cnbc--2020-02-04--Democrats get their first chance to choose their 2020 presidential candidate in Iowa, which has been

Democrats get their first chance to choose their 2020 presidential candidate in Iowa, which has been at the center of Trump's trade war

MARSHALLTOWN , Iowa — Ethan Crow says he has endured a `` rough '' two years .
The 32-year-old farmer , who grows crops such as corn and soybeans on land his family has held since the 1930s , has navigated a gantlet of wet land and low prices further depressed by President Donald Trump 's trade war with China .
He received a U.S. Department of Agriculture market facilitation payment , part of more than $ 20 billion in aid the administration doled out to farmers in 2018 and 2019 to mitigate trade war damage .
While Crow said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' in helping family farms survive , he added that his community would `` so much rather have a good trade package instead of an aid package . ''
Crow expresses `` cautious optimism '' about the president 's `` phase one '' trade deal with China , which calls for $ 40 billion in Chinese purchases of U.S. agricultural goods every year .
But he wants a quick resolution to an economic conflict that has made an already challenging environment for farmers even more precarious .
`` We 're acknowledging the fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and in the meantime , we 've still got to pay our bills and keep groceries on the table , '' Crow said .
Iowa 's agriculture industry shows just one way the tumultuous three years of Trump 's presidency have shaped the state and the country .
With Monday 's first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses , Democrats will start the process of choosing who will take on the president in November in what many White House hopefuls have described as the most consequential U.S. election in recent memory .
Polls suggest four Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vice President Joe Biden , Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former South Bend , Indiana , Mayor Pete Buttigieg — have a good shot to leave Iowa with the most delegates .
A strong showing in the Hawkeye State can give candidates a bump in fundraising and legitimacy as they claw through early nominating states in their push to challenge Trump .
Democrats have tried to appeal to potential Iowa caucus attendees who , like large shares of voters in their party nationally , tend to say they care most about health care or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they have refined their arguments against Trump , an incumbent buoyed by glowing voter views about the economy despite lackluster marks on most other issues .
The candidates ' arguments in the final days before the caucuses show the weaknesses they see in Trump 's case for reelection .
They have contended Trump has not done enough to rein in health-care costs , favored corporations over workers and consumers by cutting taxes and scaling back regulations , and brought the U.S. to the brink of war in the Middle East through reckless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In conversations with CNBC last week , Iowa voters mentioned a range of reasons for supporting a Democratic candidate .
Bruce Ersland , a 67-year-old who lives outside Marshalltown , said after a Biden event that he leans toward supporting the former vice president .
He noted that foreign policy helped Biden 's case , saying `` we were a lot closer to war than people thought '' following the U.S. killing of Iran 's top general in January .
Solomon Smith , a North Liberty resident whose 17-year-old son convinced him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said he supports the former mayor partly because he seemed `` more middle class '' than his rivals .
Warren backers frequently mentioned her plans to root out government corruption .
Sanders supporters most often cited his signature `` Medicare for All '' health-care plan .
`` Your farms are going to hell '' While a low jobless rate and steady economic growth have buoyed Trump during his first term , few economic issues have created as much of a threat to those trends as trade .
Iowa has an economy that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ described as `` growing but not necessarily thriving . ''
Gross domestic product grew 1.3 % in the third quarter of 2019 from the second quarter , below the U.S. rate of 2.1 % .
The state had an unemployment rate of 2.7 % in December .
It was lower than the U.S. mark of 3.5 % during the same month — itself near a 50-year low .
While Iowa is associated with farming , the state 's economy is a lot more than agriculture .
Des Moines and Iowa 's other largest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the technology and health-care sectors , Swenson said .
Apple and Facebook , among others , have opened data centers in Iowa in recent years .
However , the state 's manufacturing base has contracted .
Stress in the agricultural economy that started before Trump 's tenure has weighed on Iowa 's economy .
The trade war added to those pressures .
In 2018 alone , tariffs lopped at least $ 1 billion and up to $ 2 billion off Iowa 's gross state product , according to an Iowa State study .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ awareness of how trade could damage him politically .
At a pre-caucus rally in Des Moines on Thursday , the president pointed to the new North American trade deal and the phase one agreement with China as evidence of what he has accomplished for Iowa .
He argued Democrats would hurt farmers — a key constituency that Trump hopes to maintain amid trade angst .
`` We 're going to win the great state of Iowa and it 's going to be a historic landslide , '' Trump predicted .
`` And if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are going to hell . ''
While the president carried Iowa by nearly 10 percentage points in 2016 , the 2018 midterms showed he can still face backlash in the state .
Democrats flipped two of Iowa 's four House seats that year in campaigns fueled by resistance to GOP efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act , among other issues .
Both of the House members who beat incumbent Republicans — Reps. Cindy Axne and Abby Finkenauer — have endorsed Biden and argued he can help candidates down the ballot .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dave Loebsack , who will retire at the end of his current term , has backed Buttigieg .
Axne and Finkenauer , who could both face competitive reelection bids this year , have both spoken frequently about agriculture issues .
`` We currently have somebody right now sitting in the White House who has turned his back on Iowa farmers who are quite literally my friends and family , '' Finkenauer told the Telegraph Herald newspaper in Dubuque after an event with Biden last month .
While Democratic presidential candidates have not necessarily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Iowa , they have touched on the issues facing farmers in their proposals to boost rural America .
They have broadly called to transition to more sustainable farming and better enforce antitrust laws to fight consolidation in the industry .
Warren and Sanders have gone as far as pushing to break up existing agricultural behemoths .
Politicians locally have kept a keen eye on how trade and antitrust enforcement affect the agriculture industry .
J.D .
Scholten , a Democrat running for Congress in Iowa 's 4th District , which has the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , criticized Trump last week for trying to unilaterally root out China 's trade abuses .
But he stressed to CNBC that tariffs are not the only factor damaging farmers .
`` Even if they went away tomorrow , farmers are not in a good shape .
And that does n't get talked about enough .
...
Honestly , a lot of these presidential campaigns , or candidates , at first only talked about the tariffs .
Market consolidation , we have to deal with , '' Scholten said .
Even so , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the pressure they face .
Democratic politicians in the state have concerns about whether China can or will follow through on its commitments to buy $ 40 billion in U.S. agricultural products annually .
Crow , the Marshalltown farmer , said a fully implemented trade deal would be a `` major success '' for farmers .
`` We just need to know that we 've got the finances to be able to cover our bills here .
... That we can make an honest living with free trade , with the help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Farmer Ethan Crow in his home in Marshalltown, Iowa. Jacob Pramuk | CNBC
MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa — Ethan Crow says he has endured a "rough" two years. The 32-year-old farmer, who grows crops such as corn and soybeans on land his family has held since the 1930s, has navigated a gantlet of wet land and low prices further depressed by President Donald Trump's trade war with China. He received a U.S. Department of Agriculture market facilitation payment, part of more than $20 billion in aid the administration doled out to farmers in 2018 and 2019 to mitigate trade war damage. While Crow said the money has proved "pretty instrumental" in helping family farms survive, he added that his community would "so much rather have a good trade package instead of an aid package." Crow expresses "cautious optimism" about the president's "phase one" trade deal with China, which calls for $40 billion in Chinese purchases of U.S. agricultural goods every year. But he wants a quick resolution to an economic conflict that has made an already challenging environment for farmers even more precarious. "We're acknowledging the fact that it's going to take time, and in the meantime, we've still got to pay our bills and keep groceries on the table," Crow said.
Tom Steyer (L-R), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) await the start of the Democratic presidential primary debate at Drake University on January 14, 2020 in Des Moines, Iowa. Spencer Platt | Getty Images
Iowa's agriculture industry shows just one way the tumultuous three years of Trump's presidency have shaped the state and the country. With Monday's first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses, Democrats will start the process of choosing who will take on the president in November in what many White House hopefuls have described as the most consequential U.S. election in recent memory. Polls suggest four Democratic contenders — Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg — have a good shot to leave Iowa with the most delegates. A strong showing in the Hawkeye State can give candidates a bump in fundraising and legitimacy as they claw through early nominating states in their push to challenge Trump. Democrats have tried to appeal to potential Iowa caucus attendees who, like large shares of voters in their party nationally, tend to say they care most about health care or climate change. At the same time, they have refined their arguments against Trump, an incumbent buoyed by glowing voter views about the economy despite lackluster marks on most other issues. The candidates' arguments in the final days before the caucuses show the weaknesses they see in Trump's case for reelection. They have contended Trump has not done enough to rein in health-care costs, favored corporations over workers and consumers by cutting taxes and scaling back regulations, and brought the U.S. to the brink of war in the Middle East through reckless foreign policy, among other Democratic arguments.
Joe Biden campaign sign outside of a field office in Fairfield, IA. Jacob Pramuk | CNBC
In conversations with CNBC last week, Iowa voters mentioned a range of reasons for supporting a Democratic candidate. Bruce Ersland, a 67-year-old who lives outside Marshalltown, said after a Biden event that he leans toward supporting the former vice president. He noted that foreign policy helped Biden's case, saying "we were a lot closer to war than people thought" following the U.S. killing of Iran's top general in January. Solomon Smith, a North Liberty resident whose 17-year-old son convinced him to go to a Buttigieg town hall, said he supports the former mayor partly because he seemed "more middle class" than his rivals. Warren backers frequently mentioned her plans to root out government corruption. Sanders supporters most often cited his signature "Medicare for All" health-care plan.
"Your farms are going to hell"
While a low jobless rate and steady economic growth have buoyed Trump during his first term, few economic issues have created as much of a threat to those trends as trade. Iowa has an economy that Iowa State University economics professor David Swenson described as "growing but not necessarily thriving." Gross domestic product grew 1.3% in the third quarter of 2019 from the second quarter, below the U.S. rate of 2.1%. The state had an unemployment rate of 2.7% in December. It was lower than the U.S. mark of 3.5% during the same month — itself near a 50-year low. While Iowa is associated with farming, the state's economy is a lot more than agriculture. Des Moines and Iowa's other largest metropolitan areas have enjoyed a boost from the technology and health-care sectors, Swenson said. Apple and Facebook , among others, have opened data centers in Iowa in recent years. However, the state's manufacturing base has contracted. Stress in the agricultural economy that started before Trump's tenure has weighed on Iowa's economy. The trade war added to those pressures. In 2018 alone, tariffs lopped at least $1 billion and up to $2 billion off Iowa's gross state product, according to an Iowa State study. The farm aid payments show Trump's awareness of how trade could damage him politically. At a pre-caucus rally in Des Moines on Thursday, the president pointed to the new North American trade deal and the phase one agreement with China as evidence of what he has accomplished for Iowa. He argued Democrats would hurt farmers — a key constituency that Trump hopes to maintain amid trade angst. "We're going to win the great state of Iowa and it's going to be a historic landslide," Trump predicted. "And if we don't win, your farms are going to hell." While the president carried Iowa by nearly 10 percentage points in 2016, the 2018 midterms showed he can still face backlash in the state. Democrats flipped two of Iowa's four House seats that year in campaigns fueled by resistance to GOP efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, among other issues. Both of the House members who beat incumbent Republicans — Reps. Cindy Axne and Abby Finkenauer — have endorsed Biden and argued he can help candidates down the ballot. The state's other Democratic congressman, Rep. Dave Loebsack, who will retire at the end of his current term, has backed Buttigieg.
Pete Buttigieg and his husband Chasten wave following a campaign town hall in North Liberty, Iowa on Jan. 27, 2020. Jacob Pramuk | CNBC


