It’s Over (finally)

Democrats kicked the cat, contemplated jumping off a bridge, and projectile vomited on their living room coffee table when the U.S. Senate voted to acquit President Donald Trump of any wrongdoing.

Couple this with the fact that Iowa still hasn’t reported complete results in their laughable caucus, and Democrats could be placed on a 24-hour safety hold.

The Payback

Florida’s popular Rep. Matt Gaetz (R) has announced that he will be filing ethics charges against Pelosi for tearing up the SOTU address the president handed to her. READ MORE

Now we have learned that committees in both the Senate and House are looking into Hunter Biden and his questionable dealings in Ukraine.

This is not going to end well. What’s that old term “Elections have consequences?”

Well, pushing unsubstantiated and bogus impeachment proceedings also has consequences.

Papa Book aka “Bapa” is the butt of his daughter Lauren’s jokes

We caught up to Sen. Book in the state Capitol, where she jokingly expressed how happy she was not having so much contact with her pops, Lobbyist Ron Book.

“Luckily, I don’t have to work with him…Had I known that I would talk to him less, I would’ve run for office far, far before the legal age to do so.”- Sen. Lauren Book

Miami Days and Paella

The annual stuff your face with Cuban (Spanish) cuisine took place in Tallahassee yesterday with many politicos and elected officials dishing out some grub from the masses. Here is Miami-Dade Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava taking a break from her dishing duties to talk to Telemundo. The Floridian spoke to Cava about her mayor's race. That interview will post sometime today. Stay tuned...

 

Visit The Floridian

 

No Poking Around

“Book opposes pelvic exams on non-consenting, unconscious female patients” by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres – Florida’s 2020 legislative session is at the halfway point and one of the bills being discussed is a pelvic exam consent bill would ban medical students from performing this intrusive exam on unconscious women without prior consent. In other words, women must first consent to be vaginally probed while under general anesthesia for a completely separate medical procedure. Being someone that has undergone over 14 surgeries (mostly sports-related orthopedic procedures), I would hate to find out that some medical student was rooting around my tush in order to check my Prostate just because some doctor gave him or her the OK to do so. According to state Senator Lauren Book (D), this is a very common practice that medical students are allowed to engage in. Book believes that “women should give express consent” before they undergo an exam that carries “no medical benefit” to them. Book also added that this procedure is completely legal, saying that there was “nothing in Florida law” that prevented it. Just a few weeks ago, Book introduced SB 1184, a bill that would allow child sexual abuse cases, whose statute of limitations has expired, be reopened for a period of one year.

“Mucarsel-Powell Dismisses Trump’s SOTU Address As Deceptive” by The Floridian’s Daniel Molina – As political analysts embark on deconstructing the State of the Union Address, commenting on notable highlights such as a service member’s reunion with his wife and two children, the moment that has gone viral has been House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D) act of ripping up President Trump’s SOTU address. She’s been slammed by critics who comment that it was insensitive considering the material in the speech, which also included recognition of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, the survival of a child born at 21 weeks and the families mourning the death of Kayla Mueller and Rocky Jones. However, Democrats are swiftly coming to the Speaker’s defense, and one of those Democrats is Florida Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. In her statement responding to the President’s Address, Mucarsel-Powell commented that it “was a futile attempt at self-aggrandizement.” She explained that “instead of laying out a plan to take action on issues on which the vast majority of Americans agree, the president used tonight to mislead the American public and pander to his political base.” In addition, Mucarsel-Powell noted that the president failed to mention key things, stating that “the president failed to address the gun violence epidemic that kills countless of Americans each year and failed to back meaningful gun safety measures like background checks, which over 90% of Americans support.” As well, “the president failed to present a plan to combat the climate crisis that endangers coastal communities from Miami to Key West or to ensure Americans have clean drinking water.”

Protecting the Consumer

The American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA) today released the following statement attributed to its assistant vice president of state government relations, Logan McFaddin, regarding House Bill 7041, by the Florida House Civil Justice Subcommittee, relating to Litigation Financing Consumer Protection.

“APCIA applauds the House Appropriations Committee for passing HB 7041, which creates the Litigation Financing Consumer Protection Act.

