home after weeks in quarantine aboard …

Discussion: Balloon Juice, Breitbart, New York Post, The Week and The Gateway Pundit

Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC 29733, USA:

Current Findings — Results of Winthrop Poll released on February 21, 2020 of Likely Voters in the Feb. 29 SC Democratic Presidential Primary. — ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA - Joe Biden remains the top choice for South Carolina voters for the Democratic Party presidential nominee …

Discussion: Florida Politics, Terminally Chill, Breitbart, Politico, The Hill and TheBlaze

Monmouth University Polling Institute:

Sanders Leads with One-Quarter of Vote — Projected high Latino turnout boosts poll front-runner — West Long Branch, NJ - Bernie Sanders leads the field in California's Super Tuesday primary, despite the fact that only 1 in 4 likely voters currently support him.

Discussion: Washington Post, Politico and The Hill

Reid Wilson / The Hill:

Top GOP super PAC spent money on NC Democrat — CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The largest super PAC that supports Republican Senate candidates will say in a filing with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) late Thursday it spent millions of dollars to boost a liberal Democratic candidate running …

Bloomberg:

Trump Ads Will Take Over YouTube's Homepage on Election Day — In the immediate run up to the U.S. presidential election and on Election Day, the homepage of YouTube is set to advertise just one candidate: Donald Trump. — The president's re-election campaign purchased the coveted advertising space atop …

Discussion: The Hill, more at Mediagazer »

Molly Redden / HuffPost:

Bloomberg Says Women ‘Get Paid Exactly The Same As Men’ At His Company. They Don't. — The company that made Michael Bloomberg his billions has told government watchdogs it hires fewer women and pays them less than men. — At Wednesday night's Democratic primary debate …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, Power Line and Washington Monthly