cnbc--2020-02-04--Why the US uses the Electoral College in presidential elections

With the 2020 presidential election approaching , many voters recognize where they vote may be more consequential than whom they choose in the voting booth .
Like most elections , a handful of states may determine the winner .
That 's because of the Electoral College .
The Electoral College chooses the president based on state vote totals , and recent history has shown the winning candidate for president does not need to earn the most individual votes to win the Electoral College vote .
In the 2016 election , President Donald Trump beat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the popular vote by nearly 3 million .
This lead to some Electoral College critics to question its place in American politics .
Proponents argue that the Electoral College ensures that the wider American population is represented in national elections .
Watch the video above for more on why the Electoral College exists and what the Supreme Court is weighing about members of the college ahead of the 2020 election .
Correction : The Supreme Court may rule on an aspect of the Electoral College system .
An earlier version of this report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expected decision .

With the 2020 presidential election approaching, many voters recognize where they vote may be more consequential than whom they choose in the voting booth.
Like most elections, a handful of states may determine the winner. That's because of the Electoral College.
The Electoral College chooses the president based on state vote totals, and recent history has shown the winning candidate for president does not need to earn the most individual votes to win the Electoral College vote.
In the 2016 election, President Donald Trump beat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by 74 electoral votes, despite losing the popular vote by nearly 3 million. This lead to some Electoral College critics to question its place in American politics.
Proponents argue that the Electoral College ensures that the wider American population is represented in national elections.
Watch the video above for more on why the Electoral College exists and what the Supreme Court is weighing about members of the college ahead of the 2020 election.
Correction: The Supreme Court may rule on an aspect of the Electoral College system. An earlier version of this report misstated the extent of the court's expected decision.


cnbc--2020-02-04--Right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh says he has 'advanced lung cancer'

US radio talk show host and conservative political commentator Rush Limbaugh looks on before introducing US President Donald Trump to deliver remarks at a Make America Great Again rally in Cape Girardeau , MO , on November 5 , 2018 .
Influential right-wing talk radio host Rush Limbaugh announced on his program Monday that he has been diagnosed with `` advanced lung cancer . ''
Limbaugh , 69 , said he will take time off his normal broadcast schedule to seek treatment .
`` This day has been one of the most difficult days in recent memory for me , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't escape … Even though people are telling me it 's not the way to look at it , I ca n't help but feel that I 'm letting everybody down with this . ''
He said the diagnosis had been confirmed by two medical institutions after he realized `` something was wrong '' in mid-January .
`` I thought about not telling anybody .
I thought about trying to do this without anybody knowing , because I do n't like making things about me , '' said Limbaugh , an outspoken supporter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there are going to be days that I 'm not going to be able to be here , because I 'm undergoing treatment or I 'm reacting to treatment , '' he said .
On Monday night , Trump tweeted about Limbaugh 's diagnosis , calling the host `` a great guy & fantastic political talent , '' and wishing him `` a speedy recovery . ''
Limbaugh , whose career stretches back to the early 1970s , has for years been a conservative media legend and a household name — even among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who accuse him of injecting a harmful strain of far-right demagoguery into the U.S. media landscape .
His millions of regular listeners , however , credit him as a leading political thought leader who punctured a left-skewing media bubble and proudly promoted Republican and conservative ideals .
Limbaugh `` was the innovator who spoke for the Americans ignored and disrespected by the elites , '' Trump 's lawyer and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said in a tweet Monday .
`` America needs Rush . ''
Limbaugh was as recognizable for his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was for his cigar-smoking habit , for which he was so well-known that he even appeared on the Spring 1994 cover of Cigar Aficionado magazine .
While the radio man steered clear of the so-called mainstream news narratives , he has often found himself at the center of mainstream controversy .

US radio talk show host and conservative political commentator Rush Limbaugh looks on before introducing US President Donald Trump to deliver remarks at a Make America Great Again rally in Cape Girardeau, MO, on November 5, 2018.
Conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh announced on his program Monday that he has been diagnosed with "advanced lung cancer."
Limbaugh, 69, said he will take time off his normal broadcast schedule to seek treatment.
"This day has been one of the most difficult days in recent memory for me," Limbaugh said. "I can't escape. … Even though people are telling me it's not the way to look at it, I can't help but feel that I'm letting everybody down with this."
He said the diagnosis was confirmed by two medical institutions after he realized "something was wrong" in mid-January.
"I thought about not telling anybody. I thought about trying to do this without anybody knowing, because I don't like making things about me," said Limbaugh, an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump.
"But there are going to be days that I'm not going to be able to be here, because I'm undergoing treatment or I'm reacting to treatment," he said.
Trump tweeted about Limbaugh's diagnosis Monday night, calling the host "a great guy & fantastic political talent," and wishing him "a speedy recovery."
TRUMP TWEET
Limbaugh, whose career stretches to the early 1970s, has been a conservative media legend and household name — even among the many detractors to his left, who accuse him of injecting a harmful strain of far-right demagoguery into the U.S. media landscape.
His millions of regular listeners, however, credit him as a leading political thought leader who punctured a left-skewing media bubble and proudly promoted Republican and conservative ideals.
Limbaugh "was the innovator who spoke for the Americans ignored and disrespected by the elites," Trump lawyer and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said in a tweet Monday. "America needs Rush."
Giuliani TWEET
Limbaugh was as recognizable for his distinctively brash, scrappy vocal timbre as he was for his cigar-smoking habit, for which he was so well-known that he even appeared on the spring 1994 cover of Cigar Aficionado magazine.
While the radio man steered clear of the so-called mainstream news narratives, he often found himself at the center of mainstream controversy.


cnbc--2020-02-04--Buttigieg and Sanders vie for first place in Iowa Democratic caucuses with most precincts reported

Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Bernie Sanders lead the pack in the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses , according to partial results released by the Iowa Democratic Party a day after the first-in-the-nation nominating contest .
The former South Bend , Indiana , mayor has about 27 % of state delegate equivalents , narrowly topping the Vermont senator at 25 % , according to data the state organization shared from 62 % of precincts .
Sen. Elizabeth Warren , D-Mass.
, follows at about 18 % , followed by former Vice President Joe Biden with just under 16 % , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ D-Minn. , has more than 12 % of support .
Technical glitches with an app used to report caucus data delayed results typically released the night of the Iowa presidential caucuses , which took place Monday .
Candidates started to move on to New Hampshire on Tuesday ahead of its Feb. 11 primary , but not before they put positive spin on the Hawkeye State outcome in the absence of official numbers .
Iowa Democratic Party spokeswoman Mandy McClure said earlier that the organization would announce figures from a `` majority '' of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the results as we are able to . ''
Just before the party released its first batch of results Tuesday , its Chairman Troy Price apologized for the botched reporting process .
He called it `` unacceptable . ''
Price said Iowa Democrats would undertake a `` thorough , transparent and independent examination of what occurred . ''
Price said the party faced `` multiple reporting challenges '' including a `` coding error '' in the app used at caucus sites .
He noted that Iowa Democrats have taken their time out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make sure the data is accurate .
Price said the party has a paper trail to verify electronically reported data .
The party has stressed that a cyberattack or intrusion did not cause the technological issues .
Multiple Democratic campaigns criticized the delay in releasing results .
The chaos fueled more calls from observers to do away with caucuses or Iowa 's first-in-the-nation status .
In the absence of results , campaigns announced internal tallies — which can skew toward their candidates .
The data suggested some combination of Sanders , Buttigieg and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the caucus field .
Buttigieg declared victory early Tuesday morning — the only candidate to do so before the state party released any data .
Speaking in New Hampshire after Iowa Democrats released results , he said a campaign that `` some said should have no business even making this attempt has taken its place at the front of this race . ''
Speaking before results were released Tuesday , Sanders said `` we 're not declaring victory . ''
In statement after Iowa Democrats unveiled partial results , Sanders advisor Jeff Weaver @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the senator led in by two of the three metrics the party released .
Sanders had the highest share of support when caucus voters chose their first preference and second alignments in the precincts shared by the state part .
But trailed in state delegate equivalents .
Warren responded to her third place position in the initial data , tweeting that `` we are in a strong position heading into New Hampshire , Nevada , South Carolina and Super Tuesday . ''
Biden 's campaign was particularly critical of the state party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ letter to the state party on Monday saying `` we believe that the campaigns deserve full explanations and relevant information regarding the methods of quality control you are employing , and an opportunity to respond , before any official results are released , '' NBC News reported .
The Biden campaign aimed to convince donors Tuesday that the former vice president could win the third and fourth nominating contests in Nevada and South Carolina , respectively , after early indications suggested he could trail his top rivals in Iowa .

