cnbc--2020-01-30--Mike Bloomberg's Super Bowl ad focuses on gun control

Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg gives the thumbs up as he embarks on his bus after speaking to supporters at the Viva Villa restaurant in San Antonio , Texas on January 11 , 2020 .
The spot emphasizes what the Bloomberg campaign calls `` the urgent need to prevent gun violence in America and why Mike is the candidate to get it done , '' according to the ad 's YouTube description .
The ad , titled `` George , '' features Calandrian Simpson Kemp , whose son George Kemp Jr. was fatally shot in Richmond , Texas , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mike Bloomberg released his 60-second Super Bowl ad Thursday , and it focuses on one of the biggest issues in his campaign : gun control .
The spot for Sunday 's Super Bowl being aired on Fox is likely to cost at least $ 10 million .
Bloomberg 's campaign said it plans to share more videos featuring survivors of gun violence this week , before Bloomberg visits states next week to commemorate National Gun Violence Survivors Week .
The ad campaign was made with Siegel Strategies , according to Bloomberg 's campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of New York , helped found Everytown for Gun Safety in 2014 to `` end gun violence and counter the Washington gun lobby , '' pledging to spend at least $ 50 million to support the cause .
The group spent $ 2.5 million last year to influence voters in Virginia , versus approximately $ 300,000 by the NRA .
And it appeared to have an effect : In November 's election , the Democrats tipped the Virginia House and Senate in their favor , giving them full control there for the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than $ 200 million into ads and climbed toward the top tier of other Democrats in presidential primary polls .
President Donald Trump 's reelection campaign is spending $ 10 million for ad time for a Super Bowl spot , an aide to the president 's political operation previously confirmed to CNBC .
While Bloomberg is n't competing in the first four primary and caucus states — Iowa , New Hampshire , Nevada and South Carolina — he is running a nationally focused campaign , with an emphasis on states holding contests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including California and Texas .
Bloomberg 's campaign has also sought to be nimble and playful , in addition to taking on serious subjects like gun control .
On Wednesday , the organization released a digital ad featuring dogs endorsing the billionaire 's candidacy for the Democratic nomination .
The # DogsFurMike ad came a day after a video showing the former New York mayor bizarrely shaking a dog 's snout went viral .

Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg gives the thumbs up as he embarks on his bus after speaking to supporters at the Viva Villa restaurant in San Antonio, Texas on January 11, 2020.
The spot emphasizes what the Bloomberg campaign calls "the urgent need to prevent gun violence in America and why Mike is the candidate to get it done," according to the ad's YouTube description . The ad, titled "George," features Calandrian Simpson Kemp, whose son George Kemp Jr. was fatally shot in Richmond, Texas, in 2013 at age 20.
Presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg released his 60-second Super Bowl ad Thursday, and it focuses on one of the biggest issues in his campaign: gun control.
The spot for Sunday's Super Bowl being aired on Fox is likely to cost at least $10 million.
Bloomberg's campaign said it plans to share more videos featuring survivors of gun violence this week, before Bloomberg visits states next week to commemorate National Gun Violence Survivors Week.
The ad campaign was made with Siegel Strategies, according to Bloomberg's campaign.
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Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York, helped found Everytown for Gun Safety in 2014 to "end gun violence and counter the Washington gun lobby," pledging to spend at least $50 million to support the cause. The group spent $2.5 million last year to influence voters in Virginia, versus approximately $300,000 by the NRA. And it appeared to have an effect: In November's election, the Democrats tipped the Virginia House and Senate in their favor, giving them full control there for the first time since 1994.
Bloomberg has funneled more than $200 million into ads and climbed toward the top tier of other Democrats in presidential primary polls. President Donald Trump's reelection campaign is spending $10 million for ad time for a Super Bowl spot, an aide to the president's political operation previously confirmed to CNBC.
While Bloomberg isn't competing in the first four primary and caucus states — Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina — he is running a nationally focused campaign, with an emphasis on states holding contests on Super Tuesday, March 3, including California and Texas.
Bloomberg's campaign has also sought to be nimble and playful, in addition to taking on serious subjects like gun control.
On Wednesday, the organization released a digital ad featuring dogs endorsing the billionaire's candidacy for the Democratic nomination. The #DogsFurMike ad came a day after a video showing the former New York mayor bizarrely shaking a dog's snout went viral.


cnbc--2020-02-05--State of the Union top moments: Trump honors Limbaugh, and Pelosi lets it rip

In the chamber where he was impeached , President Donald Trump on Tuesday delivered his third State of the Union address , boasting of his record on jobs and warning against Democratic policy proposals .
The speech came in the thick of the president 's 2020 reelection campaign , and one day before he is expected to be acquitted by the Senate on impeachment charges brought by the Democratic-led House .
The ceremonial address to the joint session of Congress resembled a campaign speech , with the president claiming to have created `` the greatest economy that we 've had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protect Social Security and warning against Democratic policy proposals .
Republicans led a chant of `` four more years '' at the start .
The president did not mention impeachment .
Among those in attendance was Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido , whom the Trump administration has supported in his efforts to topple President Nicolas Maduro , the country 's socialist leader .
Notably absent from the speech was a slate of high-profile Democrats , including the progressive freshmen Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts .
Here are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does n't shake Pelosi 's hand , she rips up his speech The night began and ended with dramatic acts of partisanship .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sought to shake the president 's hand after Trump handed her what appeared to be a copy of his remarks .
But Trump did not shake her hand .
At the end of the speech , Pelosi ripped up the papers and cast them aside .
Asked why she did so , Pelosi explained to reporters afterwards : `` It was the courteous thing to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did n't elaborate .
Pelosi and Trump have tangled over politics and matters of temperament , with tensions rising particularly high during the impeachment process .
But the Pelosi-Trump feud began much earlier .
In May , even as she resisted calls for impeachment , Pelosi suggested that Trump 's staff should stage `` an intervention . ''
The president awarded the conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh America 's highest civilian honor , with the first lady affixing the honor herself .
Limbaugh , a close ally of the president , announced on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has advanced lung cancer .
`` This is not good news , '' Trump said , referring to the diagnosis .
`` But what is good news is that he is the greatest fighter and winner that you will ever meet .
Rush Limbaugh : Thank you for your decades of tireless devotion to our country . ''
Trump has also awarded Presidential Medals of Freedom to former Sen. Orrin Hatch , the late Justice Antonin Scalia , long-dead music legend Elvis Presley and star golfer Tiger Woods .
One of the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opposition leader Juan Guaido , who is pushing to overthrow Nicolas Maduro , the country 's president .
`` Maduro is an illegitimate ruler , a tyrant who brutalizes his people .
But Maduro 's grip of tyranny will be smashed and broken , '' Trump said .
`` Here this evening is a man who carries with him the hopes , dreams and aspirations of all Venezuelans .
Joining us in the gallery is the true and legitimate president of Venezuela , Juan Guaido . ''
Bloomberg News reported in December that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Guaido 's ability to oust Maduro .
The White House has been upping its pressure campaign on Maduro in recent weeks .
The administration last month announced new sanctions on more than a dozen aircraft operated by the country 's state-owned oil company that transport senior members of the Maduro regime .