“HB 7041 contains strong consumer protections, such as capping interest rates, fees, and charges and subjecting litigation financiers to the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. Together, this will go a long way toward improving Florida’s deteriorating legal climate.

“Byron Donalds Slams Florida Democrats Over Opposition to Parental School Choice” by The Floridian’s Daniel Molina – Byron Donalds announced his congressional candidacy by introducing himself as “the self-described gun-owning, liberty loving, pro-life politically incorrect black man who turned his life around from the streets to The State Capitol.” And, since informing that he would be running to replace Florida Rep. Francis Rooney (R) and keep the seat red, he’s now taking on Democratic lawmakers in a bipartisan effort. Florida Reps. Anna K. Eskamani (D) and Carlos Guillermo Smith (D) are facing criticism, noting that they are trying to “bully corporate donors” of the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program into pulling contributions from education initiatives that support LGBTQ and black students from attending private religious schools. In an interview with Byron Donalds at a press conference held on Tuesday by the Florida African American Ministers Alliance for Parental Choice in the state Capitol, Donalds shared his thoughts on why he disagrees with the Democratic lawmakers. “A religious school, whether you like it or not, has free exercise clause protections under the United States Constitution. And those have to be protected,” he explained. Donalds expressed that “the first amendment to freedom of religion is just as important as your freedom to petition, as your freedom of speech, as your freedom to assemble, as the freedom of the press.” In short, he asserted that “you are protected from the government,” arguing that “all of us are protected even in spite of things that we might not personally agree with.”

“Biden: ‘Shameful Display’ for Trump to Award Rush Limbaugh with Medal of Freedom” by The Floridian’s Mona Salama – Former Vice President Joe Biden criticized President Trump for awarding conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh the Medal of Freedom, calling it a “shameful display.” “In one fell swoop, Trump delivered a speech worthy of the worst demagogue and turned his constitutional obligation to inform Congress about the state of our union into an episode of reality television,” Biden said in a statement responding to President Trump State of the Union address. “He even awarded our nation’s highest civilian honor, not to the real American hero in the gallery — one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen—but a conservative media personality who has done as much as Trump himself to divide our nation. It was a shameful display.” Biden response came following President Trump during his address awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Limbaugh, just a day after the conservative talk radio host announced he is battling stage 4 lung cancer. “Rush Limbaugh, thank you for your decades of tireless devotion to our country,” Trump said during his address. “Rush, in recognition of all that you have done for our nation, the millions of people a day that you speak to and inspire, and all of the incredible work that you have done for charity, I am proud to announce tonight that you will be receiving our country’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.” The move was met with a standing ovation and cheers from Republicans as Democrats remained seated. As Melania fastened the medal’s blue ribbon around Rush’s neck, someone on the House floor shouted, “Thank you, Rush.”

Most Republicans will agree with Dane Eagle...

“Eagle calls Romney “spineless hack,” backs 12-year term limit” by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres – As Senator Mitt Romney (R) votes to convict President Donald Trump during the Senate impeachment trial, Republican activists and legislators from around the country are expressing their disgust with Romney’s position against the president. Florida’s House Majority Leader and congressional candidate Dane Eagle tweeting that Romney was nothing more than a “spineless hack and a creature of the Swamp,” adding that he was a “pathetic snake.” Interestingly enough, we were in Eagle’s office when the news broke that Romney would be voting to remove President Trump. Eagle, who says he is one of the biggest supporters of the president, having campaigned for him after the 2016 Republican presidential primary ended, believes that he is the frontrunner in his current congressional primary race. We asked him about what he thought was the biggest obstacle facing his campaign. “To campaign, you’ve got to scared – scared to run unopposed,” said Eagle “I’m certainly not unopposed – it’s an 8 person primary race. That means there is a lot of wild cards. I think it’s safe to say we positioned ourself as the frontrunner .” As far as to term limits, Eagle says that he would be open to supporting a 12-year term limit term for all members of the U.S. Congress. Eagle explains his term limit position: “I can say six years is probably enough, but we’re here for eight years in the House (Florida). It depends on when people cycle in and cycle out. We’d have to change the way the terms work if we were to go six years, that would be one term for a Senator. That being said, two terms for a Senator is 12 years then you mirror that in the House. I don’t think that you can have a balance by having someone more powerful in the Senate than someone in the house.”