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Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders lead the pack in the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses as a chaotic counting results counting process nears a close. Caucus data from the Iowa Democratic Party continued to trickle in Wednesday, as the presidential primary field turned its attention to New Hampshire two days after the first-in-the-nation nominating contest. The state party released results from 97% of precincts by early Thursday. A New York Times analysis of the data, however, said that the results released Wednesday were "riddled with inconsistencies." The paper said Thursday over 100 precincts reported numbers "that were internally inconsistent, that were missing data or that were not possible under the complex rules of the Iowa caucuses." According to the data released by the Iowa Democratic Party, Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, has 26.2% of state delegate equivalents, narrowly topping the Vermont senator at 26%, according to the data. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., follows at 18.2%, ahead of former Vice President Joe Biden with 15.8%, according to the data. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., has 12.2% of support. Technical glitches in an app used to report caucus data delayed results typically released the night of the Iowa presidential caucuses, which took place Monday. Candidates started to move on to New Hampshire on Tuesday ahead of its Feb. 11 primary, but not before they put positive spin on the Hawkeye State outcome in the absence of official numbers.
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Iowa Democratic Party spokeswoman Mandy McClure said this week that the party would "continue to release the results as we are able to." The first set of data from more than half of the precincts came at about 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday, followed by more results just before midnight ET. New chunks of numbers came throughout the day Wednesday. Adding to confusion and frustration, Iowa Democrats had to update one batch of data Wednesday after acknowledging they needed to make a "minor correction." The figures the party initially released showed Buttigieg jumping barely ahead of Sanders in one of its three data sets, reallocated preference. But Sanders once again had an edge in that category when the numbers were reissued. Iowa Democrats tweet Just before the party released its first batch of data Tuesday, its chairman, Troy Price, apologized for the botched reporting process. He called it "unacceptable." Price said Iowa Democrats would undertake a "thorough, transparent and independent examination of what occurred." Price said the party faced "multiple reporting challenges" including a "coding error" in the app used at caucus sites. He noted that Iowa Democrats have taken their time out of an "abundance of caution" to make sure the data is accurate. Price said the party has a paper trail to verify electronically reported data.
Chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party Troy Price exits the stage after speaking about the technical issues that delayed the Iowa Democratic caucuses results during a news conference at the Iowa Events Center on February 4, 2020 in Des Moines, Iowa. Joshua Lott | AFP | Getty Images
The party has stressed that a cyberattack or intrusion did not cause the technological issues. Multiple Democratic campaigns criticized the delay in releasing results. The chaos fueled more calls from observers to do away with caucuses or Iowa's first-in-the-nation status. In the absence of results, campaigns announced internal tallies — which can skew toward their candidates. The data suggested some combination of Sanders, Buttigieg and Warren were competing at the top of the caucus field. Buttigieg declared victory early Tuesday morning — the only candidate to do so before the state party released any data. Speaking in New Hampshire after Iowa Democrats released results, he said a campaign that "some said should have no business even making this attempt has taken its place at the front of this race." Speaking before results were released Tuesday, Sanders said "we're not declaring victory." After the Iowa results started to come out, he said to reporters in New Hampshire, "I'm very proud to tell you that last night in Iowa we received more votes on the first and second round than any other candidate." "For some reason in Iowa, they're having a little bit of trouble counting votes," he continued. "But I am confident that here in New Hampshire I know you'll be able to count those votes on election night."
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Sanders had the highest share of support when caucus voters chose their first preference and second alignments in the precincts shared by the state party. But he trailed in state delegate equivalents. Warren responded to her third-place position in the initial data, tweeting that "we are in a strong position heading into New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina and Super Tuesday." Elizabeth Warren tweet Biden's campaign was particularly critical of the state party. A Biden campaign lawyer sent a letter to the state party on Monday saying "we believe that the campaigns deserve full explanations and relevant information regarding the methods of quality control you are employing, and an opportunity to respond, before any official results are released," NBC News reported. The Biden campaign aimed to persuade donors Tuesday that the former vice president could win the third and fourth nominating contests in Nevada and South Carolina, respectively, after early indications suggested he could trail his top rivals in Iowa. Biden said Wednesday that "we took a gut punch" in Iowa. But he told supporters in New Hampshire that "we're going to come back."
US Presidential candidate and former US Vice President Joe Biden gestures as he addresses supporters and curious voters at the IBEW Local 490 in Concord, New Hampshire on February 4, 2020. Joseph Prezioso | AFP | Getty Images


cnbc--2020-02-04--High-profile Dems to boycott Trump's State of the Union Address

U.S. Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D-NY ) speaks at a news conference after Democrats in the U.S. Congress moved to formally condemn President Donald Trump 's attacks on the four minority congresswomen on Capitol Hill in Washington , July 15 , 2019 .
WASHINGTON — At least eight Democratic House members plan to boycott President Donald Trump 's annual State of the Union address Tuesday night to protest Trump 's presidency .
They include two outspoken freshmen , Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley , who both attended Trump 's speech last year .
`` After much deliberation , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my presence at a state ceremony to normalize Trump 's lawless conduct & subversion of the Constitution , '' Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Tuesday afternoon .
`` None of this is normal , and I will not legitimize it .
Consequently , I will not be attending the State of the Union . ''
`` The State of the Union is hurting because of the occupant of the White House , who consistently demonstrates contempt for the American people , contempt for Congress & contempt for our constitution , '' Pressley wrote in her statement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` I can not in good conscience attend tonight 's sham SOTU . ''
Longtime Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer has also announced that he will boycott the speech , saying in a statement Monday that he has `` chosen not to dignify Trump 's parade of lies about health care , his persistent exaggeration , and his personal attacks with my attendance at this year 's State of the Union Address . ''
This is not the first Trump State of the Union boycott for Blumenauer , nor for the five additional progressive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ skip the speech : Reps. Steve Cohen of Tennessee , Al Green of Texas , Hank Johnson of Georgia , Maxine Waters of California , and Frederica Wilson of Florida .
All of them boycotted Trump 's State of the Union last year .
The White House has said that Trump 's speech Tuesday night will be `` relentlessly optimistic , '' but Trump is also expected to adapt language from his 2020 campaign stump speech to paint a stark contrast between what he sees as his own record , and what he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Democratic president .
Trump 's speech is also being delivered while he is still technically under the cloud of impeachment , with a final vote on whether to convict the president of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress scheduled for Wednesday , less than 24 hours after Trump delivers the State of the Union address .
Trump is all but assured of being acquitted by the Republican-controlled Senate .
Nonetheless , it remains to be seen whether the president will attack the House Democratic leadership on Tuesday night , or the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ past two weeks arguing before the Senate that Trump should be removed from office .
Trump has denied any wrongdoing .
White House spokesman Hogan Gidley told reporters Tuesday that the final text of Trump 's address did not contain the word `` impeachment , '' although he cautioned that the president frequently makes last-minute edits to his speeches , so there was no guarantee of what he would or would n't say .
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the boycotts .
The State of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at 9 p.m. EST on Tuesday , and will be broadcast live by the major networks .