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In the chamber where he was impeached, President Donald Trump on Tuesday delivered his third State of the Union address, boasting of his record on jobs and warning against Democratic policy proposals. The speech came in the thick of the president's 2020 reelection campaign, and one day before he is expected to be acquitted by the Senate on impeachment charges brought by the Democratic-led House . The ceremonial address to the joint session of Congress resembled a campaign speech, with the president claiming to have created "the greatest economy that we've had in our history," pledging to protect Social Security and warning against Democratic policy proposals. Republicans led a chant of "four more years" at the start. The president did not mention impeachment. Among those in attendance was Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, whom the Trump administration has supported in his efforts to topple President Nicolas Maduro, the country's socialist leader. Notably absent from the speech was a slate of high-profile Democrats, including the progressive freshmen Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts. Here are the night's top moments.
Trump doesn't shake Pelosi's hand, she rips up his speech
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The night began and ended with dramatic acts of partisanship. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sought to shake the president's hand after Trump handed her what appeared to be a copy of his remarks. But Trump did not shake her hand. At the end of the speech, Pelosi ripped up the papers and cast them aside. Asked why she did so, Pelosi explained to reporters afterwards: "It was the courteous thing to do, considering the alternative." She didn't elaborate. Pelosi and Trump have tangled over politics and matters of temperament, with tensions rising particularly high during the impeachment process. But the Pelosi-Trump feud began much earlier. In May, even as she resisted calls for impeachment, Pelosi suggested that Trump's staff should stage "an intervention." CNBC TWEET
Limbaugh awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom
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The president awarded the conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh America's highest civilian honor, with the first lady affixing the honor herself. Limbaugh, a close ally of the president, announced on his radio program on Monday that he has advanced lung cancer. "This is not good news," Trump said, referring to the diagnosis. "But what is good news is that he is the greatest fighter and winner that you will ever meet. Rush Limbaugh: Thank you for your decades of tireless devotion to our country." Trump has also awarded Presidential Medals of Freedom to former Sen. Orrin Hatch, the late Justice Antonin Scalia, long-dead music legend Elvis Presley and star golfer Tiger Woods.
Trump celebrates Guaido, Venezuela's 'legitimate' leader
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One of the president's special guests on Tuesday was Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who is pushing to overthrow Nicolas Maduro, the country's president. "Maduro is an illegitimate ruler, a tyrant who brutalizes his people. But Maduro's grip of tyranny will be smashed and broken," Trump said. "Here this evening is a man who carries with him the hopes, dreams and aspirations of all Venezuelans. Joining us in the gallery is the true and legitimate president of Venezuela, Juan Guaido." Bloomberg News reported in December that Trump was beginning to lose confidence in Guaido's ability to oust Maduro. The White House has been upping its pressure campaign on Maduro in recent weeks. The administration last month announced new sanctions on more than a dozen aircraft operated by the country's state-owned oil company that transport senior members of the Maduro regime.
Trump attacks Democratic health-care proposals as 'socialism'
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cnbc--2020-02-05--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 71 % 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 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 .
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 . ''
The first set of data from more than half of the precincts came at about 5 p.m .
ET , followed by more results just before midnight ET .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election night . ''
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 . ''
Biden 's campaign was particularly critical of the state party .
A Biden campaign lawyer sent a letter to the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 joked to New Hampshire voters Tuesday that they may get the first vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before next week 's primary .
`` There 's nothing to come back from yet , but I 'd like you to rocket me out of here to make sure this thing works , OK ? ''
he said .

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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--2020-02-05--Trump touts killings of ISIS leader, Iranian general in State of the Union

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump recognized the parents of Kayla Mueller , an American humanitarian aid worker who was kidnapped and imprisoned by ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi , Tuesday during the State of the Union address .
`` In 2013 , while caring for suffering civilians in Syria , Kayla was kidnapped , tortured , and enslaved by ISIS , and kept as a prisoner of Al-Baghdadi himself .
After more than 500 horrifying days of captivity , Al-Baghdadi murdered young Kayla , '' Trump said after recognizing Carl and Marsha Mueller .
`` She was just 26 years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president then recounted the night that U.S. Special Forces carried out the mission that led to Al-Baghdadi 's life .
`` The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , General Mark Milley , received a call in the Situation Room .
He was told that the brave men of the elite Special Forces team , that so perfectly carried out the operation , had given their mission a name , '' Trump explained .
`` Task Force 8-14 , it was a reference to a special day : August 14th , Kayla @ @ @ @ @ @ @ telling Kayla 's parents that , `` America 's warriors never forgot Kayla and neither will we . ''

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump recognized the parents of Kayla Mueller, an American humanitarian aid worker who was kidnapped and imprisoned by ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Tuesday during the State of the Union address.
"In 2013, while caring for suffering civilians in Syria, Kayla was kidnapped, tortured, and enslaved by ISIS, and kept as a prisoner of Al-Baghdadi himself. After more than 500 horrifying days of captivity, Al-Baghdadi murdered young Kayla," Trump said after recognizing Carl and Marsha Mueller.
"She was just 26 years old," he said.
The president then recounted the night that U.S. Special Forces carried out the mission that led to Al-Baghdadi's life.
"The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, received a call in the Situation Room. He was told that the brave men of the elite Special Forces team, that so perfectly carried out the operation, had given their mission a name," Trump explained.
"Task Force 8-14, it was a reference to a special day: August 14th, Kayla's birthday," he said, telling Kayla's parents that, "America's warriors never forgot Kayla and neither will we."


cnbc--2020-02-05--State of the Union live updates: Trump attacks Democrats over health care in campaign-style speech