Monkey in the Middle, or Lone Survivor in the Senate?

“Romney Breaks From GOP, Will Vote to Convict Trump on Abuse of Power” by The Floridian’s Mona Salama – Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) announced Wednesday he would vote to remove President Donald Trump from office, becoming the lone Republican to break with his party in voting to convict the president. In a speech on the Senate floor, Romney said he would vote to convict the president for abuse of power and to acquit on the obstruction of Congress charge. “The grave question the Constitution tasks senators to answer is whether the president committed an act so extreme and egregious that it rises to the level of a high crime and misdemeanor. Yes, he did,” Romney said in remarks on the Senate floor. He added that he believed Trump was “guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust.” “What he did was not ‘perfect.’ No, it was a flagrant assault on our electoral rights, our national security interests, and our fundamental values. Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one’s oath of office that I can imagine,” Romney said. Romney called his vote “the most difficult decision” of his life, adding that he is aware he would be “vehemently denounced” for his decision by some of his fellow Republicans. “I am sure to hear abuse from the president and his supporters. Does anyone seriously believe I would consent to these consequences other than from an inescapable conviction that my oath before God demanded it of me?” Romney vote would make him the first senator in history to vote to convict a president of the same party in an impeachment trial in the Senate. “My vote will likely be in the minority in the Senate, but irrespective of these things, with my vote, I will tell my children and their children that I did my duty to the best of my ability believing that my country expected it of me,” Romney said.

“After 2 Supreme Court wins, Florida man gets $875K from city” by Associated Press’ Curt Anderson – Few people have fought any city hall all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and won, but Fane Lozman did it twice. Now the Florida city he’s battled since 2006 is going to pay him thousands of dollars in legal fees. The Riviera Beach City Council voted Wednesday to approve an $875,000 settlement with Lozman, who began his legal odyssey with a fight over seizure of his floating home and then claimed a First Amendment violation when he was arrested at a council meeting. The money will be paid by an insurance company, according to the city website. In both cases, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Lozman, 58, who said he has spent more than a decade on these cases. He said the free speech case in particular will have ramifications across the country as it relates to appearances before government bodies, peaceful protests, news media coverage of events and so forth. “The point is, everybody takes free speech for granted,” Lozman said in an interview. “I don’t think they realize the protections of free speech are being diminished. It was important for me to take a stand for free speech. That’s why I did it.” Riviera Beach is a predominantly African America city of about 35,000 people on the east coast of Palm Beach County, north of President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. Lozman, a former Marine pilot who became wealthy after inventing software for futures and options trading, initially ran afoul of Riviera Beach in 2006 over a 60-foot (18-meter) floating home he had docked at the city marina.

“Florida trooper dies in shooting; suspect killed by officer” by Associated Press – A stranded motorist fatally shot a Florida Highway Patrol trooper alongside Interstate 95 on Wednesday before he was killed by a passing police officer, the agency said. Trooper Joseph Bullock, 42, died in a shooting about 10:15 a.m. near Palm City, about a 45-minute drive north of West Palm Beach, said Col. Gene Spaulding, the agency’s commander. He said a passing police officer from Riviera Beach fatally shot the suspect, whose name has not been released. Riviera Beach is about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from Palm City. Officials declined to say why the officer was in the area. City officials also declined comment. The FHP had issued a statement earlier to the South Florida Sun Sentinel saying the suspect had died by suicide. Spaulding said that Bullock, a 19-year veteran, had been with the shooter for several minutes before the shooting. He released no further information, saying the shooting is under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Spaulding said Bullock is the 49th Florida trooper to die in the line of duty since the agency was founded 80 years ago. Trooper Tracy Vickers had been the last, dying in a September traffic crash near Orlando. “People don’t realize when you approach a car, even a disabled vehicle or a car on a traffic stop, you are worried about not only what is inside that car and what danger is waiting for you, you are also worried about the 80,000-pound (36,000-kilograms) tractor-trailers that are barreling down the highway behind you,” he said. The shooting prompted authorities to close Interstate 95 in both directions in the area for hours. It reopened Wednesday night.