U.S. Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) speaks at a news conference after Democrats in the U.S. Congress moved to formally condemn President Donald Trump's attacks on the four minority congresswomen on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 15, 2019.
WASHINGTON — At least eight Democratic House members plan to boycott President Donald Trump's annual State of the Union address Tuesday night to protest Trump's presidency. They include two outspoken freshmen, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley, who both attended Trump's speech last year.
"After much deliberation, I have decided that I will not use my presence at a state ceremony to normalize Trump's lawless conduct & subversion of the Constitution," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Tuesday afternoon. "None of this is normal, and I will not legitimize it. Consequently, I will not be attending the State of the Union."
"The State of the Union is hurting because of the occupant of the White House, who consistently demonstrates contempt for the American people, contempt for Congress & contempt for our constitution," Pressley wrote in her statement, posted Tuesday afternoon on Twitter. "I cannot in good conscience attend tonight's sham SOTU."
Longtime Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer has also announced that he will boycott the speech, saying in a statement Monday that he has "chosen not to dignify Trump's parade of lies about health care, his persistent exaggeration, and his personal attacks with my attendance at this year's State of the Union Address."
This is not the first Trump State of the Union boycott for Blumenauer, nor for the five additional progressive lawmakers who have said they plan to skip the speech: Reps. Steve Cohen of Tennessee, Al Green of Texas, Hank Johnson of Georgia, Maxine Waters of California, and Frederica Wilson of Florida. All of them boycotted Trump's State of the Union last year.
The White House has said that Trump's speech Tuesday night will be "relentlessly optimistic," but Trump is also expected to adapt language from his 2020 campaign stump speech to paint a stark contrast between what he sees as his own record, and what he says the future would look like under a Democratic president.
Trump's speech is also being delivered while he is still technically under the cloud of impeachment, with a final vote on whether to convict the president of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress scheduled for Wednesday, less than 24 hours after Trump delivers the State of the Union address.
Trump is all but assured of being acquitted by the Republican-controlled Senate. Nonetheless, it remains to be seen whether the president will attack the House Democratic leadership on Tuesday night, or the House impeachment managers who have spent the past two weeks arguing before the Senate that Trump should be removed from office. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
White House spokesman Hogan Gidley told reporters Tuesday that the final text of Trump's address did not contain the word "impeachment," although he cautioned that the president frequently makes last-minute edits to his speeches, so there was no guarantee of what he would or wouldn't say.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the boycotts.
The State of the Union address is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. EST on Tuesday, and will be broadcast live by the major networks.


cnbc--2020-02-04--Joe Biden's campaign tries to reassure donors he will win Nevada and South Carolina after Iowa chaos

Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden , 2020 Democratic presidential candidate , speaks while his wife Jill Biden listens during a caucus night watch party in Des Moines , Iowa , U.S. on Monday , Feb. 3 , 2020 .
Joe Biden 's campaign tried to reassure donors on Tuesday that the former vice president is on track to win the Nevada caucus and the South Carolina primary , just a day after the Iowa caucus was derailed by vote-counting glitches .
On a conference call with some top donors just hours after the Iowa contest concluded , campaign officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the two votes scheduled for the end of the month , according to people familiar with the call , who declined to be named as the conversation was deemed private .
The call left the donors feeling positive about Biden 's efforts in those two states , according to the people .
The Nevada caucuses are set for Feb. 22 , and the South Carolina primary is a week later .
While official results had n't been released Monday night or Tuesday morning , there were reports and entrance polling data suggesting that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his top three rivals , Sens .
Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg .
Biden 's advisors stressed to donors that they 're not convinced Buttigieg won the Iowa caucuses , despite his claim Monday night , these people added .
They also pushed the notion that turnout was n't as high as Sanders had hoped for .
An NBC News entrance poll shows that turnout was slightly below 2016 's total .
Biden aides started sharing similar sentiments to donors late Monday , the people familiar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic Party has been under scrutiny since the delay of releasing the data that would show who won the caucuses .
The state party released a statement on Tuesday saying its on track to release much of the results Tuesday and acknowledged that a technical glitch was the cause for the delay .
Party leaders in the state told campaigns on Tuesday they will release the majority of the results by 5 p.m .
ET on Tuesday .

Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, speaks while his wife Jill Biden listens during a caucus night watch party in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. on Monday, Feb. 3, 2020.
Joe Biden's campaign tried to reassure donors on Tuesday that the former vice president is on track to win the Nevada caucus and the South Carolina primary, just a day after the Iowa caucus was derailed by vote-counting glitches.
On a conference call with some top donors just hours after the Iowa contest concluded, campaign officials said they were confident they can win the two votes scheduled for the end of the month, according to people familiar with the call, who declined to be named as the conversation was deemed private.
The call left the donors feeling positive about Biden's efforts in those two states, according to the people. The Nevada caucuses are set for Feb. 22, and the South Carolina primary is a week later.
While official results hadn't been released Monday night or Tuesday morning, there were reports and entrance polling data suggesting that Biden had not performed as well as his top three rivals, Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
Biden's advisors stressed to donors that they're not convinced Buttigieg won the Iowa caucuses, despite his claim Monday night, these people added. They also pushed the notion that turnout wasn't as high as Sanders had hoped for. An NBC News entrance poll shows that turnout was slightly below 2016's total.
Biden aides started sharing similar sentiments to donors late Monday, the people familiar with the matter added.
The Iowa Democratic Party has been under scrutiny since the delay of releasing the data that would show who won the caucuses. The state party released a statement on Tuesday saying its on track to release much of the results Tuesday and acknowledged that a technical glitch was the cause for the delay. Party leaders in the state told campaigns on Tuesday they will release the majority of the results by 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday.


cnbc--2020-02-04--Trump plans to hammer Democrats while pushing 'optimism' in State of the Union

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol Building on February 5 , 2019 in Washington , DC .
WASHINGTON — `` A vision of relentless optimism '' is the phrase that a senior administration official used to describe President Donald Trump 's State of the Union address , set to be delivered Tuesday night before a joint session of Congress .
Wedged between a chaotic Democratic caucus in Iowa on Monday , and Trump 's all-but assured acquittal in his impeachment trial Wednesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is likely to showcase the president at one of the high points in his first term : victorious over Democrats who sought to remove him from office and energized by the prospect of campaigning for reelection over the next nine months .
A new Gallup poll released Tuesday showed Trump 's job approval rating at the highest point so far in his presidency , with 49 % approval .
This could mean that on Tuesday , just under half of the country will see the president the same way Trump and his aides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ partisan warfare .
According to a senior administration official who briefed reporters Friday about the president 's speech , the address will be divided into five `` buckets . ''
The economy , working family issues , health-care costs , immigration and national security .
The most positive part of the president 's speech is likely to be his description of the economy in his first term .
The theme of the night 's address , the White House official said , is `` The Great American Comeback . ''
Despite trade wars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the U.S. economy under Trump has hit several high points in the past year , with market indexes setting new records almost weekly , and overall unemployment at an historic low of 3.5 % .
While touting his achievements , the official said , Trump will also contrast his policies with those of Democrats running for their party 's nomination , and he will paint a dark picture of America under the `` socialism '' he says Democrats would deliver .
( Among the Democratic contenders , only Sen. Bernie Sanders identifies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will also take aim at another of his frequent targets : so-called sanctuary cities .
These are municipalities and states where law enforcement does not turn over detained individuals suspected of being undocumented immigrants to federal the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency .
For Trump , tying the threat of crime committed by undocumented immigrants to sanctuary city policies , typically without evidence to back up his claims , has long been a mainstay of his hard-line immigration rhetoric .
On Tuesday , the White House official said , Trump will `` take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sanctuary cities .
Trump is also expected to tout the progress that he has supposedly made building a wall along the United States ' southern border , four years after Trump 's supporters first chanted `` build the wall ! ''
and Trump promised to get Mexico to pay for its construction .
But according to a top Customs and Border Patrol official who testified before Congress in December , so far , a mere 93 miles of additional wall have been built during Trump 's presidency .
Of those 93 miles , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ structures .

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol Building on February 5, 2019 in Washington, DC.
WASHINGTON — "A vision of relentless optimism" is the phrase that a senior administration official used to describe President Donald Trump's State of the Union address, set to be delivered Tuesday night before a joint session of Congress.
Wedged between a chaotic Democratic caucus in Iowa on Monday, and Trump's all-but assured acquittal in his impeachment trial Wednesday, the 9 p.m. ET speech is likely to showcase the president at one of the high points in his first term: victorious over Democrats who sought to remove him from office and energized by the prospect of campaigning for reelection over the next nine months.
A new Gallup poll released Tuesday showed Trump's job approval rating at the highest point so far in his presidency, with 49% approval. This could mean that on Tuesday, just under half of the country will see the president the same way Trump and his aides see him: triumphant and ready for partisan warfare.
According to a senior administration official who briefed reporters Friday about the president's speech, the address will be divided into five "buckets." The economy, working family issues, health-care costs, immigration and national security.
The most positive part of the president's speech is likely to be his description of the economy in his first term. The theme of the night's address, the White House official said, is "The Great American Comeback."
Despite trade wars with China and tariffs with trading partners, the U.S. economy under Trump has hit several high points in the past year, with market indexes setting new records almost weekly, and overall unemployment at an historic low of 3.5%.
While touting his achievements, the official said, Trump will also contrast his policies with those of Democrats running for their party's nomination, and he will paint a dark picture of America under the "socialism" he says Democrats would deliver. (Among the Democratic contenders, only Sen. Bernie Sanders identifies as a democratic socialist.)
Trump will also take aim at another of his frequent targets: so-called sanctuary cities. These are municipalities and states where law enforcement does not turn over detained individuals suspected of being undocumented immigrants to federal the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
For Trump, tying the threat of crime committed by undocumented immigrants to sanctuary city policies, typically without evidence to back up his claims, has long been a mainstay of his hard-line immigration rhetoric. On Tuesday, the White House official said, Trump will "take head-on" the "threat" of sanctuary cities.
Trump is also expected to tout the progress that he has supposedly made building a wall along the United States' southern border, four years after Trump's supporters first chanted "build the wall!" and Trump promised to get Mexico to pay for its construction.
But according to a top Customs and Border Patrol official who testified before Congress in December, so far, a mere 93 miles of additional wall have been built during Trump's presidency. Of those 93 miles, at least 90 were replacement of existing structures.