Michigan Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer , a rising party star who flipped her state 's governor 's office in 2018 on a platform of infrastructure and health care , aimed to poke holes in Trump 's health care and economic arguments .
She highlighted efforts by Democrats to protect people with pre-existing conditions — which the president wrongly claimed he has always done — and argued Trump looked out for corporations at the expense of workers .
Whitmer used her own personal history recounting a time when she was `` holding down a new job , caring for my newborn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the end of her brain cancer battle .
I was up all night with a baby and during the day , I had to fight my mom 's insurance company… And it changed me .
I lost my patience for people who play games instead of solve problems . ''
The president recognized Army spouse Amy Williams from Fort Bragg , N.C. , and her two children during his address .
He explained that for the past 7 months , her husband , Sergeant First Class Townsend Williams , has been serving a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was Williams ' fourth deployment to the Middle East .
After thanking Amy for her sacrifice , the president announced that her husband was home and in the audience .
10:13 pm : Rep. Tim Ryan has 'had enough' 10:10 pm : Trump trumpets his influence on U.S. courts After praising his `` two brilliant new Supreme Court justices , '' Trump says that his administration is defending religious liberty .
`` In America , we do not punish prayer .
We do not tear down crosses , '' Trump said .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Latin cross to stand on public ground in June , with Kavanaugh and Gorsuch forming part of the seven-justice majority .
Trump has rapidly appointed judges to the federal judiciary with the help of a GOP Senate majority .
He has confirmed 187 federal judges , more than any president since Bill Clinton at this point in his tenure .
10:04 pm : Democrats chant the name of their Rx drug bill Health care sits at the top of voters ' minds in 2020 .
Trump appeared aware of its importance and his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president said , `` I have also made an ironclad pledge to American families : we will always protect people with pre-existing conditions . ''
Trump has not kept that pledge so far in his presidency .
Democrats leveraged Republican attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act , which could have weakened the law 's key protections for people with pre-existing conditions , as they flipped the House in the 2018 midterms .
The Trump administration has declined to defend Obamacare against litigation that seeks to toss out the law — and its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Supreme Court is unlikely to hear the case before the 2020 election .
Also during his speech , Trump targeted Democrats for supporting `` Medicare for All , '' what he called a `` socialist takeover of our health care system . ''
He claimed `` there are those who want to take away your health care , take away your doctor and abolish private insurance entirely . ''
`` We will never let socialism destroy American health care , '' he said to cheers from Republicans and even a few Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health care system would do .
Sen. Bernie Sanders , one of Trump 's leading challengers for the White House in 2020 , wants a universal health care system that would cover every American , with benefits like dental , mental health and long-term care , with no deductibles , premiums or copays .
While Sanders says he would tax the wealthy and corporations more to fund the plan , he has not denied that middle-class people may have to pay more in taxes under the system .
However , he says they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of lower health care costs .
Trump leads off with searing criticism of the Obama administration .
`` The years of economic decay are over , '' Trump said .
`` The days of our country being used , taken advantage of , and even scorned by other nations are long behind us .
Gone , too , are the broken promises , jobless recoveries , tired platitudes and constant excuses for the depletion of American wealth , power and prestige . ''
These sentences at the top of the speech are a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this address to excoriate Democrats and the previous Democratic administration , whose vice president just happens to be running for president against Trump .
9:10 pm : 'The state of our union is stronger than ever before' Michigan Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer will deliver the Democratic Party 's response to Trump 's speech tonight .
Here are some excerpts : During my campaign , people told me to fix the damn roads – because blown tires and broken windshields are downright dangerous .
And car repairs take money from rent , child care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Democrats – are doing something about it .
*** I was holding down a new job , caring for my newborn daughter as well as my mom at the end of her brain cancer battle .
I was up all night with a baby and during the day , I had to fight my mom 's insurance company when they wrongly denied her coverage for chemotherapy .
It was hard .
It exposed the harsh realities of our workplaces , our health care system , and our child care system .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patience for people who play games instead of solve problems .
So , as a state senator , I worked with a Republican governor and legislature to expand health care coverage to more than 680,000 Michiganders under the Affordable Care Act .
It 's pretty simple .
Democrats are trying to make your health care better .
Republicans in Washington are trying to take it away .
It does n't matter what the president says about the stock market .
What matters is that millions of people struggle to get by or do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the month after paying for transportation , student loans , or prescription drugs .
American workers are hurting .
In my own state .
Our neighbors in Wisconsin .
And Ohio .
And Pennsylvania .
All over the country .
Wages have stagnated , while CEO pay has skyrocketed .
They respond to mass shootings demanding policies that make schools safer .
They react to a world that 's literally on fire with fire in their bellies .
To push leaders to finally take action on climate change .
They take on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shovel and some dirt .
2020 is a big year .
It 's the year my daughter Sherry will graduate from high school .
It 's also the year she 'll cast her first ballot , along with millions of young Americans .
The two things are connected .
Because walking across the graduation stage is as important as walking into the voting booth for the first time .
8:37 pm : You can stream the speech on CNBC 8:32 pm : Former Rep. Katie Hill spotted at the Capitol Three years ago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Tonight , I stand before you to share the incredible results .
… In just three short years , we have shattered the mentality of American Decline and we have rejected the downsizing of America 's destiny .
We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago , and we are never going back !
… The vision I will lay out this evening demonstrates how we are building the world 's most prosperous and inclusive society – one where every citizen can join in America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community can take part in America 's extraordinary rise .
… From the instant I took office , I moved rapidly to revive the U.S. economy —slashing a record number of job killing-regulations , enacting historic and record-setting tax cuts , and fighting for FAIR and RECIPROCAL trade agreements .
… In 8 years under the last administration , over 300,000 working-age people DROPPED OUT of the workforce .
In just three years of my Administration , 3.5 MILLION working-age people have JOINED the workforce .
… Thanks to our bold regulatory reduction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the number one producer of oil and natural gas in the world , by far .
.
… We are restoring our nation 's Manufacturing Might , even though predictions were that this could never be done .
After losing 60,000 factories under the PREVIOUS two administrations , America has now GAINED 12,000 NEW factories under my Administration .
… Many politicians came and went , pledging to change or replace NAFTA – only to do absolutely nothing .
But unlike so many who came before me , I KEEP MY PROMISES .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and signed the brand new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement into law .
… Days ago , we signed the groundbreaking new agreement with China that will defend our workers , protect our intellectual property , bring billions of dollars into our treasury , and open vast new markets for products made and grown right here in the USA .
… To safeguard American Liberty , we have invested a record-breaking $ 2.2 trillion dollars in the United States Military .
[ … ] We created a new branch of the United States Armed Forces , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ step forward in building an inclusive society is making sure that every young American gets a GREAT Education and the opportunity to achieve the American Dream .
[ … ] NO PARENT should be forced to send their child to a failing government school .
… A good life for American families also requires the most affordable , innovative , and high-quality healthcare system on earth .
[ … ] We will always protect patients with pre-existing conditions .
The White House on Tuesday confirmed that Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guests tonight .
Guaido 's attendance likely benefits both Trump and his guest .
For Trump , Guaido represents a physical representation of the Trump administration 's hard line against Venezuela 's authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro , whose government has been heavily sanctioned by Washington .
For Guaido , who was prohibited in January from seeking reelection as head of Venezuela 's National Assembly , appearing at the State of the Union as a guest of the president sends a strong signal to allies and foes back home that he and his opposition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 7:58 pm : AOC and other key Dems will boycott the speech 7:55 pm : Welcome to CNBC 's State of the Union live blog President Donald Trump will give his third State of the Union address tonight , the night before the Senate will likely vote to acquit him of the two charges he faces in his impeachment trial .
Expect to see a victorious Trump touting his administration 's record on the economy and national security , with speech lines tailor-made for the 2020 campaign .
All times above are Eastern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Amanda Macias contributed to this live blog .