“Conservationists Buy Florida Lake With Gulf Oil Spill Funds” by Associated Press – The Nature Conservancy acquired Lake Wimico, a 20,161 acre piece of land in the Florida Panhandle calling it one of the largest conservation wins in over a decade. In a press release Wednesday, the organization said safeguarding Lake Wimico will help preserve and protect the water quality of Apalachicola River, Apalachicola Bay and Gulf of Mexico. It also creates a protected refuge for resident and migratory wildlife, including many federally and state listed imperiled species. Conservationists had repeatedly identified the freshwater wetland habitat as an area of critical conservation significance for preservation. The land was identified as a priority parcel with the state’s Florida Forever Program. The acquisition was paid with funds from Deepwater Horizon criminal penalties designated for the benefit of natural resources.

“Plastic Surgeon Faces New Malpractice Complaint” by NBC 6 Miami’s Myriam Masihy – James McAdoo, a plastic surgeon already facing a malpractice complaint in the 2016 death of a woman, is facing a new complaint in another surgery. The Department of Health filed the complaint in January 2020 against McAdoo. The complaint centers around a breast lift and tummy tuck Ivis Beracierto says left her scarred for life. Ivis says three weeks after her surgery, she had to have emergency surgery because her wounds got so bad. She had to have a procedure to help heal the wounds, she lost tissue and needed skin grafts. "Doctors at the hospital told me that if I would have waited another day, I would have died," said Ivis in Spanish. The complaint from the Department of Health says McAdoo failed "to obtain a complete and comprehensive physical examination" and a "complete medical history" before the surgery and didn't "see or contact (her) within 24-48 hours" after the procedure. In a statement, Mcadoo wrote, "I do not agree with the DOH allegations and have all the documentation of the patient's chart referred to in the complaint. We will share it again with the DOH and the documentation does not agree with (her) recollection of her past medical care." McAdoo is the same surgeon who operated on Heather Meadows in May 2016. The mother of two from West Virginia died after undergoing what's known as a Brazilian Butt Lift at the same Hialeah clinic where Ivis had her surgery. The clinic is now closed.

 “Hundreds rally for criminal justice reform in Florida” by WCTV Eyewitness News’ Lanetra Bennett – Civil rights groups and advocates pushing for criminal justice reform rallied at the Florida Capitol Wednesday morning. More than 350 people were there. "189!" They shouted as they stood on the steps of the old Capitol building. The group was rooting for House Bill 189. That’s the proposed legislation that would require Florida inmates to serve 65% of their time, instead of 85%. Advocates say currently, once a person has earned rehabilitation credits to reduce their time served to 85% of their sentence, there's little incentive to continue good behavior. That costs taxpayers millions of dollars, they say, to do little to rehabilitate them behind bars. Debra Bennett recently served 19 years. “I didn't know there weren't phone booths anymore or newspaper machines or everything. The whole world changed," she said. "There's no support. There's nothing." Bennett went on to say a lack of support on the outside makes it more likely for someone to end up back in prison. 

Growling Gaetz Set to Make Another "Yuge" Splash

“Gaetz to file ethics charges against Nancy Pelosi” by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres – Rep. Matt Gaetz (R) has just announced that he will be filing charges against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) in the House Ethics Committee for ripping up the State of the Union address. “There will be an ethics investigation,” asserted Gaetz during an appearance on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” Wednesday night. “Nancy Pelosi has some real impulse control problems,” added Gaetz. Gaetz added that Pelosi was “not above the rules of the House just because she is the Speaker of the House.” This story is developing… Earlier in the day, the U.S. Senate voted to acquit President Trump on both Articles of Impeachment counts

 

 

 