cnbc--2020-02-04--Wall Street might actually be fine with Sanders moving to the front of the Democratic pack

The momentum of Bernie Sanders in the Democratic presidential field sets up a potential clash of polar opposites in November , one which Wall Street might relish .
A clash between President Donald Trump and the Vermont democratic socialist gathered more attention Tuesday amid reports that Sanders showed impressively the day before in Iowa and is pushing closer to the front of the Democratic pack .
`` There is a lot of chatter that a Sanders nomination would roil markets , but there 's another way to consider that possibility , '' Nick Colas , co-founder of DataTrek Research , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Investors may assume that Sanders ' platform of radically remaking American society/commerce will not resonate with voters during a time of relative economic prosperity .
That would make President Trump 's reelection more likely , preserving a market-friendly tone to government policy . ''
Stocks have been on a tear this week .
While it 's impossible to tell how much the changing political dynamics tie into that ( if at all ) , there 's clearly a sentiment across the investing community that a Sanders presidency , with its expected broadsides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be trouble for the market .
Wall Street , of course , has done well during the Trump years .
The Dow Jones Industrial Average has risen about 58 % since Trump 's election .
Anything that suggests status quo , then , would garner support from the Street .
`` There 's enough of an analogy to hang your hat on , '' Colas said in an interview .
`` People reject an old-school socialism-oriented politician in factor of , 'Look , follow me .
The future is bright and it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one knows yet what really happened in Iowa during Monday 's caucuses due to a tabulation fiasco that left the Democratic Party in confusion .
But Sanders ' camp was claiming victory , and at least anecdotally , there were indications that former Vice President Joe Biden had underperformed .
With New Hampshire then Super Tuesday on the horizon , Sanders likely will continue to build momentum .
Biden still leads nationally by 3.3 percentage points , according to the latest RealClearPolitics consensus , but things can change quickly when it comes to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that allows bets on a variety of events including the presidential election , puts Trump well in front , with Sanders second and the rest of the pack well behind .
As the muddied electoral picture gets clearer , markets will start to make their bets .
Trump against a Biden or Mike Bloomberg would present an entirely different choice than Trump versus Sanders .
`` Trump now is starting to call Bernie a communist .
Trump can demonize an opponent faster than any politician I 've seen in my career , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and chief global strategist at AGF .
`` For most establishment Democrats in the party , they 're terrified that if Bernie is at the top of the ticket , they 're going to have big losses . ''
However , Valliere said the market is n't necessarily all-in on Trump and actually would entertain alternatives — just not one named Bernie Sanders .
`` For the markets , there 's only three candidates who can win in November — Trump , Biden , who 's fairly moderate especially on trade , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those three and those are the only three in my opinion who could win , '' he said .
`` If Bernie were the nominee ...
I think it would be a pretty easy victory for Trump . ''

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) addresses supporters during his caucus night watch party on February 03, 2020 in Des Moines, Iowa. Iowa is the first contest in the 2020 presidential nominating process with the candidates then moving on to New Hampshire. Alex Wong | Getty Images
The momentum of Bernie Sanders in the Democratic presidential field sets up a potential clash of polar opposites in November, one which Wall Street might relish. A clash between President Donald Trump and the Vermont democratic socialist gathered more attention Tuesday amid reports that Sanders showed impressively the day before in Iowa and is pushing closer to the front of the Democratic pack. "There is a lot of chatter that a Sanders nomination would roil markets, but there's another way to consider that possibility," Nick Colas, co-founder of DataTrek Research, said in his daily market note. "Investors may assume that Sanders' platform of radically remaking American society/commerce will not resonate with voters during a time of relative economic prosperity. That would make President Trump's reelection more likely, preserving a market-friendly tone to government policy."
watch now
Stocks have been on a tear this week. While it's impossible to tell how much the changing political dynamics tie into that (if at all), there's clearly a sentiment across the investing community that a Sanders presidency, with its expected broadsides against wealthy Americans and big business, would be trouble for the market. Wall Street, of course, has done well during the Trump years. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has risen about 58% since Trump's election. Anything that suggests status quo, then, would garner support from the Street. "There's enough of an analogy to hang your hat on," Colas said in an interview. "People reject an old-school socialism-oriented politician in factor of, 'Look, follow me. The future is bright and it can get brighter.'"
Predicting Trump vs. Sanders
No one knows yet what really happened in Iowa during Monday's caucuses due to a tabulation fiasco that left the Democratic Party in confusion. But Sanders' camp was claiming victory, and at least anecdotally, there were indications that former Vice President Joe Biden had underperformed. With New Hampshire then Super Tuesday on the horizon, Sanders likely will continue to build momentum. Biden still leads nationally by 3.3 percentage points, according to the latest RealClearPolitics consensus, but things can change quickly when it comes to presidential politics. PredictIt, a marketplace that allows bets on a variety of events including the presidential election, puts Trump well in front, with Sanders second and the rest of the pack well behind. As the muddied electoral picture gets clearer, markets will start to make their bets. Trump against a Biden or Mike Bloomberg would present an entirely different choice than Trump versus Sanders. "Trump now is starting to call Bernie a communist. Trump can demonize an opponent faster than any politician I've seen in my career," said Greg Valliere, veteran political analyst and chief global strategist at AGF. "For most establishment Democrats in the party, they're terrified that if Bernie is at the top of the ticket, they're going to have big losses." However, Valliere said the market isn't necessarily all-in on Trump and actually would entertain alternatives — just not one named Bernie Sanders. "For the markets, there's only three candidates who can win in November — Trump, Biden, who's fairly moderate especially on trade, and Bloomberg. The market could live with those three and those are the only three in my opinion who could win," he said. "If Bernie were the nominee ... I think it would be a pretty easy victory for Trump."


cnbc--2020-02-04--Nevada Democrats say they won't use the app involved in Iowa debacle

The Nevada Democratic Party said on Tuesday that they will not use the app involved in the disastrous Iowa caucuses for their Feb. 22 election contest after reports showed that the party had paid the technology firm behind it nearly $ 60,000 last year .
`` NV Dems can confidently say that what happened in the Iowa caucus last night will not happen in Nevada on February 22nd , '' state party chair William McCurdy said in a statement .
`` We will not be employing the same app or vendor used in the Iowa caucus . ''
McCurdy said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ series of backups and redundant reporting systems , and are currently evaluating the best path forward . ''
The app used in the Iowa caucuses was developed by the progressive tech firm Shadow Inc. , which is managed by a nonprofit investment company called Acronym .
Read more : Iowa caucus debacle is one of the most stunning tech failures ever Election officials detected irregularities in voting data during the first-in-the-nation caucuses on Monday which required them to switch to counting votes manually .
The issue delayed the reporting of the first results @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confusion about the state of the closely fought race and earning the ire of the major contenders , who all projected confidence in election night speeches despite the dearth of official data .
The Iowa Democratic Party said Tuesday that a majority of the results will be released by 5 p.m .
ET .
Former Vice President Joe Biden , the race 's national front-runner , has called on the party to allow candidates to review the quality control measures that are being implemented `` before any official results are released . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ debacle , issuing a statement saying that `` we , like everyone else , are eagerly awaiting more information . ''
Shadow wrote in a post on Twitter on Tuesday that it regretted the delayed reporting of the Iowa caucus results .
`` As the Iowa Democratic Party has confirmed , the underlying data and collection process via Shadow 's mobile caucus app was sound and accurate , but our process to transmit that caucus results data generated via the app to the IDP was not , '' the company wrote .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ improving and evolving to support the Democratic Party 's goal of modernizing its election processes . ''
Ahead of the caucuses , concerns about the app were already mounting , compounding criticism of a primary process that for decades has given outsized influence to a relatively homogeneous state with a population just north of 3 million people .
In August , the Democratic National Committee recommended Iowa and Nevada scrap the mobile-based vote process .
The Democratic National Committee 's Rules and Bylaws Committee voted to follow those recommendations .
It said a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not meet standards for cybersecurity and reliability .
DHS acting Secretary Chad Wolf told Fox News on Tuesday that the app `` was not vetted for cybersecurity . ''
But despite those concerns , both states pushed forward with the using the application .
The parties in those states were largely silent in the run-up to the Iowa caucus about who developed the app .
Microsoft had previously designed a voting app used in Iowa in 2016 , but the company did not have a hand in creating the 2020 app , a @ @ @ @ @