President Donald Trump's arrives at the podium to deliver his State of the Union address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. February 4, Leah Millis | Reuters
This live blog is finished.
10:57 pm: Thanks for reading
The CNBC Politics team is wrapping up our 2020 State of the Union live blog. Check out our story about the top moments of the night, from Rush Limbaugh's Presidential Medal of Freedom to Nancy Pelosi tearing up Trump's speech. Thanks for stopping by.
10:52 pm: A state of disunion
Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi rips a copy of US President Donald Trumps speech after he delivers the State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 4, 2020. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images
This speech will be remembered for the bitter partisanship underlying it. From the snubbed handshake, to the awarding of the presidential Medal of Freedom to a man who has professionally insulted people, especially women, for decades; to the instantly viral clip of Pelosi ripping up Trump's speech, we learned more tonight about the state of America's disunion than anything else.
10:40 pm: The Democratic response
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a rising party star who flipped her state's governor's office in 2018 on a platform of infrastructure and health care, aimed to poke holes in Trump's health care and economic arguments. She highlighted efforts by Democrats to protect people with pre-existing conditions — which the president wrongly claimed he has always done — and argued Trump looked out for corporations at the expense of workers. Whitmer used her own personal history recounting a time when she was "holding down a new job, caring for my newborn daughter as well as my mom at the end of her brain cancer battle. I was up all night with a baby and during the day, I had to fight my mom's insurance company… And it changed me. I lost my patience for people who play games instead of solve problems."
10:25 pm: Trump wraps, Pelosi rips
At the conclusion of Trump's remarks, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tore up the hard copy of Trump's speech that he had given her before he began, and tossed it aside. It was quite the bookend to how things began. Before Trump started speaking tonight, he declined to shake the speaker's hand.
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10:24 pm: Trump surprises military family with homecoming
The president recognized Army spouse Amy Williams from Fort Bragg, N.C., and her two children during his address. He explained that for the past 7 months, her husband, Sergeant First Class Townsend Williams, has been serving a deployment in Afghanistan. Trump said it was Williams' fourth deployment to the Middle East. After thanking Amy for her sacrifice, the president announced that her husband was home and in the audience.
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10:23 pm: Another House Democrat walks out
Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., also said he ducked out of Trump's address early. "I can't stand a liar. This man's presidency is a national tragedy," he tweeted. Bill Pascrell tweet
10:20 pm: Trump touts killings of ISIS leader, Iran's Soleimani
The president recounted missions conducted under his orders to kill key adversaries in the Middle East: ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani. "Our message to the terrorists is clear: You will never escape American justice. If you attack our citizens, you forfeit your life," Trump said.
10:13 pm: Rep. Tim Ryan has 'had enough'
Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, "walked out" of Trump's State of the Union address, saying he "had enough." He compared it to professional wrestling: "It's all fake." Tim Ryan tweet
10:10 pm: Trump trumpets his influence on U.S. courts
Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch (L) and Supreme Justice Brett Kavanaugh attend the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives on February 04, 2020 in Washington, DC. Mario Tama | Getty Images
After praising his "two brilliant new Supreme Court justices," Trump says that his administration is defending religious liberty. "In America, we do not punish prayer. We do not tear down crosses," Trump said. The Supreme Court voted to allow a 40-foot Latin cross to stand on public ground in June, with Kavanaugh and Gorsuch forming part of the seven-justice majority. Trump has rapidly appointed judges to the federal judiciary with the help of a GOP Senate majority. He has confirmed 187 federal judges, more than any president since Bill Clinton at this point in his tenure.
10:04 pm: Democrats chant the name of their Rx drug bill
When Trump announced that he would sign a bill "immediately" to lower drug prices, Democrats raised three fingers and chanted "HR 3! HR 3!" It's the legislative name of the prescription drug price bill that Democrats passed in the House last year. The bill has languished on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's desk since then.
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9:54 pm: Rush Limbaugh gets Medal of Freedom
First lady Melania Trump awarded the conservative radio host, who recently revealed he had advanced lung cancer, the Presidential Medal of Freedom right in the middle of Trump's speech. Limbaugh, known for his caustic rants against liberals and "feminazis," was nonetheless moved to tears as the president and the first lady honored him. "Thank you for your decades of tireless devotion to our country," Trump said.
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9:49 pm: Trump again plays defense on entitlements
The president pledges "we will always protect your Medicare and your Social Security," weeks after he told CNBC's Joe Kernen that his administration would take a look at entitlement reform. His Democratic rivals in the 2020 primary field seized on the remarks at the time to hammer Trump on a big hot-button issue.
9:46 pm: Pre-existing conditions, Medicare for All
Health care sits at the top of voters' minds in 2020. Trump appeared aware of its importance and his own vulnerability on the issue. The president said, "I have also made an ironclad pledge to American families: we will always protect people with pre-existing conditions." Trump has not kept that pledge so far in his presidency. Democrats leveraged Republican attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which could have weakened the law's key protections for people with pre-existing conditions, as they flipped the House in the 2018 midterms. The Trump administration has declined to defend Obamacare against litigation that seeks to toss out the law — and its protections for people with pre-existing conditions. The Supreme Court is unlikely to hear the case before the 2020 election. Also during his speech, Trump targeted Democrats for supporting "Medicare for All," what he called a "socialist takeover of our health care system." He claimed "there are those who want to take away your health care, take away your doctor and abolish private insurance entirely." "We will never let socialism destroy American health care," he said to cheers from Republicans and even a few Democrats.
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Trump misleads on what such a health care system would do. Sen. Bernie Sanders, one of Trump's leading challengers for the White House in 2020, wants a universal health care system that would cover every American, with benefits like dental, mental health and long-term care, with no deductibles, premiums or copays. While Sanders says he would tax the wealthy and corporations more to fund the plan, he has not denied that middle-class people may have to pay more in taxes under the system. However, he says they will end up saving money overall because of lower health care costs.
9:43 pm: Mixed messages on China
While Trump praises Chinese President Xi Jinping in his State of the Union address, critics are pointing out how some members of his own Cabinet contradict him on how China is viewed, even after the "phase one" trade deal. TWEET
9:29 pm: 'Socialism destroys nations'
In introducing Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, Trump takes aim at socialism – which is a theme of his 2020 campaign, as well. He has warned that his Democratic rivals would usher in socialism. None of his Democratic rivals are socialists, while Sen. Bernie Sanders identifies as a democratic socialist.
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9:24 pm: An economic stump speech
The early parts of Trump's remarks sounded much like a stump speech centered around the economy. He pointed to a range of economic indicators, from the unemployment rate, to wages, to real median household income, consumer confidence and 401k plans. While many of those marks are good or even great — the U.S. unemployment rate has been near a 50-year low — he at points embellished how strong the economy is. Trump said: "This is a blue-collar boom."
9:22 pm: Targeting Obama and Democrats
Trump leads off with searing criticism of the Obama administration. "The years of economic decay are over," Trump said. "The days of our country being used, taken advantage of, and even scorned by other nations are long behind us. Gone, too, are the broken promises, jobless recoveries, tired platitudes and constant excuses for the depletion of American wealth, power and prestige." These sentences at the top of the speech are a clear sign that Trump intends to use this address to excoriate Democrats and the previous Democratic administration, whose vice president just happens to be running for president against Trump. TWEET
9:14 pm: Designated survivor named
Interior Secretary David Bernhardt is this year's designated survivor, ie, the Cabinet member who is left out of the chamber while the president gives the State of the Union address. He is at an undisclosed location to protect the presidential line of succession in case there is a mass casualty during the speech. TWEET
