POLITICS & 2020: Two U.S. senators joined the Democratic presidential field over the weekend and a third is considering joining the race. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the progressive firebrand, launched her campaign from Lawrence, Mass. with a focus on low and middle class earners struggling to make ends meet. The Boston Globe: Warren makes it official. Warren enters the race as a top contender but badly damaged by her claims, since retracted, of Native American ancestry. The Massachusetts Democrat has apologized and tried to put the controversy behind her, but allegations that she sought to advance her career while maintaining she was a member of a minority group could haunt her campaign. © Getty Images
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) also made it official, announcing her presidential run in the snow in Minneapolis. She'll be interviewed today on ABC's "Good Morning America," and appear later today on MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show." The Hill: Klobuchar jumps into 2020 race. Klobuchar's image as a salt-of-the-earth Midwesterner has taken a hit in recent days, with a string of stories alleging that she treats her staff abusively. She conceded on Sunday that she can "be tough," but pointed to staff members who have been with her for years (The Hill). BuzzFeed: Staffers, documents show Klobuchar's wrath toward her aides. © Getty Images
Warren and Klobuchar may be joined soon by another of their Senate Democratic colleagues, Michael Bennet of Colorado, who hinted at a run in an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press." "I think having one more voice in that conversation that's focused on America's future, I don't think would hurt." — Bennet Meanwhile, the rolling political disaster for Democrats in Virginia continues. Gov. Ralph Northam (D) says he will not resign and has embarked on an apology tour, although he still denies that he was photographed in blackface or wearing a Ku Klux Klan costume. In an interview with CBS News, anchor Gayle King corrected Northam for using the term "indentured servants" instead of "slavery." CBS News: Northam vows to remain in office despite calls to resign. Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D), who would be next in line to succeed Northam, is also refusing to resign after two women accused him of sexual assault, allegations he denies. Democrats in the state are in a bind over whether to impeach him (The New York Times). There does not appear to be much momentum toward impeachment with the legislative session coming to a close at the end of the month (The Associated Press). The Associated Press: Black Virginia voters feel betrayed, left in no-win scenario. The Hill: Virginia scandals pit Democrats against their message. Perspectives and Analysis Steven Pearlstein: Democratic politicians are tripping over one another to demonstrate progressive bona fides, including a wealth tax, 70 percent tax rates and Medicare-for-all. David Von Drehle: Democrats' Green New Deal has some seeing only red ink. The National Journal: Democrats are boosting Trump's reelection prospects. The Hill: Trump divides Democrats with warning of creeping socialism. *** CONGRESS: Late Sunday, freshman Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar ignited a new controversy on Capitol Hill when she suggested GOP support for Israel is driven by campaign donations from AIPAC, a prominent pro-Israel lobbying group (The Hill). House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and other Republicans have criticized Omar before and after her election based on her negative comments about Israel (Politico). > The House will soon face a floor vote on impeachment, the first since Democrats won the majority, according to Rep. Al Green (D-Texas), an outspoken proponent of Trump's ouster. The ongoing political crisis in Virginia presents a backdrop for Democrats to decry bigotry "by starting at the top" in the White House, he said, offering a new rationale for the president's impeachment. His views divide his party (The Hill). > Senators from both parties say they have modest expectations for Trump's second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Feb. 27-28 in Hanoi, Vietnam. The lowered bar comes after Trump's first summit with Kim failed to yield a concrete agreement and negotiations since June delivered no tangible headway toward denuclearization (The Hill). … The president imagines a second summit will still be must-watch TV, lauding a theme of "good vs. evil," according to one unnamed confidant (The Associated Press). > Senate Republicans sparked new tensions last week when they advanced more than 40 judicial nominations, including several who did not have support from home-state senators. Democrats are fuming (The Hill). > GOP lawmakers who authored the 2017 tax bill with Trump's enthusiastic signature are beginning to be confronted by individual tax filers who are upset as they discover they owe the IRS or will not receive refunds they expected (NBC News). Here's how the new tax law will impact returns (NBC News). Disappointment and more questions are expected before the April 15 tax filing deadline, and there may be some political unease about the reactions to the new law. > Former Rep. John D. Dingell Jr. (D-Mich.), who died last week at age 92, will be eulogized today in Dearborn, Mich. A funeral mass will take place Tuesday in Dearborn, and his casket will be driven past the U.S. Capitol in Washington later in the day. The House will hold no roll call votes on Tuesday. © Twitter
Former Vice President Joe Biden, Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) will speak to honor Dingell, the longest-serving member of Congress from 1955 to 2014, during the service in Dearborn. On Thursday, a funeral service also is scheduled in Washington at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, and former President Bill Clinton, former Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland will speak. Dingell, a veteran of World War II, will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery (Roll Call). |