The chair of the Democratic National Committee said on Tuesday that Democrats will not use the app involved in the disastrous Iowa caucuses for the Nevada election contest scheduled for Feb. 22 after reports showed that the state party had paid the technology firm behind it nearly $60,000 last year.
"What happened last night should never happen again. We have staff working around the clock to assist the Iowa Democratic Party to ensure that all votes are counted," DNC chairman Tom Perez said in a statement.
"It is clear that the app in question did not function adequately. It will not be used in Nevada or anywhere else during the primary election process," Perez said. "The technology vendor must provide absolute transparent accounting of what went wrong."
Perez's statement came hours after the Nevada Democratic Party said it would not use "the same app or vendor used in the Iowa caucus."
State party chair William McCurdy said in a statement that the organization had "already developed a series of backups and redundant reporting systems, and are currently evaluating the best path forward."
The app used in the Iowa caucuses was developed by the progressive tech firm Shadow Inc., which is managed by a nonprofit investment company called Acronym.
Read more: Iowa caucus debacle is one of the most stunning tech failures ever
Election officials detected irregularities in voting data during the first-in-the-nation caucuses on Monday which required them to switch to counting votes manually.
The issue delayed the reporting of the first results of the Democratic presidential primary, sowing confusion about the state of the closely fought race and earning the ire of the major contenders, who all projected confidence in election night speeches despite the dearth of official data.
Partial data released by the Iowa Democratic Party Tuesday afternoon, reflecting 62% of the state's precincts, showed South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Bernie Sanders vying for first place. The party did not say when the full data will be released.
Acronym sought to distance itself from the debacle, issuing a statement saying that "we, like everyone else, are eagerly awaiting more information."
Shadow wrote in a post on Twitter on Tuesday that it regretted the delayed reporting of the Iowa caucus results.
"As the Iowa Democratic Party has confirmed, the underlying data and collection process via Shadow's mobile caucus app was sound and accurate, but our process to transmit that caucus results data generated via the app to the IDP was not," the company wrote. The company said it was "committed to improving and evolving to support the Democratic Party's goal of modernizing its election processes."
Ahead of the caucuses, concerns about the app were already mounting, compounding criticism of a primary process that for decades has given outsized influence to a relatively homogeneous state with a population just north of 3 million people.
In August, the Democratic National Committee recommended Iowa and Nevada scrap the mobile-based vote process.
The Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee voted to follow those recommendations. It said a security review had determined the app did not meet standards for cybersecurity and reliability.
DHS acting Secretary Chad Wolf told Fox News on Tuesday that the app "was not vetted for cybersecurity." But despite those concerns, both states pushed forward with the using the application.
The parties in those states were largely silent in the run-up to the Iowa caucus about who developed the app.
Microsoft had previously designed a voting app used in Iowa in 2016, but the company did not have a hand in creating the 2020 app, a Microsoft spokesperson told CNBC.


cnbc--2020-02-04--Video shows Iowa caucus voter pulling support for Pete Buttigieg after learning he's married to a ma

Video shows Iowa caucus voter pulling support for Pete Buttigieg after learning he's married to a man

An Iowa Democratic caucus voter who agreed to back Pete Buttigieg on Monday night dramatically rescinded her support after being stunned to learn what millions of people already knew about the former South Bend , Indiana , mayor — he 's gay and married to another man .
The voter had been a supporter of Sen. Amy Klobuchar , D-Minn. , before joining Buttigieg backers at the caucus site in Crestwood High School in Cresco , Iowa .
The voter then overheard some of the backers mention Buttigieg 's spouse , Chasten Buttigieg , whom he married in June 2018 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has the same-sex partner ?
Pete ? ''
the voter said on a video of her electoral about-face that went viral Tuesday after it was posted on Twitter by filmmaker Annabel Park .
`` Are you kidding ? ''
she said .
`` Yes , '' replied Nikki van den Heever , who was wrangling votes for Buttigieg at the caucus .
`` He 's married to him . ''
`` Then I do n't want anybody like that in the White House , '' the voter said .
`` So can I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I never knew that , '' she added .
Van den Heever then told her , `` The whole point of it is , though , he 's a human being , right ?
Just like you and me , and it should n't really matter . ''
But the voter shot back , `` Well , he better read the Bible . ''
`` He does , and he says that God does n't choose a political party , '' van den Heever said .
The voter cut her off , `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that a man should marry a woman then ? ''
`` How come this has never been brought out before ? ''
`` I never heard it , '' the voter said .
Van den Heever said , `` I guess what I would like you to just think deep inside and think should it matter if it 's a man or if they 're a woman or if they 're heterosexual or homosexual if you believe in what they say . ''
The voter replied , `` It all just went right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it all went . ''

An Iowa Democratic caucus voter who agreed to back Pete Buttigieg on Monday night dramatically rescinded her support after being stunned to learn what millions of people already knew about the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor — he's gay and married to another man.
The voter had been a supporter of Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., before joining Buttigieg backers at the caucus site in Crestwood High School in Cresco, Iowa.
The voter then overheard some of the backers mention Buttigieg's spouse, Chasten Buttigieg, whom he married in June 2018.
"Are you saying that he has the same-sex partner? Pete?" the voter said on a video of her electoral about-face that went viral Tuesday after it was posted on Twitter by filmmaker Annabel Park.
"Are you kidding?" she said.
"Yes," replied Nikki van den Heever, who was wrangling votes for Buttigieg at the caucus. "He's married to him."
"Then I don't want anybody like that in the White House," the voter said. "So can I have my card back?"
Tweet
"I never knew that," she added.
Van den Heever then told her, "The whole point of it is, though, he's a human being, right? Just like you and me, and it shouldn't really matter."
But the voter shot back, "Well, he better read the Bible."
"He does, and he says that God doesn't choose a political party," van den Heever said.
The voter cut her off, "Why does it say in the Bible that a man should marry a woman then?"
"How come this has never been brought out before?"
"I never heard it," the voter said.
Van den Heever said, "I guess what I would like you to just think deep inside and think should it matter if it's a man or if they're a woman or if they're heterosexual or homosexual if you believe in what they say."
The voter replied, "It all just went right down the toilet, that's where it all went."


cnbc--2020-02-04--Op-Ed: Iowa caucus disaster proves the Democrats still don't know how to beat Trump

The second clear reality is that there 's a bigger problem for the Democrats than just Perez 's mismanagement at the DNC .
The party still only has one unifying message , which is `` get Trump . ''
All that anti-Trump focus has created a chaos that looks more and more like it will result in not defeating Trump in November after all .
This Perez move was bad for the Democrats in more ways than just inducing a taunt from Trump .
It seems not to have dawned on Perez or anyone else at the DNC that changing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bloomberg onto the debate stage as a counter to Sanders is exactly the kind of thing Sanders rails about when he bashes billionaires .
This will likely make Sanders stronger , as long as he has the aggressiveness to make his argument against this rule change a prominent part of his campaign message in the coming days and weeks .
This comes after yet another Perez blunder connected to debate rules .
The DNC officially changed the debate qualifying rules on Friday to eliminate the minimum requirement for individual donors .
The move @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mike Bloomberg and the sign of an organized effort by the DNC to stack the deck against Sen. Bernie Sanders .
Even President Trump made that second accusation on Super Bowl Sunday : Ultimately , Perez deserves to bear the brunt of criticism for overseeing the rules changes the Democrats instituted in their Iowa caucus format .
It may seem hard to believe , but as recently as Monday night Perez was actually boasting about those changes .
The clearest first takeaway from not just this Iowa debacle , but the last week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : DNC Chairman Tom Perez must resign .
If the delayed and confusing results from the Iowa caucuses results have also left you confused , here are at least three very clear things we know right now : We 're seeing two aspects of that chaos right now .
Iowa 's messy results are n't just the result of bad management and faulty reporting aps .
They 're also the result of a still overly large number of presidential candidates at this stage of the game , and the crowded field has led @ @ @ @ @ @ @ direct result of the DNC and its numerous close allies in the news media rewarding and focusing on anti-Trump messages over and above any unique policies or qualities in any individual candidate .
Most of what passes for discussion or analysis of any given Democratic candidate is a debate on whether he or she can beat Trump .
Speaking of being able to beat Trump , most polls have shown that Joe Biden has consistently been the most competitive in a hypothetical one-on-one contest against Trump .
But Biden has begun to fade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's the result of the simple fact that to defeat even the most controversial of presidential incumbents , challengers have to spend much less time bashing the current president and more time building themselves up instead .
Jimmy Carter in 1976 , Ronald Reagan in 1980 , and Bill Clinton in 1992 all proved that .
Biden 's fall may also be the result of yet another poorly coordinated effort by the Democrats : the impeachment process .
It took a while , but the impeachment inquiry has made the embarrassing details about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public .
This was a predictable outcome that became even more evident given Biden 's testy exchange with `` Today '' show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie in an interview that aired Monday .
To make things worse , it 's beginning to look more and more that no Republican senators will vote to convict President Trump in the impeachment trial and that two or three Democrats will vote to acquit .
That does n't mean the impeachment process will be a complete victory for Trump .
But if it results in less than 100 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to create embarrassing blowback for Biden , then it sure looks like a defeat for the Democrats .
The final bit of clarity we have right now is that the Democrats need an aggressive winner , and they need him or her right now .
The lack of results from Iowa produced a `` participation trophy '' like atmosphere where almost every candidate declared victory .
That 's the opposite of what the party needs now .
Some Democrats are hoping all of this will benefit Bloomberg , especially since he was n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while Bloomberg is doing better in the polls recently , he 's still far from taking the lead in any single primary state poll right now .
He needs a massive surge in his numbers with less than one month to go before the Super Tuesday primaries .
If Bloomberg ca n't win one or two of those 15 contests , it will be hard to make the case that he 's a strong choice of actual Democratic voters .
The whole `` surging in the polls '' thing only matters at this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not just impressive finishes .
Bashing Trump alone wo n't win any of the Democratic candidates the White House , but one of them is going to have to start pushing back harder on his or her opponents in the primary field to win the nomination .
After this Iowa mess and the impeachment muddle , the entire Democratic Party now seems like it simply does n't know how to win .
Jake Novak is a political and economic analyst at Jake Novak News and former CNBC TV producer .
You can follow @ @ @ @ @ @