9:10 pm: 'The state of our union is stronger than ever before'
Trump unleashes a common State of the Union applause line after listing a litany of boasts about the economy and military strength.
9:07 pm: Pelosi introduces Trump
"Members of Congress, the president of the United States," Pelosi declares, prompting Trump's supporters in the chamber to chant "four more years!" Trump also ignored Pelosi's attempt at a handshake. TWEET
9:03 pm: The president enters the chamber
Trump has arrived and he's shaking hands as he makes his way down to give his speech.
8:57 pm: Chief justice appears as impeachment trial nears end
Chief Justice John Roberts just arrived in the House chamber under somewhat unusual circumstances: The chief will continue preside over the president's impeachment trial in the Senate on Wednesday. Chief Justice William Rehnquist skipped President Bill Clinton's State of the Union address in 1999, under similar circumstances. In addition to Roberts, Trump appointees Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh and Justice Elena Kagan, an Obama appointee, are also in attendance.
8:55 pm: Democratic women wear white
Democratic women representatives dressed in white sit while U.S. President Donald Trump, not pictured, delivers a State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Democratic female House members are wearing white tonight to honor the early 20th century women's suffrage movement that resulted in the passage of the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote.
8:44 pm: Limbaugh attends SOTU after cancer revelation
Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh has been spotted in the House chamber at the State of the Union address. Limbaugh announced on his program Monday that he has been diagnosed with "advanced lung cancer." He said he will take time off his normal broadcast schedule to seek treatment.
Radio personality Rush Limbaugh sits in the First Lady's box ahead of the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives on February 04, 2020 in Washington, DC. Drew Angerer | Getty Images
8:40 pm: Excerpts from the Democratic response
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will deliver the Democratic Party's response to Trump's speech tonight. Here are some excerpts: During my campaign, people told me to fix the damn roads – because blown tires and broken windshields are downright dangerous. And car repairs take money from rent, child care, or groceries. And we – the Democrats – are doing something about it.
***
I was holding down a new job, caring for my newborn daughter as well as my mom at the end of her brain cancer battle. I was up all night with a baby and during the day, I had to fight my mom's insurance company when they wrongly denied her coverage for chemotherapy. It was hard. It exposed the harsh realities of our workplaces, our health care system, and our child care system. And it changed me. I lost my patience for people who play games instead of solve problems. So, as a state senator, I worked with a Republican governor and legislature to expand health care coverage to more than 680,000 Michiganders under the Affordable Care Act. *** It's pretty simple. Democrats are trying to make your health care better. Republicans in Washington are trying to take it away. *** It doesn't matter what the president says about the stock market. What matters is that millions of people struggle to get by or don't have enough money at the end of the month after paying for transportation, student loans, or prescription drugs. *** American workers are hurting. In my own state. Our neighbors in Wisconsin. And Ohio. And Pennsylvania. All over the country. Wages have stagnated, while CEO pay has skyrocketed. *** I'm so inspired by young people. They respond to mass shootings demanding policies that make schools safer. They react to a world that's literally on fire with fire in their bellies. To push leaders to finally take action on climate change. They take on a road filled with potholes with a shovel and some dirt. *** 2020 is a big year. It's the year my daughter Sherry will graduate from high school. It's also the year she'll cast her first ballot, along with millions of young Americans. The two things are connected. Because walking across the graduation stage is as important as walking into the voting booth for the first time.
Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan, smiles during an event at the General Motors Co. Orion Assembly plant in Orion Township, Michigan, U.S., on Friday, March 22, 2019. Jeff Kowalsky | Bloomberg | Getty Images
8:37 pm: You can stream the speech on CNBC
Watch our live stream here.
8:32 pm: Former Rep. Katie Hill spotted at the Capitol
Hill is a former House member from California who resigned last year after "revenge porn" photos surfaced, amid allegations that she had an affair with a subordinate. Hill's resignation prompted a public debate over whether Hill was a victim or not, and whether House Democrats should have supported her more. TWEET
8:20 pm: Speech excerpts released
Three years ago, we launched the Great American Comeback. Tonight, I stand before you to share the incredible results.
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In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American Decline and we have rejected the downsizing of America's destiny. We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back!
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The vision I will lay out this evening demonstrates how we are building the world's most prosperous and inclusive society – one where every citizen can join in America's unparalleled success, and where every community can take part in America's extraordinary rise.
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From the instant I took office, I moved rapidly to revive the U.S. economy —slashing a record number of job killing-regulations, enacting historic and record-setting tax cuts, and fighting for FAIR and RECIPROCAL trade agreements.
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In 8 years under the last administration, over 300,000 working-age people DROPPED OUT of the workforce. In just three years of my Administration, 3.5 MILLION working-age people have JOINED the workforce.
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Thanks to our bold regulatory reduction campaign, the United States has become the number one producer of oil and natural gas in the world, by far. .
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We are restoring our nation's Manufacturing Might, even though predictions were that this could never be done. After losing 60,000 factories under the PREVIOUS two administrations, America has now GAINED 12,000 NEW factories under my Administration.
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Many politicians came and went, pledging to change or replace NAFTA – only to do absolutely nothing. But unlike so many who came before me, I KEEP MY PROMISES. Six days ago, I replaced NAFTA and signed the brand new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement into law.
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Days ago, we signed the groundbreaking new agreement with China that will defend our workers, protect our intellectual property, bring billions of dollars into our treasury, and open vast new markets for products made and grown right here in the USA.
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To safeguard American Liberty, we have invested a record-breaking $2.2 trillion dollars in the United States Military. […] We created a new branch of the United States Armed Forces, the Space Force.
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The next step forward in building an inclusive society is making sure that every young American gets a GREAT Education and the opportunity to achieve the American Dream. […] NO PARENT should be forced to send their child to a failing government school.
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A good life for American families also requires the most affordable, innovative, and high-quality healthcare system on earth. […] We will always protect patients with pre-existing conditions.
8:15 pm: Venezuela's opposition leader will be Trump's guest
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido (C) waves as he is acknowledged by US President Donald Trump during his the State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 4, 2020. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images
The White House on Tuesday confirmed that Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido will be among the president and first lady's guests tonight. Guaido's attendance likely benefits both Trump and his guest. For Trump, Guaido represents a physical representation of the Trump administration's hard line against Venezuela's authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro, whose government has been heavily sanctioned by Washington. For Guaido, who was prohibited in January from seeking reelection as head of Venezuela's National Assembly, appearing at the State of the Union as a guest of the president sends a strong signal to allies and foes back home that he and his opposition government still enjoy official U.S. support. SCOTT TWEET
8:05 pm: Trump's 2020 message vs. Iowa caucus results
Trump could try to inject energy into his reelection drive and will likely talk up a healthy U.S. economy and recent trade triumphs. At the same time, more of the delayed Democratic caucus results could trickle in from Iowa as voters start to pick who will face him in November.
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7:58 pm: AOC and other key Dems will boycott the speech
The president's address is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. ET. He will address a joint session of Congress, but several key Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, will boycott the speech. AOC TWEET
7:55 pm: Welcome to CNBC's State of the Union live blog


