Light News

Endangered wolf walks nearly 9000 miles to find mate but dies alone
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/grey-wolf-mate-trek-endangered-dies-oregon-california-a9325431.html

Here's Lindsey Graham telling CBS that Attorney General Barr has "created a process" where Rudy Giuliani can feed Biden dirt from Ukrainian sources directly to the DOJ, and the DOJ will then check it out
https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1226538711623634947

So wait - Main Justice set up a formal collaborative process with a person whose assistants *in the same effort* have been indicted and who is himself reportedly under SDNY investigation? Do I have that right, @LindseyGrahamSC?
https://twitter.com/nycsouthpaw/status/1226541301455347713

Lindsey Graham: “The Department of Justice is receiving information coming out of the Ukraine from Rudy to see -he told me -they created a process that Rudy can give information and they would see if it’s verified,” he said on CBS, adding he’s a “crime fighter, “loyal” to Trump
https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/1226535332591669248

So Rudy, who apparently the target of an SDNY investigation, has a special channel to provide dirt on Trump’s opponents. What could Possibly be wrong with this arrangement from an ethics point of view?
https://twitter.com/Steven_Strauss/status/1226536474746724352

Romney, vilified in D.C. for vote to convict Trump, finds respect, support back home
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry/romney-vilified-d-c-vote-convict-trump-finds-respect-support-n1133106

Utah state legislators are trying to pass a bill to kick Romney out of the senate. They are trying to undo the results of an election
https://www.ksl.com/article/46714946/trouble-ahead-for-utah-bills-to-recall-or-censure-sen-mitt-romney

Masked White Nationalists March in Washington With Police Escort
https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/02/08/us/politics/08reuters-usa-protests.html

US military is a bigger polluter than as many as 140 countries – shrinking this war machine is a must
https://theconversation.com/us-military-is-a-bigger-polluter-than-as-many-as-140-countries-shrinking-this-war-machine-is-a-must-119269

Trump Gave a Scholarship to a 4th Grader ‘Trapped’ in a ‘Failing’ Public Education at the State of the Union. She Attends a Top Charter School
https://time.com/5780459/state-of-the-union-school-choice-charter-school/

Republican-dominated South Dakota House bars tribal IDs for voter registration
https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/legislature/gop-dominated-house-bars-tribal-ids-for-voter-registration/article_dd9759d1-f1f0-54b7-9559-b5a559a4d8ee.html

Showdown over Trump's plan to overhaul landmark environmental law heads to Colorado
https://www.denverpost.com/2020/02/09/nepa-national-environmental-policy-act/

NOOOO. WTF RAYS? #Rays are trading reliever Emilio Pagan to the #Padres in exchange for outfielder Manuel Margot and prospect C/OF Logan Driscoll, sources tell @TheAthleticMLB .
https://twitter.com/JCTSports/status/1226332024031629312

Yep: Here’s a concept. Let trades happen, and then report on them! All these reporters only care about being first. Meanwhile players and their families are emotional wrecks not knowing if they are or aren’t being traded from the only org they’ve known. No one cares who was 1st
https://twitter.com/redturn2/status/1226275220563980288?s=20

(for the moment, the Boston/Dodgers/Twins trade is off)
https://twitter.com/alexspeier/status/1226241349072146434

Doctor who exposed Sars cover-up under house arrest in China, family confirms
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/09/sars-whistleblower-doctor-under-house-arrest-in-china-family-confirms-jiang-yangyong

Fugitive American wife Anne Sacoolas who is wanted for killing Harry Dunn was a CIA spy
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7982191/Fugitive-American-wife-Anne-Sacoolas-wanted-death-Harry-Dunn-CIA-spy.html

Cave full of bats in China identified as source of virus almost identical to the one killing hundreds today | Researchers discovered the cave 15 years ago but did not have the funding for further research
https://nationalpost.com/news/world/cave-full-of-bats-in-china-identified-as-source-of-virus-almost-identical-to-the-one-killing-hundreds-today

Most under-reported fact from Iowa: Sanders got about 1/2 of the votes he received in 2016. Yes, in larger field, but he couldn’t hold thousands who once voted for him. In N.H. in 2016, he got 153,000 votes, or 60%. Everyone agrees he’ll do far less well Tuesday. Seems important

A super PAC spending over $1 million in the Democratic Senate primary in North Carolina appears to be backed by Republicans. The newly-formed "Faith and Power" is using a GOP-tied media buyer to place ads backing candidate Erica Smith
https://twitter.com/OpenSecretsDC/status/1226114452652773376
https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/05/politics/north-carolina-republican-democratic-primary/index.html

Sydney Set to Receive Rainfall at Levels Not Seen in Two Decades. Evacuation orders Issued for Northern and Western suburbs. More than 100,000 homes and businesses without power.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-09/life-threatening-nsw-flood-warnings-power-out-for-thousands/11947268