Tacky Nancy

“Pelosi Trashes Trump Address: ‘He shredded the truth, so I shredded his speech’” by Hispolitica’s Mona Salama – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi trashed President Trump’s State of the Union address in a closed-door caucus meeting Wednesday morning, saying she “shredded” his speech because he “shredded the truth.” “Last night, we saw the President of the United States shred the truth right in front of us. Tear up the truth,” Pelosi said, according to a Democratic official who took notes and spoke on the condition of anonymity. “He shredded the truth, so I shredded his speech. What we heard last night was a disgrace.” President Trump delivered his third State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber. Shortly after the conclusion of Trump’s live address on national TV Tuesday night, Pelosi rose from her seat and ripped up a copy of Trump’s speech. The dramatic display made headlines and earned her a standing ovation from Democratic lawmakers the following morning. Pelosi slammed the address, calling it “a manifesto of mistruths,” while explaining to her fellow members why she tore it up afterward. She also said that it wasn’t planned to tear up Trump’s speech, but felt “liberated” because the speech was so “outrageous” and “a pack of lies.”

“Romney Breaks From GOP, Will Vote to Convict Trump on Abuse of Power” by Hispolitica’s Mona Salama – Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) announced Wednesday he would vote to remove President Donald Trump from office, becoming the lone Republican to break with his party in voting to convict the president. In a speech on the Senate floor, Romney said he would vote to convict the president for abuse of power and to acquit on the obstruction of Congress charge. “The grave question the Constitution tasks senators to answer is whether the president committed an act so extreme and egregious that it rises to the level of a high crime and misdemeanor. Yes, he did,” Romney said in remarks on the Senate floor. He added that he believed Trump was “guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust.” “What he did was not ‘perfect.’ No, it was a flagrant assault on our electoral rights, our national security interests, and our fundamental values. Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one’s oath of office that I can imagine,” Romney said. Romney called his vote “the most difficult decision” of his life, adding that he is aware he would be “vehemently denounced” for his decision by some of his fellow Republicans. “I am sure to hear abuse from the president and his supporters. Does anyone seriously believe I would consent to these consequences other than from an inescapable conviction that my oath before God demanded it of me?” Romney vote would make him the first senator in history to vote to convict a president of the same party in an impeachment trial in the Senate.

“Biden: ‘Shameful Display’ for Trump to Award Rush Limbaugh with Medal of Freedom” by Hispolitica’s Mona Salama – Former Vice President Joe Biden criticized President Trump for awarding conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh the Medal of Freedom, calling it a “shameful display.” “In one fell swoop, Trump delivered a speech worthy of the worst demagogue and turned his constitutional obligation to inform Congress about the state of our union into an episode of reality television,” Biden said in a statement responding to President Trump State of the Union address. “He even awarded our nation’s highest civilian honor, not to the real American hero in the gallery — one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen—but a conservative media personality who has done as much as Trump himself to divide our nation. It was a shameful display.” Biden response came following President Trump during his address awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Limbaugh, just a day after the conservative talk radio host announced he is battling stage 4 lung cancer. “Rush Limbaugh, thank you for your decades of tireless devotion to our country,” Trump said during his address. “Rush, in recognition of all that you have done for our nation, the millions of people a day that you speak to and inspire, and all of the incredible work that you have done for charity, I am proud to announce tonight that you will be receiving our country’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”

“Trump Gives Venezuela’s Guaidó the Embrace He Wanted” by New York Times’ Michael Crowley and Julie Turkewitz – Venezuela’s opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, has long hoped to land a meeting with President Trump that would demonstrate the United States’ support for his claim to being the country’s rightful president. He struck out when he and Mr. Trump were both in Davos, Switzerland, last month, and then again when they were both in South Florida last weekend. The near misses fueled speculation that Mr. Trump had lost interest in supporting the chief rival of Venezuela’s leftist president, Nicolás Maduro, with whom Mr. Guaidó had been locked in a yearslong political stalemate. But Mr. Guaidó’s visit to Washington this week more than made up for those disappointments when Mr. Trump gave him two moments in the spotlight that could lift him at home. First Mr. Trump hosted Mr. Guaidó at his State of the Union address on Tuesday night and in his speech delivered one of his most forceful endorsements of the opposition, describing Mr. Guaidó as “the true and legitimate president of Venezuela” and promising that Mr. Maduro’s “grip on tyranny will be smashed and broken.” In one of the night’s few bipartisan moments, Republicans and Democrats stood to applaud Mr. Guaidó. Then on Wednesday, Mr. Trump met with Mr. Guaidó at the White House, which released photos of the two leaders walking together and of Mr. Guaidó in a separate meeting with Vice President Mike Pence. A scheduled meeting with reporters was canceled at the last minute.