cnbc--2020-02-05--Global arms trade is a nearly 200 billion business and the US drives nearly 80% of it

WASHINGTON — The world spends nearly $ 3 trillion a year on arms , and the United States drives the bulk of the globe 's weapons trade — about 79 % , according to figures compiled by the U.S. State Department .
The State Department 's World Military Expenditures and Arms Transfers report published in December 2019 is the latest U.S. assessment of global military spending from 2007 to 2017 .
Despite declining in 2013 from a peak of $ 206 billion , the global annual value of international arms transfers from 2007 to 2017 rose about 65 % from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 195 billion , according to the State Department 's Bureau of Arms Control , Verification and Compliance , which compiled the report .
`` Both the growth in the world arms trade and the high proportion of world arms imports supplied by the U.S. appear to have been due largely to reliance on the United States as a source of arms by other rich , democratically-governed countries , '' the authors of the report wrote .
The report found that the United States accounted for 79 % of the global arms trade , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ annually .
The European Union was responsible for about 10 % , followed by Russia at 5 % and China at less than 2 % .
The United States exported four times more arms around the globe than the next nine countries combined .
According to the State Department , more than half of U.S. arms exports have been delivered to countries in the richest and most democratic quintile of the world 's population .
`` Countries in the richest quintile of world population appear to have accounted for more than 97 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 63 % of world arms imports , '' the authors of the report wrote .
What 's more , nations in the most democratic quintile of world population `` appear to have accounted for about 92 % of world arms exports and 50 % of world arms imports . ''

Crewmasters with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, prepare to refuel an F/A-18 Hornet over the W-291 training area in southern California, March 6, 2019. Sgt. Dominic Romero | US Marine Corps
WASHINGTON — The world spends nearly $3 trillion a year on arms, and the United States drives the bulk of the globe's weapons trade — about 79%, according to figures compiled by the U.S. State Department. The State Department's World Military Expenditures and Arms Transfers report published in December 2019 is the latest U.S. assessment of global military spending from 2007 to 2017.
Despite declining in 2013 from a peak of $206 billion, the global annual value of international arms transfers from 2007 to 2017 rose about 65% from about $119 billion to nearly $195 billion, according to the State Department's Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance, which compiled the report. "Both the growth in the world arms trade and the high proportion of world arms imports supplied by the U.S. appear to have been due largely to reliance on the United States as a source of arms by other rich, democratically-governed countries," the authors of the report wrote.
The report found that the United States accounted for 79% of the global arms trade, or an average of $143 billion annually. The European Union was responsible for about 10%, followed by Russia at 5% and China at less than 2%. The United States exported four times more arms around the globe than the next nine countries combined.
According to the State Department, more than half of U.S. arms exports have been delivered to countries in the richest and most democratic quintile of the world's population. "Countries in the richest quintile of world population appear to have accounted for more than 97% of world arms exports and more than 63% of world arms imports," the authors of the report wrote. What's more, nations in the most democratic quintile of world population "appear to have accounted for about 92% of world arms exports and 50% of world arms imports."


cnbc--2020-02-05--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--2020-02-05--Trump impeachment trial: Senators make their own closing arguments as Collins says she will vote to

Trump impeachment trial: Senators make their own closing arguments as Collins says she will vote to acquit

