Democrats

Politico reports: Sen. Bernie Sanders is not ruling out releasing a shortlist of his potential Supreme Court nominees, seemingly following in the precedent-breaking footsteps of President Donald Trump during his 2016 run. Sanders agreed last month in a lengthy interview with The New York Times editorial board that releasing a list of potential nominees even before securing the Democratic nomination …

Insider New Jersey reports: Cory Booker this morning formally opted out of the 2020 presidential race. The junior senator from New Jersey and former mayor of Newark ran up against the money factor and had to take a knee prior to what he hoped would be a competitive showing in early primary states despite what the polls showed. “Nearly one …

PolitiFact reports: Sen. Bernie Sanders argues that former Vice President Joe Biden sided with a Republican effort to cut Social Security. “In 2018, Biden lauded Paul Ryan for proposing cuts to Social Security and Medicare,” wrote the Sanders campaign in a Jan. 7 newsletter. The night before on CNN, Sanders had attacked Biden’s record on Social Security and Medicare. The …

Politico reports: Freshman Rep. Colin Allred endorsed Joe Biden on Monday, giving the former vice president his tenth endorsement from a black member of Congress and his fifth from Texas’ congressional delegation. “I do think he has the best chance to win in November. I also think he’s the right person for the time,” Allred, a Democrat, told POLITICO in …

The New York Times reports: A nearly yearlong run of good will between two of the leading progressives in the 2020 presidential race, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Bernie Sanders, appears to be evaporating in the run-up to the Iowa caucuses. Ms. Warren said on Sunday she was “disappointed” that Mr. Sanders’s campaign had been using a script for volunteers …

Newsweek reports: Protesters disrupted a Pete Buttigieg campaign event on Sunday night as they demonstrated against the former South Bend mayor’s record on housing. The activists chanted “black lives matter” and “anti-poor, anti-black” after the Democratic primary candidate took the stage in Des Moines, Iowa to deliver a speech to supporters. Buttigieg told the protesters he wanted to talk with …

The Hill reports: Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg picked up an endorsement from long-time Iowa Rep. Dave Loebsack (D) on Sunday, less than a month ahead of the state’s first-in-the-nation caucuses. The seven-term congressman touted Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., as a Washington outsider who can help unite the nation. “Pete offers a new kind of leadership …

Reuters reports: Michael Bloomberg told Reuters he is ready to spend much of his vast fortune to oust Republican President Donald Trump from the White House in 2020, rejecting criticism from rivals for the Democratic nomination that the billionaire is trying to buy the U.S. election. “Number one priority is to get rid of Donald Trump. I’m spending all my …

From an op-ed in South Carolina’s The State: In choosing between the two Democratic Party candidates atop the polls, African American voters have a consequential decision to make: Will our community side with former Vice President Joe Biden, who has repeatedly betrayed black voters to side with Republican lawmakers and undermine our progress? Or will we stand with Vermont Sen. …

“Let me just say, it’s Sunday morning, I’d like to talk about some more pleasant subjects than the erratic nature of this president of the United States, but he has to know that every knock from him is a boost. He’s the president who said I should have impeached George Bush, because of the war in Iraq, and now he’s …

Politico reports: The non-aggression pact between Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren is seriously fraying. Sanders’ campaign has begun stealthily attacking Warren as a candidate of the upper crust who could not expand the Democratic base in a general election, according to talking points his campaign is using to persuade voters obtained by POLITICO. The script instructs Sanders volunteers to tell …

The New York Post reports: Mike Bloomberg slammed President Trump – as well as his Democratic rivals – Saturday as he kicked off what he called “Day One” of his run for the White House. “Unlike everyone else in this race, I think what’s important is beating Donald Trump,” he told about 45 supporters at a restaurant in San Antonio. …

CNN reports: Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont will stand at center stage in Tuesday night’s CNN/Des Moines Register Democratic presidential debate. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts will be to the left of Biden, and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg will be to the right of Sanders. Businessman Tom Steyer will stand next …

The Washington Post reports: Former vice president Joe Biden is far and away the favored candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination among black Americans, boosted by his personal popularity, his service in the Obama administration and perceptions that he is best equipped to defeat President Trump, according to a national Washington Post-Ipsos poll. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) occupies second place …

The Sacramento Bee reports: Gov. Gavin Newsom wants California to stop euthanizing animals, and he’s ready to put taxpayer money toward the cause. “We want to be a no-kill state,” Newsom said during a press conference where he presented his 2020-21 budget. Specifically, Newsom’s budget calls for a $50 million one-time general fund allocation to the UC Davis Koret Shelter …

CNN reports: Iowa’s likely caucusgoers are closely divided between four top candidates just weeks out from the Democratic caucuses, a new CNN/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll shows. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is on the rise as other top competitors hold steady or lose ground. Sanders (20%), Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren (17%), former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg (16%) and former …

The Rising reports: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) is doubling down on her defense over appearing on Fox News, saying it gives her a platform to speak to millions of people — including President Trump — on a hot-button issues. The 2020 presidential hopeful has frequently stood up for her appearances on the network, saying on Thursday that it is “important …

Just in via press release: I ran for president to help forge another direction for our country. I wanted to discuss things I felt needed to be discussed that otherwise were not. I feel that we have done that. I stayed in the race to take advantage of every possible effort to share our message. With caucuses and primaries now …

Courthouse News reports: Pete Buttigieg is holding a slight lead among Democratic presidential candidates in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary, according to a Thursday poll from Monmouth University in what has become a tightened, four-way race. Democratic voters polled 20% for the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, 19% for former Vice President Joe Biden, 18% for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders …

NBC News reports: Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s massive campaign apparatus and an army of some 500 staffers will march on through the general election in November even if he loses the Democratic nomination, campaign officials tell NBC News, shifting their efforts toward working to elect whomever the party selects to face President Donald Trump. Bloomberg’s vast tech operation …