“China announces tariff cuts as part of phase 1 deal despite coronavirus outbreak” by South China Morning Post’s Zhou Xin and Cissy Zhou (via POLITICO) – China announced on Thursday that it will halve additional tariffs on U.S.$75 billion of American products imposed late last year from next week, a sign that Beijing is implementing the phase one deal with United States despite the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak. Beijing will cut a 10 percent punitive tariff to 5 percent, and a 5 percent tariff to 2.5 percent on Feb. 14, according to China’s Ministry of Finance. China announced in August that it would impose tariffs in two batches in September and in December, however, the second round due to come into effect on Dec. 15, was not implemented. “China hopes both sides can follow what have been agreed in the deal and make efforts to implement relevant parts of the deal to boost market confidence, to promote bilateral relations, and to help world economic growth,” the statement said. The Chinese government said that the planned reduction of tariffs on U.S. products was in response to a decision by the U.S. to halve 15 percent an additional tariff on U.S.$120 billion of Chinese goods to 7.5 percent from Feb.14. The announcement came amid increasing concerns over whether China can still honor the terms of the phase one trade deal signed on Jan. 15, including a commitment to buy an additional U.S.$200 billion worth of American services and goods over the next two years.

“Republican senators request Hunter Biden's travel records from Secret Service after Senate acquittal vote” by CNN’s Caroline Kelly – Two Republican Senate committee chairmen requested Hunter Biden's travel information from when his father, Joe Biden, was vice president from the Secret Service director on Wednesday following the Senate's vote to acquit in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. Finance Chairman Chuck Grassley, of Iowa, and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Ron Johnson, of Wisconsin, announced in a letter to Secret Service Director James Murray that their panels "are reviewing potential conflicts of interest posed by the business activities of Hunter Biden and his associates during the Obama administration. The chairmen's timing is notable, as the impeachment trial centered largely on Trump's attempts to pressure Ukraine to investigate Hunter Biden and Joe Biden, his potential political rival. Trump has repeatedly made unfounded and false claims to allege that the Bidens acted improperly in Ukraine. "We write to request information about whether Hunter Biden used government-sponsored travel to help conduct private business, to include his work for Rosemont Seneca and related entities in China and Ukraine," the chairmen wrote, referencing a firm co-founded by Hunter Biden. CNN has reached out to the Secret Service for comment. A spokesperson for Joe Biden's presidential campaign declined to comment. The chairmen asked Murray to provide a list of dates and travel locations for which Hunter Biden received a protective detail, information on whether he was on government aircraft or accompanied by family members and a description of the protective detail.

They requested the information by February 19 "to help the committees better understand Hunter Biden's travel arrangements to conduct business related to his dealings in Ukraine and China, among other countries," according to the letter.

“Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders are in tight race for first in Iowa” by CNN’s Eric Bradner and Jeff Zeleny – Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders are in a tight race for first place as Iowa continued reporting the last of its Democratic presidential caucus results early Thursday morning. With 97% of Iowa's precincts reporting, the former mayor remained the leader of the race, with 26.2% of state delegates. He's closely trailed by Sanders, with 26.1%. They're followed by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 18.2%, former Vice President Joe Biden at 15.8% and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar at 12.2%.

Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Troy Price told state party officials on a call Wednesday night that the full results are expected by Thursday morning. The Democratic presidential race has shifted to New Hampshire, with the full field of 2020 contenders blanketing the state ahead of its Tuesday primary. On Wednesday and Thursday, eight candidates are participating in CNN town halls. And on Friday, the leading contenders will meet for a debate. But in Iowa, they're still counting, after technical issues with the app used to report results led to a complete breakdown on caucus night. A person on the call told CNN that Price defended Shadow, the company that created the failed app. He said Shadow put a full proposal in -- while Microsoft and others did not. Iowa selected Shadow after Nevada already signed on with the firm. Price promised an independent review of the counting controversy, a person familiar with the call said, and was defended by Iowa labor leaders on the call. Price said the backup phone lines crashed because internet trolls got the number and flooded the lines Monday night.