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , a Republican from Kentucky , speaks during a news conference after a weekly caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington , D.C. , on Tuesday , Jan. 14 , 2020 .
Senators took turns explaining their stances on whether President Donald Trump 's impeachment was warranted on Tuesday , the day before they vote on a likely acquittal that would bring the trial to a culmination .
Republican senators sought to convince their colleagues to acquit the president , echoing the same arguments that Trump 's legal team made when laying out their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stressed the evidence uncovered by House committees and implored their Republican colleagues to vote with them .
The Senate is scheduled to hold a vote to acquit or convict Trump on Wednesday afternoon .
It is highly unlikely that the Senate , with its GOP majority , will vote to remove Trump from office .
With the spectre of Trump 's removal taken off the table , speculation has focused instead on whether moderate senators will vote with their parties or not .
As of Tuesday evening , three senators had yet to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Democrat Doug Jones of Alabama , Republican Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia .
Another moderate lawmaker , Sen. Susan Collins of Maine , one of just two Republican senators who broke with the majority of her party Friday when she voted to admit additional evidence in the trial , said on the Senate floor that she will vote to acquit Trump on both articles of impeachment .
`` I do not believe that the House has met its burden of showing that the president 's conduct @ @ @ @ @ @ @ step of immediate removal from office , nor does the record support the assertion by the House managers that the president must not remain in office one moment longer , '' Collins said .
Sen .
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has openly sided with Trump since the House concluded its own investigation in December .
On the floor Wednesday , he once again tore into House Democrats and their investigation , urging senators to vote for Trump 's acquittal to `` keep factional fever from boiling over and scorching our republic . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump card that melts away the separations between the branches of government , '' McConnell said .
`` Any House that felt it needed to take this radical step owed the country the most fair and painstaking process , the most rigorous investigation , the most bipartisan effort .
Instead we got the opposite . ''
Sen. Rand Paul , R-Ky. , used his time to ask a question that Chief Justice John Roberts refused to read aloud on Friday during the question-and-answer portion of the trial .
Paul 's question included the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been alleged to be the anonymous whistleblower whose bombshell complaint about Trump 's July 25 call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy spurred Democrats to support an impeachment inquiry .
Amid the Senate discussion , Trump told reporters he is `` not bitter '' toward House reps who voted to impeach him in December .
On Tuesday he tweeted about approval rating and has tweeted about the impeachment `` hoax '' feverishly in the last months while proceedings went on .
Trump will deliver the annual State of the Union address Tuesday night , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the word `` impeachment '' is not in his speech text , it 's difficult to imagine that the president will gloss over the most significant threat to his presidency that he has faced so far .
Trump will be sitting just feet away from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , one of the architects of his impeachment , and the audience will include hundreds of House members who voted to approve the articles of impeachment against him last year .
The House voted on Dec. 18 to pass two articles of impeachment against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power of the presidency and obstructed Congress when he withheld nearly $ 400 million in congressionally appropriated military aid to Ukraine last summer , then stonewalled a congressional investigation into his actions .
Trump has denied any wrongdoing .

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, speaks during a news conference after a weekly caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020.
Senators took turns explaining their stances on whether President Donald Trump's impeachment was warranted on Tuesday, the day before they vote on a likely acquittal that would bring the trial to a culmination.
Republican senators sought to convince their colleagues to acquit the president, echoing the same arguments that Trump's legal team made when laying out their case on the floor.
Democrats primarily stressed the evidence uncovered by House committees and implored their Republican colleagues to vote with them.
The Senate is scheduled to hold a vote to acquit or convict Trump on Wednesday afternoon. It is highly unlikely that the Senate, with its GOP majority, will vote to remove Trump from office.
With the spectre of Trump's removal taken off the table, speculation has focused instead on whether moderate senators will vote with their parties or not. As of Tuesday evening, three senators had yet to reveal how they plan to vote Wednesday: Democrat Doug Jones of Alabama, Republican Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia.
Another moderate lawmaker, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, one of just two Republican senators who broke with the majority of her party Friday when she voted to admit additional evidence in the trial, said on the Senate floor that she will vote to acquit Trump on both articles of impeachment.
"I do not believe that the House has met its burden of showing that the president's conduct, however flawed, warrants the extreme step of immediate removal from office, nor does the record support the assertion by the House managers that the president must not remain in office one moment longer," Collins said.
Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has openly sided with Trump since the House concluded its own investigation in December. On the floor Wednesday, he once again tore into House Democrats and their investigation, urging senators to vote for Trump's acquittal to "keep factional fever from boiling over and scorching our republic."
"Impeachment is not some magical constitutional Trump card that melts away the separations between the branches of government," McConnell said. "Any House that felt it needed to take this radical step owed the country the most fair and painstaking process, the most rigorous investigation, the most bipartisan effort. Instead we got the opposite."
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., used his time to ask a question that Chief Justice John Roberts refused to read aloud on Friday during the question-and-answer portion of the trial.
Paul's question included the name of a federal official who has been alleged to be the anonymous whistleblower whose bombshell complaint about Trump's July 25 call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy spurred Democrats to support an impeachment inquiry.
Amid the Senate discussion, Trump told reporters he is "not bitter" toward House reps who voted to impeach him in December. On Tuesday he tweeted about approval rating and has tweeted about the impeachment "hoax" feverishly in the last months while proceedings went on.
Trump will deliver the annual State of the Union address Tuesday night, and while the White House has said the word "impeachment" is not in his speech text, it's difficult to imagine that the president will gloss over the most significant threat to his presidency that he has faced so far.
Trump will be sitting just feet away from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, one of the architects of his impeachment, and the audience will include hundreds of House members who voted to approve the articles of impeachment against him last year.
The House voted on Dec. 18 to pass two articles of impeachment against him, charging that Trump abused the power of the presidency and obstructed Congress when he withheld nearly $400 million in congressionally appropriated military aid to Ukraine last summer, then stonewalled a congressional investigation into his actions. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.


cnbc--2020-02-05--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--2020-02-05--Democrats say they won't use the app involved in Iowa debacle in Nevada 'or anywhere else'

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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 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 `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .

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--2020-02-05--Trump approval rating hits new high in Gallup poll, despite impeachment trial

President Donald Trump 's approval rating has hit the highest level of his presidency — 49 % — in a @ @ @ @ @ boosted by increased approval among independent as well as Republican voters , according to the @ @ @ @ @ poll of 1,033 adults was conducted from Jan. 16 to 29 , during Trump 's @ @ @ @ @ .
Trump 's approval rating among his fellow GOP voters now stands at 94 % @ @ @ @ @ than registered by the last Gallup poll .
And 42 % of independents approve of @ @ @ @ @ , up 3 points .
Trump 's approval by Democrats fell to 7 % — @ @ @ @ @ prior survey .
Gallup 's survey found the public evenly divided at 50 % on @ @ @ @ @ deserves to be elected to a second term in the White House in November .
@ @ @ @ @ a margin of error of 4 percentage points , comes on the heels of other @ @ @ @ @ 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--2020-02-05--Trump acquitted of both charges in Senate impeachment trial