The second clear reality is that there's a bigger problem for the Democrats than just Perez's mismanagement at the DNC. The party still only has one unifying message, which is "get Trump." All that anti-Trump focus has created a chaos that looks more and more like it will result in not defeating Trump in November after all.
This Perez move was bad for the Democrats in more ways than just inducing a taunt from Trump. It seems not to have dawned on Perez or anyone else at the DNC that changing the rules to put a billionaire like Bloomberg onto the debate stage as a counter to Sanders is exactly the kind of thing Sanders rails about when he bashes billionaires. This will likely make Sanders stronger, as long as he has the aggressiveness to make his argument against this rule change a prominent part of his campaign message in the coming days and weeks.
This comes after yet another Perez blunder connected to debate rules. The DNC officially changed the debate qualifying rules on Friday to eliminate the minimum requirement for individual donors. The move was largely seen as a concession to Mike Bloomberg and the sign of an organized effort by the DNC to stack the deck against Sen. Bernie Sanders. Even President Trump made that second accusation on Super Bowl Sunday:
Ultimately, Perez deserves to bear the brunt of criticism for overseeing the rules changes the Democrats instituted in their Iowa caucus format. It may seem hard to believe, but as recently as Monday night Perez was actually boasting about those changes.
The clearest first takeaway from not just this Iowa debacle, but the last week's worth of election news is this: DNC Chairman Tom Perez must resign.
If the delayed and confusing results from the Iowa caucuses results have also left you confused, here are at least three very clear things we know right now:
We're seeing two aspects of that chaos right now. Iowa's messy results aren't just the result of bad management and faulty reporting aps. They're also the result of a still overly large number of presidential candidates at this stage of the game, and the crowded field has led to more confusion. It's a direct result of the DNC and its numerous close allies in the news media rewarding and focusing on anti-Trump messages over and above any unique policies or qualities in any individual candidate. Most of what passes for discussion or analysis of any given Democratic candidate is a debate on whether he or she can beat Trump.
Speaking of being able to beat Trump, most polls have shown that Joe Biden has consistently been the most competitive in a hypothetical one-on-one contest against Trump. But Biden has begun to fade in the Democratic primary polls. That's the result of the simple fact that to defeat even the most controversial of presidential incumbents, challengers have to spend much less time bashing the current president and more time building themselves up instead. Jimmy Carter in 1976, Ronald Reagan in 1980, and Bill Clinton in 1992 all proved that.
Biden's fall may also be the result of yet another poorly coordinated effort by the Democrats: the impeachment process. It took a while, but the impeachment inquiry has made the embarrassing details about the Biden family's finances much more public. This was a predictable outcome that became even more evident given Biden's testy exchange with "Today" show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie in an interview that aired Monday.
To make things worse, it's beginning to look more and more that no Republican senators will vote to convict President Trump in the impeachment trial and that two or three Democrats will vote to acquit. That doesn't mean the impeachment process will be a complete victory for Trump. But if it results in less than 100% Democratic unity in Congress and continues to create embarrassing blowback for Biden, then it sure looks like a defeat for the Democrats.
The final bit of clarity we have right now is that the Democrats need an aggressive winner, and they need him or her right now. The lack of results from Iowa produced a "participation trophy" like atmosphere where almost every candidate declared victory. That's the opposite of what the party needs now.
Some Democrats are hoping all of this will benefit Bloomberg, especially since he wasn't even a candidate in Iowa. But while Bloomberg is doing better in the polls recently, he's still far from taking the lead in any single primary state poll right now. He needs a massive surge in his numbers with less than one month to go before the Super Tuesday primaries. If Bloomberg can't win one or two of those 15 contests, it will be hard to make the case that he's a strong choice of actual Democratic voters. The whole "surging in the polls" thing only matters at this stage if it leads to victories, not just impressive finishes.
Bashing Trump alone won't win any of the Democratic candidates the White House, but one of them is going to have to start pushing back harder on his or her opponents in the primary field to win the nomination. After this Iowa mess and the impeachment muddle, the entire Democratic Party now seems like it simply doesn't know how to win.
Jake Novak is a political and economic analyst at Jake Novak News and former CNBC TV producer. You can follow him on Twitter @jakejakeny.


cnbc--2020-02-04--Trump approval rating hits new high in Gallup poll, despite impeachment trial

US President Donald Trump gives a thumbs up during a `` Keep America Great '' campaign rally at Wildwoods Convention Center in Wildwood , New Jersey , January 28 , 2020 .
President Donald Trump 's approval rating has hit the highest level of his presidency — 49 % — in a Gallup poll .
Trump was boosted by increased approval among independent as well as Republican voters , according to the survey released Tuesday .
The poll of 1,033 adults was conducted from Jan. 16 to 29 , during Trump 's impeachment trial in the Senate .
Trump 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now stands at 94 % percent , 6 points higher than registered by the last Gallup poll .
And 42 % of independents approve of the job he is doing , up 3 points .
Trump 's approval by Democrats fell to 7 % — 3 points lower than a prior survey .
Gallup 's survey found the public evenly divided at 50 % on the question of whether Trump deserves to be elected to a second term in the White House in November .
The poll , which had a margin of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the heels of other public surveys that have shown Trump 's popularity steadily creeping upward in recent months .

US President Donald Trump gives a thumbs up during a "Keep America Great" campaign rally at Wildwoods Convention Center in Wildwood, New Jersey, January 28, 2020. Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
President Donald Trump's approval rating has hit the highest level of his presidency — 49% — in a Gallup poll. Trump was boosted by increased approval among independent as well as Republican voters, according to the survey released Tuesday. The poll of 1,033 adults was conducted from Jan. 16 to 29, during Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate. Trump's approval rating among his fellow GOP voters now stands at 94% percent, 6 points higher than registered by the last Gallup poll. And 42% of independents approve of the job he is doing, up 3 points.
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Trump's approval by Democrats fell to 7% — 3 points lower than a prior survey. Gallup's survey found the public evenly divided at 50% on the question of whether Trump deserves to be elected to a second term in the White House in November. The poll, which had a margin of error of 4 percentage points, comes on the heels of other public surveys that have shown Trump's popularity steadily creeping upward in recent months.


cnbc--2020-02-04--Iowa caucus debacle is one of the most stunning tech failures ever

The Iowa caucus debacle represents one of the most stunning failures of information security ever .
This failure was delivered by the same Iowa Democratic Party officials who have said for the last four years they were `` ramping up '' their technology capabilities , convening seemingly endless security task forces to ensure foreign powers did not disenfranchise voters , and collaborating with federal agencies like the Department of Homeland Security to make sure everyone was in the loop on voting security .
Voters will be paying close attention to how party leaders ensure that votes going forward have clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to protect against hackers , but from all types of technology failures , including applications that might not work .
Iowa officials counting the results coming in Monday from the caucusing app reported irregularities that required them to switch from the app to counting votes manually .
Party officials said the `` underlying data '' put into the app was fine , but it is unclear as of yet how they know this or even what they consider `` underlying data . ''
`` Last night , more than 1,600 precinct caucuses gathered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ satellite caucuses around the world , '' the Iowa Democratic Party said in a statement Tuesday .
`` As precinct caucus results started coming in , the IDP ran them through an accuracy and quality check .
It became clear that there were inconsistencies with the reports .
The underlying cause of these inconsistencies was not immediately clear , and required investigation , which took time . ''
Read more : Nevada Democrats say they wo n't use the app involved in Iowa caucus The Iowa Democrats were using an application made by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , managed by a nonprofit investment company called Acronym .
In a statement , Acronym distanced itself from Shadow .
`` We are reading confirmed reports of Shadow 's work with the Iowa Democratic Party on Twitter and we , like everyone else , are eagerly awaiting more information ... with respect to what happened , '' Acronym said in a statement .
Iowa Democrats explained that backup measures for the Shadow app took `` longer than expected . ''
`` We have determined that this was due to a coding issue in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identified and fixed .
The application 's reporting issue did not impact the ability of precinct chairs to report data accurately , '' the Iowa Democratic Party statement said .
Voters will surely be asking the Iowa Democrats to prove how they know the information is accurate with so many reported irregularities .
Shadow apologized on Twitter Tuesday afternoon .
`` We sincerely regret the delay in the reporting of the results of last night 's Iowa caucuses and the uncertainty it has caused to the candidates , their campaigns , and Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
The Iowa Democrats and Democratic National Committee will have to answer several puzzling questions about why they chose to use the application in the first place .
First , in 2016 , the Iowa caucuses used an application made by Microsoft , which worked .
It 's unclear why they did n't keep the same application , created by an established company instead of one from an untested start-up .
Microsoft is making sure people know it did n't make this year 's app .
`` We had a great partnership with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but we are not part of the caucuses this year and have not been involved in building or supporting their app , '' a company spokesperson tweeted .
Second , in August , the Democratic National Committee recommended Iowa stop using an app altogether .
The Democratic National Committee 's Rules and Bylaws Committee voted to follow those recommendations .
It said a security review had determined the virtual caucus did not meet standards for cybersecurity and reliability .
`` We are — over the last week and continuing today and in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what options might be available to us given the time frame that 's left , '' Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Troy Price said in September , according to NPR .
`` We know there 's not a lot of time left .
There 's 4.5 months between now and when Iowans head to the caucus sites . ''
DHS acting Secretary Chad Wolf told Fox News on Tuesday that the app `` was not vetted for cybersecurity . ''
Now , Iowa is scrambling for answers .
Cybersec vs. Infosec : Why it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ important distinction today between cybersecurity and information security .
Loosely speaking : In cybersecurity , organizations work to defend against hackers .
In the broader field of information security , organizations work to be able to recover quickly whether they have been hit by a cyberattack , someone tripped over a cord in a data center or a server farm gets knocked out by a hurricane .
Cybersecurity falls into the bigger bucket of infosec and resiliency planning .
In this case , it appears as though cybersecurity was n't the issue , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and vetting procedures were completely deficient or simply absent entirely .
They had an app that they knew was problematic .
They used it anyway without properly testing their back-up plans , each stage of which have proved to take longer than usual .
Preparing for the inevitably of a cyberattack meant the Iowa Democrats , Democratic National Committee and DHS should all have been ready to bounce back from a problem like this .
The fact that they still have n't recovered is likely to be more disheartening to voters than any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or Russian phishing bid .
All of these organizations owe it to the electorate to never let something like this happen again .
Because if they ca n't recover from a bad app , a hack or a hurricane could be far more devastating .