“Bernie Sanders Raised $25 Million in January” by Wall Street Journal’s Eliza Collins and Chad Day – Bernie Sanders raised $25 million in January for his campaign for president, bringing his total fundraising to more than $121 million since he entered the race last February, his campaign said. January was the campaign’s best fundraising month, with more than 1.3 million donations from more than 648,000 people. Of those, more than 219,000 people were new donors. The campaign announced Mr. Sanders’s fundraising haul as results from the Iowa Democratic Party showed the Vermont senator neck-and-neck with former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg in the state’s caucuses, held Monday. Mr. Sanders was in second in the share of state delegates—the party’s preferred metric—but was ahead in the popular vote. Polling in New Hampshire shows Mr. Sanders poised to make a strong finish in the first primary election of the 2020 campaign on Tuesday. The Sanders campaign said it would increase staffing and spend $5.5 million in TV and digital advertisements in Arkansas, Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah, and add to investments already made in California and Texas. South Carolina is set to vote Feb. 29, the rest will vote March 3.

“Bernie Madoff Says He’s Dying, Requests Early Release From Prison” by Wall Street Journal’s Justin Baer – Bernard Madoff, the architect of one of the biggest financial frauds in U.S. history, has asked a federal court to release him from prison as he fights a terminal illness. Mr. Madoff, who has served the first decade of a 150-year sentence, has chronic kidney failure and 18 months to live, his attorney wrote Wednesday in a motion requesting compassionate release. He is incarcerated in Federal Medical Center prison in Butner, N.C. Mr. Madoff, onetime chairman of the Nasdaq Stock Market and a fixture on Wall Street for decades, shocked the world in December 2008 when he confessed that his investment business was a multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme. He pleaded guilty in March 2009 and was given the longest sentence allowed. In the decade since his arrest, a court-appointed trustee has returned more than $12 billion to Mr. Madoff’s former clients. Mr. Madoff’s clients have claimed losses of more than $17 billion. According to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s complaint against Mr. Madoff in December 2008, he told two senior employees that his scheme had lost $50 billion. Now 81 years old, Mr. Madoff “does not dispute the severity of his crimes nor does he seek to minimize the suffering of his victims,” his attorney wrote. “Now, after over ten years of incarceration and with less than 18 months to live, Mr. Madoff humbly asks this Court for a modicum of compassion.” The attorney, Brandon Sample, said late Wednesday that Mr. Madoff was hospitalized in December and his condition was deteriorating. “He’s truly a broken man,” Mr. Sample said.

President Donald Trump @realDonaldTrump - Had failed presidential candidate @MittRomney devoted the same energy and anger to defeating a faltering Barack Obama as he sanctimoniously does to me, he could have won the election. Read the Transcripts!

Nancy Pelosi @SpeakerPelosi

Because of the Republican Senate’s betrayal of the Constitution, the President remains an ongoing threat to American democracy, with his insistence that he is above the law and that he can corrupt the elections if he wants to.

 

 

 

 

Rick Scott @SenRickScott -Senator Romney is wrong. His decision to buy into Adam Schiff’s partisan charade is disappointing. And he will ultimately be judged by the voters of Utah.

Marco Rubio @marcorubio - Jobs,security, health care & the education of their children is what matters to people in the real world. Not the silly temper tantrums of socialists & radicals on the left.

Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell @RepDMP - The president, and every senator who opted to put Trump over country, will now have to answer to the people.

We must always remember that the president may be acquitted, but he is not exonerated.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz @DWStweets -The inaction on gun violence by @realDonaldTrump is dangerous & obscene. It must be confronted. #ImWithFred

Rep. Matt Gaetz @RepMattGaetz - Mitt Romney is a sore loser.

Rep. Ted Deutch @RepTedDeutch - No child should be subjected to the immoral and dangerous practice of conversion “therapy”. It’s a homophobic & dangerous practice that hurts LGBTQ+ people & families.

AG Ashley Moody @AGAshleyMoody -The best way to avoid falling victim to tax identity theft is to simply file your taxes early.