Bernie sure has a big tent for everyone except actual Democrats

DNC chair says party will consider revoking Iowa's first-in-nation status instead of simply converting caucuses to elections
https://www.axios.com/dnc-iowa-caucus-first-781ed3b2-e175-4341-8db8-45408d4d0a1c.html

Buttigieg responds to Sanders 'billionaire' attacks: 'Bernie's pretty rich and I would happily accept a contribution from him'
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/482213-buttigieg-responds-to-sanders-billionaire-attacks-bernies-pretty-rich-and-i

Joe Biden: “If I don't get the nomination and Bernie gets it, I'm gonna work like hell for him. But I tell you what, it's a bigger uphill climb, running as a senator or congressperson or as a governor on a ticket that calls itself a Democratic socialist ticket.”
https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1226479608624599045

Security breach #2: Netanyahu's ⁦@Likud_Party⁩ exposed the private data of every single Israeli voter– 6.5 million people– by uploading info, including private addresses, onto unsecured app.
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-Elections/Personal-info-of-6m-Israelis-leaked-after-Likud-uploads-voter-info-617048

I'm rereading @peterbakernyt "The Breach," the most exhaustive history of the Clinton impeachment, 1998-99. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Breach/Peter-Baker/9781476730073 … In August 1998, Clinton managers tallied 100 House Democrats who might vote for impeachment, including senior figures like Gephardt & Bonior
https://twitter.com/davidfrum/status/1226634729639858176

(... HOYER ... not Bonior, wow the brain makes strange mistakes)
https://twitter.com/davidfrum/status/1226637535855751173

Clinton's position equally touch-and-go among Senate Ds, not only w conservatives like Fritz Hollings, but w liberals like Patty Murray of Washington state. Such a very striking contrast with lock-step Republican protection of Trump in 2019-2020.
https://twitter.com/davidfrum/status/1226635175880208388

Our country has a rich history of presidents who respected the power, decorum, and influence of their office. Unfortunately, that rich history ended the day Trump became president.
https://twitter.com/MikeBloomberg/status/1226580658807504897

The Twins have traded Brusdar Graterol to the Dodgers for Kenta Maeda
https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status/1226641129153667072

Damn, Jeter to the Red Sox, never thought I'd see the day: The trade that will send Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers has been agreed upon, sources tell ESPN. Outfielder Alex Verdugo and shortstop Jeter Downs are among those who will go to the Boston Red Sox.
https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1226636800283828224

Red Sox upgraded their own deal

@ChuckTodd : "Somebody that likes their 401k right now but doesn't like Trump, how do you convince them to vote for you?" @BernieSanders : "We are going to create a economy that works for the middle-class..." @ChuckTodd : "But they think their economy works for them."
https://twitter.com/MeetThePress/status/1226515165530730498

Didn't even listen to the question, went right to the stump speech.

If Bernie’s message really resonates so well with the people, his fans shouldn’t have to resort to offensive slander of his opponents to get people to support him

But the fact that Mr. Sanders’s and Ms. Warren’s positioning puts them decidedly to the left of others in the race does not make their competitors “centrist.” All, in fact, have put forward ambitious, progressive platforms for reducing inequality and promoting access to health and education. But the fact that Mr. Sanders’s and Ms. Warren’s positioning puts them decidedly to the left of others in the race does not make their competitors “centrist.” All, in fact, have put forward ambitious, progressive platforms for reducing inequality and promoting access to health and education. Former South Bend, Ind., mayor Pete Buttigieg wants to make college free for pretty much everyone — just not for the wealthiest families. He does not favor Medicare-for-all — but he does propose a generous public health-care option that, he predicts, would eventually drive private insurance companies out of business. He just would not force people to move off private plans, as Mr. Sanders and Ms. Warren would. Former vice president Joe Biden may not favor the precise Green New Deal that some activists desire, but he wants to spend a whopping $1.7 trillion to enable the country to eliminate net carbon emissions by 2050, a massive undertaking. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) was the first candidate to roll out a hefty infrastructure plan, proposing $650 billion in federal spending, and she favors legalizing marijuana. Former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg would add a 5 percent surtax to income over $5 million per year, raise the corporate tax rate from 21 percent to 28 percent and tax investment income of high earners at the same rate as ordinary income. Then there are the policy moves that practically all Democrats agree on: giving legal safe harbor to the young immigrants known as “dreamers”; reviving and expanding President Barack Obama's climate regulations; reengaging with Iran; raising the minimum wage; keeping abortion legal; cracking down on guns. In fact, every major Democratic candidate is running on an agenda to the left of Mr. Obama’s.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/no-pete-buttigieg-and-joe-biden-are-not-centrists/2020/02/07/a75c9afc-49d9-11ea-b4d9-29cc419287eb_story.html

The argument for Dems nominating an sharply left-leaning candidate like Sanders is his mobilization of otherwise disaffected voters will compensate for any loss of moderates turned off by his policies But the IA caucuses - the first test of this theory - failed to bearing this out. He only won a quarter of the caucusers and half the number of people supported him in 2020 compared to Iowa's 2016 caucus.