watch now
The Iowa caucus debacle represents one of the most stunning failures of information security ever. This failure was delivered by the same Iowa Democratic Party officials who have said for the last four years they were "ramping up" their technology capabilities, convening seemingly endless security task forces to ensure foreign powers did not disenfranchise voters, and collaborating with federal agencies like the Department of Homeland Security to make sure everyone was in the loop on voting security. Voters will be paying close attention to how party leaders ensure that votes going forward have clear contingency plans in place, not just to protect against hackers, but from all types of technology failures, including applications that might not work.
What happened?
Iowa officials counting the results coming in Monday from the caucusing app reported irregularities that required them to switch from the app to counting votes manually. Party officials said the "underlying data" put into the app was fine, but it is unclear as of yet how they know this or even what they consider "underlying data."
watch now
"Last night, more than 1,600 precinct caucuses gathered across the state of Iowa and at satellite caucuses around the world," the Iowa Democratic Party said in a statement Tuesday. "As precinct caucus results started coming in, the IDP ran them through an accuracy and quality check. It became clear that there were inconsistencies with the reports. The underlying cause of these inconsistencies was not immediately clear, and required investigation, which took time." Read more: Nevada Democrats say they won't use the app involved in Iowa caucus The Iowa Democrats were using an application made by a partisan progressive start-up named Shadow Inc., managed by a nonprofit investment company called Acronym. In a statement, Acronym distanced itself from Shadow. "We are reading confirmed reports of Shadow's work with the Iowa Democratic Party on Twitter and we, like everyone else, are eagerly awaiting more information ... with respect to what happened," Acronym said in a statement. Iowa Democrats explained that backup measures for the Shadow app took "longer than expected." "We have determined that this was due to a coding issue in the reporting system. This issue was identified and fixed. The application's reporting issue did not impact the ability of precinct chairs to report data accurately," the Iowa Democratic Party statement said. Voters will surely be asking the Iowa Democrats to prove how they know the information is accurate with so many reported irregularities. Shadow apologized on Twitter Tuesday afternoon. "We sincerely regret the delay in the reporting of the results of last night's Iowa caucuses and the uncertainty it has caused to the candidates, their campaigns, and Democratic caucus-goers." tweet
Why did it happen?
The Iowa Democrats and Democratic National Committee will have to answer several puzzling questions about why they chose to use the application in the first place. First, in 2016, the Iowa caucuses used an application made by Microsoft , which worked. It's unclear why they didn't keep the same application, created by an established company instead of one from an untested start-up. Microsoft is making sure people know it didn't make this year's app. "We had a great partnership with the Iowa political parties in 2016, but we are not part of the caucuses this year and have not been involved in building or supporting their app," a company spokesperson tweeted. Tweet Second, in August, the Democratic National Committee recommended Iowa stop using an app altogether. The Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee voted to follow those recommendations. It said a security review had determined the virtual caucus did not meet standards for cybersecurity and reliability. "We are — over the last week and continuing today and in the days ahead — continuing to look at what options might be available to us given the time frame that's left," Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Troy Price said in September, according to NPR. "We know there's not a lot of time left. There's 4.5 months between now and when Iowans head to the caucus sites." DHS acting Secretary Chad Wolf told Fox News on Tuesday that the app "was not vetted for cybersecurity." Now, Iowa is scrambling for answers.
Cybersec vs. Infosec: Why it matters here
Iowans are learning about the important distinction today between cybersecurity and information security. Loosely speaking: In cybersecurity, organizations work to defend against hackers. In the broader field of information security, organizations work to be able to recover quickly whether they have been hit by a cyberattack, someone tripped over a cord in a data center or a server farm gets knocked out by a hurricane. Cybersecurity falls into the bigger bucket of infosec and resiliency planning. In this case, it appears as though cybersecurity wasn't the issue, but the proper back-up planning, testing and vetting procedures were completely deficient or simply absent entirely. They had an app that they knew was problematic. They used it anyway without properly testing their back-up plans, each stage of which have proved to take longer than usual. Preparing for the inevitably of a cyberattack meant the Iowa Democrats, Democratic National Committee and DHS should all have been ready to bounce back from a problem like this. The fact that they still haven't recovered is likely to be more disheartening to voters than any malicious Twitter campaign or fake Facebook ad or Russian phishing bid. All of these organizations owe it to the electorate to never let something like this happen again. Because if they can't recover from a bad app, a hack or a hurricane could be far more devastating.


cnbc--2020-02-04--Coronavirus will delay export 'boom' from US-China phase 1 trade deal, Larry Kudlow says

Larry Kudlow , director of the U.S. National Economic Council , speaks during a television interview at the White House in Washington , D.C. , U.S. on Thursday , Jan. 30 , 2020 .
President Donald Trump 's economic advisor Larry Kudlow said Tuesday that the deadly Chinese coronavirus outbreak will delay a surge in exports that is expected to flow from the first `` phase '' of the U.S.-China trade deal signed last month .
`` It is true the trade deal , the phase one trade deal , the export boom from that trade deal will take longer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is true , '' Kudlow said in a Fox Business Network interview .
But Kudlow noted that the Trump administration , which imposed travel restrictions and quarantines in response to the coronavirus last week , still projects `` minimal impact '' from the fast-spreading disease .
`` The world is not in Wuhan province , '' Kudlow said .
The partial trade deal signed on Jan. 15 includes several provisions to address issues including forced technology transfers and intellectual property theft , which Trump has complained about for years .
It also includes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ purchases of U.S. goods over two years — a priority for Trump .
But the coronavirus , which has infected more than 20,000 people in China and killed more than 400 , has struck fear in investors and raised doubts about Chinese business .

Larry Kudlow, director of the U.S. National Economic Council, speaks during a television interview at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S. on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020.
President Donald Trump's economic advisor Larry Kudlow said Tuesday that the deadly Chinese coronavirus outbreak will delay a surge in exports that is expected to flow from the first "phase" of the U.S.-China trade deal signed last month.
"It is true the trade deal, the phase one trade deal, the export boom from that trade deal will take longer because of the Chinese virus. That is true," Kudlow said in a Fox Business Network interview.
But Kudlow noted that the Trump administration, which imposed travel restrictions and quarantines in response to the coronavirus last week, still projects "minimal impact" from the fast-spreading disease.
"The world is not in Wuhan province," Kudlow said.
The partial trade deal signed on Jan. 15 includes several provisions to address issues including forced technology transfers and intellectual property theft, which Trump has complained about for years. It also includes a $200 billion increase in Chinese purchases of U.S. goods over two years — a priority for Trump.
But the coronavirus, which has infected more than 20,000 people in China and killed more than 400, has struck fear in investors and raised doubts about Chinese business.


cnbc--2020-02-04--Rush Limbaugh says he has 'advanced lung cancer'

US radio talk show host and conservative political commentator Rush Limbaugh looks on before introducing US President Donald Trump to deliver remarks at a Make America Great Again rally in Cape Girardeau , MO , on November 5 , 2018 .
Conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh announced on his program Monday that he has been diagnosed with `` advanced lung cancer . ''
Limbaugh , 69 , said he will take time off his normal broadcast schedule to seek treatment .
`` This day has been one of the most difficult days in recent memory for me , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ escape .
… Even though people are telling me it 's not the way to look at it , I ca n't help but feel that I 'm letting everybody down with this . ''
He said the diagnosis was confirmed by two medical institutions after he realized `` something was wrong '' in mid-January .
`` I thought about not telling anybody .
I thought about trying to do this without anybody knowing , because I do n't like making things about me , '' said Limbaugh , an outspoken supporter of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are going to be days that I 'm not going to be able to be here , because I 'm undergoing treatment or I 'm reacting to treatment , '' he said .
Trump tweeted about Limbaugh 's diagnosis Monday night , calling the host `` a great guy & fantastic political talent , '' and wishing him `` a speedy recovery . ''
Limbaugh , whose career stretches to the early 1970s , has been a conservative media legend and household name — even among the many detractors to his left , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strain of far-right demagoguery into the U.S. media landscape .
His millions of regular listeners , however , credit him as a leading political thought leader who punctured a left-skewing media bubble and proudly promoted Republican and conservative ideals .
Limbaugh `` was the innovator who spoke for the Americans ignored and disrespected by the elites , '' Trump lawyer and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said in a tweet Monday .
`` America needs Rush . ''
Limbaugh was as recognizable for his distinctively brash , scrappy vocal timbre as he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which he was so well-known that he even appeared on the spring 1994 cover of Cigar Aficionado magazine .
While the radio man steered clear of the so-called mainstream news narratives , he often found himself at the center of mainstream controversy .