WASHINGTON – The Senate on Wednesday voted to acquit President Donald Trump of both counts in his impeachment trial .
Forty-eight senators , including one Republican , found Trump guilty of abuse of power , while 52 , all Republicans , voted to acquit him .
The president was also impeached on the charge of obstruction of Congress , in which all 53 Republicans found him not guilty and the remaining 47 senators voted to convict .
The acquittal vote was the final step in a two-week trial marked by impassioned arguments from House Democrats that Trump was a danger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Senate Republicans for a president who maintains a political stranglehold on their party .
Impeachment rules require 67 votes in the Senate to convict a president and remove him from office .
With a 53-47 Republican majority , the odds that Trump would be convicted were slim from the start .
Sen. Mitt Romney , R-Utah , who delivered a searing condemnation of the president 's actions earlier in the day on the floor of the Senate , broke with his party to vote to convict Trump on the abuse of power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Supreme Court John Roberts announced the outcome of both articles , Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell thanked Roberts for his `` clear head , steady hand and the forbearance that this rare occasion demands . ''
For his efforts , McConnell awarded Roberts the `` golden gavel , '' which was presented to him on the Senate floor .
Roberts , in his final remarks before the trial officially adjourned , said that he leaves the chamber `` with sincere good wishes as we carry out our common commitment to the Constitution through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that charter . ''
`` You have been generous hosts and I look forward to seeing you again under happier circumstances , '' Roberts said .
Trump later tweeted that he would make a statement regarding his acquittal on Thursday at noon from the White House .

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WASHINGTON – The Senate on Wednesday voted to acquit President Donald Trump of both counts in his impeachment trial. Forty-eight senators, including one Republican, found Trump guilty of abuse of power, while 52, all Republicans, voted to acquit him. The president was also impeached on the charge of obstruction of Congress, in which all 53 Republicans found him not guilty and the remaining 47 senators voted to convict. The acquittal vote was the final step in a two-week trial marked by impassioned arguments from House Democrats that Trump was a danger to the nation, and stalwart support from Senate Republicans for a president who maintains a political stranglehold on their party. Impeachment rules require 67 votes in the Senate to convict a president and remove him from office. With a 53-47 Republican majority, the odds that Trump would be convicted were slim from the start. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, who delivered a searing condemnation of the president's actions earlier in the day on the floor of the Senate, broke with his party to vote to convict Trump on the abuse of power count.
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After Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts announced the outcome of both articles, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell thanked Roberts for his "clear head, steady hand and the forbearance that this rare occasion demands." For his efforts, McConnell awarded Roberts the "golden gavel," which was presented to him on the Senate floor. Roberts, in his final remarks before the trial officially adjourned, said that he leaves the chamber "with sincere good wishes as we carry out our common commitment to the Constitution through the distinct roles assigned to us by that charter." "You have been generous hosts and I look forward to seeing you again under happier circumstances," Roberts said. Trump later tweeted that he would make a statement regarding his acquittal on Thursday at noon from the White House. Trump Tweet
A tense trial in the Senate
The House voted on Dec. 18 to impeach Trump on the two articles, following an investigation led in large part by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif. Zero Republicans in the House voted to impeach Trump on either charge. Trump was accused of abusing his power by pressuring Ukraine to announce probes into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, as well as a debunked conspiracy theory about interference in the 2016 election, while withholding nearly $400 million in congressionally appropriated military aid to the country. Democrats argued that Trump sought to cheat in the 2020 presidential election by coercing a foreign ally to smear his possible opponent with the stain of a criminal probe. They also argued that Trump obstructed Congress by refusing to hand over any documents in the House's probe, and by pressuring potential witnesses not to comply. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
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But with the outcome of the Senate trial all but certain since its first days, the suspense turned instead to an up-or-down vote late in the trial over whether or not to admit additional evidence, which only needed 51 votes to pass. For several days, Washington hung on the words of a handful of moderate senators, both Democrats and Republicans, who have broken with their parties on previous votes. Two Republicans voted with Democrats to admit additional evidence, Romney and Maine Sen. Susan Collins, but the measure was defeated. Unlike Romney, however, Collins ultimately voted to acquit Trump of the charges against him. The last-minute announcement by moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia that he would vote to convict on both counts came as a surprise on Capitol Hill. Both sides, the White House and Democrats, had wanted to stake claim to a "bipartisan vote," on their side. The president had sincerely hoped to convince at least one Democrat to vote to acquit him on at least one charge, so that the White House could have declared, technically accurately, that Trump had been acquitted by a bipartisan vote. Ultimately, only Democrats will be able to claim a "bipartisan vote," having convinced Romney to cross party lines and vote to convict Trump on the first article. This scenario represents a reverse of the House impeachment vote in December, when no Republicans crossed party lines to vote with Democrats to impeach Trump, but several Democrats crossed lines to vote against the articles of impeachment.
Reactions to the verdict
In a statement to NBC, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham hailed the outcome as a "full vindication and exoneration" for Trump. "This entire effort by the Democrats was aimed at overturning the results of the 2016 election and interfering with the 2020 election," Grisham said after slamming the Democrats who led the impeachment efforts — as well as Romney, referred to as a "failed Republican presidential candidate." "The President is pleased to put this latest chapter of shameful behavior by the Democrats in the past, and looks forward to continuing his work on behalf of the American people in 2020 and beyond," Grisham said. Following the vote, the seven Democratic House impeachment managers defended their case in an op-ed for The Washington Post. Despite having lost the trial, they said, their argument gave voters more clarity about the coming election. "Because of the impeachment process, voters can now stand forewarned of the lengths to which the president will go to try to secure his reelection, violating the law and undermining our national security and that of our allies," they wrote. Trump is just the third president in U.S. history to face trial in the Senate on articles of impeachment.
A long road for Democrats
Republicans have accused Democrats of searching for reasons to take Trump out of office from the moment he won the presidency in 2016 over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. But Democratic leaders did not always support impeaching Trump. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had argued that impeachment was exactly the kind of destined-to-fail attack on Trump that the president wanted in order to "solidify his base." For months, Pelosi resisted intense pressure from a growing coalition of Democrats to launch impeachment proceedings against Trump, pressure that escalated after a special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation found numerous instances of potential obstruction of justice by Trump. Mueller was probing Russia's meddling in the 2016 presidential election, as well as possible coordination between the Kremlin and Trump's campaign and possible obstruction of justice. He found insufficient evidence to support a conspiracy and declined to recommend any charges against Trump, kicking that decision over to Attorney General William Barr, who cleared the president. But after a whistleblower's bombshell complaint revealed that Trump pressured Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a July 25 phone call to "look into" his potential 2020 opponent former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, Pelosi launched an impeachment inquiry in the House.
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