Politics

“I think the law is very clear and I think the President has been advised of it that if he signs an executive order declaring a national emergency and directing the military to spend money that has not been expressly appropriated for the wall or that has not been expressly appropriated for eminent domain– since much of the real estate …

Raleigh’s WRAL reports: The new State Board of Elections will meet in two weeks to review evidence of alleged absentee ballot fraud in the 9th Congressional District. The five-member board, which Gov. Roy Cooper appointed last week, has set a hearing in the 9th District investigation for 10 a.m. Feb. 18. The hearing is expected to last two to three …

Splinter News reports: President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday might be nothing to look forward to, but there’s a silver lining regarding who will be in attendance. Ana Maria Archila, one of two women who was recorded in September confronting then-Republican Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake in an elevator during the confirmation process for Supreme Court Justice …

The Hill reports: Former Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) on Monday came to the defense of Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D), saying he shouldn’t yet resign despite the revelation that his medical school yearbook page included a racist photo. Lieberman said during an interview on CNN that there has been a “a rush to judgment that is unfair to” Northam. “One, …

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports: In the next few weeks, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez is expected to select the city that will host the party’s 2020 national convention. And, according to Washington, D.C.-based Politico, Milwaukee appears to be the odds on favorite to snag the event over rivals Houston and Miami Beach. Florida. But Milwaukee officials aren’t about to …

The Associated Press reports: Trump’s campaign has deployed what it calls an unprecedented effort to monitor and influence local party operations. It has used endorsements, lobbying and rule changes to increase the likelihood that only loyal Trump activists make it to the Republican nominating convention in August 2020. Trump’s team plans to organize at county and state caucuses and conventions …

The Hawaii Herald-Tribune reports: Rep. Richard Creagan wants Hawaii to be the first state to ban the sale of cigarettes. The Hawaii Island lawmaker said he doesn’t think taxes or regulations are doing enough to stem their use. He wants to see them off store shelves all together. His bill, HB 1509, seeks to halt the sale of cigarettes by …

Politico reports: President Donald Trump plans to use Tuesday night’s State of the Union address to promise an end to the HIV epidemic in America, four individuals with knowledge of the planned remarks told POLITICO. Under Trump’s 10-year strategy, health officials would target the U.S. communities with the most HIV infections and work to reduce transmissions by 2030. The strategy …

“Look, I get the audacity of somebody like me talking about running for this office, but frankly it’s a leap for anybody. Anybody who arrives behind that desk. And yet all of the people who had that job have been mortals who just bring their experience to the table. My experience is that of guiding a city through a transformation, …

The Hill reports: Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) said Sunday he would “like” to run for president in 2020, but hasn’t decided yet. “I’ve said I’d make a decision by March 31. I’ve been talking to other candidates, I want to see what the positions are out there,” McAuliffe said on CNN’s “State of the Union,” adding he’s talked …

The Daily Beast reports: Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, who has been under fire for failing to police hate speech, harassment, and outright racism on his platform, told podcast host Joe Rogan that “everyone has a right” to social media and that Donald Trump’s use of Twitter wasn’t much different from how previous presidents have used media, comparing him to Barack …

Politico reports: An apologetic but defiant Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam refused calls to resign Saturday from his own state party and nearly every major Democratic presidential contender after a picture on his medical school yearbook page surfaced showing a picture of two men dressed as a Ku Klux Klansman and in blackface. “I believe then and now that I am …

Norfolk’s WAVY reports: Gov. Ralph Northam is expected to make a statement from the Executive Mansion at 2:30 p.m. according to the Office of the Governor. The governor’s communications director tells WAVY Capitol Bureau reporter Sara McCloskey Northam is not resigning. After the picture went public Friday, Northam issued a statement saying he was “sorry for the decision I made …

The Washington Post reports: Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) is refusing to resign despite overwhelming pressure from within his own party and has told at least one lawmaker that he now does not think that a racist photo in his 1984 yearbook includes him, Democratic party officials said Saturday. Northam publicly apologized Friday for the medical school yearbook photo and …

The Associated Press reports: President Donald Trump heads into his State of the Union address dogged by bruising midterm losses and sinking poll numbers, wounded by a blistering standoff with Democrats. But for the stately speech, he plans to embrace unity — at least for the night. “Choosing Greatness” is the official White House theme. Addressing the nation at the …

The Daily Beast reports: Within hours of a racist yearbook photo of Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam surfaced, prominent fellow Democrats and organizations began to call on him to resign. “It doesn’t matter if he is a Republican or a Democrat. This behavior was racist and unconscionable. Governor Northam should resign,” Democratic 2020 contender Julián Castro wrote on Twitter. Two California …

“I am deeply sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo and for the hurt that decision caused then and now. This behavior is not in keeping with who I am today and the values I have fought for throughout my career in the military, in medicine, and in public service. But I want …

Newsweek reports: A school in Washington, D.C., said it would not play any sports at the school where Karen Pence teaches because of its policy against LGBTQ students. The Sheridan School headmaster, Jessica Donovan, wrote in a letter to parents that the school had decided not to play any sports games at the Immanuel Christian School because of its policy …

The Virginian Pilot reports: A photo from Gov. Ralph Northam’s medical school yearbook shows two men, one in blackface and one in a Ku Klux Klan robe and hood, on the same page as the governor. The photo, which The Virginian Pilot obtained a copy of Friday from the Eastern Virginia Medical School library, comes from the 1984 yearbook, the …

The Washington Post reports: A survivor of last year’s mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., will attend President Trump’s State of the Union address next week as a guest of Rep. Eric Swalwell, the congressman said Friday. Cameron Kasky, 18, became an activist following the Feb. 14, 2018, school shooting, which killed 17 people. He co-founded …